Alan
Apparently he shares his birthday with Gordon Brown, Cindy Crawford, and would have been sharing it with that fantastic voice of the 90’s Kurt Cobain had he still been with us.
February 20, 2008
February 19, 2008
The sunshine lies!
Brilliant sunshine streaming through the window, but it was below freezing and the car looked like a frozen chicken on the driveway
Don’t be fooled!
February 18, 2008
February 14, 2008
For Alan
WYWG - engraved on the inside of two bands of gold almost 5 years ago.
I meant it then, I mean it now. Happy valentines babe 
February 13, 2008
Funerals
In taking a funeral for a colleague this week, gadgetvicar draws attention to this article in the Scotsman.
I torn by this article - a funeral a week (or more) must be very hard to bear, and I understand the Kirk Minister in question calling for more awareness of the alternatives to Church funerals.
Occasionally I have had 2 or more funerals in a week. Sometimes of families associated with the church in the distant past, others with no discernible connection to the church. None of these are treated with any less courtesy, dignity, thought or preparation than if it were the funeral of someone I knew well.
Yes it is a lot of work, it is tiring, it is draining, and sometimes depressing. But it is also an immense privelege to spend time with a family at this most vulnerable time in life, to hear stories of their loved (or not so loved) deceased. It is the one service for which days off will be resceduled, the pastoral encounter for which other appointments may be cancelled. It is an opportunity to spend time with those I would not ordinarily meet in day-to-day work, to get to know them, to get to know in death someone I never knew in life.
The hardest ones for me are those of congregation members - the longer I know them, the more personally invested (and therefore emotional) I feel. Thankfully I have only once had to take the funeral of a child.
It is a job of grace - to stand alongside someone in their pain, not intruding but being present, offering a guiding hand to those who are often lost in the morass of organising and grief, to cry with them in sadness and to laugh with them at the fragments of memories, to help them make some kind of sense of all that has happened. It is humbling, this job we have as pastors and priests.
I wonder if I would view them any differently if I were doing 60+ per year, rather than the 15 or so I currently do? I hope and pray not!
February 11, 2008
February 9, 2008
just for once
Rowan has put his foot in it again. And the church is in the headlines again.
I would love to see the church (and especially our Anglican Communion) in the headlines for something positive - not misunderstood, not condemning or clashing or fighting. But good news, from the church or elsewhere doesnt sell newspapers or afford the man on the street the opportunity to share his (unfortunately often uneducated) opinion on the polls and the soundbites.
I think Kimberly’s comments regarding the current situation with Rowan Williams are spot on. The Archbishop’s biggest “crime” in all of this appears to be too big a brain and too little an understanding of how the media works.
Having read the lecture, I can find nothing wrong with what he said. “Chaired by the Lord Chief Justice, [it] was the first in a series of six lectures and discussions which are being given by senior Muslim and other lawyers and theologians at the Temple Church on the general theme of ‘Islam in English Law’.” Affording people an acknowledgement of their religious concsience, as long as it is not in opposition to the law, seems to be an appropriate theme for such a lecture.
Rowan’s mistake in all of this? Being too niaive to think that his words would not be taken out of context, and used against him.
At least its not sex this time.
February 6, 2008
Lent Blog
Starting today, readings, thoughts and comments for the journey through lent can be found at Beauty From Chaos. Pay a vist!
Solemn Smiling
Last night’s pancake party was a resounding success - 35 people crammed into the rectory lounge, with pancakes, drinks and toppings galore.
This morning a change of pace - Solemn Eucharist and imposition of Ashes at Holy Cross, (Holy Communion and Ashes repeated tonight in All Saints at 7pm for those of you who missed it).
The Imposition of Ashes is something I never experienced prior to moving to Scotland. In the time since I have discovered a great depth in the simplicity of the act - it is powerful and moving and humbling to recieve. But sometimes this bound up (for me at least) in the comic irony of the Gospel reading for today, Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21. “Beware of practicing your piety before others”, but come to church and have a big ashy cross marked on your head! Solemnnity with a hidden smile, perhaps, but the symbol is no less powerful. Life and death, solemnity and humour mingling together as the essence of humanity and humility intertwine in the presence of God and we are transformed.
February 5, 2008
A mixed day
It will certainly be an odd day for some today - we say goodby to M in All Saints this morning. She’s a lifelong member of the church, former vestry secretary, church florist, friend to many and in her day could be life and soul of the party! Funerals of congregation members always seem to get to me these days - the longer I have known someone, the more I feel it personally. It will be a celebration to be sure, but one lacking for one simple reason - M is not alive and well to be a part of it. Therein lies the sadness of this day, and the dual-edged sword of grief. Trusting in Gods love and grace for M and for all those who have gone before, doesnt make the fact that they are no longer with us any easier!
Then tonight, a complete switch of pace - the mania and madness of the Rectory pancake party (7pm if you’re nearby and want to join us - bring a topping and a drink to share!)
