Christus vincit:Christus regnat:Christus Imperat

This weekend has been a truly wonderful one. It is also one that flies in the face of the shock headlines that the newspapers have been all too delighted to throw at the Church. One of the services I have been to have been to was full to bursting and with a good base of young children to grow up in the faith.  Others have been well attended and again with a thriving and growing base of children. It is however true that at any stage in the Church's past, present or future, we are always a generation away from dying out. Should we fail to capture the imaginations of those younger than us, it would be the generation that would fail to carry us on.

I placed a C.S.Lewis quote on social media earlier in the week. It read "God doesn't want something from us. He simply wants us." It is a quote I have always been fond of, not just because he is one of my favorite writers but because it embodies quite simply the reason I came to have a faith. At a time when everyone else demanded things of me, some of the Nuns at my school did the opposite. Through their life and their interaction with me, they showed me a glimpse of what the love of God meant. A few years later I went on to work at our local YMCA with vulnerable young teenagers. Some were only vaguely vulnerable, others exceptionally so. However what struck me as shocking was not the cases of abuse, those I had expected. What I had not expected was the level of stress and depression and self harm that came about quite simply because these poor young people felt that everybody wanted something from them in order to give them love and appreciation. They came to us, to get free food, some chill time and more importantly an unconditional ear and time. 

We live in a society now, that requires 24 hours of conformity in order to be accepted. What we say and do has never been more scrutinized both on a personal level and on an organizational level. Everybody has their expectations and many are all to willing to tear apart whatever it is we do or say. We however as baptized members of Christ's church have a duty to do the opposite.  Christ came to love us warts and all and it is our mission to do the same to everyone we meet. Here is where my quote from CS Lewis comes into play, as a missional tool for the Church. At a time when I was lost and vulnerable, it was acts of kindness, inclusion and an introduction to the Catholic Faith that has given me a lifelong Faith. If we were to go out of our buildings or bring people in and show them this unconditional love, how many more people could we bring flooding through our gates.

I am a great believer in incarnational ministry not just for our Priests but as a duty for all Christians.
However the image of the CofE has been blighted by our many internal arguements. We are not seen as loving and tolerant, but instead judgemental and incapable of loving each other let alone those outside our enclave.

Hopefully in the new budding trust that is developing, a new stronger and tolerant Church will blossom. It would be so much better if we were all able to work together, for in loving one another we can go out and love the world.

At this point there is another CS Lewis quote that seems appropriate


The life of Christ was not a comfortable one, therefore if we are to live a truly incarnational life, ours can not be either. But we should not let that stand in our way. For the love of Christ our King will reign over all.

Christus vincit:Christus regnat:Christus Imperat

The Butterfly at the Window

For many weeks now, as I have sat in Church there has been a butterfly persistently trying to escape through the glass window. The delicate creatures frittering and fluttering is so vigorous it can often be heard over whoever is preaching. I can only imagine it lives everyday like this, repeatedly banging it's tiny head against a window, risking damaging it's fragile body in a desperate attempt to reach the world it really desires whilst this invisible barricade stands in it's way. How it has lived so long I do not know, I can only assume it feeds of the flowers and has some exceptional will power to reach the other side of the glass. Still I expect as the weather cools, it will eventually cease to be there one Sunday morning.

We all stand on a precipice between the worlds we long to live in and the one we actually live in. For some of us we dream of many different scenarios, for example the  peaceful equal world which morally we should want  and the world we really want where we own and have everything we could possibly want. For the few true saints that walk among us those two worlds merge and more often than not they are the living example of what they desire.

For the rest of us life is not so simple. Most of us live in an entirely comfortable situation, it is hard to sacrifice what makes us feel safe. We know that in reality we have more than we possibly need, yet we desire more and have the capability  usually to get it. As we move towards Advent most of the country starts preparing for Christmas. I read in one paper yesterday about how we are in the 49 hours of preparation for the Christmas party look (new clothes, hair and make up). In the same paper was a statement from the Archbishop of Canterbury about how we should step away from materialism and give "LOVE" for Christmas. As a nation we apparently spent an average of £1,000 on Christmas last year. We put so much pressure on ourselves to produce a perfect event, that very often that is the very reason we do not. Many years ago now, I stepped out of the rat race. Preferring to give where I can homemade gifts and cards. I also stopped competing when it came to kids parties, we have for sometime now had a couple of friends, a film and pizza. By taking out the pressure we all have a bigger gift of "LOVE". Those who are there, want to be and it is a happy place. By giving homemade presents, you may not have spent big money but you have spent your time and in turn giving that "LOVE" again. My children love mucking in at the end of every term to make something for their teachers, it shows they are genuinely grateful for all the teachers time and effort by giving the same back in return. And truly when we already have it all, do we really need more of the big things?

I confess though that I am not immune to consumerism, I love pretty items and lovely clothes. I walk into shops and want everything in front of me, just like everyone else. However though I am still prone to window shopping, I try to buy second hand in the main. This final move happened after my Barefoot walk last Lent. Not only do I then end up with the pretty things I want, when I need them, but by going to a Charity shop I am giving something back to someone else that needs it and lowering my impact on the environment. The children to, love rifling through Charity shops. Though it has to be said, when it comes to Christmas they do get some new presents, but not the hundreds of pounds worth other parents seem to buy. But if I can get what they have asked for second hand, they never complain and don't really seem to notice. Life is simpler this way. I have long since given up on the desire to try and compete and as such I am more relaxed. As for spending 49 hours deciding what to wear for the Christmas do, I do not own make up, my hair can come out of it's hairband and I have a dress already. There are better things to spend my time on, so I am off to make some more chutney. But remember as you turn your thoughts towards Advent and then Christmas, that Advent is not about counting days with chocolates so you can receive even more stuff for yourself. It is a time for looking at yourself and what you can do in order to make yourself worthy of that gift as it comes down from heaven. The greatest gift anyone can ever receive, came down to the humblest of houses and the humblest of parents. Peace, Love and Joy can not be found in acquisitions, but they can be found in each other.