The Sabbath #Bigread12 Blog Post

This post was originally posted at the #Bigbible, #Digidisciple blog on 10 April 2012

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Easter Tuesday Mark 2.23-27 #BigRead12 with @minidvr

APRIL 10, 2012 BY BIGBIBLE LEAVE A COMMENT

The Sabbath:

In this passage Jesus and his disciples are seen to be picking ears of corn [1]and eating them on the Sabbath. Something which those who hated them, criticised them for it being illegal. Jesus makes the point very clearly that David, who was God’s annointed, had entered the temple with his soldiers while on the run from Saul, and had eaten the ‘Bread of thePresence’, which even the priests were forbidden to eat.  Jesus is drawing our attention to his authority as the Son of God, who the rules of man should not be applied to.  His quoted text says it all ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.’

Genisis 2:1-3 describes how God made the seventh day Holy, as a memorial to his creation which was ‘good’ and rested on the seventh day.   We are commanded (as were the Jews) in Exodus 20:8 to remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  But surely we should consider every day holy in the service of God, marking the Sabbath as a day of rest and worship of God.  Which seems to me to be my interpretation of God’s intention and the reason behind the commandment.

Pondering on this, I think back to my childhood in the UK in the 1950s.  In those days, Sunday was kept as the Sabbath, quite strictly.   For many working people, it was the only day that they got relief from work for the week.  Many attended worship in churches, shops were closed and only essential public services worked.  Even those who didn’t go to church took advantage of the Sabbath and pursued leisure activities and sport. Sunday was time for rest, family and prayer, not always in that order.   Public transport ran to a Sunday timetable, and pubs and entertainment establishments had very restricted hours.  If you lived in a remote community, Sunday was definitely not the day to have a mini-crisis to run out of milk, to break down.  Nothing would happen until Monday morning.  It was slightly different in more urban communitities, but even here things were closed and the Sabbath was observed to a great extent.

Now, some 60 years later, an enormous transformation has happened.  The Sabbath is only observed by those who practice a religious faith.  Sunday has been swallowed up in the busyness of life lived in a 24/7 economy.  This way of life is common to both rural and urban communities.  Shops are free to open for restricted, but fairly long hours.  Pubs and entertainment establishments can operate 24 hours in some places and secular work is a norm.   Even those who observe the Sabbath, are expected to work if thier employer requires it, or risk losing their job. It seems that society has bowed down the mammon and has allowed secular past times and activities to become more important than those who observe the Sabbath.

I remember in the last 2 years of my working life, I became a Christian.  I had quite happily worked innumerable Sabbath’s, but something had changed.  Jesus had become my Saviour and I had a new set of rules to live out and to live by.  All of a sudden, Sunday became precious.  It was the time that I could dedicate to worship, family and leisure.   In that last two years, I only worked on 2 Sundays, where it could not be avoided, but only if a dispensation was made that I could have time off to attend worship.  Conflict could have ensued, others who had to work, could have said that I was given preferential treatment.  But somehow God’s grace didn’t allow this to happen.  Those who I worked with having been surprised by my conversion, graciously allowed me the time and space to grow and to develop as a Christian and to practice my faith, which I had proclaimed openly in the work place.

I wonder how often that would happen in other work places?  I’m not sure, because I continually read of employers not being ‘faith’ friendly and that reasonable accommodation is not being made for people of any faith to practice their religion freely and in accordance with their conscience.

I don’t blame those employers or people who refuse to contemplate that Christianity or any other faith should be a special case,  they after all, are as entitled to their views as we are in ours.  But it just seems that something has been lost in the transformation and change of the last 50 years or so. That sense of graciousness,  of consideration and compassion for others, displayed by my work colleagues towards me, has been lost in many places. It has been subborned to the busyness of life, of the individual and their rights and the pursuit of wealth and personal happiness, not matter what the cost to our souls.

I wonder if it will ever be regained without a wholesale infusion of the Holy Spirit into people’s lives. I pray for it daily.

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[1]Image Ear of Corn http://www.fotosearch.com/photos-images/ear-corn.html

FILED UNDER: BIGREAD TAGGED WITH: #BIGREAD12, GOSPEL OF MARK, REFLECTION

#digidisciple post 10 Mar 2010

Originally posted at the The Big Bible Project on 10 Mar 2010

http://bigbible.org.uk/2012/03/week-2-saturday-10th-march-2012-john-213-22-bigread12/#comments

Week 2 Saturday 10th March 2012 : John 2:13-22 #bigread12

MARCH 10, 2012 BY ERNIE FEASEY 3 COMMENTS

Jesus Clears the Temple

Jesus Clears the Temple.[1]

Reading these passage today, I can imagine the scene as Jesus strides through the temple frontage, knocking over tables, whirling the whip around his head and flailing around with it.  Haranging those who had brought his ‘Fathers House’ down from a sacred space to a market place.  Reading between the lines, it wasn’t just usary and  moneychanging that was going on, possibly other, less salubrious transactions also took place in this central meeting place for the people of Jerusalem, Pilgrims and Visitors alike.  I have a vision of a wild eyed, longhaired, bearded, man shouting and flailing around with the whip at all and sundry.  Nobody escaping his wrath.   Putting it into context, if this happened today, say at the entrance of St Paul’s Cathedral, imagine the response.  Consternation, panic and rapid calls to the Police to come and round up this unruly interloper.   I wonder if anyone would take the time to stop and ask him why he was so angy?   The common cockney response would perhaps be “e’s got a bee under his bonnet, lets get out of his way”.  There’s a more serious underlying message as Jesus goes onto answer his challengers by telling them to “Knock this temple down and I will rebuild it in three days”(John 2:13-20).  He was of course alluding to his own death on the cross and the resurrection to come, his disciples listened and remembered this later.

I have pondered this in the light of the recent events concerning the Occupy London Stock Exchange Movement (@OccupyLSX) and the relatively peaceful occupation of the churchyard at the front of St Paul’s Cathedral.  They came in peace, they came to protest.  Jesus came to pray and was driven to protest by what he saw going on in the temple.   The occupy protesters were seeking change in how our whole financial system is managed, at how unfair and immoral some of their business practices are considered to be.   Jesus protested against the defilement of ‘His Father’s House’ by what was going on. Two seemingly different agenda’s, but linked.  In the eyes of the occupy protesters (and many others) the whole financial services industry has defiled our culture and society.  They’ve brought great hardship and suffering to many, not just their industry, but world wide, where the ‘credit crunch’ and its after effects will be felt for many years to come.  The financial institutions meanwhile seem in denial and carry on regardless, even continuing to pay obscene bonuses, metaphorically, spitting in the face of anyone who dares to criticise them.

Ultimately, Jesus was crucified by those who hated him.  He died, but rose again with the promise of new life and hope for us all.    This promise and hope which we hold to,  provides the inspiration for change of heart, mind, transformation of lives.   In some way, the motives of the occupy protesters were aligned with this.  They wanted change, transformation of a system unfit for purpose.  They wanted new hope for everyone, that fairness and transparency and ethical behaviour would be introduced either by government or through their highlighting the shame of those responsible for the mess they created.

Now, Jesus is alive again, he lives in and with us all of the time.  His name is called on and blessed. The Holy Spirit works in us and in the wider world.   Occupy has been challenged, sued, moved on, but their spirt is unbowed.    They will keep on campaigning for the things contained in the Gospel stories, New hope, new life and doing what we do for the greater benefit of all, not for a narrow minority.

Jesus and @OccupyLSX have much in common.

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[1]Image of Christ in the Templehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christ_Driving_the_Money_Changers_from_the_Temple_(El_Greco,_Washington)

Preparation for Bishops Assessment Panel (BAP)

I had a brilliant day yesterday with 13 other ordination candidates at a pre-BAP preparation day.

We had a briefing on BAP, what to expect and some do's and don’t’s. I met yet again with loads of people who had been on courses with me over the last year or so. It was very affirming to see them still sharing a similar journey.

One, young candidate goes to BAP next Monday. The rest of us have differing dates over the next three months. I and one other candidate are going to the same BAP in May, so we are now tying up arrangements to travel together.

Our group  studied some Pastoral Exercises and delivered our presentations and were offered constructive comments from our fellow candidates. 

As I went up to deliver mine, I abandoned the script and just spoke from the heart and mind. It was me!   I was comfortable, not stilted by the written script.  It appeared to go down very well. It's a very brief outline of i-church and internet outreach - connected to the Mission and Evangelism criteria. It was well received and I was offered some good comments to take on board for BAP itself.

All documentation is complete and handed in, only to be asked for 6 passport photo's, which were not on the 'required’ documents' list.  Visit to the local photo machine next week.

We all felt prayer had been said for us, and we were thankful for all of their prayers now, and ongoing. I now have just under 3 months to prepare and reflect. The discernment process has been a growth experience and I'm loving it all.

Who Discerns? #digidisciple (@minidvr)

JANUARY 10, 2012 BY BIGBIBLE LEAVE A COMMENT

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c8/Albrecht_Dürer_043.png

Following last months post[2]on ‘the call’, I’ve moved on to the next word ‘Discernment’.  I thought  about the old joke about “How many Vicars does it take to change a light bulb? Answer – None, as they’ve already seen the light”.Perhaps the question should be, “How many Vicars does it take to discern a vocation?” I’m not sure that I have a complete answer to that one..

Discernment[3] has many different definitions,  but the one that I feel  fits  quite well when discerning a vocation seems to me to be: “Perception of that which is obscure”.  As the vocation can be pretty obscure to those involved.

God’s Will need to be discerned.

The individual seeks to discern where a call to ministry could be taking them, it can be a painful, slow process, requiring a great deal of trust in God and hope that his will for you to be discerned fully.

The Spouse/Partner needs to be aware of the vocation. Their  discernment and understanding and support for the life changing things the vocation will bring will be essential if the vocation is to be fulfilled.

The Parish Priest seeks to discern with the individual their possible vocation.  This is the first  formal  step in the discernment process.  They pass on the offer for ordination to the wider church.

The Parochial Church Council might be involved in discernment, particularly if they going to have to support any future ministry.

The Church  operates a  ‘Discernment’ process. This explores the authenticity and validity of a  vocation.  It seeks to discern God’s will for the gifts that you offer and how they might be best deployed.  This is delegated by the Diocesan Bishop to a Diocesan Director of Ordinands (DDO) perhaps with assistants.

Spiritual Director (Accompanist) A vital part of any vocational journey, the SD is there to assist and support the candidate in their journey of and growth as a Christian.  Their support for the candidates as they wrestle with discernment is vital.

The DDO works with a candidate exploring a vocation. Once they discern that a candidate is ready to move forward (or for the offer to be declined) they advise the Bishop and arrange attendance at a form of selection.

Bishops Advisors appointed by the Bishop (some Ordained, some Lay) to conduct an assessment of  candidates to discern  to whether they meet some or all of the nine criteria for ordination and be capable of having a successful ministry.  They make an initial recommendation to the bishop.

The Bishop meets a candidate to discern for himself whether his DDO and Advisor’s reports are accurate. Ultimately, his discernment (and discretion) is the vital one.  It is solely within his remit whether a candidate goes forward for selection and training and eventual ordination.

Bishops Advisory Panel (BAP) (National Selection). Takes the candidates away to a secret location and carries out a formal discernment (selection) process which tests, assesses, evaluates all aspects of a candidates suitability for training.   The BAP makes a recommendation to the diocesan bishop of Yes, No, Not Yet. and the training path for successful candidates.

The Bishop sees the candidate after BAP and gives them his decision. He has the discretion to overrule any recommendation of the BAP if he discerns a different path for training and eventual ordination.

Theological Colleges The discernment process doesn’t end after BAP, it continues throughout training and formation for ministry and various individual’s will be consulted and submit reports on progress to the bishop through the DDO during training, which could be stopped at any point, up to and including ordination.

Post Ordination The Bishop, DDO and the Training Incumbent and those involved in Continuing Ministry Education will continue to operate the discernment process throughout curacy and through to a post of ‘First Responsibility’.  The individual will continue to discern their vocation throughout their life and service in ministry.

Pitfalls and Hurdles and Hoops to Jump Through.  Although not announced as part of the discernment process, they are as much part of it as the candidate, Vicar, DDO, Bishop, Bishop’s Advisors. They are either natural or artificial barriers to candidates testing a vocation through to fulfilment.  Some seem quite arcane, some parts are quite obscure, what seems to be clear throughout is that it’s God’s will that is being discerned, not that of the individual, Vicar, DDO or Bishop.

I’ve probably been in every pit, hurdled and jumped quite a lot in the process so far, with still some way to go.  But I’m still here ready and waiting for the call to be discerned.

The Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit’s involvement, God’s will would not be fully discerned.

Prayer and Theological Reflection: Are two essential ingredients to the process as are personal qualities such as acceptance, patience, perseverance and a good sense of humour.

May God’s Will be done.

THE WILL OF GOD

The will of God will never take you:
Where the grace of God cannot keep you
Where the arms of God cannot support you
Where the riches of God cannot supply you
Where the power of God cannot endow you

The will of God will never take you:
Where the Spirit of God cannot work through you
Where the wisdom of God cannot teach you
Where the army of God cannot protect you
Where the hands of God cannot mould you

The will of God will never take you:
Where the love of God cannot enfold you
Where the mercies of God cannot sustain you
Where the peace of God cannot calm you
Where the authority of God cannot overrule for you

The will of God will never take you:
Where the comfort of God cannot dry your tears
Where the Word of God cannot feed you
Where the miracles of God cannot be done for you
Where the omnipresence of God cannot find you

Everything happens for a purpose
We may not see the wisdom of it all now
But trust and believe in the Lord

That everything is for the best!

Author Unknown

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[1]Picture of Job by Albrecht Durer (1471-1528) from Commons WikiCommons

[2]http://bigbible.org.uk/2011/12/called-to-what-minidvr/#.TunhbLIr27t

[3]http://www.thefreedictionary.com/discernment  Accessed 4 Jan 2012

This post first appeared at the #bigbible project on 10th Jan 2011

Going to BAP : Bishop's Meeting

I was asked to meet the Bishop to discuss whether he would sponsor me for the Bishop’s Assessment Panel (BAP). Advice before the meeting from the DDO was be yourself and don’t wear purple (an illusion to my dress code for the diocesan panel, which had given rise to comment, which was unintentional, but amusing).

On the dot of 10 am, the Bishop came through and invited me into his office. He had a copy of the Diocesan Panel Report and said straight away that it was a good report and that he was going to sponsor me for BAP. He made it clear that all decisions including recommendations from BAP were his to take and he had discretion over the outcomes. I in turn thanked him and spoke briefly about how much I had enjoyed it.

He than said that he needed to just say one or two things to me!

He spoke about being open and accessible. On occasion, my demeanour can present in such a way that others might feel that I’m unapproachable or aloof. He knew that it wasn’t the case, but BAP was an opportunity, which needed to be siezed from the outset.

As guidance, he believed that I should concentrate on three or four things about my vocation, which were important to me - and to speak well about them. There’s little point in preparing for everything and coming across as too glib.

Secondly, he indicated that I shouldn’t suppres my Army background. It had been the major part of my working life, which had given loads of transferable skills and experiences, particularly that of leadership and collaborative leadership. I explained that I had felt that the ‘directness’ of my army style wasn’t always appropriate in pastoral situations. He acknowledged this, but said - “just be yourself”.

He advised me that I should go forward to BAP with anticipation and to enjoy it. Sure it will be intense, it is after all an examination to some extent of suitability - but it is also an opportunity to be seized, experienced and enjoyed for its challenges and blessings. I said that I was looking forward to it.

We discussed my planned future move to be nearer my parish - he advised against moving early. He suggested that I needed to concentrate on the process of discernment, BAP and possible training and ordination. After which, it would be time to consider a move.

What did I get from this meeting:

Firstly, I went into the meeting feeling on a high after the Diocesan Panel Report, but also apprehensive as I was well aware that if the Bishop disagreed with the advisors, it could all end messily or he could refer me back for more discernment as he had done twice previously. When it became clear that it wasn’t to be the case, the apprehension disappeared in an instant. I felt affirmed and encouraged in his trust in the advice given by his advisors.

Secondly, the meeting was a useful tool for me to gauge the approach that I took with him. I went determined to be open and chatty, naturally, not from a forced position. I was comfortable with this and on this occasion the Bishop put me completely at ease. The situation was different from our previous meeting and was productive with an outcome that I had hoped for. His remarks about demeanour I had already registered and have striven to address. I’ll need to just be myself for BAP, because it’s the real person underneath the exterior they want to meet - not the one presented to the world.

Thirdly, it seemed to me to be another step along the path - the journey that I had wanted to speed up, had been slow, for someone who suffers from impetuosity and sometimes impatience. But I appreciate that discernment can’t be rushed., the consequences for getting it wrong, both for the candidate and any possible future ministry could be disastrous. Time, space and reflection are needed from all sides to allow God’s will through discernment to be understood.

I say it often, God is Great!!

Image courtesy of https://encrypted-tbn0.google.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQ3imMJ9l-v0GfCp4JQx2uzDYhnSfnkAh-YIi_QMFGGLEXq0a2Q4g

Meeting with DDO - Post Diocesan Panel

I met the DDO yesterday, to receive a copy of the report and to get feedback from the Panel on my performance.   The meeting went well, beyond my expectations and while there are one or two areas needing to be addressed, but in the main, it was all positive.  Obviously, the assessors saw things latent in me, that I had not specifically identified myself.

I have a firm appointment to meet the Bishop and have discussed BAP and future training options with the DDO.   I need to discuss these with the Bishop, who has the final say.  There are three routes for training, and while I know the route I'd like to follow, the Bishop will I'm sure, have his own views.

BAP is likely to be mid-to late March. And I have a pre-BAP weekend scheduled in February.

I've got to make contact early with the training providers to discuss what option would be best for me and for the church.   I'll be looking to do this next week.   There's also a huge paperwork trail to start all over again.

If God's will is discerned positively at BAP, I hope to commence training at SEITE in the Autumn of 2012.

God is Great.

Picture from www. ststevenshouse.blogspot.com

Recommended by Diocesan Panel

Today I was notified that I've been recommended by a Diocesan Panel as suitable for training for Ordained Ministry.  That's not the end of the process, just one step along the journey.

I've got to meet the Bishop later this month, to see whether he accepts that recommendation and will send me to the Bishop's Advisory Panel (BAP) which is run by the Church as a national selection process.  It's run over a long weekend in different locations a few times a year.

The discernment process might seem to some to be quite long, quite drawn out and to be looking for some strange personal qualities.  I wonder how I managed to get through it so far.  Perhaps I'll be found out later?

But whatever comes of this process, I've had a hugely beneficial journey, shared with so many great and Holy people, supported by prayer and surrounded by the freely given grace of God.

Lots more I could say, but I've been privileged to share so much which has meant so much to me. God has certainly got a sense of humour.  I wanted to turn Cartwheels today when I got the news. But age and dignity precluded that. :)