Receiving blessing to be a blessing

Here's the reflection I shared during Evensong at St Catherine's Wickford today:

Instead of starting at the very beginning, a very good place to start this sermon is with the ending of our service. The prayer of blessing at the end of this service aims to ‘crystallize all that has gone before’ in this service and ‘focus it into a commissioning for all we shall set our hand to once we depart.’ It sends us out to be a blessing to others by making ‘the whole world a Eucharist.’ Being a blessing is what I’d like to explore briefly with you this evening.

We come to be blessed in order that we become a blessing to others. That is the pattern in today’s Old Testament reading (Genesis 12.1-4a) where we read of God saying to Abraham, ‘I will bless you … so that you will be a blessing … and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’

We might wonder how one person can become a blessing to all the families of the earth? The answer is, in the same way as Jesus did through the Last Supper. Abraham set out on a journey to the Promised Land which formed the people of God, who were called into being to be a blessing to other nations. In so doing, he gave all who follow after him a path to follow, a story to inhabit, a people to which to belong and a mission to which they are called. The people of Israel followed that path and inhabited that story when they left slavery in Egypt to journey through the wilderness to enter the Promised Land and established themselves there so that, when Solomon was on the throne, other nations came to learn the wisdom of God. Jesus followed that path and inhabited that story when he walked through the valley of the shadow of death to set a banqueting table for all peoples in the mansions of heaven. We become a blessing to others when we take that same story and experience of belonging out with us from church into our daily lives by seeking to make the whole world a Eucharist.

Sam Wells, Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields has said that: ‘The mission statement of the church is to make the world a Eucharist. So faithful service means practices that look like worship—those that gather people and form them as one body, that reconcile and open lives to repentance and forgiveness, that proclaim truth and reveal God’s story, that embrace need and unleash gifts, that express thanks and are open to the Holy Spirit, that share food and wash feet.’ ‘It means extending God’s invitation to all, bringing all to repentance and joining in creation’s praise. It means proclaiming the truth of God through the history of the world and the dynamics of the universe and sharing discernment within the silence of God. It means articulating human need and enabling reconciliation. It means restoring a good relationship between humanity and its ecological home, stirring the heart, setting about work in a spirit of thanksgiving, discovering power under the authority of the Spirit, confronting evil with confidence in the sovereignty of God and sharing in the generous economy of God so that nothing is wasted. Thus all the practices of worship become the habits of discipleship.’

Tom Wright says that, ‘Blessing is not primarily about what God promises to do to someone. It is primarily about what God is going to do through someone ... Blessed are the meek, [Jesus says,] for they will inherit the earth: in other words, when God wants to sort out the world, to put it to rights once and for all, he doesn’t send in the tanks, as people often think he should. He sends in the meek; and by the time the high and mighty realise what’s happening, the meek, because they are thinking about people other than themselves, have built hospitals, founded leper colonies, looked after the orphans and widows, and, not least, founded schools, colleges and universities, to supply the world with wise leaders.

What is God going to do through you? How might you be a blessing to others? It’s not a done deal! The people of Israel had to be exiled from the Promised Land before they returned to their vocation to bless others. God came into the world as a human being because humanity was oppressing, rather than blessing, others. Around our world too many nations are building walls and creating hostile environments instead of blessing others. So, we desperately need churches that will be the catalysts preparing us to be a blessing to others; and worship is the crucible in which such change begins. As St Augustine wrote: 'You are the Body of Christ. In you and through you the work of the incarnation must go forward. You are to be taken. You are to be blessed, broken and distributed, that you may be the means of grace and vehicles of eternal love'; that you may be a blessing.

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Carmel - God Put Your Hand On Me.

Windows on the world (465)

 London, 2024

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Delirious? - Give What You've Got.

Love Life Live Lent

Here's the sermon that I've shared at St Catherine's Wickford this morning:

It's a funny thing about humility
as soon as you know you're being humble,
you're no longer humble
it's a funny thing about life
you've got to give up your life to be alive
you've got to suffer to know compassion
you can't want nothing if you want satisfaction

it's a funny thing about love
the harder you try to be loved,
the less lovable you are
it's a funny thing about pride,
when you're being proud
you should be ashamed
you find only pain if you seek after pleasure
you work like a slave if you seek after leisure

Some wise words there from the singer-songwriter, T. Bone Burnett, which quote one of the things that Jesus said in today’s Gospel reading (Mark 8: 31-end). Whoever loses his life will find it or you’ve got to give up your life to be alive.

Much of what we do in life is actually about saving our own lives – all the time that we spend thinking about our comfort, security and pleasure and all the time we spend accumulating money and possessions for ourselves. We all do it because it is our normal way of life – scientists such as Richard Dawkins explain that we are born with selfish genes that get us ready to live in a world that is about the survival of the fittest while the Bible speaks about being slaves to sin and doing the things we hate. In different ways, the same thing is being said; that our gut instinct is to look out for ourselves, to look after No. 1.

Jesus turns that way of thinking on its head by saying those who want to save their lives will lose them and that those who lose their lives will save them. He fleshes out that thought by asking does a person gain anything if he wins the whole world but loses his life. We think immediately of the story Jesus told about a farmer with a bumper harvest which he immediately stored so that he could live off it in plenty for the rest of his life and who then died that same night without enjoying any of it. That story was told again in our newspapers a few years ago in the story of a man who had a special coffin built so that he could be buried together with his collection of pornographic magazines. What use they will be to him as both the magazines and his body decay is anyone’s guess!

So, seeking to save your own life doesn’t help you when you are faced with death and it doesn’t deliver what it promises in life either. Since the Second World War, economists tell us that in this country our GDP (or Gross Domestic Product) has shot up by leaps and bounds while the happiness of the population has stagnated. Despite economic growth, happiness in the West has not grown in the last 50+ years. All that seeking after material pleasures and possessions, all that looking after No. 1, is not actually making any of us any happier. As Jesus said, whoever wants to save his own life will lose it.

If Jesus is right about that half of the equation, then maybe he’s also right about the other; you've got to give up your life to be alive. After all, that is what he did for each one of us by going to the cross. He gave up his own life in order that we could get out of slavery to sin and really live. This is what he began to teach his disciples at the beginning of today’s Gospel reading; “The Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected … He will be put to death but three days later he will rise to life.”

Peter was like us he couldn’t see it. It sounded like Jesus had got things all the wrong way round. Peter didn’t want Jesus to die and so he rebuked him. But it was Jesus who actually understood the right way of living life – that we come alive when we give ourselves away – and so he rejected Peter’s arguments as coming from the Devil himself.

What is life like when we give ourselves away? What is life like when we lose our life for Jesus and the Gospel? One way of thinking about those questions might be to look online for the Church of England’s 'Love Life Live Lent' booklets. These are a past Lent initiative but the booklets are still available. The initiative was based on the idea of Lent as a time to step back from daily life and think about bigger things. The Live Lent Booklets help us turn towards God's love and kingdom. The booklets help us change the world for the better during Lent one small action at a time!

They do so by giving fifty suggestions for actions people can take during Lent, including ideas for environmental conservation and improving personal relationships. They encourage us to reject consumerism and materialism and instead embrace generosity and kindness, for example by leaving money in shopping trolleys, giving people hugs, giving up a place to someone who is in rush in traffic or a queue and doing chores for others.

The booklet was originally produced by the Diocese of Birmingham where 70,000 copies were given out. Commending the booklets Archbishop John Sentamu said; “I would urge as many people as possible to join in with the proposed programme of generous actions that encourage kindness to ourselves, our neighbours and our planet. Recent research has shown that generosity is a key ingredient in making neighbourhoods flourish and I think this Lent programme could help us become a more generous church – individually and as the body of Christ. The programme will not be easy but it will be fun and I am sure it will start to change our lives as God calls us onward in a corporate pilgrimage of faith, transforming us and building his kingdom of love, peace and justice.”

Living life by giving yourself away, by losing your life, is a wonderful thing. There is nothing to be ashamed of in a lifestyle like that. It makes sense in a world where the problems caused by a ‘me first’ attitude are becoming all too apparent. It is about really loving life and living it to the full by overflowing with generosity and kindness. It is to follow in Jesus’ footsteps, to live out his new way of being human, and to make an evolution against evolution. “If anyone wants to come with me,” Jesus said, “he must forget self, carry his cross, and follow me.” We have often thought about that in terms of self-denial but what ‘Love Life Live Lent’ helps us see is that it is actually about generosity, giving ourselves away. If you are not sure whether you can make that change wholesale, why not look at the booklet, try out some of the suggestions for a day at a time and see if they don’t seriously affect you and the world we live in.

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T. Bone Burnett - Trap Door.

Art review: Saad Qureshi: Conversations before the End of Time at the Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham

My latest exhibition review for Church Times is on Saad Qureshi: Conversations before the End of Time at the Djanogly Gallery, Nottingham:

'IMAGES and ideas of heaven and hell continue to inspire artists and to engage the wider public. Two examples include the opulent and intricate paradisaical enamel paintings of Raqib Shaw and Pablo Bronstein’s Hell in its Heyday series from 2021. With “Conversations before the End Of Time” at the Djanogly Gallery, Saad Qureshi is exploring both ends of the spectrum.'

Click to read my pieces on Raqib Shaw and Pablo Bronstein. See how looking through a rebel angel’s eyes opens up some surprising new angles on faith with my interview with author Nicholas Papadopulos for Seen and Unseen. An earlier review of an exhibition at the Djanogly Gallery can be read here.

Other of my pieces for Church Times can be found here. My writing for ArtWay can be found here. My pieces for Artlyst are here, those for Seen & Unseen are here, and those for Art+Christianity are here.

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U2 - The Fly.

Windows on the world (464)

London, 2024

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AD - All Creation Sings.
 

International Times: A Parisian Epiphany and Vision

My latest review published by International Times is on Giacometti in Paris by Michael Peppiatt:

'This double portrait of the artist and the city he loved is Peppiatt’s letter of introduction for his readers to an artist whose idiosyncratic life and loves lie hidden behind the intense focus and in-your-face realism of the standing figures and heads he created.'

My earlier reviews for IT were of the first Pissabed Prophet album - 'Zany in parts, moving in others, you’ll be hard pressed to find a more unusual, inspired & profound album this year. ‘Pissabed Prophet’ will thrill, intrigue, amuse & inspire' - and 'Religion and Contemporary Art: A Curious Accord', a book which derives from a 2017 symposium organised by the Association of Scholars of Christianity in the History of Art.

Several of my short stories have been published by IT including three about Nicola Ravenscroft's EarthAngel sculptures (then called mudcubs), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford last Autumn. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes'. The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King', and the third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'.

My other short stories to have been published by International Times are 'The Black Rain', a story about the impact of violence in our media, 'The New Dark Ages', a story about principles and understandings that are gradually fading away from our modern societies, and 'The curious glasses', a story based on the butterfly effect.

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Kerry Livgren - To Live For The King.

Fasting that questions our security and leads to benefit for others

Here is the sermon that I shared at St Andrew's Wickford this morning as part of our Eucharist for Ash Wednesday with the imposition of ashes (a second service will be held at St Mary's Runwell this evening at 8.00 pm):

Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints; contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness; fill your hearts with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words be silent and listen.

These are words that have been attributed to Pope Francis, although the source for these words has yet to be fully established. Nevertheless, Pope Francis has made similar or equivalent comments.

He says first of all that: ‘We must be careful not to practice a formal fast, or one which in truth “satisfies” us because it makes us feel good about ourselves. Fasting makes sense if it questions our security, and if it also leads to some benefit for others, if it helps us to cultivate the style of the Good Samaritan, who bends down to his brother in need and takes care of him. Fasting involves choosing a sober lifestyle; a way of life that does not waste, a way of life that does not “throw away”. Fasting helps us to attune our hearts to the essential and to sharing. It is a sign of awareness and responsibility in the face of injustice, abuse, especially to the poor and the little ones, and it is a sign of the trust we place in God and in his providence.’

In saying this he was following the teaching of his predecessors, Paul VI, in his 1973 Message for Lent, said that Lent is a time of renunciation and penance but is also “a time of communion and solidarity”. As a result, invited us to listen to the exhortations of the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 58: 1-12): “This, rather, is the fasting that I wish: … sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.” Such exhortations, noted Pope Paul, “echo the anxieties of the people of today,” and thus, “each individual truly shares in the sufferings and misery of all.”

Pope Francis also says that we fast and do penance: ‘in order to free ourselves from dependencies regarding what is passing, and to train ourselves to be more sensitive and merciful. It is an invitation to simplicity and to sharing: to take something from our table and from our assets in order to once again find the true benefit of freedom.’ As a result, ‘Fasting reunites us to ourselves. Lent invites us to look inside our heart, with fasting, which frees us from attachment to things and from the worldliness that numbs the heart.’

‘Fasting is not a diet. Indeed, it sets us free from the self-centred and obsessive quest of physical fitness, in order to help us to keep in shape not only our bodies but our spirit as well. Fasting makes us appreciate things for their true worth. It reminds us in a concrete way that life must not be made dependent upon the fleeting landscape of the present world. Nor should fasting be restricted to food alone. Especially in Lent, we should fast from anything that can create in us any kind of addiction. This is something each of us should reflect on, so as to fast in a way that will have an effect on our actual lives.’

These arguments and the words with which we began are sometimes criticised as we should not simply abstain from sinful behaviour for a period such as Lent, but should always seek to lay aside our sinfulness. However, that is to misunderstand what Pope Francis is advocating. His argument is that we begin to abstain from sin in Lent in order to continue throughout our lives.

Finally, Pope Francis argues that ‘Prayer, charity and fasting need to grow “in secret” (Matthew 6: 1-21), but that is not true of their effects. Prayer, charity and fasting are not medicines meant only for ourselves but for everyone: they can change history. First, because those who experience their effects almost unconsciously pass them on to others; but above all, because prayer, charity and fasting are the principal ways for God to intervene in our lives and in the world. They are weapons of the spirit and, with them, we implore from God that peace which men and women are incapable of building by themselves.’

So: Fast from hurting words and say kind words.
Fast from sadness and be filled with gratitude.
Fast from anger and be filled with patience.
Fast from pessimism and be filled with hope.
Fast from worries and have trust in God.
Fast from complaints; contemplate simplicity.
Fast from pressures and be prayerful.
Fast from bitterness; fill your hearts with joy.
Fast from selfishness and be compassionate.
Fast from grudges and be reconciled.
Fast from words be silent and listen.

This sermon uses material from: https://sites.google.com/view/popefrancishomilies/fasting and https://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope/news/2023-03/the-popes-and-the-lenten-fast-training-the-will-in-good.html#:~:text=There%20are%20three%20key%20elements,example%20of%20the%20Good%20Samaritan.

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Forty Days And Forty Nights.

Review - 'Modern Fog' by Chris Emery

My first review for Tears in the Fence is of 'Modern Fog' by Chris Emery: 

'Modern Fog, through its “poems about landscape and animals and distant fictions” is primarily a collection about giving up “on who you think you are”, “to become something new, something estranged, maybe even something redeemed from the silly paraphernalia of midlife identity” – a time when a new vulnerability can emerge.'

Tears in the Fence is an internationalist literary magazine based in the U.K. Publishing a variety of contemporary writers from around the world, it provides critical reviews of recent books, anthologies and pamphlets and essays on a diversity of significant modern and contemporary English and American poets. Each issue features a number of regular columnists adding wide focus and independent thought on the contemporary poetry world. A wide range of book and pamphlet reviews are also published on the magazine’s blog.

My poetry reviews for Stride Magazine include a review of two poetry collections, one by Mario Petrucci and the other by David Miller, a review of Temporary Archive: Poems by Women of Latin America, a review of Fukushima Dreams by Andrea Moorhead, a review of Endangered Sky by Kelly Grovier and Sean Scully, review of John F. Deane's Selected & New Poems, and a review of God's Little Angel by Sue Hubbard. 

To read my poems published by Stride, click here, here, here, here, and here. My poems published in Amethyst Review are: 'Runwell', 'Are/Are Not', 'Attend, attend' and 'Maritain, Green, Beckett and Anderson in conversation down through the ages'. Read my ArtWay interview with artist, musician and poet David Miller here.

Additionally, several of my short stories have been published by International Times, the Magazine of Resistance, including three about Nicola Ravenscroft's mudcub sculptures (now known as Earth Angels), which we exhibited at St Andrew's Wickford last Autumn. The first story in the series is 'The Mudcubs and the O Zone holes'. The second is 'The Mudcubs and the Clean-Up King', and the third is 'The mudcubs and the Wall'. My other short stories to have been published by International Times are 'The Black Rain', a story about the impact of violence in our media, 'The New Dark Ages', a story about principles and understandings that are gradually fading away from our modern societies, and 'The curious glasses', a story based on the butterfly effect.

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Meet The Poet: Chris Emery.

Stations of the Cross

 

This year the Ministry Team in the Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry have once again written our own Lent Course, which looks more deeply into the Stations of the Cross which we use during Holy Week, including images, readings, reflection and prayer.

These sessions will be offered on Tuesday evening and Thursday afternoon and evening, depending on numbers, starting the week of 19th February. We also have the opportunity to share these sessions with Christ Church, giving additional days and times (Tuesday mornings and Wednesday evenings).

Mark of the Cross and The Passion are collections of images, meditations and prayers by Henry Shelton and myself on The Stations of the Cross. They provide helpful reflections and resources for Lent and Holy Week. These collections can both be found as downloads from theworshipcloud.

Mark of the Cross is a book of 20 poetic meditations on Christ’s journey to the cross and reactions to his resurrection and ascension. The meditations are complemented by a set of semi-abstract watercolours of the Stations of the Cross and the Resurrection created by Henry Shelton.

The Passion: Reflections and Prayers features minimal images with haiku-like poems and prayers that enable us to follow Jesus on his journey to the cross reflecting both on the significance and the pain of that journey as we do so. Henry and I have aimed in these reflections to pare down the images and words to their emotional and theological core. The mark making and imagery is minimal but, we hope, in a way that makes maximum impact.

Jesus dies on the cross

The sun is eclipsed, early nightfall,
darkness covers the surface of the deep,
the Spirit grieves over the waters.
On the formless, empty earth, God is dead.

Through the death of all we hold most dear, may we find life. Amen.

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U2 - Windows In The Skies.

Windows on the world (463)

 London 2024

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Bill Fay - Filled With Wonder Once Again.

Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry: Upcoming Events

Messy Lent/Temptation

Saturday 10 February, 2.00 - 4.00 pm, St Andrew's Wickford

Messy Church is a way of being church for families and others. It is Christ-centred, for all ages, based on creativity, hospitality and celebration.

Pancake Party
St Catherine’s Hall, 120 Southend Road, Wickford SS11 8EB
Tuesday 13th February, 2.00 - 4.00 pmDrop in between 2pm and 4pm or stay all afternoon and help raise funds for St Catherine’s tower restoration. £4 to include 2 pancakes and unlimited tea or coffee. Gluten free available on request.

Salvation Army Band & Choir

Wickford Salvation Army Band and Choir will be performing at St Andrew's at 3.30 pm on Sunday 17 March to raise funds for St Andrew's. All are welcome.

Take Note in concert
Saturday 20 April, 3.00 pm
St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN

Take Note are an all-male a Cappella group of up to 12 singers formed in 2015. They sing many genres of music across many eras in four-part harmony. Their wide-ranging repertoire includes traditional male voice choir numbers, popular songs from the 50s and 60s sung in close harmony doo wop style, comedy items and other a Cappella arrangements that they think will appeal to their audiences.

This concert is a fundraiser for St Andrew’s Church. No tickets required. Donations requested on the day.

Quiet Days in 2024 - St Mary’s Runwell

Reflect in the magnificent mediaeval building that is St Mary’s Runwell, and relax in its beautiful churchyard. St. Mary’s is often described by visitors and by regular worshippers as a powerful sacred space to which they have been drawn. Experience this yourself, while also exploring its art and heritage.

Themes for 2024 include: Psalms, Women in the Bible, Nazareth Community’s Rule of Life, Faith Pictures, and Jesus Music.

All are 10.30 am – 3.30 pm. Runwell Rd SS11 7HS.

• Saturday 27 April – Jesus Music: Reflect on the person of Jesus plus praise and prayer to him, through the Jesus Music of the 1960’s and 70’s. Led by Revd Jonathan Evens.
• Wednesday 22 May – Women in the Bible: Spend time getting to know the women whose lives made a significant contribution to the story of God’s relationship with his people. Led by Revd Sue Wise.
• Saturday 15 June – Faith Pictures: Helps us see where God has been present in our lives, how we can talk about that confidently, and how God is active in the world around us and wants us to join in with Him. The focus will be on Traveller’s Tales and Talking Pictures. Led by Gail and Stephen.
• Wednesday 10 July – Psalms: Time to immerse yourself in the prayerfulness, rich imagery and poetry of the psalms. Led by Revd Sue Wise.
• Saturday 14 September – The 7S’s of the Nazareth Community: Silence, Sacrament, Scriptures, Service, Sharing, Sabbath, Staying as a personal Rule of Life. Led by Revd Jonathan Evens.

Cost: £8.00 per person, including sandwich lunch (pay on the day). To book contact jonathan.evens@btinternet.com / 07803 562329 (27/04, 15/06, 14/09) or sue.wise@sky.com / 07941 506156 (22/05, 10/07). Parking available at the Church Hall – Church End Lane, Runwell SS11 7JQ. Nearest station: Wickford (1.3 miles). Buses: 8, 10, 94, 94A, 94B, X10. http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/

Being With course

Tuesday evenings from 23 April - 25 June, 7.30 pm

St Andrew's Wickford

Have you ever wondered…

If all the meaning, beauty and goodness you have found in life so far could help you discover something that holds it all together?

If there is a God, wouldn’t God be best discovered with others?

Being With ⁄ A Course Exploring Christian Faith and Life

We believe God's desire is to be with you and that God has been at work in your life from day one. We are looking forward to discovering that with you.

Discovering Christian faith in a positive and inclusive group. No special knowledge or religious language needed. Just what you have learned in life so far.

Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Group

12 Thursday evenings from 9 May, 7.30 pm

St Andrew's Wickford

Kintsugi Hope is a charity based in the UK striving to make a difference to peoples mental wellbeing. 

"Kintsugi' (⾦継ぎ) is a Japanese technique for repairing pottery with seams of gold. The word means 'golden joinery' in Japanese. This repairs the brokenness in a way that makes the object more beautiful, and even more unique than it was prior to being broken. Instead of hiding the scars it makes a feature of them. “We want to see a world where mental and emotional health is understood and accepted, with safe and supportive communities for everyone to grow and flourish."

Kintsugi Hope Wellbeing Groups

A Kintsugi Hope Group is a safe and supportive space for people who feel or have felt overwhelmed, providing tools for self-management in a facilitated peer mentoring style setting. It consists of a structured yet flexible series of 12 weeks of content, which includes group and individual activities designed to help participants to accept themselves, to understand their value and worth, and grow towards a more resilient and hopeful future. Issues covered include; disappointment, loss, anxiety, anger perfectionism, shame and resilience. Feedback so far has been amazing.

Our new group starts on Thursday May 9th, 7.30pm at St Andrew’s Church, London Road, Wickford For more information and to register for the Group contact Revd Sue Wise on 07941 506156 or sue.wise@sky.com 

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Mumford & Sons x Pharrell Williams - Good People.

Unveiled: Maciej Hoffman

There were fascinating insights into art from Maciej Hoffman at tonight's Unveiled in St Andrew’s Wickford, leading to much engaged discussion after the presentation was over. For a sense of some of the ground covered click here. For my reflections on Maciej's work click here, here, and here.

Maciej Hoffman was born in Wrocław, Poland in 1964, the son of artist parents, growing up under Poland's communist regime; after studying philosophy at the School of Theology in Wrocław, he graduated in Painting and Sculpture from the Academy of Fine Art in 1992. Becoming fascinated with web art and new graphic technologies, he then worked for 15 years in one of Poland's largest advertising agencies until a watershed moment in 2003, when he returned fulltime to the studio and to oil painting. He moved to England in 2012, in search of new artistic and life opportunities, and continues to paint, teach and exhibit in the UK and abroad.

Here he became involved in leading art workshops for school students, encouraging self-expression through art therapy for young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, or coping with mental health issues and trauma. He also contributed artworks to exhibitions dealing with conflict and resolution, including two marking Holocaust Memorial Days in 2012 and 2018 respectively. Maciej Hoffman's work has been exhibited in the UK on numerous occasions, including at Chelmsford Cathedral; Barry Gallery Central; Polish Social and Cultural Association (POSK) Gallery and Willesden Gallery (both London), and at the Warwick Art Centre.

‘Painting begins with a spark, an idea, an impulse. Sometimes it seems as though the painting creates itself, intuition guides me during the process … In trivialities as well as in big events I seek contrasts between imagination and reality. Our expectations and our anticipations are never what we finally meet in real life. This constant collision fascinates me. It’s irrelevant whether it’s beauty and ugliness, order or chaos - the point is, how it’s reflected in the mirror of my interpretation … I am moved by people’s stories with all their misfortunes and moments of happiness. It seems like one is always part of the other.’

https://www.maciej-hoffman.com/ https://www.buru.org.uk/record.php?id=1443

'Who Tells Your Story? Who Tells Your Future? An exhibition of paintings by Maciej Hoffman' is at St Andrew’s Church (11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN) until 29 March 2024. 

St Andrew’s is usually open: Sat 9am-12.30pm; Sun 9.30am-12 noon; Mon 2-3.45pm; Tue 1-4.30pm; Wed 10am-12 noon; Fri 10am-1pm. See https://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for more information.

‘I choose themes that pervade everyday life, our constant battle with problems which we inevitably face. But also issues which haunt us for years, shaping our perspective on the world and building us as humans. I try to capture the moments of tension, the climax, and the spark before ignition.’ Maciej Hoffman

Unveiled – a wide range of artist and performers from Essex and wider, including Open Mic nights (come and have a go!).

Unveiled – view our hidden painting by acclaimed artist David Folley, plus a range of other exhibitions.

Spring Programme 2024

• 23 February – Tryin’ to throw your arms around the world. Jonathan Evens talks about the spirituality of the rock band U2. This talk sets out the main characteristics of U2’s spirituality, examines their roots, makes links between their spirituality and themes in contemporary theology and, considers three reasons why U2’s spirituality has connected with popular culture.
• 8 March – Dave Crawford in concert. Popular local musician, Dave Crawford writes engaging/melodic songs in Americana/Alt-Rock/Indie-Folk. He has performed at the Leigh Folk Festival, Pin Drop Sessions, and Music for Mind together with Kev Butler. He was recently included on The Open Mic Show Album, Vol. 1 from SoSlam. We have enjoyed Dave’s powerful vocals and guitar here when he has performed previously at our Open Mic Nights.
• 22 March – An evening with the Ladygate Scribblers. Hear poetry and prose from a long-established Wickford-based writers group.

These events do not require tickets (just turn up on the night). There will be a retiring collection to cover artist and church costs. See http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html for fuller information.

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Sinéad O'Connor - Trouble Will Soon Be Over.

Sinéad O'Connor

Seen and Unseen: Infernal rebellion and the questions it asks

My latest article for Seen & Unseen is 'Infernal rebellion and the questions it asks' in which I interview the author Nicholas Papadopulos about his book The Infernal Word: Notes from a Rebel Angel:

'I ended our conversation by asking in what ways the book challenges the accepted narrative of faith by providing a fresh perspective on familiar Biblical stories and why that is needed: “I hope the book is profoundly orthodox, but it poses some of the questions about faith that have fascinated me and that I believe fascinate others. Because it’s narrated by a rebel angel it can dare to be irreverent and occasionally downright rude. Don’t we always need fresh perspectives on the tradition? That’s what keeps it alive. It was the quest for a fresh perspective that first pushed me in the rebel angel’s direction when I was stuck for a sermon.”'

To read my interview for Artlyst with Nicholas Papadopulos about Grayson Perry's The Vanity of Small Differences click here.

My first article for Seen and Unseen was 'Life is more important than art' which reviews the themes of recent art exhibitions that tackle life’s big questions and the roles creators take.

My second article 'Corinne Bailey Rae’s energised and anguished creative journey' explores inspirations in Detroit, Leeds and Ethiopia for Corinne Bailey Rae’s latest album, Black Rainbows, which is an atlas of capacious faith.

My third article was an interview with musician and priest Rev Simpkins in which we discussed how music is an expression of humanity and his faith.

My fourth article was a guide to the Christmas season’s art, past and present. Traditionally at this time of year “great art comes tumbling through your letterbox” so, in this article, I explore the historic and contemporary art of Christmas.

My fifth article was 'Finding the human amid the wreckage of migration'. In this article I interviewed Shezad Dawood about his multimedia Leviathan exhibition at Salisbury Cathedral where personal objects recovered from ocean depths tell a story of modern and ancient migrations.

My sixth article was 'The visionary artists finding heaven down here' in which I explored a tradition of visionary artists whose works shed light on the material and spiritual worlds.

My seventh article was 'How the incomer’s eye sees identity' in which I explain how curating an exhibition for Ben Uri Online gave me the chance to highlight synergies between ancient texts and current issues.

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Black Sabbath - After Forever.

Art review: Everywhere is Heaven: Stanley Spencer and Roger Wagner at the Stanley Spencer Gallery, Cookham

My latest exhibition review for Church Times is on “Everywhere is Heaven: Stanley Spencer and Roger Wagner” is at the Stanley Spencer Gallery:

'Ultimately, in terms of look and feel, I think that Wagner is closer to his peers, such as Mark Cazalet and Thomas Denny, with whom and others he is part of a loose grouping, than to either Spencer or Blake, although being part of a clear lineage that includes both. Transcendent trees are a significant feature of the work of Cazalet, Denny, and Wagner, particularly in church contexts; and Wagner’s The Flowering Tree is a particularly wonderful example. These are Edenic trees of life, which often, as here, include reference to the tree on which Christ was crucified.

Such reference and focus may place this group of artists closer to the visions of artists such as Samuel Palmer and David Jones than to those of Spencer and Blake. The synergies and contrasts generated by this fascinating exhibition point, perhaps, towards a further and broader exhibition to document the legacy and lineage of British visionary art from Blake onwards, and encompass those mentioned in this review, among others, including Spencer and Wagner in particular.'

Click here to read my Seen & Unseen article on this exhibition and the tradition of visionary artists whose works shed light on the material and spiritual worlds. The friendship between Mark Cazalet, Thomas Denny, Richard Kenton Webb, Nicholas Mynheer, and Roger Wagner is explored here. My writings on Richard Kenton Webb can be read here and here.

Other of my pieces for Church Times can be found here. My writing for ArtWay can be found here. My pieces for Artlyst are here, those for Seen & Unseen are here, and those for Art+Christianity are here.

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Roger Wagner - I Saw The Seraphim.

St Mary with St Leonard Broomfield: Rosemary Rutherford

 

Rosemary Rutherford was part of a generation of innovative female artists whose work is increasingly being rediscovered and re-evaluated. These artists include Vanessa Bell, Gwen John, Winifred Knights, Evelyn Dunbar, Betty Swanwick, Hilda Carline, Laura Knight and Dod Procter (click here for more information).

Rosemary Rutherford studied art in Chelmsford and at the Slade in London in 1930s. She also trained in the art of true fresco. She was a VAD (Voluntary Aid Detachment) Red Cross nurse during the second world war and created a large portfolio of sketches and paintings of all she observed in hospitals, both at home and in Sri Lanka.

She learnt stained glass making and created 40 windows, including four in Broomfield church to replace those shattered by bombing. She attended the East Anglian School of Painting and Drawing at Benton End run by Cedric Morris where she painted flowers and landscapes. Her paintings have gained renewed interest, not least because she was one of only a few women war artists.

Project Rutherford at St Mary with St Leonard Broomfield centres on the preservation and conservation of Rosemary Rutherford’s special mural in the Norman round tower, St Mary’s unique 20th century fresco. Its protection within the tower and its promotion has involved replacement of the spire shingles, repair of the spire’s wooden framework, repointing of the round tower, conservation of the fresco itself and outreach to all church users and to the wider community in bringing the fresco, and Rosemary Rutherford, ‘out into the open’.

Rutherford was deeply religious and her spirituality guided her artworks. Her fresco at Broomfield church shows ‘Christ Stilling the Storm’ and was surely intended to give people hope during the frightening turmoil of wartime.

To bring the life and works of this remarkable but largely forgotten artist to the attention of the wider community, a permanent exhibition was opened in 2023. This exhibition summarises Rosemary’s life and extraordinary artistic achievements. Models reveal how fresco and stained glass are made. Some of her remarkable range of drawings and paintings are shown, including wartime artwork and flower paintings. Her spiritual, caring nature and brilliant artistry shine through.

Rutherford is perhaps most widely known for her stained glass windows, mostly in churches, throughout East Anglia and further afield from Yorkshire to Sussex and even in New Zealand. The exhibition features a montage of many of her windows showing her versatility of style and subject. Her love of bright, bold colours is evident both in the east window of Broomfield church, in her earlier figurative designs and in the more abstract compositions at Boxford and in windows made posthumously to her designs at Hinderclay in Suffolk.

This permanent exhibition can be viewed during church opening times, currently Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:30 to 12:30 and after Sunday services.

The full list of Rutherford's windows is as follows:

Essex
Bradfield St Lawrence's 1960 (2 windows)
Broomfield St Mary's 1951-66 (4 windows)
Clacton on Sea St Paul's 1965
Halstead RC church 1955
Nevendon St Peter's 1950
Tendring St Edmund's 1967
Lancashire
Aspull (Wigan) St Elizabeth's 1968
Leicestershire
Grimston St John the Baptist's 1966
Saxelbye St Peter's 1959
London
Moorfields Eye Hospital Chapel 1971 (2 dalle de verre windows)
Norfolk
Gaywood St Faith's 1966
Norwich St Margaret's (made by Michael King, possibly to Rutherford's design?)
Oxfordshire
Berinsfield SS Mary & Berin 1961 (4 dalle de verre windows)
Rutland
Preston SS Peter & Paul 1962
Suffolk
Boxford St Mary's 1972
Hinderclay St Mary's (5 windows made posthumously from Rutherford's designs)
Walsham le Willows St Mary's 1972
Surrey
Godalming Charterhouse School Memorial Chapel 1964 (3 dalle de verre panels)
Guildford Cathedral 1955
Merton Park Methodist Church 1958 (3 windows)
Sussex
Worthing Offington Park Methodist Church 1959 (3 grisaille windows)
West Midlands
Bartley Green St Michael's 1965 (several dalle de verre windows)
Sedgley All Saints 1971-2
Yorkshire
Brompton by Sawdon All Saints 1970
West Heslerton All Saints 1966
New Zealand
Hanmer Church 1966 (apse windows)
Havelock North Woodford House School 1961
Hereworth School Chapel 1964 (dalle de verre round window)

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Tonio K - You Will Go Free.

Chris Beales R.I.P.

 

Chris Beales, who died on 12 January 2024, was a social entrepreneur working in housing and education and on issues of faith and economy, locally, nationally and internationally.

As Malcolm Brown writes: "Canon Chris Beales was probably the leading exponent of the partnership approach to Christian social action in the past 50 years. Always deeply committed to local ministry, his ability to connect social needs to potential solutions, and to gather resources for innovative projects, epitomised the Church’s latent convening power and commitment to social change. Chris got things done through a totally unforced charm and boundless enthusiasm, grounded in a profound affection for people and love of ordinary communities."

We met, as he explains in the video above, when he was working with Employment Focus and I was in JobCentre Plus. Employment Focus (originally known as Employment Forum UK) worked across the country with people of all faiths on employment, training and enterprise development. They held a series of major regional events, ran a Black Economic Empowerment programme, working with black majority churches, and a national Inter-Faith Action Programme. They also ran construction, ESOL and employability training programmes in London and Birmingham. During this time Chris produced "Catalytic Converters", a training programme to involve faith groups in social and economic development and service provision in their communities. Chris later ran a Catalytic Convertors course at St Margaret's Barking, while I was curate there.

Through our employment work we both met Saif Ahmad, then CEO of Faith Regen UK (later Faith Regen Foundation) and we both contributed in various ways to their work, as a multi-faith UK based regeneration charity, to reduce social exclusion. The multi-faith nature of urban Britain combined with the diversity and equalities agenda meant that those working in employment and training services needed to understand their customers and employees who were part of faith communities. This development provided an opportunity for me to work on the development of a Faith Communities Toolkit for Jobcentre Plus which provided information for staff on the nine world religions (including Christianity) represented in the UK and ideas and guidance on contacting and working with people of faith. Through Faith Regen Foundation, I was also involved in preparing similar resources for staff at Sainsbury’s, Calder UK Ltd and the learning and skills sector, more generally.

Chris and I later reconnected through HeartEdge when he participated in the above webinar which explored ways in which all churches can get involved in housing need locally and the theological basis for doing so. Chris had joined the Archbishops’ Commission on Housing when it was launched by the present Archbishop of Canterbury. Malcolm Brown writes that "His effervescent cheerfulness, mental acuity, and capacity for work, plus his genius for networking, made his contribution indispensable to the eventual report, Coming Home." He then, as a member of Executive Team following up the recommendations of "Coming Home", applied his energies to turning the recommendations into action.

In Church Times he wrote of how the church can be beneficial in bringing communities together: “Relationships have to be cultivated and trust established. In each local authority area, someone – clergy or lay – should be doing the research, meeting the planners and developers, building relationships, making friends, and feeding in ideas to be included in local plans and masterplans.

“In larger new housing developments, we have the chance to model places where housing is well-designed and caters for all ages, ethnicities, incomes, and circumstances; where facilities and services are easily accessible and to hand; and where schools and community facilities, open spaces, and sports and leisure facilities are local – creating places not of isolation, but inclusion: places where people love to live.”

His report ‘Building new communities in North East England: challenging church and society' identified significant new housing developments being built or planned in each of the 12 local authority areas across the region and explored the challenge of how to “build good community”; his aim being to lay the foundations for new strategic thinking and action by Churches and others, working with landowners, builders, planners, communities and all involved. Click here to read his report.

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Madness - Our House.