Our weekly study group has been looking at the meaning of the Eucharist, in particular at the Last Supper, its spiritual and biblical roots in the Jewish Passover in the Book of Genesis.
As we delved into these links, we read the details in St. Luke’s Gospel, Chapter 22 and about the preparations Jesus had made for the Passover meal. We are told that Jesus sent Peter and John to get the meal ready. In answer to their question as to where they might eat it, Jesus told them : When you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you’ follow him into the house he enters” and there they were to meet the master of the house who would show them where the meal was to happen. In our discussion we needed the signal Jesus had given them ~ a man with a water jar. We never hear of him again but as he was at the right place at the right time we can assume that he was known to Jesus and an arrangement had been made both with him and with the master of the house. Without giving much thought to it we have been in the company of two others with a role in the Gospel story and clearly, friends of Jesus. We thought of how often this happens in the New Testament; people are encountered who simply appear and disappear, given but a sentence or two, yet were signs of a Gospel friendship that was extended to so many. As we discussed; Pete, one of our group took the moment further and later he sent me the following poem.
Did you know?
Did you know, O man with the jug, when you lifted water to your shoulder, that heaven was in your step, and the Teacher’s eyes were upon you? Did you sense the whisper of eternity in the clay’s cool weight? Did you feel the river of life passing through your humble task?
Did you know, O master of the house, that your upper room would cradle God? That bread would be broken, wine poured as covenant and blood? Did your heart stir as they entered, those weary men, so calm yet trembling, while the Lord of all took the servant’s towel?
Did you know, O silent room, how still the air would grow, how words eternal would hang like oil lamps in your wooden beams? “This is my body… this is my blood.” Did the walls remember the sound? Did they shiver again when the Spirit came like wind?
Three mysteries in one night: a man with a jug, a host with a home, a room with an open door. None named, none praised, yet through them the world was readied for grace poured out like water, for bread shared among friends, for love that would not die.
O Lord, teach us to be like them: to carry what is needed, to open what we have, to hold what is holy, and to let it all be Yours. Amen
St Aidan of Lindisfarne, whom the church remembers today, modelled humility. He was active in Northumbria in the 7th Century. Aidan was of Irish descent and was a monk at the monastery on Iona. Oswald, who became king of Northumbria in 634, wanted to bring Christianity to his people and the Venerable Bede tells us that he contacted the monastic community on Iona and they sent a bishop called Corman to bring the good news to Oswald’s people. But Corman didn’t go down well – he was haughty and harsh, and thought the Northumbrians were too stubborn and stupid to be converted. On his return to Iona, Aidan criticized the way that he had gone about things: “Shouldn’t you have been a little gentler and more patient brother?” Aidan is reported to have asked and, before he knew it, he was being sent off to have a go himself.
So what was it that differed in Aidan’s approach? Well, first, he was aware that if he was going to bring a lasting Christian faith to this part of the country he was going to have to have a long-term strategy. So his first move was to set up his little monastery on the island of Lindisfarne and in it a school that took in local Northumbrian boys. In doing so, he was valuing the people of Northumbria rather than assuming that they were stupid and stubborn. He was noticing, valuing and nurturing their potential, because they were to be the very foundation of this local church.
His next move was to begin to learn the language of the local people so that he could go out into the lanes and farms talking to people and telling them the Gospel stories in a language they could understand. You have to remember that Aidan would have spoken Old Irish and the Northumbrians Old English – two languages that had no linguistic ties – so this was no mean feat. Thankfully, King Oswald came to his rescue being bilingual. If you think about it, that’s the exact opposite of a colonial approach, where you take your own culture and impose it on another society and culture – again, Aidan saw the value in what was there and approached the task with humility.
In those times, people were in the habit of carrying knives – and not just to cut their meat up – allegiances were fiercely local; foreigners and outsiders generally mistrusted and Aidan, of course, was one such outsider. Yet Aidan and his followers refused to tuck a knife in their belt – a risky strategy, but a courageous one, for it showed that they were essentially defenceless and meant that they were reliant on people to help them – trusting them to do so. And, of course, we see the parallels between that and the gospel account of Jesus sending the disciples out in pairs. Whereas Corman, Aidan’s predecessor had ridden around the farms and villages of the area on horseback, gathering people together, preaching to them and then aiming at mass conversions, Aidan’s methods were far more humble: he literally walked thousands of miles, tramping the lanes and pathways, and getting into conversation with those he met. His was a patient approach: aiming to kindle a curiosity in his listeners so that in time they were drawn into the way of Christ and would ask to be baptised. His methods did not hinge on mass conversions which had little to back them up, but rather on personal, long-lasting relationships that led to a real desire to learn more about Christ. He was not talking down to people from the back of a horse, rather, he was encountering them face-to-face – eye-to-eye – on a level: treating them as equals – all valued, beloved and precious to God.
Needless to say, Aidan’s approach found far greater success than Corman’s and Christianity took hold and became deeply rooted in the North East of England. His humility and the way that he approached and valued people was effective in spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ.
[Extract from a sermon by Piers Northam, preached on St. Aidan’s Day, Sunday 31st August 2025]
“Mr G’s ponderings are the thoughts, day-dreams, perceptions and opinions of my owner, Geoffrey. (Though as all cat-lovers know, ownership of a cat is a disputable claim…) Mr G was, until retirement, involved in Christian ministry in the Anglican church which may colour his ponderings and lead others to switch off immediately, but he hopes that this blog will be wide-ranging; addressing the human condition and that of all creation. Hopefully it will give expression to joy, fun, humour, stimulation, sadness, uncertainty and struggle as well as being a place where friends will offer their contributions too – there is no monopoly on experiencing and reflecting on life’s journey which some of us think of as a pilgrimage.
These are big words and aspirations for a little cat, but you know, cats have hidden depths and perceptions… Pagli xx “
Pagli, wrote that Five years ago this month at the height of the Covid Pandemic. This blog began as a way of reaching out to people full of fear, anxiety and experiencing lockdown. For many it was a time of loneliness; for others, bereavement. There was a pausing in our everyday dealings with each other. We kept our distance and we prayed hard for those working in the NHS and care homes, as well as other key members of society who tried to make our lives easier. Many of these were unsung heroes like refuse collectors, funeral directors, neighbours who made sure elderly people were cared for and received shopping.
Much has changed in society and in the world since those days but we have new Pandemics to try and cope with ~ climate change, the health of our planet and all who live on it, including the animal kingdom, birds, fish and the care of Nature. A bigger Pandemic is the state of humanity. Wars and destruction of people, countries, and those who have no one to speak up for them. A lust for political power is leading to violence, hatred, uncaring and unloving behaviour, for example. There are homeless and poor people throughout the world. Add to that the great plight of those forced to leave homes and countries because of despotic regimes. Not since the Second World War has there been such a displacement of people. Humanity has always been nomadic but often through choice. That is not the case today for millions. People who lived normal lives with homes, jobs, security now wander from place to place with nothing but pain and fear. Worse, when they risk their lives travelling to seemingly safer places many are treated as scroungers, unwanted and very unloved. Indeed, they are hated, mistreated, and labelled with expletives which shame humanity and all of us, because when some are denied rights to live, to be, to be cared for ~ we are all guilty.
In St Matthew’s Gospel, Chapter 25, verses 31 to 46, Jesus puts it as only God can! You don’t feed me, you give me no drink, you show me no care or kindness, you ill-treat people, you speak harshly, unthinkingly, and you demonstrate a failure of Spirit and, God says that because of this you will be judged. It was St. John of the Cross who said, at the end of life, we will be judged on how much we have loved.
Christians and all religious faiths live within the Universal Love of God. All believers in God, however that is manifested, have a duty (and a joy) to share all that is good in the world with each other and with all the creatures of Nature. We don’t own the planet nor anything on it. We are stewards, tenants and carers of all that God has given to us for what is but a short time for each of us. Mr. Ramsey said in Virginia Woolf’s novel To the Lighthouse, when he mused on how we might be spoken of after our death, that he thought that our fame would not last so long. ‘if you look from a mountain top down the long wastes of the ages, the very stone one kicks with one’s boot will outlast Shakespeare.’
Yet the gift of Life, equal for all, when it is lived kindly, caringly, lovingly and prayerful, can make a huge difference to all life on earth ~ The only difference, under God’s loving care, that actually will.
Mr G, assisted by Pagli. Xx
We look forward to continue sharing our Ponderings via this Blog. Mr G has remained faithful to the intentions I set him though he has been helped in that respect by regular contributors. His friend dear Joyce Smith who sadly died, gave lots of incites through her photos and her quotes. Dear Gill Henwood continues to enhance our pages with marvellous photos and ponderings; My friend Piers Northam’s poetic skills and reflections are much valued. My lovely friend Lynn Hurry has given us wonderful photos of Nature and animals (not least the little foxes!) and also by feeding us with her spiritual and factual ponderings about God’s amazing Creation, My artist friend, Kay Gibbons has shared her profound artistic talent with us. Many others have helped to enrich this Blog. Thanks to all who have contributed. Thanks also to so many of you who have supported us with your interest, comments and just sharing this Blog as friends – from all over the world. If you wish to comment on anything, you can reach us by email on geoffrey_connor@ priest.com Thanks to WordPress for making the blog possible. Finally, a special thanks to all whom we follow. There are such wonderful Blogs out there and it’s a delight to share your ponderings. Pagli–Ji xx
As Dag Hammerskjold (former General Secretary of the United Nations once prayed: For all that has been, Thanks. For all that will be, Yes!
A refugee standing in front of the Bell Hotel in Epping. Photo courtesy of The Guardian. newspaper
‘Every human being deserves dignity’: asylum seeker in Essex hotel calls for understanding
We are all rightly concerned about the situation in Gaza at the moment, not least because of the famine amongst the Palestinian people. This is something which has brought many nations and peoples to cry out against what some are calling acts of genocide. Many voices are now speaking out about the plight of the Palestinians and action is in process. However, huge though this situation is, it is part of something far greater which is affecting not only those in the troubled areas of the world – Ukraine, Sudan, Congo and the whole of Europe and North Africa – but all of us. What is of the deepest concern is the state and plight of humanity as a whole. At present in the United Kingdom, we have a huge example of this.
For whatever reason, we in Britain have become a destination for many of the refugees who, over the past few years have been forced out of their homelands by despotic and cruel Governments or those factions in countries who seek power over others.
In Britain we hear much of those who desperately try to cross The English Channel (or Manche, if you are European)to what they perceive as freedom and safety. They have been forced out of places such as Syria, Yemen, North and mid-Africa, The Ukraine, and the far-east. None of them want to leave their homelands but they have no choice. Many are educated and skilled people; all are seeking welcome, generosity, kindness, understanding, hope and love. From most people in the United Kingdom they get a lot of that but there are also cruel, selfish and deeply hurtful people who are making some refugees’ lives a living hell. This is being experienced here in Essex right now, though most of those who are creating the most difficulty are not from Epping or even Essex.
The situation has rightly frightened and threatened the Refugees themselves and one of them, who has been named Nabil to protect him, has written a letter to The Guardian Newspaper. On Monday 28th July, Ben Quinn published this letter and urges us to share it widely. From the hotel where Nabil currently lives targeted by protesters, he urges people not to resort to harmful stereotypes. In the letter sent to the Guardian, Nabil said he had previously been attacked while out walking, and he called to be treated with “understanding and fairness” and for people not to resort to harmful stereotypes. Nabil’s name has been changed. Here is the letter, which was written in Arabic and translated by the author using Google Translate, in full:
Warm greetings,
I am writing to you from a deeply human perspective, hoping to share a point of view that is often overlooked in public discourse and media coverage about refugees. We, as refugees, are frequently labeled with harmful stereotypes – that we came only for benefits, that we live off taxpayers, or that we are uneducated or disrespectful. These assumptions hurt us, hinder our integration, and most importantly, do not reflect the truth. I want to be honest: yes, there are some refugees who do not behave respectfully or who do not follow the rules of the host society. But those individuals do not represent all of us. As with any group of people, there are both good and bad – and it is unfair to judge the majority by the actions of a few.
I did not come here seeking wealth or running from poverty. In fact, I had a stable life back in my country, Yemen. I had a job, a house, a car, and everything I needed to live with dignity. What forced me to leave was not economic hardship, but persecution and fear for my safety and the safety of my family. We refugees are not here to take advantage of the system. We are here to rebuild our lives, to work, and to contribute. We will pay taxes like anyone else, not to “drain the system”, but because we believe that mutual respect and responsibility are the foundation of any strong and united society.
This letter is not a plea for sympathy, but a call for understanding and fairness. I believe the media plays a vital role in breaking down stereotypes and presenting the truth. I hope you can be a voice for fairness and show the world that every refugee has a story – and every human being deserves dignity.
With sincere appreciation, Nabil From Yemen
[Published by Ben Quinn, Journalist, The Guardian Newspaper with comment by Mr G]
Mr G's Ponderings 