Rachel had an idea for feig this week. She has bought a bunch of postcards depicting various parts of the cathedral and written various prayers and collects on the back for contemplation, prayer and discussion by the community. Most of these prayers are pretty ancient - by guys like Augustine of Hippo etc etc.
I was moved by each of them as I read through this morning, but I found this one particularly helpful (I even shed a few tears):
As the rain hides the stars,
As the autumn mist hides the hills,
Happenings of my lot
Hide the shining of Thy face from me.
Yet, if I may hold Thy hand in the darkness,
It is enough;
Since I know that,
Though I may stumble in all my going,
Thou dost not fall.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
blog
I feel like I haven't blogged for a while.
That's because I'm busy and because I also don't have any thing to say.
Ummm...
Nope. Still nothing.
Oh,
Steven Croft has just been announced as the next bishop of Sheffield.
He was team leader of Fresh Expressions in the UK and has done a mighty fine job.
I got an e-mail from him just now and have to say I am very pleased on his behalf.
We're going away soon, so no blogging until November.
The feig guys will meet in other homes - we've been getting into that recently.
We also need to get into financial giving as a church (because actually giving of any sort is a basic response to God's goodness and generosity) - but more on that later. Once we've talked about it as a church.
Don't want to jump the gun.
Ummm...
that's it for now.
That's because I'm busy and because I also don't have any thing to say.
Ummm...
Nope. Still nothing.
Oh,
Steven Croft has just been announced as the next bishop of Sheffield.
He was team leader of Fresh Expressions in the UK and has done a mighty fine job.
I got an e-mail from him just now and have to say I am very pleased on his behalf.
We're going away soon, so no blogging until November.
The feig guys will meet in other homes - we've been getting into that recently.
We also need to get into financial giving as a church (because actually giving of any sort is a basic response to God's goodness and generosity) - but more on that later. Once we've talked about it as a church.
Don't want to jump the gun.
Ummm...
that's it for now.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Feast
brilliant feast event last night with a good crowd of more than 30 people including several new faces.
great food and wine and conversation as usual. all good.
until the very end.
in order to take all the kit home I reversed my Espace right up to the cathedral side doors. we filled it up and everyone went home. except me.
the battery had gone flat and the car wouldn't start.
I tried and tried until 11.30 and then went home to bed leaving the car blocking the road around the cathedral.
its still there.
I called the breakdown people at 7.40am but am still waiting.
meanwhile I am the least popular person with the gateman and all the mums who drop their kids at the Kings school and anyone in a wheelchair.
bum.
hopefully I'll be able to get going soon.
great food and wine and conversation as usual. all good.
until the very end.
in order to take all the kit home I reversed my Espace right up to the cathedral side doors. we filled it up and everyone went home. except me.
the battery had gone flat and the car wouldn't start.
I tried and tried until 11.30 and then went home to bed leaving the car blocking the road around the cathedral.
its still there.
I called the breakdown people at 7.40am but am still waiting.
meanwhile I am the least popular person with the gateman and all the mums who drop their kids at the Kings school and anyone in a wheelchair.
bum.
hopefully I'll be able to get going soon.
Bob Mayo's thought for the week
each week Bob Mayo writes a thought for his parishoners based on the readings for that Sunday. Somehow I am on his mailing list. I liked this weeks so I'm posting it up:
The passage for this week affirms the right of governments to levy taxes and then to spend the money as they deem fit – we are to render to Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is God’s (Matthew 22:15-22). This is pertinent reading in a week that has seen our government make #500.000,000,000,000 available to our banks for the refinancing of loans. ‘The stock market cycle is always the same. It moves from optimism to excitement to euphoria before turning down via anxiety denial, fear desperation, panic and capitulation to a low point of despondency and depression. Only when this pointy of utter revulsion is reached can the investors look out for a new dawn of hope’ (as quoted in Daily Telegraph 09/09/08). As it is for stock market investors so also it can be for us. It is at our lowest point that we are most able to see what is possible for the future. This is also the message of the crucifixion. Jesus’ death on the cross would have seemed to his disciples to be the end of all their dreams. In fact it was the greatest success story the world has ever known.
The passage for this week affirms the right of governments to levy taxes and then to spend the money as they deem fit – we are to render to Caesar what is Caesars and to God what is God’s (Matthew 22:15-22). This is pertinent reading in a week that has seen our government make #500.000,000,000,000 available to our banks for the refinancing of loans. ‘The stock market cycle is always the same. It moves from optimism to excitement to euphoria before turning down via anxiety denial, fear desperation, panic and capitulation to a low point of despondency and depression. Only when this pointy of utter revulsion is reached can the investors look out for a new dawn of hope’ (as quoted in Daily Telegraph 09/09/08). As it is for stock market investors so also it can be for us. It is at our lowest point that we are most able to see what is possible for the future. This is also the message of the crucifixion. Jesus’ death on the cross would have seemed to his disciples to be the end of all their dreams. In fact it was the greatest success story the world has ever known.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Gloucester in Leicester square
yesterday I had booked myself onto a late train to get home from London.
Once work was done I had a couple of hours to kill and found myself near Leicester sq so I decided to go and see a film.
(by the way, the press were massing outside the biggest of the four cinemas (don't know what it's called) for the grand opening of Frost / Nixon - red carpets, security, people with clip boards etc etc. I'd lost my invite so I went to a different cinema)
The only thing on right then was 'How to Loose Friends and Alienate People' so I ended up sitting in a large, plush cinema with about eight other people scattered about watching Simon Pegg's latest offering.
Pretty good it was too.
The reason I mention it is this:
The story takes Pegg's character to New York to work for a celeb mag. At one point he is trying to pull in a bar and whips out a card and says:
"Sharp magazine..."
The girl behind him snatches the card and with distain says: 'This is a library card... from Glou-ces-ter?"
"Gloucester, actually." Says Peg.
I found it funny because here I was in London, watching a film set in New York in which they mentioned Gloucester library cards - and I had a real Gloucester library card right there in my wallet.
ha.
I found it funny anyway....
Once work was done I had a couple of hours to kill and found myself near Leicester sq so I decided to go and see a film.
(by the way, the press were massing outside the biggest of the four cinemas (don't know what it's called) for the grand opening of Frost / Nixon - red carpets, security, people with clip boards etc etc. I'd lost my invite so I went to a different cinema)
The only thing on right then was 'How to Loose Friends and Alienate People' so I ended up sitting in a large, plush cinema with about eight other people scattered about watching Simon Pegg's latest offering.
Pretty good it was too.
The reason I mention it is this:
The story takes Pegg's character to New York to work for a celeb mag. At one point he is trying to pull in a bar and whips out a card and says:
"Sharp magazine..."
The girl behind him snatches the card and with distain says: 'This is a library card... from Glou-ces-ter?"
"Gloucester, actually." Says Peg.
I found it funny because here I was in London, watching a film set in New York in which they mentioned Gloucester library cards - and I had a real Gloucester library card right there in my wallet.
ha.
I found it funny anyway....
Feast
I'm not sure how many of these we've done now - maybe this is number 6 or 7?
Anyway, this evening feig host the next feig feast - and very good it will be too.
An ordinary meal in extraordinary surroundings (as the strap line goes).
Food, wine, conversation, music, a chance to wander around the space, to go up the tower, to make new friends etc etc.
excellent.
London was good yesterday - the DMin studies are going well (so far). The study days are in a big building beside Waterloo bridge and take the form of 12 of us sitting around a table with a tutor (in yesterday's case a guy called (Dr) Ben Quash) discussing, thinking, reading, taking notes, interjecting, etc etc.
Great to be in the city once in a while. All very exciting.
Anyway, this evening feig host the next feig feast - and very good it will be too.
An ordinary meal in extraordinary surroundings (as the strap line goes).
Food, wine, conversation, music, a chance to wander around the space, to go up the tower, to make new friends etc etc.
excellent.
London was good yesterday - the DMin studies are going well (so far). The study days are in a big building beside Waterloo bridge and take the form of 12 of us sitting around a table with a tutor (in yesterday's case a guy called (Dr) Ben Quash) discussing, thinking, reading, taking notes, interjecting, etc etc.
Great to be in the city once in a while. All very exciting.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Give more than you are already... (and don't say you can't afford it, because you can)
At the training day one of the vicars asked a question of the director of social responsibility:
"As Christians, and as ministers, what should our response to the credit crunch be?'
He thought for a minute and then said:
'if you're worried you should go home, get online and give some money to Christian aid.'
that was it.
brilliant! instead of worrying about our own penny pinching perhaps we should respond by simply giving more away.
I love it.
and so that you can give too, here is the link to Christian aid's site.
chief
So, today was a school run followed by a dash to Cheltenham to attend the bishop's study day.
This meant all the clergy of the diocese - not sure exactly how many but several hundred (??) - getting together for a bunch of seminars at the racecourse.
These focused on reflections, both theological and practical, on the massive floods of summer 07.
lots of good thoughts and words.
Perhaps the best thing was having the chief executive of Gloucestershire County Council talk to us for forty minutes on the nature of the crisis, how they dealt with it at both macro and micro levels, and the lessons that were learned.
This is yet another good thing about being part of the C of E - it means serious players who are extremely busy coming to give their time.
He seemed to take very seriously the huge role played by clergy and members of Anglican churches during the crisis.
It was amazing also hearing stories from around the diocese of the (small and not so small) ways in which the church was active and a real symbol of hope for many, many displaced people.
Off to London early tomorrow for a day at Kings. Looking forward to it.
This meant all the clergy of the diocese - not sure exactly how many but several hundred (??) - getting together for a bunch of seminars at the racecourse.
These focused on reflections, both theological and practical, on the massive floods of summer 07.
lots of good thoughts and words.
Perhaps the best thing was having the chief executive of Gloucestershire County Council talk to us for forty minutes on the nature of the crisis, how they dealt with it at both macro and micro levels, and the lessons that were learned.
This is yet another good thing about being part of the C of E - it means serious players who are extremely busy coming to give their time.
He seemed to take very seriously the huge role played by clergy and members of Anglican churches during the crisis.
It was amazing also hearing stories from around the diocese of the (small and not so small) ways in which the church was active and a real symbol of hope for many, many displaced people.
Off to London early tomorrow for a day at Kings. Looking forward to it.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
sunday night
so, my wife's birthday weekend. and all went well. lots of fun to-ing and fro-ing but none of that needs saying here.
suffice to say she is now ill in bed and running a very high temperature so, once again, if you are the praying sort - prayers would be appreciated.
cheers.
busy week ahead including a bishop's study day, a doctoral day in London, the homeless cafe, Thursday's feig-feast, meetings in Bath on Friday, a clergy training day on Saturday (+ Els birthday celebrations), and leading children's church on Sunday.
your prayers would be great.
thanks!
suffice to say she is now ill in bed and running a very high temperature so, once again, if you are the praying sort - prayers would be appreciated.
cheers.
busy week ahead including a bishop's study day, a doctoral day in London, the homeless cafe, Thursday's feig-feast, meetings in Bath on Friday, a clergy training day on Saturday (+ Els birthday celebrations), and leading children's church on Sunday.
your prayers would be great.
thanks!
Thursday, October 09, 2008
2 images
I'm going to use the two images below in our worship this evening (feig meet at Ligia's place today).
The whole point of visual art is that someone doesn't try to explain it so I won't say much here or later, but it is worth saying that the two images are about as far apart as you can get.
Rublev's icon of the trinity is an image of fellowship, warmth, communion etc etc - it speaks of the dynamic community that is God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) - and you'll notice that as the viewer there is a place for you at the table. You are invited to join this community.
Grunewald's painting of the crucifixion of Christ is the opposite.
Everyone is alone.
Death appears to have won.
There is despair, hopelessness, horror and isolation. As the viewer you are tempted to turn away from the image - to run away from the scene.
I was reflecting on the shocking fact that at the heart of the Christian faith is a crucified human being - the man who was God.
And of course there is.
If it was ever going to be 'true', the message of Jesus had to address the question of suffering and death. These are the things that, if we're honest, deep in our hearts, seem to be a complete contradiction to the wonder and beauty of life at its best. These things disturb us and make us anxious. We need a God who says something about this. Even better, we need a God who does something about this.
It's too simplistic to say 'if God is God, why can't he just make all the horror stop?'
This raises too many questions about the freedom we have as human beings. But what if God acts quietly and shockingly by becoming a victim of suffering and death and in so doing defeating it?
The horror of Grunewald's painting captures a tiny something of all the horrors that will ever be perpetrated in this world - and there, in the middle of it, is a God who comes to us as fully human and allows this horror to do its worst to him.
This is a God who speaks the truth about the human condition.
And this is a God who acts by stepping into it.
And Jesus' final words on the cross? 'It is finished.'
Not 'I am finished', but it - the quiet, shocking work that he had come to do and which changes everything.
The whole point of visual art is that someone doesn't try to explain it so I won't say much here or later, but it is worth saying that the two images are about as far apart as you can get.
Rublev's icon of the trinity is an image of fellowship, warmth, communion etc etc - it speaks of the dynamic community that is God (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) - and you'll notice that as the viewer there is a place for you at the table. You are invited to join this community.
Grunewald's painting of the crucifixion of Christ is the opposite.
Everyone is alone.
Death appears to have won.
There is despair, hopelessness, horror and isolation. As the viewer you are tempted to turn away from the image - to run away from the scene.
I was reflecting on the shocking fact that at the heart of the Christian faith is a crucified human being - the man who was God.
And of course there is.
If it was ever going to be 'true', the message of Jesus had to address the question of suffering and death. These are the things that, if we're honest, deep in our hearts, seem to be a complete contradiction to the wonder and beauty of life at its best. These things disturb us and make us anxious. We need a God who says something about this. Even better, we need a God who does something about this.
It's too simplistic to say 'if God is God, why can't he just make all the horror stop?'
This raises too many questions about the freedom we have as human beings. But what if God acts quietly and shockingly by becoming a victim of suffering and death and in so doing defeating it?
The horror of Grunewald's painting captures a tiny something of all the horrors that will ever be perpetrated in this world - and there, in the middle of it, is a God who comes to us as fully human and allows this horror to do its worst to him.
This is a God who speaks the truth about the human condition.
And this is a God who acts by stepping into it.
And Jesus' final words on the cross? 'It is finished.'
Not 'I am finished', but it - the quiet, shocking work that he had come to do and which changes everything.
Sunday, October 05, 2008
Lucy
would appreciate prayers for our friend Lucy if you're the praying sort.
Lucy is a fellow mum from school and is in hospital but they're not sure what's wrong.
Rach has just gone to see her so hope to be able to post more up later by way of directing your prayers.
but prayers for peace for her and the children would be ace.
Lucy is a fellow mum from school and is in hospital but they're not sure what's wrong.
Rach has just gone to see her so hope to be able to post more up later by way of directing your prayers.
but prayers for peace for her and the children would be ace.
odd
just re-read my last post and realised it read more like a telegram than a blog post.
stop.
anyway, up v.early today to lead matins in the cathedral and then the 8am and then, later, the 12.15. I enjoy these very much. low key, old lingo, a good crowd of regulars. all good.
its raining here but I'm about to cook my family a roast. what better way to spend the afternoon?
fantastic.
stop.
anyway, up v.early today to lead matins in the cathedral and then the 8am and then, later, the 12.15. I enjoy these very much. low key, old lingo, a good crowd of regulars. all good.
its raining here but I'm about to cook my family a roast. what better way to spend the afternoon?
fantastic.
Friday, October 03, 2008
Moving
the first day of the DMin was excellent.
thanks.
fantastic to be studying in central London. Looking forward to it all muchly.
looks like some great people in my year group (although I am the youngest by a little way...)
Yesterday we helped Dan n Ruth n Rory to move house.
all good. its a great place. Hope you guys are very comfy there!!!
God bless and all that.
Feig in the evening at ours was fab, as usual.
good food, good discussion (on the Maricon heresy. don't know what that is? look it up on Wikipedia).
went to see Blockley at his school today. Tough job but he is doing well. The staff and kids are very blessed to have him as their chaplain.
nice one Chris!
anyway, its the weekend now so I'm off to drink Champagne and eat truffles.
or something like that...
thanks.
fantastic to be studying in central London. Looking forward to it all muchly.
looks like some great people in my year group (although I am the youngest by a little way...)
Yesterday we helped Dan n Ruth n Rory to move house.
all good. its a great place. Hope you guys are very comfy there!!!
God bless and all that.
Feig in the evening at ours was fab, as usual.
good food, good discussion (on the Maricon heresy. don't know what that is? look it up on Wikipedia).
went to see Blockley at his school today. Tough job but he is doing well. The staff and kids are very blessed to have him as their chaplain.
nice one Chris!
anyway, its the weekend now so I'm off to drink Champagne and eat truffles.
or something like that...
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About Me
- michael volland
- I trained for ordained ministry at Ridley Hall, Cambridge, and was commissioned as a pioneer minister by the Church of England in 2006 to grow a fresh expression of church in Gloucester city centre. I was also on the cathedral staff. I have just made the move to Durham where I have taken up the post of Director of Mission and Pioneer Ministry at Cranmer Hall.
