by church news | Mar 26, 2020 | Front Page
I can well remember as a young lad in the 50’s and
early 60’s being told by my mother, “ you may not like it but it is good
for you”.
Cod-liver oil, noise drops that went
down the back of your throat, a bowl of Friars’ Balsum, ‘ Vick’
rubbed on your chest. I am sure many of you can remember a lot worse!
Well of course, mother was always right and it did ‘do you
good’, in the end.
We have been told in the last few days,
by Boris our ‘marmite’ Prime Minister (like him or dislike him) and by his
many advisers, very clearly what is good for all of us as individuals and
also for the far greater good of others. There will always be,
unfortunately, those who will disagree, believe that they know better and will
not be told what to do by anyone!
I am very much reminded of the Book of
Exodus in the Bible, a very good time now to revisit some of these stories,
when Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt and into the desert for 40 years.
If you really want to know about an argumentative, at times miserable
and ungrateful group of people, then look no further than here! Yet in
the end, as God had always promised them, they were delivered into a
land ‘of milk and honey’.
None of us want to wait 40 years,
although please do not believe as ‘some across the water’ would have us
believe, that this epidemic will soon be over, I do not believe that this
is true. In my book of Favourite Prayers, is the following, “Out of the
gloom a voice said unto me, ’Smile and be happy, things could be worse’. So I
smiled and was happy, and behold they did get worse.”
We must all take responsibility for our
own actions and how they effect those around us, we must all pray daily
for those who fight this terrible virus, and for those thousands who have
lost their fight against it; but let us do so with as much good grace and
love as we can, for as the saying goes, ‘Laugh and the World laughs with
you, cry and you cry alone’. I know that looking ahead there will very
likely be times when we may all shed a tear, but as with the Hebrews if we hold
on to our faith in God, then there will be new life and new beginnings in the
end. Amen.
M.J. Tonkin
by church news | Mar 23, 2020 | Front Page
From today (23rd March), in line with national advice from the Church of England and the Bishops of all parishes within London boroughs, all services at the Barn Church have been suspended and the church building will remain closed until further notice.
by church news | Mar 21, 2020 | Front Page
Due to the closure of the Church certain details have changed for weddings, funerals and baptisms. No baptisms, weddings or funerals will take place in church until further notice. However, Father Peter is available to take funeral services at the Crematorium or at the grave side.
Please contact Fr Peter for any further details.
by church news | Mar 21, 2020 | Front Page
Today’s Readings:
1
Samuel 16: 1-13
Ephesians
5: 8-14
John
9: 1-end
Pray for mothers
- For new mothers, struggling with sleepless nights and
a hungry baby
- For experienced mothers, stretched to their limits
- For mothers we will not be able to be with today
because of the Coronovirus pandemic
- For mothers we love but see no more
Pray for Mother Church
- For congregations as they seek out a new way of being
Church, together yet separate
- For Church leaders, giving guidance in unexpected
circumstances
- For Church Wardens, providing leadership locally
- For Parish Administrators, heading up the
communications of the parish
- For our Readers, Michael & Richard, ministering to
us in new ways
- For our Vicar & Area Dean
Pray for National and Local Government
- For scientists and analysts, that they may have wisdom
and discernment
- For those who speak publicly, that they may have
clarity and honesty
- For Parliament, that it may take just and fair
decisions through this crisis
- For our borough, that it may prioritise the weak, the
vulnerable and the lonely as it seeks to maintain services to all
For ourselves
- For all families with children home from school for
the foreseeable future
- For those living by themselves
- For members of the Avenue Club, unable to meet
together at St Luke’s
- For our personal wellbeing, health and spiritual life
by church news | Mar 21, 2020 | Sermons
As these are particular
times, I am starting my sermon with a picture – courtesy of Dave Walker, the
regular cartoonist in The Church Times. However we worship and pray together over the
coming weeks and months, we start with the recognition that God is with us and
binding us together, wherever we are, whatever we are doing, and whatever is
going on. Christ’s Church will continue
to gather, whether in homes or in church buildings, and Christ’s love will be
shown in acts of generosity and care to those who live around us. As for producing a sermon which I know will
not be preached, well, that feels a little strange, but hey ho, here we go.
Today will be a difficult
Mothering Sunday for many. Some will not
be able to travel, to be with their mother on this special day. Others will still be grieving the loss of
their mother over this past year. Many
of us will be worried about our mothers, especially the more elderly amongst
them, as the threat of the Coronavirus develops. Mothering Sunday was traditionally a day of returning
home, of sharing family life together for a day, before returning to the
routine of work and separation. The
world of work and family life has changed immeasurably since those days, and this
year’s Mothering Sunday will not be like that for many. Do today’s readings have anything to say to
us? Samuel is taught not to look at
outward appearances, but to examine the heart with the mind of God. The healing of the man born blind rules out
any notion of the transmission of sin and blame from one generation to the
next, but after that it is all about seeing Christ for who he truly is, not
really about mothers.
So we need to go
elsewhere. We have been given Psalm 23
to read together, a psalm of comfort and calm, a psalm which talks of the
gentle but wise leading of God. The
Psalmist describes how God leads us to safe places, brings refreshment and
shelters us from fear and threat. Food
and wine are shared, as we move seamlessly through to the eternal presence of
God, our shepherd. The usual reading of
these verses is to draw a parralel between God as shepherd and God as king,
referencing King David, the boy who was taken from being a shepherd to become
the king of Israel. But our God is not a
tyrant: rather, he is a king who provides for us in all ways, both physical and
spiritual, so that we may live in peace in his presence.
However, today is not a
normal Sunday, and therefore the normal way of reading Psalm 23 has to go. So I am going to attempt to replace that with
approaching Psalm 23 from a mother’s point of view. It can fairly be argued that I am in no
position to do this, but I have a mother, I am an observer of mothers, I live with
the mother of my children and I have a certain amount of imagination, so bear
with me, please.
In this world, there are
many mothers who cannot provide for all their children’s needs. Many mothers in our country are choosing
between food and heat, their children eating and them going hungry. These mothers’ desire is to see their children
happy, warm and fed, but many factors are working against them. Therefore, if
God is one who provides fully and lovingly, that is an easy parallel to
agree.
How many of us are brought
up sharply with our mother’s voice ringing in our ears, “Don’t do that, please”
or “You’re not going out dressed like that!”
Yes, the moral teaching within the family is a shared function, but
whose tones do you remember when that teaching of long ago rises subtly to the
surface?
Who tucked you up when you
were ill, or afraid, or anxious? Who
brought out the blanket, or the tissue, or the story book at times of distress?
I grew up in a family
where my mother was the only cook, despite being a head teacher. Things are different now, but who really
plans those family feasts or picnics?
And who stormed up to the school, outraged at another child’s behaviour
towards you, or challenging what appeared to be an unjust decision by your
teacher? Ask any teacher how the gender
breakdown looks of parents who come into school to complain, and I think I know
the answer. To see our mother on the
warpath might well have made us cringe as children, but ultimately, she did it
for our very best interests.
“Goodness and loving
mercy…” what are they but every parent’s desire for their children, and much
as we may roll our eyes at our teenagers, the best times are when they come
home again and comment that our food tastes better than their attempts at
making it, and that our sofa is more welcoming than theirs.
Truly this is a psalm of
divine parenthood, which today, Mothering Sunday, puts God right in the centre
of the maternal role. The creator God
who brought the world into existence, who gave birth to us all, desires nothing
more than to tuck us up in the blanket of her love and forgiveness and keep us
safe and warm from all that might harm us, especially during this time of
crisis.
Keep this psalm close to
you as we journey together through these strange times. Acknowledge God’s loving protection as we
offer care and comfort to those around us, as best we can. And talk to your loving Mother God, daily,
because she wants to hear everything you feel and know, and to share with you
in bringing answers to this troubled world.
Amen
