BeachcomberFX

Category: Sunday@thePub

  • Where the lost things go

    Where the lost things go

    Hi folks I hope you are doing ok? This week we are trying out another new pub! We will be meeting at The Crafty Cold Well in Monkseaton. 2 Cauldwell Lane Monkseaton , Whitley Bay. We will be meeting at 7.30.

    This week we are having a break from looking at our series of blogs around ‘A question of’. Last Sunday we began our lenten journey, ‘Where The Lost Things Go’, and then on Monday we had our first little lent walk focusing on West Allotment and Shiremoor. By the time we meet again on Sunday night we will have had a little walk around Cullercoats. See the image for more details. You would be more than welcome to join us for these short walks, a bit of history and a short prayer. If you haven’t read my intro to this series, then here are parts of it that make up this week’s blog.

    I think most of us can remember occasions when we lost something, it can be frustrating, even causing us to panic! Where did I put my keys!? Where is my wallet? But there are other lost things as well, our collective memory only goes so far back, we forget moments, sometimes important moments that maybe should have been remembered.

    We also forget the small insignificant things, the moments of laughter and sadness. Unless all of these things are recorded they are soon gone, as J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in Lord of the Rings:

    “some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth.”

    I am reminded and thankful for those who have taken the time to record our history, when our past becomes the stories, songs, poems, art, of the present. When we read the stories of the bible we are given a glimpse into the ancient world. All of these things give us an important window into our story as human beings living today. And so things that could be lost are kept alive in some way.

    Over the last year Karen and I have been enjoying community singing with Mariners and Marras – a sea shanty and work songs community. It’s pure joy, they can be a bit racy! And bring a tear to the eye. These songs give a glimpse into our past, they tell stories of working life, and life as it was in days gone by, they are great sources of social history, and they should not be forgotten. The songs are often raw and sometimes difficult to sing because of the nature of the material.

    Here are some verses of a couple of them… The first one, Close the CoalHouse Door was written in 1968 by Alex Glasgow he added another verse after the Aberfan disaster

    Close the coalhouse door, lad. There’s bairns inside,

    Bairns that had no time to hide,

    Bairns who saw the blackness slide,

    Oh, there’s bairns beneath the mountainside.

    Close the coalhouse door, lad. There’s bairns inside.

    Another one that brought me up short is Davy Cross – It’s about a handsome young fisherman whose loving mother has knitted him a beautiful sweater, but on one dark October day there is a storm, and you can guess…

    When just ten weeks had passed and gone,

    they finally brought us news about the loss

    Seemed a body had been found,

    of a sailor lost and drowned

    And in our hearts we knew ’twas Davy Cross

     

    For we knew his bright blue eyes

    How we knew his golden hair

    And the gansey that his mother made

    was fine beyond compare

     

    But it wasn’t eyes of blue,

    nor that hair as pale as foam

    It was the gansey that his mother made

    that brought young Davy home.

    This gives us some context as to our thoughts about lent this year and our theme of ‘Where the lost things go’ – maybe you think, I know that line, but cant remember where it’s from, well it comes from the second Mary Poppins movie.

    Our lenten journey has been inspired not just by these old working and seafaring songs, and the Mary Poppins song, it’s also been inspired by a map that Colin Raistrick found down the back of an old book case. The map has no date and is titled The Methodist Church North Shields and Whitley Bay Circuit, it has various churches marked on it, Colin let me take it away and have a proper look and then David and I have been on a mission, and done some digging, and we have around 36 sites that used to be Methodist Churches of differing flavours – New Connexion, Primitive, Bible Christian, Wesleyan and United.

    As I continue to ponder on this theme of ‘Where The Lost Things go’ I’m not just pondering on working life, seafaring and chapels that I knew nothing about, but I am reminded of the places, people, situations that have shaped and formed me. Contained in our social history, our personal stories are the foundations of who we are today.

    The Jews hold great stock on remembering where they have come from and how ‘God’ has led them. Some may say that they are maybe too rooted in history that they forget the present. Christian history is also rooted in the past and we ponder and reflect upon how that works and relates to today, or we try to. Our own personal spiritual journeys are a series of highs and lows and again they influence for good and bad how we live today, many of us are still wrestling with past issues in relation to our faith story and how it has affected us. There will be things that are painful and things that bring joy, and that’s ok.

    There is a sense that nothing is wasted, we tell all those stories, the personal, the collective history, so that they aren’t forgotten. I wonder if even the lost things are deeply rooted into the fabric of who we are and what we are about as human beings today.

    Some questions

    • What memories do you have of buildings, places that are significant to your story?

     

    • What ancestral stories are important to you?

     

    • How do you relate to history, both personal and the world?

     

    • What one piece of personal learning do you wish you could impart on future generations?

     

    • In what way can history help us in the future? 

     

    • How has your spiritual journey been affected by your past experiences of faith and spirituality?

     

    • Where do the ‘lost things’ go? 

     

    Peace Rob

     

    Image by Peter H from Pixabay

  • A question of social media

    A question of social media

    Hi folks, we hope you are ok? This week we gather again after our weekend away. We had a great time exploring what ‘gathering’ and ‘worship’ mean for BFX. This week we are meeting at 7.30 at The Brewery in Whitley Bay. 2-4 South Parade , Whitley Bay. 
    This week’s topic is ‘A question of social media’. Our connectedness has never been as great as it is today! The internet had a big impact but then social media took it to a whole new level – it has become the ‘goto’ place for most things in life: news, friendships, photo storage, finding love, the list could go on!
    Karen and I both like social media for very different reasons. Karen uses Facebook a bit like a blog and tries to be authentic in sharing a bit about her various health issues. I get daily updates about what’s in her ‘memories’! I don’t use Facebook much anymore and currently Twitter, Insta and Shapchat are my ‘go to’ apps! I’m also a ‘Be Real’ newbie and generally like to try all the new platforms as they emerge. I have a TikTok account but don’t use it much, although used it a bit during lockdown. I’m also on MeWe, which I never go on, but I had another look while thinking about this, it’s similar to Facebook but with a hands off approach and less intrusive ad targeting.
    I remember when I first started getting in to social media, being told not to post the same content on different sites, but use different platforms for different things. So my take on this is that I use Facebook to keep connected to friends and some work stuff, Snapchat for friends and I use Twitter for my interests, football, music, beer and faith/spirituality. I use Insta for my photos.

     

    Another aspect about social media that can sometimes be forgotten is around interaction, I was told early on if you want to get the most out of stuff on the various platforms interact with the posts, read the blogs, like or comment, get involved. We have become good at doom scrolling that can sometime detract from our experience.

     

    In this huge topic there are a number of angles we could take, from governments and big businesses harvesting data, to the realities of fake news or the challenges of managing the endless notifications! And dealing with issues of extremism, free-speech and limited accountability.

     

    One of the interesting things that plays into aspects of faith and spirituality is the challenge to be authentic. We have all seen those perfect pictures posted on various Social Media platforms of people living the dream, maybe all dressed up in their Christmas jammies, or posing in some perfect setting. These posts don’t tell us what is really going on in someone’s life and can often lead us to having a false view of their reality.

     

    According to a Wired article on 4th Jan “A new wave of platforms is starting to gain both mindshare and market share, fuelled by a desire for more authentic, meaningful online interactions with the people users choose to stay close to. Just look at the recent rise of messaging and voice app Discord, which now has more than 140 million users.” They indicate that Generation Z are spearheading much of this change.

     

    Social media users face a tension between presenting themselves in an idealised or authentic way. In some platforms we can see the idealised realities at play, like in insta when people follow all kinds of different people that they probably don’t even know. Meanwhile Facebook offers a potentially more authentic reality as many of the people you may connect with you will have some off line relationship with.

     

    This sense of being authentic challenges our sense of self in the whole online world, but is also an issue in the off line world as well… are we really authentic when we meet with friends? Why do we call it out online but not necessarily in face to face situations?

     

    One of the other things we hear a lot about is social media and mental health and it’s generally negative. My generation are definitely more inclined to focus on the bad side of online life. But talk to young people (who have grown up with social media) and you will hear some powerful stories of connection and finding their people.

     

    Some questions to get you talking:

    Which platform would Jesus use?

    What’s your ‘go to’ platform and why?

    What are the benefits and disadvantages in social media, as you see it?

    How authentic are you online?

    How important is it for you to have an online life or not?

    In your experience what does faith and spirituality look like on line?

    How could faith communities use social media more effectively?

     

    Peace, Rob

     

    Image by Thomas Ulrich from Pixabay

  • A Question of Being Human

    A Question of Being Human

    Hi folks, I hope you are doing ok, this week we will be meeting at Platform 2 at 7.30. We look forward to seeing you there. This weeks blog, ‘A Question of Being Human’ is written by John Cooper.

    A few years ago, my son and I were walking on the beach. He turned to me and said:

    ”The thing about dogs is that they can only know they’re dogs, they have no concept of what someone looking at a dog sees. It’s the same for us as humans. We can’t know what our limitations are because we can never see ourselves from the outside.”

    I wonder if you agree with him. Certainly, we have the ability to self-analyse; but can we ever escape our own humanness and see beyond it.

    Another issue with how we see ourselves as human is dualism. A perceived split between physical and spiritual; body and spirit; flesh and mind; biological and psychological. For 3000 years the pervading view has been that the body is bad, and the mind (or spirit) is good.

    But what if this wasn’t the only way to think about the body? Especially within our faith it could bring into question the way we think about gender, sexuality, disability, ecology, heaven, the afterlife etc. Feminist theologian Margaret Farley suggest that we are “spiritual embodiments; embodied spirits”: that there is not, and cannot be, a split between those two things. If we see ourselves as a unified whole where spirit/ intellect and body are inseparable, it must change how we see those around us who are born differently to us. And especially how we look at any questions of – “What next…?” – when we die.

    What if our bodies are good? What if they are more than vessels for the soul/ intellect?

    But it is obvious that we, as humans, have a notable position within the ecosystem of earth. Genesis tells us that we are made in the image of God, and people will happily go down a rabbit hole to tell you what exact image that is. Some people think it’s our perception of mortality; but other animals grieve the loss of a loved one. Some think it’s language; but other animals communicate. Some think it’s our ability to use tools; but other animals use tools to get food. I think the answer is a little more abstract than that. Firstly, we have learnt to use fire which allowed us to cook food which released a lot more protein into our system which, in turn, kick-started an evolutionary jump. Secondly, we learnt to communicate and to write it down. This means we can pass on what we’ve learnt in abstract ways. We can pass on practical skills and ideas about philosophy, religion, science to future generations.

    A third way we are distinct is our community. While other animals gather in families, species groups packs etc. We have evolved to gather in larger and more complex communities. Often being in more than one community at a time. And built upon the other differences above these can be abstract and more than simply survival strategies.

    While there are probably many more differences we may discuss, the final one I want to highlight is our ability to detrimentally affect the planet. Some scientists call our current age the age of the Anthropocene. The age of mankind. Before 1945 the chances of an existential level event which threatened earth was 10,000 to 1. And was the reserve of asteroids and other extra-terrestrial (not aliens) factors. Since 1945, humankind has offered earth two major terrestrial threats: nuclear weapons and climate change. While climate change has been happening for a few hundred years its possible full impact has only been seen since the 1960’s. Now some scientists think an existential threat to earth’s biological inhabitants in the next century is as high as 7 to 1! And that change is humankind.

    What do you think: What, if anything makes us special/ different within creation?

     

    Finally, I want us to think a little bit about Jesus. Often the Evangelical view of Jesus’ mission stops at salvation. Jesus came to save us, and by that we mean he came to secure our soul/ spirit into a new spiritual age. While some of that may be true, the bible speaks of new humanity, new creation, and a new earth, so I am not sure where this spiritual age where we lose of physical bodies comes from (OH WAIT! I do Plato 🙂 ).

    So, what if there is another more physical dimension to Jesus – incarnation, enfleshment, becoming human. What if one of the reasons Jesus came was to be an example of what it is possible to be when you’re a human being? It seems to me that Christianity has spent a lot of time trying to rise above being human and erring into the territory of God; while God chose to become human to show us what being fully human is about. Perhaps, instead of trying to be gods, we should concentrate on following the example of God being the best of Humanity.

    And what did he say: Love God, Be loved, love others…

    27 …“The Father has given me all these things to do and say. This is a unique Father-Son operation, coming out of Father and Son intimacies and knowledge. No one knows the Son the way the Father does, nor the Father the way the Son does. But I’m not keeping it to myself; I’m ready to go over it line by line with anyone willing to listen.

    28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

    So how do you feel about being a human? How do you see yourself in the big old scheme of things?

    Questions

    • What’s the best and worst human traits?
    • Describe humans as if they were an animal?
    • What strategies do humans use to think about being human?
    • Are humans Special? If so, why, if not, why not
    • Margaret Farley described humans as “embodied spirits; spiritual embodiments” What does that mean?
    • Do we need to be more like God, or more like God being a human?

     

    Photo by Jake Nackos on Unsplash
    Peace, Rob 
  • A Question of Belonging

    A Question of Belonging

    Hi folks, I trust you are ok? This week we are meeting in the Brewery in Whitley Bay at 7.30pm. I hope you can join us. 

    This week we are looking at a Question of belonging… This can be challenging as it explores what it means for us to be accepted. A sense of belonging is a human need we all experience at different levels. It helps us find value and cope when things hit the fan! When you ‘see’ your connection to others, you recognise that all people struggle and have difficult times. You are not alone. There can be a sense of comfort in that knowledge.

    Now of course there are many ‘places’ where belonging can be found; faith communities, families, work situations and friends, to name but a few. And yet there are many that struggle to belong and feel accepted. And there are situations where belonging means we exclude others. We are even more connected than ever before because of social media and our modern age, and yet there is still a deep sense of loneliness, struggle and anxiety within our communities. 

    During the pandemic we experienced a sense of loss as we navigated the realities of not being able to properly connect with family and friends and many struggled as they craved connection. 

    Now of course some people thrived in that space when they didn’t have to navigate the realities of social anxiety, or they were very happy in their own skin and thrived.

    When we ponder on this sense of belonging and connect it to faith, spirituality and the bible we are reminded that the divine story is about our connectedness to the other… or God if you would prefer that way of thinking. We read all kinds of beautiful poetry about being know by name, neither slave nor free, the Lord is near all who call on him, nothing can separate us from the love of God… I could go on! There is a deep sense that ‘the divine’ wants connection with the created order and particularly with us humans. 

    We are also reminded that we were made to be in relationship with each other, that is what the church is about – its about people! (although sometimes we forget that). We are often told that it’s difficult to be a person of faith without community, if i’m honest i’m not convinced by that, although I do recognise that flourishing can happen in faith communities. But i am also aware of the difficulties and conflicts that occur in those spaces. But maybe that is the reality of all communities when we rub shoulders with each other. 

    This sense of belonging can also be experienced in a lesser sense when we participate in the world, chatting to neighbours, giving someone a smile as you walk past, saying hi to the cashier in the shop. And of course we also have a relationship with and a sense of belonging to the soil, planet and the universe as a whole.

     

    To help us ponder on this some more, have look at these quotes:

    If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other. Mother Teresa

    Although I am a typical loner in my daily life, my awareness of belonging to the invisible community of those who strive for truth, beauty, and justice has prevented me from feelings of isolation. Albert Einstein

    Those who have a strong sense of love and belonging have the courage to be imperfect. Brené Brown

    You cannot change any society unless you take responsibility for it, unless you see yourself as belonging to it and responsible for changing it. Grace Lee Boggs

    Appreciation is a wonderful thing: It makes what is excellent in others belong to us as well. Voltaire

    Nothing of me is original. I am the combined effort of everyone I’ve ever known. Chuck Palahniuk

    If you want to live a happy life, tie it to a goal, not to people or objects. Albert Einstein

    Your actions are your only true belongings. Gautama Buddha

    We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect. Aldo Leopold

    “The heart of the matter: You should never belong fully to something that is outside yourself. It is very important to find a balance in your belonging.” John O’Donohue

     

    Some questions: 

    In what fictional story, book or movie have you seen belonging played out? 

    In what situation have you felt you belonged the most?

    In what sense do you agree or not that belonging is a human need? 

    Even though we are more connected than we have ever been, why do you think belonging is so difficult? 

    What is you experience of belonging in faith communities? 

    What does belonging mean when it comes to the divine? Do you recognise it?

    What does it mean for us to ‘belong’ to the planet/universe?

    Which of the quotes resonate with you? Which don’t? 

     

    Peace Rob

     

    Image by Marjon Besteman from Pixabay

  • War! Huh what is it good for?

    War! Huh what is it good for?

    I wrote this blog backwards because it got far too long. So there is the short read which should hopefully be enough to take part in the discussion on Sunday (7:30pm Platform 2, Tynemouth).  There is then the questions for our conversation.  After that you will find the extended addition. It is looong but will give a bit more detail and may help with some of the questions and help add a little more depth to the first part.

    War may be good for absolutely nothing but it is hard to escape the fact that we are surrounded by violence.  From a fight in a playground to rival gangs fighting over territory right through to the events taking place in Ukraine right now. The world is at war. As people faith or those trying to work out what life looks like in this world war is a really difficult subject for many reasons. That’s why it is in this A Question of series

    In the later part of this blog in the loooong read you will find four of the western worlds views on war.  These are principles, many of them rooted in the Christian faith that try to find a view or set of ethics for people to hold in the face of war.  You may hold to one of these views, though if you are like me you have probably never had to put it into practice.

    I would want to say I am a Pacifist or a Just Peacemaker right now. There are times in my life when Just War or even Holy War would have been my preferred options.  If someone broke into my house and threatened by family would I hold to my non-violent peacemaking beliefs or switch to Just War fairly sharpish. If another nation invaded my country would I flee to the hills to avoid fighting like the early Christians did in the revolt against Rome or would I defend the oppressed or downtrodden.

    I know none of the answers to these questions because I am not faced with any of these immediate realities.  

    How can I say if it is right for me to stand and say those people who have taken up arms in Ukraine to defend their land against Russia are not justified? How do I know if I would stand alongside the slaves who rose up against their oppressors in the US? Or the resistance fighters who defended the genocide of Jews during the Second World War?

    What we need is a lived theology that finds itself made real in our lived experience and in the face of oppression and violence.  That how we react in a moment or the choice we make when faced with a situation is one born out of our relationship with God and our practices of how we believe we should live. That may mean in that moment we stand and resist non-violently. It may mean that we pick up our sword to defend what is right. Yet which ever it may be we understand that God is with us.

    Questions

    • Have you ever been in a fight before and did you win?
    • What is the first conflict you can remember taking place in your lifetime?
    • If you were to choose a view point which one of Pacifism, Just War, Holy War, Just Peacemaking would you choose?
    • How do you think you would live out your view if someone or something dear to you were threatened?
    • What do you think is a more realistic way of living with the question of war for you and us as a community?

    WARNING – This is a long read!

    When we come to look at the ethics of war, the western world has four theories/viewpoints that have guided it over the centuries. There will be other ethics born out of other world views but as white westerners we have grown up with these four so it seems sensible to start here.

    Let us start with one of the most ancient views and one that is still upheld today in Pacifism.  Many hold pacifism as the standpoint that the early Christians took in the 300 or so years after Jesus’ death.  It basically is the view that all violence is wrong no matter what the circumstance and peaceful means should always be sort to resolve conflict. It is a position upheld by Quakers, Mennonite’s, Some Pentecostal movements, Brethren churches and Franciscans today.  

    The theology of this view is found rooted in Jesus. The cross would be one of the prime examples of Jesus refusal to use violence, instead allowing violence to be done to him.  There is also Jesus’ use of the Hebrew Scriptures in which he often misses out passages that encourage violence when speaking and highlights those passages where peacemaking present.  Elsewhere we have verses like ‘love your neighbour’ and Paul’s encouragement in Romans to ‘overcome evil with good’. In the early church we see pacifism in the Christians flight from Jerusalem during the revolt against Rome instead of staying and fighting alongside others.  There is also evidence that Christians opted out of serving in the Roman army until Christians was adopted as the official religion at which time other interpretations were made to allow Christians to serve as soldiers to.

    In modern times Martin Luther king Jr, Gandhi, The Dalai Lama, Helen Keller and many others are proponents of pacifism and have sort to live out this view in their lives.

    The next view we will look at is Holy War.  On the one hand this view has been tried by the church in the west with horrific consequences and found to be an appalling understanding of what Christians are called to be (See the crusades and Spanish inquisition).  Having said that the US hasn’t quite shaken this view and it can be found increasingly in right wing white evangelical circles.  We also find this view in some extreme Islamist viewpoints as well.  (There is also an argument that the American Civil War, World War 1 and 2 all had holy war elements within them though other non religious issues were much stronger driving forces).

    The Holy war view takes much of its theological underpinning from the Old Testament and particularly the books that deal with the capturing of the promised land.  Time and time again God is found to instruct his people to go to war, handing them victories against their enemies and at times wiping out the enemy on the peoples behalf.  There isn’t much in this theory that finds itself in the life of Jesus though the New Testament does have some passages that have been used to help prop up this view.  The final battles in Revelation are some of these and a quick flick through the many interpretations of these will show many that see a Holy War at the very centre of the end of the world.

    The third view is that of the Just War.  This theory can be found in Ancient Egypt, China and other nations way before the western viewpoint took shape.  For that we start where a lot of Western theology and thinking begins with Saint Augustine.  His ideas were later developed by the likes of Ambrose and Thomas Aquinas and these have been the foundations of this theory in the west through the centuries.  The theory or sometimes practices of Just War set out the conditions for war to take place. These are just cause, comparative justice, competent authority, right intention, probability of success, last resort, proportionality and once a war has begun distinction, proportionality, military necessity, fair treatment, no means and finally to end a war just cause of termination, right intention, public declaration and authority, discrimination, proportionality (wikipedia will give you some detail on all these).

    As you can see that is a long list without the explanations and if you think of any conflict in the last 100 years or indeed ever you will probably struggle to tick every box to say a war has been just. 

    Finally the fourth and most modern of these views is Just Peacemaking.  This view has risen due to the way in which wars are now fought.  In a world where a soldier can sit at a computer 1000s of miles away from the frontline and fly an armed drone into enemy territory and drop a 1000lb bomb on an a supposed enemy hideout makes a mockery out of many of the principles of Just War.  Just Peacemaking sets out an ethic for active war prevention instead of justification and has ten practices.   Support non-violent direct action, take independent initiatives to reduce threat, use co-operative conflict resolution; acknowledge responsibility for conflict and injustice and seek repentance and forgiveness; advance democracy human rights and religious liberty; foster just and sustainable economic development; work with emerging cooperative forces in the international system; strengthen the UN and international efforts for cooperation and human rights; reduce offensive weapons and weapons trade; encourage grassroots peacemaking groups and voluntary associations.

    For theological underpinning we have Jesus’ instruction to ‘go make peace with your brother or sister…’ or ’to turn the other cheek…’ and lets not forget ‘blessed are the peacemakers’.

    Photo by Markus Winkler: https://www.pexels.com/photo/paper-on-a-vintage-typewriter-12220441/

  • Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

    Hi folks, I hope you are good! You will have noticed that we have not been to the club for a while, at the moment they are closing the upstairs bar at 4.00pm and the other rooms aren’t really conducive for us. We will try to add it into our thinking in the spring/summer. So this week we will meet at The Brewery in Whitley Bay, meeting at 7.30. I hope you can join us. 

    After starting our new themes of ‘A question of’, this week we are going to do something else! Basically my head isn’t in the zone to get stuck into a topic like that. Some of them are fairly big topics and they will need a bit of prep and so because of that we will intersperse these themes with other things. 

    Just before Christmas we were exploring the beatitudes and we had one left to cover, and so we are grateful to Sue who has put this together. 

    Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. NIV: Matthew 5:10

    Persecution is not something any of us want to experience yet many human beings actions persecute others. The situation in Iran and Afghanistan and the treatment of women, the war in the Ukraine are daily reminders that persecution is just as active today as it was when Jesus was persecuted. 

    Persecution is not just the big international actions, humans persecute one another on so many levels, through thoughts, words and actions. Why?! Why do we persecute one another? One root of persecution is fear. Fear of not being respected, being taken over, not having control or traditions being wiped out.  Fear of not understanding, lack of knowledge, fear of rejection and what others think may drive individuals not to take action, to sit on the fence or stay silent. 

    When looking up the word persecution in the dictionary it says: “hostility and ill-treatment, especially on the basis of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or political beliefs”. Similar words: oppression, victimisation, maltreatment, ill-treatment, mistreatment, abuse, ill-usage, discrimination, tyranny,  tyrannisation, punishment, torment, torture and pogrom.   

    Other informal words: witch hunt, red-baiting, harassment, hounding, harrying, badgering, teasing, bullying and molestation. 

    As I read this definition and all the words associated with it my heart sank with overwhelming sadness of just how common it is in the world, our daily life and within the church.

    Yet there is hope given to us regarding persecution in Matthew 5:10, the Amplified Bible reads as:

    “Blessed [comforted by inner peace and God’s love] are those  who are persecuted for doing that which is morally right, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven [both now and forever].”

    Jesus knows all too well what it was like to be persecuted for being different, living differently and speaking differently and being with others who were seen as being different, the outcast, the leper, women, children and those seen by the Pharisees and Scribes as the lowest in society.  The Pharisees and Scribes tried to bait Jesus with their questions, and were relentless in hounding him, always looking for a way to gain control over him and those that followed him. 

    Jesus is not without understanding of the hurt, pain and rejection that fear and persecution can cause people. And it is in this understanding that the persecuted can find some comfort, inner peace and know God’s love. Although the external maybe like a war zone or the storm of life continues to rage,  it’s a sense of the inner peace of the heart and spirit, the love of God who accepts us with all our differences, which to Him there are no differences as we are all created in his image, this is where strength can be gained, this is where God is our shelter and refuge. 

    Yet there is a challenge in this to us all too, how do we care for one another, especially those who are persecuted because of their ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or political beliefs, as well as all the other ways persecution is played out in our day to day experiences. 

    I think the answer is found in Matthew 22:34-40 AMP where after the Sadducees had tried to trick Jesus with questions but Jesus had silenced them. Reading between the lines, it’s almost as if they are saying nice try, but this will get Jesus and so one of them who was an expert in the Mosaic law, tested Him [Jesus] with this question:

    “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in law?” Jesus  replied to him “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: You shall  love your neighbour as yourself [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others]. The whole law and the [writing of the] Prophets depend on these two commandments.”  

    Questions: 

    What persecution have you seen so far this year? Fictional, in your own life or in the news.

    Do you think fear is a route to persecution? 

    What else may drive persecution?

    What can stop us from supporting or standing up for those who are persecuted?    

    How can we unselfishly seek the best or higher good for others? 

     

    Peace, Rob

    Image by Ildigo from Pixabay

  • A question of ‘earthiness’

    A question of ‘earthiness’

    Hi folks I hope you are well and that you are easing your way into the new year. This Sunday we will meet at Platform 2 on Tynemouth Station at 7.30, I hope that you can make it?

    This week we begin a new series of reflections that will stretch out over the year with other themes and one offs. After a good look at the bible over the last year or so, we think it’s time to engage in other areas of life that are prominent within our society, some we have tackled before but other themes will be new.

    The next series will focus on ‘A question of…’ So we already have a strong list of issues we want to look at, these include, race, gender, creativity, nature, law and order, the inner me, human, war, ageism too name but a few!

    But you may also have issues that you would like us to tackle, so that will be part of our discussion on Sunday night. Our hope is that some of you would contribute to writing some of these, again I will be asking you on Sunday if you would like to do that. It may also be that you know someone in a particular field that you think would be good to ask to write a reflection for us.

    Tonight I want us to think about this: A question of ‘earthiness’! This springs out of a conversation before Christmas and I have done a bit of a reflection on it for something else I was doing.

    Heading into Christmas I was involved in a facebook conversation that led me to ponder on spirituality and earthiness.

    Because we were in advent It led me to wonder about the star in the nativity story, there is nothing like looking up at the stars when there is little or no light pollution.

    Stars are huge celestial bodies made mostly of hydrogen and helium that produce light and heat from the churning nuclear forges inside their cores.

    Aside from our sun, the dots of light we see in the sky are all light-years from Earth.

    They are the building blocks of galaxies, of which there are billions in the universe. It’s impossible to know how many stars exist, but astronomers estimate that in our Milky Way galaxy alone, there are about 300 billion.

    A star’s light travels through the universe echoing through time and space… it’s mind melting!

    As I have been pondering on all this over the course of the last few weeks, you begin to see that nature has a full part to play in the divine shakeup of our existence. We also see it all over scripture, right from creation in genesis through to Revelation and a new heaven and new earth. It’s fleshed out in our very skin and bone. And the ultimate mash up of this earthiness is seen in Jesus the God man… The word became flesh!

    Back to the conversation on facebook… In that conversation a mate used a phrase that captured my imagination. I have to say I was ignorant of it, but I really do love it!

    It is the word ‘Chthonic’ or ‘Chthulucene’… (try saying that with a stammer!) It’s about being earthed – in touch with the planet – grounded. But it’s also about being connected to what’s happening with the earth. It’s about drawing aspects of our spirituality from our connectedness with creation.

    This concept got me thinking and I realised that it is connected to lent, we talk about plants and animals dying, we talk about stars dying, we talk about our lives ending, we place a finality to life. It can feel like life is full of dead ends and full stops, that that is that! But then I was reminded of these words that we use at the start of lent “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.”

    What if there is more going on with the divine’s connection with the universe, the earth, and all that makes life happen here on earth and beyond?

    What if the multi-species, multi-origins, and infinite potential of the universe, including the potential that the beauty of humanity can be cultivated, and can continue long after we have passed through this life?

    So the conversation led me to these words by Lisa Fazio:

    “The Chthulucene is derived from the word Chthonic. A word for ancient, underworld, and “subterranean”. The place where all life is birthed from. Where we emerge from the humus, the compost, the mycelia (the constellation of stars underground), all that has ever bled, all the tears that have fallen, all the deconstruction, all of the bones, and the hot sun that burns in the centre of the Earth.

    I don’t like the new age cliche “we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” I don’t want to leave, escape, go to heaven. I want to be here now and always.

    I am an embodied being, married to matter, having a divine experience with light, carbon, gravity, density, the swords of love, and the sacred heart. I am making compost. When I die I want to turn into soil, hopefully beneath a cherry tree so my blood can feed its sap. The Chthulucene turns our bodies into sap.”

    In other words, there is relationality all the way back, and all the way in, natural forces and human forces became intertwined and related. And so I wonder if we have lost within our spirituality our connectedness to the earth and the cycle of life and death.

    As you ponder on all that, listen to this song by David Benjamin Blower and here are some questions.

     

    Questions

    Think back to the last time you stared into space and looked at the stars, what does it feel like?

     

    In what ways have you considered scripture and the natural world as being linked? What examples from scripture can you give?

     

    What do you think of these words from Lisa Fazio “The place where all life is birthed from. Where we emerge from the humus, the compost, the mycelia (the constellation of stars underground), all that has ever bled, all the tears that have fallen, all the deconstruction, all of the bones, and the hot sun that burns in the centre of the Earth”?

     

    What do you think she means by these words “we are spiritual beings having a human experience.” I don’t want to leave, escape, go to heaven. I want to be here now and always?

     

    What about this? I am an embodied being, married to matter, having a divine experience with light, carbon, gravity, density, the swords of love, and the sacred heart. I am making compost. When I die I want to turn into soil, hopefully beneath a cherry tree so my blood can feed its sap. The Chthulucene turns our bodies into sap.”

     

    What does it mean for us if natural forces and human forces are intertwined and related?

     

    How do you think this could change our thinking about nature as followers of Jesus?

     

    What kind of ‘A question of…’ would you want to add?

     

    Peace, Rob 

    Image by AndreasAux from Pixabay https://tinyurl.com/es2zr7ra

  • Happy New Year!

    Happy New Year!

    Happy New Year! 2023 is a go!
     
    As we begin another year we will kick off our weekly gatherings meeting at 7.30 at the The Brewery in Whitley Bay.
     
    We have no theme for our first Sunday back, we ease our way into the new year with a chilled evening of conversation and catching up. I hope you can join us!
     
    Peace, Rob
     
    Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
  • Celebrate : Wor Yem : Day 28

    Celebrate : Wor Yem : Day 28

    Luke 2:16-20

    Who doesn’t like to celebrate? To let your hair down, to party with friends and families or just complete strangers and have a good time. Because life is good or you got that new job or its Friday and why not. Celebrating is a good thing to do. When the shepherds found the baby they had been told about by the angels they went away celebrating. For them this baby was the fulfilment of a promise they and many others had been waiting for. If this child was to be the saviour of their people it would change their lives and the lives of their children for the better. That is definitely something to celebrate. Christmas is a time many use for a celebration. Work Christmas parties, family gathered around the table over the festive period and then New Years Eve celebrations. But what are you celebrating? What are the things you want to give thanks for this year. Looking back over what has been and looking forward to what might be can give us lots to be thankful for and lots to be excited about. So as you celebrate this advent why not take some time to remember what you have to celebrate. No matter how big or how small.

    Photo Challenge: Take a picture of something inspired by the word Celebrate. Use the hashtag #woryem

    Celebrate
    Celebrate the big
    Celebrate the small
    Celebrate

    What are you Celebrating in this season of advent?
    Stop for a moment
    Have a party!

    We are a community of faith.
    Strandlopers on a journey.
    We have celebrated in this season of advent
    By God’s grace we go.
    Amen

    Celebrate – Photo by Marcin Dampc

  • Expect : Wor Yem : Day 27

    Expect : Wor Yem : Day 27

    Matthew 24:36-44

    What do you expect out of life? What do you expect out of your spiritual journey? I was pondering on the first gig I went to post pandemic, I went to see Ferocious Dog, I was full of expectation of what it would be like, how I would feel, we stood at the back that night, just a little apprehensive, but it would be the first of many I went to over the next few months. As I attended each gig my expectations only increased as I immersed myself more fully into the experience. I wonder if this is true for a lot of things, our expectancy levels become more engaged, as we enter more fully into the activities we engage with? I have been to lots more gigs over the last eighteen months or so, and even though I have an idea what they might be like I don’t really know, and the more I enter into them more fully, the more I get out of them.

    So I wonder what you expect out of advent, if anything? We journey knowing what the story has to offer, and yet each day through advent we have new and different experiences, things that we will have never done before, things that we have done before, but maybe take for granted, and things that are challenging. And yet the advent journey asks us to expect something. That’s why I chose this song, I really don’t enjoy winter, but I know that summer is coming, of course it won’t be the same as last year, but it will still come.

    Photo Challenge: Take a picture of something inspired by the word Expect. Use the hashtag #woryem

    Expect
    Expect as you engage
    Expect change
    Expect

    What are you expecting out of this season of advent?
    Stop for a moment
    What are you waiting for?

    We are a community of faith.
    Strandlopers on a journey.
    What do you expect in this season of advent
    By God’s grace we go.
    Amen

    Photo by Jamie Davies on Unsplash