At D+1 tonight for a joint service.  Pretty poor turnout of my folk but to be honest probably would have been much the same had we been on our own.

It was 'a service in three parts' and it was very effective.

Part 1 beginning with Psalm 131 (weaned child on mother's knee) was about human mothers and was handled with appropriate sensitivity to those who aren't, without demeaning those who are, and had careful acknowledgement of when motherhood is trial rather than joy

Part 2 was about church as mother, picking up on the Ephesians 5 image of the church as feminine and bride of Christ, and spoke of the church birthing new Christians and then nurturing them.  This section culminated in Communion and I was invited to do the thanksgiving prayer - just wished I could have recalled more of the Mother's Shabbat prayer as it would have fitted; in the end I used the opening line (Blessed art Thou, oh Lord, our God, King of the Universe) and then extemporised.

Part 3 was about God as mother, drawing on a couple of beautiful images from Isaiah 49:15 (can a mother forget the baby at her breast) and Isaiah 66:10-13 (As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you) and the lovely Lukan hen and chicks.

It was a very comforting service - or at least I found it so - though I guess some may have found the feminine imagery a bit challenging.

Definitely a good approach to Mothering Sunday/Mother's Day, and it was a good place to be.

Today I was leading some GB Young Leaders' training and this year, because the chaplain has a 6 month old baby, I landed the 'Faith Issues' section.  There were some fascinating discussions and a real sense of the difference the 30 years since I did the equivalent courses (scary!) makes.

With the oldest group, aged 16-18, one of the questions we explored was the concept of a perfect Christian.  According to them it is a person who

• Knows the whole Bible off by heart
• Goes to church
• Prays
• Is kind and supportive to everyone whatever they believe or don't
• Respects other faiths

Oh, and when offered to chance to add some kind of 'super power' one of them said 'can fly.'  I was struck by the very inclusive take on Christianity and other faiths that these girls had, not least as I know that some of the churches they are linked with do not! 

With another group (14-15) we talked about God's characteristics - and they came up with a God who was kind, supportive and 'there for you no matter what'.  Given that some of these couldn't't even find the book of Psalms, never mind understand chapter and verse concepts, there was no risk that this lot were 'perfect' Christians knowing the whole Bible off by heart.  I guess it goes to show how culturally out of touch we churchy folk are when we simply reel off a Bible reference and expect people to find it - as my minister said when I was 15 and trying to learn the books of the Bible by heart for some GB test or other, 'they put the contents page in the front for a reason.'  Over the years I've told lots of girls how to interpret chapter and verse references - but it is not exactly part of every day life anymore.

Perhaps most impressive was the middle group who were invited to ponder an image based around a football pitch and identify where they would place themselves - on the pitch, in the stands watching, on the reserves bench, in the changing room warming up, in the showers cooling off!  One (a Baptist) said she thought she was on the reserve bench, as she was keen to be Baptised and waiting to start her preparation classes; another, (a Methodist) said much the same, she'd been confirmed last year and wanted to get more involved but wasn't quite sure how.  One took great courage - masked by giggles - to say she thought she was an observer in the stands, she didn't go to church all that often, but she was 'quite interested' and 'one day' would get more involved.  Just in case anyone thinks I automatically equate church going with Christian faith, I don't.  But I was impressed by the honesty of these girls and their willingness to engage with the ideas.

It is good to spend time working in this way, with people who still have minds open to new discoveries - albeit with the arrogance of youth mixed in.  I have very fond memories of my own YL training back in the late 70's and early 80's, when we used to spend a weekend at Grendon Hall in Northamptonshire.  And even though in those days you could fail for uniform imperfections, spent hours learning colour drill and had to learn loads of useless facts off by heart, it was undoubtedly significant in my own faith and personal development.

All these years on, I am a far from perfect Christian, still don't know the Bible off by heart (!) but am eternally grateful to the supportive, encouraging God who is always there.  Yup, I think these girls got a lot right today.

This is a definition of a sacrament I heard today and (fanfares from my sacramentalist heretic friends) it is one I can buy - though not necessarily as my very long suffering friend, who shared it understands, it because she would link it to a promise that God meets us, and I haven't got that bit (yet...?).

Today God met me in Mrs Bridges Tea Rooms * in Leicester where I enjoyed a wonderful smoked salmon, avacado and various other bits baguette washed down with cranberry presse.  So that would make that a sacramental experience (which my friend would own, in theory anyway (it may not have been so for her)) if not a sacrament per se.

I'd still argue that the two rites Baptists celebrate are ordinances even if they are also in some sense sacramental (ha, I'm not giving in THAT easily!!).  I think the dicipleship. obedience, aspect is too important to dismiss, as is the case in some sacramental theologies.  (Not suggesting you do friend of mine)

I guess the truth is that its a bit of both and a whole lot of neither - otherwise we have it too neatly stitched up and cease to allow God to be God.

Anyway, thank you kind and generous friend for food for my body and food for my mind and for giving me a space where God, in you, met me.

  *  Caution though, Mrs Bridges is a wonderful place but you need real old fangled cash as they don't accept cards!! 

I do wonder what the world is coming to sometimes!  In the last week I've heard two accounts of leap year madness...

• an assertion that the extra day means people have to work another day and so should be paid overtime for it
• an assertion that this is a 'free' day and so people don't need to go to work

In all my 45 years I've never heard any such nonsense before (although I do seem to recall hearing that in Germany when they began daylight savings hotels adjusted bills to reflect the extra/lesser hour).  Is this just greed gone mad?  I always thought the only concession of Leap Year's Day was that women could propose to men - though in our culture maybe that's now just an ancient memory.

Maybe the March madness will be a little more sane?!

Right, no more distraction, must get some admin done before lunch time prayers...

Scripture Union have just published a set of books which tell "the 10 most iconic stories from the Bible'" - the 'Must Know Stories.'   What intrigues me is how they decided which 10 to include - and why.  Some would be in my top 10, others probably wouldn't.  I am intrigued, and more than a tad disappointed, that the cover picture on three of the four features apples and snakes - could we not have had something that expresses God's love and creativity rather than human sin and finitiude (the fourth book, the second aimed at 5-8's has Noah's ark on the cover).

So here's their top ten - what would you change?

1. The birth of Jesus
2. Jesus' death & resurrection
3. Adam & Eve/creation
4. The good Samaritan
5. The 10 Commandments
6. The prodigal son
7. Noah's ark
8. David & Goliath
9. Daniel in the lion's den
10. Feeding the 5000

I hope they don't appear in this order - the Bible is confusing enough anyway but if we begin with Jesus (a good place, I'd agree) and then move all over the place in time then we might be causing as much confusion as we overcome.

I'm not seeting out to knock the books - I'm sure they are a great resource for people who know how to use them, just not sure these are my top 10 stories or the order I'd tell them.