God's Kingdom – Mr G's Ponderings

Christ the King window, St Eadmer’s Church, Admarsh-in Bleasdale, Forest of Bowland, North Lancashire.
The dedication to Eadmer is thought to be unique in the United Kingdom and possibly the world. Eadmer is
probably the name of a monk who, during a Vigil called to determine where Saint Cuthbert’s body should be laid
finally to rest, received a vision from God that his Shrine Church should be built at what is now Durham.
Those who established the Church at Bleasdale where a family who came from Hexham which at the time
was in the Diocese of Durham.
The window is a Triptych with Christ in glory taking up the centre panel (above).
The window was made by Abbot & Company of Lancaster in memory of Isabella Bullock and was installed on 5th November 1925, 100 years ago. (Photo: Robert Gardener, former churchwarden)

Christ our King in Glory reigning.

This week, the Christian Church celebrates the Feast of Christ the King, the last week of the Church Year, which begins again on Advent Sunday.

The title, Christ the King in glory reigning is a theme found in a number of hymns. Specifically it is the title of a hymn by Canon Patrick Appleford to which was given the tune Sunderland, written by Father Geoffrey Beaumont CR. Both were members of the Twentieth Century Music Group which sought to give the church new hymns in contemporary style with new words and tunes.
The hymn Christ our King in glory reigning is rarely sung now but its title celebrates the universal sovereignty of Jesus Christ combined with a longing for God to reign over the world He has created, as a Kingdom filled with Justice, Love and Peace.

This is a Kingdom which contrasts deeply with how much of the world regards kingship. It is a rule of self-giving love rather than one of domination or control. It is a rule of gentleness. It is also a reminder to us that God rules in glory. That glory is expressed in worship not just on earth but especially in heaven. This state of living close to God in His nearer presence is experienced together with all who have entered fully God’s Kingdom and who form a great myriad of beings which include Angels and Archangels, Saints and Holy Ones; all who form what the Eucharist calls the whole company of Heaven and of which we are part.
We are citizens of a Kingdom which calls us to live by the values shown to us by Jesus. These values are not as many in our world understands them. The foundations of God’s Kingdom are holiness, justice, freedom, peace and love. To be citizens of such a kingdom means to have far more radical and differing values than those often found in the world around us.

To establish this Kingdom was costly and totally self-giving. The poet, T S Eliot, has a phrase, Costing not less than everything and that is precisely what it cost Jesus to bring God’s new Kingdom into being. It needed love and sacrifice because God was releasing a new, powerful force into the world. The Kingdom that Jesus inaugurated from the Cross is not a Kingdom as this world understands it. God’s Kingdom is very different.
In the face of hatred it brings love; gentleness replaces might; peace instead of strife; mercy instead of retribution; justice rooted in fairness; liberty and freedom in the place of oppression and intolerance; self-giving replacing self-centredness; service to others rooted in humility replacing pride; forgiveness removing blame and generosity overcoming greed.

All this and much more come at a cost but it is one that God chooses to pay in the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. There is the throne of God from which he reigns over our hearts and lives. From that very cross He claims us as His own and he asks us to claim each other in love and acceptance and generosity, valuing each other as God values each one of us.

We often speak of Service to God and to each other as hallmarks of the Kingdom. This service is initially one of the heart before it is of the hand. We are called to carry within us the signs of the Kingdom as companions of our High King. We are called to share those signs , the values we follow, and in the words of St Mother Teresa of Kolkata, to share the simple, little things we learn from our King, but with a great deal of love.

I have often been encouraged by a little prayer I came across, written by a new Christian who had just come to faith. His experience of God’s love showed him what he must do.

O Lord, you are King of our spirits.
You have issued orders to your subjects to do a great work.
You have commanded us to preach the gospel to every creature.
We are going on that errand now.
Let your presence go with is to enliven and enable us
to persevere in that great work until we die.
Amen

For many years I have been a supporter of the Big Issue magazine. This is for 3 reasons. First I want to support the Vendors. They get half of the sales money. This means they are growing in self-sufficiency and getting the help they need as they move from homelessness into accommodation, the cost of which is a responsibility they need to develop if they are to survive and grow. Perhaps more importantly is the self-esteem and self-respect that they receive through their interaction with others. Perhaps most important of all, they are simply human beings as we all are and sharing a common humanity brings a responsibility of care on all of us.

During our various lock-downs, many in our society have been challenged by real hardship. Such groups of people don’t get a lot of publicity and the homeless are, for some, an inconvenience. Alongside many other socially disadvantaged groups, they have struggled, but also the compassion which I see again and again, mixed with practical concern has brought hope to many.

The Big Issue Foundation was created to funnel that practical help to those in need as well as to campaign in raising awareness on issues surrounding homelessness. But during lockdown it isn’t easy for people like me to find a vendor. Shops like the Co-op stepped in and sold the magazine and one way I could help was to take out a Subscription, which I did. I know that money raised in this way reaches the vendors.
It also feeds the second reason I buy Big Issue. It’s an excellent magazine with a lot of interesting articles.This week’s magazine includes a piece from Jay Blades of the Repair Shop BBC TV programme for example.

It also tells some sad news about Amanda Hill.
Amanda , the first Big Issue Vendor in Cardiff, has died suddenly at the age of 43.
She is typical of many vendors who have been helped but who have also brought joy to others.

Liam Geraghty, writing about her in this week’s magazine speaks of her as a woman with a “heart of good intentions”, who took “took every opportunity offered” in her five-year spell selling the magazine. The Big Issue helped Amanda off the streets and into long-term accommodation.

Lockdown took away her daily contact with people and recently she wrote of looking forward to “seeing the smiley faces of her regular customers”, once lockdown measures ended.
Sales Manager in Cymru, Tom Watts said: “Amanda had her ups and downs in the time we knew her, but we saw her joy in finally getting long-term accommodation near her family in the Valleys and becoming nicely settled on her pitch in Taff’s Well near Pontypridd, getting to know people and looking to build her sales long term as well.
“She bestowed the world with her presence and a heart full of good intentions, and she’ll be missed by her family, her friends, and all of us at The Big Issue in Wales.”
When she began as a Vendor in 2016 she and her then husband slept in a tent which suffered from the winter weather, not least during the 2018 storms known as the Beast from the East. It was difficult to keep dry and maintain body heat.

Amanda featured in the magazine many times over the years and “never turned down the chance to try something different”, according to Watts. He added: “Amanda could chat for hours about anything. She always strove to get what she needed from the world, she took every opportunity offered her, and she never let anything stop her for too long.” She “never turned down the chance to try something different”, according to Watts. He added: “Amanda could chat for hours about anything. She always strove to get what she needed from the world, she took every opportunity offered her, and she never let anything stop her for too long.”
Away from her pitch, Amanda was also a passionate swimmer and represented Cardiff in the sport from the age of 10. She wrote about her experiences for The Big Issue in 2020, giving readers tips on techniques and boosting mental health through the sport. The Big Issue bought Amanda a reconditioned rowing machine to help her exercise while in lockdown as arthritis in her spine and the strain of acting as a carer for her husband meant she was unable to go outside. She said the gesture “really cheered her up”.
Amanda had been in ill health for some time and just last week she revealed that she had been treated in hospital for pneumonia since the new year. She had recently split from her husband of 12 years and was in the process of finding a new place to live near to her children. Despite her health issues and housing troubles, Amanda always remained optimistic and last week praised her customers for supporting her with subscriptions to the magazine during the current lockdown.
In a Vendor’s View article she wrote the week before she died she praised Big Issue frontline staff for “always being there”, adding: “They have been doing so much for me during lockdown. I really want to thank them for the support, the food vouchers and the chats.” She was longing to get back to her pitch to see her customers once again.
In a poignant text following the interview, Amanda summed up why The Big Issue meant so much to her. “I’d like to say it’s built my confidence and with all my problems, if it wasn’t for The Big Issue I probably wouldn’t be here so a big thanks to you all.” Sadly, she is no longer here but Big Issue deserves thanking for all that she both received and ‘Gave.’

The third thing why I like Big Issue is that so many of the Vendors talk to me. I share something of their story and they share something of mine. They are ‘real’ people who relate to me. I’m certain I’m not alone in this.
And nor is Amanda alone now. I love the verse in St. Luke Chapter (V 32) where Jesus says: Do not be afraid little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom”.
Whatever belief Amanda may or may not have had, God’s love for her is unconditional and I pray that she is enjoying the love and completeness and safety of that Heavenly Kingdom and the joy of her heavenly Father’s pleasure.

Lockdowns have taken income away from hundreds of Big Issue sellers. If you are concerned please support The Big Issue and the vendors by signing up for a subscription. Just Google Big Issue Subscription to get the details. It’s simple.

By subscribing to The Big Issue magazine, you are not only keeping up-to-date on the key issues that matter but you are also doing good. As a social enterprise, Big Issue invest every penny made back into the organisation. That means that with every subscription, we are supporting people in poverty to get back on their own two feet. With your support, Big Issue helps vendors to achieve financial stability and overcome social disadvantages holding them back.

[Mr G]