Tag: Love

Why did they bother?

St Oswald’s Church, Alfbach, Austria
This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
Photo by SchiDD/2018-WLM

When Bishop David Jenkins was Bishop of Durham, he often spent his summer holiday leading tours to Christian places.
On one such occasion he found himself at a place in Western Austria, the mountain village of Alfbach.
He visited the church and, to his surprise he found that it was dedicated to St. Oswald of Northumbria. His own Cathedral in Durham was the place where some physical remains of St. Oswald rested alongside Saint Cuthbert. David Jenkins fell to wondering why this Austrian Church had this dedication to a saint in faraway Northumberland.
He found a tourist leaflet which said that in the 7th and 8th centuries Christianity was brought to the region by Irish and Northumbrian monks.
The bishop’s journey to the village had been in an air-conditioned coach but it had still been a difficult journey along narrow mountain roads. How much more difficult must it have been for those monks who had travelled through darkest Europe to bring the Gospel to that place. The bishop could only imagine what it must have been like and what hardships they endured.

More importantly, why did they bother?
The Bishop asked himself that question and this is the answer he came up with:
They had discovered in Jesus, that God loved them so they fell in love with God.
As a result they wanted to share that love with others.

That was what took them through Europe at a time when the flame of Christianity was burning dim—and their mission—to spread the Good News of God’s love renewed the faith of Europe and took the Gospel to new places.

In an age when, for the majority of people, the Christian light burns dimly —God continues to love us so much that we too might fall back in love with Him—and when we do, like those monks, we will want to tell others.
A way of describing mission. That’s a good thought for Lent.

[Mr G]

David Jenkins when Bishop Of Durham

for love of Ukraine and Ukrainians

Durham Cathedral floodlit in Ukraine’s colours, joins many churches, cathedrals, public buildings in solidarity with the people of Ukraine, February 24th, 2023

Many churches are holding prayer vigils on the anniversary of the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine with contributions from Ukrainian refugees, choirs and other members of the community.

The services are being arranged as the Government announced a national moment of silence at 11am today in solidarity with Ukraine.

In rural as well as urban areas, parishes where families are hosting Ukrainian refugees will open their doors for prayer, reflection and music to mark the anniversary.

A prayer for Ukrainian Refugees in our countries.

Dear Lord, you blessed us with new life
by crossing the borders of heaven and moving into our neighbourhood.
Your parents fled with you from violence,
carrying you in their arms in hope-filled fear.
We still our hearts:
help us know you are with us, making your home in us,
being yourself, in the presence of us being fully ourselves.
We act for justice and mercy:
help us see in those we host, and those who welcome us,
your image, valuable beyond words,
and your blessing that will bring new life.

Amen.

A radiant smile blesses our coming days.

*Portrait of Queen Elizabeth taking at her 70th Anniversary but not released until this weekend*

A Golden Speech from Elizabeth 1 relevant for today

On the 30^th November , 1601, the First Queen Elizabeth went to Parliament and addressed 141 Members.
She had been on the throne for almost 50 years and unbeknown to all present it would be her last visit to Parliament.

The Speaker and other members thought that she would address Parliament about a number of economic concerns. In the event, her words were on an entirely different topic.

She was to die in 1603, handing the Throne over to James 1^st (6^th of Scotland). In the intervening period she never addressed Parliament again.
The 1601 speech has become known as the ‘Golden Speech’, not least because, in it, she tried to show how much she loved the English people. There are two particular passages relating to this:

The Queen opened with these words:

Mr Speaker… I do assure you there is no prince that loves his subjects better, or whose love can countervail our love. There is no jewel, be it of never so rich a price, which I set before this jewel: I mean your love. For I do esteem it more than any treasure or riches; for that we know how to prize, but love and thanks I count invaluable. And, though God hath raised me high, yet this I count the glory of my Crown, that I have reigned with your loves. This makes me that I do not so much rejoice that God hath made me to be a Queen, as to be a Queen over so thankful a people.

She ended with these words:

I know the title of a King is a glorious title, but assure yourself that the shining glory of princely authority hath not so dazzled the eyes of our understanding,

To be a king and wear a crown is a thing more glorious to them that see it than it is pleasant to them that bear it. For myself I was never so much enticed with the glorious name of a King or royal authority of a Queen as delighted that God hath made me his instrument to maintain his truth and glory and to defend his kingdom

There will never Queen sit in my seat with more zeal to my country, care to my subjects and that will sooner with willingness venture her life for your good and safety than myself. For it is my desire to live nor reign no longer than my life and reign shall be for your good. And though you have had, and may have, many princes more mighty and wise sitting in this seat, yet you never had nor shall have, any that will be more careful and loving.

That description of Queen Elizabeth the First about herself are doubtless true but hearing them and then reading them on the day of Her Majesty’s funeral make them all the more poignant. They are sentiments so easily applicable to our late Queen Elizabeth and more, but they need no speech from her in Parliament or anywhere else. The above Photograph released yesterday, says it all.

What we have witnessed over the 12 days since Queen Elizabeth died on September 8^th is a tremendous outpouring of love, in words, in deeds, in tributes, through what is now known as ‘The Queue’ where people from all over the United Kingdom and beyond queued for hours on end, day and night to file reverently passed her coffin.
The services, processions, ceremonies and times of quiet reflection all add up to an enfolding of love for a Royal Family in deep mourning and for a United Kingdom in grief.

I can happily use the word ‘myriad’ to describe the love we have for our 70 years of a ministry of love which is simply amazing. Her faith, her words and deeds, her concern for us has done so much to teach us the meaning of love and service, of joy and duty, of letting light flood into our society, especially when we are at our darkest. Well might we apply Queen Elizabeth First’s words to our own Queen and know its truth.

Never have we had, nor shall have, any that will be more careful and loving.

[Mr G]

Love remains

My friend, Joyce, has sent me this photo of two companionable swans, making gentle progress in the canal waters. They are contendedly together as love flows between them. The Caption from St Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians is well known but perhaps less pondered because of that.
Joyce says that :
In these dark times, these words of love bring light and hope.
That light and hope comes to us through God.

During Lent we Christians are invited by God to understand more deeply that the Victory of Christ on the cross is really life-changing and that this change comes about not because of something we do but of realizing that God has done, and goes on doing, something so powerful in our lives through Christ on the Cross.
He has loved us totally and completely and through that Love he has drawn us into himself so that, as Paul tells the Galatians (2:20)

It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.

In order to die to self and live for, and in, Christ we are, says Jesus, to take up our Cross and follow him.
He is not asking for heroics. He is not asking us to search for some impossible burden to carry, some suffering to undergo.
He is asking us to commit ourselves to carry the sign of God’s love in our lives. It is the power of that love to transform that makes the real difference
For that to happen, the Love of Christ must rule our hearts, our lives – come what may.

Many years ago, a young Russian priest was imprisoned at the beginning of the Russian Revolution.
Years later he was released from prison. He was a broken man.
His friends asked him, “What is left of you?”
“Nothing” he replied, “nothing is left. They have burnt out everything. Only love remains.”

That priest had discovered the one thing that changes every human situation and disarms every human conflict – sacrificial love.
Only Love remains – that is what is necessary for Christ to change the world – and he does it through us. When we abide in God’s love, totally, then, as we walk around the area where we live, it will become a changed and different place. Our approach to others will be different, generous, kind and joyful.

The darkness of our present situation in the world can easily lead to despair and a sense of futility but we are called to be, increasingly, signs of God’s amazing, long suffering and transforming love. We are called, in fact, to carry that love into all the world’s dark places and into hearts that have turned away from love.
On the Cross the victory of Jesus was the triumph of love over all that is not love. It was a cosmic battle to proclaim God’s power over demonic and destructive forces which threaten to swamp the world with evil, hatred, self absorbtion and oppression.
Against this darkness and evil we are to love and go on loving for, as the great mystic, St John of the Cross, put it so powerfully:

“Where there is no love, pour love in, and you will draw love out.”

[Mr G]

Cartoon by Charlie Mackesy who speaks profoundly through humour

Thank you Joyce for your inspirational photo & text