Virtual Methodist

We tried a number of times earlier in the run to get to see "The Man Jesus" with Simon Callow at the Lyric Theatre, but in fine Campton fashion, only managed to see it on the last night. Given the show is now over I won't offer any sort of comprehensive review, except to say that I enjoyed it, but was not bowled over by it. The sparse staging and lighting allowed the audience to focus on Callow's performance which offered differing perspectives on the life and death of Jesus from various men and women around him. The mission-hall-type wooden seats which Callow constantly shuffled throughout the performance were sufficient to suggest the temple clearance or the Last Supper. Callow's range of accents and characterisations were superb... his Billy Connolly-esque John the Baptist and his Ballymena Bible-belt disciple were particularly appropriate (even more so given this was Northern Ireland and the Big Yin was actually performing in the Waterfront Hall last night)...

In the midst of my preparations for last week's reflections on John's Gospel and how it echoes the first chapter of Genesis, I came across the following piece which was produced by similar cross-fertilization a few years ago when I was writing some material for New Irish Arts. I didn't use it last week, but thought it was worth another airing.  And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light. God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light "day", and the darkness he called "night". And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day. Genesis 1:3-5 (ANIV) The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. John 1:5 (RSV) I’m grown up now… but I’m still afraid of the dark… I pretend that I’m not… But then adults are good at pretending… Children play “let’s pretend” but they’re only practicing for the serious pretending that goes on in adulthoo...

We approach the end of our Holy Week reflections on the new creation, focussing on  Genesis 1: 24-31 and John 19: 1-16. Opening Liturgy And God said, "Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds..." And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground." So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over every living creature..." Then God said, "I give you every seed-...

We continue our reflections on the new creation that can be ours in Christ in the words of Genesis 1: 20-23, John 2: 1-11, John 13: 1-17 And God said, "Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky." So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed them and said, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth." And there was evening, and there was morning the fifth day. Genesis 1:20-23 (ANIV) Reading On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee . Jesus' mother was there, and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. When the wine was gone, Jesus' mother said to him, "They have no more wine." "Dear woma...

We continue our reflections on the new creation that is ours in Christ, using Genesis 1: 14-19, John 1: 43-51, John 9: 1-5 and John 12: 35-36 Opening Liturgy And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth." And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning the fourth day. Genesis 1:14-19 (ANIV) Reading The next day Jesus decided to leave for  Galilee . Finding Philip, he said to him, "Follow me." Philip, like Andrew and Peter, was from the town of  Bethsai...

We continue to look at the new creation that is to be found in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus using Genesis 1: 9-13, John 1: 35-42 and John 12: 20-27. Opening Liturgy And God said, "Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear." And it was so. God called the dry ground "land", and the gathered waters he called "seas". And God saw that it was good. Then God said, "Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds." And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning the third day. Genesis 1:9-13 (ANIV) Readings The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. When he saw Jesus passing by, he s...

We continue with our Holy Week reflections based on the theme of the new creation within John's Gospel. Today's reflections are based on Genesis 1: 6-8, John 1: 29-34 and John 3: 1-13. Opening Liturgy And God said, "Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water." So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse "sky". And there was evening, and there was morning the second day. Genesis 1: 6-8 (ANIV) Readings The next day John saw Jesus coming towards him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, 'A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptising with water was that he might be revealed to Israel ." Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as ...

This is the first in a series of prayerful reflections we're going to be sharing in at Dundonald Methodist Church throughout Holy Week under the title of Endings and Beginnings. Come join us at 9.50am this morning or 8am from Monday to Friday if you are within travelling distance, or if not, share in them as they are published. They're based on the widely held thesis that John's entire Gospel paints the life, death and resurrection of Jesus as the initiation of a new creation, hence the strong parallels in the prologue, the 7 signs and 7 "I am" sayings, the early focus on "the next day" etc. This morning's reflection is based on Genesis 1: 1-5, John 1: 1-13, and John 12: 12-19.  Opening Liturgy In the beginning God… In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The Word was with God in the beginning. In the beginning God created… Through the Word everything was created; without the Word nothing was made that has ...