France, 2014
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tom Petty - Learnin' To Fly.
Sunday, 7 December 2014
Christmas message
I write this having just returned from the Holy Land (as part of a trip organised by the East London Three Faiths Forum) and, therefore, having recently visited Bethlehem.
To reach Bethlehem today it is necessary to pass through the separation wall which the Israeli Government erected in 2002 between Israel and the West Bank. The Israeli West Bank barrier is a 400-mile long network of high walls, electronic fences, gates and trenches which Israel claims has stopped suicide bombings and the Palestinian's claim has annexed large tracts of land.
A Christmas card depicts the Holy Family unable to reach Bethlehem because they have been stopped by this wall, while a Nativity set has been produced with the wall running through it separating wise men and camels from the crib. Although tourists and pilgrims continue to visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in their thousands on a daily basis, it seems that we have not heard the message which the angels sang before Jesus’ birth of peace on earth.
Steve Turner's poem ‘History Lesson’ says:
‘History repeats itself.
Has to.
No-one listens.’
It is one thing to celebrate Christmas and another to visit Bethlehem itself but what really matters is to hear the song of peace that the angels sang announcing Jesus’ birth as the Prince of Peace. He came, through his death on the cross, to remove walls of separation between human beings and to return all people to relationship with God. It is only when we know this peace, which passes understanding, in our hearts, minds and relationships that we have truly taken on board the Christmas message.
Jesus, through his birth, life, death and resurrection, calls us to be peacemakers. It is, therefore, appropriate that St John’s Seven Kings has been fundraising over the past two years for a Christian Aid Partnership Project which supports people living with disabilities in Lebanon and the West Bank through new employment or business opportunities. These are provided by the Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union and the East Jerusalem YMCA. This project seeks to work across divisions to provide help to those most in need and we need a final fundraising push this Christmas to complete our support of this project.
It may be that contributing to this project will be your way of hearing afresh the Christmas message of peace on earth.
To reach Bethlehem today it is necessary to pass through the separation wall which the Israeli Government erected in 2002 between Israel and the West Bank. The Israeli West Bank barrier is a 400-mile long network of high walls, electronic fences, gates and trenches which Israel claims has stopped suicide bombings and the Palestinian's claim has annexed large tracts of land.
A Christmas card depicts the Holy Family unable to reach Bethlehem because they have been stopped by this wall, while a Nativity set has been produced with the wall running through it separating wise men and camels from the crib. Although tourists and pilgrims continue to visit the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem in their thousands on a daily basis, it seems that we have not heard the message which the angels sang before Jesus’ birth of peace on earth.
Steve Turner's poem ‘History Lesson’ says:
‘History repeats itself.
Has to.
No-one listens.’
It is one thing to celebrate Christmas and another to visit Bethlehem itself but what really matters is to hear the song of peace that the angels sang announcing Jesus’ birth as the Prince of Peace. He came, through his death on the cross, to remove walls of separation between human beings and to return all people to relationship with God. It is only when we know this peace, which passes understanding, in our hearts, minds and relationships that we have truly taken on board the Christmas message.
Jesus, through his birth, life, death and resurrection, calls us to be peacemakers. It is, therefore, appropriate that St John’s Seven Kings has been fundraising over the past two years for a Christian Aid Partnership Project which supports people living with disabilities in Lebanon and the West Bank through new employment or business opportunities. These are provided by the Lebanese Physically Handicapped Union and the East Jerusalem YMCA. This project seeks to work across divisions to provide help to those most in need and we need a final fundraising push this Christmas to complete our support of this project.
It may be that contributing to this project will be your way of hearing afresh the Christmas message of peace on earth.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Steve Bell - Magnificat.
Saturday, 6 December 2014
Sophia Hub update
Ros Southern writes:
Here's a little info and photo about a fab Timebank skills swap on Friday and how it helped start-ups. It will be updated so will be worth checking again in a few days time. Click here.
Rakesh Rootsman Rak of Eco Logical Designs is our speaker at the enterprise club this coming Tuesday 9th December. A Goodmayes boy who travels the world to help people set up resilient and sustainable orgnisations. He is talking on future proofing your business. Take a look at what we will be covering on Tuesday at 12.45.
Rishi of Kuku's nest was the enterprise club speaker last week. Great session. Useful tips. Read here.
Rashida of Ilmi Aethetics has changed course in her business and has very expensive specialist massage chairs for sale at very cheap prices!! Pass it on! To read more about her business and the chairs, click here.
Great stall opportunity - Wilson Chowdhry (previous speaker) is running a market in Ilford Town Centre on Tuesday 23rd December. Stalls for Sophia Hubs contacts are the lowest fee of £25. More info here.
Finally a reminder about a local start-up social enterprise Organic Ilford - find out about their veg bags, Christmas gift opportunities, weekly email etc. Let's support Redbridge start-ups!
In case the links don't work, everything is on my blog. http://sophiahubs7k.wordpress.com/
I am hoping we can have increasing numbers of guest blogs and start-ups promoting themselves on the Sophia Hubs blog.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
R.E.M. - Stand.
Here's a little info and photo about a fab Timebank skills swap on Friday and how it helped start-ups. It will be updated so will be worth checking again in a few days time. Click here.
Rakesh Rootsman Rak of Eco Logical Designs is our speaker at the enterprise club this coming Tuesday 9th December. A Goodmayes boy who travels the world to help people set up resilient and sustainable orgnisations. He is talking on future proofing your business. Take a look at what we will be covering on Tuesday at 12.45.
Rishi of Kuku's nest was the enterprise club speaker last week. Great session. Useful tips. Read here.
Rashida of Ilmi Aethetics has changed course in her business and has very expensive specialist massage chairs for sale at very cheap prices!! Pass it on! To read more about her business and the chairs, click here.
Great stall opportunity - Wilson Chowdhry (previous speaker) is running a market in Ilford Town Centre on Tuesday 23rd December. Stalls for Sophia Hubs contacts are the lowest fee of £25. More info here.
Finally a reminder about a local start-up social enterprise Organic Ilford - find out about their veg bags, Christmas gift opportunities, weekly email etc. Let's support Redbridge start-ups!
In case the links don't work, everything is on my blog. http://sophiahubs7k.wordpress.com/
I am hoping we can have increasing numbers of guest blogs and start-ups promoting themselves on the Sophia Hubs blog.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
R.E.M. - Stand.
Thursday, 4 December 2014
Art is gratuitous. Art is extravagant.
Makoto Fujimura's Acceptance Speech for the 2014 American Academy of Religion Award in Religion and the Arts is 'a prayer uttered in the liminal zone between art and religion, a prayer to repair the schism between the two':
'Art is gratuitous. Art is extravagant. But so is our God. God does not need us; yet he created us out of his gratuitous love. Jesus astonished the disciples by giving Mary the highest commendation anyone receives in the pages of the Gospels:
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Mark 14:6 - 9)
I pray that in the days to come, this aroma will fill the air whenever the words of Gospel are spoken, that outsiders to faith will sense this extravagant air and feel it, particularly for them. I pray that when our children speak of faith, this gratuitous, intuitive aroma of the love of Christ will be made manifest in their lives.
“Leave her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her.” (Mark 14:6 - 9)
I pray that in the days to come, this aroma will fill the air whenever the words of Gospel are spoken, that outsiders to faith will sense this extravagant air and feel it, particularly for them. I pray that when our children speak of faith, this gratuitous, intuitive aroma of the love of Christ will be made manifest in their lives.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Patti Smith Group - Easter.
Candlelight Vigil Service for victims of knife crime
I am quoted in the Ilford Recorder as saying that, “the congregation was very grateful for the event.” They took part in an act of remembrance, lighting a candle next to a photo display of knife crime victims. “They were very moved by the occasion, the prayers and reflection" and "were fired up by the speakers too.” Mike Smith, of Word 4 Weapons, an organisation which launched this country’s first weapon exchange programme spoke alongside Wilson Chowdhry, chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA), and Danny O’Brien.
I said that, “We put on the service because we recognised a need people have when they are grieving to remember loved ones and to do that in a public way too with prayer and reflection in the run up to Christmas.” I'm also quoted as saying that we won't be repeating the service next year. That's partly because I will have moved on from St John's by that time and, therefore, can't make commitments on behalf of the church but is also because Danny would like to take the format of this service to other locations rather than simply repeating it annually in Seven Kings.
A contemporary dance act, “expressing the emotions of those affected by knife crime”, rounded off the service in a powerful and moving manner.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ooberfuse - Different Drum.
Tuesday, 2 December 2014
Values and the life of Christ
Yesterday I had the privilege of sharing some thoughts about the values of Christianity with an RE class at Little Heath School. Here is a link to the report on the visit that has been posted on the school website - http://news.lheath.net/2014/12/reverend-evens.html. We thought about values of empathy and self-sacrifice by looking at several different images.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luxury - To You Who Gave Me Hope And Were My Light.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Luxury - To You Who Gave Me Hope And Were My Light.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)