I am late to Ian McGilchrist but yet another British thinker to be listened to.
In the podcast he reads a poem part of which says,
And in the sea reflected sky,
And in the sky there shines the sun,
Within the sun a bird of gold.
Within the bird there beats a heart,
And from the heart there flows a song,
And in the song there sings a word.
In the word there speaks a world,
A world of joy, a world of grief,
From joy and grief there springs my love.
From there as Martin Shaw says the “Awen” falls.
The mornings are getting lighter, and as I write this, we have had some lovely light days. This year, as I walk, I am noticing the flowers more. Isn’t the blossom a welcome sight! The May, the clean white flowers of Blackthorne, are a delight. Look down at the tiny purple violets, the simple yellows of primroses, and the milky banks of cowslips or peggles. We’ve had the snowdrops, and the dafodils and tulips are to come. All in the freshness of new grass; breath in the wholesomeness of freshly cut grass. Trigger warning: hay-fever!
I can find the mornings an anxious time. Jesus says,
John 8:12 NRSV
…, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.”
https://bible.com/bible/2016/jhn.8.12.NRSV
This I find is hard work to meaningfully realise, and I have had to cultivate practices of waiting and prayer, of active noticing, practices of being with people. Phone apps help to ground me: Lectio365, Prayasyougo, and the church of England’s excellent Everyday Faith.
Find people who bring you life, rambling, running, singing, dancing, or learning something new, visiting the community cafe, community gardening, and crafting together.
You might consider sharing a hot beverage with us at the chapel on a Sunday morning at 930am or a bowl of soup on a Wednesday evening at 7pm. Yes, religion will follow, but you don’t have to stay!
Ingrid Goff-Maidoff writes,
God spoke today in flowers,
and I, who was waiting on words,
almost missed the conversation
The story of Jesus’ visit to the temple as a 12 year old, staying back with the elders and causing his parents to search for him for three days says this
Luke 2:49-50 NRSV
He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them.
https://bible.com/bible/2016/luk.2.49-50.NRSV
If we allow ourselves to see this as a metaphor for today, where is the Father’s house where we must go to to find Jesus?
John 14:23 NRSV
Jesus answered him, “Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. https://bible.com/bible/2016/jhn.14.23.NRSV
So, as we learn obedience to Jesus, firstly, by loving him, there we will find Jesus in the midst. We search for goodness, beauty, and justice and wherever it may be found, find Jesus. Jesus commands us to love God, our neighbour; our enemy, and ourselves. Jesus commands us not to be anxious and draws us to wisdom. He gives us each other to work this out.
All of this formation is experienced face to face with real people: it is found in community. In Paul’s time it was clear where he might find this community.
Acts 16:13 NRSV
On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there.
https://bible.com/bible/2016/act.16.13.NRSV
Where might we find such people in our search? Where is the river for our times? We are if nothing highly connected, but the wise say lack real connection.
Takeley chapel might be a place with religious services. But, as a group of people, we meet for coffee each Sunday morning and soup on Wednesday. And yes, these come first. At about 10am on Sunday, we will read scripture and sing, but the coffee is brewed by 930am. At about 7pm on Wednesday the soup is on the go, all varieties, and at 8pm we will sit in silence and pray. We would be delighted to see you there. What I am saying is, here is a river, here is a place of connection.
So put your phones away and find some real connection with us.
https://ahundredfallingveils.com/2012/04/29/oh-hush-up-and-eat-the-bread/
The bread wants nothing
and nourishes despite.
Nor do I despise myself
for the longing to be loved.
Well, not much.
https://thebiblefornormalpeople.com/episode-284-jennifer-g-bird-the-myth-of-biblical-marriage/
Jennifer G. Bird joins Jared and Angela Parker to bust the myth of “biblical” marriage. She dives into the ways scripture has been used to enforce traditional gender roles, the cultural assumptions embedded in biblical texts about marriage, sex, and property rights, and how these interpretations have influenced Christian thought.
Recently, I have been contemplating Matthew 7 with the guidance of Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship. To start at the end, we get the parable of the person building their house on the sand and the one building their house on the rock.
Matthew 7:24-27 NRSV
“Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell—and great was its fall!”
https://bible.com/bible/2016/mat.7.24-27.NRSV
In a way, it rounds off this whole section of teachings, but for me, it refers quite closely to the way through Chaperer 7.
The chapter begins by warning us not to judge others.
Matthew 7:1-2 NRSV
“Do not judge, so that you may not be judged. For with the judgment you make you will be judged, and the measure you give will be the measure you get.
https://bible.com/bible/2016/mat.7.1-2.NRSV
Bonhoeffer reminds us that the story of original sin was to pick fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. To believe ourselves to be the judge is not right as the place of judgement is the cross, and judgment is rightfully the Lord’s. We are to look on Jesus and see all else in relation to his love for all. We are not to judge but to love.
And then this peculiare saying;
Matthew 7:6 NRSV
“Do not give what is holy to dogs; and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under foot and turn and maul you.
https://bible.com/bible/2016/mat.7.6.NRSV
Apt, in that through judging, we profane the holy; we despoil the revelation of truth that opens our eyes to the right way by misapplication of the truth spoken to us to others. In order to speak, we need to be humbled by the realisation of our own needs, else the measure we get hurts.
Jesus says;
Matthew 7:7 NRSV
“Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. https://bible.com/bible/2016/mat.7.7.NRSV
We move from judgement to trust. It is in our hearts to be right. In speaking our own righteousness, we get hurt. The true path is prayer, and with our creator, we can intercede creatively and be transformed and sustained and see things change.
The movement continues laying aside our desire to judge, to love prayerfully and compassionately with kindness.
Matthew 7:12 NRSV
“In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets.
https://bible.com/bible/2016/mat.7.12.NRSV
It’s how we are that leads others to a better way, not our judgement. That way leads only to violence, which is a wide path.
Matthew 7:13-14 NRSV
“Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road is easy that leads to destruction, and there are many who take it. For the gate is narrow and the road is hard that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
https://bible.com/bible/2016/mat.7.13-14.NRSV
And here Jesus makes it plain. Only the few will be able to hear this. We are called to be of the few. It is in the twos and threes that Jesus is present. The body of Christ is made up of the few, a community of small communities gathered around Christ. Jesus knows what is in people’s hearts, and Bonhoeffer refers us back to the temptation Jesus experienced in the dessert, to be popular, one leading many.
Matthew 7:15-16 NRSV
“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles?
https://bible.com/bible/2016/mat.7.15-16.NRSV
The temptations of being popular, gathered around strong leadership, have left thousands on the wrong side of the truth. It’s not the Law and the Prophets that lead us to God. This is death. Encountering Christ leads us to the Law and the Prophets, schooling us in love and opening our eyes to our own pride and arrogance, bringing life. We preach to those we love.
Matthew 7:21 NRSV
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven.
https://bible.com/bible/2016/mat.7.21.NRSV
Our distinctive, Jesus teaches, is to love as Jesus loves, self sacrificially and without coercion. If we find ourselves distinct because of our judgement of others then however successful we may appear, we are wrong.
It’s a hard saying, and we are back to where we started; all these sayings are the foundation we build on for the day of trouble. To end at the start, Jesus, before he embarked on this section of teaching, said,
Matthew 6:34 NRSV
[34] “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.
https://bible.com/bible/2016/mat.6.34.NRSV
1 Corinthians 16:21-22 NRSV
I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Let anyone be accursed who has no love for the Lord. Our Lord, come!
https://bible.com/bible/2016/1co.16.21-22.NRSV
This is written to the gathering at Corinth and to us. Church might be difficult, but its nucleus is a loving community.
Where church is seen to be the gathering, but its heartbeat is not love, its faith not alive with hope for each and everyone, its purpose to be a gatekeeper to the sacred, Jesus is not there. But in the gathering where two or three gather in love, in the name of Jesus, he is there, and love is lived out.
Then some harsh words from Paul.
33 I will sing to the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praise to my God while I have being.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the LORD.
35 Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more! Bless the LORD, O my soul! Praise the LORD! http://esv.to/Ps104.33-35
Beauty calls us out to wonder at the works of the Creator. As we rest, still on the presence of the one who formed us in the womb we know our needs. For a moment we can push these away and allow space for the LORD to breath his Spirit into us, to take us to a place of Light and Life. Then we are awakened to the world, beacons of peace and gentleness, in imitation of Christ.
Bless the LORD for our bodies and our voices to proclaim his holiness.
Bless the LORD who provides enough for each day.
Bless the LORD who is almighty and humble of spirit.
Bless the LORD who heals all flesh and does wondrous works.
May we be protected from ourselves and delivered from the evil one. We long to see sin consumed from the earth and sinners transformed to become worshippers of the Living God so that wickedness ceases. Begin with us first LORD!
In Jesus we have seen the proud scattered in their thoughts and the mighty brought down from their thrones.
Bless the LORD who fills us with good things.
M Emlyn Humphries 