“If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!” The soldiers at the foot of the cross in today’s Gospel, Luke 23:33-43.
“Royalty is not about being served. It’s about serving.” Queen Elizabeth ll.
Today is the feast of Christ the King, whose values contrast sharply with more traditional images of kingship, power and authority. As shown in the Gospel, this is not a king clad in fine robes but naked on the cross, his scarred body bearing the marks of the terrible suffering he has already endured. His crown has been fashioned of thorns, not gold or jewels, and there is no fine ring on his hands, such as a bishop wears. Rather, nails pierce his wrists and pin him to the wooden cross that is his throne whilst around him are not courtiers but criminals, soldiers and spectators who mock him.
And yet, above this terrible sight, the Kingship of Jesus is proclaimed as the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate, has had inscribed on the cross INRI – Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum, Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews. This is written in Latin, Hebrew and Greek and is a term used by Gentiles such as the Magi at Jesus’ birth (Matthew 2:2) and the Roman soldiers, whereas Jews in the New Testament would have used the title King of Israel. But, regardless of arguments over his kingship, true kingly authority is shown in the encounter with one of the two criminals hanging beside Jesus. The unrepentant thief taunts Jesus but the one who is penitent has, at the last minute, come to recognise his need of forgiveness and he asks Jesus to, “Remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Having been mocked by the soldiers, who tell him to save himself if he really is the King of the Jews, in his final moments Jesus shows his kingly authority by saving the sinner beside him. He tells him he will be with him that day in Paradise and, at a time when he might be completely preoccupied with his own agony, Jesus shows his kingship in the care he gives to others. In the midst of hatred, derision and suffering, words of faith, compassion and hope are heard. What a King is this!
It may be surprising to have the Gospel focus on the crucifixion on the last Sunday of the Church’s year, but as Year C draws to a close, it’s a reminder that the reign of Christ the King depends on our contribution too as Christians follow his example and shape their response to the petition in the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as in heaven.” This year is the centenary of the introduction of this feast, which Pope Pius XI began in 1925 as a response to growing secularism and atheism. Today, with some rulers of the world still exercising power in a way that may undermine democracy or enforce their own authority to the detriment of their peoples, the message and example of Christ the King serves as a potent reminder of the Kingdom being ushered in. In an age of growing secularism, Jesus serves as an unlikely King on the improbable throne of the cross showing all who are willing to consider it the astounding way of God’s love for all humanity. Jesus dies a death he did not deserve for those who turn to him to find what they do not deserve: the Kingdom. And, as the collect suggests, at this tumultuous time, it’s more important than ever that we pray, Almighty God, whose will is to restore all things in your beloved Son, the King of all: govern the hearts and minds of those in authority and bring the families of the nations, divided and torn apart by the ravages of sin, to be subject to his just and gentle rule. As we do, we may recall times when we have been neither just nor gentle in dealing with ourselves or others – or have been treated by them – and much may be churned up as we consider the situations we are in, as well as those of this world’s rulers. But then, this is also Stir Up Sunday and much more is being stirred up than Christmas cakes and puddings! Usually, their mixing is followed by a wish – why not use a prayer instead?
Stir up, we beseech you O Lord, the wills of your faithful people; that they, plenteously bringing forth the fruit of good works, may by you plenteously rewarded, through
“You will be betrayed by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends…” Jesus, in today’s Gospel Luke 21:5-19.
“You don’t know who you might be helping….. It gave us our lives back.” Edward, one of those supported by Children in Need.
Today is Safeguarding Sunday, a campaign organised by Thirtyone:eight to highlight national awareness regarding the protection of vulnerable children and adults. This Christian charity takes its unusual name from Proverbs 31:8 and its advice to, “Speak out on behalf of the voiceless and for the rights of all who are vulnerable.” The theme this year is Action Speaks Louder, encouraging the development of good practice, real change and the building of safer churches, families and communities.
The Church of England has recently received much negative publicity regarding safeguarding issues, just as the Church in Wales has also been in the news for related adverse incidents in Swansea and Brecon as well as at Bangor Cathedral and in other places. It’s a reminder to us all that safeguarding involves current events and not just the historic incidents of regular abuse which were sometimes tolerated or covered up. As some of the adverse publicity shows, the owning of wrongdoing and the learning of lessons from terrible mistakes has been painful in an organisation charged with bringing light, hope and safety to those who turn to it. The Church has sometimes not responded well to allegations made when abuse has been disclosed but the resignation of the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has indicated how seriously safeguarding is now being taken. Whilst that may bring little comfort to those who have suffered so greatly and whose voices have sometimes not been heard, perhaps it may help to know that measures are in place to safeguard the vulnerable in churches, their schools and chaplaincies and all clergy and post holders now have regular training in safeguarding and best practice.
Jesus spoke uncompromisingly of the need for care and protection of the vulnerable: “If any of you put a stumbling block before one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for you if a great millstone were fastened around your neck and you were drowned in the depth of the sea.” Matthew 18.6. In today’s Gospel, he also warns that, “You will be betrayed by parents and brothers, by relatives and friends…” and, although he is talking about the cost of following him then, abuse has been part of this for some who have come to church and not been safeguarded when it was needed.
This, however, is a hard subject as abuse occurs in homes, schools, community groups and places of work as well as churches. Support for the abused and the need to prevent recurrence are both needed but the church has also to be able to minister forgiveness along with healing, and mercy along with justice. Much of the recent adverse publicity has also overlooked the faithful outreach and welcome that many churches have safely provided over the years. And it’s not just in churches that Action Speaks Louder – many community challenges still lie ahead as responsibility is shared in seeking to protect, nurture and safeguard those around us.
Many positive things are resulting too and one person who has taken decisive action is Sarah Cox, the Radio 2 Presenter, who raised awareness as well asat least £9,523,028 in five daysby taking Pudsey Bear to Pudsey in her daily marathons. As she said, “There’s a lot of bad stuff goes on in the world and Children in Need just reminds you that there’s so much more good.” The amount Sarah raised shows the agreement and will of those supporting her with many turning out to cheer her on and raise money for such a worthy cause. Whatever lies ahead, there can be so much more good to celebrate in churches, communities and lives committed to compassion, care and safeguarding. Action Speaks Louder…..
“I’m so sorry. It’s been tearing me apart….. I feel so bad…. All that lying, all that treachery. It was worth it wasn’t it?”
These are the words of Alan Carr, the comedian who won Celebrity Traitors this week. 19 celebrities started out, with the Faithful trying to work out who were Traitors for a prize pot totalling £87,500. Time after time, Faithfuls were banished or murdered with players not having the benefit of the day’s edited highlights and the final episode featured a mission, lies, plotting and counter plots leading eventually to changes of heart and strategy. And so, a Traitor won and a Neuroblastoma Charity for which he has been a faithful ambassador for many years benefitted from the money and the publicity generated as truth eventually prevailed.
The word Traitor may have different resonances this Remembrance Sunday, with William Joyce, known as Lord Haw Haw, being famous for his broadcasts aimed at undermining British morale during World War II, for which he was executed as a traitor in 1946. Warrant Officer Raymond Davies Hughes, from Mold in Flintshire, was known as the Welsh Lord Haw Haw for broadcasting Nazi propaganda in Welsh to troops fighting in the Mediterranean and for other treacherous activities, although he also claimed to have inserted covert pro-Welsh sentiments into the Lord’s Prayer. The non-Welsh speakers working him were unable to detect this so Davies Hughes was only court martialled and sentenced to hard labour, being fortunate to avoid the death penalty. The double agent Arthur Owens from West Wales may also have treacherously liaised with the Nazis as well as enabling MI5 to supply the German Secret Service with false information during the war years. Double standards, deception, plotting and betrayal were played out for real, and often only came to light much later – at the time, it was often hard to discern skilled traitors alongside many who continued faithfully and loyally to obey orders, to do what they could and, in many cases, make the ultimate sacrifice for freedom.
The Duke of Wellington suggested that the Battle of Waterloo was won on the playing fields of Eton and in 1892, the poem Vitaï Lampada, meaning the torch of life, was written by Sir Henry Newbolt following the unsuccessful attempt at rescuing General Gordon and others besieged in Khartoum. Its second verse reflects this spirit as the defensive square formed by soldiers in the Sudan was ruptured:
The sand of the desert is sodden red –
Red with the wreck of the square that broke.
The Gatling’s jammed and the colonel dead,
And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
The river of death has brimmed its banks,
And England’s far and Honour a name,
But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks-
“Play up! Play up! And play the game!”
Play the game. As the poet Robert Brooke urged his friends, “Come and die. It will be great fun.” Sadly for Brooke, he was sent off to the Dardanelles where, instead of dying in hail of bullets which he thought would be heroic, he actually died of an infected mosquito bite on the way to Gallipoli. Fun it was not. Yet, as many declared at the time,“Play up, it’s just a game.”
But is it? During the game of Celebrity Traitors, one of the players declared herself to be flabbergasted by what was happening and a Traitor, Cat, declared herself to have been hoodwinked by a Faithful, Joe. Hoodwinked is an ancient word of Anglo Saxon origin, indicating use of a head covering such as a hood or scarf to blindfold a person accused of treachery or deceit. At the National Memorial Arboretum, there is a poignant image of a blindfolded young man, erected in memory of the many who were shot for cowardice, then regarded as a betrayal of duty and service. Nowadays, it’s recognised that many of these petrified men were young lads scared out of their wits and often having shell shock. Hoodwinked youngsters were often shot as an example to others who might themselves want to flee. But, as many thought, the war was at first expected to be over by Christmas 1914 and would be a bit of a lark and adventure. Play up, play the game.
That was perhaps so with some of the men whose names are on these memorials and with so many other ordinary people who, nevertheless, stepped up and made an extraordinary response to the reality of what was unfolding before them. Today is a time to remember those who died in both world wars and in the conflicts since, some of them still ongoing. Yet the battle against tyranny, treachery and deceit still continues as it did on a train from Doncaster a week ago when a man began stabbing passengers, some of whom were playing games on their iPhones and thought, at first, that a trick was being played on them for Hallowe’en. A game it was not.
Quick thinking by the driver, a passenger and a staff member who put himself in harm’s way, sustaining life-threatening injuries as he fought off the attacker armed with just a frying pan, meant that they undoubtedly saved lives, as did those in other situations: the two men who died protecting others in the Manchester Synagogue for instance; the bravery of Rob Burrows, the Rugby League player fundraising for a centre he would never live to see himself but which would benefit so many others with MND; Virginia Giuffre who courageously wrote of her experiences of being sex trafficked and named those she accused, including Andrew Mountbatten Windsor, yet who found doing this so painful that she took her own life. Many others also courageously endure lives of quieter heroism and defiance as they confront situations such as loneliness, illness, disability, mental health issues, or the struggle of the cost of living. In what do we put our faith and trust as we battle on in our own circumstances today?
“The devil will not win,” screamed the attacker on the Doncaster train. Whether we believe or not in an actual devil, the word evil is in the name and the power of evil and manipulation is alive and at work in our nations and communities today, as is the power of love and hope. Each of us may have to choose between them as we play our part in confronting the real issues before us and we may well encounter game playing, double standards and betrayal as we do, perhaps inflicted on us by others or sometimes inflicted on others by us. Will we “Play up, and play the game?” Have there been times when we’ve later realised that we’ve actually been flabbergasted or hoodwinked? Alan Carr wept as he won Celebrity Traitors, with real emotions breaking through into the game playing and one Faithful still calling another Judas, the Traitor who betrayed Jesus, long after filming ended. Yet, by betraying Jesus, Judas also began events that lead to the resurrection and hope prevailed eventually because of that betrayal and manipulation – that can be so in our own lives and communities too if there is the will for it to be so.
Hope also prevailed in Celebrity Traitors when the uncomfortable truth was revealed in the End Game of the series – just as each one of us is ultimately accountable for the sometimes uncomfortable truth about the reality of our life’s purpose and role playing. This echoes down the ages – “All the world’s a stage and all the men and women the players,” wrote Shakespeare in As you like it. What role is each of us playing and is our performance credible, given that we still have the gift of time and the possibility of change as we play the game of life itself? Liberty means that we have the choice not to behave as others or we may hope, that we can simply opt out of the struggle, become overwhelmed or choose appeasement rather than step up to the challenges being faced. But the prison service, the police, the NHS, the church, law and order, the climate, even freedom itself and so much more all seem to be under attack today – we’re constantly being told Britain is broken and systems aren’t working. Yet Newbolt’s Vitaï Lampada, the torch of life, has been trustingly passed down the generations into our hands and amidst the gloom, apathy and negativity that seem to be growing there are still many opportunities to celebrate the joy and hope of life itself and to do even small things to lighten the darkness and find a better way. This Remembrance Sunday, as we give thanks for the eightieth anniversary of the end of World War Two and for all those who laid down their lives at such cost for the sake of freedom, will our actions, whether varying at times as a Traitor or a Faithful to the legacy of the Fallen or our own standards, honour the sacrifice made at such cost and ensure it was and is worth it?
“Today, salvation has come to this house.” Jesus in Luke 19:1-10.
“One who makes no mistakes makes nothing.” Saint Teresa of Avila.
All Saints’ Day is usually celebrated on 1st November, but this year it’s transferred to 2nd November, so that such an important festival, marking those saints who are famous or obscure, can be commemorated on the nearest Sunday. Accordingly, All Souls’ Day, honouring those who have died, is then transferred to 3rd November. These days traditionally link the saints in heaven, the saints on earth who are still living, and those who have died, the faithful departed. This is also a time to think of those who have encouraged us in our own personal journey of faith and had an influence for good in our lives. Who might those people be?
Today’s Gospel cites an encounter in Jericho which had a great effect on the life of a man often shunned by those around him but welcomed by Jesus. Zacchaeus is a rich chief tax collector but is short and so climbs a sycamore tree to see Jesus as he passes by. When Jesus notices him, he not only knows his name but tells him that he is going to stay at his house that day. Zacchaeus is happy at this but the other onlookers around begin to grumble – and, in the thinking of the day, perhaps for good reason.
In those days tax collectors, the publicani, collected tolls and taxes on behalf of the Romans who were in occupation at the time. The Romans preferred to use locals to enforce payment because they knew the people and locality well – a chief tax collector like Zacchaeus would be in charge of a large area, employing others to gather the taxes for him, from which he would take a cut just as they did. As such, the system was open to bribery and greed, with tax collectors charging more than the actual amount to be paid to the Romans and becoming wealthy through the imposition of taxes that were unpopular and often hard to pay. As a chief tax collector, Luke writes that Zacchaeus was rich – but he was ostracised by others, who grumble when they see Jesus going to be the guest of someone regarded as a sinner for fleecing taxpayers.
However, the effect of having Jesus come to his house is immediate for Zacchaeus, who is transformed by the encounter. He declares that he will give half of his possessions to the poor and will repay four times the amount he has defrauded from others. Even as a rich man, that would represent a significant change in his personal finances and circumstances.
The name Zacchaeus means ‘righteous’ and by vowing to do this, Zacchaeus lives up to it. He makes no mention of future practice but owns the wrongs of his past and does what he can to put things right. Tax collectors are usually linked with sinners in the Bible, St Matthew formerly being one of them, and the translation of verse 8 could also be taken to mean that the crowd has misjudged Zacchaeus and that he is one who has always given alms to the poor and also compensated the defrauded. Whichever it is, it’s clear that the encounter with Jesus brings out the best in Zacchaeus, who Jesus then calls a Son of Abraham. The outcast has become included.
Is Zacchaeus a tax cheat or is he wronged by the crowd and actually a righteous man? Perhaps he is a mixture of both saint and sinner, as we probably are. As the budget draws near and many are concerned about possible increases in taxation and the cost of living, tax evasion (illegal), tax avoidance (legal), scams, cash in hand and other means available through the black economy are still ways of avoiding paying what is usually due to the government and the public purse. This All Saints’ Sunday, as we consider the blend of sinner and saint in us all, would our reaction to taxation or the other pressing issues before us eventually be as righteous as that of Zacchaeus?
“Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Jesus, in Luke 4:16-24.
“This is the day, this is the day!” Hymn by Leslie Garrett.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus has returned to Nazareth where he grew up, having been teaching in the surrounding synagogues and countryside of Galilee. On the sabbath, he goes to synagogue in Nazareth where, as was the custom, he is asked to read from the scriptures and then speak to the congregation. The scroll handed to him is the book of Isaiah and Jesus then reads the prophet’s words proclaiming that the Spirit of the Lord is upon him, that he has been anointed to bring good news to the poor, release for the captives, recovery of sight for the blind, freedom for the oppressed and the proclamation of the year of the Lord’s favour. When he finishes reading, Jesus then states that this familiar prophecy has been fulfilled that very day in the hearing of those present. This becomes, in effect, his mission statement for the next three years and those listening to him receive what he tells them well at first, becoming astounded at what he says to them because they know him as Joseph’s son. Many of them perhaps grew up with Jesus or lived near him and it must have been hard for them to hear him proclaim these words for himself. Jesus eventually tells them that no prophet is accepted in his own hometown – this and his later challenging words reinterpreting the scriptures lead to him eventually being driven out of town by the enraged worshippers, after which Jesus goes on his way alone.
All this happens after Jesus’ baptism and the testing he faced in the wilderness but before he has chosen his first disciples so he faces all this on his own. Nevertheless, saying that these prophetic words about the Messiah have been fulfilled in him was bound to be controversial because Jesus is telling the worshippers that they are listening to their fulfilment – that very day. For them to hear that from one so familiar must have been astounding.
Like many places of worship, orthodox synagogues and many churches have a strong sense of tradition and the past, whether in the liturgy used, the old hymns sung or the ancient buildings being used for worship. Equally, there can sometimes be much emphasis on the future with concerns about falling numbers of worshippers attending services, plans for the future and how to raise money to pay the costs of what needs to be done. The past has much to teach us and the future may involve careful planning but the emphasis Jesus puts on the scriptures and what he says indicates the importance of today and this moment, now, rather than the past or what will be. This is the day, says Jesus, now is the time – but those present find what he is telling them too controversial. As he reinterprets the scriptures, this is too much for those listening – and sometimes for us, too, today. It’s easy, at times, to be preoccupied with the past or the future and to forget the urgency of the Gospel for today as we listen to it and play our part in fulfilling it as we ask God in the Lord’s Prayer to give us this day our daily bread and take it for granted that he will.
The Bible is the best selling book in history, a library of 66 different books with varying purposes such as prophecies, poetry, history, the growth of the early church and so forth. Just as Jesus chose these particular words from Isaiah to guide him and his mission, what verses might we choose for our lives today? Would those verses change at times according to the stages of our lives and situations? For God’s purposes are not only fulfilled in the life of Jesus and his understanding of God’s word then but in the lives and the possibilities facing his followers today as the search for faith, truth, hope and love continues. As Jesus reminds us as well as those who listened to him then, today is the day – but the day for what mission and purpose?
“When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Jesus, in today’s Gospel, Luke 18:1-8.
‘He’s become a persona non-garter.’ Sean Coughlan, BBC reporter, of Prince Andrew.
Today’s Gospel seems to be about an unjust judge who neither fears God nor has the respect of the people. He has power but does not always use it fairly and when a powerless widow comes to him seeking justice, he eventually does as she asks for fear that she will otherwise assault him!
In the time of Jesus, most disputes were taken to one of the elders but civil matters were dealt with by judges appointed by Herod or the Romans. They were notoriously corrupt and lazy, with bribes and threats often resulting, so a seemingly defenceless widow would appear to stand little chance of justice without even a male relative to plead her case as was the custom then. However, she is clearly persistent and determined to be vindicated, when all parties presented and argued their own case themselves and the judge vindicated or decided the outcome, having listened to all involved. In this case, is the judge vindicating the widow because he believes she is right or for fear of an aassault and because he doesn’t want to be worn out by her continual appearances?
The widow wins her case through her sheer persistence and Jesus makes it clear that this is what the parable is about. He likens God to a judge who, unlike the unjust judge, will listen to those who call to him and deal fairly with them – justice will quickly prevail with him. But God will not force or bribe people – he will wait patiently for them to come to him and persist in asking for his intervention. And so those who come to him must trust that, when they make their case, this will happen through their persistence in prayer. However, that is hard and prayer is not always answered in the way or time anticipated so will those coming to him be tempted to give up and perhaps opt out of the demands of the Gospel? As Jesus says, will faith be found on earth at the Last Judgement?
This parable contrasts sharply with the ongoing case being made in the court of public opinion over Prince Andrew and the consequences of his involvement with the sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Following recent evidence that he was not honest about when their association ended, this has lead to doubts about other actions and comments the Prince had previously made and suggestions that, as he continues to protest his innocence, he should testify in a court of law in America, as requested, since he would have nothing to fear.
Andrew is now being called the banned Old Duke of York, rather than the Grand Old Duke of York as in the nursery rhyme. This may refer to Prince Frederick the Duke of York and Albany, second son of George III and Commander-in-Chief of the British Army who, in 1794, was forced to retreat during the Flanders Campaign and may have lead his troops up and then down a hill in Cassel, France. In the complexity of this ongoing situation today and its consequences for the Prince personally as well as the Royal Family, it seems as if the now former Duke of York has retreated from public life permanently and that there may yet be further challenges to his title and reputation as the police, lawyers and media persist with their investigations.
The Prince has already been termed persona non-garter following his withdrawal from the Order of the Garter and one of the considerations is whether, with the enormous amount of allegations and speculation, he would be able ever to have a fair trial. But, in the blaze of publicity about the Prince, are the ordeals of the young women allegedly abused and trafficked by Epstein and his circle on so great a scale being ignored?
However, concerns are also mounting that the publication of the posthumous memoir by Virginia Giuffre this week will eclipse the historic meeting between King Charles, the Supreme Governor of the Church of England and Pope Leo, the Pontiff of the Roman Catholic Church – there have been various meetings over the years, but both will pray together for the first time since the Reformation. Amidst the divisive issues swirling around the controversies over his brother Andrew, whose actions have had to be judged by the King, this symbolic reconciliation may be undermined. Jesus himself was also caught up in similar controversy: “What is truth?” asked Pilate, as Jesus appeared before him at his trial. Whatever the disputed truth of this matter, each of us may face events in our own lives where we also have to judge the accuracy of what is being said and done or strive for a just outcome. Jesus suggests that prayer is key and persistence essential – he asks then as now, “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” Could one appropriate and immediate response to Jesus’ challenge be to pray faithfully and persistently for all involved in and affected by the controversial and devastating events surrounding Prince Andrew as they continue to unfold?
“Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” Jesus, in Luke 17:11-19.
“Joy is more infectious than leprosy.” Baba Amte, who worked with lepers in India.
In today’s Gospel, Luke tells the story of ten lepers who approach Jesus as he is travelling through the border between Samaria and Galilee, a place where tensions still existed from ancient disputes between Samaritans and Jews to the extent that some preferred to take a longer route to avoid the area altogether. Today, that area is still disputed in the wider conflict ongoing in the Middle East although the peace proposals may bring some relief from the current hostilities.
As Jesus enters a village, ten lepers call to him from a distance as they were bound to do according to the hygiene laws of their day, asking Jesus to show them mercy. In those days, leprosy was dreaded and Jews were expected to stay at least two metres away from anyone affected by it. Most were kept further away than that, with some people refusing to buy food in an area where there was leprosy and others throwing rocks to prevent lepers coming near. Lepers had to cry out that they were unclean if anyone approached and were alienated from their families, friends and communities until they were either cured or died a horrible death. As leprosy was thought in those days to be a punishment from God, lepers had to go to the priests for procedures to be carried out to establish whether actual leprosy was present or if other infectious diseases such as ringworm, psoriasis, smallpox and measles (which could look like leprosy in the early stages) were the cause of the skin infections. In doing so, the priests acted as some of the first public health officers in effect, with the disease being diagnosed by careful criteria outlined in Leviticus 13 and the priestly judgements being made not just for the infected person but for the safety of the community too.
When he sees them, Jesus doesn’t ask anything of the lepers other than telling them to go and show themselves to the priests. As they comply with what he asks of them, all ten are healed – but only one goes back to thank Jesus for it. Ironically, he is the only Samaritan – the traditional enemies of the Jews, although the adversity the lepers shared seems to have led to him being accepted by the other nine as would not normally have been the case. Perhaps the other lepers were desperate to have the validation of their priests or to see their families and friends again – but Jesus does notice and he asks where the other nine are when the Samaritan returns and prostrates himself as a sign of humility and thankfulness. Jesus calls the leper a foreigner rather than an enemy and tells him to get up and go on his way. He enables the man to be integrated with others once more, cleansed of his leprosy and anything else that may be amiss, as Jesus tells him that his faith has made him well.
In a place and time of exclusion, dreadful suffering and heartbreak, acceptance, healing and restoration find a way to overcome hatred and fear as enemy and outcast meet and begin to find hope in and through each other despite their differences. Despite – and perhaps because of – the terrible cost for all involved, may it begin to be so amidst the renewed efforts to establish a just settlement for peace throughout the Middle East today and in other places of violent conflict. Will it?
“One sows and another reaps.” Jesus, in John 4:31-38.
“If you don’t like what you are reaping, you had better change what you have been sowing.” Jim Rohn, American entrepreneur and author.
Today is Homelessness Sunday and also Harvest Festival here. The age old celebration of the agricultural year comes from times when dependence on the land was far greater than it is today with the availability of freezers and fridges, cans and packets for storing food. However, changing habits also mean that it’s much easier to live on ready meals, convenience food or take-aways with less being stored accordingly – for a city like London, it’s suggested that it would only be six meals away from starvation if there was a disaster of some kind. Sadly, in places like Gaza, the consequences of disaster and war are only too evident with so many civilians suffering or dying from malnutrition, although the welcome news of a possible breakthrough in the peace proposals may now enable food and aid to reach the places and people where it’s most needed.
The harvest here this year has varied due to the changing climate with root vegetables and grain being smaller due to lack of rain – the recent heavy downpours have come too late to make much difference in some areas – although the crops of berries, apples, pears and plums have been abundant. It’s a troubling time for many farmers, producers and gardeners, as for some councils where adverse decisions have had to be made regarding the continuation of allotments due to economic necessity, even though waiting lists for them are lengthy.
It was in 1843 that the Reverend Robert Hawker began the celebration of Harvest Festival at his church in Morwenstow, Cornwall, this being linked to the practice of the Children of Israel at the Feast of Tabernacles when they were commanded to ‘..observe the festival of ingathering at the end of the year, when you gather in from the field the fruit of your labour.’ Exodus 23:16. This was when booths or tabernacles were made from branches in remembrance of the time in the wilderness when food was scarce and thanks were given for the food and farming that developed when the Israelites reached the Promised Land. It’s thought that, in the days of Jesus, around 90% of time would be spent in growing or preparing food and the Gospels have many references to farming, harvest and the land. Today, Harvest Festival remains one of the occasions when people may consider coming to church or helping with the proceeds of what’s gathered for it and, due to local need, the foodstuffs, toiletries and money given at the service here will go to the local Food Bank which supports the homeless as well as those struggling to provide for themselves as well as their families.
Although traditionally a time of thanksgiving, there could be a bitter harvest following the proposed peace settlement in the Middle East, when the hope of peace and hostages being released is tinged with sorrow for many as some hostages are dead and the death rate on all sides has been great, as with the war between Russia and Ukraine. Bitterness may also be a consequence of the terrorism at the Heaton Park Synagogue in Manchester whilst its members were marking Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. There are references to a bitter harvest in Isaiah 5, when sour grapes were being produced in God’s vineyard instead of the sweet fruit expected. In the first chapter of the book of Ruth, Naomi declares that she is to be called Mara, bitter, following the death of her husband and sons, as God “has dealt very bitterly with me.” After three days without water in the wilderness, the Israelites found only bitter water to drink at Marah and grumbled about it – in these situations, there was good reason for bitterness but, with perseverance and patience, faith and hope eventually prevailed. The same is true today – the challenge lies before us all in the face of terrorism, division and hardship to overcome bitterness and hatred with the hope of peace, justice and love. That requires hard work and, often, forgiveness and a change of heart as well as the will to want this to happen. As the fruits of our own lives, families and communities are considered in the face of national and world events, how can a bitter harvest become a better harvest?
’Michael and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels fought back, but they were defeated.’ Revelation 12: 7, 8.
‘Back into storyland giants have fled, And the knights are no more and the dragons are dead.’ From ‘When a knight won his spurs in the stories of old,’ the children’s hymn.
Monday marks the feast day of Michael and All Angels. He is one of the three angels named in the Bible, the others being Gabriel and Raphael, and is described as the protector of Israel and leader of the armies of God. Michael is also trusted to protect Christians from the devil, especially at their death – hence the spiritual Michael, row the boat ashore, which was often sung by slaves to keep their hopes up and anticipate their safe transition to heaven. His name means ‘who is like God?’ and perhaps his most famous image is at Coventry Cathedral in Jacob Epstein’s 1958 sculpture St Michael’s Victory over the Devil where he is shown slaying the dragon in the Book of Revelation. There were apparently some initial objections to Epstein undertaking this on the grounds that he was a Jew, until the architect Basil Spence reminded them that so was Jesus Christ. Clearly, the dragons of prejudice and racism also needed slaying then, as well as today!
A red dragon, Y Ddraig Goch, is at the heart of the Welsh flag, a symbol that dates back to Roman times when the standard bearer of a cohort was called the draconarius and carried a golden staff with a dragon at the top. Celtic leaders were originally called dragons and ancient stories in the Mabinogion and elsewhere tell of a red and white dragon fighting each other underneath a fort at Dinas Emrys. The white dragon was defeated and the red dragon was then adopted by Welsh kings following the Roman withdrawal from Britain with leaders such as Owain Glyndŵr using the symbol of a golden dragon on a white background for his banner when he lead the rebellion against Henry IV. When Henry Tudor used a red dragon on the traditional colours of white and green to highlight his Welsh origins, and presented this at St Paul’s Cathedral after his defeat of Richard III at Bosworth in 1485, the dragon became established as the symbol of Wales. From then on, it was always depicted facing left when carried to appear to be advancing, rather than to the right implying retreat, although it wasn’t until 1959 that Elizabeth II decreed that it should be flown on public buildings throughout Wales rather than the Union Flag.
Today, this ancient emblem still represents the need for courage and strength – in life and not just on the battlefield. At a time when national flags are being flown on lampposts in some areas as symbols of exclusivity and division, there is still the need to ‘Let faith be my shield and let joy be my steed ‘Gainst the dragons of anger, the ogres of greed’ as the children’s hymn suggests. Modern dragons still come in many forms, representing evil or instilling fear and the temptation to give up. So, take heart from Archangel Michael who was not alone but had angels to support him – as did the devil in the Book of Revelation. In this complexity, the need to unite to battle wrongdoing, fear and prejudice still continues, and the Michaelmas daisies which bear Michael’s name at this time of year are reminders that love, hope and perseverance will eventually prove victorious now, as then.
With my prayers; pob bendith, Christine, Priest Guardian.
Dear All You are invited to join a Zoom group linking America and Wales on Monday 13th October at 7.30pm when the distinguished American teacher of medieval literature Dr. Robert McMahon will lead a discussion of George Herbert’s Love III: Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back… This is the final poem in Herbert’s collection The Temple, the third of his poems on Love, and it contains the whole Gospel in three stanzas.
Herbert was born in 1589 at Black Hall, Montgomery Castle and, after being elected Public Orator at Trinity College, Cambridge, later became MP for Montgomery from 1624-5. His poor health lead to him then serving as an Anglican priest at the age of 36 in Bemerton, Wiltshire where he died three years later, probably of consumption. Herbert’s poems were published posthumously in 1633 and he is regarded as one of the greatest lyric poets of the 17th Century. He is commemorated on the Herbert Memorial in St Nicholas’ Church, Montgomery.
Dr. McMahon has taught English and Comparative Literature (Dante) for many years, and has published books on St. Augustine, The Medieval Mystical Ascent (Augustine, Anselm, and Boethius), and Milton’s Paradise Lost. George Herbert is among the poets he most admires and McMahon’s exploration of the medieval astronomy that informs Herbert’s poem Coloss.3.3 was published in the George Herbert Journal in the late 1990s.
Robert and his wife, the herbalist and therapist Kim Orr, have a shrine to the saint as well as a sanctuary for rabbits and hares, Melangell’s Garden, in their grounds in Colorado, USA where they form Melangell West, the unofficial long-distance extension of St Melangell’s! Kim is a regular correspondent on St Melangell’s website and wrote the text for the Diocesan prayer card circulated for St Melangell’s feast day in 2021. Four Americans and three Brits collaborated for that to happen and it is hoped that the same collaboration will underpin this Zoom. So, please plan to spend an hour or so with us reading and discussing the poem as we explore what it says, how it contains the Gospel, and what it implies through its echoes of the New Testament.
If you’d like to participate in this, please register with Karen, St Melangell’s Administrator, by contacting her at admin@stmelangell.org or on 01691 860408.
