Lydia

I recently read Paula Gooder’s “Lydia”, a fascinating and creative look at the possible context of Paul’s letter to the Philippians, focussing on the person of Lydia. Paula imagines what might have been the life and experiences of Lydia and how that might have fitted the life of the Philippian church. Though certainly identified as imagined, there is careful history and theology behind the account. It might well have been like this. The book is separated into two sections. In the first part she gives her account of what Lydia’s story might have been while, in the second, she offers a lot of history and theology with helpful notes on various people, situations and things of the time that are mentioned in the story. I found it a great read, especially enjoying the first part, and found it to offer valuable insights into the life and times of the apostle Paul. Notably, the focus on Lydia offers a useful reminder of the valued role of women in the early church.

Valuing the Dark

I have just finished reading Barbara Brown Taylor’s “Learning to Walk in the Dark”, a fascinating and challenging exploration of the value of darkness. Taylor points out the things that are missed in our tendency to emphasise the overwhelming value of the light and to avoid the dark. We tend to want to get rid of the dark, but Taylor reminds us of its value, pointing out: “I have learned things in the dark that I could never have learned in the light, things have saved my life over and over again, so that there is really only one logical conclusion. I need darkness as much as I need light.” We do need the light, but we also need the dark and trying to avoid that impoverishes our experience. But, as Taylor recognises, that is often how it is. She comments: “I realise that in a whole lifetime spent with seekers of enlightenment, I have never once heard anyone speak in hushed tones about the value of 'endarkenment'. The great mystics of the Christian tradition all describe it as part of the journey into God, but it has been a long time since ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ was on anyone's bestseller list. Today’s seekers seem more interested in getting God to turn the lights on than in allowing God to turn them off.” The point is that the dark has a value that is not found in the light, and that is different from the light, but just as valuable in providing us with a whole experience of God. Reflecting on the contribution of St. John of the Cross to such ideas, Taylor stresses how valuing the dark keeps us on track with God. She says: “God puts out our lights to keep us safe, John says, because we are never more in danger of stumbling than when we think we know where we are going. When we can no longer see the path we are on, when we can no longer read the maps were brought with us or sense anything in the dark that might tell us where we are, then and only then are we vulnerable to God's protection. This remains true even when we cannot discern God's presence. The only thing the dark night requires of us is to remain conscious. If we can stay with the moment in which God seems most absent. The night will do the rest.”

Some Truth About Church

I have just finished reading Samuel Wells' "Speaking the Truth". It's sub-titled "Preaching in a Diverse Culture" and includes a multitude of fascinating insights about both preaching and culture, and indeed a whole bunch of other stuff. It's a great book of modelling for preachers, but also with a lot to say to all sorts of other people and, of course, that is just what the sermons which Wells quotes in the book originally did. There was lots that interested me, but particularly a few comments about church. Wells is highly realistic about church, but importantly recognises that church is how Jesus' way is expressed. For instance, he says: "Jesus didn't give us perfection, he gave us church. And church means facing up every day to the way we've failed God, failed one another and failed ourselves. Church means entering every day into the cycle of repentance and confession and forgiveness and reconciliation and healing." Of course, church is not perfect, but it's where we are called to be; it's what we are called to do. As Wells says elsewhere in the book: "Church isn't a place where we identify and lambast Pharisees while searching out and applauding tax collectors: it's a community where we meet one another, learn the complexity and texture of one another's stories, wonder at the grace and mercy by which our paths have crossed, realise with gratitude that our salvation lies in one another, and turn together in humility to recognise, like never before, our need of God."

Empire

I have recently read two books, both of which have contributed a great deal to my thinking around empire and the contemporary challenges posed by the UK's colonial past. I usually approach any such thinking from a Biblical and/or theological perspective, but these two have offered another view which helps to consider the issues. One is Sathnam Sanghera's 'Empireland' and the other is 'Africa Is Not A Country' by Dipo Faloyin. The latter is sub-titled 'Breaking Stereotypes of Modern Africa' and is a telling reminder of the wonderful diversity of that immense continent, but also of the damage done in times past when so many of its 'treasures' ewere 'taken' and brought to other places. In 'Empireland' Sanghera challenges us to look our history in the eye and recognise the impact that we havr had, and what that has done to others. Both offer lots to think about.

Royal Events

As Synod Moderator, I represented the United Reformed Church at the National Service of Thanksgiving and Dedication at St Giles’ Cathedral, Edinburgh, yesterday, Wednesday 5th July, when the Royal Honours of Scotland were presented to King Charles, with Queen Camilla and the Duke and Duchess of Rothesay also present. The service was preceded by an excellent array of music, including All in the April Evening, Ca’ the yowes, Farewell to Stromness and Loch Katrine’s Lady. During the service an appropriately inspiring sermon was preached by the Revd. Sally Foster-Fulton, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. She spoke of the need to listen in order to understand and of the importance of embracing different perspectives. She reminded us that diverse customs and beliefs are to be celebrated – and that we are “a saga not a short story, a symphony not a solo”, adding, “We are one global neighbourhood – intricately inter-related and completely co-dependent, woven together, like a tartan.” The Honours, the Crown Jewels of Scotland, comprise the Crown, the Sceptre and the Sword of State, this last a new sword, named the Elizabeth Sword, commissioned in 2022 and designed and crafted in Scotland. The sword was presented by Dame Katherine Grainger, the sceptre by Lady Dorrian and the crown by the Duke of Hamilton and Brandon. The diversity of Scotland was represented in blessings and greetings being offered by representatives of the Muslim, Hindu, Jewish, Buddhist and Humanist communities. The service closed with the congregation singing ‘Christ is made the sure foundation’, followed by the recognition of the presence of the Stone of Destiny or Scone, the National Anthem – and the Blessing. Following the service we were able to witness the flypast of the Red Arrows as they followed a route down the Royal Mile. The previous day, together with my wife Mary, I joined around six thousand people from different aspects of community and life within Scotland to attend the Royal Garden Party at the Palace of Holyrood. Unfortunately, it was perhaps most memorable for the amount of rain, but still enjoyable, particularly some of the music played in the gardens, possibly most strikingly for us a rendition of Highland Cathedral. A further comment from Sally Foster-Fulton’s sermon sums up these events for me – “We are all a small part of something so much bigger – this beautiful, sacred creation and everyone and everything in it.”

Awareness

Anthony De Mello’s book “Awareness” includes some interesting, and helpful, reflections around the theme of the theme of the present moment and being aware. He points out the limits of words and how are attempts to ‘capture’ things so often just do not work. For example, “if I want you to get the feel of what the flow of a river is like and I bring it to you in a bucket. The moment I put it into a bucket it has stopped flowing. The moment you put things into a concept, they stop flowing; they become static, dead. … Concepts are always frozen. Reality flows. ….. it is so difficult to translate from one language to another, because each language cuts reality up differently. The English word “home” is impossible to translate into French or Spanish. “Casa” is not quite “home”; “home” has associations that are peculiar to the English language. Every language has untranslatable words and expressions, because we’re cutting reality up and adding something or subtracting something and usage keeps changing.” (p. 122). Some interesting – and challenging – ideas!

Mindfulness

“Emphasis on the present moment is also a key tool for those of us who can spend too much of our time living either in the past or in the future: worrying, replaying or even over-celebrating what has happened, or planning what is about to happen, while never fully appreciating what is right here in front of us.” So says Tim Stead in his book “Mindfulness and Christian Spirituality: Making Space for God”, which I have recently completed reading. Stead’s indicating the value of mindfulness is a timely reminder of the value of making space. As Stead also says: “Mindfulness itself does not fix things but seeks to open up a space where things might (if appropriate) be fixed. In fact, it teaches us more about not fixing things and about learning that it is not our place to try to save ourselves. But it does teach us the skill of opening things up – bringing concerns to the surface – so that, in God’s time and in God’s way, they might be healed or restored.”