Category: Blog Entry

Easter Sermon is written.  Always haunted by that idiotic story of the preacher eating the daffodil.  The danger at Easter is that you deal it by playing with different levels of meaning in the words – rather than dealing with faith.  But Trinity Sunday is genuinely difficult.  It’s hard to make it mean something which people can grasp.  I used to massage the preaching rota …..

Easter St Ninians 4.2006.doc

Well that became a sort of milestone for me – never having done the full three hours before.  Once I got over my irrational fear of having no material left after an hour and a half – I was all right.  I suppose what is different is the fact of having such an enormous canvas to work on.  That does make it possible to do things – to create moods and to vary pace – in a way which is impossible within the everyday constraints of worship and preaching.  But, in my heart of hearts, I still prefer the broadcasting challenge of three minutes, no more, no less.  And if you can’t say it with economy  ……

We are getting better at recognising the power of ritual action.  Strange that some would want to condemn ritual as always ’empty’  In fact it has the power to place you uncomfortably within a new value system – as in the washing of feet I was involved in this evening.  And it’s universal – like the one I was involved in in a South African township where I understood none of the words.  It is unsettling, it invades comfort zones, it undermines power systems.  That’s why Jesus did it and so should we

Chrism Mass Maundy Thursday 13.4.06.doc

Chrism Mass – renewal of ordination vows for me and for our clergy tomorrow.  The basin and towel are, of course, the standard for servant ministry.  Inevitably, much of what I do is to work with relationships in congregations.  How do we exercise ‘servant leadership’?  What does authority mean when ministry is shared?  How do we deal with people who wish to act as masters rather than servants?  How do we take responsibility without taking it away from others?  If there is a magic in all of this, I suspect that it lies somewhere in the growth of grace which happens when we learn to give ministry away – rather than holding onto it to make ourselves feel useful.

Seen in Perth this afternoon:

‘Huge bird flu exclusion area concern’

I’m working on Good Friday at present – the traditional Three Hours from 12-3 pm.  It sounds like a lot and it is – and the problem is that to fill three hours with words doesn’t really meet the need.  Traditionally, it is words – the seven last words of Jesus.  But, for me, it is sounds – clinking of Judas’ 30 pieces of silver, the shouting of crowds, the sound of Pilate washing his hands,  banging in of nails … and finally the words of the Centurion, ‘Truly this was the Son of God’

I’m still working through the boxes and trying to make books self-destruct and vanish rather than continue to breed.  Came across a BCP given to my paternal grandfather, David Hare Chillingworth, ‘from the congregation of Holy Trinity Church, Cloudesley Square, as a mark of their esteem, affection and respect ……   June 29, 1915.  My maternal grandfather was also a priest – as was his father-in-law.  No wonder I sometimes have that ‘been here before’ feeling.  Fortunately, my own children seem to have it well squeezed out of the system.

I hope I have got better at squeezing Ireland out of my system.  But I’ll allow myself one grumble at the performance of the NI politicians this week when challenged by Tony Blair and Bertie Ahern to find agreement by November or face close-down.  I listened to Martin Maguinness on the Today programme talking, talking .. until they thanked him and faded him out.  And the Unionist politicians were little better.  I know better than most how difficult it is and the record of the churches is less than wonderful.  But somewhere at some time some real leadership is going to have to enter into the situation.  What people outside find difficult to understand is how the ending of violence has actually made the gap and the bitterness between the communities seem greater than before.  It’s because enhanced expection of change [in the Catholic/nationalist/republican community] meets enhanced fear of change [in the Protestant/unionist community]