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It's been a while.

I'm hoping to get back into the habit of this once the silly season is over. We're off to the Greenbelt Festival over the Bank Holiday, so there should certainly be some posts about that.

Just this for now.

A recent letter from a friend says a lot:

I regard it (church), not only as a place of worship, but quite simply as 'home'. Which is pretty marvellous when you consider Heaven - God's Kingdom - is where we come from, and as the missionaries in China said, dying, death, is Going Home: so, we're already half way there!

Gets me thinking about heaven again.

Tom Wright, Bishop of Durham has been banging on about this for years. Heaven is to do with the presence of God and the activity of God ... and when we pray "On earth as it is in heaven" we are praying for more of God in the world; right here, right now.

We're not praying to be whisked away to some ethereal world of clouds and harps. We're praying for peace; for justice; for everyone; for everything.

My friend senses that little bit of heaven because of how God has worked in his life, and how he experiences God working in the church. It feels like home. It feels like heaven.

Or as Belinda Carlisle sang long ago ... ooh heaven is a place on earth!

Come to think of it - Greenbelt feels like heaven too. Can't wait.

Legion Mark 5:6-14

In which Jesus heals a man with unclean spirits.

On the day I looked at these verses, I was starting a two day course on Mental Health First Aid. Jesus is doing a bit more than first aid here!

Apart from the mental health angle, this passage is important because it shows Jesus challenging yet more of the boundaries and assumptions in his society. He is entering Gentile territory, and taking the 'good news' to non Jews. Jesus is radically inclusive.

As I reflect on Jesus' determination to cross boundaries, I ask myself what boundaries I need to cross. Which people, places and situations challenge me ?

Body, Mind and Spirit. Mark 5:1-5

In which Jesus meets a man who is described as having an unclean spirit. He is violent, he self harms (cuts himself with stones), and he is excluded from society (or has excluded himself).

There are different ways to look at passages like this in the Gospels. Some would see this as an example of 'demon possession,' while others would see here a man with a severe mental illness. There can be a great divide between these two ways of understanding.

At one end of the spectrum there are churches that practise a deliverance ministry where almost anything can be ascribed to the work of evil spirits. (Someone with a short temper can be described as having 'a spirit of anger' that needs to be cast out). At the other end of the spectrum are Christians who would say that talk about evil spirits is superstition, and we should look for scientific ways to explain illness, and look to modern medicine for treatment.

What I find especially interesting (and we miss it if we get hung up on arguments about modern medicine versus prayer for healing) is that in the gospels, Jesus addresses all kinds of illness, with a variety of causes. Jesus seems to have a holistic approach that recognises body, mind and spirit. When we get into arguments about the nature of the illness, we risk missing the fact that the Jesus of the gospels heals people who are afflicted in body, others who are afflicted in mind, and others who are afflicted in spirit. What this says to me is that Jesus' healing is comprehensive. There is no aspect of human suffering that is outside the scope of the healing of Jesus.

A prayer that we use for healing goes something like this ... "Name of person we lay our hands on you in the name of God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We pray that you may know God's healing power at work in you - bringing wholeness and healing to every part of you, body mind and spirit."

A Different Kind of Peace Mark 4:35-41

In which Jesus calms a storm.

I presume that before the storm started it was calm ... But I also guess that the calm after the storm felt quite a lot different!

The Christian Gospel has sometimes been presented as 'Come to Jesus and he will sort you out'. But the experience of the disciples here is 'Come to Jesus and he will mess you up!'

Jesus is leading the disciples into situations that will be scary and confrontational. In the next chapter, they will encounter a demon possessed man, and on the way, their lives are threatened by a severe windstorm.

In these situations of hostility, Jesus is what we would call in mediation terms, the 'non anxious presence'. He is the one who can take things forward. He is the one who will not be dictated to by the circumstances. He is the one who will inspire confidence in others that they too can get through the difficult situation.

And the bigger picture is here too: these encounters - with the forces of nature, and with the forces of evil - show us that Jesus is engaged in something HUGE here. As he makes visible the rule of God, there is resistance. This peace making is no easy task.

Thunder and Rainbows

Thinking a bit more about sitting shiva.

I was just thinking about silent prayer being a little bit like sitting shiva with God. God must mourn over the violence in China today, and over all the evil, and suffering in the world. What must it be like for God to see his children doing so much to hurt each other.

To be silent in God's presence can maybe help us to understand better the heart of God.

Slightly unconnected with all of that - my prayer today made me think of this song recorded by Martyn Joseph

The light or the shade, concealed or displayed
Enemies, friends, opposite ends
Bitter or sweet, ruffled or neat
Feathers or lead, silent or said

Generous or mean, corporate or green

Vagrant or lord, the dove or the sword

Distinct or obscure, prosperous or poor
Devil or saint, we are and we ain't

Intricate mysteries
Life's secret code
Cul-de-sac signposts
On yellow brickroads
Ambiguous answers
The question's still “Why”
Thunder and rainbows
From the same sky

Champagne or dust, banquet or crust
Authentic or fake, angel or snake
Flower or thorn, pristine or torn
Desert or sea, the throne and the tree

Intricate mysteries
Life's secret code
Cul-de-sac signposts
On yellow brickroads
Ambiguous answers
The question's still “Why”
Thunder and rainbows
From the same sky

The light or the shade, concealed or displayed

Enemies, friends, opposite ends

Flower or thorn, pristine or torn

Desert or sea, the throne and the tree

Intricate mysteries
Life's secret code
Cul-de-sac signposts
On yellow brickroads
Ambiguous answers
The question's still “Why”
Thunder and rainbows
From the same sky

Thunder and Rainbows by Martyn Joseph and Stewart and Carol Henderson

Sitting Shiva Mark 4:26-29

The Kingdom of God is like this: someone scatters seed on the ground. Whether he sleeps, or gets up, night and day, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how.

A few weeks ago, there was a two part documentary on television - 'Famous, Rich and Homeless', in which five celebrities spent 10 days experiencing something of what it means to be homeless.

Two of those taking part were actor Bruce Jones (who played Coronation Street's Les Battersby), and tennis player Annabel Croft. As they were paired up with homeless people, Bruce and Annabel's first instinct was to try and help them. Faced with the reality of homelessness, they both tried to do something about the situation, and ran the real risk of making things worse, not better. In the debrief at the end of the day, they met up with John Bird, who was homeless himself for many years, and acting as a consultant on the programme. John was angry with both of them for trying to help, and lost his temper at their naivety.

He was out of order in the way he spoke to them, but I think I understood what he was trying to tell them. The most important thing for Annabel and Bruce was to be there with the homeless, and to try and experience what it is like to be homeless. To feel the sense of powerlessness and hopelessness that is part of being homeless.

I don't know what moved them to want to help. Care and compassion, I'm sure played a large part. Maybe also some guilt and anger that this is allowed to happen. A sense that we should be able to solve the problem of homelessness.

And yet the problem is not a simple one that could be solved by finding their homeless buddy somewhere warm and safe to stay. The root causes of homelessness are complex, and they needed to learn about the problem, not provide a solution.

It reminds me of the ritual of 'Sitting Shiva' in Judaism. When someone has died, close family members spend a seven day period of mourning, in which they gather together to support one another in their grieving.

It is considered an act of great kindness and compassion to pay a home visit to the mourners. Traditionally, no greetings are exchanged and visitors wait for the mourners to initiate conversation.

The purpose of visiting a mourner is to comfort the mourner. Visitors have an obligation to remain silent unless the mourner initiates conversation. The mourner is allowed to remain silent, and if so, this shall be respected by the visitors. Any conversation that does take place shall typically be about the deceased. The visitor just has to be sensitive, and let the mourner choose the topic of conversation. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shiva_(Judaism)

The parable of the growing seed in Mark 4 tells us that we are not in control of what God is doing. Some of us find this really hard. Like Bruce and Annabel, we often want to be the ones to help. It's as if we have failed if we don't solve the problem. The parable tells us that things can, and will happen without our intervention. We have a part to play, like sowing the seed in the parable, or stepping across the threshold of the home to comfort mourners. But maybe that's all we need to do. We can let God guide the rest.

Finished

I cried through the last 20 pages or so of 'The Hour I First Believed' this morning.  I'm a big fan of the author, Wally Lamb, and I'd be nervous to recommend the book in case people don't like it, but I'm going to take a risk and say "Read it!"

It's been amazing to see how this book, without any conscious plan on my part, has added to the rich experience that I have had these last nine and bit weeks.

The book is about trauma, and about the effects of the different traumas on the characters in the book.  I won't spoil the story, but the book is also about finding some measure of healing, always with suffering, and sometimes because of the suffering.

I don't want to labour it, but the true story of Linda White's meeting with her daughter Cathy's murderer seems to sum up much of what I have been learning.  (see blog entry 'Hurt People Hurt People)

The culmination of Linda's story is her meeting with Gary Brown. (Cathy's murderer).

For a year, a mediator has met with Linda and Amy, Cathy's daughter, who was 5 years old at the time of Cathy's murder.  The mediator has also had meetings with Gary in prison to prepare him for the meeting.  The victim/offender meeting is not about making things easier for the offender; it does not mean that their sentence is reduced.  It is about confronting an offender directly with the consequences of their crime, with the purpose of bringing some restoration to both offender and victim.

By the time they finally meet, they have begun to exchange letters, and both parties come to the meeting with apprehension, and a mixture of powerful emotions.

Linda and Amy tell Gary that there are some hard things that they will say to Gary.  Linda also tells Gary that they are there to listen to Gary talk about his life as well.  Amy tells Gary how his actions have destroyed her life, and describes how as a child, she had numerous counselling sessions to help with the trauma.  Gary sits opposite Amy with his head down, in tears.  

As well as telling Gary what they want him to hear, they want to know what was going on in Gary's life that would drive him to commit such a terrible crime, and they want Gary to tell them about the details of the final minutes of Cathy's life.  (Gary was 15 at the time of the murder).  Just watching the interview is painful and distressing.  At the end of the six hour emotional meeting, there are tears on both sides, and amazingly, Linda and Amy ask Gary to come and stand with them, and have their picture taken together.  After having their picture taken, Linda gives Gary a hug, and so does Amy.   "It was hard for me to hug him," says Amy, "but I felt like it was necessary." Linda says, "It was the most logical thing in the world for me to hug Gary."

For me, this story is as good as it gets. What Linda White did mirrors the work of God in Christ.  The path to reconciliation involves suffering - for Jesus that meant death on the cross. The restoration of what has been lost through sin will inevitably mean a path of suffering. If the pain, disruption and destruction caused by sin is confronted, then somehow that pain must be absorbed and robbed of its power.

This is what happened in that Texas prison, sin was robbed of its power to enslave Gary, Linda and Amy.  They were able to take the next step in their lives.

And these things can happen because in the reality of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus, sin and evil were ultimately and decisively robbed of their power to enslave.

Hagar

Hagar and the Angel by Cecco Bravo

I slept in till 8.22  today!  Got up, and for some reason, checked the rota for today's 9.30 am communion, only to see that it was me today!  Of course, it's the 1st July, and my sabbatical is officially over.  

Fortunately, today's Bible readings for communion were a gift to someone who's been thinking about conflict and peace building for two months.  The Old Testament reading was all about Hagar, the slave woman who bore a child to Abraham.

In today's reading, Abraham's wife Sarah asks Abraham to banish Hagar and Ishmael, so that Ishmael will not have a share in Sarah's son Isaac's inheritance.  (Genesis 21). Abraham consents to this and Hagar is banished to the wilderness with her child Ishmael.  In the wilderness, it looks as thought they will both die,  and Hagar moves 'a good way away' from Ishmael so that she will not see him  die.  They cry to God for help, and In reply God sends an angel who shows them a well, and they survive.  The significance of this story for today is profound - As Jews look to Sarah's son Isaac as their ancestor, and Arabs look to Hagar's son Ishmael as their ancestor.

The story reminded me of the 'Come to the Table' project (see earlier blog entry) in which the descendants of slaves, and the descendants of slave owners meet together to share their stories, their pain, and the unmet needs that still exist today.

Would that the descendants of Hagar, and the descendants of Sarah would also come to the table and find peace and reconciliation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hagar_(Bible)

Does the Blog stop here ?

I'm about to come to the end of my sabbatical, which means the end of the blog (in its present form anyway).  At some point I'd like to give an opportunity for friends at St Nicholas who have read any of the blog to give me some feedback, so I'll be arranging a discussion evening soon for any that are interested.

If you live away from Beverley, but would like to give me some feedback, I'd be pleased to have a virtual conversation with you.  You can reach me on jonnyfun.e@googlemail.com.

I'm interested to know about anything that was: interesting/boring/annoying/helpful/unclear/challenging/

uplifting/confusing/longwinded/entertaining etc etc.

I would like to carry on with the reflections on Mark's Gospel, for my own benefit more than anything else, and I might stick those up on a blog.  I'm certain to continue with my explorations into the area of peacebuilding/conflict transformation etc, but whether I'll make the time to blog those thoughts is anyone's guess at the moment.

Jonathan.

Giving, Not Getting. Mark 4:21-25

21-22Jesus went on: "Does anyone bring a lamp home and put it under a washtub or beneath the bed? Don't you put it up on a table or on the mantel? We're not keeping secrets, we're telling them; we're not hiding things, we're bringing them out into the open.

 

23"Are you listening to this? Really listening?

 24-25"Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes." (The Message)

You can look at the all of the Ten Commandments as being in some way telling us not to steal.  Whether it is stealing the honour that rightfully belongs to God, or stealing property, or another man’s wife, or stealing the truth ....

Looked at this way, the Ten Commandments remind us that our worst instincts are to make ourselves and our needs the centre of our world; to grab things for ourself; to take rather than give.

I have been thinking a lot about the importance of silence and listening - the silent listening of my Quaker experience at the weekend,

the importance being still and quiet in the face of angry words,

the value of listening to another’s story, especially where it is different to my own.

When I fail to listen to another, but am only concerned to speak, I steal from the other their time to speak, and I steal from myself the opportunity to learn from the other.

May I give time to careful listening, which in itself is a form of generosity.  

The Diggers

As I came across so many examples of conflict in America that has roots going way back into history, I started thinking about England, and wondering what the equivalent might be for us. 

On Sunday I learned from one the elders at the Quaker meeting a bit of English history that at the same time inspired me and depressed me:

In the 1640's Gerard Winstanley was living in Cobham, Surrey.  Originally from Wigan, the son of a clothier, he had come to London to learn his father's trade, and had married the daughter of a surgeon.  When trade between London and Lancashire was disrupted because of the Civil War, his business collapsed, and he went to live in Cobham, where his wife's family originated.

There he found work as a herdsman for his wife's family, and partly through his own experience of poverty, was disturbed by the plight of the poor, and especially the powerlessness of those who had been evicted from their homes. Winstanley played a leading role in the early 1640's in the 'Digger' movement by landless peasants to live and farm on common land. 

 'He and a handful of poor men established a colony on St Georges Hill to take symbolic ownership of uncultivated common and waste land and came under a great deal of attack.

In addition to collective labour on this farm, which the Diggers occupied, Winstanley wrote pamphlet after pamphlet defending their cause.'

http://www.diggers.org/diggers/gerard_winstanley.htm

His pamphlets advocated some radical ideas, including the abolition of private property.  

As he looked at the church, whether it was the Church of England or the Sectarians, he did not see anyone really concerned to help the poor.  He came to believe that until everyone had enough to eat, and some security, it was no good preaching pious sermons.  His message was summed up in phrases such as: 'Work together', 'Eat together', 'Let Israel go free', 'Let Israel neither give nor take hire'.

Winstanley lived on in Cobham until 1676, and in the same year the death of  a Gerard Winstanley, a corn merchant and a Quaker, is recorded in London.  Was this the same man ?  Quite possibly.

On 3rd April 1999, on the 350th anniversary of the Diggers,  282 people set out on a march to St George's Hill in Surrey to erect a stone in honour of Winstanley. It was common land in the 1640's.  Winstanley tried to use it as a place for the 'common people' to live and work.  The area is now a golf course and private residential area!

The conflict between Winstanley and the 'powers' of his day is repeated all over our nation today.  The gap between rich and poor in this country, and even more so globally, is as wide as ever.  For any town/city in this country, I wonder if we could get together people who live in the rich part of town, together with the homeless, people on the council housing list etc, and hear the story of Winstanley, and reflect on what we can learn from it ?

For full story of the march in April 1999 see :

http://tash.gn.apc.org/diggers_350.htm

Come to the Table

One of the things that struck me in America was the importance of history, and seeing how the events of the past still has effects today.

I can't remember if I mentioned this before, but what some people call the American Civil War is called by others the War of Northern Agression.  In South West Virginia, I saw evidence in the Confederate flags and baseball caps that this war between North and South has not been forgotten.

Of course the effects of slavery still carry on, with African Americans, and people of colour still being disadvantaged by poverty if not by the colour of their skin.

The reaction of some people to trauma is to say 'Get over it'.  But it is not as simple as that.  Even if the trauma is way in the past, there may still be unmet needs that, if not addressed, will prevent people from moving on.

 

'Come to the Table' is a project where the descendants of slave owners and the descendents of slaves come to the table and talk and listen about their past.  

This article says it better than I could

Joe Hairston, who links his ancestry to a slave on a North Carolina plantation, attends a candlelight service at Long's Chapel.  HARRISONBURG Joe Hairston spent his weekend mingling with descendants of the family that enslaved his ancestors. He came away feeling more hopeful about race relations.

"The fact that the white descendants of white slave masters accept us, and they recognize that we have a common ancestry -- that's an opening," said Hairston, a retired Army officer who lives in Washington. One of his maternal ancestors was a slave of Hairston planters in North Carolina.

From Thursday through Saturday, 20 descendants of slaves, slave owners and slave traders gathered at Eastern Mennonite University for "Coming to the Table," a conference that featured storytelling, interviews, presentations and reflections on the institution whose legacy continues to shadow race relations.

Hairston, 83, said sitting down as equals with the families who generations ago held his in bondage shows how far the nation has come. He recalled that when he first joined the Army, he couldn't be promoted from second lieutenant because a higher rank would have elevated him above whites. Blacks have since have occupied the highest positions of the military and the government, he noted.

"While some people look back and see how bad it was, and forget how good it's getting to be, I want to forget the past and focus on the future," Hairston said. "And the future is, we are becoming one people."

Several plantations in the South now hold reunions for descendants of slaves and of their masters. Organizers of the Eastern Mennonite conference want to inspire more gatherings of several families at a time.

"I see it as a movement that's going on and that we're trying to provide leadership and encouragement for," said William Hairston of Harrisonburg, whose ancestors were a prominent slave-owning clan. He has both white and black relatives.

His family's tree branches and their origins are detailed in Henry Wiencek's 2000 book, "The Hairstons: An American Family in Black and White."

Members of the two sides of Hairstons have been in regular contact since the 1970s. For a decade, William Hairston considered the idea of bringing together both sides of descendants from several plantations.

The idea received a boost from an unlikely place: Monticello, scene of bitter relations between some descendants of Thomas Jefferson and some descendants of his slave, Sally Hemings.

DNA linked at least one of Hemings' children to the Jefferson clan, and many historians have concluded that the Founding Father and plantation owner likely fathered at least one and possibly all six of Hemings' children listed in Monticello records.

Still, most members of the Monticello Association, the organization of Jefferson descendants eligible for burial on the Albemarle County estate, considered the evidence inconclusive and have denied membership to the Hemings descendants.

Susan Hutchison, a dissenting association member frustrated by the decision, found inspiration in the more cordial contact among the Hairstons. She sought out the author of "The Hairstons," who put her in touch with William Hairston, she said. "I wanted to meet other white descendants of slave owners, interested in supporting one another as we face our history together," she said.

Hairston enlisted EMU's Center for Justice and Peacebuilding. Amy Potter, of the center's Practice Institute, found money from the Fetzer Institute in Kalamazoo, Mich., to organize the Harrisonburg meeting, Potter said.

The meeting could set an example for others who trace their family roots to a plantation, Potter said.

"If there are people who are wondering how do we even explore that part of our history and make that connection, there'll be several examples," she said.

Diana Redman, a Hemings descendant who lives in Columbus, Ohio, said the weekend helped foster ties between the Hemings and Jefferson lines. Some descendants from both families have been getting acquainted in the past several years.

"The primary thing that happened for us is we had descendants of Thomas Jefferson come to the table in the sense of brotherhood and healing," Redman said.

After the three days of closed-door conferences, attendees gathered for a candlelight memorial service at Zenda, the Rockingham County hamlet northeast of Harrisonburg where freed slaves settled and founded a thriving community. The conference concluded with a banquet at Community Mennonite Church in Harrisonburg.

Bringing together people who trace their lineage to plantation fields and to the owner's mansions strikes at the core of racism in the country, said Melody Pannell, a Harrisonburg resident who helped organize the conference.

"We could talk about the honest things that did happen in our families and in America . . . but also how we can build bridges together and take that out into society," Pannell said.

Contact staff writer Calvin R. Trice atctrice@timesdispatch.com or (540) 574-9977.

— article by: CALVIN R. TRICE; posted February 3, 2006

from http://www.emu.edu/news/index.php/1065/ijp

Wait and Listen

A spin off from the value of silent waiting in yesterday's worship is a thought about responding to the angry words and actions of others.  I find it really hard not to respond to angry or harshly critical words.  I can feel the irritation rising in me, and before I know it I have responded with a harsh, or sarcastic, or equally critical response.

Maybe it is only in waiting and listening that we can find an appropriate response to anger and criticism. Or maybe it is only in this listening that we can discern what might be true in the words spoken to us.  

Could I be a Quaker ?

This was the question I was asking myself yesterday in the Quaker meeting where  I found myself in many ways 'at home'

Take this for example: Friends have never regarded [worship] as an individual activity. People who regard Friends' meetings as opportunities for meditation have failed to appreciate this corporate aspect. The waiting and listening are activities in which everybody is engaged and produce spoken ministry which helps to articulate the common guidance which the Holy Spirit is believed to give the group as a whole. So the waiting and listening is corporate also. This is why Friends emphasise the 'ministry of silence' and the importance of coming to meeting regularly and with heart and mind prepared.    John Punshon, 1987

Or this

In this humanistic age we suppose man is the initiator and God is the responder. But the living Christ within us is the initiator and we are the responders. God the Lover, the accuser, the revealer of light and darkness presses within us. 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock.' And all our apparent initiative is already a response, a testimonial to His secret presence and working within us. The basic response of the soul to the Light is internal adoration and joy, thanksgiving and worship, self-surrender and listening.   Thomas R Kelly, 1941

There is so much in this tradition that speaks to me: the silent waiting on God, the use of few words in worship; the emphasis on peace and justice;

But in the end, there is something missing, and it's mostly to do with ... the Holy Trinity, and Holy Communion, both of which are at the heart of my faith.  Even so, maybe something of the Living Water that I have found in Quaker worship can be a continuing part of my own experience of God.

The Beauty of Silence

I had been wondering where I would go to church for the last Sunday of my sabbatical, knowing that there wouldn't be another opportunity for a long time once I get back to St Nicholas.

I thought about it for a long time.  One church I wanted to visit was not having a service, I couldn't find the time of the service for another, and so on.  I was stuck, and needed to decide.  Then Bev said, "Have you thought about the Quakers ?"  That was it!  Of course.  With their stand on peace, and their history of protest and social action, it had to the the Quakers.

So at 10.20 am yesterday, I was sitting outside the Hull Quaker Meeting House.  I was warmly welcomed and shown into the meeting room, and because it was my first time, I had been given some pamphlets to help me understand a little about Quaker worship.  There was no beginning to the meeting as such.  No words of welcome or explanation, but that was fine.  A characteristic of Quaker worship is silence and waiting, which is exactly what we had.  A few late comers meant that we didn't enter a real silence for about 15 minutes, but then there was (for me anyway) a beautiful silence for about 30 minutes.

During this time, I thought back over the last few weeks; I tried to remember (with some success) the events of the early chapters of Mark's Gospel; I prayed for my family, and for the people I had met in America; I listened for God in the silence.

At 11.15, someone stood up.  He paused for a few moments, seeming to choose his words, and then spoke briefly about one of the articles of the book 'Quaker Faith and Practice':   Article 2.55 Remember that to every one is given a share of responsibility for the meeting for worship, whether that service be in silence or through the spoken word. Do not assume that vocal ministry is never to be your part. If the call to speak comes, do not let the sense of your own unworthiness, or the fear of being unable to find the right words, prevent you from being obedient to the leading of the Spirit.

You can find the full version of Quaker Faith and Practice here:

http://qfp.quakerweb.org.uk/qfpintro.html

He spoke for a few minutes and then sat down.  Then someone else stood, waited a few moments, and also spoke for maybe 3 or 4 minutes and sat down.

And then, without any difficulty, we went back into silence for the last 10 minutes of the meeting.

The whole experience reminded me in many ways of my formative experiences of church in Open Brethren Assemblies.  Like Quaker worship, our Sunday morning meeting was based on an understanding that worship was to be guided by the Holy Spirit.  For that to happen, there must be a degree of silence and waiting, and into the silence, God would lead different people to share a scripture, a hymn, a prayer, or a reflection.  In both traditions, there is no leader of the worship apart from the Holy Spirit.  

There are some similarities: Brethren, like Quakers, tend to avoid set prayers and creeds, and both are led by a group of 'Elders'.  But there are also huge differences: Brethren are typically very conservative and narrow in their theology, whilst Quakers accommodate a very wide spectrum of beliefs.  The main act of worship in the Brethren is 'The Lord's Supper' (Communion), whereas Quakers emphasise the experience of the presence of God in us, without the need for outwards symbols.

Although there is no link between Open Brethren and the Quakers, some of the earliest Brethren were originally Quakers and there was a Quaker influence on the distinctive character of Brethren worship meetings.

The Seed. Mark 4:13-20

Is the parable open to multiple interpretations, or is it making one point ?  

Many scholars (most ?) think that these verses were added by the early church.  The interpretation offered in these verses make the parable an allegory, with each part of the parable representing something different. The purpose of the parable is then to encourage self examination ... How does my life match up ?  Am I being fruitful ?  Are there things that are choking the work of God in my life ... etc.

Another widely held view (Jeremias) is that Jesus did not intend the parable to be treated in such a way.  The early Christians added these verses, but Jesus was actually making just one point.  That is, God's ultimate purpose  (the Reign of the Kingdom of God) is now visible and will be fully achieved in the end.  The fullness of the Kingdom is represented by the harvest at the end of the parable in v. 9.

Whichever view you hold on how to read the parables, it is clear that this parable is about the work of God in the world, and that the seed is the image chosen for this work.

At the beginning of my week's learning about trauma and trauma healing, we were all invited to share a symbol of some trauma that we had known.  The events shared were deeply moving, as people talked about some of the most painful experiences it is possible to have.

At the end of the week, we were invited once more to share - this time a symbol of hope for recovery.  One of the group said simply - My symbol of hope is this group - this small group of people who are committed to being involved in bringing transformation to traumatised people and situations.  I think we were 26 in number, not many.  But in using the seed as a picture of the kingdom Jesus gives hope that even a few people can make a big difference.

You see how it is with the seed .... says Jesus ... this is how it is in the Kingdom of God.

Forgiveness

During my week of learning about trauma, we explored the ways in which we can move from destructive patterns of thinking and acting to a more positive way of living.  One part of this healing process is forgiveness, and we spent some time thinking about what forgiveness is, and what it is not.

Here is what we came up with:

What Forgiveness is:

Hope

Saying (not necessarily with words)I still love you

Gift 

Something that we discover it is possible to do

Different kinds of choices - intellectual, emotional

Finding that you have the power to choose

Empowering

Liberating

Gives security to 'the other'

A process, not a one off event

Peace of the heart

Healing

Shocking

Releases the forgiver

Can be given without being asked for

What Forgiveness is not

Is not accepting that things can stay as they are

Does not eliminate responsibility

Cannot be forced

It is not the same as reconciliation

Not the end of pain

Not just words

Does not erase scars

Is not expressed the same in all cultures

It is not always possible to do

It is not always desirable

Not necessarily two way

It is not easy

It does not minimise wrong doing

It does not have to be received

You forgive the person, not the wrong doing.

I am reading 'The Non Violent Atonement' which is a challenging read in every way.  It seems to link with the above thoughts about forgiveness.  The thing that struck me most was the thought that we can take a decision to forgive someone before they ask for it, or maybe before they want it, or even know that they need it.  It seems to me that this is what God has done.  God has forgiven the world.  But if we are to be fully reconciled to God, we need to receive that forgiveness.

The Christian Gospel is at its heart, saying that God's action in the world (supremely in Jesus) is to bring about God's perfect reign that is characterised by Justice and Peace.  Central to this action of God is Jesus, who in his life, death and resurrection fully displays that reign of God.  For us to be co-workers in this 'Kingdom Project' of God we need to recognise the sinfulness and rebellion of humanity, and the need to be reconciled to God.

Full reconciliation requires both God's forgiveness and our repentance.  But - God's forgiveness is not dependent on our repentance.    In forgiving sinful humanity, God is offering hope, and saying that he still loves us, in spite of our sin and rebellion.  But for full reconciliation, that forgiveness must be accepted. 

Sometimes, we are privileged to hear of this kind of forgiveness being lived out.  

In July 2005, Anthony Walker was murdered in a racist attack.  At the trial of his killers, his mother, Gee said this:  "Do I forgive them? At the point of death Jesus said 'I forgive them because they don't know what they did'.   I've got to forgive them. I still forgive them. My family and I still stand by what we believe: forgiveness. It's been real hard going, but I feel justice has been done. I'm sure they will get the maximum sentence.  She acknowledged that it would be difficult to move on in the aftermath of her son's death, but added:  We have no choice but to live on for Anthony. Each of us will take a piece of him and will carry on his life."

When asked if she hated her son's killers, this is what she said:

Gee: I can’t hate. I brought up my children in this church to love. I teach them to love, to respect themselves, and respect others. We’re a huggy family and they go out and portray that same image. We’re a forgiving family and it extended to outside, so it wasn’t hard to forgive because we don’t just preach it, we practise it.

Dominique: (Anthony's 20 yr old sister) Seventy times seven we must forgive, that’s what we were taught, that’s what the Bible said, that’s what we have to do. It’s an everyday thing. It is hard, it is so hard, but you get through it. It eases the bitterness and the anger if you can wake up in the morning and think ’forgive, forgive, forgive’.

Gee: It is a life sentence. What does bitterness do? It eats you up inside, it’s like a cancer. We don’t want to serve a life sentence with those people.

 Has your faith been tested by Anthony’s death?

Gee: (Laughs) Has my faith been tested? Lord, yes. My name’s Gee, not Jesus! It’s been hard, so hard, but I have to follow what the Lord teaches. It is easy to say those things, but when it is you who must do them, it is hard.

Gee: "Why live a life sentence? Hate killed my son, so why should I be a victim too? Unforgiveness makes you a victim and why should I be a victim? Anthony spent his life forgiving. His life stood for peace, love and forgiveness and I brought them up that way. I have to practice what I preach. I don't feel any bitterness towards them really, truly, all I feel is... I feel sad for the family.

They Don't Get It! Mark 4:10-12

As we have seen, the first three chapters of Mark go at a rapid pace.  In them, we meet this person Jesus, who at times draws attention to himself and his message, and at other times tells people not to say a word about what they have seen.  

On the one hand Jesus seems to be claiming some kind of messiah status, in what he says - for example claiming authority over sin (2:10) and over the Sabbath (2:28); and in what he does - healing and casting out demons.  On the other hand he wants to stay 'under cover' (1:34, 44 & 3:12).

The way the parable of the sower is presented in chapter 4 almost mirrors this paradoxical picture of Jesus that Mark has already painted.  It seems that Jesus is intent on revealing himself and yet hiding himself all at the same time.  The phrase 'Open Secret' is not original, but it seems to fit with what is happening here.

It is as if Jesus is aware that his message will be need to be an 'open secret.'  

Robert Capon (In the Parables of the Kingdom) puts it something like this. (I paraphrase)

Jesus knows that he has a special mission from God.  He also knows that what he will say and do will upset some people, especially the religious leaders.  (He will mix with outcasts, he heals on the Sabbath, he claims to forgive sin).  So he tries to keep a low profile and stay out of the public eye as far as possible.  Now in chapter 4, we reach a major turning point in the Gospel as Jesus starts to teach.  It's as if he makes a conscious decision to be provocative and cryptic in his method.   He knows that there will be things about him and his message that will go against people's expectations of a messiah.  He is not going to be the kind of messiah that people expect, or even want.  So, when he comes to tell the parables, it's as if he takes this hidden, mysterious, upside down approach and makes it central.

Here are the verses that follow immediately after the parable:

When he was alone, those who were around him along with the twelve asked him about the parables. And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside, everything comes in parables; in order that ‘they may indeed look, but not perceive, and may indeed listen, but not understand; so that they may not turn again and be forgiven.’”

Jesus is not pronouncing judgment on unbelievers, but saying "This is how it is".  The kingdom of God is not what you think it is.  There will be people who will simply not get it.

In an earlier post, I wrote about a woman who had met her daughter's killer as part of a restorative justice programme.  When the mediator who was arranging the meeting first went into the prison to meet Gary (the killer), the prison governor did not understand what the mediator was talking about.  His mind was so locked into justice as  retribution that he could not get his head around what they were trying to do in meeting Gary.

And yet, when Linda met her daughter's killer something amazing happened.  Over a period of four hours they talked, and at the end Linda embraced Gary in a hug. In that encounter they both changed.   Some of Linda's family cannot watch that film.  They have heard her talk about what happened, but they don't understand.  They have seen the difference in her, but they do not 'see' it for themselves.  They have not reached a turning point in their own lives.  For them, there is still no forgiveness.

Parables. Mark 4:1-9

In this post, I'm quoting some extracts (in italics) from an article by Walter Wink. 

Find the full article at  http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1762

The Parable of the Sower:  Over the centuries, scholars have debated the correct way to interpret the parables.  For a long time, people read the parables as allegories, where each part of the parable stood for a single idea.  in the parable of the ten maidens, for example, the bridegroom equals Jesus, his delay equals the overdue Second Coming, the wedding equals the Kingdom, the shut door equals the Last Judgment, the wise maidens equal the true believers, the foolish maidens equal the backsliders, and so forth (Matt. 25:1-13).

There are problems with reading parables in this way.  It not only fixes the interpretation of the parable to one meaning, it also fixes the way in which we read the parables.  In time, this method of interpretation was rejected by scholars, and over the course of the 19th century, it became the norm to believe that a parable had one, and only one central point.  That view has held sway pretty much since then.  However, Walter Wink makes the point that parables are meant to point us to something new, and that once we decide that it has only one meaning, we pretty much close the door on the parable speaking to us in the way that parables are intended to speak.  This 'one point' view of interpretation is actually just a variant on the fixed allegorizing that it was meant to replace.

The fallacy of the one-point theory should have become manifest the moment it became clear that scholars themselves could not agree on what the one point was -- though each was certain that he knew! The fact is that there is no one point of entree into these parables, and no single exit. That is precisely why they are so timeless, so universally potent, so masterful. 

A parable (or simile, allegory, exemplary story or any other figure) stands in an intermediate position between the known and the unknown. Valid interpretation presses through the metaphor to the unknown; ... in valid interpretation we feel our way into each symbol in order to sense the surplus of meaning that beckons us beyond ourselves to discover something new. ...  Valid interpretation is a listening to what cannot be heard without the parable; 

To hear a parable, then, is to submit oneself to entering its world, to make oneself vulnerable, to know that we do not know at the outset what it means. Parables function much as the Zen koan, or the tales of the dervishes, to tease the mind out of familiar channels and into a more right-brain view of things. Parables have hooks all over them; they can grab each of us in a different way, according to our need.

Are we discouraged about our ministry and its meager results? Then we can identify with the sower and look with new hope toward an unprecedented harvest. Have we unwittingly filled our lives with activities, cares, false loves, which threaten to choke off the ultimate values to which we once so flamingly committed ourselves? We might then see ourselves as thorn-infested soil. Are we just grazing the surface, dabbling in the life of the spirit, half-heartedly dipping into the struggle for a just and humane world? Are we perhaps the rocky soil? Or have we become stupefied by dogma or our own vaunted pride in reason, so that we can hear nothing new? Have our paths become ruts? This is but a skimming of meanings I have heard people find in the puzzling and inexhaustible riddle of the parable of the sower (Mark 4:1-9)

I have found that one very rich way of approaching the parables is through the medium of Godly Play. 

Godly Play teaches children the art of using religious language - parable, sacred story, silence and liturgical action - helping them become more fully aware of the mystery of God’s presence in their lives.

In Godly Play, we ask wondering questions to go deeper into the sacred story or parable.  If we were looking for fixed meanings, there might be a danger of allegorizing the parables, but the Godly Play method itself is a safeguard, as it gently leads us to open our hearts to new things that God might be saying to us.

 So, when telling the Parable of the Sower, we could ask: " I wonder what makes the good soil good ?" And "I wonder if the rocky (and thorny) ground will always be rocky (thorny) ?"

As I read the parable today, I am thinking about the last few weeks, and praying that what I have learned becomes a part of me, and bears fruit in my life for peace.

Family. Mark 3:31-35

³¹Then his mother and his brothers came; and standing outside, they sent to him and called him. ³²A crowd was sitting around him; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers and sisters are outside, asking for you.” ³³And he replied, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” ³⁴And looking at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵Whoever does the will of God is my brother and sister and mother.”

Mark has already posed the question earlier in the chapter about family, and loyalty:  They (his family) went out to restrain him, for people were saying, “He has gone out of his mind.” 

And now Jesus responds to the question by talking about a new kind of community that is not based on blood ties, but on a commitment to do the will of God.  In conversation with those from the Muslim world, and from Burma, I have been reminded of precisely this issue.  Those who  have decided to follow Jesus in some countries take a huge risk.  They may be shunned by their family.  They may be discriminated against in the job market, they may be imprisoned, even lose their life.

Even in the USA where Christianity is the major religion, to be be a disciple of Jesus can be difficult.  Working in the area of peacebuilding may test relationships with Christians who have supported the US government's foreign policies of intervention.  One of my new friends grew up in a church that was very nationalistic, and it has been hard for him as his views on violence and war have increasingly distanced him from his home congregation of which his father is the pastor.

Being a part of the 'New Community' that Jesus offers us will take us in directions that will not only enrich our lives, but challenge them severely.  May we know God's grace as we continue the journey.

The hour I first believed

I have a lot of reading to do, following up on my time at the Summer Peacebuilding Institute, but I've just got stuck into a new novel, and I know I'm going to find it hard to put that down to read the textbooks that I have brought back with me.  I had ordered it just before I left for the States, and as I start to read it, I'm struck by how much it fits with what I have been learning, centred as it is around one of the most traumatic events in recent years in the US.

The book is the latest by American author, Wally Lamb, and tells the story of a married couple who both work at Columbine High School in Colorado.  The book deals with the aftermath of the shooting at Columbine, and the various traumas that the characters experience as a direct result of the shooting, and the more hidden traumas from the past that are triggered by the incident.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Hour-I-First-Believed/dp/0007290802/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1245249259&sr=8-1

Early on in the book, we meet a young girl who really struggles with school, and with life.  Her early life is a story of rejection and abuse, and the school system seems unlikely to help her.  It reminds me of Gary Brown (see post 'Hurt People Hurt People').

It also reminds me of the work of psychologist Martha Cabrera in Nicaragua.  She describes how so many schemes for development have failed in that country, because inadequate attention has been paid to the results of trauma from years of violence and political instability.  When working with survivors of Hurricane Mitch in 1998, she found that people had an even greater need to talk about other losses that they had never voiced, including wounds related to the country's political history.

http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:882SLByriVkJ:www.medico-international.de/en/projects/social/ps_cabrera_en.pdf+%22Martha+Cabrera%22+nicaragua&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&client=safari

We have not experienced anything like the problems of Nicaragua, but I am sure that even in our community there are people who have not had the opportunity to work through experiences that have devastated their lives, whether it is the floods of 2007, or the loss of a child, or sudden bereavement, or living with abuse .... 

In addition, we in Britain still suffer from the 'stiff upper lip' and  'grin and bear it' attitudes.  Many of us are unwilling to face the difficult issues in our lives.  Many of us deal with trauma by pretending it hasn't happened.  When faced with others who are traumatised, I have often come across the attitude - 'Isn't it time you moved on?'    What we need is an approach that is not afraid to listen to another's story, however many times they need to tell it.  A willingness to walk with people down the road of recovery, even if it takes years.  (Some research indicates that the length of time for recovery is directly related to how long ago the trauma took place).

How can we create an approach to working with trauma that provides good results ?  Only by understanding a unity of body, mind and spirit.  By understanding that as human beings, we are a single reality, that finds expression in different ways.  Trauma affects us physically, mentally, and spiritually, and recovery will also involve all aspects of who we are.

Back Home

I'm back in England and glad to be home after 4 and a half weeks in the US and 3 weeks away from family.  It was my fourth time in America, and it was great to experience again what is in many ways such a fantastic country. However, this time, I come back with more appreciation of England than I remember from previous visits. (Maybe it's advancing age)!

Last Saturday, a friend and I decided that we would walk the two  miles or so downtown to visit the farmer's market.  There was going to be a bluegrass jam, and it would be my last chance to hear some local music.  However, walking the two miles proved to be a challenge, with no pavements for most of the way.  It was either walk through someone's front garden, or risk being knocked down.  (Most houses don't have walls or fences around them, so it wasn't too much of a challenge, but it did bring home to me how much they are dependent on the car).  Public transport (apart from big cities) is generally very patchy, and people travel everywhere by car.  As we walked into the downtown area, it felt like a ghost town.  This was a Saturday morning, but there were very few people around, and I thought about my own home town and the crowds of people who would be walking into town for the Saturday market.

Urban planning in the US seems to allow for far too much sprawl and ugly developments.  So however much some of us complain about out of town shopping centres, and the effects they have on towns, a trip to the US puts things in perspective.  My town of Beverley has about 35,000 inhabitants.  The whole town is contained within a area about 2 miles across.   Harrisonburg Virginia, population 45,000 (of whom 20,000 are university students) covers at least twice the area of land, with shopping centres all along the route from the downtown area to the interstate 81.  The downtown area has a very pleasant feel, with some nice restaurants but few shops and businesses. (Although it's not bad by US standards).  

One of the big discussions here in Beverley in recent years has been to do with building retail developments out of the town centre.  The US experience seems to suggest that once you have developments of this kind with large shopping centres,  all that is left for the historic town centres is restaurants, banks, antique and gift shops.  The equivalent in England seems to be charity shops, estate agents and building societies.   If our town centres are to be more than ghost towns, then they must cater for some of our basic shopping needs.  

Well, that's enough of a rant on that topic.  I'm back in the 'green and pleasant land' again, and pleased to be here.