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Sunday, 13 July 2025

True love of our neighbour means that we receive as well as give

Here's the sermon that I have shared at St Mary's Runwell and St Peter's Nevendon today:

We all know the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10. 25 - 37), don’t we? And we all know what the story is about? It’s very clear, isn’t it? It’s a call to kindness, a call to care, a call to help others, unlike those who passed by on the other side. We know all that, don’t we? So, there’s really no point in my reiterating what we already know and therefore I can just leave you to reflect on the calls to kindness that you experience in your daily life. How do you meet those? How do you respond?

There isn’t really anymore to say, so I’ll just leave it at that for today. Or, is that actually the case? Is there perhaps something more to this parable that isn’t generally spoken about? Might there actually be an aspect to this parable that is generally overlooked?

Let’s think for a moment about the hero of the parable – a Samaritan. Samaritans were contemptible people, as far as the Jews of Jesus’ day were concerned, considered as social outcasts, untouchables, racially inferior, practicing a false religion. While Samaritans claimed that they were the true Israel who were descendants of the "lost" tribes taken into Assyrian captivity. The Samaritan’s had their own temple on Mount Gerizim and claimed that it was the original sanctuary. They also claimed that their version of the Pentateuch was the original and that the Jews had a falsified text produced by Ezra during the Babylonian exile.

Samaritans were of mixed Jewish and Gentile ancestry, claimed descent from Jacob and worshipped the God of Israel. So, Samaritans were close to the Jews in their birth and beliefs but they were also different in significant ways, a volatile combination in any era. As a result, Samaritans and Jews engaged in bitter rivalries, which in Jesus’ day could lead to political hostilities that, sometimes, required intervention from the Romans.

Both Jewish and Samaritan religious leaders seem to have taught that it was wrong to have any contact with the opposite group, and neither was to enter each other's territories or even to speak to one another. Jews avoided any association with Samaritans, travelling long distances out of their way to avoid passing through a Samaritan area. Any close physical contact, drinking water from a common bucket, eating a meal with a Samaritan, would make a Jew ceremonially unclean - unable to participate in temple worship for a period of time – this may be part of the reason why the priest and Levite don’t stop to help.

The artist Dinah Roe Kendall painted a version of the parable of the Good Samaritan which set the story in South Africa at the time of apartheid. Doing so, seems to me, to be an accurate parallel with the kinds of emotions and cultural practices that were at play in the relationship between Jews and Samaritans and it shows up clearly the twist in the tail of Jesus’ story.

Jesus, as a Jew, didn’t illustrate his point - that people of every race, colour, class, creed, faith, sexuality, and level of ability are our neighbours – by telling a story in which a Jew was kind to someone else. Instead, he told a story in which a Jew receives help from a person who was perceived to be his enemy. The equivalent in Kendall’s painting is of the black man helping the white man, who represents the people that have oppressed him and his people.

So, Kendall’s version of the story brings out part of the twist in the tail that Jesus gives this story; the sense of receiving help from the person who is your enemy. What her version doesn’t deal with, however, is the idea that the enemy who helps is someone of another faith. The Jews were God’s chosen people and a light to the other nations and faith, so what would have been expected from this story would have been for the Jew in the story to bring the light of faith to the Samaritan. But that is not how Jesus’ story unfolds. Instead, the person who is one of God’s chosen people receives help from the person of another faith.

For Jesus to tell a story in which a Samaritan was the neighbour to a Jew was, for the reasons we have been considering, deeply shocking. We can sense this in the story as recorded for us by Luke, as the lawyer in the story is unable to bring himself to utter the word ‘Samaritan’ in answering Jesus’ question. The story is doubly shocking because the Jews in the story, the Priest and Levite, do not act as neighbours to the man. And trebly shocking, because it was probably their expression of devotion to God that prevented them from being neighbours. Priests were supposed to avoid impurity from a corpse and Pharisees thought that one would contract impurity if even one’s shadow touched the corpse. It was safer, therefore, not to check than to risk impurity.

Perhaps we can get a sense of how shocking this was by asking ourselves who, in our own day, are we least likely to think of as neighbours? Who do we think of as those least like us? Who do we think of as enemies? Who do we think of as contemptible? The point of the story is that Jesus says our neighbour is not our own people but those we think of as enemies or as contemptible because of their birth or beliefs. The least likely people, the people least like us, these are the people that Jesus calls our neighbours.

To find a contemporary equivalent for this aspect of the story, we have, perhaps, to think about relationships in this country between Christians and those of other faiths, and within those relationships, recognise that relationships between Christians and Muslims are often those which are currently most conflicted, with some Christians believing that Islam represents a threat to the Church and Western civilization. Within this context, the parable of the Good Samaritan challenges Christians as to what we can receive from those of other faiths and, particularly, those who we might view as enemies. Jesus says to us, through this parable, that loving our neighbours is not simply about what we can give to others but also about what we receive from others.

Our neighbours, understood in this way, are those to whom we should give – “go and do likewise”, Jesus said to the lawyer - and they are those that we should love as we love ourselves. They are also those from whom we should receive because it was the Samaritan in the story who provided help, not any of the Jewish characters. So, we need to ask ourselves how we can receive, grow, learn from and be blessed by those we think of as enemies or as beneath contempt because of their birth or beliefs.

You see, if our focus is just on what we can give, then we are in a paternalistic relationship with our neighbours or enemies. If our focus is just on what we can give, then what we are saying is that we hold all the aces and we will generously share some of them with you. In other words, we remain in a position of power and influence. Immediately we acknowledge that we can receive from our neighbours or enemies, then the balance of power shifts and we make ourselves vulnerable. In this parable, Jesus says that that is where true love is to be found and it is something that he went on to demonstrate by making himself vulnerable through death on the cross.

We often protect ourselves from the need to engage with, learn from or show love to those who are different from us by using aspects of the Bible to justify our lack of contact or compassion. But Jesus rules this approach out for his followers by giving us the examples of the priest and Levite. George Caird has written that “It is essential to the point of the story that the traveller was left half-dead. The priest and the Levite could not tell without touching him whether he was dead or alive; and it weighed more with them that he might be dead or defiling to the touch of those whose business was with holy things than that he might be alive and in need of care.”

This is religious rule-making justifying a lack of compassion. Caird says that, “Jesus deliberately shocks the lawyer by forcing him to consider the possibility that a semi-pagan foreigner might know more about the love of God than a devout Jew blinded by preoccupation with pettifogging rules.” Who do we, as the Church, stay away from because we are afraid of contamination or defilement? What aspects of scripture do we use to justify our lack of contact?

Jesus told this story in order that we reach out across the divides and barriers that people and groups and communities and nations construct between each other. He told this story so that Christians would be in the forefront of those who look to tear down the barriers and cross the divides. To the extent, that we fail to do this we are more like the priest and Levite in this story that the Samaritan who was a neighbour to the person in need.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, where the sting is in the tail, the deepest point is that one of God’s chosen people receives help from his enemy who is of another faith. Jesus is taking us deep into the heart of love and saying that we will not truly love our neighbour until we understand and accept that we have much to receive from those that we perceive to be our enemies. In other words, true love of our neighbour means that we receive as well as give.

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Sunday, 9 October 2022

Artlyst - William Kentridge: Merging Politics With Aesthetics – RA

The latest review I've prepared for A rtlyst is of William Kentridge at the RA:

‘“This man is colonising the world. He started off with Johannesburg landscapes and he’s gone outwards, through Stalinist Russia and to Mao’s China and Vienna in the nineteen-twenties and on and on until there’s not going to be any territory in the world left that he hasn’t colonised with his drawings.”

“As elusive as it is allusive, Kentridge’s art is shaped by apartheid and grounded in the politics of the post-apartheid era, and in science, literature and history, while always maintaining space for contradiction and uncertainty.” He says, “There was an absurdity to the basic logic of apartheid that we grew up with. There was something wrong with the logic, and that false logic then gets carried through to the nth degree—with pencils in people’s hair, with the fifty-two different categorisations of what races were. So, the absurd was built in. We understood that the absurd was where we lived.”'

In homage to Kentridge and his approaches, this review is a montage of quotes about his work.

My other pieces for Artlyst are:

Interviews -

Monthly diary articles -

Articles/Reviews -

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Paul Hindemith - Symphony: Mathis The Painter.

Sunday, 17 July 2022

The Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields in concert

The Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields is an outstanding liturgical voluntary choir rooted in Sunday worship at St Martin’s. In addition, they sing for the worship services at all the major church festivals, including Advent, Christmas, Holy Week and Easter. The Choir is well known for its broadcasts on BBC Radio and Television, concerts and tours. They strive to be amongst the leading voluntary church choirs in the UK, performing a wide range of sacred choral repertoire on a regular basis to a very high standard.

At St Andrew's Wickford they performed a diverse programme of choral music to an appreciative and full church. The programme began with 'Totus Tuus' by Górecki and then progressed chronologically from the Renaissance - 'Sicut Cervus' by Palestrina, 'Sing Joyfully' by Byrd and 'Quam Gloriosum' by Victoria - then Romanticism - 'Abendlied' by Rheinberger and 'Nunc Dimitis' by Holst - into the twentieth century with pieces from Parry, Finzi, Stetsenko (a Ukrainian composer) and Daley, before ending with two pieces from South Africa - 'Hamba Nathi' and 'Baba Yetu', the latter being a Swahili version of the Lord's Prayer.

Among comments made about the concert was the following: "Thank you to all involved in bringing the Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields to St Andrew’s church in Wickford. To have a concert of such a standard in our town is absolutely fantastic. The choir were simply superb and the music was glorious."

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The Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Sunday, 10 July 2022

True love of neighbour means we receive, as well as give

Here's my sermon from today's Communion Servive at St Catherine’s Wickford:

We all know the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10. 25 - 37), don’t we? And we all know what the story is about? It’s very clear, isn’t it? It’s a call to kindness, a call to care, a call to help others, unlike those who passed by on the other side. We know all that, don’t we? So, there’s really no point in my reiterating what we already know and therefore I can just leave you to reflect on the calls to kindness that you experience in your daily life. How do you meet those? How do you respond?

There isn’t really anymore to say, so I’ll just leave it at that for today. Or, is that actually the case? Is there perhaps something more to this parable that isn’t generally spoken about? Might there actually be an aspect to this parable that is generally overlooked?

Let’s think for a moment about the hero of the parable – a Samaritan. Samaritans were contemptible people, as far as the Jews of Jesus’ day were concerned, considered as social outcasts, untouchables, racially inferior, practicing a false religion. While Samaritans claimed that they were the true Israel who were descendants of the "lost" tribes taken into Assyrian captivity. The Samaritan’s had their own temple on Mount Gerizim and claimed that it was the original sanctuary. They also claimed that their version of the Pentateuch was the original and that the Jews had a falsified text produced by Ezra during the Babylonian exile.

Samaritans were of mixed Jewish and Gentile ancestry, claimed descent from Jacob and worshipped the God of Israel. So, Samaritans were close to the Jews in their birth and beliefs but they were also different in significant ways, a volatile combination in any era. As a result, Samaritans and Jews engaged in bitter rivalries, which in Jesus’ day could lead to political hostilities that, sometimes, required intervention from the Romans.

Both Jewish and Samaritan religious leaders seem to have taught that it was wrong to have any contact with the opposite group, and neither was to enter each other's territories or even to speak to one another. Jews avoided any association with Samaritans, travelling long distances out of their way to avoid passing through a Samaritan area. Any close physical contact, drinking water from a common bucket, eating a meal with a Samaritan, would make a Jew ceremonially unclean - unable to participate in temple worship for a period of time – this may be part of the reason why the priest and Levite don’t stop to help.

The artist Dinah Roe Kendall painted a version of the parable of the Good Samaritan which set the story in South Africa at the time of apartheid. Doing so, seems to me, to be an accurate parallel with the kinds of emotions and cultural practices that were at play in the relationship between Jews and Samaritans and it shows up clearly the twist in the tail of Jesus’ story.

Jesus, as a Jew, didn’t illustrate his point - that people of every race, colour, class, creed, faith, sexuality, and level of ability are our neighbours – by telling a story in which a Jew was kind to someone else. Instead, he told a story in which a Jew receives help from a person who was perceived to be his enemy. The equivalent in Kendall’s painting is of the black man helping the white man, who represents the people that have oppressed him and his people.

So, Kendall’s version of the story brings out part of the twist in the tail that Jesus gives this story; the sense of receiving help from the person who is your enemy. What her version doesn’t deal with, however, is the idea that the enemy who helps is someone of another faith. The Jews were God’s chosen people and a light to the other nations and faith, so what would have been expected from this story would have been for the Jew in the story to bring the light of faith to the Samaritan. But that is not how Jesus’ story unfolds. Instead, the person who is one of God’s chosen people receives help from the person of another faith.

For Jesus to tell a story in which a Samaritan was the neighbour to a Jew was, for the reasons we have been considering, deeply shocking. We can sense this in the story as recorded for us by Luke, as the lawyer in the story is unable to bring himself to utter the word ‘Samaritan’ in answering Jesus’ question. The story is doubly shocking because the Jews in the story, the Priest and Levite, do not act as neighbours to the man. And trebly shocking, because it was probably their expression of devotion to God that prevented them from being neighbours. Priests were supposed to avoid impurity from a corpse and Pharisees thought that one would contract impurity if even one’s shadow touched the corpse. It was safer, therefore, not to check than to risk impurity.

Perhaps we can get a sense of how shocking this was by asking ourselves who, in our own day, are we least likely to think of as neighbours? Who do we think of as those least like us? Who do we think of as enemies? Who do we think of as contemptible? The point of the story is that Jesus says our neighbour is not our own people but those we think of as enemies or as contemptible because of their birth or beliefs. The least likely people, the people least like us, these are the people that Jesus calls our neighbours.

To find a contemporary equivalent for this aspect of the story, we have, perhaps, to think about relationships in this country between Christians and those of other faiths, and within those relationships, recognise that relationships between Christians and Muslims are often those which are currently most conflicted, with some Christians believing that Islam represents a threat to the Church and Western civilization. Within this context, the parable of the Good Samaritan challenges Christians as to what we can receive from those of other faiths and, particularly, those who we might view as enemies. Jesus says to us, through this parable, that loving our neighbours is not simply about what we can give to others but also about what we receive from others.

Our neighbours, understood in this way, are those to whom we should give – “go and do likewise”, Jesus said to the lawyer - and they are those that we should love as we love ourselves. They are also those from whom we should receive because it was the Samaritan in the story who provided help, not any of the Jewish characters. So, we need to ask ourselves how we can receive, grow, learn from and be blessed by those we think of as enemies or as beneath contempt because of their birth or beliefs.

You see, if our focus is just on what we can give, then we are in a paternalistic relationship with our neighbours or enemies. If our focus is just on what we can give, then what we are saying is that we hold all the aces and we will generously share some of them with you. In other words, we remain in a position of power and influence. Immediately we acknowledge that we can receive from our neighbours or enemies, then the balance of power shifts and we make ourselves vulnerable. In this parable, Jesus says that that is where true love is to be found and it is something that he went on to demonstrate by making himself vulnerable through death on the cross.

We often protect ourselves from the need to engage with, learn from or show love to those who are different from us by using aspects of the Bible to justify our lack of contact or compassion. But Jesus rules this approach out for his followers by giving us the examples of the priest and Levite. George Caird has written that “It is essential to the point of the story that the traveller was left half-dead. The priest and the Levite could not tell without touching him whether he was dead or alive; and it weighed more with them that he might be dead or defiling to the touch of those whose business was with holy things than that he might be alive and in need of care.”

This is religious rule-making justifying a lack of compassion. Caird says that, “Jesus deliberately shocks the lawyer by forcing him to consider the possibility that a semi-pagan foreigner might know more about the love of God than a devout Jew blinded by preoccupation with pettifogging rules.” Who do we, as the Church, stay away from because we are afraid of contamination or defilement? What aspects of scripture do we use to justify our lack of contact?

Jesus told this story in order that we reach out across the divides and barriers that people and groups and communities and nations construct between each other. He told this story so that Christians would be in the forefront of those who look to tear down the barriers and cross the divides. To the extent, that we fail to do this we are more like the priest and Levite in this story that the Samaritan who was a neighbour to the person in need.

In the parable of the Good Samaritan, where the sting is in the tail, the deepest point is that one of God’s chosen people receives help from his enemy who is of another faith. Jesus is taking us deep into the heart of love and saying that we will not truly love our neighbour until we understand and accept that we have much to receive from those that we perceive to be our enemies. In other words, true love of our neighbour means that we receive as well as give.

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Ladysmith Black Mambazo - Homeless.

Monday, 21 February 2022

A Memorial Service for Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Ambassador Lindiwe Mabusa: Prayers

Here are the prayers I prepared for today's Service of Celebration and Thanksgiving for Archbishop Desmond Tutu and Ambassador Lindiwe Mabuza at St Martin-in-the-Fields:

God of justice, we give you thanks for your prophets, prophets like Desmond Tutu, who advocate for love, justice and human rights in the struggles against apartheid, oppression and exploitation and for climate justice, peace in Palestine and Israel, equal rights for the LGBTI community, equality, fairness and justice across the world. Like the Arch, may we come to see that all humans are of infinite worth intrinsically because all are created in Your image and that systems such as apartheid are blasphemous because they treat the children of God as if they are less than Your own. Challenge us through your prophets to create societies wherein people count and where all have equal access to the good things of life, with equal opportunity to live, work and be educated. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of culture, we thank you for your poets, poets like Lindiwe Mabuza, for whom art was an essential part of the struggle and poetry a part of a whole arsenal of weaponry to be used against apartheid. We thank you for all who shape their words to get to the heart of the matter and move their hearers. We thank you for all who kneel, where road-blocks to life pile precariously, and scoop earth, raising mounds of hope, who oath with their lives to immortalise each footprint left, each grain of soil that flesh shed, each little globe of blood dropped in the struggle upon the zigzag path of revolution. We thank you for those who saw that Soweto's blood red road would not dry up until the fields of revolution were fully mellow tilled, always to bloom again. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of unity, we give thanks for your reconcilers, reconcilers like Desmond Tutu, who do the demanding, sometimes agonising, sometimes traumatic work of truth-telling, testimony, confession, listening, reparation and rehabilitation. We thank you for all who helped investigate the violations that took place in South Africa between 1960 and 1994, provided support and reparation to victims and their families, and compiled a full and objective record of the effects of apartheid on South African society. Remind us that while we are not responsible for what breaks us, we can be responsible for what puts us back together again and naming the hurt is how we begin to repair our broken parts. That, as the Arch reminded us, in our own ways, we are all broken and out of that brokenness, we hurt others. May forgiveness be the journey we take toward healing the broken parts and become whole once again. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of relationships, we give thanks for your Ambassadors, Ambassadors like Lindiwe Mabuza, who succeed in promoting their countries and cultures winning new friends from across many fields, from business to tourism, music, literature and arts and culture. Give us the gift of bringing people together and of polishing rough diamonds until they themselves know how brightly they shine. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

God of freedom, we give thanks for 27 years of freedom since South Africans voted in their first democratic elections. We give thanks for the lives and work of Desmond Tutu and Lindiwe Mabuza and the part that each played in the anti-apartheid movement. We give thanks for those of all faiths and none who contributed to the anti-apartheid movement. We give thanks that Trafalgar Square became a global focal point for the movement and for the part that St Martin-in-the-Fields played within that movement. We give thanks for the ongoing partnership between St Martin’s and St Mary’s Cathedral in Johannesburg. We give thanks for the work of the High Commission in the UK as it contributes to the creation of a better South Africa through its engagement with the government and people of the United Kingdom. God Bless South Africa; Guard her children; Guide her leaders And give her peace, for Jesus Christ's sake. Lord, in your mercy, hear our prayer.

Merciful God, accept these prayers for the sake of your Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

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David Fanshawe - Dona Nobis Pacem - A Hymn for World Peace.

Sunday, 20 February 2022

A Memorial Service for Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Ambassador Lindiwe Mabusa

A Memorial Service for Archbishop Emeritus Desmond Tutu and Ambassador Lindiwe Mabusa will be held at St Martin-in-the-Fields on Monday 21 February, 2.00pm. The service, which is being organised with the South African High Commission, will include tributes to the Archbishop Emeritus and the Ambassador from those who knew them, an Address from Revd Dr Sam Wells, and music from St Martin’s Voices. Those wishing to attend should RSVP to events@southafricahouse.uk, the service will also be livestreamed on stmartins.digital and the St Martin's Facebook page.

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James Whitbourn - A Prayer of Desmond Tutu.

Sunday, 3 October 2021

Living God's Future Now - w/c 3 October 2021

'Living God’s Future Now’ is our mini online festival of theology, ideas and practice.

We’ve developed this in response to the pandemic and our changing world. The church is changing too, and - as we improvise and experiment - we can learn and support each other.

This is 'Living God’s Future Now’ - talks, workshops and discussion - hosted by HeartEdge. Created to equip, encourage and energise churches - from leaders to volunteers and enquirers - at the heart and on the edge.

The online programme includes:

Regular weekly workshops: Biblical Studies (Monday’s fortnightly), Sermon Preparation (Tuesdays) and Community of Practitioners (Wednesdays)
One-off workshops on topics relevant to lockdown such as ‘Growing online communities’ and ‘Grief, Loss & Remembering’

Find earlier Living God’s Future Now sessions at https://www.facebook.com/pg/theHeartEdge/videos/?ref=page_internal.

Regular – Weekly or Fortnightly

Tuesdays: Sermon Preparation Workshop, 16:30 (GMT), livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge/.

Wednesdays: Community of Practitioners workshop, 16:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Email jonathan.evens@smitf.org to register.

Fortnightly on Mondays: Biblical Studies class, 19:30-21:00 (GMT), Zoom meeting. Register in advance: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmgrTgsHt2ceY7LepLhQYqQxS1G1ix9. 2021 dates - Gospels & Acts:

11 Oct: Lecture 19 John's Gospel The Book of Signs 1
25 Oct: Lecture 20 John's Gospel The Book of Signs 2

Sunday

HeartEdge Youth Conversation: Heritage

Livestreamed
Sunday 3 October, 14:00 (GMT)
Watch the livestream here - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCm7v53KPweMpx2IPQnvE3tw.

Following successful HeartEdge Lent conversations, the HeartEdge hub for Southern Africa is holding a second series of conversations in October 2021. These will feature young people from the Cathedral of St Mary the Virgin, Johannesburg. The first theme is Heritage/Culture, September being Heritage month in South Africa. The panel for this topic will be facilitated by Banathi Lukhuleni with the panel members including: Lubabalo Dlwathi, The Revd Canon Dr Mongezi Guma, Jason Osuafor, a member of the diaspora community, and Fr. Richard Carter from St Martin-in-the-Fields.

Monday

The Dream and the Journey (Autumn Lecture Series)
In-person at St Martin-in-the-Fields and livestreamed online
Monday 4 October, 19:00-20:30 (GMT)
Tickets are free and available to purchase here - https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whatson-event/the-dream-and-the-journey/.

In what way has the last ten years been defined by the movements of people seeking safety from war, natural disaster and poverty? How do we both tell and respond to their story in a way which brings these journeys to the wider public, not just an aesthetic experience but also as an affective and ethical one; challenging, informing conscience and transforming our own humanity and journeys. Can these journeys lead to hope? Join Neil MacGregor, Issam Kourbaj, Ruth Padel and Lucy Winkett in discussion.

Tuesday

Sam and Sally's Sermon Preparation Workshop
Livestream
Tuesday 5 October, 16:30-17:30 (GMT)
Livestreamed on HeartEdge Facebook Page here - https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge.

Sam Wells and Sally Hitchiner discuss preaching from the Revised Common Lectionary in the light of current events and general good practice.

Wednesday

Community of Practitioners

Zoom
Wednesday 6 October, 16:00-17:00 (GMT)
Email Jonathan Evens at jonathan.evens@smitf.org to take part.

This is open to all, including ordinands and lay leaders. Church leaders join in community, share and reflect together on their recent experiences in the form of wonderings with one of the HeartEdge team. We are beginning to read ‘Jesus and the Disinherited’ by Howard Thurman. As the discourse about race has become more urgent, and more influenced by US models, it’s a good time to look at the work of one of Martin Luther King’s mentors, a voice largely neglected in the US and almost unknown in the UK, to find sources of resistance to racism within the Christian tradition.

Thursday

HeartEdge SpotLight: Suburban Churches
Zoom
Thursday 7 October, 14:00-15:30 (GMT)
Register here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/spotlight-suburbia-tickets-174182302957.

With Revd Justin Dodd, St Barnabas, Ealing. Interactive walking tour of this suburban location. Our new SpotLight series builds practitioner networks across similar geographical locations. Are you working in a suburban setting? This event is for you.

Creation Care Course Week 1
Zoom
Thursday 7 October, 19:30-21:00 (GMT)
Register here - https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAkcu6opz4rEtFamJIs6M2cAlvzTQmJT0a_.

This 4-week Creation Care Course is a unique collaboration between Chester Diocese, HeartEdge, Melanesian Mission UK and Southampton University. The environment is God’s gift to everyone. We have a responsibility towards each other to look after God’s Creation. Tackling climate change is a vital part of this responsibility.

Saturday

Ideas and inspiration for All Souls, Remembrance, Funeral Ministry and times of grieving

In-person at Sacred Trinity Church, Chapel Street, Salford M3 5DW.
Saturday 9 October, 11.30-15.45 (GMT)

Register here - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/music-and-liturgy-for-times-of-loss-and-lament-tickets-169429798087.

This half day will be perfect for clergy, church musicians and lay leaders to find inspiration for the times when we want to grieve with others.

Catch up with missed sessions...

Why not catch up with the lectures, workshops and conversation you've missed in the last 14 months or so? If you head over to one of the following platforms you will find a wealth of resources that will inspire and equip for your work, whether you are ordained, lay, or simply enquiring.

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/theHeartEdge

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWUH-ngsbTAKMxCJmoIc7mQ

St Martin's Digital - https://stmartins.digital/heartedge/

Sunday, 28 February 2021

Living God's Future Now - March 2021

Here's the HeartEdge 'Living God's Future Now' programme for March 2021. Lots to engage with and enjoy!

'Living God’s Future Now’ is our mini online festival of theology, ideas and practice.

We’ve developed this in response to the pandemic and our changing world. The church is changing too, and - as we improvise and experiment - we can learn and support each other.

This is 'Living God’s Future Now’ - talks, workshops and discussion - hosted by HeartEdge. Created to equip, encourage and energise churches - from leaders to volunteers and enquirers - at the heart and on the edge.

The focal event in ‘Living God’s Future Now’ is a monthly conversation where Sam Wells explores what it means to improvise on God’s kingdom with a leading theologian or practitioner.

The online programme includes:

Regular weekly workshops: Biblical Studies (Mondays - fortnightly), Sermon Preparation (Tuesdays) and Community of Practitioners (Wednesdays)
One-off workshops on topics relevant to lockdown such as ‘Growing online communities’ and ‘Grief, Loss & Remembering’
Monthly HeartEdge dialogue featuring Sam Wells in conversation with a noted theologian or practitioner

March

Biblical Studies: Monday 1 March, 19:30-21:00 (GMT), zoom. Lecture 05 Form, Redaction & Literary Criticism. Simon Woodman's Biblical Studies class has returned in 2021 with a new focus - Gospels & Acts - and a new pattern - two per month (not quite fortnightly due to bank holidays / Easter etc). Register in advance at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmgrTgsHt2ceY7LepLhQYqQxS1G1ix9?fbclid=IwAR3XkhIu80gCX2cOZc5Joj9LIxPeI95LmQbghPjYcvvpsnjsbaoNmcCSasc. Simon grew up in Sevenoaks in Kent, and has degrees from Sheffield, Bristol and Cardiff Universities. He is Minister of Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church in the West End of London and has previously been a market stall holder on Camden Market, a Baptist Minister in Bristol, a Tutor at South Wales Baptist College, and a lecturer at Cardiff University.

Creating a New Communion: Tuesday 2 March, 10:00-11:30 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lent-course-creating-a-new-communion-tickets-138238445913. Exploring how generosity, gratitude, giving and fundraising call us into communion with God and with one another. Suitable for clergy and lay leaders. Inspired by Henri Nouwen and his wonderful book The Spirituality of Fundraising join this five-session free online study and discussion series, hosted by HeartEdge, and facilitated by the Dioceses of Hereford and York. Through Lent we’ll explore together Nouwen’s deep conviction that the ground of our common humanity and our life’s work is to accept the “call to be deeply, deeply connected with unconditional love, with our own fragile humanity, and with brothers and sisters everywhere.” What does this mean for you? For your ministry? For the church of today? For generosity, gratitude, giving and fundraising? Pre-session reading of ‘The Spirituality of Fundraising’, by Henri Nouwen although not essential, is recommended.

Jesus-shaped People: Discipleship in and after Covid - Tuesday, 2 March 2021, 14:00 – 16:00 GMT. Register here for a zoom invitation - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/jesus-shaped-people-discipleship-in-and-after-covid-tickets-141162523909. Jesus Shaped People - the missional movement on the margins - share stories and inspired ideas about discipleship at the edges. An opportunity to explore the reality, challenge and opportunity for discipleship across church and community. With an explanation of Jesus Shaped People approaches, space for discussion and debate and a focus on young people. Join a panel with stories to share - and bring your own ready to share.

For Such a Time as This: The Church as Witness - CEEP Network 2021 Annual Conference (March 3-5), https://www.ceepnetwork.org/2021-conference-online/. HeartEdge is proud to partner the CEEP Network in their 2021 Digital Annual Conference. From COVID-19 to economic anxiety to the racial reckoning taking place across our Church, in our nation and around the world, we are witnessing change, challenge, and opportunity unlike any other time in our lives. In this historic and defining time, the CEEP Network is excited to announce we will gather on-line to bear witness together at the 2021 Annual Conference. Keynote conversation: Sam Wells & Azariah France-Williams; HeartEdge Gathering (led by Lorenzo Lebrija and Paige Fisher); and Virtual marketplace page.

Inspired to Follow: ‘Who is my Neighbour? – A journey through Lent’ - Sunday 7 March, 14:00 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inspired-to-follow-who-is-my-neighbour-tickets-133589749537. ‘Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story’ helps people explore the Christian faith, using paintings and Biblical story as the starting points. The course uses fine art paintings in the National Gallery’s collection as a spring board for exploring questions of faith. Session 3 - Giving Hospitality to Strangers - Luke 10: 25-42 and ‘Christ in the House of Martha and Mary’, Diego Velásquez, probably 1618, NG1375.

HeartEdge Enrichment Conversation: Lenten Series 2021 – Sunday 7 March, 5.00pm SA Time Zone, live stream via Youtube and other social media platforms- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dmQi07MpYM&feature=youtu.be. St Mary’s Cathedral has been in partnership with St Martin’s for many years and following various exchange visits, joined HeartEdge to further explore and engage on the opportunities presented by the global discussions HeartEdge enables around renewal using the 4 Cs. As part of the HeartEdge network St Mary’s plan to host the first ever HeartEdge Enrichment Conversation within Southern Africa during the 2021 Lenten season. These conversations and series of talks will explore deeper within the Southern African context, the church renewal opportunities presented by the 4 Cs. The series will draw from the theological wisdom of the HeartEdge Hub and theologians from within the province. Session 3 – Revd Cookie Makaba.

Creating a New Communion: Tuesday 9 March, 10:00-11:30 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lent-course-creating-a-new-communion-tickets-138238445913. Exploring how generosity, gratitude, giving and fundraising call us into communion with God and with one another. Suitable for clergy and lay leaders. Inspired by Henri Nouwen and his wonderful book The Spirituality of Fundraising join this five-session free online study and discussion series, hosted by HeartEdge, and facilitated by the Dioceses of Hereford and York. Through Lent we’ll explore together Nouwen’s deep conviction that the ground of our common humanity and our life’s work is to accept the “call to be deeply, deeply connected with unconditional love, with our own fragile humanity, and with brothers and sisters everywhere.” What does this mean for you? For your ministry? For the church of today? For generosity, gratitude, giving and fundraising? Pre-session reading of ‘The Spirituality of Fundraising’, by Henri Nouwen although not essential, is recommended.

Book launch: Sacred Pavement – Thursday 11 March, 14:00-15:30 (GMT), zoom. Register for a Zoom invite at https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/sacred-pavement-spirituality-for-urban-dwellers-in-tough-times-tickets-142210418189. We're coming up on a year of covid, and many of us feel like we've never left Lent. How do those of us who've spent the pandemic in urban contexts cope with the demands on our spiritual lives? Do we yearn ever more deeply for escape, or do we let our cities be our teachers? In this workshop, you're invited to join Erin Clark as she shares insights from her recent book, Sacred Pavement: a DIY guide to spirituality in the city. In conversation with Dumaeza Nhlapo and Meredith Gunderson, we'll explore some of the ways in which city-dwelling can be a spiritual practice in itself. Erin is a writer, a priest, a wayward theologian and an incurable optimist. Her work has been published in such places as Pilcrow & Dagger, Geez and Mash. She recently authored a chapter in The Book of Queer Prophets: 24 writers on sexuality and religion. She is currently Rector of St Matthew's Bethnal Green. Dumaeza Nhlapo is a Zulu Southern African, guise as a Londoner. He has dabbled in Youthwork (for over a decade), and led a church plant. He is an ordinand at St George-in-the-East in Shadwell, where he is discovering (to his surprise) just how much the catholic tradition has in common with African spirituality and Hip-Hop. Meredith Gunderson is a London-based yogi, curator, artist and mystic, who studies and teaches spiritual practices to bring us more fully into our authentic selves. She created online resource centre, The Modern Meditation Movement and collaboratively produces a podcast, The Vicar & The Mystic with her husband who is a Church of England Priest.

Living God's Future Now conversation: Jonathan Tran - Thursday 11 March, 18:00 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/heartedge-monthly-dialogue-sam-wells-jonathan-tran-tickets-141334311731. The focal event in 'Living God's future now' is a monthly conversation in which Sam Wells explores what it means to improvise on God’s kingdom with a leading theologian or practitioner. Earlier conversations were with Walter Brueggemann, John McKnight, Chine McDonald, +Rachel Treweek, Stanley Hauerwas, Barbara Brown Taylor, Kelly Brown Douglas, Steve Chalke, Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, and Sarah Coakley. At 6.00 pm (GMT) on Thursday 11 March 2021, Sam Wells and Jonathan Tran will be in conversation to discuss how to improvise on the kingdom. Jonathan Tran, Ph.D., is Associate Professor of Philosophical Theology and George W. Baines Chair of Religion Baylor University. Originally from Southern California, he joined Baylor’s Religion Department in 2006 after completing his graduate studies in theology and ethics at Duke University. He teaches undergraduate and graduate courses and his research examines the theological and political implications of human life in language.

Over the edge: A reflective process on change and transformation - Friday 12 March, 2-3.30pm, Zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/138234090887. Over the edge looks at what happens when we cross boundaries or borders. This Zoom-based reflective process looks at different aspects of change and transformation. The process is introductory, lasting 60-90 minutes, and is concerned with the concept of spiritual journeying. The session will focus on our own lives, but can in principle be applied to our Churches, community groups or other organisations to which we belong. The session is designed and led by Chris Bemrose. Chris is a trained Social Sculptor: using the arts, broadly defined, to bring about social, ecological and spiritual change. He is a former General Secretary of L’Arche International, building communities around the needs and gifts of people with learning disabilities. He is also a hospice visitor and former management consultant.

Me and my hero: Friday 12 March, 20:00–21:30 GMT), zoom. Registration: Secretariate Arminius Institute, Vera Kok, v.l.m.kok@vu.nl, Master Class. More information: www.remonstranten.nl/masterclass. Please register before March 5, 2021. The Remonstrant Church in the Netherlands, in cooperation with the HeartEdge network, the Centre for Contextual Biblical Interpretation and the Arminius Institute invite you to join this online live master class, around heroism and heroes from the past and in the present. What is the difference between a hero and a saint? Rev. Sally Hitchiner, Associate Vicar at St. Martin in the Fields. Sally Hitchiner looks at the differences between heroes in modern secular culture and saints in the Christian tradition. Reverend Sally Hitchiner is Associate Vicar for Ministry at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church in London, UK. Her role involves the reimagination of the local church in light of the Ecclesial Ethics tradition and she speaks regularly in the national media on issues of faith and secular culture. Heroes Made Strange Again - Prof. Dr. Peter-Ben Smit, CCBI. This talk explores the hero of the Christian tradition par excellence, Jesus of Nazareth, from the perspective of queer approaches to the New Testament, arguing that when Jesus is ‘made strange’ again, he can be an even more fascinating hero, precisely because he eludes the grasp of clear-cut categories and ideals. Peter-Ben Smit is professor of Contextual Biblical Interpretation at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam.

Inspired to Follow: ‘Who is my Neighbour? – A journey through Lent’ - Sunday 14 March, 14:00 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/inspired-to-follow-who-is-my-neighbour-tickets-133589749537. ‘Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story’ helps people explore the Christian faith, using paintings and Biblical story as the starting points. The course uses fine art paintings in the National Gallery’s collection as a spring board for exploring questions of faith. Session 4 - Standing Up for the Oppressed - Mark 11: 4-12 & 15-19 and ‘Christ driving the Traders from the Temple’, El Greco, about 1600, NG1457.

HeartEdge Enrichment Conversation: Lenten Series 2021 – Sunday 14 March, 5.00pm SA Time Zone, live stream via Youtube and other social media platforms- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dmQi07MpYM&feature=youtu.be. St Mary’s Cathedral has been in partnership with St Martin’s for many years and following various exchange visits, joined HeartEdge to further explore and engage on the opportunities presented by the global discussions HeartEdge enables around renewal using the 4 Cs. As part of the HeartEdge network St Mary’s plan to host the first ever HeartEdge Enrichment Conversation within Southern Africa during the 2021 Lenten season. These conversations and series of talks will explore deeper within the Southern African context, the church renewal opportunities presented by the 4 Cs. The series will draw from the theological wisdom of the HeartEdge Hub and theologians from within the province. Session 4 – Revd Dr Vicentia Kgabe.

Theology Group: Sunday 14 January, 18:00 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/theology-group-tickets-143078426425. An opportunity to reflect theologically on issues of today and questions of forever with Sam Wells, who will be responding to questions from a chairperson from the congregation of St Martin-in-the-Fields who will also encourage your comments and questions.

Biblical Studies: Monday 15 March, 19:30-21:00 (GMT), zoom. Lecture 06 Form, Redaction & Literary Criticism. Simon Woodman's Biblical Studies class has returned in 2021 with a new focus - Gospels & Acts - and a new pattern - two per month (not quite fortnightly due to bank holidays / Easter etc). Register in advance at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMrcOmgrTgsHt2ceY7LepLhQYqQxS1G1ix9?fbclid=IwAR3XkhIu80gCX2cOZc5Joj9LIxPeI95LmQbghPjYcvvpsnjsbaoNmcCSasc. Simon grew up in Sevenoaks in Kent, and has degrees from Sheffield, Bristol and Cardiff Universities. He is Minister of Bloomsbury Central Baptist Church in the West End of London and has previously been a market stall holder on Camden Market, a Baptist Minister in Bristol, a Tutor at South Wales Baptist College, and a lecturer at Cardiff University.

Creating a New Communion: Tuesday 16 March, 10:00-11:30 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lent-course-creating-a-new-communion-tickets-138238445913. Exploring how generosity, gratitude, giving and fundraising call us into communion with God and with one another. Suitable for clergy and lay leaders. Inspired by Henri Nouwen and his wonderful book The Spirituality of Fundraising join this five-session free online study and discussion series, hosted by HeartEdge, and facilitated by the Dioceses of Hereford and York. Through Lent we’ll explore together Nouwen’s deep conviction that the ground of our common humanity and our life’s work is to accept the “call to be deeply, deeply connected with unconditional love, with our own fragile humanity, and with brothers and sisters everywhere.” What does this mean for you? For your ministry? For the church of today? For generosity, gratitude, giving and fundraising? Pre-session reading of ‘The Spirituality of Fundraising’, by Henri Nouwen although not essential, is recommended.

Reconciling Mission (2): Being White – Taking Responsibility for Addressing White Privilege - Tuesday, 16 March, 14:00 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/being-white-reconciling-mission-2-tickets-140044507893. This webinar seeks to resource participants to hold conversations about race and white privilege inside the church. With Alastair McKay (facilitating), Executive Director; Reconciliation Initiatives, Ruth Harley, Ordinand at Queen’s Foundation Birmingham; Carey Haslam, freelance mediator and facilitator; and Rosemarie Davidson-Gotobed, National Minority Ethnic Vocations Officer for the Church of England.

Reset The Debt webinar: Thursday 18 March, 14:00-15:30pm, zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/reset-the-debt-a-fresh-start-for-families-in-britain-in-debt-by-covid-19-tickets-142516415435. The number of people in severe problem debt has nearly doubled since the start of the pandemic, and the impact has hit the poorest in our communities hardest. Families who were stretching already tight budgets have been pushed into debt simply to makes ends meet during lockdown. Now, over 6 million households are behind with one or more of their household bills. Without action, families weighed down by debt because of Covid-19 might not be able to move forward from the pandemic. We are at risk of leaving whole communities behind, weighed down by the impact of debt brought on by Covid-19. This extraordinary situation needs an extraordinary response. That’s why The Methodist Church, the United Reformed Church, the Baptist Union and the Church of Scotland, along with Church Action on Poverty, are calling on the UK Government to #ResetTheDebt. Inspired by the biblical principle of Jubilee, we believe there is a way forward from the pandemic where everyone can flourish. Join this workshop run in partnership with HeartEdge to explore: How the UK Government can #ResetTheDebt for families swept into debt by Covid-19. Why the biblical principle of Jubilee is the right place to start. How churches can speak with a distinctively Christian voice to call for change. If you wish to link to look at websites prior to the event, the details are: Reset The Debt: https://resetthedebt.uk/ and JPIT: http://www.jointpublicissues.org.uk/.

Inspired to Follow: ‘Who is my Neighbour? – A journey through Lent’ - Sunday 21 March, 14:00 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../inspired-to-follow-who.... ‘Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story’ helps people explore the Christian faith, using paintings and Biblical story as the starting points. The course uses fine art paintings in the National Gallery’s collection as a spring board for exploring questions of faith. Session 5 - Carrying Another’s Load (Simon of Cyrene) - Luke 23:26-33 and ‘Christ carrying the Cross’, Italian, Venetian, about 1500, NG6655.

HeartEdge Enrichment Conversation: Lenten Series 2021 – Sunday 21 March, 5.00pm SA Time Zone, live stream via Youtube and other social media platforms- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dmQi07MpYM&feature=youtu.be. St Mary’s Cathedral has been in partnership with St Martin’s for many years and following various exchange visits, joined HeartEdge to further explore and engage on the opportunities presented by the global discussions HeartEdge enables around renewal using the 4 Cs. As part of the HeartEdge network St Mary’s plan to host the first ever HeartEdge Enrichment Conversation within Southern Africa during the 2021 Lenten season. These conversations and series of talks will explore deeper within the Southern African context, the church renewal opportunities presented by the 4 Cs. The series will draw from the theological wisdom of the HeartEdge Hub and theologians from within the province. Session 5 –Revd Maphelo Malgas.

Creating a New Communion: Tuesday 23 March, 10:00-11:30 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/lent-course-creating-a-new-communion-tickets-138238445913. Exploring how generosity, gratitude, giving and fundraising call us into communion with God and with one another. Suitable for clergy and lay leaders. Inspired by Henri Nouwen and his wonderful book The Spirituality of Fundraising join this five-session free online study and discussion series, hosted by HeartEdge, and facilitated by the Dioceses of Hereford and York. Through Lent we’ll explore together Nouwen’s deep conviction that the ground of our common humanity and our life’s work is to accept the “call to be deeply, deeply connected with unconditional love, with our own fragile humanity, and with brothers and sisters everywhere.” What does this mean for you? For your ministry? For the church of today? For generosity, gratitude, giving and fundraising? Pre-session reading of ‘The Spirituality of Fundraising’, by Henri Nouwen although not essential, is recommended.

Through the heart: A reflective process on change and transformation - Friday 26 March, 2-3.30pm, Zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/138234534213. Through the heart uses the heart as a model for how transformation may work in our own lives. This Zoom-based reflective process looks at different aspects of change and transformation. The process is introductory, lasting 60-90 minutes, and is concerned with the concept of spiritual journeying. The session will focus on our own lives, but can in principle be applied to our Churches, community groups or other organisations to which we belong. The session is designed and led by Chris Bemrose. Chris is a trained Social Sculptor: using the arts, broadly defined, to bring about social, ecological and spiritual change. He is a former General Secretary of L’Arche International, building communities around the needs and gifts of people with learning disabilities. He is also a hospice visitor and former management consultant.

Inspired to Follow: ‘Who is my Neighbour? – A journey through Lent’ - Sunday 28 March, 14:00 (GMT), zoom - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/.../inspired-to-follow-who.... ‘Inspired to Follow: Art and the Bible Story’ helps people explore the Christian faith, using paintings and Biblical story as the starting points. The course uses fine art paintings in the National Gallery’s collection as a spring board for exploring questions of faith. Session 6 - Being a Neighbour to Those on the Road - Luke 24:25-35 and ‘The Supper at Emmaus’, Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, 1601, NG172.

HeartEdge Enrichment Conversation: Lenten Series 2021 – Sunday 28 March, 5.00pm SA Time Zone, live stream via Youtube and other social media platforms- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2dmQi07MpYM&feature=youtu.be. St Mary’s Cathedral has been in partnership with St Martin’s for many years and following various exchange visits, joined HeartEdge to further explore and engage on the opportunities presented by the global discussions HeartEdge enables around renewal using the 4 Cs. As part of the HeartEdge network St Mary’s plan to host the first ever HeartEdge Enrichment Conversation within Southern Africa during the 2021 Lenten season. These conversations and series of talks will explore deeper within the Southern African context, the church renewal opportunities presented by the 4 Cs. The series will draw from the theological wisdom of the HeartEdge Hub and theologians from within the province. Session 6 – Revd Lorenzo Lebrija and Revd Tim Vreugdenhil.

See www.heartedge.org to join HeartEdge and for more information.

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Soul Sanctuary Gospel Choir - Lovely Day.