Some of our church folk came back from a visit to South Africa recently and generously brought me a gift from their travels. It is a shwe shwe poppi (doll) and the label reads “These dolls are based on the drawings of some of the kids at a crèche in Soweto, South Africa, run by the African Children’s Feeding Programme, which feeds over 32,000 needy kids daily. Each is uniquely handcrafted by mothers and grandmothers from the community and each tells a positive story of hope and creativity”. There are several lovely things about my little doll. It was chosen for me because it has the word ‘hope’ stitched across its body. At Northern Lights MCC, we offer hope and light, so it is a very fitting gift. What I also really liked about it is that the adults involved in creating the doll have not tried to tidy it up or make it more standardised – the two eyes are different shapes, the mouth is green, not pink or red. There might be a hand, there might be a tail – who knows what those bits at the side are? The child created the image and the adult brought it into reality. A heart is stitched on the back, which speaks of the love in the whole project. As we sat looking at this little creation, we agreed that it was not the most beautiful doll in the world, we called it “Ugly Hope”.

I like that – ‘ugly hope’. When we are thinking about changing something in our lives, we sometimes get lured into a sense that the new thing or situation will be effortlessly achieved, without mess or stress, or things going wrong. In our daydreams, everything goes perfectly and our new situation, partner, job, home will be completely without fault or downside. In his book, ‘Let your Life Speak’, Parker Palmer describes the different seasons and reflects on them relating to times in life. When we are in period of winter – cold, bleak, dark, we long for spring with its lighter days and shoots of new growth everywhere. In between these two seasons, the snow melts and it gets muddy and messy underfoot. The beauty of the crisp white snow is replaced with sludge and we can find it hard to walk without slipping about. Places of transition and change can be uncomfortable, awkward, unnerving. It may take a while before we finally settle into whatever our new place or thing is. We hold on to our vision, our dream, our creation, until it comes into full fruition. In the meantime, we squelch through the mud of ugly hope.

When Jesus was daydreaming about how his public ministry might develop, I wonder if doing battle with temptation and fasting in the desert were part of the plan.  Walking on shifting sand can be just as difficult to walk on and as tiring as plodging through mud. Jesus drew strength from his relationship with God to see him through.  We can too. Like the shwe shwee poppi, we have a heart stitched onto us – the unconditional love of God who created us.  

God bless,


Cecilia


If you would like to know more about shwe shwe poppis, 
visit http://www.shweshwepoppis.com/default.aspx

Today is Ash Wednesday. In churches all over the country, vicars and priests will have been burning the palm crosses from last year to create ash. There will be an Ash Wednesday service and a cross will be marked on each individual’s forehead using the ash with the words “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.” The ash cross and the solemn words associated with it remind us of our mortality. Life is on earth is time limited. We are encouraged to take stock of our life and what we are doing with it. As the wonderful song from La Cage aux Folles reminds us “There’s one life and there’s no return and no deposit”. When we consider how we spend our time, our energy, our money and our talents, we can really think about what we want to offer God in our lives and what we want to get out of life.

Many people will give up something for Lent. Perhaps this Lent, we could look at this a little differently. Usually we give up something we love in Lent and look forward to being able to doing/eating it again once Easter Sunday comes along. Perhaps we could give up something in Lent that we don’t like about our lives and keep giving it up as part of the ‘new life’ we are offered in the joy of the resurrection. For example, deciding to stop saying or doing things that reinforce a negative view of ourselves. Or perhaps altering our attitude towards something in our life that we don’t like, but are currently unable to change.  One of the most inspirational aspects of my ministry is to see the amazing things that people in our congregation achieve when they set their mind to it. It may involve giving up some things in order to make way for new activities or relationships. The most important thing that people have to give up in order to do a new thing is the phrase “I can’t”.  

The worship theme this Sunday is “Giving up – the prelude to change”. In order for change to happen, there has to be a space, a gap, a willingness on our part, a ‘bit of give’. We can’t open our hands to receive whatever God has in store for us, if we are clinging on to old ways and unhelpful habits. What needs to give in your life to enable you to live more fully, more joyfully, more spiritually? It doesn’t have to be a huge step or a grand gesture. It could just be as simple as saying “Thank you” when someone pays you a compliment, instead of trying to brush it off or turn it into something negative.  Ash Wednesday reminds us of the frailty of our human existence. It is a good time to take stock and make sure that ‘we like what is in our closet.’ I wish you a blessed and powerful Lent.

God bless

Cecilia

What does heaven look like you? Do you believe in heaven? Is it a place in the sky or a state of being? If I canvassed the congregation, I expect that there would be a whole range of opinions and ideas about heaven and hell, and what they mean to us. Beyond church, many people who see themselves as non-religious hold on the idea of heaven, as it will be the place where they are re-united with loved ones after they die. For people who struggle or who are oppressed, heaven is the place where they will be able to rest, be made whole, living out life in fullness. Some people have heaven as their ultimate goal, and spend time here on earth ‘clocking up points’, so in order to earn their way through the pearly gates. The truth is no-one knows what happens to us when we die. We can use scripture and the teachings of church tradition to inform us and draw on our own experience of what perfect union with God might be like.

One of my favourite stories about heaven is from “Our Tribe” written by our Moderator, Reverend Elder Nancy Wilson. She went to see a young man in hospital who was dying of AIDS. He was so weak, and in so much pain that he could not speak. He communicated by writing notes on a pad. His question for Nancy was “Are there gay angels in heaven?” Nancy recalls thinking about a wonderful guy in her congregation who had died recently, and was able to say “Yes, yes there are.”

Our worship theme this month is ‘Making Heaven on Earth’. The first week we focussed on worship. There are times in our worship services and in other worshipful places when I am taken beyond myself. I am no longer conscious of where I am and am fully immersed in the moment, feeling myself connected to and held by God. This profound experience feels beyond time and is of a bit of heaven on earth for me. Last week, we considered service – all the ways things that we do for each other in our faith community. All of these acts of service are a way of showing love and care for one another. It is an opportunity to be generous, thoughtful and kind. So many folk in our congregation ‘go the extra mile’ to make sure that whatever they are doing is done with excellence. This Sunday’s theme is action – the way that we interact with those beyond the church walls. When we feed the hungry, clothe the naked, fight injustice, comfort the grieving, befriend the lonely, we are ridding the world of its imperfections. Our actions, our attitudes and our prayers all offer a glimpse of God’s dominion on earth – the kingdom as it could be. It may only be a glimpse of heaven on earth, but it is a good start.

God bless

Cecilia

February is LGBT History Month. It is remarkable to me that so much of our significant history in terms of LGBT rights in this country has happened within my lifetime.  The Wolfenden report on Homosexual Offences and Prostitution was published in 1957. It recommended that ‘homosexual behaviour between consenting adults in private should no longer be a criminal offence’.  By ‘consenting adults’, the report meant men. It took a further 10 years before gay sex between men over the age of 21 was decriminalised and the definition of ‘in private’ was very narrow. 56 years on from Wolfenden, in 2013 the Marriage (Same-Sex Couples) Bill received Royal Assent on Wednesday 17th July. From criminal to legally married in the space of my lifetime - what an extraordinary set of events! It took years of people campaigning, lobbying, persuading and risking everything by telling their stories. It took years of not giving up, even when it all looked impossible.

For many people in our congregation, this really does feel like ancient history and some young people may wonder why we feel the need to remember the past. I heard a brilliant quote recently “History should be our inspiration, not our jailer.” We enjoy so many freedoms today, because of the hard work and determination of those who went before us, fighting injustice, giving the voiceless a voice. We turn to stories of the past to remind us of the power of the human spirit and to encourage us when we feel as though the obstacles in front of us may never be overcome. We also remember the past in order to ensure that we do not lose hard won rights.

The Bible is full of ancient stories that echo down to us and share eternal truths. Jesus tells us the parable of the persistent widow who won’t leave the judge alone until he gives her justice (Luke 18:1 – 8). We hear the cries of the Hebrews trapped in slavery in Egypt and learn how God sent Moses to set them free and lead them to the promised land. In addition to the hard work of humans, God’s power is at work. We trust our lives to God in prayer. We look to scripture for inspiration to see how God has answered prayer in the past. We look at the life of Jesus and see how he spent time with those who society set apart or excluded.

If we take our rights and our safety for granted, we are not honouring those who sacrificed much to ensure that we can say openly and legally “I do.” This week I invite you to give thanks for the LGBT activists and allies who work around the world to make the world a better place for everyone.

God bless

Cecilia