Anyone for coffee?

Having a coffee in London just got a whole lot more fulfilling. I'm sitting in the Calm and refreshingly cool atmosphere of a beautiful gothic church on an unusually hot august afternoon. Yes church!! I've ordered my Jamaican dollars from the post office in St James church west hampstead and ordered a coffee and am now sitting on a stylish sofa speaking on the phone with my daughter to enquire about the purchase of a cot for her first born son. Small children are clambering around a bright coloured ball park under the careful gaze of Our Lady who knows something of the  demands on families with small children during the 6 week holiday. While I sit here a young woman approaches the sanctuary and lights a candle while on the table next to me a work meeting takes place. As I leave I see another member of the public come in with her dog and make a mental note that St James is also a dog friendly venue!

Fr Andrew beginning his shift at the coffee shop.

4th August 1914 remembered

Last night at St Paul's Cathedral our bishop reminded us that we cannot change the past but we are responsible for how the past is  remembered.

The focus of this commemoration of the outbreak of World War 1 was a beautiful alter frontal that was originally created 138 wounded soldiers from   that terrible war and used to commemorate the end of the war. Many of the congregation that gathered were direct descendants of those men some of whom had travelled from Australia, Canada and other parts of the world to join in the service. For 75 years it had laid in a chest, following damage to the Cathedral during the Second World War when the Cathedral was bombed and the altar for which the frontal was designed destroyed, and in preparation for this commemoration it has been carefully restored.

The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God
and there shall no torment touch them.
In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die
And their departure is taken for misery
and their going from us to be utter destruction.
but they are in peace.
For though they be punished in the sight of men,
yet is their hope fill of immortality .
And having been a little chastised,
They shall be greatly rewarded:
For God proved them and found them worthy for himself
Wisdom 3.1-5

Service of praise and thanksgiving for the 52nd year of Jamaican independence

"Jamaica land of beauty

We promise faithfully

To serve thee with our talents 

And bring our gifts to thee. "

Words by A.L.Hendricks

In her address to the Jamaican diaspora Her Excellency Aloun Ndombet-Assamba  , high commissioner spoke of the contribution of Jamaicans over one hundred years to this island and a joint struggle against evil and tyranny in 1914 and 1944. 

Children of the staff & friends of the Jamaican High commission give the National Pledge. Jordan and Abigail take their place! 

A dancer of praise choreographed by jackie Guy MBE. 

Bishop Delroy Powell of The New Testament Assembly England exhorts us to live with Vision, Faith , Courage and Hope. To put the violence of this world away and beat our swords into pruning hooks. 

Saying happy retirement to Diane at Elmstead house

Staff, residents and their families gather to give thanks for 12 years of dedicated service from the manager of Elmstead house-a place of love, faith, care and joy. 

5th Sunday of Trinity

Last week we had the parable of the Sower as our gospel reading and this morning another parable is taken from the world of agriculture – the wheat and the tears.

Both parables are about us, the Kingdom of God, the church and both share a number of themes, generosity, growth and Harvest. This mornings parable touches on the question as to why there is evil in the world, in the kingdom of God yes in the church itself? and what should we do about it?

It has not been an easy week has it.

There has been a renewal of violence between Israel and Palestine and a distinct desire for the violence to continue as neither side in this age long argument over land and God’s name refuse to find a peaceful solution to their situation.

Then following hard on the heals of the latest in a long line of child abuse cases we start to hear of rumours of documents siting Politicians, Doctors, teachers and voluntary workers whose evil deeds were allowed to go un challenged for decades.

Then on Thursday the terrible news that a commercial airliner was shot out of the sky killing 298 passengers.

This week we were able to draw small comfort in the fact that the Synod of the Church of England has at last after decades of arguing agreed that God does call both men and women into the work of his kingdom, as deacons priests and bishops to lend a hand in the task of sowing the seed and growing the church.

What do we do when we see that evil flourishes in God’s beautiful and generous creation?

^Verse 30 “Let both of them grow together until the harvest;” - leave it to me says Jesus and wait for the time that has been set for the harvest.

This is hard. It is hard to wait . it is hard to leave it to God to sort out . It is not right or fair it offends our sense of justice and a Loving God.

But the instruction in the parable to the workers who see evil flourish along side the good is not an injunction to do nothing.

There are some parts of the Church of England who now think that the word evil should be abandoned from the baptism liturgy. I am not sure why when it is clear to everyone, and especially those outside the church, what evil looks like and feels like. So pretending it does not exist ,wishing it does not exist is not what we are called to do in this parable. There is no doubt in the minds of the Master of the parable as to how the weeds have got in and amongst the wheat “An enemy has done this.”. nor it is the case that only the master sees the situation for what it is, the farm workers, the slaves, clearly identify the reality and growth of evil in direct contradiction to their own work and effort.

^Verse 30 “Let both of them grow together until the harvest;” - leave it to me says Jesus and wait for the time that has been set for the harvest.

It's hard to wait.  And it's hard to understand - especially when

we see such terrible things happening; but when it comes to

dealing with those around us both in the church and out of it. The parable tells us what we are to do in the face of this evil – to plant and not to pluck, and wait for the harvest time in which the Master will give the command for both wheat and tear to be taken up.

We are to resist evil of course  - in ourselves and in others -

through his power.

We are called to recognize evil and to name it - and to pray to

God that he will take care of it, much as the farmer told his

servants in the parable that  he would take of it.

Importantly we are told to do good instead of evil

   - to bless instead of curse

   - to praise instead of criticize

    - to forgive instead of resent

   - to tell truth instead of lies.

- to help instead of walk away

   - to love instead of hate

It seems that there is a plan, that God does have a system,

but still - when you look at it with only the dim light of human

wisdom, or the closed eyes of human doubt and human pride,

there is almost no explaining why God allows the devil to cast

his evil seed in his garden..

^Verse 30 “Let both of them grow together until the harvest;” - leave it to me says Jesus and wait for the time that has been set for the harvest.

This does not mean that we do nothing.

So what do we do?

Maybe instead of trying to weed out the evil in the world we should dedicate our lives to full-heartedly nourishing the good.

After all when confronted with darkness we can denounce it and we can curse it but the darkness will remain. It is by lighting one small candle that the darkness will be diminished.

Evil fades in the presence of goodness.

When we feel affirmed enough in our good points, our bad points will go into remission.

We need to remind ourselves that we live in a very imperfect world and our frustrations and powerlessness generally stem from our inflated expectations. Perfection is not part of human nature – imperfections are.

We can be assured that with all our imperfections God still finds us lovable, and if God finds us, in our weakness, in our imperfection, lovable then should we not accept one another and ourselves in the same way?

And in accepting one another, both weed and wheat, we can place the future in the hands of God by faith declaring, “I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory about to be revealed to us.”

Bishop Peter to retire

Yesterday Bishop Peter sent a letter to his clergy announcing his intention to retire at the end of this year.

We give thanks for the ministry of our pastor, a wonderful bishop who has been a great friend to these parishes, and pray for him as he prepares to retire, and as he continues to exercise his ministry with us in the meantime.

God, eternal shepherd, you tend your Church in many ways and rule us with love. You have chosen your servant Peter to be a shepherd of your flock. Give him a spirit of courage and right judgment, a spirit of knowledge and love. By governing with fidelity those entrusted to his care, may he build your Church as a sign of salvation for the world. Amen.

4th Sunday of Trinity - the parable of the Sower

The parable of the sower is probably one of the better-remembered stories of the New Testament.

The image of a farmer sowing the seed is one of generosity. In to days world of technology that strives to reduce waste, is obsessed with profit margins and the eradication of human error there is something in the example of a man throwing sowing seed that is almost careless in its approach. The parable is one about sowing, not one that focuses on harvest. We are to sow seed of hope and love in our community. Reflecting on how we do this there are many examples of our generosity  Generously – Christmas Cheer ;Christmas lunch on Jesus: Passion and Plenty : numerous Coffee Mornings and Lunches; Summer Fete’s, Quiz nights– these act all bring the community together. The Harvest is of course not to be ignored  - but the hundred-fold harvest is not for the farmer alone and nor does Jesus go into detail as to how it is made possible! We strive to find ways of sowing Gods seed of hope and love in this community we are called to live in NOT for our glory or benefit but so that others may have life (eternal life, fulfilled life from God)

As I listen to the words of this much loved parable I think about our life together as a church and how in particular the quality of our welcome.

In October we will be studying, as a parish – all of us! – the “Everybody Welcome” course devised by Bob Jackson. I hope that as many of us as possible will be able to set aside 4 times when we can come together an reflect on our life together and the quality of our welcome.

Do people find it hard work to become part of our life, is it easier for them to walk on and find something else to do with their time?

Do people find us too busy and choked with our own concerns and business to actually stop and listen, to really offer friendship and compassion

Do people find that we are shallow and superficial, that our lofty claims to be loved by God and forgiven by God are exactly that rather than find a community where the call of Jesus Christ, were the values of the gospel and run through all that we do and say?

As I ask you to think about this I also ask you to ask yourself why would you do this? Why should we take out 4 evenings or will be it be afternoons or even a Saturday morning to share together, to listen to one another, to reflect on our life together – is it just so we can be a bigger and better congregation and church?

is it just so we can tick a box when the Archdeacon visits us later this week on his triennial visitation?

To create – NO

to allow God to create and make us a truly welcoming community where his word of love and forgiveness, his life of joy and fulfillment can flourish. It requires us to be generous with our time and offer some of it to God so that God can take it, bless it and multiply that gift for the sake of the this world that he created and loves.