Virtual Methodist

A responsive version of the lectionary Psalm for today which we used in worship at the Grosvenor Hall this morning, whilst reflecting on the culture of forgiveness embodied in two passages which never mention the word: the Gospel reading from  Luke 6:27-36 and the Old Testament reading from Genesis 45:3-11, the story of the reconciliation of Joseph and his brothers, which also inspired this picture, which I posted as this weeekend's #ArtintheOrdinary on social media,  an ivory carving for the throne of Archbishop Maximianus (c545-553) in the Archiepiscopal Museum, Ravenna. Do not fret because of wrongdoers; do not wish you could be as successful as the unscrupulous, for like everyone else they will fade away like the flowers of the field, they will wither like grass in the summer sun. Keep trusting in the LORD, and do what is right; God alone is your security. Delight in the LORD, and he will give you your deepest desires. Commit to following the way of the LORD; trust in...

The result of a bit of a "pity party" over the past few days, ironically prompted by feeling that others were being self-centred, and reading 2 pieces: one by a colleague reflecting on the importance of forgiveness for breaking the legacy-logjam here in Northern Ireland and another noting the important place of confession and the declaration of forgiveness in public worship. Of course the two are interlinked just as the awareness of our need for forgiveness and our need to forgive are linked. Too often we see ourselves as wronged without recognizing our own shortcomings... Although occasionally we can beat ourselves up without recognizing that our failures are partly what marks us out as no different from every other fallible human being. Father, forgive them,  for they don’t know what they are doing. They don’t see the full picture. They judge me, and others By their standards, Assuming the worst, Resulting in the worst. Father, forgive them,  for I don’t know wh...

OK I've posted this dialogue numerous times... the last one last year when the theme for the 4 Corners Festival was "Scandalous Forgiveness" and as before I note that it owes its form and substance to John L. Bell and the late, great and gracious, Graham Maule, a soupcon of Riding Lights but mostly the Gospels and specifically Jesus, with his seemingly frustrating obsession with the subject of forgiveness... I'm posting this today because it chimes with tomorrow's gospel reading in the lectionary, so if anyone wants to use is feel free... Peter:        Eh... Jesus...? Jesus:       Yes, Peter? Peter:        How many times did you say I should forgive my brother? Jesus:       Have you and Andrew been fighting again, Peter? Peter:        Oh, you know what he’s like... I know you want us to forgive each other, but I really ...

After a few days off to recharge my batteries depleted by the 4 Corners Festival and shelter from storm Dennis, here's another of the pieces I wrote for the 4 Corners "Wonderful Wander" following on from the  “The Ballad of the Big Fish”   and like it, written about a piece of public art a short way up river from it. The official title of  this 19.5 metres high metal sculpture by Andy Scott, is "Beacon of Hope". It was constructed in 2007 in the recently designated “Thanksgiving Square” on the banks of the Lagan. But like most other pieces of public art in Belfast it has been given several nicknames including Nuala with the Hula (credited to Gerard Doyle), the Belle on the Ball, the Thing with the Ring and the Angel of Thanksgiving.  The this poem only came about after the walk however, after the broadcast of "Lost Lives" last night and re-reading an excerpt from John Hewitt’s “The Bloody Brae” published in "Building a City of Grace" ,  ...

This is another Jesus-Peter dialogue in the style of Bell and Maule, but prompted by the words of the Lord's Prayer and Jesus' story of the Unforgiving Servant in Matthew 18: 21-35. I wrote it years ago and was surprised I had never posted it before. It was originally slated for posting a fortnight ago, when we were scheduled to use it in the morning service... but things went on a bit, so I pulled it both from the service and from the blog... We should be using it in this morning's service at 11am in Belfast South, so long as thing don't go on too long again! But if they do I hope the congregation will forgive me... Peter:        Eh... Jesus...? Jesus:       Yes, Peter? Peter:        How many times did you say I should forgive my brother? Jesus:       Have you and Andrew been fighting again, Peter? Peter:        ...

It's been a while... Have you missed me? What do you mean no!? It's OK, I'll forgive you...   Which brings me (clumsily) to that long promised post on the theme of "forgiveness" in the light of the "Listening to your Enemies" event in Skainos back at the end of January (doesn't time fly when you're having fun...) I've been driven back to the blog because I am killing a number of proverbial birds with one stone. I was reflecting on the subject of forgiveness myself over the weekend as it was the last Sunday before Lent, which in the Orthodox Tradition, as I have said previously, is observed as Forgiveness Sunday, but also because I'm leading a Bible study on the subject tonight, in our ongoing exploration of ECONI's old document "For God and His Glory Alone" and the key Christian principles that we need to help us live in a conflicted community. It is also Ash Wednesday, a day associated with repentance and for...

Getting near to the end of this meme, and out of thousands of songs of all styles that I like I am supposed to pick 2!?!?!  Well, here goes - I've mentioned both of these in a previous meme, and neither of them is a hymn or Christian song, but (observing my Thanksgiving discipline) I am particularly thankful to have encountered them at different times... They are both by Scottish female singers (I clearly have a thing for Scottish females)... 1) The Right Place, by Eddi Reader : which has come to me at a number of times as a song of uncomfortable assurance.. (this is a live audio version) 2) Sorry, by Karine Polwart : which wrestles with the whole difficult area of forgiveness, which is (due to the job and the province I work in), a constant theme... Cheers

28 years ago I headed off to university in Edinburgh kicking the dust of Northern Ireland off my proverbial sandals, never intending to return, like many of my generation, particularly on the Protestant/Unionist side of the divide. I had had enough of the Troubles in my native statelet... they had been going on for most of my life, and by that stage I felt, quoting the words of my least favourite Shakespeare play "A plague on both your houses." 3 years later, however, a group of people some of whom I knew, most of whom I didn't, came together as Evangelical Contribution on Northern Ireland (ECONI) to draft and release a document entitled "For God and his Glory Alone". The title was a conscious and direct challenge to the motto of the UVF and mental framework of many Ulster protestants brought up on the mythologuy of Carson and the Somme etc - "For God and Ulster", which too often got reversed in practice with people putting Ulster (or at least the s...

Just a quick post to flag up something that you have probably picked up from elsewhere. Recently there has been much conversation about a marked lack of hope in political and civic discourse in Northern Ireland recently, with positions becoming entrenched in anticipation of the upcoming arrival of Richard Haass. But slowly, largely facilitated by social media and a few conversations over coffee, a momentum has been developing to articulate a more positive vision of how things might be. I am aware of a number of initiatives coming to a head, and will plug them here were I feel they have something to offer... I will also return in detail to the issue of hope when I get a chance to pull my thoughts together. However, over the past week I have been part of a group who have tried to articulate some thoughts on the themes of hope and healing from a Biblical perspective as Richard Haass begins his work. As we said in a brief introductory statement that went out via facebook and email today...

For the second time in a matter of months this morning I'm preaching on the theme of "New Beginnings" based on  Luke 5: 33ff . The last time it was in my previous congregation,  Dundonald Methodist, where they were anticipating changes with a new minister arriving in a matter of weeks, while this time, I'm on the other side of the move and my new congregation are probably a bit anxious about what upset this new minister will cause. The last time I said on the blog that I wasn't using David's Penitential Psalm (I managed to delete the previous post instead of re-blogging it... not having a good time with technology at present), but that it might have been appropriate... this time I am using this  plea for forgiveness and spiritual renewal...  Out of your unfailing love, O God, have mercy upon me; Out of your grace, wipe away my wrongdoing. Wash away my guilt Cleanse me from my sin. For I know what I have done wrong, My sins are staring me straigh...

No Saturday supplement this week... not because there isn't much out there of interest in the virtual world... if anything there is too much to swiftly sift it... but because there has also been too much on in the "real" world with the beginning of September and trying to find a new rhythm to life in a new setting... But despite my busyness I did manage to carve out a whole day last Saturday to enjoy my birthday present from my wife... a triple bill of Henry VI parts 1, 2 & 3 performed by the Globe Theatre company... So at the same time as 400 people were gathering in the Lyric theatre to mark the passing of the bard from Bellaghy, I and about 400 others were staggering punch drunk into the Grand Opera House for the final furlong of nearly 8 hours of Shakespeare. I don't recollect ever having seen any of these three history plays before so I have nothing to compare them with from my own experience... all I can say is that I enjoyed the whole day. There were ...

Devotees of the "West Wing", that fantasy based loosely on the inner workings of the White House, will be well aware of the "Big Block of  Cheese Day" supposedly inspired by an event in the Presidency of Andrew Jackson. President Bartlett's Chief of Staff Leo McGarry introduces it as follows; 'President Andrew Jackson, in the main foyer of his White House, had a big block of cheese. The block of cheese was huge--over two tons. And it was there for any and all who might be hungry. Jackson wanted the White House to belong to the people, so from time to time, he opened his doors to those who wished an audience. It is in the spirit of Andrew Jackson that I, from time to time, ask senior staff to have face-to-face meetings with those people representing organizations who have a difficult time getting our attention. I know the more jaded among you see this as something rather beneath you. But I assure you that listening to the voices of passionate Americans is...

Few of the Psalms are related so directly to the life of David as Psalm 51. Some include echoes of his life story: as a shepherd, a soldier being hunted by the then King Saul, and of events in his own reign as King. But none so specifically pinpoint any of the stories of his life as this one, which is directly associated with his adulterous liaison with Bathsheba and its consequences. We don’t know whether it was written by David, or simply inspired by his story, but it still speaks of someone wrestling with guilt. Unattended to guilt can be the grit that produces, not a pearl within the oyster of our hearts and minds, but a series of spiritual and psychological problems, that may also manifest themselves in physical illness. But even where we think that we have "got away with it" (much like David) we are assured that no wrong-doing goes un-noted, and we will have to answer for our guilt one day.  David's story may be about sex, conspiracy and murder in high places, ...

We're taking a break from our reflections on the New Creation, just as the Biblical narrative has God resting on the seventh day and Christ's body is pictured as resting in a tomb on the Saturday of Holy Week. Which gives me a chance to do my usual round-up of stuff that caught my eye this week. And I suppose it is appropriate that I start with this piece in the Huffington Post about an attempt by a small group in the United Methodist Church in America affiliated to Answers in Genesis to rewrite that denomination's position on "Creationism" and science. Currently the United Methodist Church affirms scientific method, seeing nothing in conflict between science and Biblical Faith, and it expressly opposes the teaching of creationism within the public school system. The fact that they had to make such a ruling in the first place speaks of the depth of polarisation in the US on this issue, and should be a salient lesson to us on this side of the Atlantic about ...