Beating an unhasty retreat

Ok so having written about the city based retreat for the Perspectives Journal I am now about to head off on a more traditional SILENT retreat - without internet, laptop or mobile.

Unfortunately that means silence for the blog too. Though at the moment that may not be such a great surprise!

In the mean time, you should all be busying yourselves making Christmas cards or working out six degrees of Jonny Baker from George Bush or Tony Blair.

Picture this!

Ok the world gets MORE AND MORE bizarre!

Apparently my picture has appeared "on the front page of the Missouri Conference Review" which has me confused with someone else and describes me as "a probationary elder from Sedalia now living in England"

Unfortunately I can't get this link to the pdf to work so I can't prove anything. Anyone got any bright ideas?

Nine days wonder

NINE DAYS????

Has it really be NINE DAYS since I posted??? Goodness me!

Well appropriately enough I have just opened up Blogged 2005 which has a section from 9 Days Wonder as one of the many entries of various blogs from across the country this year.

Well I've still been getting some traffic including someone looking for

"the top 20 signs that you're falling in love"

hmmm... interesting!


I wonder if "failure to blog" gets in that list somewhere!!!

Is it a sign???

Dave has a painfully accurate cartoon this week. No matter what words we put on the signs outside our churches... is this what people see?

Again sorry that there's not been much. I've been partly pleasantly and partly painfully distracted. Painful distraction now done though so pleasant distraction all the way I hope! Oh and maybe a brief blog here and there!

God moves in mysterious ways

Ok so last week I was pretty gutted that I wasn't going away for a placement in a parish in Halesowen and now life has just shown me that God does things for a reason.

There was the chance to see our young people do a great presentation of the Gospel reading on Sunday on the work side. On the personal side it's a bit of a mixed blessing. I've had the chance to spend some decent time getting to know some friends I wouldn't have had a chance to know and I've been able to be around for something that I'm needed for. Deo Gratias!

Light dawns

This song has always been one I loved but it seems to be hanging with me at the moment :oD

Something is happening
Everything's different but everything is fine yeah
This is the good stuff
Yesterday's only what you leave behind
It's only in your mind

You gotta talk to the One who made you
Talk to the One who understands
Talk to the One who gave you
All the light in your eyes
All the light in your eyes

No use pretending
You never existed until you saw the light yeah
You're just beginning
You haven't missed it-it's all ahead of you
And you know what to do

You gotta talk to the One who made you
Talk to the One who understands
Talk to the One who gave you
All the light in your eyes
All the light in your eyes

Here comes the world and she is beautifully mysterious
She's got it all and you say "Give it to me"

Nobody's happy
That's not the world I know inside
Where everybody hides

You gotta talk to the One who made you
Talk to the One who understands
Talk to the One who gave you
All the light in your eyes
All the light in your eyes

You gotta talk to the One who loves you
Talk to the One who understands
Talk to the One who gave you
All the light in your eyes
All the light in your eyes

Yeah, thank you thank you!
Yeah, everything great and small
Yeah, thank you thank you
For the light in your eyes
For the light in your eyes
(repeat)

Sheryl Crow

What could be keeping me from blogging...???

Well certainly not hanging out with gringos in the local Mexican restaurant for my birthday... no I wouldn't do that instead of blogging would I???

Great fun guys! Muchas gracias!

20,000 blogs under the see

Wow the counter shows that I have had 20,000 visits sinc I started the blog last year.

Thank you all for stopping by. I'm not sure this was quite what all of you were looking for.

Most recently I've had some people looking for "Mark Berry and Children's TV" and "What are women allowed to do in ministry" as well as the "Shelf-life of prosciutto". I still get a lot of people looking for Menonites and Maya Gold chocolate too. Sorry I have nothing more to say about those really!

Well it's been a little weak on theology in the last couple of weeks and consisted mostly of brief ramblings (of which this is another) but I'm afraid I have been proving the accusation of someone I was speaking to yesterday; "people with blogs don't have real lives!"

I've been somewhat busy communicating directly to people lately not via the blog so apologies to those who have missed it. It doesn't get better either. I'm going off to stay with my bestest next weekend and then off on a reading week and a retreat both of which should produce much thought but I don't know if it will all convert into much blogging. I vow to be back with somethign meatier soon.

God bless

Sarah

Saintly aid

Been on a two day course to renew my appointed first aider at work certificate this week with St John's Ambulance. It was incredibly reassuring to realise just how much of this stuff I do know how to do!

Today was the assessment and I passed - hurrah!

Part of the assessment involved the assessor asking me what incidents I'd had to deal with since I qualified before. This took SOME TIME!!! I'd had to deal with far more incidents as part of youth work (and actually two or three walking down the high street!) than most of the other people on the course and Max says she had a similar experience too! Perhaps we should make more of this as Ian says.... maybe we are the 17th emergency service!!!

I think my favourite part of today though was leading a game with the people who were waiting for their assessments. We passed a merry half hour of "Fred likes" (with a great one: "Fred likes compressions but he doesn't like rescue breaths" That's one I've not heard before!) and then one of our trainers took up the baton with a game of "I pass these scissors crossed" ( "oooh Fred likes scissors!!!") Personally I thought we should pass the scissors closed and by holding the blade!!! ;oP Then one of the other trainess led us in "In my shop I bought a...." All good fun!

Bore me creative!

The source of some great online video clips and sillinesses, Boreme.com has teamed up with Channel 4 to bring you the UK's first viral competition.

"For those who haven't cottoned on yet, virals are what we show on Bore Me. So I'm inviting you to make your own, send it in and, hey presto, your hard labour could be rewarded with some cool prizes and exposed to the world.Enough waffling - just get those creative juices flowing.

But remember, this is with Channel 4 so please, no defamatory, indecent or illegal stuff - we may laugh but it'll go no further. Lawyers love virals too but also have families to feed.Find out more

Closing date is Monday 5th December.

Woolhope (and that's all!)

Great day out with Mr youthblog himself visiting Woolhope residential centre which he loves and which will be the base for our church youth holiday next year. Fabulous setting and really cosy. I can see our group having an amazing time there and my mind is alreay racing with ideas of what we can do when we're there and how we'll use the space!

woolhope 007
Originally uploaded by Sarah Hamilton.


Thanks for the intro, Ian and for the eclectic soundtrack!!!!

Tomorrow and Thursday I'm off on a refresher/renewal course for my First Aider at Work certificate. Should be interesting.

Not so Mystery Worshipper

Barrie visited All Saints on Sunday as part of his Church Tour and has put up a review.

Highlights for me

"9.45 - odd time for a service" Something that seems so NORMAL to people who have been there for years and yest so strange to outsiders - worth thinking about!

"top for welcome" The welcome team will be pleased!

We also seem to boast a vicar with Mr Benn like abilities to appear "as if by magic" ;oP

Glad you felt welcome and didn't hate it completely, Barrie!

Shakespeare Spinning

Ok so I was ALL excited to hear that there was going to be a modern version of Much Ado About Nothing on BBC1 and I'm watching and enjoying it but... well... it's just not Shakespeare is it? Ok so it's the PLOT and some of the ideas of the original play but... the words... I mean that's pretty much the vital element of a Shakespearean play yes?

I mean where are great interchanges like this:

DON PEDRO
Come, lady, come; you have lost the heart of
Signior Benedick.

BEATRICE
Indeed, my lord, he lent it me awhile; and I gave
him use for it, a double heart for his single one:
marry, once before he won it of me with false dice,
therefore your grace may well say I have lost it.

It may be the story which is superb but have we come to this that we can't even manage to have the original because it's too complicated?

Nevertheless was still sighing in the scene when Beatrice and Benedick almost admit their love (maybe because it had PROPER Shakespeare! Oh that a lovely man would read me something like this:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no! it is an ever-fixed mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me prov'd,
I never writ, nor no man ever lov'd.
Sonnet 116

The Parish Chest

Had a wonderful morning delving into the Parish chest at All Saints with my friend Wayne who was looking for documents relating to the church and its reaction to the first world war. I was looking at all kinds of church records and bizarre books that the church has accumulated for some reason. We amended the record of what one of the books was because I could translated the Latin to show it wasn't a Thesauraus but a Treasury of the Rites of the Church (Thesaurus ritualis) and commentary on the breviary and the missal - very cool! It was bound in vellum and everything, dating from the seventeenth century. Also some wonderful visitors books from the last thirty years with some hilarious fake entries from some comedians among the trite "beautiful church" comments.

Hale and farewell

Apologies for some relative blog silence this week but I've been rushing around trying to sort things out before going off on a parish placement for four weeks in several churches in Halesowen.

Unfortunately I learnt this weekend that I'm not going to be able to go on placement as the accomodation they had organised for me has fallen through and they've tried but failed to find an alternative.

So instead I am going to be on a week of study and a week of retreat and I may also slot in the last few days of leave I have left for this year. Then it'll be back to work!

Anyway this should mean the blog gets at least a bit of a look in over the next few weeks!

Fiat Looks

Hey fantastic link from another Fiat Panda owner!

To all those young people who think my car is "cool!" (poor deluded things!!!) now you can make your own. I bet it might go faster than mine though!!!

In honour of this great boxy idea I thought I'd put up a pic we took at the mural painting session at the school. I managed, unintentionally to park my car on the "road" painted on the playground!! For once it looks like I own a BIG car hehe!!

The anitdote to blog quizzes

Ok for all those of you (*cough* Mark *cough*) who object to those quizzes which people do and then put results on their blogs, there's a special little quiz which I stumbled across yesterday.

Are you a frankly unfriendly catholic?... turns out I'm not. :oD

(note: the site is rather sarcastic and takes an extremely pointed view of certain elements of the church. The fainthearted may wish to look away... now)

Sermon 30th October evensong

Readings:

Old Testament Reading Daniel 7.1-18

In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters. Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of the heaven strove upon the great sea. And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another. The first was like a lion, and had eagles wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a mans heart was given to it. And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh. After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it. After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body destroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me. I came near unto one of them that stood by, and asked him the truth of all this. So he told me, and made me know the interpretation of the things. These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever.

New Testament Reading Luke 6.17-31

And he came down with them, and stood in the plain, and the company of his disciples, and a great multitude of people out of all Judaea and Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon, which came to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; And they that were vexed with unclean spirits: and they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all. And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh. Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of mans sake. Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets. But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets. But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also. Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise.

The first reading we heard this evening came from the book of Daniel. This is a book which has a mixed history. Children know well the story of Daniel in the lion’s den and of the three young men in the fiery furnace, Shadrach Meschach and Abednego and yet it is also a text with elaborate dreams and visions such as the passage we heard this evening. So what is this book about?

The book of Daniel falls into two distinct sections. It tells first of Daniel and his companions in the first 6 chapters then there are six chapters dedicated to Daniel’s dreams.

The book as a whole, scholars agree, was written after the desecration of the temple in 168 and before its restoration in 165 under Antiochus IV Epiphanes. The second section dates from that time whereas chapters 1-6 are collected from the diaspora era. This was probably based on an oral tradition from the time of Alexander. Daniel is not perhaps so much an historic figure as a figure of legend reinterpreted by the author. The way that the character Daniel appears in other apocryphal texts like Susannah and Bel and the Dragon is reminiscent of the retelling of legends of Hercules and other heroes in secular literature.

Chapter 7 from which our passage comes takes cardinal place uniting the two sections of the book. Chapters one to six establish the life and character of Daniel and Chapters 8-12 are essentially a commentary on chapter 7. It’s also worthy of note that Chapter 7 is curiously a chapter written in partly in Hebrew and partly in Aramaic. Chapter 7 is also connected to chapter 2 which retells the king’s dream of four kingdoms.

So this is the history of the composition of the text but what of its meaning?

The passage paints a vivid picture such as to fire the imagination of great painters into painstaking recreation of the images involved:

The great storm churning up the waters of the sea and from that chaotic action the coming fourth of four huge beasts:
The first like a lion with eagle’s wings
The second a bear ravaging three ribs in its mouth
The third a four-headed beast like a leopard with four black birdlike wings
The fourth beast, the most terrifying of them all, with 10 horns and human eyes. Portrayed by some artists like a triceratops

Then we see the ancient of days on a fiery throne with wheels of fire sending out a river of fire which destroys the four beasts.

Then in contrast to the chaotic arrival of the four beasts, a man comes from heaven amidst clouds. This man is led to the figure on the throne and:
Verse 14 quote.
And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed.
The passage then continues to explain the significance of the four beasts as four kingdoms

These are generally agreed to be the four great kingdoms: Babylonians, Medes with the Persians, Hellenists or Greeks and the Roman empire.

And the last figure of course is associated with Christ

The beasts in the vision emerge from chaos whereas the son of man emerges from glory.

These great kingdoms will fall away but the kingdom led by the one who comes from heaven will not fade.

Yet many have gone further than the basics of this interpretation. For example in the medieval period the book of Daniel was the source for a book giving guidance on interpreting dreams and one man, named Joachim of Fiore used the book to describe the end not just of these kingdoms but of all kingdoms. His apocalyptic interpretation was picked up by the English Chronicler at St Alban’s. Matthew Paris’ used Joachim’s interpretation of this passage which described “a time two times and half a time” (verse 25) to predict the world’s end in 1250 (though he revised this somewhat dramatically in 1251).

Joachim and Matthew among many others treated the book of Daniel as a puzzle which required solving. The modern world is buzzing with all that lies within The Da Vinci Code, seeking desperately for a deeper mystery, but the Book of Daniel has been inspiring such reflection and puzzlement for many more years. Yet this passage of Daniel and similar passages in other books are more than puzzles and it is wrong to treat them as that as it devalues them. As Br John of Taize has said

“There is a love of the arcane and the convoluted, and the mystery of God is in danger of being reduced to a riddle or puzzle to be solved.”

The book of Daniel portrays the end times as this world outside attacking the kingdom until one comes to destroy the kingdoms of the earth yet as our second reading demonstrates Jesus is the one who comes and declares the kingdom is HERE the kingdom is NOW.

Our bible study should be informed by study and by history but it should not spiral into a fascination with the curious and the mysterious world of visions. It is important to understand the meaning of passages such as those in Daniel yet it is far more important for us to turn to the Good News such as the words of Jesus in our second reading.

The importance of the kingdom of God does not lie in the understanding of the complexities of Daniel’s vision but in the outliving of Jesus’ desire for his people. God’s kingdom is not built upon the destruction of the earthly kingdoms but in the transformation of the hearts of his people.

Quote first beatitude.

Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

Translated so much more clearly, for me in the modern translation:

God blesses those who realize their need for him; for the kingdom of Heaven is given to them

These beatitudes speak of God’s way for us to live and God’s rewards in opposition to the world’s way and the world’s rewards:


The kingdom of God does not lie in the overpowering of humanity. It is given to us. Yet we must be ready to receive it.

But woe unto you that are rich! for ye have received your consolation. Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.

How can we be ready? Well it is not great mystery. It is not something that needs deep demystification and explanation. It is there clear for us:

But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do good to them which hate you, Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you. And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other; and him that taketh away thy cloak forbid not to take thy coat also.

The Mystery of God does not lie in the mysterious nature of of the details of visions like those of Daniel. The Mystery of God is that in spite of all we do to destroy God’s kingdom, God still welcomes each one of us and calls us to the kingdom.

Shake ripple and roll...

Glorious day in Brighton yesterday.

Met up with some people from Taize who I haven't seen in a while and as predictable Chris, Eleanor and Jo were lovely and Ben was teasing me within three minutes!

The House on the Rock which is their base for their community project is looking great. They're still working on the website but I promise a link to it when they finish that!

Anyway after tea and chat Chris and I wandered into town (FABULOUS SHOPS :oD) and stopped off for a milkshake at Shakeaway (which even has a funky game on the website!). Chris had Pineapple and Jamaican ginger cake shake while I had Chocolate and cherry with snowball - deLIcious. I can't believe this is the place that they have in Reading and I've still not got there yet!!!! Next time DEFINITELY. There's also one in Southampton (certain readers might know more about this than others!!!)

Then I had Tunch (like Brunch but later - so I'm told - tea and lunch) at Momma Cherri's with James. Really cool music and a great atmosphere. It's a friendly but slightly disorganised place. While we were there someone answered the phone and put it down then left the poor person on hold for like ten minutes because she forgot!

Then we had a lovely walk along the sea front with a beautiful sunset and a further wander round the shops before a pint and back to see Chris and drive him to his SPEAK meeting

Rock-a-bye baby

Ok this has been up on several sites and I don't always nick posts from elsewhere but it's a Friday and I'm on leave so...

Check these out!

I particularly like Baby Bumble Bee in the style of Sum 41 which is number 2 on the previews.

Question is should I buy this for the youth group. I think they might love it!!