Category:Uncategorized

“Let both of them grow together until the harvest.” Jesus, in Matthew 13:24-30,36-43.



”The time will come that gold will hold no comparison to a bushel of wheat.” 

Brigham Young

Today’s Gospel reading is the parable of the wheat and tares, which Jesus likens to the kingdom of heaven. A farmer has sown good seed but, when it starts to grow, weeds are appearing too – probably darnel, which looks much like wheat at first but is poisonous in large quantities and means that the flour can’t be used if it’s mixed with the wheat. The servants are anxious to pull out the tares before they can ruin the crop but, as the roots entwine, this would pull up the wheat too. In those days, farmers would be dependent on good seed as well as the right weather and, without the sprays often used today, malicious action by an enemy could have disastrous results. The enemy is not named in Jesus’ parable but the workers are indignant at what’s happened – possibly in case they might be blamed. They have also done the hard work of preparing the ground and sowing the seed so they are the ones who want to uproot the weeds in the hope that the wheat will flourish through what they do. 

However, the farmer wants it all left until the harvest, as it can then be more easily separated with the wheat being stored and the tares burnt. Rather than finding an immediate solution which may do harm, he chooses to wait and patience is required until the time is right and the damage can be minimised. Patience that is sometimes so hard to endure – many have prayed for patience and wanted it NOW!

That may be hard for the workers who are perhaps more used to smaller tasks and short-term goals. Patience is also a quality required here as the harvesting of the hillside’s trees continues – as one of the harvesters said, it should look fine again in only forty years from now!

With Ukraine and Russia supplying 28% of the world’s wheat exports and the price fluctuating hugely because of the war and the resultant rising cost of living, Jesus’ parable is particularly appropriate. In the challenges being faced individually and collectively, patience can at times become procrastination and, two thousand years later, his message is still pertinent. When Jesus likens the kingdom of God to a field where wheat and weeds are growing  together, it’s a reminder to his followers that this is to be expected as part of God’s kingdom here on earth. So, finding wheat and tares together is actually a sign of the kingdom. Any news broadcast shows that good and evil, fruitfulness and weeds are entwined in our world today and that needs to be recognised as part of the growth until the time is right for harvesting.

Potential crop and tares are present in every life, too; are we, like those workers, wanting to rush in quickly to overcome challenges and risk further damage? Perhaps we identify with the farmer, showing patience and longer-term planning? So, if weeds and woes seem to be dominant, take heart – it may be a reminder that the crop is growing too, entwined until the time is right for harvesting. That time may be nearer than is realised – as Jesus says, “Let anyone with ears listen!” (v43)

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

 “Let anyone with ears listen!” Jesus in St Matthew 13-1-9, 18-23. 

”They try to destroy us but as long as we come here and play music we are the first green grass which comes out of the ruins.” The unnamed cellist brother of conductor Dalia Stasevska on playing Bach in the ruined concert hall in Bucha, Ukraine.


Today’s Gospel is a parable – an earthly story with a heavenly meaning – and is just one of the seven parables found in the thirteenth chapter of St Matthew. Unlike the other parables, where Jesus likens them to illustrating something to do with the kingdom of heaven, this parable simply begins with a farmer going out to sow seed, an image which would have been very familiar to his rural audience.

Jesus speaks of seed being sown by broadcasting, a method where it is scattered by hand over a fairly large area. In the parable, it falls onto four types of ground: the path, where it’s eaten by the birds; rocky ground where the seed springs up quickly but has little root and soon withers; soil where thorns are so great it can’t grow; good ground, where the seed brings excellent yields. Jesus ends by telling those with ears to listen and this perplexes the disciples, who ask him why he is speaking in parables and so he eventually tells them more plainly what he means.

The sower himself is unnamed but the seed and what happens to it is described in more detail. The grain that falls on the hard path, Jesus suggests, represents the hard-hearted who hear his word but don’t respond to it or are snatched away by wrongdoing. The seed falling onto rocky ground suggests that some followers will appear to flourish at first but will wither when trouble comes their way. On thorny ground, the problems and anxieties of life choke any potential growth but those who hear and respond to the word may be very fruitful. They respond to the good news and resist wrongdoing whilst enduring hardships and overcoming worldly cares. 

However, the generosity – or wastefulness – of the sower is key. Hard ground can be dug for easier growth, rocks and thorny weeds can be removed so that the seed stands the best chance of growing – but this sower has done none of that. He scatters the seed plentifully wherever he chooses – some of it might be wasted, but some might grow, too, even though it falls randomly. A good farmer would prepare his ground thoroughly before sowing the seed and the disciples would have known that. That’s probably why they don’t understand what he’s talking about but, in giving the meaning of this parable to the disciples but not the crowd, Jesus’ words about them listening as well as hearing are key. In speaking so cryptically, Jesus tells them to work out for themselves what he’s saying about God’s kingdom breaking into their lives in unexpected places and times. God’s love is generous – many may have the chance to hear and respond but others will fall away too. For those who receive the word and respond to it, there is hope – God or Jesus may be the sower of the seed but the disciples are asked to join him. They may be able to prepare the land by removing what threatens the word from flourishing – but the sower is key, whereas the seed will germinate where it falls.

Today, this may mean little in light of the prairie fields and large scale drills that are now used by farmers but this week has seen an extraordinary struggle between various broadcasters in the modern sense of the word. An individual unnamed broadcaster, the world famous broadcaster the BBC, the Sun newspaper and the media broadcasts and posts were  engaged in a storm of allegations that sowed rumour and innuendo which ended with Huw Edwards being named and then admitted into hospital with severe mental health issues. As seed needs to be sown in the right places for the best growth, so does truth – clearly a casualty in this week’s events as they are assessed.

However, from the devastation may spring up new realisations of what is heard and said, just as the green shoots of recovery were shown in that concert hall in Ukraine. Here in Melangell’s valley, the first shoots of new life are pushing up on the hillside following the harvesting of its trees and the devastation of the ground. What is being sown in our hearts or lives and where might the first shoots of new life be breaking through as we listen to what our hearts, as well as our ears, are telling us? 

With my prayers; pob bendith

Christine, Guardian.



Following a visit from a group of Quakers from North Wales a member was inspired to felt an image of St Melangell “…immersed in her woodland setting….sheltering her hares…”. This gift arrived unexpectedly in the post. How beautiful and how kind. Thank you



Reflection for the Fifth Sunday after Trinity – Sea Sunday.

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” Jesus, in today’s Gospel Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30. 

‘Sunset and evening star and one clear call for me! And may there be no moaning of the bar when I put out to sea.’ From Tennyson’s poem ‘Crossing the Bar’.

Today is Sea Sunday and it might seem strange to be celebrating it in this landlocked place but all of us are more dependent on seafarers than perhaps we realise. Over 1.5 million seafarers transport over 90% of the world’s goods and, when the various navies, and rescue services are taken into account, our daily lives and the economy are affected by people we don’t know and of whom we are largely unaware. Their lives, and those of their families, can be adversely affected by the conditions in which they work as they are often away from home for long periods of time – sometimes up to a year – which can create feelings of loneliness and depression. Shore leave was often not possible during the pandemic and increasing costs can mean that fewer crew members are employed and have to work longer hours, which can lead to fatigue. It’s important to remember them, especially when supply issues have been a factor recently, with consequences for producers and seafarers as well as consumers. 

Nowadays, huge container ships and enormous naval vessels are capable of great enterprises but, in the time of Jesus, the small wooden boats he would have known nevertheless helped to convey the Gospel to all parts of the world. There are many stories of Jesus using boats and dealing with the weather as well as the missionary voyages of Paul being mapped in the Acts of the Apostles. They were not always straightforward and there are Biblical accounts of disagreements such as that between Paul and Barnabas, who eventually separated and took the Gospel in different directions. They wouldn’t have been sailing for long compared to modern seafarers and so the work of chaplains in the ports today can be very important for welfare concerns. 

One example of this is of a ship recently arriving in North East England with 22 seafarers aboard. When a team visited from the Roman Catholic welfare charity Stella Maris, it was clear that all was not well and their report reads: “It transpired that the crew was under huge mental and physical strain. One confided that, during the voyage to Teesport from the USA, he had only been getting two hours sleep a night because he was so stressed and overworked. He was also concerned that the crew were no longer able to operate the vessels safely as they were all exhausted.” Stella Maris Sea Sunday.

The relevant authorities were notified by Stella Maris and a vessel detention notice was served, so that seafarers could go ashore to recover and 11 were later repatriated. The rest of which Jesus spoke for those who are burdened was provided in his name by the team checking the welfare of those seafarers and it’s a reminder that the cost of our goods and supplies is even greater than we sometimes realise.

The church where I served after ordination had a Rector who owned a narrow boat and he arranged to butty it up with a barge to take the youth group away for a week on the canals. The only person who fell in during the whole time was me and, as my feet touched the slimy mud at the bottom and the filthy waters came up to my neck, I knew that I was dependent on someone else rescuing me as I couldn’t do it myself. What was so disconcerting was the prolonged laughter of all aboard but I was eventually pulled into the barge by those aboard and all was well. When it was time for me to move later on, the Rector reported to the Bishop that my curacy had been successful in all aspects – except seamanship!

He was joking, but every church is also a boat, an ark of salvation where safe passage is offered through the storms of life with Jesus at the helm and the worshippers as the crew – or, sometimes, mutineers! The congregation sits in the nave from the Latin word navis for boat and there are times for all of us when we’ll be dependent on others for our rescue or welfare – and they on us. Perhaps the words of Tennyson’s poem about the voyage we’ll all have to make when crossing from this world to the next are relevant for those who come to mind this Sea Sunday:

“For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place the flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face when I have crost the bar.” Crossing the Bar.

With my prayers; pob bendith

Christine, Priest Guardian.

”Whoever welcomes you welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me.” Jesus, in St Matthew 10:40-42. 

’The whirligig of time brings in his revenges.’ Shakespeare, in Twelfth Night, Act 5.



Soon after I came to St Melangell’s, having woken up early in the morning I decided to do some messy chores in old clothes before beginning my duties as Guardian. I was clearing out the ashes in the wood burner when the pan slipped and my scruffy jeans became covered in what fell out. I was also aware of several sooty smuts on my face but was about to have a shower and thought nothing of it. Before I’d had chance even to wash my hands, there was a knock at the door. I thought it might be my neighbour but, to my consternation, there stood a Russian Orthodox priest in formal dress, even with buckles on his shoes. “Good morning.” he said. “You must be the housekeeper. Is the Guardian at home?”

My welcome of him was clearly not as anticipated! In the Gospel today, Jesus is giving his twelve disciples instructions for what lies ahead and he speaks of being welcomed by those to whom they are sent. Jesus tells them that their welcome includes him and the one who sent him. The difficulty about being welcomed, however, is whether or not the caller comes at a time when the host is ready for them and one of the lessons I learned from my early visitor is always to expect the unexpected here. That includes the late arrival at 9.30pm one night of a party of Greeks – their minibus had broken down and they had to be in London the next morning but were determined to see St Melangell’s before they drove through the night to catch up with their schedule. They were cold, hungry and fed up – but insistent that they must pray at the shrine. As they held their service, I made them something to eat and it was well after midnight when they left, by now tired but happy that they had been able to pray here. Their dedication in doing this was impressive and a welcome change at a time when churches are having to be closed or made redundant through lack of support. 

The pandemic meant that, instead of being welcoming of one another, caution was the order of the day and this is still having its consequences for some. However, other ways were found of being welcoming online or at a distance and these are also having their influence. Each balances the other and, as Shakespeare writes in Twelfth Night, “The whirligig of time brings in his revenges.” A whirligig is a spinning toy going round and round, a reminder that what goes around comes around in life too. The opportunities to welcome others – or not – and be welcomed by them creates the chance also to welcome Jesus and the one who sent him – whether ready or not! 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine

“Nothing is covered up that will not be uncovered and nothing secret that will not become known. What I say to you in the dark, tell in the light.” Jesus in today’s Gospel, Matthew 10:24-39.

“I read an article that said there are three words in the English language that are known throughout the planet. And that’s ‘Coca-Cola’’, ‘God’ and ‘Titanic’. Stockton Rush, CEO of OceanGate, who perished aboard Titan.

The words of Jesus have an added significance in light of the disappearance of Titan, the submersible owned by OceanGate, which was recently lost in darkness as those aboard tried to descend to the wreck of the Titanic on the sea bed 3,800 metres below. It’s now thought that a catastrophic implosion instantly killed the five men inside not long after their descent but, for a while, banging noises picked up by those attempting a rescue seemed to imply that there might be hope. That was not the case, but what was impressive was the way that Canadian, American, French and British ships and technology were provided in an international search which eventually found the debris that was proof that all hope of a rescue had gone. That co-operation will continue as the wreckage is brought up from the darkness of the seabed and pieced together in the light as experts try to decide what caused this and investigations begin. As the family of Hamish Harding commented, “If we can take any small consolation from this tragedy, it’s that we lost him doing what he loved. We know that Hamish would have been immensely proud to see how nations, experts, industry colleagues and friends came together for the search and we extend our heartfelt thanks for all their efforts.” 

By contrast, those whose loved ones perished when a boat overloaded with migrants sank in the waters off the coast of Greece find themselves in a very different situation. Some were rescued but hundreds are still missing and their bodies may never be found, like those aboard the Titan. However, the wealthy tourists on the submersible had been able to afford to pay $250,000 each for their trip whereas many migrants had borrowed heavily to fund their passage and, in one family, seven members of it were missing. Those left now have huge debts to repay but without the income from the new lives being anticipated by those who perished. With the alleged reluctance of the Greek authorities to respond to what was unfolding when it became clear the vessel was in difficulty and the complexity of international responses to illegal immigration, what will now happen to those so adversely affected?

Jesus suggests that what is covered up will be uncovered and that what happens in the dark will be told when the light reveals it. As investigations continue, so the debris on the seabed will tell the story of what happened when it’s pieced together in daylight and examined – a great deal might then be uncovered. Both those aboard Titan and on the migrant boat were aware of the risks they were taking and presumably judged them to be worth it. In these instances, the outcomes were not as hoped but they still show a great deal about what is valued in life – even though the Titanic has now claimed five more souls and Coca-Cola is ahead of God in word recognition! 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.





‘“Your wife Sarah shall have a son.” Now Abraham and Sarah were old….. So Sarah laughed.’ An accurate prophecy in Genesis 18:1-15, despite Sarah’s disbelief.

“Grace and her friend, they fell together, and you just need to be friends with everyone. You need to love everyone and I wish we had more of it…. She loved being here and she loved all of you….you should all feel very blessed.” Sanjoy Kumar, father of one of the murdered students in Nottingham. 

Today is Father’s Day, an American tradition that has its origins in a mining tragedy in 1908 when a service was held to commemorate the 362 men who were killed in West Virginia, leaving widows and over 1,000 children. So it seems appropriate that it’s marked today in the light of so many family tragedies occurring the world over this week. Over 500 people, 100 children amongst them, are missing from a boat full of migrants that sank off the Greek coast; the death toll in the warfare between Russia and Ukraine has been proved by the BBC to be much higher than originally thought; a family has been found dead in a Hounslow flat; three people have been killed and others injured in Nottingham – so many parents and children killed, so much pain and grief to endure. Moreover, the families of those killed in war or lost at sea off Greece may never know where their loved ones are or be able to afford to have their bodies back to bury – a terrible fate for them all to have to live with as desperate risks are taken in the hope of a better life. 

Yet alongside this are the words of hope spoken by the parents and children of those who died in Nottingham. The son of school site manager Ian Coates, who was a valued member of staff, spoke of the simple things he enjoyed, his grandchildren, fishing and supporting Nottingham Forest football club. Ian was coming up to retirement and the two students aged 19 were just completing their first year of study. So much loss, so much possibility for rage or bitterness – and yet, Grace’s mother urged those listening, “Please hold no hate that relates to any colour, sex or religion” while her father spoke of Grace being a blessing. What courage in the face of devastation, a deliberate choice to love and break the cycle of violence that could otherwise have increased. We who have choices where so many do not are blessed in having those options, hard as they may be make. 

That was also reflected in the life of Jesus, who taught his followers to pray Our Father and not My Father and urged them to love one another until he, too, was murdered. His death, stabbed by the nails and spear of the soldiers, was accompanied by the words, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34) That sacrificial love eventually led to resurrection and the hope that death will not have the last word. May it be so in all places where fathers and mothers, sons and daughters grieve and have the choice to be able to show such grace and courage as in Nottingham this week. And may doubters such as Abraham and Sarah, who understandably laughed at the idea that she could have a child in her old age, dare to believe that blessings and heartfelt longings can still be fulfilled whether in anguish or joy and at the start or nearing the end of life’s adventure. 

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.

Sent from my iPad

 

‘A good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.’ Description of Barnabas in Acts 11:24.

‘Rescuing someone who continues to make poor choices is not called love. It’s called enabling. Stop enabling and refuse to be a safety net, so they can grow up.’ 

Reach Out Recovery.

For some time after the Covid pandemic, people were understandably afraid of close contact and gatherings where they thought they might still be at risk. In today’s Epistle it’s clear that, although he’d had a conversion experience on the road to Damascus, the early Christians were still afraid of Saul of Tarsus, who had persecuted them. In Acts 9:26, they doubt that he really has changed his mind and become a follower. Their fear is understandable and it’s Barnabas who convinces them that Saul really has converted to the emerging faith. Barnabas prepares the way for Saul’s acceptance and his later ministry, when he goes to look for Saul (Acts 11:25) and bring him to Antioch where the disciples were first called Christians. He becomes known as the enabler or encourager, which is what the name Barnabas means. 

However, although the two men embark on their first missionary journey with Barnabas’ cousin John Mark to help them, they later have a disagreement about him. The argument is sharp – Paul seems to have had concerns about Mark deserting them in Pamphylia and perhaps Barnabas felt the need to support his family member. It means that they split up with Saul, now Paul, taking Silas to Syria and Barnabas going with Mark to Cyprus. Perhaps it’s a help to know that there were arguments between Christians then just as there are today, but what’s clear is that neither man allows their difference to prevent their outreach continuing. Both Paul and Barnabas enable the evangelism to continue and their separation actually means that the Gospel was then spread in two different directions because of the way they handled the situation. Would t’were so more often!

Today, ‘enabling’ can have a different meaning when used in addictive contexts. As Reach Out Recovery indicates, it’s possible to cover for someone in addiction in the mistaken belief that this is supportive whereas it may actually delay the facing of reality and possible recovery. Perhaps there are situations in our own circumstances where this has happened or a row has created division and, if so, take heart. Paul and Silas were commended by the church at Antioch with no commendation for Barnabas and Mark but perhaps Barnabas’ decision enabled a second chance for his cousin as Paul later wrote, “Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful in my ministry.” (2 Tim. 4:11) 

As Mark was given a second chance perhaps we, or someone we know, deserve one too. If that was considered, would it be enabling as in the example of Barnabas the encourager or perhaps in the context of Reach Out Recovery? And in view of political events now unfolding: would the outcome apply to Boris Johnson, Donald Trump and all the other politicians involved or not?!

With my prayers; pob bendith,

Christine, Guardian.