Both our colds are getting worse.
There was an outbreak of South African termites in the kitchens, people were asked to check their cereal carefully. It is of course 'All fools day'
Session 3 Truly I say to you today you will be with me in paradise.
It is only fair to note that I had a problem engaging with the material this morning, but here's what I got:
The reading was from Luke were one of the criminals is asking for help, and the other is abusive. Someone has said that these are two sides of the same coin. Both are in all of us.
Adrian played “Burdens of guilt” an attempt to get inside Judas, and suggests that Judas was aware of what he was doing and that life would not be worth living afterwards. He suggests there is some connection between the criminal on the cross and Judas. While his effort makes for some good music (good here equates to what I like to listen to), I'm not so sure that getting too deeply into Judas is really very helpful. There seems to have been an attempt to somehow rehabilitate him recently. The Gospel of Judas making quite a comeback, but it was not added to the cannon of scripture for a reason. Personally I find this unhelpful, I have enough sins of my own to deal with to concentrate on someone else's – someone whose life I cannot influence.
Repentance was the real message this morning. A piece from Tolstoy was read that talks about “What had seemed good seems evil, and what had seemed evil seems good” It describes the turning around that repentance means.
Then then was some talk of 'collective repentance' and the South African Apartheid regime falling. It was a view that was entirely new to me, and I have yet to assimilate it. The message I get from the amazing change in S.A. Is forgiveness, not repentance. The Truth and Justice commission provided a means for the awful things that were done to be brought into the public domain without the need for revenge. What I did not, and still cannot see is any corporate repentance. I have not heard of a large number of the former leadership, and the church that supported it saying that they were wrong and have changed their approach. Have I missed something?
One good story came from it though.
This for me is an illustration of faith:
Archbishop Desmond Tutu was preaching in his cathedral when several armed police arrived, with journalists with recording equipment in order to get evidence to prosecute him. He stopped preaching and watched them closely. Eventually he said “Since you have already lost, why don't you come and join the winning side. He smiled at them a knowing but sincere smile. The effect was not on those who had come to collect the evidence, but on his congregation, who rose up dancing and celebrating. They danced out of the church, and the police waiting outside moved out of their way.
The people who responded to requests for material for this section of the book concentrated on Social sins, such as:
environmental damage
valuing people for how they look not who they are
the inequality between rich and poor
We were asked what our grandchildren would look back at and say “How can you have let that happen?”
My favourite candidates for the answer are:
Genocide: Rwanda, Bosnia, Darfur, and there will be others.
Euthanasia, already practised in some places, and soon to become para-legal in the UK, I expect.
Abortion.
The rest of it I largely lost until the reflection questions at the end.
What are the joys our faith brings?
What are we struggling with? - need to repent of?
I may choose to try to answer these later, but certainly not just at the moment.
Session 4 – Woman Behold your son! Behold your mother!
At the start of this session I was handed a chime bar, along with seven others and invited to join in. Me, perhaps the least musical person in the room! 'So how did it go?', I hear you ask. How can I tell, I'm probably the least musical person in the room!
Nothing but goodness, nothing but peace,
nothing but heaven's sweet release
Don't you know that its all coming true
One day we'll all be shining new
Adrian Snell
We sang the song together and Adrian played, and sang other parts.
The dream of the rood screen. A rood screen separates the chancel from the Nave - that I knew. What I didn't know was that they have the picture of Jesus handing Mary over to John's keeping. I had never heard of theis poem before, so I'll have to do more research on early English Christianity.
Adrian sag a song from The passion which tells the story of these verses. It contains the line:
“Shout what you can see, my power can set them free”.
I supposed it is directed at John in the song, but it hit me that I don't shout about 'what I can see', although I am clear with people that I'm a Christian, I rarely if ever check that their understanding and mine are similar.
Lynton
In the afternoon we went into Lynton to get some stocks of supplies – fish, bread, milk and vegetables. We had a coffee in a restaurant that sold fair trade coffee. We bought some coasters form a girl who was trying to clear out the shop for the owner to put new stock in, and a couple of candles as presents from a shop that had a notice that said
“We lost our butcher,
we lost our baker
support you local candle maker”
Nice – clever I like it.
He starts work at 5am 7 days a week and most days he will still be going at 5pm – when the shop shuts, he told us he loves his work – I should think he would have to.
In one of the shops where we bought some Exmoor honey. I still had my Lee Abbey badge on, the shopkeeper checked we had come from Lee Abbey, then mentioned how appropriate my name was. - I'd never thought of that before! It reminds me of the Monty Python's Travel Agent Sketch and Mr Smoketoomuch.
how did I respond – badly as usual - 'I was born with it, well most of it' lame or what?
Chat Room – Evening meeting
Adrian and Edmund answering questions and doing room 101. Quite enjoyable. Adrian has quite a wicked sense of humour when he gets going.
Nearly got a chance to speak to Edmund, but he was interrupted – how rude.
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