The source of this course if Churches together in Britain and Ireland
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45,000 VISITORS FROM NOVEMBER
2010
MAY 6th. EASTER 5
The Last Word
For much of next week I shall be on holiday (no, the Vicarage will not be empty, otherwise I should not be publicising my absence!). At least, I think I am still calling it a holiday, though the Dean of Brecon (who is organising it) advertised a “Pilgrimage to Northumbria, in the steps of St Aidan, St Cuthbert and the Venerable Bede”. Certainly the Christian history of the North-East of England will add to a re-visiting of Durham, which we knew as students.
You will probably know that I do not attach great importance to “place”, holy or otherwise. For Christians, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and a faith which owned no buildings for its first two centuries is sometimes now hindered by excessive attachment to locations and decaying property. Similarly I do not attach significance to the physical remains or burial places of the saints – though in both cases I would be happy to admit that the attitude is a part of my personality as much as essential spirituality.
On the other hand, it may be that a holiday and visits to pleasant places may indeed be enhanced by a little history and reminders of the Christian heroes of past ages. Bede was a historian (the “venomous Bede” of 1066 and all that, after his critical writing style), but both Aidan and Cuthbert were strong Christian leaders of great importance to the faith in the North East of England. Will there be new discoveries of significance, a renewal of energy, or just a lot of new photographs? Perhaps you can ask me when I return – and perhaps I shall ask about your Christian discoveries on holiday in return.
You will probably know that I do not attach great importance to “place”, holy or otherwise. For Christians, the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and a faith which owned no buildings for its first two centuries is sometimes now hindered by excessive attachment to locations and decaying property. Similarly I do not attach significance to the physical remains or burial places of the saints – though in both cases I would be happy to admit that the attitude is a part of my personality as much as essential spirituality.
On the other hand, it may be that a holiday and visits to pleasant places may indeed be enhanced by a little history and reminders of the Christian heroes of past ages. Bede was a historian (the “venomous Bede” of 1066 and all that, after his critical writing style), but both Aidan and Cuthbert were strong Christian leaders of great importance to the faith in the North East of England. Will there be new discoveries of significance, a renewal of energy, or just a lot of new photographs? Perhaps you can ask me when I return – and perhaps I shall ask about your Christian discoveries on holiday in return.
Andrew Knight
MAY 13th. EASTER 6
The Last Word
At the exact moment I opened the churchyard gate in Rhossili this morning, a mini volcano of earth appeared just to the right of the path. It was a super efficient mole, and the earth was easy to dig after the torrential rain the day before, I decided - as I watched the molehill rapidly grow in size, brown earth spilling out of the top.
It reminded me of CS Lewis writing about the creation of Narnia …
‘The Lion was singing still. But now the song had once more changed. It was more like what we should call a tune, but it was also far wilder. It made you want to run and jump and climb. It made you want to shout.
Can you imagine a stretch of grassy land bubbling like water in a pot? For that is really the best description of what was happening. In all directions it was swelling into humps. And the humps moved and swelled until they burst, and the crumbled earth poured out of them, and from each hump there came out an animal. Narnia awake…’
The molehill made me want to shout. It was spontaneous creativity in God’s creation breaking out in an unordered way… Clearly the mole was blind to the wildlife management strategy outlined in the Church in Wales Churchyard Regulations.
Just as our praying ‘Thy kingdom come’ is a risky business if what we really mean is for it to be in our time, in our way and to our agenda. It struck me there is not much room for ‘Nimby’-
From-a-rebel-‘underground-mole’-
in-the-organisation-and-in-the-Vicar’s-absence…
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