Wednesday 25 June 2014

Asking the Right Question

A brilliant service last Sunday afternoon, in the local school hall. It was a 'civic celebration', suggested by our new Lord Mayor, who is one of our local councillors. The idea was both to celebrate the many good things about our local community, with the people that make them possible; and to 'launch' the Lord Mayor's year of office. Although, by her own admission, she doesn't 'do God' she felt strongly she would like to receive the blessing of her own community. It was a bit of a risk really: would anyone come? We reckoned at best 100, but it was getting on for double that! All kinds of people turned up: headteachers, representatives of various community groups, church members and - crucially - leaders of  local Muslims and Jews. The President of the Liverpool Muslim Society and a local Rabbi both took part, and there was a secular reading too, celebrating the power of literature. And the New Testament.

A great atmosphere. We gave thanks for our common life; we listened to children sing; we heard the Lord Mayor's words of appreciation; we committed ourselves to the common good, to all that builds community. There was much talk of 'one humanity'. The highlight for me came at the end, when the afore-mentioned Muslim and Rabbi, who had never met, warmly embraced and said 'this is how it should be - we are one'. Incidentally, before the event, a member of the Hebrew congregation and a Muslim went shopping together to provide food and drink for everyone. On the way, each explained to the other respectively about kosher and halal! Joy!

The challenge for me was putting together a 'service' which was at once non-religious (for agnostics, atheists, secularists) and faith-full for those of different religious creeds. I think we got it about right: we even had a prayer tree, for people to offer prayers, hopes, aspirations. Feed-back from the whole event was good.

A few weeks ago, I was talking to a retired bishop. He told me he was often asked, when a parish priest, what was his vision for his church and parish. With hindsight, he said, it was the wrong question. Should be 'What is your vision of God?'  I have had cause many times in the past few days to recall those words, as I have struggled to consider ways forward for our churches here. Lose sight of the God who has called you and you so easily turn inwards.

I told the story in church last Sunday of Antoinette Tuff. Last August, in America, a gunman broke into the school where she worked as a book-keeper, and threatened to kill her, the staff and children. As a Christian, she had recently been learning about being 'anchored in God' and she recalled this teaching as she prayed fervently for God to turn this situation around. She managed to talk the gunman into surrendering himself before any harm was done, sharing something of her own struggles in life and how God had shown mercy to her. As is the way of things these days, she has now become an 'author and inspirational speaker', given a new identity on the strength of one amazing incident! She has written of how 'asking the right question' is so important. Instead of 'what shall I do next?', how about 'God, what  are you doing now?'

The Guardian's comment on this whole incident is worth a read
 http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/25/antoinette-tuff-heroism-missing-from-politics

Saturday 14 June 2014

Centenary

I have been rather preoccupied of late with Centenary arrangements at St Barnabas. It's been a great week, especially the service last Wednesday (St Barnabas Day), when the Bishop came to celebrate Holy Communion with us. He really appreciated the choral music, which I must say was superb - our 3 choirs combining. During the week, we have been running an exhibition and flower festival. Our St Barnabas people have been working incredibly hard, and there has been real sense of joy about the place. Tonight, we have a concert and tomorrow morning another special service when we are joined by the Lord Mayor, Erica Kemp. She is one of our own local councillors, with whom we have worked closely in the community, so it will be a special pleasure to have her with us.

One of the highlights of the exhibition has been the contents of a time capsule, buried behind the foundation stone in 1912. The contents have been well preserved, and include a copy of the Liverpool Echo, newly-minted stamps and coins, photographs of the clergy, and beautiful, coloured original architect's plans for the church. They are truly a work of art. One interesting article in the Echo is about a bishop's objection to the conductor Sir Thomas Beecham coming to conduct at a concert in Manchester. He urges Christian people to boycott the concert. Why? Because Beecham is divorced! How times have changed: those were the days of 'Christendom', when it was felt there was a universal set of values to which all were expected to subscribe. Those who did not were sometimes regarded as beyond the pale.

None of us would want that kind of judgmental attitude to return, which so often led to hypocrisy. On the other hand, it does reveal how in today's world there really is no connecting narrative about values - as the recent Gove/May spat has revealed. Many would agree it was the First World War which caused that. People's best hopes of a world which was gradually becoming more humane, more prosperous, more just, more pleasant were dealt a cruel blow. It all fell apart with the ugly, brutal, catastrophic, horrifying experiences of war.

I have reflected on the timeliness of St Barnabas' foundation. It was consecrated in February 1914: I like to think it was God's providence that a centre for prayer and community gathering was right there on the high street, established in time for those gruelling years.

I have just finished reading Half the Human Race by Anthony Quinn. He is a Liverpool-born writer whose first novel The Rescue Man (set in Liverpool during WW2) I have also read.This second one begins in 1911, carries us through the War and beyond. It is essentially the story of a romance, but weaves together women's emancipation, cricket, trench warfare, and art among other things. It's a good read, and certainly conveys the atmosphere of pre-war England and the social changes the war produced. In particular the role of women: one of the characters, a suffragette, says I'm glad (the war) is over - but it did make us useful. It proved to men that we weren't just feeble domestic halfwits. I mean, didn't we take responsibility? We worked so hard they eventually had to give us the vote. She continues sourly, But...they're not letting us keep those jobs. It's "thanks a lot and you can all go home now....men still have all the cards you know."

In our Centenary year, we're not just looking back though. Our slogan is 'Building for the Future'. We want to provide for those who come after us, as those 100 years ago and since have kept the flame of faith burning for us.