Thursday 14 August 2014

The Feast of the Assumption



The Feast of the Assumption begins this evening. We remember God's glorification of Mary's entire human reality at the moment of death - a sign of the new life that God promises us all through Jesus Christ.

We'll be celebrating tomorrow with a Sung Mass at St Matthias at 7:45pm. Fr Simon Maddison from St Alphage, Burnt Oak will be visiting us to preach. Our organist, Konstantin, is laying on some music. Mass will be followed by a party.

This event has been wonderful in recent years. Please support it, and bring your family and friends!

Above all, let's use the coming day to give thanks to God, who shows us in Mary his plan for each one of us.


Almighty ever-living God, who assumed the Immaculate Virgin Mary, the Mother of your Son, body and soul into heavenly glory, grant we pray, that, always attentive to the things that are above, we may merit to be sharers of her glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen


Tuesday 12 August 2014

Day trip into London


We are all gathered at Hendon station and waiting for the train that will take us on a day of adventure and fun. First stop St Pancras station 

St Pancras was a 4th century boy of 14 years of age who was beheaded for his faith. His death was one of many in times of persecution. As we waited for the tube we rembered St Pancras and those who today are persecuted for their faith. 
At the Tower of London we saw the tribute to those who died 100 years ago in the First World War. Even with the sun shining and in the midst of our excitement to be above ground we and those around us became quiet as we stopped to consider the terrible loss and waste of war. One member of the public stifles a sob and dries her eyes. 
Now lunch beckons and we eat on the steps looking on the Tower of London

We are now flying across the Thames, it's very noisy in this carrage, good job it's only our group here!
   
An airplane takes off as we pass the end of the run way! 

Sunday 10 August 2014

8th Sunday of Trinity -


Elijah, a prophet living some 1000 years before Jesus’ birth, was at the lowest point of his life, it seemed that the world was against him and his very life was in danger.

Israel had forsaken their God and were following other gods. The prophets of the lord had given up their faith and even the King followed the ways of idols. Elijah had just won a great contest in which he killed 400 prophets of fertility god Baal and now he alone remained as a prophet of the Lord. The kings wife had put a contact out on him he was a hunted man. He was alone and frightened and felt abandoned by God.

Maybe there has been a time in your life what you too have felt alone and abandoned by God, or if not God certainly by those around you. When feeling this way we tend to retreat, to hide, to keep a low profile. This is what Elijah was doing by hiding in the cave.

Elijah just wished to curl up and die, for all this struggle in the name of an invisible and silent God, to just go away. But it is hard to flee from God. There would be others too who felt this – remember what happened to Jonah when he tried to run away!
God speaks to Elijah ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’

Elijah needs to feel the presence of God, he needs to see that God really exists and his desire, his need is fulfilled as God tells him to wait. God  said, ‘Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.’

What then follows is a mighty wind and an earthquake: Here is a display of power, the ability to split mountains we are told. You can imagine Elijah thinking here is god Yes this is the kind of God I want, here is the evidence the world can sit up and take note of. But God is not in this display of power. Instead God is found in the  sound of sheer silence.

Here is Elijah at the lowest point in his life and his request to see God, to meet with God is – silence. Isn’t that just typical!

Not many of us are very comfortable with silence.
If we turn to our partner and ask “Tell me that you love me” and are met with silence we would probably be none to pleased. When we are on our own do we feel comfortable with silence or do we not put on the radio or TV so that we can have some company.

It seems that all too often God is silent in our lives. We sense that he is not listening to our prayer.
There is a wonderful poem entitled “folk tales” by RS Thomas that speaks of prayer and the silence of God. In the few verses we are given a picture of lover throwing stones up at a window in order to attract the attention of the beloved. The window is too high and then we are reminded of the childhood tale of a girl letting down her hair so that the brave knight can climb up and free her. But both these images seem futile, the window remains closed the hair is never let down so that we can climb up, And yet  we keep throwing pebbles up at the window trying to attract Gods attention:


Prayers like gravel
Flung at the sky’s Window,
Hoping to attract the loved one’s attention.

But without visible plaits to let down for the believer to climb up,
To what purpose open that far casement?

I would have refrained long since but that peering once through my locked fingers
I thought that I detected the movement of a curtain.

I thought I detected the movemement of a curtain – RS Thomas captures the beautiful truth that Thomas revealed that in our doubts in our uncertianity, in our disbelief God makes himself known.

Eilijah detects the movement of God, not in the display of power but in the sheer silence that followed. That still small voice of calm.

Whether we are at the lowest point in our lives or like Peter riding the storms of life we need to persevere and trust in God. In our prayer life we may feel that it is all a waste of time, that God is not really listening, but if we persevere, if we remain alert to the small movement of the curtain, in the poem, or the sheer silence outside the cave then we find God and he in turn will stretch out his hand to us and stop us from sinking into the waves of despair and be lost forever.

Elijah leaves that cave emboldened and re-energised to continue the dangerous work of being the prophet of the Lord. Peter too once his life is in the hands of Jesus is able to continue the work he as called to  - to build his church.

But the readings of today teach us one other important insight. It is all very well to say that like Peter, we need only to fix our gaze and concentrate on Jesus for everything to be fine. But the truth we are shown is that there will be moments when we are made desperately aware of our vulnerability.

When we take the decision to follow Jesus we open ourselves to an environment were Jesus Christ is our only and our total security, the truth of our existence is that we are out on deep water without a boat, and of course it is at this moment of realisation that we begin to understand what faith is all about. Thankfully, when we are prepared to take that leap of faith Jesus is there to hold our hand and bring us back to where we feel safe. 

It is of course a learning process and we see a very different Peter a few years later, after the death and resurrection of Jesus when he is boldly preaching the gospel and being thrown into prison – we can see a dramatic growth of faith.

Let us therefore be alert to the voice of God calling us in the night to place our hand in his and be led into the morning light. Like Peter let us be ready to leap out of the boat of our certainties and securities in order to meet with Jesus and follow him.




Thursday 7 August 2014

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.

Monday 4 August 2014

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



Saturday 26 July 2014

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. 

Thursday 24 July 2014

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.