'Catching' the music

Young musicians at Tuesday's LunchBreak Recital

One of the delights of working at Amersham Free Church is hearing great music at our LunchBreak recitals.  This week we enjoyed the final visit, for this academic year, of musicians from Dr Challoner's Boys' School.

It's not often that you would get the chance to look at an audience whilst the music is being played.  Well on Tuesday, sitting as I did on the side, I actually managed to 'see' the reaction of those listening.  It was during a piece by Telemann, played by the String Ensemble, that I glanced over at the boys from the choir, seated on the front two rows awaiting their turn on the programme (they were on last!).  It was a magical moment because these young lads looked utterly captivated by the beautiful music being played.  It was as if Telemann had 'caught' them - touched their soul and given them one of those profound moments that goes deep.

I love such moments and I think they come close to 'prayer' - moments when we connect to something beautiful and greater than ourselves.  Moments that lift the spirit giving fresh and inspiring perspectives.

For such moments 'thanks be to God'.

Ian

Jambusters! A story of Community?

Over recent Sunday evenings we have been watching the ITV series Home Fires all about the comings and goings of a Cheshire village in World War Two focused on the tribal antics of the Women's Institute - all based on Julie Summers book Jambusters.  It's been a provocative series highlighting many social issues as well as providing some of the more conventional ingredients of Sunday night telly!

One aspect that always strikes me about memories of wartime is the sense of community and common purpose that seems to have been apparent.  Folks often look back with nostalgic eyes to a time of real austerity and rationing, international danger and family grief with a feeling that just maybe there was a greater sense of togetherness then than now.

In the years since the last war we have grown considerably richer and life has become increasingly more comfortable.  Yet it is perhaps also true that there is a greater sense of individualism now than ever before, along with the accompanying loneliness that it often brings.

Perhaps the equation runs like this:
Poverty and struggle = a community working together
Wealth and ease = a community somewhat fractured by individualism

I think one of the challenges for the church in these days of relative wealth and ease is to foster a spirit of community through worship and service.  Working together for a common purpose can be one of the most rewarding journeys life throws up and one we should cherish.

Best wishes,

Ian

Death is Nothing at All???

Thursday night saw us in the BBC Radio Theatre at the top of Regent's Street watching the recording of this week's Radio 4's News Quiz.  All great fun!

It was hosted by the brilliant Sandi Toksvig who will be leaving the show after it completes its current series. All the panelists were wonderfully witty.  The recording lasted an hour and a half and then overnight the backroom technical people whittle it down to the half hour that is eventual broadcast over the weekend.

So, all was going well and we were coming to the final goodbyes when Sandi Toksvig had to announce that a much loved panelist on the show, Charles Kennedy, had died this week.  It just cut her up and for a few moments she was simply unable to continue.  All our hearts went out to her because it was obvious that this depth of emotion had caught her by surprise.  She thought her professionalism would see her through, yet when the moment came, announcing the news of a much loved friend was just too much.  After a brief pause there was a retake and that's the one that was broadcast.

Charles Kennedy was just a year older than me so I too feel his death in some way, but no where near the way that our host did.  She spoke of him with such warmth and admiration.

This afternoon I sat alongside a friend who is probably spending her last few days in a hospice.  I held her hand and prayed as we both wept knowing that in all likelihood this was the last time we would meet  this side of heaven.  I'm always comforted that instead of presenting Jesus as a stoic, the gospels have him as the friend who wept outside of Lazarus' tomb.

Whilst Henry Scott Holland's poem, 'Death is Nothing at All' has some fine sentiments in its later lines, I confess I find its opening ones a little difficult to take.  Death - is, as someone once said, 'an awfully big adventure' and personally I would never want to reduce it to 'nothing at all'.

The simple truth is that most folk, like my good friend this afternoon, would so value a few more weeks or even days of life.  And no one, I believe, in Thursday's audience had anything other than the deepest sympathy for Sandi Toksvig who has lost a good friend far too early in both their journeys.

I sometimes use these words at the funerals I am privileged to take - they do not say it all but they do say something I hold on to and count as very dear when it comes to saying goodbye to people I love:

Where does the journey end?

Beyond where you can see.

Where do the years end?

That’s unknown to you or me.

Where does life end?

In love and eternity. 

With best wishes,

Ian

Trinity - beyond words

Inside Barcelona's Cathedral of The Sacred Family on Wednesday

I think Celtic Christianity calls them ‘Thin Places’ – either actual locations or probably, more often, experiences when heaven seems to touch earth and we sense God.

Like waiting for a bus – you can go months without such an encounter and then, like it was for me this week, two come along all at once.

The first moment was attending Choral Evensong last Sunday at St Martin in The Fields and hearing the choir open the service with an unaccompanied introit by Tallis.  The closeness of the harmonies sung by these young musicians went straight to my heart and brought tears to my eyes – for the right reasons!

A few days later in Barcelona we went to the Cathedral of the Sacred Family.  It’s Gaudi’s bazaar masterpiece and is a riot of architectural styles on the outside.  But inside it has a unity and beauty that I found just overwhelmingly breathtaking.  The walls of stained glass create a great sense of warmth and life making this Spanish Roman Catholic Cathedral one of the most inspirational sacred space buildings I’ve ever experienced – jaw droppingly beautiful.

Even though I’ve tried to describe those two rather personal moments for me this week – they were, in fact, simply beyond words.  And often our deepest experiences are.

This weekend we celebrate Trinity Sunday.  The whole concept of Trinity is really beyond words and many of us preachers will find our sermons difficult to prepare!

Yet the experience of Trinity can be very real.

We worship God the Creator
We are inspired by the love and life of Jesus the Christ
We live each day in the strength of the Holy Spirit.

As a mathmatical formula Trinity doesn't really work - but as life lived in faith - it can.

Best wishes,

Ian

Eric's Concert

Last Sunday afternoon we held one of those occasions which really brought people together.  We celebrated the life of our late organist, Mr Eric Williams.

This concert was quite a time in the planning as various singers and instrumentalists came together and compiled a programme of music which Eric would have enjoyed.

Around one hundred and eighty folk attended - representing many of the chapters of his life - some even telling me they went to primary school together.

We heard stirring anthems and majestic organ solos and somehow through it all we were reminded of just how much this faithful servant of God enhanced our worship at AFC for twenty five years.

Music and worship have always gone together in my book!  Indeed I'm not really sure I could envisage corporate worship without a hymn or two.

At the end we assembled in the hall to share our memories of Eric and I was struck by how much kind hearted laughter filled the atmosphere.  We really were remembering a true gentleman whose contribution to our worshipping life has simply been enormous and greatly appreciated.

I think he would have loved Sunday!

Best wishes,

Ian

Listening to fellow Seekers after Truth

Last week at AFC one of our neighbouring ministers and a good friend of our church, The Revd Dr John Parry, organised a meeting in one of our rooms at which a young Muslim lawyer, Irfan Arif spoke.

Irfan's family are leaders at the Chesham Mosque and he describes himself as a 'man of faith'. His theme that evening was 'Terrorism'.  He spoke of it from a Muslim perspective with great eloquence and grace - defining it, analysing it and condemning it.  His conclusion was not of pat answers but a genuine attempt to explore the theme and do so with insight, compassion and understanding.

After presenting his paper Irfan took questions which kept coming and coming - as an audience made up of Muslim and Christians - and possibly those with no named faith - engaged with him on some of the burning issues of the day.  Time and again this young Cambridge graduate answered with a wisdom above his years and with exemplary grace.

I suspect we all came away grateful to John for organising the evening and to Irfan for being such a splendid speaker.  We had listened to each other, struggled with deep questions and glimpsed new insights into each others understanding of faith.

I think the evening was one of those seminal moments for me when I realised afresh how vital it is for seekers after truth to dialogue with one another - for out of these encounters and conversations so much good can flow built upon a foundation of mutual respect and friendship.

Thank you Irfan for sharing your journey with us.

Ian

Marks of Civilization

What makes us civilized?  It must be more than eating with the right knife and folk!

On Bank Holiday Monday we spent some time in the British Museum.  I love looking at the vases and jewellery in the display cabinets charting the history of Ancient Greece – a place we often associate with the birthplace of civilization.  It’s breathtaking to contemplate that some of these exquisite pots and beautiful golden broaches were being used and worn 1400 years before the birth of Jesus – and here they are on display in central London. I’d love to touch them!

Maybe the voting we are engaged in today is also a mark of being a reasonable and civilized people belonging to an old and well established democracy.

Here are some random reflections of some marks of civilization that have come my way over recent weeks.

*  My church community launches an appeal for Christian Aid supporting Mother and Baby Care in Kenya – a project that will receive joint funding with the EU.  We aim for £5,000 over two years and through the generosity of AFC we reach £10,000 in one year.

* Two hundred folk attended a Hustings in Amersham last week put on by Churches Together and in actually listening to the candidates we learnt something!

* We are preparing to celebrate the life of a much loved friend of our church, our late organist, with a concert full of inspirational music that Eric would have loved – musicians and singers all working hard to make this a splendid occasion.

* Our Tuesdays at our church LunchBreak welcomes a big group of mentally handicapped friends every week and together, with other friends from church and community, over ninety of us enjoy food and company.

* At the farewell meal for our local vicar on Sunday I sat at the same table as some Iranian Christians and we talked of our different church traditions and concluded Jesus’ command to love God and neighbour was the motivational force in our faith.

* In the sermons I hope to preach and the hymns I want to sing we proclaim our belief in the God who loves us, constantly gives us a second chance and welcomes us ‘home’. So if God treats us like that shouldn’t we be generous and forgiving to each other as well?

All of these, I feel, are marks of civilization as precious as any of the stunning Greek vases I saw in the British Museum on Monday!

Best wishes,

Ian