Theology, Ministry & Mission... that's what we teach academically at vicar school, alongside and incorporating ministerial formation for a number of traditions.  But just what do we mean by those words?

Yesterday was a day that seemed to capture something of the essence as it really was a bit of everything...

I preached on the Lectionary readings of Isaiah 65: 17 - 25 and 2 Thessalonians 3: 6 - 13 about the God of hope who rejoices in all that God has made, about the vision of a new or renewed creation characterised by flourishing for all life... and about the need for us to get stuck in and help bring it to pass.

As part of the service we prayed with and for two people we've been supporting to differing degrees in the asylum process, one moving elsewhere to dispersal accommodation (which they are pleased about), one staying put in permanent accommodation (which they are delighted with).  We are also just starting to get to know another who has been dispersed here.

We had a fire drill - and with real good humour everyone cleared the building and assembled in under two minutes.  We learned how we could do this even better another time.

We are lunch together - delicious veggie and meaty stews with pickles, followed by apple sponge and cream. And as part of this raised money for Home Mission.

In coming weeks, we will hold a toy service, gathering gifts for people trapped in poverty; we will host a radio Stoke Christmas Coffee Morning; we will hold our first Community Carol Festival; we will make Advent wreaths as an act of worship, we will sing carols by candlelight, and we will hold a Christingle Service - and more besides.

This is mission.  This is ministry... Messy, unpredictable, costly and courageous.  And the God who dreams of a renewed creation abso-bloomin'-lutely loves it! 

Today, as I do when I am not preaching on a 'second Sunday' I was helping with out Messy Sunday School - we use Messy Church (and other) resources and adapt them for out context.  Today the children had opportunity to make poppies from play-doh and from paper, among other activities designed to help them engage with Remembrance.

We learned about the meanings of different colours of poppies, and why people might choose to wear them.  I learned something new too - as black poppies weren't something I could recall hearing about before...these recall the lives of African, and African heritage people whose lives were lost in wars.

Today I stumbled across this tweet from RBL about poppies which seems helpful...

We live in a world marred by violence... whether that is drone strikes in Ukraine, bulldozers in Gaza, shootings in north Amrican high schools, stabbing on trains or high streets in the UK, or domestic violence hidden behind closed doors.

We live in a world where peace, however we describe it, is in short supply.

And so I think it is important to remember... not to glorify (the Great War poets debunked that myth long ago) not to celebrate 'us' beating 'them' (because 'they' are, after all, 'us') but with sobriety and sadness to keep in mind both the devastation of war and the hope of peace.

This year, my 'Poppy Scotland' poppy came from Edinburgh, my 'RBL' poppy from Crewe railway station (where they seemed to have uncovered a stash of poppies with plastic stems), the 'Peace Pledge Union' is an old one, stored away each year.

I remember and honour conscripts and volunteers who served and serve in the armed forces
I remember and honour those whose consciences meant and mean refusal to serve in armed forces
I remember and honour the animals - horses, dogs, pigeons and cats - who found and find themselves conscripted for military service

I remember - and choose never to forget - both the potential for human inhumanity and the hoped for promise of eternal peace.         

On the 30th October 2005 this blog was born.  It was a time before social media platforms really took off, and when several ministers and theologians I knew created online reflective spaces to share ideas.

Twenty years on many, maybe most, of those blogs are long gone, their writers either having moved to social media platforms, or having abandoned this form of communication.  For me, having been drawn into personal and professional use of social media spaces has had an adverse effect on my practice of blogging, especially since the pandemic of 2020.  Yet, here I still am, and here you faithful, generous, gracious and kind followers still are.

I am advance posting this, partly so that I don't forget, to ensure that come the day, this milestone is marked.

So whether you have followed for 20 years, 20 posts or 20 minutes, THANK YOU for reading this stuff. 
Whether you comment, email or lurk, THANK YOU for pondering this stuff
Wherever and whoever you are, THANK YOU for being the unique, precious and wonderful people you are.

Will this blog make it another milestone birthday?  Who knows, for nothing is ever promised.  But, to borrow an oft quoted quote, 'for what has been, thank you, for what's to come, yes'.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLOG!       

Last week I was at an event for Transitional Ministers where we share ideas and offer peer support.  It's a good thing, and I appreciate the wisdom and insight of my colleagues.  One of the resources that was recommended was the book photographed above, which I managed to pick up second hand.

On Monday I spent about two and a half hours skim-reading the book and making notes, which I then shared with the group.  That others found the notes helpful is a bonus, because for me the real joy was discovering that I could do this... ever since my chemo back in 2010, I have had long-term mild cognitive effects including days when I can't focus to read, as well as difficulty retaining information/memory loss. As the international expert at a conference I once chaired on this topic noted, it's often the most high-functioning people with the best coping strategies who are most aware of this... For fifteen years I have operated successfully even with this reality, and have accepted it as the status quo, but maybe, just maybe, I have rediscovered an ability I thought I'd lost for good... and if not, well it was good to be able to do it on Monday!