John Davies - Notes from a small vicar

There is a flame moving through the nation

There is a flame moving through the nation, bringing joy and inspiration to those who witness its power.

There is a flame moving through the nation, passing its light from one person to another. 

There is a flame moving through the nation, bringing people together in celebration and purpose, uniting people of different races, backgrounds, languages and creeds.

It is a flame of vision - for those who bear it, see themselves in a new light.

It is a flame of dreams - for those who witness its effects, begin to imagine new possibilities for the world.

The flame passes from old to young, from man to boy, from woman to girl. It is carried by sleek athletes and those with frailer bodies. By those who run and those who walk. 

The flame illuminates those whose acts of love and devotion to their community are recognised by others.

The flame sparks up for those who attempt good things.

The flame lights up the lives of those who embrace its loving, liberating power.

The flame is on a journey through the nation.

---

The flame ... is the flame of God’s Holy Spirit ...

 

From There is a flame moving through the nation - my Pentecost talk today.

 

On seeking God's protection

I will kindle my fire this morning 

In presence of the holy angels of heaven, 

Without malice, without jealousy, without envy, 

Without fear, without terror of any one under the sun, 

But the Holy Son of God to shield me. 

Without malice, without jealousy, without envy, 

Without fear, without terror of any one under the sun 

But the Holy Son of God to shield me. 

- an old Celtic prayer The Blessing of the Kindling, which closed my talk on seeking God's protection, which also embraced a discussion of Colgate Toothpaste for Complete Dental Protection, Lifebuoy soap, various shampoos, and Cif Power Cream.

All aboard!

The little boat of God’s salvation seems like an eccentric craft on which to negotiate a world which is still wrapped up in trouble. But as Noah, his family, and all the blessed creatures of the earth discovered, it is the only craft which is fit for purpose. It is the jolliest, loveliest, most sensible and safest boat of all. Get on board!

- from my talk, All aboard! at our farmyard Rogation Sunday service today, featuring these Noah and animal puppets onstage, and a congregation including dogs and a pony. [Pic: Paul Kemeny]

Philip and the Ethiopian and the bible exploding in our hands

Gil Bailie says that ‘Philip's insights caused the text from Isaiah to explode in the Ethiopian's [hands].’ When we appreciate the implications of this little story then we might find the Bible exploding in our hands, in much same the way. We know that since that meeting on the road from Jerusalem to Gaza, Christians have read Isaiah’s servant songs as forerunners of the story of the Crucified One.

How can you get from a story of mob violence to the good news of Jesus in one move? It’s an important question for us as we seek to share the good news of Jesus with others - in a violent world.

The Ethiopian eunuch must have felt the tension in the suffering servant story. On the one hand he would have sensed the innocence of the victim and the wrongness of his persecutors, but on the other hand he would have seen how the torment of the victim brought restoration to the community. On the one hand Isaiah writes, ‘He was despised and rejected by others’, and on the other hand the prophet says, ‘He was wounded for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the punishment that made us whole.’ 

In reading the story of the suffering servant this way the Ethiopian eunuch might have been a contemporary man, opening his newspaper to find stories of righteous crowds making common cause by uniting against culprits or adversaries which have been chosen more or less at random. Rioters smashing the shops of neighbours, for instance; punishing the shopkeepers to gain a sense of satisfaction and wholeness for themselves. There is clearly a wrongness in such actions. But for those involved there is a strong sense that their actions put things right.

Violence heals - it is a common myth, the commonest myth in a violent world, even though it is usually hidden from us. It equally applies to nations ‘putting things right’ by dealing violence on others. Since the bombing of the civilians of Dresden and the wholesale destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, questions about the myth of redemptive violence and its hold on us have risen to the surface and simmered. Might these questions lead us to a revelation of the good news of Jesus Christ? 

Reading the story of the suffering servant the Ethiopian eunuch had his eyes opened to the myth of redemptive violence; even as he simultaneously saw the injustice in it. That was the beginning of the opening up of the gospel to him.

- from today's talk, Acts 8 - Turning slaughter to salvation, very much influenced by Gil Bailie's Violence Unveiled, Humanity at the Crossroads. 

On being sheep

Sheep need a leader. And ultimately sheep need a shepherd. And this isn’t a sign of weakness or stupidity. It’s a sign of wisdom and strength.

It's not stupid to want to group together in a big flock. That brings safety and security.  It's not stupid to want to be guided by someone. That brings order and stability. What is stupid is getting mixed up in the wrong flock; what is stupid is following the wrong leader. Jesus said: 'Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves'. [Matthew 7.15] 

Sheep aren't that stupid. They learn quickly which leader to follow. Not the aggressive dog with the growl; not the shrill shouting youths messing about up on the moor. They learn quickly the sound of their shepherd's voice, and it is that which directs their way. 

My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. John 10.27

We are the sheep of Christ. We flock together here, the rams and the lambs, the bold ones and the old ones, the timid ones and the careless ones. Our shepherd expects us to do just three things: to flock together, to listen to his voice, and to embrace the new sheep he will bring in from outside the fold.

- from today's talk, On being sheep.

The disciples: joy in disbelieving

The disciples: joy in disbelieving - today's talk, which owes rather a lot indeed to last week’s talk on Thomas.

Dedication of a Diamond Jubilee Tree

We gathered on Bridestowe Sports Field this morning to plant a White Chestnut - or conker - tree, and dedicate it to commemorate the Queen's Diamond Jubilee (It's her birthday today, I'm told).

Generations of conker players will benefit from this addition to the field. As a wordsmith in the community I was asked to make the dedication, and so this is what I said:

In this Sports Field, 
Place of leisure, enjoyment and play,

We dedicate this Diamond Jubilee tree
In thanksgiving for Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth the Second’s example of dedication and service, for her quiet but certain faith in the higher authority of God.

As we gather here we commit ourselves afresh to serve
Our local community, our nation and our world
For the sake of the common good and the building up of the kingdom of God.

And we pray that this tree will grow and flourish to bring pleasure and enjoyment to generations to come, and inspire them in their lives and service. Amen

 

Thomas - faith in two minds

We should not be afraid to doubt, if we see it as a means of learning and growing in our faith. And we should not be afraid to engage with other people who express their doubts, for Jesus yearns to meet them and show that he accepts them, and say to them, 'Peace be with you'. 

We live in an interesting time and place when it comes to issues of faith and unbelief. On the one hand there is what the previous Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Carey describes as ‘the marginalization of public faith’ where Christian practice is being called into question and challenged by secular voices, as witnessed for instance in the ongoing debate about the suitability of opening council meetings with prayers. On the other hand there is a great deal of evidence to suggest that those outside of religion increasingly see it positively. In his Easter sermon last week the current Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams noted the way in which some secular commentators ‘no longer see [faith] as a brainless and oppressive enemy, it is recognized as a potential ally in challenging a model of human activity and social existence that increasingly feels insane, a model [of] unlimited material growth and individual acquisition.’ The Archbishop said that ‘We may groan in spirit at the reports of how few young people in our country know the Lord's Prayer, but there is plenty to suggest that younger people, while still statistically deeply unlikely to be churchgoers, don't have the hostility to faith that one might expect.’ 

We live in a time and place where no-one can take Christianity for granted any more. Believers and churchgoers can’t assume that their friends and neighbours outside the faith know and understand what it is about. And there are many outside the faith who have genuine interest, genuine questions, sincere doubts. In the spirit of Thomas, this situation should be seen as a good thing, to be embraced; those who have faith should be encouraging others to raise their questions, to air their doubts, we should be thrilled to try to help them in their understanding, we should seek out and encourage such conversations as they will stretch us and challenge us and help us to grow in our faith too.

From my talk today, Thomas - faith in two minds.

 

Surprised by Joy

Surprised by Joy - my Easter talk at four churches today. It has some affinity with a sermon preached at Christ Church Norris Green in 2005, which I recycled as the Vicar's Message in the Lydford magazine this month.  

 

 

The hidden history of God and the people

Some soldiers, who died not in active service, but afterwards, haven't been remembered by the sanctioned historians of the twentieth century's wars. Some ordinary people are making up for that, and revealing these hidden histories. It's a work of the heart with gospel resonances. Hence my talk at the Dedication of the War Memorial Plaque of Servicemen of the Parish who died of their wounds in November and December 1918, at Sourton, today.