The prayer of transfiguration

Here's the sermon that I shared during today's Eucharist at St Andrew's Wickford: 

The dictionary definition of transfiguration is: a change in form or appearance or an exalting, glorifying, or spiritual change. Those aspects of transfiguration can be seen in our Gospel reading (Luke 9.28-36), but the story defines the word best.

Sam Wells, the Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, puts it like this: “There’s glory – the glory of the Lord in the face of Jesus Christ. There’s the pattern of God’s story in Israel and the church, a story that finds its most poignant moments in the midst of suffering and exile. There’s the loving, tender, presence and heavenly voice of God the Father – a voice that for the only time in their lives, the disciples hear and understand. And there’s the extraordinary realisation that, even though all this could have gone on without them, the disciples have been caught up in the life of the Trinity, the mystery of salvation, the unfolding of God’s heart, the beauty of holiness.”

The way he describes it, transfiguration involves the glory of seeing a person or event in the bigger story of God’s loving purposes for the world. Up until this point, “the disciples know Jesus does plenty of amazing and wonderful things and says many beautiful and true things, but they still assume he’s basically the same as them.” It’s only as they go up the mountain with him that the veil slips and they’re invited in to a whole other world. A world in which “Jesus is completely at home,” “even when the Father’s voice thunders from above.” “And more remarkably still, it seems there’s a place for them in it, hanging out with the likes of Moses and Elijah. They’ve been given a glimpse of glory. It’s a glory that’s faithful to the story of Israel, a glory that has Jesus at the centre of it, a glory that has God speaking words of love, a glory that has a place for them in it, however stumbling and clumsy they are, and finally a glory in which Jesus touches them tenderly in their fear.“

Sam Wells suggests that this experience, this glimpse of glory, can shape the way we pray by giving our prayers the same extra dimension. In fact, he details three different ways to pray. The first involves Resurrection. “Resurrection prayer is a prayer calling for a miracle. It is prayer of faithful risk. We look to the heavens with tightened fist and say, ‘Sweet Jesus, if you’re alive, make your presence known!’”

The second way to pray is Incarnation. This is “a prayer of presence. It is, perhaps, more silent than a prayer of Resurrection. It is a prayer which recognizes that, yes, Jesus was raised, but that it happened through brokenness. Through Christ, God shares our pain and our frailty. So we pray acknowledging that God suffers with us.”

The third way to pray is Transfiguration. Sam writes, “God, in your son’s transfiguration we see a whole reality within and beneath and beyond what we thought we understood; in … times of bewilderment and confusion, show … father your glory, that [we] may find a deeper truth to … life than [we] ever knew, make firmer friends than [we] ever had, discover reasons for living beyond what [we’d] ever imagined, and be folded into your grace like never before.” “In other words, it is a prayer that, in whatever circumstance, asks God to reshape our reality, to give us a new and right spirit to trust that even in the midst of suffering and hardship, truth can still be experienced and shared.”

“On the mountain, the disciples discovered that Christ was part of a conversation with Israel and God and was dwelling in glory in a way that they had no idea of and could hardly grasp and yet it put everything on a different plane.”

As a result, the prayer of Transfiguration is a different kind of a prayer. “The prayer of resurrection has a certain defiance about it – in the face of what seem to be all the known facts, it calls on God to produce the goods and turn the situation round. It has courage and hope but there’s always that fear that it has a bit of fantasy as well. The prayer of incarnation is honest and unflinching about the present and the future, but you could say it’s a little too much swathed in tragedy … it’s so concerned to face … reality … that there’s always that fear that it’s never going to discover the glory of what lies above.”

The prayer of Transfiguration is different. “Not so much, ‘Fix this and take it off my desk!’ Nor even, ‘Be with me and share in my struggle, now and always.’ But something more like, ‘Make this trial and tragedy, this problem and pain, a glimpse of your glory, a window into your world, when I can see your face, sense the mystery in all things, and walk with angels and saints. Bring me closer to you in this crisis than I ever have been in calmer times. Make this a moment of truth, and when I cower in fear and feel alone, touch me, raise me, and make me alive like never before.’”

Maybe you would like to make the prayer of transfiguration your prayer for yourself at this time, “in the midst of whatever it is you’re wrestling with today.”

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John David - Closer To Thee.

Living God's Future Now

An exceptional time of encouragement and inspiration was had today in the Living God's Future Now HeartEdge event held at St Andrew's Wickford.

There was great input from Sam Wells, HeartEdge, Being With, Andrew Earis and the Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields. We explored new approaches to mission, covered a wide range of ideas, and each found something inspiring to take home.

Sam Wells and other inspiring speakers shared insights and explored the 4 C's (Commerce, Compassion, Culture, Congregation). We connected with colleagues, shared ideas and were involved in Being With workshops. We also discussed music in mission and enjoyed live performances.

A panel session with practitioners from the Diocese of Chelmsford/Essex explored initiatives that have used one each of the 4 Cs including: Revd Katie Miller & Bill Miller (St Mary’s Becontree) – Community Drama (Culture); Felix Atkin (Sharesy) - platform for hall hire (Commerce); Revd Andy Griffiths (Lead Adviser for Wellbeing and Formation, Diocese of Chelmsford, & Continuing Ministry Development Adviser, Bradwell Area) – Community Organising (Compassion); Revd Alan Moss (Estates Youth Missional Lead for the Diocese of Chelmsford) – Retro Gaming (Congregation).

We enjoyed Great Sacred Music, a 35-minute sequence of words and music which explores through song and readings the great classical music of our religious heritage.

There were workshops on Being With, a life changing way to help people explore the Christian faith. Being With helps people consider Christian faith in new and refreshing ways, without needing prior knowledge, but a simple willingness to share what you do know or feel. 10 additional courses will be launched later this year. They use the same methodology but cover other topics - Church, Creation, Baptism, End of Life and Being With your Significant Other to name a few.

In the evening we enjoyed music for journeying from the earthly joys found in the English countryside to the celestial splendours of heaven with the Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields. The Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields sing for services, concerts and events at St Martin’s, covering a huge range of repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day.

Tomorrow, we will take a walk through Wickford Memorial Park opening our hearts to God’s presence in creation, in the local neighbourhood and in one another.

 
Join us for a contemplative prayer walk on Saturday 28 June in Wickford Memorial Park led by Revd Catherine Duce, Assistant Vicar for the Companions of Nazareth, St Martin-in-the-Fields.

The walk will be begin from the main entrance gates to the Park off the Runwell Road at 9.00 am. Join in person or on Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/WickfordandRunwellCofE/).

It will be followed by a Quiet Day at St Marys Runwell called 'A Path with a Heart: Seeking inspiration from the Nazareth Community', also with Revd Catherine Duce. The Quiet Day begins at 10.30 am.
Silence and contemplative prayer are at the very heart of the Nazareth rule of life. We are formed by this silence. As we enter into silence, we place ourselves in the presence of Christ. We create the place and space for a deeper listening to God, the longings of our own souls and we grow in a deep compassion for the world. In this session we will delve deeply into silent prayer and carve space to listen to the Spirit at work in our lives.

No experience necessary. Come simply ready to rest in the presence of God.

Our aim has been to explore and experience a range of mission models and approaches advocated by HeartEdge in order to resource existing mission and imagine new missional approaches or initiatives. These two days are about ideas, connections, doing theology and mission. Approaches/initiatives to be shared include: the 4 Cs; Great Sacred Music; Being With; and The Nazareth Community/Companions of Nazareth.

Since its launch in 2017, HeartEdge has grown to become an international ecumenical movement of churches, notable for its energy and diversity. It rests on two theological foundations: that (1) God is giving the church everything it needs, but too often the church is slow to recognise gifts that come in the form of the stranger or the new venture (2) From the exile of 585 BC, God’s people have habitually experienced renewal emerging out of times of setback, hardship and failure.

Its method is to identify the 4Cs – reimagining church and society through commerce, culture, compassion and congregational life. This means to seek congregational renewal and growth through trusting cultural and charitable initiatives to be sources of energy rather than causes of exhaustion, and to transform financial sustainability through commercial ventures.

HeartEdge is a vision and a movement for renewing church. Renewing means reimagining, empowering and growing. https://www.heartedge.org/

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Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields - Morning Song. 

The most dynamic gift to the church

Here's the sermon I shared at St Andrew's Wickford this morning:

Mike Leigh is the well-known director of films such Secrets and Lies, Mr Turner, Topsy Turvey and Life Is Sweet. Improvisation is a significant part of his directorial methods. He begins a film with an initiating idea, which conjures up a number of possible actors he can cast. With improvisation, casting is obviously critical. Since he doesn’t work with formal scripts, the auditions take the form of an exercise where the actor delivers a caricature of a person they know. This demonstrates their ability to observe real people and convert this knowledge to a performance. Once the cast is established, a list of potential characters is devised, out of which a base character who lies at the core of the drama is established. After this, the actor researches the character and does solo improvisations with the director. This process of solo improvisation and research goes on for weeks and even months before the actor is introduced to another actor who has been cast, and they begin duo impros, discovering who each other is and exploring the dramatic potential of the situation. He shoots two thirds of his film without revealing the ending. Then the crew pauses for a week or so while he does improvs of the final scenes. After that, the end scenes are shot. (http://www.markpoole.com.au/articles/improvisation-the-mike-leigh-method.html)

Improvisation is also what Jesus is talking about in this farewell discourse to his disciples (John 16.5-15). He is going to leave them (as happened at the Ascension) and then he will send the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit, the comforter and advocate, to them (as happened on the Day of Pentecost). The Spirit will speak to the disciples whatever he hears from Jesus; both the many things he wanted to say to them but which they could not bear at that time and also the things that are to come. Earlier in his discourse, he also said that the Spirit will teach them everything and remind them of all that Jesus had said to them. The result will be that they will do greater things than him.

Jesus said many amazing things that people still repeat regardless of whether they follow him or not. But his farewell discourse to his disciples must be among the most amazing because in it Jesus says that those who follow him will do greater things than him and will be led into all truth. When you think how amazing Jesus’ own actions were, it is hard to imagine how people like us could do greater things than that, and, when you think how profound his teaching was, how could we be led into deeper or greater truth than that?

But Jesus was articulating something that all good teachers think and feel; the sense that all the time he had spent with them and invested in them was not so they would be clones of him, simply repeating the things he did and said, but instead that he had equipped, empowered and enabled his followers to follow him by using their own gifts and abilities and initiative which would inevitably mean that they would do and say different things from him but still with his Spirit and based on all they had learnt from him. He was saying that each one of us is a unique combination of personality, abilities and potential and, therefore, each of us can make a unique mark on the world. His followers can do greater things than Jesus because they will do different things from him in his name and Spirit – things that only they can do for him because they are that unique package of personality, ability and potential.

Sam Wells, the Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields has described this in terms of improvisation. He says that we constantly “face new circumstances in each generation that the Bible doesn’t give us a script for.” Instead, the Christian story is like “a five-act play -- creation, Israel, Jesus, church and eschaton. We find ourselves in Act 4, and the most important events have already happened. Our role is to be faithful in Act 4, because God will do the rest in Act 5.” “The most dynamic gift to the church is the Holy Spirit working amongst people who learn to trust one another and see the abundant things that God can do with limited materials. That’s analogous to what happens in theatrical improvisation.”

“Improvisation isn’t about being original, clever, witty or spontaneous. Improvisation is about allowing yourself to be obvious.” It’s about being so soaked in a tradition that you learn to take the right things for granted or as Jesus put it the Spirit will teach us everything and remind us of all that Jesus said so that we intuitively do those things on an improvisational basis. People who train in improvisation train in a tradition. The Spirit comes to remind Christians of the Christian tradition by reminding us of all that Jesus did and said, so we embody it in our lives. In this way we can do greater things than Jesus because we will do different things from him, but in his name and Spirit.

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Martin Joseph - This Light Of Ours.

The Holy Spirit as the breath and peace of God

Here's the sermon that I shared at St Andrew’s Wickford this morning:

There are two occasions on which we are told Jesus’ disciples received the Holy Spirit. The second was at Pentecost but the first was one of the Resurrection appearances, in which Jesus appeared to his disciples and said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20. 21 & 22). On this occasion the Holy Spirit came as the breath of God and as words of peace.

The Spirit’s coming in this way was promised by Jesus who, as we heard in today’s Gospel Reading (John 14. 15 - 31), said, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, to be with you forever. This is the Spirit of truth … he abides with you, and he will be in you” (John 14. 15 – 17). “The Holy Spirit … will remind you of all that I have said to you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid” (John 14. 26 & 27).

By giving them the Spirit he was giving them his peace and doing so in a similar way to that in which he had received it; as, when he was baptised, the Spirit descended upon him in the bodily form of a dove. The dove being a Biblical symbol of peace; a symbol that derived from the dove which brought news to Noah of the flood having receded, enabling life to begin again on earth.

When I was at St Martin-in-the-Fields we had an art installation which saw two thousand white paper doves hanging in the nave of the church forming a 15-metre-long paper sculpture called Les Colombes – The White Doves. Following successful installations with over 300,000 visitors in Jerusalem and Munich, these origami doves bore hopes and greetings from people who came into the church, from passers-by, from night revellers in the bar around the corner, from locals and strangers, people from all over the world. Catholic and Protestant, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, poor and rich, anyone could fold them and should fold them. In the flock each individual, separately folded dove became one of many. The German artist, Michael Pendry, said: “Folded by different people, the doves in their unity stand for such a fundamental human right. The time has come to admonish and to stand up for this – for the right to peace and freedom! So that that the flock of doves might grow, from place to place, from country to country, across all borders.”

In this way, the flock was a symbol of a collective spirit of peace; one which is particularly needed at this time when terror has revisited our streets and leisure activities. The flock of doves headed from the entrance of the church towards the sanctuary, where lies the answer to all the questions of our spiritual potential – who am I, where do I come from, where am I going? In answer to these questions, the descent of the Spirit in the bodily form of a dove told us that we are the beloved sons and daughters of our Father God and that we are here to use our God-given abilities to do work for him that only we can do.

Vicar of St Martin-in-the-Fields, Sam Wells, said that: “When at his baptism the Holy Spirit descended on Jesus like a dove Jesus wasn’t blown away – he was touched more deeply that words can say or eyes can perceive. That’s what this exhibition is about – and what’s more, it affirms that the Holy Spirit works through the humble hands of you and me.” Jesus gives us his peace, in the form of the Holy Spirit, so that we can then be peacemakers ourselves.

Sam has explained that “The Holy Spirit is the part of God that gives us here and now and forever and always those things that Jesus brought us once and for all. Jesus has shown us and brought us peace, but we need the Spirit to continue to make peace in and among us. The one Spirit proclaims “peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near” (2:17). One of the most difficult things in life is to balance your care for those who are near – your regular circle of friends, family, neighbours, and colleagues – with your responsibility for those who are far off – distant friends, family, fellow citizens, and people of other nations and faiths … how easy it is to become so wrapped up with a small circle of intimates that we can’t register the need of those outside our own tiny world … It’s hard to be at peace with those who are far and at peace with those who are near … Jesus is our peace because he gives us the Holy Spirit to reconcile those from whom we are far off and those to whom we are near. Jesus is our peace because he gives us the Holy Spirit to reconcile the parts of ourselves that are far from God with the parts of ourselves that are near.”

Sharing the Peace is the climax to which the first half of our service moves. We are used to it and probably imagine that it has always been part of Anglican worship. However, it was the liturgical reform of the later 20th Century that rediscovered the Kiss of Peace of the early church, and it was introduced in the Church of England’s experimental Series 3 liturgy in about 1971. Holy Communion is celebrated by the whole people of God gathered for worship and at the sharing of the Peace we are reminded that we are together unified as the body of Christ.

This is the moment when we are reminded that Jesus said Blessed are the peacemakers: they shall be called children of God. We are to let the peace of Christ rule in our hearts, since as members of one body we are called to peace, and we are reminded that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace. If we live in the Spirit of peace, we are to walk in the Spirit of peace.

This is the moment in our service when Christ breathes on us so that we receive his Spirit and live in his peace. His promise was, Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. The Peace is the moment in our Service when we are reminded of that promise and encouraged to receive it.

Many of us shake hands or hug on Sunday mornings without thinking about what the symbol means. Sometimes, we “cross our fingers” as we say “peace!” with people we don’t like, and keep bland, expressionless faces as we shake hands with someone we haven’t yet forgiven. The Peace calls us to go deeper than that.

“Before you offer your gift at the altar,” Jesus says, “be reconciled.” In our Service, the Peace always comes after the Prayers of the People and the Confession and Absolution. We are called to prepare ourselves to go to the altar: to pray for those we’ve hurt, and those who have hurt us; to confess the sins we need to confess, and to receive God’s forgiveness; and then to be reconciled, one with another, as a symbol of our new life in Christ.

Then, we can truly go to the Altar with clean hands and a ready heart, and receive truly the gift Christ makes available to us all: his body and blood given in love for us.

When others spread war, anxiety, division and strife, those led by the Spirit make peace. Sharing the Peace is the time in our service when we can make peace amongst ourselves. Then, at the end of our Service we are told to go in peace to love and serve the Lord in the rest of the week because those who are led into peace by the Holy Spirit become peacemakers in the world and in their local communities. May it be so for each one of us. Amen.

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U2 - Love And Peace Or Else.

Unveiled programme, Max Blake exhibition, Quiet Days, and HeartEdge event

Check out the programme of great events in the Wickford and Runwell Team Ministry over the summer term including Unveiled, our fortnightly Friday night arts and performance event at St Andrew’s Church (7.00 – 9.00 pm, 11 London Road, Wickford, Essex SS12 0AN), an exhibition entitled 'Adventures in Joy' by Max Blake, our programme of Quiet Days, and a HeartEdge 'Living God's future now' event:

Unveiled Summer Programme 2025

• 2 May (7.00 pm) - Exhibition viewing evening. See ‘Adventures in Joy’, an exhibition by Max Blake and hear Max speak about his work.
• 9 May (7.00 pm) – Hear Ken Porter, author, historian & Chair of Basildon Heritage, give an illustrated talk about blue plaques in Basildon borough.
• 30 May (7.00 pm) – – Poets Tim Harrold & Jonathan Evens share a selection of poetry and prose. Tim is a poet who creates images of profound challenge and change. Jonathan’s poems & stories have been published by Amethyst Review, International Times & Stride.
• 13 June (7.30 pm) – Open Mic Night organised with John Rogers. Everybody is welcome to come along and play, read, sing or just spectate. See you there for a great evening of live performance!
• 28 June (7.00 pm) – The Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields in concert. The Choral Scholars sing for services, concerts and other events at St Martin’s, exploring a huge range of repertoire from the Renaissance to the present day.
• 4 July (7.00 pm) – An evening with Neil Tye. Hear British-born and Denmark-based artist Neil Tye speak about his work; paintings that entice the viewer to be immersed in their colours, shapes, and movement, where hidden images, feelings, or meanings can be revealed.
• 18 July (7.30 pm) – Eva Romanakova and Andrew Palmer in concert. Hear Mezzo-Soprano Eva Romanakova and pianist Andrew Palmer perform a wide selection of music including musical theatre, classical, opera, pop, jazz, folk and songs from the movies.

See http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html and https://basildondeanery.co.uk/index.php/news/ for more information.

These events do not require tickets (just turn up on the night). There will be a retiring collection to cover artist and church costs.

Adventures in Joy: An exhibition by Max Blake, 2 May – 25 July 2025, St Andrew’s Church, 11 London Road, Wickford SS12 0AN

View the exhibition and hear Max speak about his work at ‘Unveiled’, the arts & performance evening at St Andrew’s Wickford, Friday 2 May, 7.00 pm.

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. https://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/whats-on.html

“Adventures in Joy” presents the most recent work produced by artist and cleric Max Blake. It includes some of the work he has developed though his studies of Icons, as well as his experiments in a more abstract and surreal direction. Max explores his own deep imagination, which is fed by his wide knowledge of religion and reflections amongst other things.

As a man of faith, much of his work expresses an exploration of the Christian faith. Over recent years, Max has studied Byzantine and Coptic Iconography and he has used this study to develop his own interpretations of the icon. Much of Max’s work is highly detailed and the viewer can find many hidden details, people, faces and shapes in his work. This creates a joyful adventure for the eye through bright and vivid worlds. Max uses a range of media including oil paints, inks and coloured pencils.

Max Blake was born in East London in the early 50s and then grew up in Basildon. After graduating as a teacher, Max taught art in secondary schools across south Essex. He also worked with children with anxiety and children with special needs. He was ordained deacon followed by priesting in the early 2000s. Although he is now retired, Max still works as a retired priest with Permission to Officiate in the United Benefice of Horndon, Orsett and Bulphan.

As well as artwork Max has also illustrated book covers and books for children. He continues to exhibit his vibrant work in various locations, including the Well House Gallery in Horndon on the Hill and St Catherine’s Church in East Tilbury. https://www.wellhousegallery.co.uk/art/max-blake

Our churches in Wickford and Runwell are places to enjoy cultural programmes including concerts and exhibitions as well as being places to see art and architecture.

Living God's future now

You are warmly invited to join us at the Living God Future Now event, presented by
HeartEdge and with performances from The Choral Scholars of St Martins-in-the Fields.

Join us for one or both days, as we explore new approaches to mission. There will be a wide
range of ideas covered, so we hope you will find something inspiring to take home.
Friday 27th June will be hosted by St Andrew’s Church, Wickford and will begin at 9:45am.

Author Sam Wells and other inspiring guest speakers will share their insights and explore
The 4Cs, (Commerce, Compassion, Culture, Congregation). There will be opportunities to
share ideas, connect with your colleagues and be actively involved in our Being With
workshops. We’ll also discuss music in mission and enjoy live musical performances.

Saturday 28th June will be hosted at St Mary’s Church, Runwell and in contrast this will be a
Quiet Day. We’ll begin the morning at 9:00 am with a contemplative prayer walk through
Wickford Memorial Park. This will be followed by input from Catherine Duce, of The
Nazareth Community at St Martin-in-the-Fields, drawing on their seven spiritual disciplines,
in particular the significance of silent prayer and service in listening to the Spirit at work in
our lives.

We all have something to bring to the church and this inspiring event will help us recognise
this value. Leave with your imagination sparked and your heart singing!

This is a Diocesan event supported with SDF funding. Refreshments will be provided but
please let us know if you have any dietary requirements, allergies or additional needs.

Find out more about the event and register for it here:
https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/living-gods-future-now-an-event-by-heartedge-tickets-1319715016139?aff=oddtdtcreator

Quiet Days

Our Quiet Days enable people to reflect in the beautiful and historic surrounds of St Mary’s Runwell and St Nicholas Rawreth. St. Mary’s is often described by visitors and by regular worshippers as a powerful sacred space to which they have been drawn. St Nicholas provides times of quiet and reflection in a beautiful setting.

Themes for 2025 include: Rogation Days; A Path with a Heart; Sabbath; Our Lady; and Lancelot Andrewes (at St Nicholas).

All are 10.30 am – 3.30 pm. Runwell Rd SS11 7HS/Church Rd SS11 8SH.

• Wednesday 28 May – Rogation Days: Rogation Days precede Ascension Day. Traditionally, they are days of prayer and fasting observed with processions and 'beating the bounds’ when God’s blessing is asked on agriculture and industry, and were. Led by Revd Sue Wise.
• Saturday 28 June – A Path with a Heart: Seeking inspiration from the Nazareth Community - Silence and Service are at the very heart of the Nazareth rule of life. Led by Revd Catherine Duce, Assistant Vicar for the Companions of Nazareth, St Martin-in-the-Fields.
• Saturday 12 July – Sabbath: Explore Sabbath as both a day of rest and the coming kingdom of God. Led by Mike Tricker, LLM.
• Wednesday 13 August – Our Lady: Reflect on the experiences, inspiration and support of Our Lady, the Mother of Jesus. Led by Revd Sue Wise.
• Saturday 27 September – Lancelot Andrewes: Discover the influence and example of Lancelot Andrewes (who lived in Rawreth) who helped define Anglican doctrine, translate the Bible, and shape the liturgy. Led by Revd Jonathan Evens & Revd Steve Lissenden. To be held at St Nicholas Rawreth.

Cost: £8.00 per person, including sandwich lunch (pay on the day). To book: jonathan.evens@btinternet.com / 07803 562329 (28/06, 12/07, 27/09) or sue.wise@sky.com / 07941 506156 (28/05, 12/07).

Parking available: Church Hall (Runwell) or Village Hall (Rawreth). Nearest station: Wickford (for Runwell) or Battlesbridge (for Rawreth).

http://wickfordandrunwellparish.org.uk/

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The Choral Scholars of St Martin-in-the-Fields - Great Sacred Music.  

The Trinity’s eternal commitment to be with us

Photographs below from Stations of the Cross, Walk of Witness and At the Foot of the Cross, plus my reflection for the At the Foot of the Cross service:

The cross first made an impact in my life when I was about 7 or 8 years of age. I remember attending a Holiday Bible Club at the church we attended where I heard the story of the crucifixion and realised that Jesus died for me. That night I knelt by my bed before going to sleep and asked Jesus into my life. It was the realisation that Jesus had been willing to die to save me that led me to pray that prayer.

Later, as an under-confident teenager I came to think and feel that I was not good enough for God because I was self-critical and felt that I was inadequate in many respects. One evening I talked about these feeling to a leader at the Church Youth Club that I was then attending. He pointed me to Romans 5. 8 which says “God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us”. His argument was that the cross reveals that we are loved as we are. We don’t need to change in order to be loved by God. Any change that may be necessary will come once we realise that we are loved by God and will come about because of gratitude for that love. As a result, I gradually became more confident in myself because I understood deep down that I was fully loved by God. Again, it was Christ’s death of the cross that brought me to that realisation.

As my understanding of the cross grew, I began to be deeply moved in the way the hymn writer William Walsham How describes in ‘It is a thing most wonderful’ when he writes:

I sometimes think about the cross,
and shut my eyes, and try to see
the cruel nails and crown of thorns,
and Jesus crucified for me.

I continue to find it amazing and deeply moving that Jesus was prepared to suffer and die for my sake. A song about the cross that has always moved me since I first heard it is ‘How could you say no’ by Julie Miller:

Thorns on his head spear in his side
Yet it was a heartache that made him cry
He gave his life so you would understand
Is there any way you could say no to this man

If Christ himself were standing here
Face full of glory and eyes full of tears
And he held out his arms and his nail printed hands
Is there any way you could say no to this man

How could you look in his tear-stained eyes
Knowing it's you he's thinking of
Could you tell him you're not ready to give him your life
Could you say you don't think you need his love

Jesus is here with his arms open widе
You can see him with your heart if you'll stop looking with your eyes
Hе's left it up to you, he's done all that he can
Is there any way you could say no to this man

‘There was a cross in the heart of God before there was one planted on the green hill in Jerusalem. And now that the cross of wood has been taken down, the one in the heart of God abides, and it will remain so long as there is one sinful soul for whom to suffer.’

Finally, what I’ve realised most recently, through the time I spent at St Martin-in-the-Fields learning from the theology of their Vicar Sam Wells, is that the cross is Jesus’ ultimate demonstration of being with us. If there’s one word that sums up all four gospels, that word is ‘with.’ Jesus’ ministry, above all else, is about being with us, in pain and glory, in sorrow and in joy, in quiet and in conflict, in death and in life.

Jesus then faces true despair on the cross. He experiences the isolation that humankind has brought on itself, and in his case it’s even more ghastly: he’s isolated from God the Father, who seems to have forsaken him. He must choose between being with us and being with the Father. He chooses us. The Father meanwhile must choose between letting Jesus be with us or drawing Jesus back into the Trinity. Both are terrible choices, because they jeopardise the integrity of the Trinity: but there’s no way for God to continue to be God without the commitment to be with costing not less than everything. This then is what is taking place on Good Friday: we behold Jesus, embodying the Trinity’s eternal commitment to be with us, becoming isolated from the Father. Agony of agony: a rupture in the Trinity; a cross in the heart of God.

Is our alienation from God really so profound that it pushes God to such lengths to reverse and heal it? We don’t want to believe it. But here it is, in front of our eyes. That’s what the cross is – our cowardice and cruelty confronted by God’s wondrous love. Is being with us forever really worth God going to such lengths to secure? Now that is, perhaps, the most awesome question of all. It takes us to the heart of God’s identity, and the heart of our own. Can we really believe God thought we were worth it? Are our paltry lives worth the Trinity setting aside the essence of its identity in order that we might be with God and incorporated into God’s life forever?

Jesus’ cry is one of agony that to reach us he had, for a moment, to let go of his Father. What is our cry? Our cry is one of grief, that we were not with him. It’s a cry of astonishment, that he was, despite everything, still with us. And it’s a cry of conviction and commitment, that we will be with him henceforth, and forevermore.

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Julie Miller - How Could You Say No?