Friday Family Outings

We are intentionally looking for "England experiences" in these final weeks of our living in Thatcham.  Since Fridays are our designated day off, we use Fridays as a day for family time. Usually, our criteria are very simple.

1.  Fun

2.  Three year old friendly

3.  With an England "flavour"

This is really not too much to ask, and in fact, we have been quite successful in our Friday family outings.

We ventured out several Fridays ago to an inside museum that replicates a Victorian English town.  We were quite pleased with our choice and were looking forward to the experience.  It met all of the criteria (so we thought...).

England "flavour" - check

Three year old friendly - check

Fun - not so much

Upon arrival, our resident 3 year old climbed into her stroller, and off we went.  We purchased tickets (yes, we paid for this soon-to-be short-lived adventure), and we stepped back into time. Very pleased with ourselves we perused the exhibits, looked at the antique buses, cars, fire trucks, and wagons, and window shopped along the old town streets.

Then came the verdict, as stated by the discontent and convincing 3 year old:

"Let's go somewhere fun and play."

Yep, this pretty much sealed the deal for this Friday family outing.

In all fairness, the resident 3 year old wasn't simply being difficult.  She was actually rather creeped out by the "people" standing in the shops and sitting on the vehicles.  She was sort of confused by the large, dark roof that covered this "town."  (At one point, she even wanted to make a quick getaway through the wide open loading zone doorway.)  She had simply endured all that she could and knew good and well that this place for her did not equal fun.

Needless to say for our 3 year old, who by the way doesn't forget anything, this particular Friday family outing is without a doubt a faded memory.  No turning back for one last glimpse of the chemist or tobacconist or blacksmith or the actual working pub.  She was outta' there.

So, we resumed our Friday family outing at the park and playground by our house.  Definitely a sure thing for FUN!

Fun - check

More fun - check

A Meditation

We celebrated the Easter Offering Dedication Service last night for our Sunday evening worship. The Easter Offering is an annual mission emphasis for Women's Network of The Methodist Church. This order of service is crafted each year for churches to use, and the offering is taken for the Fund for World Mission.  Included within this service is a beautifully and faithfully written meditation.  I can take no credit, but I am compelled to share. 

HE WILL WALK

He will walk
A little in front of us
Towards Jerusalem

He will not be scared
Though we are apprehensive

If we try to discourage him,
He will recognise the devil in our voice,
And he will tell us as much
In no uncertain terms

Then he will go on again,
In faith,
Towards Jerusalem.

He will walk
A little in front of us
Into controversy.

He will not be scared,
Though we are apprehensive.

He will argue with the intelligent,
Stop in their tracks the self-assured,
Touch the scabby,
Upset bank balances
By his outlandish behaviour in the sanctuary,
And weep in public.

Then he will go on again,
In faith,
Towards Jerusalem.

He will walk
A little in front of us
Into Gethsemane.

He will not be scared,
Though we are apprehensive.

He will sweat blood
And ask God if there is another way,
And when God says no,
He will take the traitor’s kiss,
The soldier’s spit
The bile and venom from the princes of religion.

Then he will go on again,
In faith,
Towards the cross.

He will walk
A little in front of us
Towards Calvary.

He will not be scared,
No,
He will not be scared.

He will feel the pain
Of wood and nails;
But more than this
He will feel the weight
of all the evil,
all the malice,
all the pettiness,
all the sin of the world
heaped upon his shoulders.
He will not throw off that weight
Though he could.

He will not give back evil for evil,
Return malice for malice,
Take revenge on the petty minded,
Or spew out hate
On all who have despised or rejected him.

He will not give back the sin of the world,
He will take it away…
Into death, into hell,
So that he can lead us into heaven.

Then he will go on again,
In faith,
Towards resurrection.

He will walk
A little behind us
Through the graveyard.

He will wait
Until we realize that he has died
And admit our complicity in his life’s ending.

Then he will come up behind us,
And say our name,
So that we can say his,
For ever.

(The Easter Offering service was prepared by Sandra Lewer, past President of Women’s Network, with the help of the Connexional Team’s Communication Office.)

A Village Procession

I exited the front doors of St. Mary's Church with the cross firmly in tow.  I followed the path through the church yard, entering Swan Street with my plain, black robe billowing in the misty breeze.

I traveled along the pavement (the sidewalk) in Kingsclere

past the hair salon

          past the gallery

                   past the cafe

                            past the grocery store

                                    past the butcher

                                            past the chemist

                                                     past the pub

until I reached St. Peter and St. Paul Church.

I entered the front doors and leaned the cross at the front.  This cross-bearing was profoundly strange and wonderful.  This was my own early start to Good Friday.

Then, our collective worship began, and we ushered in the truth and the darkness of the cross.  We prayed together.  We sang together.  We followed the cross together along the pavement on Swan Street

                                                       past the pub

                                             past the chemist

                                    past the butcher

                           past the grocery store

                  past the cafe

          past the gallery

past the hair salon

until we reached St. Mary's Church yard.

"It is finished."

One by one the Good Friday crowd placed red carnations at the foot of the same cross that had quietly and prominently led our procession.  The bed of red carnations organically (and unexpectedly) formed into the shape of a prickly crown of thorns beneath the cross.  There was no turning back.  We were living into the memory of our crucified Lord.

It was finished...

but it was not the end.

The red carnation crown of thorns formed by the hands of humanity was transformed into a never-ending ring of snowy white, resurrection lilies, bearing witness to our God of life and our risen Lord.

In the end, it wasn't just a Good Friday procession of life-draining finality.  It was a procession aiming in the direction of life-giving grace and salvation for an Easter people.  That is where our walk along Swan Street would ultimately take us--to the empty tomb, to the resurrection, to hope, to life!

Christ is risen!

Christ is risen indeed!  Alleluia!

A Toe-Tapping Palm Sunday

It wasn't until this past Sunday that I realized I had not really planned or been involved in a more traditional observance of Palm Sunday in five years. You know...the donkey, the road, the Hosannas, the waving palms, and the little children.  In fact, last year I missed out all together because my Palm Sunday involved high fever, aching body, and full blown influenza.

In recent years (other than the last), I have been privileged to share in the Cashiers UMC choir presentation on Palm Sunday.  And what a faithful presentation they offer thanks to Tom Adams (director of music) and Bryan Heller (pianist) and many wonderful choir singers and musicians.  (Although no longer present in Cashiers, I was still able to read online about the powerful message that was offered by the choir once again.)

With this said, my new location this year afforded me the opportunity to share in Palm Sunday with all of its traditional elements as well as some new experiences too.  Thatcham Methodist Church joined with St. Barnabas Church (Anglican) for the morning.  Many of us gathered half an hour early to prepare for our Palm Sunday processional between the two churches.  I had never before processed outdoors on Palm Sunday.  A cross led the way.  We followed along the roads of Thatcham, bearing witness through action of our allegiance to Jesus the King.

Our ecumenical worship enhanced the celebratory and joyful spirit of Palm Sunday, and we altogether were blessed, especially with the parade of children.  In they came, waving their paper towel roll/shredded newspaper palm branches, and they were proclaiming, "Hosanna!  Jesus is coming!  Hosanna!  Jesus is coming!"

As a pastor, it was a joy to see and experience such an uplifting and contagious act of worship.  As a mother, it was simply beautiful to watch my daughter with her palm branch in hand, proclaiming the announcement, "Hosanna!  Jesus is coming," while grinning from ear to ear.  And how wonderful that those very words, "Hosanna!  Jesus is coming," have been echoing in our home and in our cars and in our lives ever since she marched alongside her Sunday school friends on Palm Sunday morning!

Thankfully, my Palm Sunday did not end there.  I finished out the day with an evening service for the older adults and community friends at the local sheltered housing facility in Kingsclere.  With service sheet in one hand and the paper towel roll/shredded newspaper palm branch in the other, I entered for another Palm Sunday celebration.  We opened with our own "Hosannas!" We reflected upon Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem.  And we sang lots and lots of hymns, which are chosen by this residential community for the services.

As meaningful as it was for me to be leading the Palm Sunday worship service that evening, the highlight came while we were singing our closing hymn, Onward, Christian Soldiers.  If I must be truthful, this probably would not have been one of my song picks for Palm Sunday had I been doing the choosing, but there is no doubt that this hymn, its sound, and its rhythm strike a particular cord and resonate well with this faithful generation of Christians.

"Onward, Christian soldiers, marching as to war, with the cross of Jesus going on before," we proclaimed in song.  And then I noticed it:  the rhythmic toe-tapping.  Almost everyone had at least one foot moving to the marching beat.  Although a moment shared only with myself in my own thoughts, it too was an uplifting and contagious Palm Sunday act of worship.  We marched together, as if on the road!  We marched together, as followers of Jesus the King!  And you can imagine that I marched my way right out of Rose Hodson Court with thanksgiving for this wonderful, toe-tapping Palm Sunday!

Scenic Journey

Once again, I have been away from this "riverbank" of reflection too long, allowing too many weeks to pass in rather a blur.  Thanks to springtime I have regained an awareness and sensitivity to daily life that can so often be suppressed.

We have spent more time outside in March and April (so far) since they have brought dry and sunny instead wet and cloudy.  We have taken advantage of the well-planned walking paths, the warmth, and the long days.  And, oh, what we have seen along the way!

Lots and lots of daffodils!

Hippopotami at Marwell Zoo!

Pristine gardens at Hampton Court Palace!

Sunny afternoons at the pub!

And adorable little lambs!

Yes!  Oh, what we have seen along the way!  How could I not be sensitive and aware of this scenery, especially when accompanied by a very willing and curious  3 year old who LOVES to walk anywhere at anytime?  It has been warm and exciting and bright and wonderful and engaging and freeing and experiential and fun!  And I anticipate so much more beauty along this ongoing, scenic journey!

New Experience

I am not quite sure how two weeks have already passed since Ash Wednesday. This means that we are two weeks into Lent...and two weeks closer to Easter! It has been a busy two weeks.

We hosted additional guests from the US, as they arrived on Ash Wednesday!

We celebrated the birthday of our very happy 3 year daughter!

And I spoke for the Women's World Day of Prayer gathering in the Thatcham community!

I happily accepted the invitation for this a couple of months ago. It was something that I had not experienced previously. I was not familiar with this event and had never participated in its annual day, and I am very pleased to have had the new experience!

The 2009 worship liturgy for the Women's World Day of Prayer was crafted by women of Papua New Guinea and was shared by people throughout the world. From Tonga at the start to the far stretches of Alaska at the close, people joined in the spirit of worship to connect the global body of Christ. We allowed Romans 12 to guide our thoughts through the theme of unity: "In Christ There Are Many Members Yet One Body." I was excited to participate!

As women, men, and children joined together on this evening, we benefited from the global nature of this Day by learning about our sisters and brothers in Papua New Guinea. We oriented ourselves to the location of this island. We viewed photos of its tropical and mountainous terrain. We were exposed to the practices particularly of women in daily life. We expanded our lives in faith amidst the far-reaching yet meaningful encounter with Christians on the other side of the globe.

And we did all of this by gathering and worshipping!! What a wonderful celebration!

In closing, I will share the prayers of thanksgiving from the worship service--only one example of the faithful expressions offered in the liturgy.

We thank you Lord for the unity and wholeness of the human body. We especially thank you for all our senses whereby we come to know the world and one another. Our hearts are full of gratitude for the gift of life.

We give thanks for the gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.

We thank you Lord for the gift of Jesus, the Christ, who lived among us, who suffered and died and who rose again that we would have life more abundantly. We are grateful for the empowering message of the Gospel that we are to love one another. May the unity that we have in Christ be experienced in every aspect of our lives, our families, our clans, our tribes and communities, our countries and the world.

We give thanks for a genuine Christlike love.

We thank you Lord for directing our lives. We are grateful for those who hold fast to what is good: those who advocate justice for the least, the oppressed and the marginalised in our society; those who speak truth to the powerful; those who share generously; those who are compassionate to all. By the power of your Spirit enable us to make necessary changes in our lives with hope, now and forever.

We give thanks for the gifts that differ according to the grace given to us.

We thank you Lord for those who lead with diligence, mindful of the good of all and not of their own special interests. We thank you for giving us opportunities to use our leadership qualities. We remember our leaders--the able and dedicated men and women in the government, in the private sector and in non-governmental organisations. Lord, we thank you also for changing the hearts of men to recognise and value the leadership of women in Papua New Guinea.

We give you thanks for a genuine Christlike love.

Amen!

And thank you to our faithful friends in Papua New Guinea!

Ash Wednesday

I appreciate Ash Wednesday.  Not only do I find the liturgical practices on this day very meaningful but I remember it because it was the day in 2006 when our lives were forever profoundly changed.  My daughter was an Ash Wednesday baby.  Although it is a different day each year and doesn't necessarily coincide with her birthday, I have yet to experience Ash Wednesday in the same way as before.

I think about how this holy day calls Christians to penitential practice and to a discipline of active searching.  These practices and disciplines call us to something greater for God.  They shape and re-create and transform us into Easter people--into people who seek life in the midst of a world that would like to try otherwise.  There is certainly something amazing about being called to something greater for God, as we journey from Ash Wednesday into Easter.  And in 2006, Timothy and I certainly claimed life and began new practices and disciplines.

I shared a reflection with the churches recently about what it might mean for our lives of faith, especially during Lent, if we avail ourselves of practices and disciplines and just plain ministry.  So, as I give thanks for Ash Wednesday (and for my beautiful, little gift of life), I will share my reflections and hope that Lent will be a time of growth and life for those who are open to God's working among us.

I journeyed along the M4 carefully following the directions from the sat nav. I really do know the way to Gatwick Airport, but I still use the navigational crutch. I made all the correct moves along the way, and once I was about 4.5 miles and 10 minutes away from the airport, the traffic stopped. All three lanes were at a standstill—bumper to bumper to bumper. The waiting persisted to such an extent that people began to walk along the motorway, rolling their luggage behind them. No doubt there were flights that could not be missed.

After about 50 minutes of sitting without any advancing whatsoever, I had convinced myself that my parents would have been waiting so long that they were already slowly sipping a cup of coffee in my absence. I hated the idea of not being there when they crossed the international arrival threshold. But, there was nothing I could do until the driving resumed. And finally it did.

I moved safely but swiftly through the now moving auto traffic and parked in the first space I could find. I raced into the airport and moved in what seemed like slow motion through the people traffic, searching intently without success for two familiar faces. I was rather relieved at that point and began to regain my hope of greeting my parents just as I had in mind. I settled into a spot, and while slightly winded, I began to wait (again). It was then that I heard a public announcement over the speaker system.

“A service of Holy Communion will begin in the airport chapel at 10:30.”

Amidst the controlled breaths and the continued waiting, I thought to myself, “Did I just hear an announcement about Holy Communion? Yes, I most certainly did.” Then, I began to wonder. Who will be presiding at that service? And more interestingly, will anyone actually attend that service (either a traveler or an airport employee)? At that moment, I was most curious as to whether or not people would go to a worship service at the airport. I guess that they wouldn’t provide one if people didn’t go, but I still wondered. Where is the chapel? Would it be easy to locate? And ultimately, will anyone go to the trouble to find out?

Being that an airport is a place of rushing, running, ranting, and roaming (and I speak from experience at least with the former two), it seems that a person would really have to be intentional about attending a service of Holy Communion in between the comings and the goings—the departures and the arrivals—the hurrying and the waiting. It seems that a person would diligently have to make the worship service fit into their travel plans or into their workday. It seems that person would have to consider Holy Communion an important enough priority to slow down long enough to attend especially in a place that seems more like the antithesis of slow down.

In these brief couple of moments, my wondering not only helped to pass the time until I greeted those two familiar faces, but also it gave me rich food for further thought. I would go so far as to say that probably in our everyday lives we very well relate to the aforementioned rushing, running, ranting, and roaming; yet, more often than not, these things are probably not happening with us inside an airport. Maybe, then, the question of whether or not someone will attend a Holy Communion service in Gatwick Airport isn’t too far off from questions that arise in our own journeys of faith. Maybe our own experiences and the choices that we make lend themselves to the same demands for intentionality, diligence, and priority.

I think that in some way this provides food for thought that is a catalyst for our own self-reflection in the season of Lent. Are we intentional and diligent in our practices of faith? How do we choose what does or does not fit into our busy days? Do we make the things of our Christian journey priorities in the everyday? If not, what is hindering us, holding us back, or keeping us away? These are questions that may very well challenge us in the season of Lent to recognize our need for God and in turn cause us to reclaim the practices of faith that help us to find God at all in our lives. Through intentionality, diligence, and priority, we might just realize that we are actually moving closer to God and experiencing God’s love and grace in more profound ways.

What are you doing or not doing that works well? What are the aspects of everyday life that make involvement in faithful practices easier or more difficult? Are you able to identify intentionality, diligence, and priority amidst life with God? Such questions are at the heart of our calling as disciples and may very well help us to take care in the choices we make so that we are able to grow through faithful practice. Ultimately, we must avail ourselves of opportunities. So as we journey with Jesus along the way in Lent and prepare ourselves for Easter, take time to reflect upon your faith, to think about your choices, and to consider the practices that help you to keep God at the center of the everyday despite the rushing, running, ranting, and roaming. Peace be with you!

[If you happen to be curious, I have since learned the following on the Gatwick Airport website: “The South Terminal chapel is on the Gatwick Village level near Caffè Nero (before security), and is open to people of all faiths for private prayer and meditation. Christian services are held regularly on Sundays and weekdays by the Anglican, Roman Catholic and Free Church chaplains. Services usually last 25 minutes, and details of forthcoming services are posted on the noticeboard outside the chapel. There is also a chapel in the North Terminal, next to international arrivals (before security).”]