Stones

I wrote this meditation for Visions one Sunday when the lectionary had an awful lot of readings about rocks. I'm posting it again here as I am currently doing the electronic equivalent of clearing out the attic and organising my blog posts more efficiently. 

This meditation is based on lots of incidents where stones appear throughout the bible: The stones that built the temple, David killing Goliath, the stoning of Stephen, the Spiritual Temple mentioned in the first letter of Peter, the many mansions that Jesus tells us are in God's house, the cairn that was built when the Israelites crossed the Jordan while God held back the water, and the stones that Jesus said would cry out if the people stopped shouting "Hosanna" as he rode into Jerusalem. I invite you to choose a stone, pick it up and hold it whilst I read the following script.


What can you do with a stone?

You can do many different things. 
You can throw your stones at a dangerous person
Your definition of dangerous
being someone you disagree with. 
you can beat them till they cry
"Lord Jesus recieve my spirit" 
And they lay their head down and die.

You can build them into a house,
A temple house for God
Carve pomegranates and angels, to decorate the borders. 
And know that God will come and visit 
The structure you have made. 

You can stretch up your head, 
And admire the cornerstone at the top
The one that holds al the others together
And know that someone once rejected it, 
But now it has the highest place. 

You can launch your stone within a slingshot
And kill a warrior and giant
But save a persecuted people. 
But your stone would then be bloody
Even though you saved some lives. 

You can lead a spiritually hungry people 
Through a dry and dusty desert.
And when their mouths are parched with thirst
Strike a stone with your old staff
And watch clean water gushing out.

You can build a cairn, 
To remember a great miracle
Like holding back the jordan river
For travellers to cross

You can build a house with many stones
And know that there is room
For everyone within its walls. 
But that there is just one way in, 
One door that's open wide. 

You could march seven times around stone walls
And watch them tumble down. 
So prisoners can be released
And evil rulers sacked.

You can give it to your child,
When they ask you for some bread. 
But you know deep down you wouldn't 
Because you want them to eat well
And grow up beautiful and strong. 

You can put your ear next to your stone. 
And listen for its song. 
Knowing that if we stopped our praises
It would cry hosanna to the king. 

Your stone can kill, your stone can build, 
Your stone might sing, or might gush water.
The choice is yours. 
What do you most want
To do with your stone?

Psalm 119

As I've probably mentioned more than once, I am a great believer in encouraging people to sing psalms. There are many ways of doing this, one of which is singing them over instrumental tracks. Dance music works particularly well for this. (Some historic favourites of mine have been  Cosmotherapy by Dream Lab, Smokebelch by Sabres of Paradise, and a number of instrumental versions tracks by Coldplay). 

Anyway congregations can get confused if they are asked to squeeze too many syllables into a tune when doing this, so I often simplify the lyrics. Here is a simplified version of Psalm 119 (verses 153-160, and verses 169-176). 

You may ask "why on earth would you bother singing psalms these days?" Yet the fact remains that when we sing scripture we remember the words and they begin to engrave themselves upon our hearts, moulding and shaping us. 

Psalm 119 v153-160, 169-176

Think of my problems and save me.
For I remember your law

Argue my case and redeem me
As you have promised give life.

Heaven is far from the wicked
For they do not seek your law

For your compassion is great Lord. 
Scan me and give me Your life. 

Many are there that oppress me
Yet I don't swerve from Your words.

When I see traitors it grieves me
For they do not keep your word

Lord how I love Your commandments
Love me and give me Your life

Your words all add up to truth Lord
Your judgements last ever more.

Let my cry come before you Lord, 
Help me understand Your words

Let the cries of my heart reach You
Save me as you promised me

My lips they will pour out Your praises.
When you have taught me Your laws.

My tongue it will sing of your word, 
All your commandments are right.

Let your hand reach out to help me. 
For I have chosen your laws.

I have longed for Your salvation
And your law is my delight

Let me soul live, it shall praise You.
Your judgements will be my help

I went astray like a lost sheep. 
Look for me, I won't forget. 

Glory be to God the Father 
Glory be to God the Son. 
Glory be to God the Spirit
While all eternity runs. (X3)

Psalm 26

Psalms are really important within the worship of the church, and it has concerned me that they are not sung nearly often enough. Over the years I have experimented with a number of different tactics and techniques to encourage congregations to sing (or at least use) them more often, and one tactic which seems to work in a Fresh Expressions context is to chant them using ancient plainchant tones over dance or rock tracks with some kind of solid or droning baseline. (Instrumental versions of songs by Coldplay can work rather well). The only problem is that psalms don't often scan in a convenient manner. However this can be fixed without necessarily going along the pathway of completely turning the psalm into a metrical psalm and singing it to a hymn tune.  We sang this one over the top of the original mix of Sunstroke by Chicane. 

Clear me in court O my God, 
For I make justice my path. 

For I have trusted in God
I haven’t flagged in my trust

Test me my God, test and try me, 
Probe through my heart and my mind. 

For your love is ever with me,
Guiding me into your truth. 

I do not sit with deceivers, 
Nor make plans with hypocrites.

I hate it when bad types gather
And don’t sit with wicked fools. 

Innocently I wash my hands 
So will I go round your altar. 

Crying aloud all Your praises,
Proclaiming Your wondrous deeds.

I love the house where You live Lord, 
The place where Your glory shines.

Don’t sweep me off with the sinners, 
My life with the violent ones.

Whose hands are wickedly scheming 
Whose right hands are full of bribes

Me, I will walk with the blameless
Save me, have mercy on me. 

My feet stand on level ground, 
In the crowds I’ll bless the Lord.

Glory be to God the Father, 

Glory be to God the Son, 

Glory be to God the Spirit, 
While all eternity runs.

Wedding Songs - a challenge.

A few years ago the curates in York diocese were chatting about weddings and how difficult people find it to pick songs that their guests will know. They were commenting that it seems to get harder each year, as the repertoire of common songs suitable for singing in a service gets smaller and smaller. Then someone mentioned carols. At least people still know carols. "Someone should write some lyrics to carol tunes" they said. As I'm one to rise to such a challenge I thought "I must get around to doing just that!" Recently I was reminded of this conversation, because a friend was getting married, was trying to choose some songs and was giggling at some of the choices that were suggested to them. This (and the fact that we are surrounded by carols at the moment) spurred me into action. 

Please feel free to use or amend within a worship situation....

This song is based on St Paul's famous letter about love, (1 Corinthians chapter 13) and can be sung to the tune of "Once in Royal David's city (or any other 878777 hymn tune). 

If I speak in tongues of angels 
Yes possess a loveless heart
I am like a crashing cymbal
Hollow words of abstract art.
Holy Spirit, fill our lives
With the love that unifies.

love is patient, full of kindness, 
Lacking rudeness,envy, pride.
Love does not keep score of insults
Slow to anger, truth applied.
Holy Spirit, fill our lives
With the love that unifies.

Prophesy will have its ending
Gifts of languages will cease
Knowledge passes when the print fades
Faith, hope, love, will be released. 
Holy Spirit, fill our lives. 
With the love that unifies.

As a child my reasoning was childish, 
Now my toys are packed away.  
Now we see a poor reflection. 
Then we shall see face to face.
Holy Spirit, fill our lives
With the love that unifies.

A new transfiguration hymn

I enjoy hymn writing, and often find the most useful tactic is to write words which can be sung to a well-known melody. The following hymn was written for the feast of the Transfiguration one year. I sung this to Paul Cooper's remix of 'O little Town of Bethlehem",  but it should fit any (DCM, that is Double Common Metre or 8686 hymn tune). In a more traditional setting I would probably use Kingsfold (I heard the voice of Jesus say).  Most hymn books have a metrical index just inside the rear cover which lists the tunes and their metres. If you have difficulty understanding what these strange numbers (8686, 7777 etc) mean, it is the number of syllables in each line of a tune. e.g. o li-ttle town of beth-le-hem (8 syllables), how still we see thee lie (6 syllables)

The usual rules apply. Feel free to use and tweak if necessary in a worship situation.

Transfigured Christ. Your presence here
Makes faith and sight combine.
Through incandescent clouds of white
God’s blazing Son, You shine.
Now to our feeble human minds 
You’re veiled but not concealed
We see in You the Father’s face
The heart of God revealed.

We partly know, and dimly see, 
As through a mirror’s gaze.
And yet Your words can make a world
And set our lives ablaze.
Our hearts are tinder dry and cold
We walk through sorrow’s night
And yet within our darkest hours 
You say “let there be light”.

Transfigured Christ. We cannot stay 
Upon the mountain peak
When evil screams and claws the earth
You call us “Go and speak.”
Come plant your footsteps in our world
And help us follow too.
To offer healing in Your name.
To all who cry for You.

Sue Wallace 2011
(inspired by John G Whittier’s 
“O love O life”)

The story of Benjamin the Shepherd boy

All age talks, are very very difficult and there are many pitfalls and trip hazards along the way when presenting one. The vast difference between the vocabulary, experience, and needs of two year olds and eighty year olds is almost impossible to reconcile. These difficulties are compounded in a large building such as a minster or cathedral, or even in a small building with bad sight lines. It is because of these difficulties that, a few years ago, I wrote a number of story/talks for crib services. Here is one of them. It was originally written for Leeds Minster, but I have also used it in Winchester Cathedral at the family carol services. Please feel free to borrow or adapt this for your worship situation, should you find it useful!
Here is the story I wrote for our very first crib service today. Please feel free to use it if you wish. 

Ever since Benjamin was little, he always wondered what God looked like. People told him a lot of things about God. That he was powerful, that he made the world and all the beautiful things in the world. That he saved the Jewish people from slavery. Yes, but what did he look like. Benji asked his dad, Moshy.
“Dad. What does God look like?”
“I don’t know young Benji. No-one has seen God, and we’re not allowed to make pictures of him. Why do you keep asking?”
“Because I really really want to know.”
“Well why don’t you go and see Abraham the rabbi.”
So young Ben went to see him. Abraham was very wise, he taught all the small Jewish children stories from the bible. He was kind and smiley, and he had a very long white beard that went all the way down his chest.
“Rabbi. What does God look like? I want to see him.”
Abraham laughed. “Little Benji . You can’t see God. He is too big. Too amazing, too wonderful for us. We wouldn’t be able to cope with the brightness of his face, just like you can’t stare at the sun without hurting your eyes. God is even brighter than that. Even the holy prophet Moses only got to see God’s back, and afterwards his face shone so brightly that it gave everyone a headache and he had to wear a veil.”
Benjamin went home sadly. He had really hoped that the rabbi would be able to help him.
Many months passed. And still Benji wondered. Sometimes he looked up at the sky and tried to stare very hard past the stars. Maybe he would see God peeping around the corner of the star curtain of the sky, peeping from Heaven. But he never saw anything.

Until one night. Something amazing happened.
Benji was helping his father and his brothers mind the sheep on the hillside. It was a very cold night. They had wrapped up warm in fur jackets and they had lit a fire to keep their toes warm. Then suddenly a big white shiny person appeared. It was so scary at first that Benji hid behind a really fat sheep with fuzzy hair.
The shiny person was an angel - and the angel had a message.
“Don’t be afraid shepherds.
You can come out from behind that sheep Benji! I’ve got some really happy news to tell you. A baby has been born in Bethlehem. He’s the Christ who will make our sad world happy again. Look for the one wrapped in cloth in an animal’s feeding trough.”
Benji felt braver. In the sky he could hear beautiful singing. It was so beautiful that he came out, and while the others were listening to the song, he went right up to the angel.
“What’s your name?” 
Gabriel, the angel said.
“Have you ever seen God?’
“Oh yes. It was God who sent me here.”
“Then what does God look like?”
“I can’t tell you that. Its something you have to discover for yourself.”
And then the angel disappeared.
And the sky was very quiet once more.

Benji was sad that the angel hadn’t told him what God looked like. But he figured that if the angel was so bright and big and beautiful. Then God must be even bigger and brighter and more beautiful still.

And so the shepherds walked down the hill into Bethlehem, looking for a particular stable. In the end it was very easy to find, because a very bright star was shining in the sky, lighting up the way. There was a beautiful lady, looking very tired, and a man and a donkey and a cow. And a baby lying in a feeding trough, just as the angel had said. Benji bent over and looked closely at the baby. It was very very tiny. He looked deep into the baby’s eyes and as he looked the baby reached out a tiny little hand, grabbed his little finger and gave it a squeeze.

Then Benji heard a voice whispering in his ear. It was Gabriel, the angel. He had shrunk himself very small and was standing on his shoulder. “Look Benji. That’s what God looks like? Benji whispererd back. “I don’t understand. This is a baby. He’s so little that he can’t even sit up yet”

“Yes but he’s the Son of God. He’s the one who will grow up and say ‘If you have seen me, you have seen God our father’ Look again!”

And so Benji looked again, and deep inside the baby’s eyes he saw such love. The baby loved him so much that a little tear leaked out of the corner of his tiny eye. He loved him so very very much that he would do anything for him. Anything to make his world better, even if that thing was going to hurt him and make him sad.

And then Benji understood. In the little baby,Jesus, he had seen the face of God. And what did God look like? God looked like someone who loved him very very much.

The story of Gabriel and the Shepherds

All age talks, are very very difficult and there are many pitfalls and trip hazards along the way when presenting one. The vast difference between the vocabulary, experience, and needs of two year olds and eighty year olds is almost impossible to reconcile. These difficulties are compounded in a large building such as a minster or cathedral, or even in a small building with bad sight lines. It is because of these difficulties that, a few years ago, I wrote a number of story/talks for crib services. Here is one of them. It was originally written for Leeds Minster, but I have also used it in Winchester Cathedral. Please feel free to borrow or adapt this for your worship situation, should you find it useful!


Gabriel and the Shepherds. 

This story is about a very special angel called Gabriel. Angels are God’s messengers, and you can see lots of them flying up to Heaven on our glass screen over there.

One day God the Father called the angel Gabriel to go and see him. He said he had a very important task for him to do. He was to go and see a woman in Nazareth called Mary, and tell her that she was going to give birth to a baby called Jesus. Gabriel was puzzled.
“Jesus? But that’s your son’s name.”
“Yes that’s right. He’s going to be born as a human being.”
“A human. But humans aren’t very nice. They shout at each other and fight each other. They can be really mean and horrible.”
“Yes, I know,” said God, “He is going to go and teach them how to be better and love each other. He’s going to fix it so that they don’t have to die anymore.”
“Wow,” said Gabriel. “That’s a very brave and wonderful thing to do.” And off he went. 
Nine months later God called Gabriel again. 
“Its nearly time for Jesus to be born. I’d like this birth to be really special, really unusual. I’ve got a lovely manger lined up for him. It can be a sign so that people looking for him will know they have found the right baby. All the other babies are lying in beds and cots.”
“What? A manger. A dirty, smelly manger that cows eat from?”
“Yes. But its not dirty. We’ll make sure he has some lovely clean straw, and the animals will help watch over him. Anyway, I have another task for you. I’d like you to book the angel choir to sing and I’d like you to make an announcement of the birth. A really amazing announcement. But you can only make it to one group of people.”
“Can’t we tell the whole town?”
“No. Just one group of people. Go away and have a look at all the different people in Bethlehem and decide which group you are going to make the announcement to.”
So Gabriel went away, and started visiting different groups of people. 

He thought that maybe he should look at the important people first. Surely he ought to tell the people who run Bethlehem that there is a new king. So he went to Bethlehem town hall and looked through the window. Two councillors were pushing each other. “No! I’m having the best seat at the new year dinner."
 "No, me! I’m more important than you.” 
Gabriel disguised himself as a human and opened the door.
“Go away!” they said “We’re having an important meeting.” 
So he did. These proud and horrible people didn’t deserve to hear the news. 

Then he went to see the weavers, but they were so busy weaving a piece of cloth for King Herod that they didn’t even look up to say hello to him. He coughed and tried to attract their attention but they simply weren’t listening. So he went away. 

Then he went to see the ladies who make cheese in the town. He heard them talking about the shepherds. 
“Those shepherds are horrible. They smell. I won’t talk to them.”
“No I won’t talk to them either. I’m sure they steal things when we’re not looking. And they never go to the synagogue to pray.”
“Well isn’t that because they have to stay in the fields to look after the sheep?”
“That’s no excuse. I bet they’ve got fleas.”
Gabriel thought the cheesemakers were cruel saying such nasty things about a whole group of other people. So he went to see the shepherds. He hid behind a tree so he could listen to what they were saying without them seeing him.
“No-one ever talks to us. When we say hello to them they never say hello back and when I go into a shop they put everything away behind the counter. They don’t trust us.”
“I don’t have any friends. People think we’re dirty and smelly. Nobody loves us. We never get invited to anyone’s parties.”
“I’ve never been invited to a birthday party in my whole life.”
“Oh that’s so sad.” thought Gabriel. “Well this birthday party is one you will get invited to!” 
He called up the angel choir, turned on the shiny lights on his robes and appeared to the shepherds in all his glory.
“Wow” the shepherds said. “Don’t be afraid!” Gabriel said. “I bring you the most joyful news ever announced, and it is good news for everyone! 
“Even us?” the shepherds said “Yes. Especially you.” Gabriel replied. “The Saviour baby Jesus has been born tonight in Bethlehem! You’ll find him wrapped in cloth and lying in a manger.”
Then the angel choir began to sing some fantastic music so beautiful that it took the shepherds’ breath away. 
“Wow! That was amazing” they said.”Lets go and see the new baby”
So they went down the hill to Bethlehem, taking their sheep with them, and saw Mary, Joseph and the baby. When baby Jesus saw them he gave an extra big smile and stretched out his tiny baby hands. 
“At last there is somebody who is pleased to see us.” 
It was a day the shepherds remembered for the rest of their lives, and the funny thing was, that after that, everyone else in town started to be nicer to them too.  

THE END.

A prayer for guidance

This prayer as written by members of the Visions community in York on Wednesday 6th February 2019.  Whether you consider yourself a Brexiteer, a Remainer or just anxious, they are encouraging you to feel free to use or adopt this prayer.

God of all nations, 
Sovereign in our hearts,
You set the stars on their courses,
made order out of chaos,
and care even for the sparrows.
We are ashamed,
we weep for our nation.
Open the minds of our leaders,
the attitude of our representatives,
and the hearts of the people;
so that we can build bridges,
find understanding,
and heal the rifts.
Speak wisdom into the processes adrift,
and speak into the heart of our Prime Minister;
inspiring her through the example of your Son the Servant King.
Guide the government to a fair solution, 
and protect the hard won peace in the island of Ireland.
We ask this in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
Amen.