Show us to Your Leader!

The morning service on Sunday, 27th April is to be on the theme of Leadership. People will be invited to talk about someone whom they have looked up to and followed (or learned from) as a leader - not famous people, but people in your own life, whether in your faith, your church experience, your education, your profession, or life generally.

If anyone feels they have something to say on this theme (very briefly of course!) I (Ray) would be glad to hear from them. There will be opportunity for anyone to participate at the time, but it would be good if at least one or two people come prepared.

Greenbelt: Something for Everybody

For a number of years now I have spent the August Bank Holiday weekend at Greenbelt. I was first introduced to it by some young people at my church in Leytonstone, and I have loved it ever since. It has grown in numbers over the years, and developed a distinctive character. Children go there for the fun and games, teenagers mostly for the pop music and creative projects, and us oldies mostly for the talks and panel discussions and to meet old friends. It is a huge family festival with a special appeal for Christians with open minds and a concern for justice and peace.

This year saw a change of venue. After a number of years at Cheltenham Racecourse, it has moved to the grounds of Boughton House, near Kettering. This is a very different site, much more rural, and naturally there were teething troubles. There were critical comments, and apologies from the organisers, but I didn’t hear any moaning. Greenbelt is a bit like Christmas: whatever little inconveniences we have to put up with, everybody makes the effort to stay cheerful and be nice to one another.

It’s also a bit like the Edinburgh Festival: there is a vast range of things to choose from, and by choosing some you inevitably miss others. I went to talks by John Bell, the ever popular speaker and hymn writer from the Iona Community; by Brian McLaren, writer of books such as A New Kind of Christianity; by Nadia Bolz-Weber, the very unconventional pastor of a very unusual church in America; and by the Bible scholar Richard Burridge who was reflecting on the film Monty Python’s Life of Brian 35 years on.

For me there were two highlights. The first was a panel discussion on issues surrounding marriage in view of the new legislation, chaired by Vicky Beeching, a popular Christian singer. I must confess I had never heard of her till last week, when she hit the headlines by coming out as gay and telling the harrowing story of the self-condemnation she had experienced as she grew up in a conservative Christian environment, and how she now has a passion to save other young people from going through the same. As she walked onto the stage at Greenbelt, there was a standing ovation that seemed as though it would go on for ever!

The other highlight was hearing Mpho Tutu, daughter of Desmond Tutu, talking about forgiveness. She and her father have just published a book called The Book of Forgiveness. Needless to say, I went straight to the bookstore to buy it and join the queue like a teenage fan for her autograph! Like her father, she was so friendly and charming with everybody that it was quite a long wait.

If you haven’t been to Greenbelt, whatever your age, try it! Most people camp there in tents or caravans, but if that’s not your style (as it certainly isn’t mine!) you can always find a hotel or guest house or, if like me you’re really lucky, you may have friends who live nearby.

Volunteering on Iona – a welcoming community

You have 2 hours and a half till you’re back to work. You’re not obliged to do anything in this time. You may sleep. You may go for a walk. You may go for a cream tea at St Columba’s Hotel. You may read. You may join the guests in their sessions. You may play cards with your friends.... You bump into a fellow volunteer who invites you to join a group of them heading over to Port Bann to swim (possibly) and just hang out on the beach. Why not? You grab your raincoat – just in case – and off you go, hands empty, but the air filled with conversation and laughter.

Spontaneity, freedom, and community characterise Iona. The spontaneity simply comes from living so much in the present moving from Saturday night welcome service, to Monday-night-ceilidh, to Tuesday’s pilgrimage, to Tuesday-night-healing-service, to the goodbye-mexican-wave as guests leave on Friday morning. But the time in between is used as you yourselves need and determine. By freedom, I don’t necessarily mean the freedom to do whatever you like – you are working according to a timetable after all – but a true freedom to be who God has made you to be. No living up to others’ ideals, or even your own ideals. But freedom, in its truest form. By community, I refer to the practical inclusion, support and love, but also to the common path we walk during our time on the island. There’s a unity of vision and an instant sharing of experiences and life. Community is built remarkably quickly as a new group of guests arrive and leave each week, but there’s always a sense of joining something far larger, something that has lasted decades and which is constantly evolving with the people that leave and join. “We have come from many places for a little while”.

The Isle of Iona is home to only about 130 residents, but with 100+ guests per week, up to 30 volunteers at any given time, and about 20 resident staff working at the two centres used by the Iona Community - the Abbey and the Macleod Centre - and the hundreds of touristy visitors that explore the island each day, the village becomes a hub of life. Iona Community members are dispersed across the whole world, although the offices are based in Glasgow (http://iona.org.uk/).

The pilgrimage

Oban

I was only on Iona for six weeks, the shortest stretch of time one can volunteer for, working on the housekeeping team in the Macleod Centre. My working days consisted mainly of meal set-up (all except the food itself), clearing/washing up at the end of each meal, a constant stream of laundry ranging from bedsheets to towels to volunteers’ clothing, training guests in their chores during their stay, and on turnover days, cleaning the centre from top to bottom. Days off often involved trips off the island – once to the puffin island of Staffa, twice for walks/hikes around the Isle of Mull, once to Oban on mainland Scotland – or adventures around the island, joining the guests for the weekly pilgrimage or making my own way around. A short walk to the North End or elsewhere on the island could take you to what feels like the most secluded spot in the world. I rediscovered the joy of reading fiction!

 The vision for the two centres is to build a brand new community,of staff, volunteers and guests, each week. This involves worshipping together at the daily morning and evening services, eating together, sharing in daily chores or tasks, and making that conscious effort to get to know one another.  Community happens quickly, with a core  continuity of people each week, and its yet inherently different each week, due to the different combination of people engaging in it. It’s a dynamic, evolving phenomenon which brings so much joy and challenge to everyone who is part  of it. All are invited and welcomed to join!

              

Elinor Rhys

i Church Training

Deborah and I (Cerys) have just spent 5 days at the Windermere Centre attending an iChurch web-site course and putting together our new church web-site.  It only needs a few more tweaks and it will be ready.  If you're impatient and want to see what we've done so far then visit stdavidsuniting.org.uk

The course was very intensive hard work, yet satisfying in that we came away with our web-site up and running.

We were allowed some free time, which was spent exploring nearby Bowness and Windermere and shopping.  Deborah caught a bus one afternoon and explored the wonderful countryside in the Lake District.

One other important aspect that must be mentioned is the food! All meals were prepared for us - and very delicious they were too!

The training given by Rebecca and Lawrence was first class. They steered us all - Bernie, Cerys, Colin, Deborah, Jacky, Ken, Neil, Sally -  from practically no knowledge to being confident webmasters.

A taste of Greenbelt

I spent the Bank Holiday weekend where I have usually spent it for some years now, at Greenbelt. This is a Christian festival held at the Cheltenham Racecourse. Its flavour is a bit like the Edinburgh Festival – loads of choices, something for everybody. You never come away feeling there was nothing there for you. You come away regretting some of the things you had to miss because they clashed with something else you didn’t want to miss, or because (especially at my age) you just didn’t have the energy for it all.

Because last year the rain caused serious problems, this year’s attendance was slightly down, at only(!) 17,000. Greenbelt draws all kinds of people, from over 80s to babies, but the balance is mostly towards the younger end. Most people camp in tents, some bring their caravans,  but I am among the “softies” who prefer to stay in a comfortable hotel.

There is nothing regimented or dogmatic about Greenbelt. It is a free festival of the spirit. There is music of all kinds – rock, Gospel, folk, old-fashioned hymns, classical. There are plays, films, art exhibitions and shops. There are talks on a wide range of subjects, and an opportunity to experience worship in many different styles – Catholic ritual, meditation,  Iona, Taizé, a Quaker meeting, a Goth Eucharist – you name it!

This year we even had a taste of the Sunday Assembly, the so-called “atheist church” that was recently started in London and is rapidly catching on elsewhere. It is a blend of communal singing and talk encouraging people to “live better, help often, and wonder more”, but with no obligation to believe in God. I doubt whether any other Christian festival would give a platform to this organisation. Nor do I know of any other Christian festival in which the presence of gay and lesbian people, and events catering for them, is welcomed and accepted as part of the rich tapestry of Christian life.

Among the things I attended were: a talk by a bishop on the “emerging Church”; a talk by a historian on the significance of the Chartists, with samples of their hymns; a mentally challenging lecture on radical theology, and a symposium on the same theme; a forthright appeal for the full acceptance of same-sex relationships by the Chancellor of St Paul’s Cathedral; the above mentioned Sunday Assembly; a few musical performances, and a concert with the amazing jazz musician Courtney Pine.

The central event is the Sunday morning Communion, held in the open air. The vast congregation gathers in small groups sitting on the ground, with groundsheets and umbrellas just in case! I joined a group of about ten people from my former church in Leytonstone, and had a very happy time with them. The atmosphere was festive, and after praying, singing, hearing a challenging message, and sharing bread and wine we were invited if we wished to stay and dance.

Perhaps next year we can arrange for a group from St David’s to be there. I would highly recommend it.

Ray Vincent

So what's happening?

All has been quiet on the blog since the end of May. You may be thinking that we are  perhaps dumbstruck after  having to say 'farewell' to the Chambers family at the end of their inspiring ten months in our midst.

Well, sad as it was to see them go, we have not been moping about, awaiting better times!  In fact  a great deal has been going on.  The AGM in June meant  some changes on the eldership. The new elders team is  busily  involved in the process of seeking  a new minister.

We  were successful in being awarded a £500 grant  from the URC for  an 'Art talk' project and plans are underway for a launch in September.   Contact is being made with schools and community groups in Pontypridd, inviting them to  submit photographs which say something about our community. We hope to be able to offer workshops to help with the technical challenge of producing good photographs.

In March we shall stage an exhibition in the church, inviting as many people as possible to  look at, and reflect on  our community, Pontypridd, in pictures.

The  various visual contributions will be a stimulus for us as a church to  review what we see our role to be, (or  our mission to be) in our local community.

We have also received a £700 grant from the URC Mission and Development Fund which will enable us to send two people to a course at the Windermere Centre, to redesign the church website. We'll be holding an open meeting early in September, before they go,  for people to chip in their ideas about  for a new website.

We are pleased to see the church almost back to normal as the work  to install a new heating system is  almost finished. We can look forward in confidence to a warmer winter than the last one.. inside the building, at least.

And there has been another successful  Holiday Club. That deserves a separate  entry!

Farewell to the Chambers Family

On Sunday 26th May, Dan conducted his last services at St. David's Uniting Church in Pontypridd.
After the morning service most people stayed for a 'party' lunch and to share in the splendid cake that Kath baked.  Here are some pictures of the day.

Dan and family

Our gift to the Chambers - a Welsh Love Spoon

The Chambers' gift to us - or rather, for The Manse

The beautiful and delicious cake

Baptist Assembly, Blackpool 2013

I attended the Baptist Assembly this year as a representative of St David’s Uniting Church. The Assembly is a great gathering of Baptists from all parts of Britain. It is the official annual meeting of the Baptist Union, the Baptist Missionary Society (BMS World Mission) and various other Baptist organisations.

This year sees a change in the administration of the Union. The General Secretary, the Rev Jonathan Edwards, is retiring, and the Assembly bade farewell to him and approved the appointment of the Rev Lynn Green as his successor. This will be the first time a woman has held this office.

However, business as such is only a small part of it: it is mainly a kind of convention to inform and inspire us: a time of worship, Bible study, discussions and of course meeting up with friends. Part of the pleasure for me was to meet people from every one of the churches where I have worked as a minister, and to attend the Reunion of the College where I trained – wondering what happened to all the interesting old characters who used to come to these occasions, and realising that I am probably now one of them!

This year’s Assembly was at the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool. About 2000 people gathered in the great hall for the main sessions and in various other rooms for seminars and informal meetings, and wandered around the numerous exhibition stalls.

The worship in the plenary sessions was very high-tech and lively, if at times a bit loud. I am sure it was appreciated by the many young people who were there and by those from some of the black-led charismatic churches that have recently joined the Baptist Union. However, there was a fair sprinkling of hymns that could be enjoyed by us oldies too. One night we had a great rendering of ‘Here is love vast as the ocean’, and I’m sure I wasn’t the only one who couldn’t resist singing it in Welsh!

There were so many things happening that I can’t tell you about all of them. I didn’t have the stamina to go to all of them anyway. I shall just mention a few of the highlights.

Visitors from other countries brought some colour and challenge to the Assembly. Dr Ray Monze, General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Zimbabwe, gave a very honest picture of the situation in his country and made us realise how blessed we are in Britain, and the wonderful way in which Christians in Zimbabwe are not only holding onto their faith in the midst of suffering and persecution but living joyfully. The main Bible studies were on Philippians, the letter Paul wrote while in prison, and it added a note of realism to be listening to someone who has so recently shared that experience.

Another visitor was Ben Franklin, an Indian of small stature and incredible energy who told us about how he and his friends were planting hundreds of new churches in Indian villages. At a late evening session he was fairly successful in teaching us a few simple choruses in Bengali.

An important part of the Assembly this year was the attention given to issues around sexuality. 

We have all heard about the fierce debates going on in the Anglican Communion. This sort of thing has not happened in the Baptist churches because we are not a centralised or hierarchical church that can, or that needs to, make decisions binding on everybody. We are a union of local churches who govern themselves and each act according to their own conscience. But what this means in practice is that controversial issues are usually not talked about in case of upsetting people. The Baptist Union Council this year made the brave decision to bring the issue to the Assembly. There was a seminar at which a hundred or more people heard the personal stories of gay men, lesbians and others who for various reasons have got involved in the issues around sexuality. Then there was a plenary session in which we were invited to break up into small groups to discuss the Church’s attitude to same-sex relationships. 

Naturally there is deep disagreement, and many Baptists struggle with the interpretation of Scripture on this issue, but my experience was that the whole session was marked by a spirit of graciousness and mutual respect, and I was surprised at how many Baptists are moving in the direction of the acceptance of faithful, loving same-sex relationships. There was a particularly  strong feeling of how tragic and wrong it is that so many gay and lesbian people feel that there is no place for them in the Christian Church. In true Baptist fashion, no resolution was brought forward for a vote. It’s a case of ‘watch this space’!

contributed by Ray Vincent.

A non-believers view of church

I came across an article written in the Welsh language magazine 'Barn'  by Beca Brown, a couple of months ago.  Beca had found herself, to her surprise, in a church. Even more to her surprise, she  quite enjoyed it, although she is a self confessed atheist.

Was she converted .. well no.    ' Am  I looking for something to fill the emptiness in my life?  Well', she says. 'aren't we all!'

What happened was that her 8 year  old son  was given an invitation  to Sunday School and wanted to go.   Rather than go with him (as she would for almost any other activity) she  thought of sending him on his own...  and then realised the stupidity of this.   Previous bad experiences of  church and of particular  Christians shouldn't get in the way of motherly duty.  

Having faced the pain of the recent death of a dear friend,  Beca was, she writes,  looking for answers - ' not for God and not even for the ability to  believe in something better to come, but I needed  a different kind of comfort.  I needed to belong to something which is more than the circle I have created for myself over 40 years of living'.

This is perhaps one of our most deep seated and universal 'religious' needs - to belong to something bigger. It reminds me of  the  illustration used by Janet in a recent sermon about how young children draw their own portrait with a line underneath, for the ground, and the sun shining in the sky.   The picture expresses what  children know but could probably never say in words... that they are not free floating beings, but belong to something bigger.

The dilemma  that Beca then identifies is this:   'its a terrible thing not to believe and yet to want  a bit of  the comfort and social  life that  comes with chapel life...   there are obviously people like me who are looking for the inclusive experience  that chapel can give, a chance to share  and listen and   consider, and to be quiet for an hour in the middle of a busy life'

Sadly,  her past experience of sermons  has been less than encouraging.   They left her feeling  that 'I will always be second rate, and marginalised because of that'.

The Sunday Assembly is, according to its website 'a godless congregation that meets on the first Sunday of every month to hear great talks, sing songs and generally celebrate the wonder of life. It’s a service for anyone who wants to live better, help often and wonder more.' It's a bit like a church , but without God.

Is this the answer? Should churches 'play down' God so as to attract more people? I don't think so. Pleasant as the Sunday Assembly sounds, it isn't church.. If churches stopped being prophetic and challenging, as well as comforting and inclusive; stopped working for justice and peace, as well as being 'interesting'; stopped trying to 'connect' with God through prayer and worship; stopped trying to grapple with what the Bible means, and what Christ, through his Spirit among us, is calling us to be... then it wouldn't be church.

We need God for more than comfort and a sense of belonging, but (and it's a big 'but') isn't it time that we listened to the likes of Beca Brown, to understand which bits of 'religion' make the most sense to a confessed nonbeliever?

Beca Brown's article 'Mynd i'r capel (Going to Chapel) was published in Barn  No 601 February 2013

What are we like?

'Rugged, proud and uniquely beautiful' is how Wales, apparently, is described from space.

Dan suggests that we, as a church, are  not exactly this, but rather 'strong, modest and uniquely beautiful.... and also terrifying to those outside!'.

I don't suppose we are particularly terrifying as individuals, but as a church we are, because to many people any church  is terrifying... and for all kinds of reasons.

There is the physical building, especially one like ours  which imposes a  brick  wall of secrecy  to anyone walking down Gelliwastad Rd, and makes  sure that only the very determined find a way in. Then there are  the things we do and say in church: the praying, sharing bread and wine, singing  words that sometimes don't make sense and sometimes make, perhaps, too much sense and threaten a comfortable world view.
And then, of course, is the presumed judgement on people's lives.  Churches are supposed to disapprove of everything that's fun, aren't they? And Christians think they are so much better, don't they?

St David's Uniting Church has the ingredients, says Dan, to be the kind of church that cares more about 'you' than it cares about the church! To be a church that offers a radical welcome.

We had asked Dan, as he nears the end of his  9 month period  with us, to offer some reflections on where we were as a church and  what we might build on for the future.    In a session that followed the morning service (and lunch) on 28th May, he shared some of his observations and thoughts.

'Technical fixes'   won't solve the underlying problem of a steady decline in churches over the last 45 years, but a couple of things that the church might usefully address are:

•  Communication with the local community.   Are we 'Ponty's best kept secret'? We could  make better use of notices and banners, of social media and use our voices to let people know we are here, what  we are about, and that they are welcome.
•  Sunday worship. Two traditional services on a Sunday makes big demands on any minister, and leaves less time and energy available for  actively engaging  with the wider community (and our 'vision' will require a  considerable amount of  community oriented work to be done).  Moreover, two Sunday schools, meeting simultaneously on a Sunday morning at  Church House and in town, misses the opportunity for children  to be part of a larger, vibrant community.

The most important question, however, is how to 'keep the sacred fires burning' and how to share these with others.   Dan's sermon on this, preached during  the morning service, can be downloaded from the church website. 

The church  needs to make 'adaptive changes'. It needs to be prepared to be the church differently, in order to serve, in the name of Christ,  the world as it is today.

St David's Uniting has already sketched out an exciting  new vision for  seeking and working  with  church and secular  partners, to make a difference in Rhondda Cynon Taf.  This new vision will give  plenty of opportunity to 'take stock', as it is thought  through and fleshed  out. It may naturally prompt changes, in response to new partnerships and  priorities.

These are challenging but exciting times, indeed.

The Spirit of Creativity

Eighteen members and friends of St David's Uniting Church gathered for a weekend at Coleg Trefeca to explore  the 'Spirit of Creativity'. Through worship, creative bible study, practical  exploration, stories and  a lot of laughter we relaxed together and discovered the goodness of God in new ways!

    

You can listen to some audio reflections from  those who attended the weekend.

And you can see on this audiovisual clip what the different 'creativity groups' got up to,  as they explored  the way of music, the way of writing, the way of photography and the way of art.

Some of the photos taken by the photographers amongst us can be seen here  (you may need to wait for permission to be granted for  you to access this site) . And there are more  photos here.

Thanks to James for putting together these audio visual  records of our weekend.

This is our story: journeys of faith

Bible stories   have a natural place in worship. We have readings from the bible in our sunday services,  and these are often  'brought to life' by the preacher  in the sermon. By and large, however, the congregation's engagement with the bible is one of meditative listening , not one of  active exploration.

It isn't often that we have the chance to dig deeper into bible studies  as a group activity.  During lent we have been doing just this, together with members of Castle Square URC.

'This is our story:journeys of faith' is the title of the course prepared by  Churches Together in Britain and Ireland. Radio 4 and local radio stations have picked up the theme in their religious broadcasting.

Each week we have look at a story from the Jewish scriptures, and a connected New Testament passage.    For example we read of the Israelites' rescue from  Egypt, crossing the red sea, alongside the account of Jesus' baptism... and the meaning of our baptism.   We looked at Moses' saving the Israelites from an infestation of poisonous snakes by lifting up a  bronze serpent on a pole, and at  the reference in John's gospel to Jesus being 'lifted up' on the cross for our salvation.  We looked at the feeding of the Israelites on manna in the desert alongside the  saying of Jesus 'I am the bread of life', and the meaning of communion for a christian community.

Under the skillful guidance of Gethin and Dan, we we  encouraged to make connections between  central stories of the Jewish faith and  core themes of our Christian faith.  We did so in a way that took account of our personal experiences and the  life and witness of churches of which we are, or have been a part.

A small minority of people made it to every session; the majority dropped in when they could.. sometimes just for one week, and that was fine!

Our congregational traditions put great score on the power of people of faith coming together in the name of the Holy Spirit to ponder the Bible. In discerning Gods word in this way, and doing it together, we can discover 'treasure' which is inspiration for our lives. And  we grow, not only as individuals but as a community.

It isn't something we do very much at St Davids Uniting.  Perhaps we should!  Especially as we begin to explore a bigger vision for our church in this locality, it will be vital that we remain firmly connected with the roots of our faith, and with one another.

The Magic Flute

'Hail to a new dawn of wisdom and brotherhood.'

      
      That is the conclusion of Mozart's opera 'The Magic Flute', but to get there we go through a series of fantastical scenes and adventures.  We were treated to a magical evening by Opera Mint at St. David's Uniting Church on 2nd March.
      
      Imaginative use was made of the whole of the space in the chapel and even the font was put to good use as a hiding place! When the chorus sang from the gallery behind the audience it put us right in the middle of the action.  I saw this as quite appropriate, as in order to make sense of the drama and the various physical and metaphorical journeys that the main characters take, the audience is obliged to undertake their own journey in understanding.  At the opening we think we know who the 'goodies' and the 'baddies' are, but as the drama progresses we realise that things are not what they seem and we end up with our perception of good and bad being turned completely upside down.
      
      This is certainly an ambitious project for an amateur opera company, but it was clear that a lot of thought had been put into it to convey the story through action and expression and with the help of a few simple, yet very effective props.

      For me, the strong character of Pamina came across very well and it was sung very confidently by Angela Brown.  Tamino and Pamina may have gone through their trials of fire and water, but I think the most courage was shown by Janet Powell as the Queen of the Night - especially in the extremely demanding aria 'Der Holle Rache', which trial she came through with flying colours.  James Stewart had a very warm bass voice in the role of Sarastro which was pleasing to listen to.  Other performances that I enjoyed especially were the three boys and Monostatos. However, I must admit that Trystan Francis just stole the show for me with his lovely clear resonant voice and witty portrayal of cheeky chap Papageno.             

      There were many other highlights - showing that the whole ensemble worked well together as a team. And not least of all was the skill and stamina shown by the two musicians accompanying and directing the singing - this was truly impressive.
      
      It is quite astonishing that such a remarkable performance should come to our 'little' chapel and that we had the opportunity and privilege to experience one of the most popular and greatest works of art of all time - created by the genius that is Mozart more than two hundred years ago!  
      I shall long remember this as a thoroughly entertaining and marvellous evening.

Lent at St. David's

During Lent a study group meets on Thursday afternoons following the theme of "This is our story: Journeys in faith".  It is tied in with the Sunday morning worship on BBC Radio 4.   http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01qsr8q

Dan has also written a notice to us, thus:

Prayer is not asking for what you think you want,

but asking to be changed in ways you can't imagine.
Kathleen Norris (author; 1947 -  )

Last week Shelagh Pollard was here to lead us into the season of Lent.  Once again Christians around the world heard the story of how Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, to be with the wild creatures and the impossibly wild God who led him there.

Of course the forty days and forty nights that Jesus spent in the wilderness after his baptism recalls the forty years the people of Israel spent wandering in the wilderness after their escape from slavery by passing through the Red Sea.  For both Jesus and the people of Israel, the time in the wilderness was a test for their survival and their faith.  It was a time to understand at a visceral level what it meant to be called by God, chosen for a life of faith.  There were struggles, temptations, dangers and snares – a more harsh reality but otherwise not all that different from the challenges and surprising blessings we experience every day. 

Just as Jesus was called to the wilderness to figure out who he was and what he was meant to do, so we are called in this time of year to lean in and listen carefully to the voice of wisdom that calls us into fullness of life.  It’s a voice that often can get lost in the rush of schedules and the press of responsibilities and the drone of our own mind.  In Lent, we’re invited to walk with Jesus out into the spacious desert where the stars are bright and the silence allows us to listen more carefully.

This Lent, you are also invited in particular ways to step into the wild space of the holy and listen, consider, reflect.  Though we’re halfway through the Lenten series on Thursday afternoons, you’re always welcome to come: at St. David’s, in the Victoria Room, from 1:30 – 2:30.   Feel free to drop-in.

In two weeks, 17 people from St. David’s will travel to Trefeca for our Lenten retreat  The Spirit of Creativity.  There are a few rooms still available if you’d like to jump in.

As Jesus listened to clarify his call, so the work of this congregation now is to continue to listen to clarify the ministry to which you are called.  What will your priorities be?  How do you want to use your resources of time and energy and money?  How is this congregation called to be a life-giving presence to Pontypridd and the wide-world?  This is a time not only for first thoughts and opinions, but for careful discernment and prayer.

Of course, our regular worship on Sunday morning and evening is a time when we’re invited into the wilderness to listen, pray, tell stories, eat a little something and join the wild chorus of frogs, birds and the stones themselves which are known at times to cry out.

However you step into the season of Lent, may the Spirit of God find you wherever you are and offer insight, clarity and blessing.

QI Xmas Carols

Have you ever seen the TV  quiz show QI, with Stephen Fry in the Chair?  Our Christmas service  on 23rd December, written by Iestyn and others, drew inspiration from this. I certainly  learned some quirky as well as serious facts. Well done for producing something to entertain us,  and to  enhance our knowledge and appreciation of carols and traditions that we tend to take for granted.

It was great to see teenagers and young people taking part as  QI panel members and younger members of Junior church singing extracts from carols, by way of illustration, at various points.  The audio visuals -  notably the infectious laughter - added to the entertainment, and must  have taken hours to put together.

The 'production' was first prepared in 2010 but we were unable to see it then because of snowy weather.

So all the better that we could see it this year, and it was worth the wait!

Ordinary and Extraordinary

Here's the sermonette from the morning service at St David's Uniting Church, 30 December 2012.  The readings were Luke 1, 26-31; Matthew 1, 19-21; Luke 2, 8-14 and Matthew 2, 13 and 19, all read from 'Good as New'.

Some of you already know that one of my very favourite films is Monty Python’s ‘Life of Brian’; it’s much loved because ‘Python’ humour was one of the biggest comedy influences of my youth.  Sure, it's irreverent at times, but it pokes fun not at Jesus, or even Christianity, but at zealous religious types and to some extent the unbiblical Hollywood blockbusters; those who were having their legs pulled were the very sort who did protest so violently!

Be that as it may, one of my favourite lines comes right at the start.  Three Wise Men arrive at the stable where Brian is born – the stable next door to the one they are looking for – if you’ve not seen it.  Mandy, the mother of Brian, played by Terry Jones asks ‘Who are you then?’.  To which John Cleese replies ‘we are three wise men’.  Quick as a flash, Mandy retorts ‘what you doing creeping round a cow shed in the middle of the night, doesn’t seem very wise to me!’

And of course, Mandy is right, if you think about it.  Nothing of the Christmas story makes particular sense if you are trying to be ‘wise’ about it; we are so familiar with it, have glossed it and glamorised it, we have turned it into the most special time of the year, and the church made capital out of the festival perhaps even before it occurred to the supermarkets.  But that first Christmas was different, very different, and what I want to do for ten minutes or so this morning is just give the characters some of the original back again. Whether wise or not, we’re going to creep around a cowshed ourselves.

Let's start with Mary - what sort of girl was Mary? Young, certainly, perhaps no more than 14 years old;  ordinary, she was promised in marriage to the local carpenter, quite probably seen as a very good match by both families.  It is very unlikely that Mary was educated, at least not in any way we would recognise. Ancient and ignorant superstition would have played more of a part in her life than anything we would recognise as learned intelligence,  though no doubt too she would have been encouraged in matters of faith and religion.   ‘Simple’ is almost too naïve a word for Mary; she was ordinary because of the constraints of her time and her culture. 

And yet, though we know only a little of Mary from the Gospel stories, mostly through what Luke tells us, what we do know was her devotion to God and her understanding of Jesus himself.  Even before Jesus's birth, she sings of the greatness of God, and of her understanding that the Messiah's birth turns the world upside down.  Extraordinary from the ordinary, don't you think?          

We don’t know a great deal about Joseph, if we’re honest.  It’s possible that he was very much older than Mary (religious art depicts him as such) but it’s also possible that he was no older than his late teens or early 20s.  We certainly should not judge his betrothal to 14-year-old Mary by our modern understanding of childhood and adulthood.  Much of the conjecture about Joseph's older age seems to be linked to the fact that by the time of Jesus' ministry, no mention is made of Joseph;  that he is not present at his son's burial has been interpreted to suggest that he had by this time died, but that would not be remarkable for someone in his mid-50s. 

Joseph was ordinary; a carpenter, possibly a technician with limited skills in metalwork as well as woodwork.   But carpentry may well have been amongst the more respected professions, skilful, a service to the community, not someone lowered in status as to have to work the land or tend animals.

What was not so ordinary was the way in which Joseph accepted Mary's position, the way in which he listened to God's message which was, essentially, 'don't worry, it's going to be ok'.  And as a result of this, Joseph makes a series of extraordinary decisions.

There's no nativity play Innkeeper in the Biblical narrative, though wholly reasonable to assume that someone owned the boarding houses.  Whoever had answered the doors, it would seem that the people of Bethlehem had no interest in, felt no responsibility for the heavily pregnant girl from the north.  So we hear that they found shelter in a stable. A gesture of reluctant support on the part of a kindly soul? I doubt it somehow; I've often imagined Mary and Joseph scrambling around just for a bit of shelter.  We've romanticised the stable. Picture-postcard, soft-focus light, warmth from the worshipping animals, if not from saintly halos. But it we're honest, the animal house is one of the most ordinary bits of this story. It was dirty, offensively so for hygiene-conscious, religious Jews, it would have been noisy and completely lacking in privacy. 

The setting for the birth of Jesus is extraordinary for being so thoroughly awful.

Perhaps the most 'ordinary' of the characters in the Christmas story are our shepherds.  We are reminded frequently enough of the fact that the first people to hear of Jesus's birth were poor people, that this is a thematic link through to a focus of Jesus's ministry, his good news for all people, not just the rich, the well-to-do, nor even just those with whom, we might imagine, God is pleased, as sang by angels.  But these aren't just ordinary people, they are bottom-of-the-pile people.  These are men and boys (probably) who make their living in the open air; equivalents of our dustbin men, our 'Big-Issue' sellers.  These are people who would not have been out of place visiting a baby in an animal house - it's their environment.

What's extraordinary of course is that they were drawn to do so; what's extraordinary is that the message of the Angels got through to them!  I've often imagined them stood there, in the field, thinking, probably asking 'you talking to us? you got the right people?'.  Well, yes.

We'll leave the wise men, the magicians, the star-gazers, for another time, except to note that the one thing that they were probably not was kings - as in the 'we three kings' sense.  The contrast with the shepherds is not so much one of 'poor and rich', but rather Jew and Gentile, a different type of outcast; foreigners, ordinary in their own land, are extraordinary in the context of their worship of the infant Jesus. And that, of course, is the point Matthew makes.

But our readings were all about messengers and their messages, so we need a word or two about angels.  Of all the things which have been given the soft-focus treatment, the romantic angle, the 'ahhhh' factor, nothing much comes close to the angels.  Now, quite seriously, I don't want to take anything away from that - I still remember Isobel's first role in a nativity play, at Ysgol Feithrin Sardis, with that tear-in-the-eye fondness which nursery children dressed as shepherds and angels brings - it's quite an unusual emotion, and valued. 

But having said that, the angels we read about in the Christmas story are not extraordinary for their heavenly wings and their 'wow' factor, even if there's a bit of that in the story of the shepherds.  The Gospel writers are far more concerned with the extraordinary nature of the message itself than with the appearance of heavenly creatures.  Indeed, this is something we find difficult to appreciate sometimes, that what we might consider miraculous or somehow astonishing would have been accepted as wholly possible (if without explanation) to ancient people. 

The angels may well have been ordinary messengers, and there's lots of literature out there which draws on this possibility, and speculates as to who they might have been.  And of course, we've also turned it round, to adopt 'Angel' as someone who looks out for us, or who brings us messages of good news.

You probably spotted the link between all of these things long ago.  What we have in the nativity stories is a series of ordinary people and situations coming together in extraordinary ways, to make something very special.  Something which changed the world, no less.  Finding something special, building something special from the ordinary becomes a theme then in the Jesus story, whether it's the calling of simple country people to be friends, the telling parables using ordinary language, or eating a meal together.

And in a way, it continues to be our story too.  We are ordinary people, with a range of varied but ordinary skills, personalities, talents and experiences; as individuals we're not particularly remarkable.  But together, we can be something special.   As individual churches, we can be very ordinary, but as projects like Street Pastors shows - not to mention our own ecumenical explorations, together, special things can happen.

There's a 1970s pop song which you will have heard (if only subconsciously) over the last month, by a group called Wizard 'I wish it could be Christmas every day'; it's an interesting thought but one which I've mostly thought to be very silly, particularly in the context of the song's lyrics which are mostly about snow, skating and Santa.    I think I also object to the inherent dangers of having  too much of a good thing - basically when things that should be special become common-place, they revert to being ordinary and are very much taken for granted.  There's lots of that, I feel, in the secular Christmas.

But not in the Christian Christmas - Immanuel, God with us, is already 'Christmas every day'.  The ordinary has become special, and in touching us, the love which comes to us, born in an ordinary cow shed makes us - all of us - special too.      Amen

Away with the Manger

There are some things that often seem more sacred than God. One of these is the ‘children’s favourite’ Christmas carol.  Just as I sang it seventy years ago, and probably my parents sang it nearly a hundred years ago, still today Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without little children singing ‘Away in a manger’ to the delight of their admiring parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts.

Lovely, if you don’t stop and think of the words. But if you do, are we sure we want our children to be singing this kind of thing?

The first line is obscure. Where is this ‘away’ in a manger? The point of the Christmas message is that God has come close to us, so why give the impression that it happened far away? And what’s a ‘manger’ anyway? I suppose most of us know that it is a feeding trough for cattle, but even when I was a child the word didn’t belong in everyday language. To most people, ‘manger’ is just a special name for whatever it was the baby Jesus lay in. And what does ‘no crib for a bed’ mean? Even I as a child had no idea what that meant. What we call it is a cradle or a cot. A ‘crib’ is something you use to cheat in an exam!

Then there’s this ‘look down from the sky’ business. Do we really want children to think that Jesus is up there among the stars and the planets? Even worse, do we want them to think that only up in heaven will they be able to live with Jesus, and even then only if they are ‘fit’ to live with him?

But the worst bit is in the second verse: ‘but little Lord Jesus no crying he makes’. What an unnatural baby! I suppose the lesson of this is supposed to be that Jesus, being perfect, never cried because crying is wrong and children must always be like Jesus and never cry. What sadistic Victorian thought that up?

Perhaps the day will come when parents and teachers will suddenly wake up and realise what an awful song this is to teach to children. In the meantime, we can only hope that the children of today and tomorrow have no idea of what it all means anyway!

Ray Vincent

Write for Rights

During  the service  on the first Sunday of Advent we  sang:
 "Cry  'Freedom' for dictators
   in their fortresses confined
   who hide behind their bodyguards
   and fear the open mind.
   and bid them find true freedom
   in the good of humankind"

We remembered those who suffer, unjustly, in different parts of the globe:

Gao Zhisheng, a human rights lawyer, has suffered disappearance, torture, imprisonment and house arrest because of his work; the Deep Sea Settlement, a Nariobi slum, is home to around 10,000 people who live under constant threat of being evicted; Reggie Clemens is on death row in USA for a crime for which he protests his innocence, and for which the evidence is shaky; Azza Hilal Ahmad Suleiman is fighting for justice after Egyptian soldiers attacked her during a large protest in 2011.

To these and others we signed  greetings cards.  Details of these  and other people who need our solidarity and our prayers  are published by Amnesty International.

There was a 'buzz', as people moved around church, talking, signing and reading about people and their horrendous situations. Others sat in their seats, listening to music and watching  images on powerpoint.   This, too,  is worship.

It is fitting, as we recall the violent and turbulent world into which Christ, the Prince of Peace was born, that we remember those whose human rights are violated by governments and dictators today.

In Afghanistan, a  grassroots, feminist group called Young Women for Change (YWC)  is helping women to take greater part in social and political life.  It  runs a programme of films, lectures and courses. It has led two protests asking for justice for women experience violence. It has set up an internet cafe for women and a learning centre where women teach literacy, language and vocational skills.  YWC has both men and women volunteers.

As suggested by Amnesty International, we  expressed our solidarity with  YWC by uploading photographs of  the congregation and of individuals and family groups, holding  this message:
   'Injustice to  one woman is injustice to the entire human race.
    Wherever you are, be the voice of equality.'

Freedom Feast

“Why does the UK government continue to delay signing an agreement which it urges on other countries?”

This is the simple question that we were urged to ask our MP by the Rev. Roy Jenkins at this year’s Freedom Feast.

The United Kingdom remains the only state in western Europe, except Switzerland, not to sign and ratify the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearance.  ‘Disappearance’ is a practice used to silence political dissent and persecute religious and ethnic minorities.

Roy told us stories of how delegations from Christians Against Torture have met with the Minister of State for Justice, Lord McNally and separately with officials of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office who acknowledge that progress has been slow and that the failure of the UK to sign the convention is now an international embarrassment.  Roy was asked by Lord McNally to not give up putting pressure on the government, which is why Christians Against Torture have initiated their campaign to encourage people to write to their MPs asking why the UK have not yet signed the convention.

For more details about this campaign read the newsletter.

The Freedom Feast is an initiative of Christians Against Torture and has been held annually by Christians in Pontypridd for many years.

This year Cerys, Chris, Fiona, Maralyn, Richard, Roy and Tony met at St. Dyfrig’s Roman Catholic Church to enjoy a ‘bring and share’ meal and to listen to the stories of people the world over who are prisoners of conscience or who have been tortured.

We wrote messages of support to Gao Zhisheng and William Shaiboub and also to the campaign group All Pakistan Minorities Alliance, which works for religious believers of all faiths.  If you would like to send cards to these people, the details can be seen on the ChristmasAction 2012 sheet.

Together with campaigning and supporting prisoners of conscience we also pray. This we did in an act of worship that preceded our meal.  It is not easy listening to harrowing stories of torture and 'disappearance', but through simple actions like praying, writing cards of support, writing campaign letters, we lift up our hearts in encouragement that we too can play our part to bring an end to this suffering and bring Freedom to all.