Celtic Reflections

Today, John Bell says to us, “continual engagement with whatever saps our energy and dulls our imagination is not good for us.” In light of this I want to ask, what in the early Christian tradition energised the followers of Jesus? 

Is the secret not what the early day disciples did, but what God did in and through them. “Even when we were dead in our trespasses, [God] made us alive together with Christ.” (Ephesians 2v. 5)

What does it mean to be alive in Christ? It does not mean that you must have your life together. Being alive in Christ does not mean that you are happy all the time. It does not mean that your life is as beautiful and put-together as your Facebook posts.  Being alive in Christ does not mean we will be in a constant state of smiles and joy. Being alive in Christ means our foundation is so strong that even when the storms come, we can live through them. Even when we were dead in our sins, God gave us life through Christ.

If our foundation on Christ is right, then the Christ that is within will build our lives into strong towers if faith. 

Prayer Reflection

Even when we were dead, Paul writes.

Even when we turned away from the One who had created us.

Even when we lived in the grip of what drew our gaze from God.

Even when we were oblivious.

Even when we followed a path fashioned of nothing

but our own desires.

Even when we wandered far and wilfully away.

Even when we forgot to look past our own feet and to see

the wonders not of our making.

Even when we failed to stand in awe, to breathe thanks,

to lean into the love that had waited long for us.

Even when, Paul writes.

Even when,

even then:

grace. Thank you Lord. Amen

Celtic Reflections

We continue with writing“ of John Bell. “What God would you rather believe in – the one who you never see but you believe began the universe, or the one who has revealed the nature of divinity by sharing the riskiness of life among us?” 

This brings to mind the saying, “Nothing  ventured nothing gained “ and what about this .

There was a very cautious man

Who never laughed or played;

He never risked, he never tried,

He never sang or prayed.

And when he one day passed away

His insurance was denied;

For since he never really lived,

They claimed he never died!

Towards the end of the Acts of the Apostle we find Paul saying 

“But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20;24

I recall a relation of mine saying in a sermon that the problem of giving to God is that many only give the “fag end of the day.” You know the sort of thing, making sure that all our own needs are met first before looking beyond our immediate horizon.

In Luke 9 we read of Jesus calling folk to follow him, but what do we find, a catalogue of excuses.“Lord, first let me go and bury my father.” Or “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

Jesus asks for commitment – real commitment that may include risk taking. The problem is that If we keep waiting for the right moment, the sands of time will run quickly through our fingers. Browning wrote: Earth is full of Heaven, And every common bush is alive with God. Seeing the world from this perspective is how we are called to serve the Lord.

Dear heavenly Father, show me how to be strong and courageous as your disciple in whatever role You’ve called me to fill today. Push me out of my comfort zone to take that risk I’ve been avoiding, and help me to come alongside someone else who may need encouragement to take a risk. I know that when I open my hands to You and let go, You will not only step in as my Protector, but You’ll also hold my hand and lead me. I will trust in You, and You alone! In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Celtic Reflections

The reemergence of the Celtic tradition during the last century has given rise to expressions of Celtic Spirituality in such places as Lindisfarne and Iona. One of todays prolific hymn writers is John Bell of Iona. He has written   “All through the bible you see how God waits until people think they’ve got their image of God right, and then God changes the image.”

There is a fairy tale story about a rich merchant, loaded with riches but unhappy. He asked around, "How can I find happiness?" A wise man tells him, "Look for a happy man, and ask him to sell you his shirt."

The merchant searched for a long time until at last he found a happy man. "I want to be as happy as you. Sell me your shirt. I can pay for it."

The happy man started to laugh. He hadn’t got a shirt! He is so poor he goes around without a shirt.

Then the merchant understood. Happiness cannot be found in possessions.

J B Phillips paraphrases 2 Corinthians 4 as “The spirit of this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, and prevents the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, the image of God, from shining on them. For it is Christ Jesus the Lord whom we preach, not ourselves; we are your servants for his sake. God, who first ordered ‘light to shine in darkness’, has flooded our hearts with his light. We now can enlighten men only because we can give them knowledge of the glory of God, as we see it in the face of Jesus Christ.”

Perhaps, for today’s Christian, there are often layers of filters that obscure the image of Jesus to the extent that we fail to see the beauty of the Christ who walks our Emmaus  road. Well might we pray:-

Open our eyes Lord

We want to see Jesus

To reach out and touch Him

And say that we love Him

Open our ears Lord

And Help us to listen

Open our eyes Lord

We want to see Jesus. Amen

Celtic Reflections

Celtic tradition focuses on living in the moment; existing in God’s moment. Continuing with the thoughts of George McDonald he writes that “No one ever sank under the burden of the day. It is when tomorrow's burden is added to the burden of today that the weight is more than a we can bear.”

Again, this reminds us of the words of Jesus that we  often referred to in our daily devotions, when Jesus said,”Take no thought for tomorrow…” or as Eugene Peterson paraphrases it, “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.” Matthew 5:25-26

Margaret Storm Jameson, the English author, once expressed the view that we all spend too much time living in the past, feeling regret for lost joys or shame for things badly done. Even when our minds turn to the future, she said, we spend an inordinate amount of time longing for it or dreading it. "The only way to live," she said, "is to accept each minute as an unrepeatable miracle . . . Work at your work. Play at your play. Shed your tears. Enjoy your laughter. Now is the time of your life."

Help me to live in the present.
Allow me to be present to you,
as you are always present to me,
each moment of each day.
Allow me to be present
to the gift of each moment,
no matter how ordinary,
so that I can be present
to the joy
and wonder
of your loving presence
each moment of each day.

Prayer suggestion:

As you remember throughout the day, pray, “God, allow me to be present (whatever I am doing) in the moment with you.” Amen

Celtic Reflections

We return to the world of Celtic Spirituality. The earliest certain historical evidence of Christianity among the Britons is found in the writings of such early Christian Fathers as Tertullian and Origen in the first years of the 3rd century, although the first Christian communities probably were established at least some decades earlier.

For the remainder of this week and throughout February we will explore some of the Celtic Christian traditions starting with the Celtic understanding of the Incarnation of Christ. George McDonald writing on the incarnation said, “It makes all the difference to know there’s someone else screaming alongside you - and that’s the point of the incarnation - I can see that so clearly now. God came into the world and screamed alongside us.”

Soren Kiekegard, the great Danish theologian of another century tells a story of a prince who wanted to find a maiden suitable to be his queen. One day while running an errand in the local village for his father he passed through a poor section. As he glanced out the windows of the carriage his eyes fell upon a beautiful peasant maiden. During the ensuing days he often passed by the young lady and soon fell in love. But he had a problem. How would he seek her hand?

He could order her to marry him. But even a prince wants his bride to marry him freely and voluntarily and not through coercion. He could put on his most splendid uniform and drive up to her front door in a carriage drawn by six horses. But if he did this he would never be certain that the maiden loved him or was simply overwhelmed with all of the splendour. The prince came up with another solution. He would give up his kingly robe. He moved, into the village, entering not with a crown but in the garb of a peasant. He lived among the people, shared their interests and concerns, and talked their language. In time the maiden grew to love him for who he was and because he had first loved her.

John 1:14 (The Message) “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighbourhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”

Ever present Lord we ask that you may hold us in your hands this day. We know there are troubles surrounding us, surrounding our nation, surrounding our world.  But we know that you are with us, that you walk by our side.

So, we turn to You, Dear LORD, to worship and to adore you.

Guide us today as we

• Pray for Others.
• Listen to Your Holy Word.
• Learn and Reflect on what you would have us do.

And draw us ever closer to you. . . our Father. 

Closer to Jesus, our Lord and Saviour.

Closer to the Holy Spirit, our Counsellor. Amen

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise”. (Lk 10:37)

Lord, may our mercy be a sign of your Kingdom

Additional scripture passages

• Romans 12:9-13
• Psalm 41:1-2

Commentary

Through these words – “Go and do likewise” – Jesus sends each of us, and our churches, to live out His commandment to love. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, we are sent out to be “other Christs”, reaching out to a suffering humanity in compassion and mercy. Like the Good Samaritan towards the injured man, we can choose not to reject those who are different, rather cultivating a culture of proximity and goodwill - actively seeking out and moving towards opportunities to be hospitable, to welcome and to share - in our common task to bring to fruition the dream of God.

In considering how Jesus’ invitation to “Go and do likewise” speaks to our own lives, we must not lose sight of the need for compassion and mercy in places we may not be willing to go, or have no direct connection with, such as areas like the Sahel region affected by inter-communal conflict. To truly be neighbours, our horizons must expand beyond that which does not cost us anything, encompassing the whole world, as we intentionally strive for justice and unity, learning how Christ’s love can visit us through the welcoming of others.

Striving together for merciful unity helps rebuild relationships, so that violence can give way to solidarity and peace. As mutual trust and confidence increase, we become more willing to reveal our wounds, including ecclesial wounds, in the hope that Christ’s love may visit and heal us through each other’s love and care.

Reflection

After the cacophony was over,

there was painful stillness.

Moments of lucidness punctuated with nothing.

Breathless

in the dirt

I pray.

Selah

A hand upon my body

different from before.

The intention of the touch - mindful of the pain still present -

is to tend,

not to harm.

Selah

The smell of wine poured to soothe

bittersweet tannin in my mouth.

The feeling of oil running down my skin

the wounds of the body the meeting place for pain and peace

a balm for mind, body and soul.

Selah

Blurred figures linger as I move

weightless in unknown surroundings

yet the familiar touch of compassion.

Faint murmurs in unfamiliar tongues

promise care.

This time, as I open my eyes,

having never seen you before

I recognise your mercy.

Prayer

Mothering God,

who holds the world in loving embrace,

may we care for each other as you do, each and every soul.

Holy Spirit,

giver of life, open us to each other

and strengthen our bonds of communion and grow us in mutual affection.

Prince of Peace,

give us the resolve to live out the Gospel faithfully

that we may be radical welcomers and reconcilers.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

 Jesus said: “Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour?” (Lk 10:36)

Lord, show us how to respond to our neighbour

Additional scripture passages

• Philippians 2.1-5
• Psalm 10:17-18

Commentary

At the end of the parable, Jesus asked the lawyer: who was the neighbour to the man who was robbed? The lawyer replied “the one who showed him mercy”. He does not say “the Samaritan” and we might imagine that the hostility between Samaritans and Jews made that answer hard to admit. We often discover our neighbours in the most unexpected people, even those whose very name or origins we find difficult to utter. In today’s world, where polarised politics often set those of different religious identities against one another, Jesus challenges us through this parable to see the importance of our vocation to transgress borders and walls of separation.

Like the lawyer, we are challenged to reflect upon how we live our lives, not merely in terms of whether we do good or not, but whether, like the priest and the Levite, we are neglecting to do mercy.

Reflection

Them,

those people,

people like that,

you know…

But you don’t know,

that’s the point,

because you don’t want to know.

They’re not important,

as long as they know their place.

Thanks be to you, dear God,

that your interfering mercy

has put us in our place

for those others.

Prayer

Holy God,

your Son Jesus Christ came among us

to show us the way of compassion.

Help us by your Spirit to follow his example,

to serve the needs of all your children,

and so witness together as Christians to your ways of love and mercy.

We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.