Recently while playing that joyous weekly game of 'choose the hymns' I came across a new song that I almost chose -then changed my mind when I discovered it contained the words ...

You were lifted on a tree, crying 'Father God, forgive them, Place their punishment on me.' 

I don't mean to be pedantic, well yes, actually I do, but from which gospel is this a quotation?  It certainly isn't in the canon to which I am accustomed.

It is a shame, the song says some good things, and I could, I suppose, simply correct the quotation and write 'altd' on the song sheets.  But I am saddened that there is such a seemingly cavalier attitude towards quoting scripture.  People get very hung up over interpretation of the Bible; it might be nice if we were clear what it said first.

I don't think I'm being 'an old literalist,' just trying to avoid eisegesis (reading 'in' what we think) when we are called to exegesis (reading 'out' what it says).  Misquoting (as distinct from paraphrasing) almost inevitably does the former.

I have a nice little HP3200C flatbed scanner that I purchased for £2 on Ebay to replace my defunct 8 year-old model. The only problem was that the XP driver downloaded from HP's site doesn't have 'logo testing' and my IT skills are not up to fixing XP if it got broken by the scanner driver.  So I bought another secondhand scanner - and still less than buying new - that does meet the needs and is now serving me well.  As a result I have a lovely little scanner available free to good home.

If using a PC you need to be operating under Windows 98/2000/NT; if MAC you'd need to download a driver or see if there is one in your standard options.

You need a parallel port on your computer - that's the big one with pins/pin holes that can also take a printer.  Some more recent laptops evidently don't have them; steam driven desk models should.

The scanner comes with power pack, one parallel lead and CD.  Youi can link a printer to it via a parallel port, so it isn't either/or but both/and.  Set up is pretty obvious/intuitive.

So, the criteria for getting it are...

• You need to be able to collect it or be somewhere I can drop off without making an (extra-)special trip (postage would be more than I paid for it so not economic sense)
• Make a good case why I should choose you (so it helps if I know you!) e.g. poverty, community work, children's/youth work, HMF church and don't have a scanner... you get my drift
• It helps if your case is entertaining to read!

'Bid' by comment no later than noon Dibley Standard Time (aka GMT) on Saturday 27th January 2007.

This morning I read a Maundy Thursday sermon that employed an argument that the foot washing story in John is to be understood primarily as a parable of the purpose of the incarnation, with the stooping signifying descent/kenosis and the footwashing signifying cleansing from sin.

I can buy this up to a point, but am left wondering what I then do with the words of Jesus that form the mandate.  The text is explicitly of example (John 13:15), so if I take literally the idea that the act is a parable of kenosis and atonement do I end up with disicples as either mini-Messiahs or some kind of priests who are able to atone for or absolve sins?

I need to mull this over a lot more as I'm sure I'm missing the point somewhere.  In the meantime I'll stick with my simple reading that it is an example of servant ministry, nothing more complex or less demanding.

Check out here for some entertaining thoughts... and remember chocolate is a vegetable mixed with milk; vegetables are good for you and milk an excellent source of calcium: nuff said.

Yesterday we were involved in two joint services, one purely Baptist, where three (out of four) congregations combined to hear our shared BMS Link Missionary, the other one ecumencial with Anglicans and Methodists where she was also the guest speaker.

The morning service included the now ubiquitous dreadful hymns: there are some excellent things in the Green Book so why do we have to have the awful ones?  Despite that, we had a PowerPoint presentation (what else would you expect from BMS?) and a very informative talk about work being done by United Mission to Nepal, and more specifically the project in which our misisonary has been working, which has now run its course.

The afternoon service was a very different feel, lots of participation from all traditions, PowerPoint everything (with sheets for those who prefer), DVD clip, images, organ and music group, old and new hymns/songs (chosen by me!) and the CTBI liturgy as a framework within which to work.

UMN sees its role as being within the 'universal church' and is non-denominational, so it was an appropriate choice to have our missionary speaking, and her projects - concerning the voiceless and marginalised - in keeping with the theme of the service.

Interestingly my folk split themselves between the two sevices, though with a good overlap, and some elected not to join us.  The reasons for the choices reflect Baptist diversity, but what struck me more was the way that my folk now see themselves as part of the world church (or at least the Dibley and District church) than they did three years ago, and indeed are becoming quite pioneering by Dibley standards in ecumenical working.

While I miss the old pulpit exchanges of my previous incarnations (not a very good metaphor!), it is great to be part of a comfortable ecumenism that can see a BMS missionary as of shared interest, and the holism she spoke of - denominationally and missiologically - as pertinent.

When I first arrived here people were surprised that I was impressed with the Churches Together scene.  I hope that in my two years as chair (which end in June) I will have contributed positively to developing it into something even more helpful in living the gospel.