Reflection on visit to Bath (1)

Whilst in Bath I took quite a lot of photos.  Some were of noticeboards or signs, to remind me of information.  Lots were of buidlings, or parts of buildings.  Some were things I *might* one day, if I remember, and if a suitable theme ever crops up, use in worship.  Some were touristy.  These four are of banners made by people in some way or other linked to the church I was visiting as part of their millenium celebrations - a teenager's lifetime ago now!

The banners represent, as is surely self-evident, the four seasons.  Each is composed of individual panels which have been skillfully joined together to form a coherent whole, a set of four wall hangings in four alcoves/recesses in the wall of one of the many rooms in the vast premises this congregation enjoys.  People of all ages and abilities completed anything from a small square (or rectangle) in a simple striped design, to a large and complex representation of a tree.  Some were part of the church fellowship. Others were 'service users' of organisations that use the faciltities on offer.  And still more were simply drawn in to the vision of creating the tapestries.  The church is, rightly, proud of these tapestries and what they represent, but there was a sense that they reflect a season now past in the life of the church.

That isn't wrong, indeed it is inevitable - the progression of seasons cannot be halted; it is part of life's "rich tapestry" if you'll pardon the dreadful pun.

There are numerous ways in which I can - and probably will - use these tapestries and their associated story as a resource for my own reflections... the diverse participation, the choice of theme, the decision on where to hang them and so forth being just those which immediately spring to mind.  But today, I find myself wondering in which season that congregation perceives itself to be, and why, and what that means for them as they move forward in to a time of significant change.  It feels wrong to post on here the content of what we shared in the evening service on Sunday, save to note that I reverted to one of the Biblical images/stories/parables that has most significantly impacted my own ministry and spirituality, that of the vine in John 15.

For that congregation, and for my congregation, and indeed for any congregation, there is value, even wisdom, in pondering in which season we find ourselves and what that means for now, and for the future.  For surely the cycle of seasons will move on again, we cannot prevent it.  The challenge, the opportunity, is, I guess to discover our part within it.

To everything a season

A time to design

A time to delegate

A time to stitch

A time to weave the errors inbto a new design

A time to gather panels

And a time to stitch panels together

A time to complete

A time to display

A time to delight in displaying

A time to celebrate

A time to return to the everyday

A time to look back nostaligcally

A time to look forward hopefully

Or apprehensively

Or excitedly

Or sadly

To everything there is a season

And a time to every purpose under heaven

God of all times and all seasons

God of this time and this season

Hold us in your love

Renew us in hope

And lead us in faith

For the sake of Christ

Amen