abbotsford.org.uk

When a light...

...is more than just a light.

I'm involved in a climate change conference on Saturday. The Church of Scotland has asked every congregation to reduce their carbon footprint by 5% year on year. This is a good thing and we've smashed ours over the last couple of years in many ways, investing quite a bit in the building to bring down our energy use and to be responsible with the energy we do make.

Sometimes we imagine the whole thing is just too big to tackle. How can you imagine reducing our carbon footprint by 80% (which is just about necessary to maintain things)? The truth is you can't imagine it. It's a massive hill to climb. But to do the 5% each year makes the 80% more manageable. But you can only change your light bulbs once. You can only insulate your roof space once. You can only fit an optimiser once.

My question is (and this could be fun too!), what others imaginative or dull ways have congregations attempted to reduce their carbon footprint? I have this idea which I'll tell you about later, on how to make 5% manageable over a course of time, but what would be good would be for all you imaginative, creative, planet-hugging huggers, to suggest other ways to get to that 5%: what have you heard done or seen done or done yourself that has lowered that imprint?

Points will be awarded and a tree will be planted for the best suggestions. Honestly, it will.

Not all there is

This is a contemporary reading that is far from finished. It is very rough and needs your help to make it coherent. I know what I want to say but not sure how clearly it is being said. The idea is to have a series of symbols painted on boxes hidden within each other like Russian Dolls. After each person speaks they reveal the next symbol by removing a box at a time to finally reveal a real cup of wine and plate of bread. They should remain gathered round the symbols and the last person breaks bread and  shares it with them.

As John's gospel is full of deeper levels of meaning, this attempts to get behind the signs towards the meaning. But if it takes that amount of explanation to explain it, them perhaps it doesn't!

Bread and fish,
that’s all.
Well, of course it is more than that:
on the surface, a picnic,
but beneath, a revelation,
revealing who Jesus is:
the one who takes a little good
and spins a kingdom from it.
Exposed:
Enough compassion even in one morsel for everyone.

Water walking:
a night-time adventure,
but of course it was more than that.
On the surface, a tall tale,
but beneath, a revelation,
revealing who Jesus is:
the one who calls disciples out the boat.
Disclosed:
Faith enough to hold us afloat with eyes fixed on Jesus.

The Cana wedding:
stone jars brim full of wine,
but of course it is more than that.
On the surface a potential disaster averted
by the quick thinking mother of Jesus,
but beneath, a revelation,
revealing who Jesus is:
the one with abundant generosity.
Unveiled:
The excessive grace of the coming realm.

The overflowing nets,
full of every fish in the sea,
but of course it is more than that.
On the surface a good nights fishing,
but beneath, a revelation,
revealing who Jesus is:
the one whose church is big enough
to welcome all of creation.
Revealed:
A church faithful enough to be open to all.

The grain and grape,
a final supper together,
but of course, it is more than that.
On the surface a Passover meal,
but beneath, a revelation,
revealing who Jesus is,
the means of grace,
not a picture,
but a living covenant,
revealed,
in us.

This will appear n this months Mucky Paws. If you would like to subscribe free to various lectionary based pieces of liturgy and creative moments then just email

Snow is gone, and so have the birds

All our snow has disappeared, not that it was ever really bad. But what there was has turned into grass once more. But I need to put some stuff out for birds. I've heard that so many times this week on the radio - feed the birds and some water too.

But what of the Magpies. Don't like magpies. They get rid of every other bird in the garden and everything you put out for them. Are they actually protected? How can you move them on? I'm sure CCTV doesn't work on them. But it would be great to find a way to let the other birds we used to have back into the garden and get rid of the bullies.

Anyone else noticing how quiet the bird population is? So I'm putting bread and seeds out for the birds (it's to snow again later today) and keeping a watch on the magpies. Can you throw something at them, stick your tongue out, call them names behind their back, or is there something else that scares them away? Did I tell you I don't like them?

If only you could do that with some of the worlds more infamous leaders...

Chocolate Teapots (January 17th 2010)

John 2:1-11

We can probably use much of what we used last week, this week. Nik on this blog last weeks recalled Marianne Williamson's words that Mandela used the day he was freed:
"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure..."

The question I have about this passage is two fold - how did Jesus mother know he could solve the problem of the empty wine jars? Had he been filling hers when they ran dray as he grew up, or providing bread when the loaf was finished. Or is it just a device in order to tell let us find out who Jesus was? It would help with the food bills however.

Less flippantly, why hide those special gifts? It's what Marianne Williamson says about being scared of who we really are. Jesus, shy. Jesus, human. Are we scared of being people of justice, people of creation, people of peace? Essentially those are the folk we are as God's People. And is it better to let people starve or go without the fullness of life, rather than expose ourselves as peace-lovers or bread-breakers ie end up being responsible with the gifts and vision and calling we have been given?

Perhaps that is the question that will tag us all the way through Epiphany, realizing not just who Jesus is, but because of who Jesus is, who we are. 

Now be clever and chose a hymn that will go along with that, or a symbol or image or other music. Or indeed a way of leading the reading that helps us engage more. A-ha didn't make it into the service last week, but o so nearly did.

Epiphany: Christmas in reverse

A few gathering words for Sunday: 

At the Jordan
when the Baptist meets the Saviour
all the prophecies seems to go in reverse:

once the water has poured,
the long awaited Mighty God
becomes befriender of enemies and the unclean;
the eagerly expected Messiah
becomes a bread-breaker with the hungry and despised;
the great Prince of Peace
turns the other cheek and walks towards the cross.

Once the water has poured
we see what kind of human
this God will be.

Update

Given the Bible is fairly old, quite often you come across passages that are written from a completely different worldview. There's stuff about violence and God taking sides, there's stuff about homosexuality and stuff about racism and women keeping silent in church, O and a talking donkey etc, etc, etc.

Given we're not too long into the new year, it may be an interesting exercise to ponder what parts of the Bible we'd update. Please don't get the impression this will actually happen, but it's just an interesting exercise to confess the bits we don't like or actually believe.

Among other things I'd update all the gender stuff. It's too concrete to take words literally that refer to societal ideas. How we recognise God in each other changes as we understand ourselves better and are less scared of who we are. Strikes me we go into lock-down when we are frightened of our potential and abilities and if the Bible was written today it would, hopefully, be a lot more compassionate and graceful. 

Discussion...

Chocolate Teapots (January 10th 2010)

Luke 3:15-17, 21-22

It's the Aha season: discovery time. Out come the theological magnifying glasses so that we may discover good stuff about who Jesus is. That's the idea, anyway. Often we just reaffirm what we already think we know.

Something happens in Luke. We have this great build up, genealogies, birth narratives, magnificats and the like. Fabulous, fabulous stuff. But here we have John giving it lauldy about this person coming after him: fire and water and great big blue-sky thinking about Jesus. Then, then, tucked in at the end, almost: 'O by the way, Jesus was Baptised.'

To me this is where all the dreams and prophecy and longing turn into flesh and the incarnation hits the road. From now on the whole thing is a lot more fleshy. Stuff happens that puts the Marks & Spencer into all those dreamy ideas of Jesus: you know those times when you have a great idea of what you want to buy, but the the M & S version is the easy iron, non-crease, multiple wash, hard wearing garment you really know you need that copes better with the practicalities of your life.

This is the Jesus we know we need: down to earth, practical, getting in there with everyone else, and handles well what life is really like. Don't stop dreaming but the 'Aha!'s take on a less awe-inspiring tone and a more reflective 'Ah is that how it is to be done'.

So, on the back of that: hymns for Sunday - suggestions? Or a symbol or way of engaging the reading that has us a bit more interested and some incidental music. Any suggestions here really do make a difference in creating the worship so please do suggest anything and everything.

A wee (Dr Who) blessing

In the light of Dr Who's regeneration, but more importantly  for Sunday, a wee blessing.

It is not a new world, but everything has been renewed
It is not a new word, but it is spoken again as if for the first time
It is not a new way, but there is a new hope that sets us alive

Go now into all that has been renewed
with grace before us
love beside us
and dreams within us