Month: March 2008

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Holy Week 2 Tuesday Unless a grain falls…

Today, according to the Lectionary, our readings are from Isaiah 49 – ‘in the shadow of his hand he hid me’, and I Corinthians 1 ‘The message about the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing’, and John 12. ‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain.’

‘The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, there will my servant be also. Whoever serves me, the Father will honour. Now is the judgement of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.’ John 12.20-36

God has dropped a single seed, into the earth. Christ is this seed. Will he grow, will he survive, will he fruit? He lets go and gives himself away to us. The kingdom of God is like a farmer who sowed, and who does not know whether he will see any crop (Mark 4.). He hands himself over to us, entirely into our hands. The Lord God has taken a punt with us, has risked his own name on us. He does not want us unless we are ready to be wanted, and are ready to love.

Those who love their life lose it, and those who hate their life in this world will keep it for eternal life. This recklessness is our lot now. The Son of God is content to be the Son in the complete disguise – clothed in our creatureliness, our humanity and materiality. This concealment is what the passion of Christ is.

Holy Week 2 Tuesday

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Holy Week 1 Monday The house was filled…

Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. John 12. 1-11

This anointing is the form Mary’s praying takes. Mary is praying without making any requests. She simply presents herself to the Lord, without word. In the same way we do not know what to say, but the Spirit prays for us from within us. She washes his feet and anoints them with this nard so the perfume fills the house. ‘Your prayer as been heard’, Jesus says on another occasion. The perfume is the prayers of the saints which rise up from the worship of the Church.

The whole earth is full of his glory. God has made the world, but his glory is hidden in it. But it is not obvious to us that this place is full of the glory of God. Creation waits for its redemption, and as long as it does so it groans. It is our job to lead this lament, and to say the world is not comfortable or settled, but we look forward to the time when this glory fills the house.

Holy Week 1 Monday

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Palm Sunday

On Palm Sunday morning we met on the Kingsland High Road with St Paul’s West Hackney, and Hackney Baptist Church and processed back along Church Street the mile to St Mary’s singing

All glory, laud and honour
to thee Redeemer King
To whom the lips of children
Made sweet hosannas ring.

and

Ride on! Ride on Majesty!

and

There is a green Hill far away

and

Give me oil in my lamp, keep it burning…

We got through the whole lot twice, in rain, in good voice the whole way. The C of E – we have got the best songs.

That was Palm Sunday. Now on to Holy Week and our onward trek through the liturgical year.

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Holy and Great Lent

During this period of Holy and Great Lent, our Church calls us to repentance. Doubtless, as contemporary man hears this invitation to repentance, he does not feel comfortable, because he has accustomed himself to a certain way of life, and does not wish to question his own rectitude. Calling one’s own rectitude into question produces feelings of insecurity, because the ideological structure within which you have sure and certain refuge is clearly risked.

The one who constantly repents, ever progresses, ever rejoices through new ascents, finds constant satisfaction in deeper understandings of all things. Through the transformation of mentality and understanding, the one who repents better understands the whole world, becomes wiser, more judicious, more discreet, nobler and a true friend of Christ. Therefore, the preaching of repentance should be favorably received by wise persons who are able to appreciate any improvement that comes from the renewal of the human person through repentance.

Therefore, brothers and sisters and beloved children in the Lord, let us accept the invitation of our Church to repentance. Let us who have fallen short through sin cleanse ourselves from sin through confession. Let us constantly examine our own presuppositions, so our judgments and thoughts may be godly and pure, just and true.

Holy and Great Lent 2008

BARTHOLOMEW of Constantinople
The fervent intercessor for you all before God

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Holy week talks

The Archbishop of Canterbury’s Holy Week Lectures(PDF)

The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Dr Rowan Williams delivers a series of lectures after Evensong at Westminster Abbey

Monday 17th March Faith and Science
Tuesday 18th March Faith and Politics
Wednesday 19th March Faith and History

* * *

Holy Week seems a good time to follow the Lectionary rather than to continue the thematic approach. I look forward to the day when our bishops demonstrate how to preach from the bible readings set by the Lectionary. My On the Way to Easter series on Resources for Christian Theology is my latest attempt. I am going to talk about preaching, lectionary and eucharist at Westminster Abbey’s Cheneygates Work-in-Progress seminar on April 24 at 12.30 (though the Abbey website gives no sign).

St Francis Episcopal Church San Jose offers an introduction to Lent and Easter. Did you know that ‘Maundy’ Thursday comes from mandatum novum, ‘a new commandment’ and Good Friday was originally ‘God’s Friday’? You can learn more about Lent, Easter and the lectionary from the excellent Ken Collins and from Textweek.

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Fit for Mission

Bishop Patrick O’Donoghue of Lancaster is my hero. In Fit for Mission? he has produced the single most evangelical document that I have seen from any bishop in Britain. Every page is quotable. Here is his Introduction.

. . .

As you will be aware, the diocese is undertaking the ‘Fit for Mission’ review, the overall aim of which is to strengthen the sacramental and missionary life of each area of the diocese so that this and future generations, can have a rich and living encounter with our Lord, Jesus Christ. This is the mission of the Church, this is why we exist – to proclaim the Gospel of Christ and bring each person closer to our loving Father, through the power of the Holy Spirit.

I have come to the conclusion that our hopes to strengthen and deepen the missionary and sacramental life of the Church in this diocese depend largely on the engagement and commitment of our schools and colleges. For many pupils and parents the local Catholic school is their only experience of Church – our schools are at the cutting edge of the new evangelisation, called to make Christ known and loved in our communities.

As your bishop, it is my responsibility to help you create and deepen this authentic Catholic ethos in our schools and colleges. My answer to the question is this – I encourage everyone to unite their energy, creativity, and gifts in this threefold service for their pupils:

1. To share the Father’s passion to liberate His children from the slavery of sin, into the freedom and dignity of being created in the ‘image and likeness of God’.


How do we enable our pupils to experience the wonder and richness of possessing the freedom and dignity of being made in God’s image? How do we allow the Father to free those pupils who suffer the slavery of materialism, pre-marital sexual activity, alcohol, and substance abuse, the slavery of violence and bullying?

2. To follow the Son’s loving service of impoverished and suffering humanity, through advocating and establishing a culture of justice that originates in the purpose, will, and character of God.


How do we encourage our pupils to live in the transforming grace of Christ’s power and promises? How do we allow the Son to heal those pupils who are impoverished by neglect, social exclusion, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse?

3. To be exemplars of the freedom and dignity in intellectual, social, and moral life that comes from being transformed by the Holy Spirit.

How do we empower our pupils with the absolute truth of Catholic doctrinal and moral teaching? How do we allow the Holy Spirit to inspire those pupils imprisoned by doubt, cynicism, atheism, and nihilism?

These may appear to some as abstract, even impractical, but they express the heart of the Gospel, which is God’s development plan for each one of us! Throughout this document I will propose practical ways of realising this threefold service.

Fit for Mission? (67 page PDF) You can find the build-up to Fit for Mission? here

Bishop O’Donoghue’s Four Pillars?

The Profession of Faith – devotion to the Apostles’ teaching
Sacraments – devotion to the breaking of bread
The Moral Life – devotion to the fellowship
Prayer – devotion to prayer

I am in awe. You’ll find intelligent comment on Bishop O’Donoghue’s initiative from Archbishop Cranmer and from the Hermeneutic of Continuity

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Alive and kicking

MPs prepare to vote on abortion for the first time in 18 years

The Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, currently before the House of Commons, provides an opportunity for MPs to vote on amendments to the abortion law. With your active participation we can change the law, save unborn lives and create a society where women with an unplanned pregnancy are offered real alternatives to abortion.

The Alive and Kicking Alliance strongly supports the following amendments that will help to substantially reduce the number of abortions in the UK:

1. A substantial lowering of the 24-week abortion upper limit. Public, parliamentary and medical opinion supports a reduction of the abortion time limit. This is a direct result of 4D ultrasound, improved neonatal survival and live births following late abortion.

2. An end to discriminatory abortion of disabled babies up to birth, whilst a 24-week upper limit is in place for babies without disability. This constitutes discrimination against those with special needs.

3. A charter of informed consent for women seeking abortion. Women contemplating abortion require the information, support and space necessary to make a fully informed decision.

Alive and Kicking are running a petition (for those in the UK)

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Roman Catholic theology

Bede Professor of Catholic Theology at the University of Durham

The Department of Theology & Religion seeks to appoint a Roman Catholic scholar of international standing who is engaged in the critical-constructive analysis of issues of contemporary significance in Catholic thought and practice, evidenced through extensive publication at the highest academic level. This is a newly established post, permanently endowed by a number of Catholic donors. As a theological advisor to the Bishop of Hexham & Newcastle, the postholder must be in full and active communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

Critical-constructive, but I hope also receptive, analysis of the documents of the Roman Catholic church, than which there is no finer body of theological texts, and none more neglected in the United Kingdom

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Patriarch and Zizioulas on tour

The Saint-Serge Institute in Paris has awarded the title of Docteur Honoris Causa to Metropolitan John Zizioulas. Here are details and video of his acceptance speech. Bishop John responded with ‘La contribution de la théologie orthodoxe occidentale’ (PDF). The Laudatio by Michel Stavrou included this:

Il faut noter que votre style littéraire est simple et dépouillé, cultivant presque une esthétique de la pauvreté. Quant à votre réflexion, tout en s’alimentant chez les Pères et dans la tradition canonique et liturgique, elle est en prise étroite avec la philosophie et la culture contemporaines, et se déploie en dialogue constant avec des théologiens de différents horizons, cherchant, sans crispation confessionnelle, à mettre en lumière la tradition indivise de l’Eglise ancienne.

Comme en retour, vos travaux ont fait l’objet d’une quarantaine d’articles de théologiens de toutes confessions et également d’une douzaine d’ouvrages (excusez du peu) dont le dernier paru, The Theology of John Zizioulas, édité par l’anglais Douglas Knight en 2007, regroupe en 200 pages les évaluations de 12 théologiens anglicans, réformés, catholiques et orthodoxes.

Meanwhile Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew has been at the Pontifical Oriental Institute to give a paper Theology, Liturgy and Silence. Asia news gives an account of Patriarch and Metropolitan in Rome.

I owe these links to Matthew Baker (St Tikhon’s Orthodox Seminary), this blog’s editor of Orthodox Affairs