21st February - Jochebed

Jochebed: Exodus 2 v 1-10; 6 v 20: ‘When she could hide him no longer…’

In the film ‘The Prince of Egypt’ there is a scene where Moses, grown up and a member of Pharaoh’s family circle, has discovered hieroglyphs on a wall in the royal palace that depict the slaughter of the Hebrew children from which, as today’s passage relates, he himself was spared. Pharaoh Seti, with comforting arms wrapped around the adoptive son of his daughter, tries to reassure him: “The Hebrews grew too numerous. They might have risen against us. Moses, sometimes for the greater good, sacrifices must be made. Oh, my son...they were only slaves..."

This justification ‘for the greater good’ has inspired an enormous amount of cruelty and barbarity over millennia, including the Crusades and the Holocaust. Those who planned the murder of 6 million Jews in the death camps told themselves that their victims were subhuman (‘untermenschen’), a designation first used by Klu Klux Klan member Luther Stoddard to describe what he referred to as ‘colored’ (sic) peoples who he believed to be a threat to white civilisation.

The thread that connects Pharaoh Seti I, Hitler and the Klu Klux Klan is actually an irrational and obsessive fear of people who are ‘different’. The contemporary ‘Black Lives Matter’ (BLM) campaign is an attempt to educate people that every single human life, regardless of ethnicity, is of equal significance. That means that, in the words of theologian and activist Jim Wallis, writing in the context of the BLM movement, ‘Appeals to racial fear, grievance, and hate are assaults on the image of God in others. Therefore, every act of racialised police violence, every family separated at the border, every wink or appeasement to white supremacists, and every attempted suppression of even one vote because of skin colour, is denying the image of God…’

The experience of Jochebad, the mother of Moses (we know her name because of the reference in Exodus 6 v 20 to the irregular nature of her marriage to her nephew), reminds us that victims of the so called ‘greater good’ are often faced with terrible decisions. Her bitter experience in the teeth of an unfeeling and absolute supremacy echoes into more recent history in the context of the millions killed by the regimes of Stalin, Hitler and Mao Zedong (not forgetting the Klu Klux Klan bearing in mind that one African American a week was a victim of premeditated murder by lynching, between 1877 and 1950). The sheer weight of the numbers make it hard for us to get a handle on the fact that all of those millions were people like us. They were people like Jochebad, in fact, a mother whose anguish was ignored and whose son was a statistic whose death would serve the greater good.

The act of placing Moses in a basket and entrusting him to the River Nile may well, in the mind of his desperate mother, have represented a 1% rather than a 0% chance of survival. It is certainly a story of beating overwhelming odds. There is actually no mention of God in the text of this story but it is clear nonetheless, even as the slaughter of the Hebrew children went ahead, that Moses was being preserved as the future liberator of his people. There is an echo here of the story of Joseph, Jesus’ earthly Father, being warned of Herod’s plan to kill all male children in Bethlehem under the age of two (leading him, somewhat ironically, to find refuge in Egypt). We see this providence not just in Jochebad’s desperate plan but in Moses’ sister’s amazing persistence and courage. We also see it in the genuine concern of Pharaoh’s daughter and her willingness to adopt a baby who was supposed to be a victim of her father’s infanticide. In the Bible God’s purposes are often advanced by the unlikeliest people, something we would do well to remember as we consider how he works in the world today.

Whilst this is a troubling story, it is important for us to understand that those families who weren’t given what seems to have been special protection still mattered to God. Jesus may have been preserved in the early years of his life but his mother had to endure the sight of him being executed when in his thirties reminding us that God identifies with all victims of hatred and violence, which so often lie just under the surface of what Pharaoh labelled the ‘greater good’. Modern day Pharaohs tend not to care much about anything other than retaining and exercising power over others, whatever the cost of that might be to ordinary people. But by sending Jesus to give his life for us and by allowing him to be the victim of those who were playing power games, God has shown that he empathises and identifies with the poor, the powerless, the victimised, the overlooked and the bereaved. Indeed Moses himself came to understand as an adult that his place was not with the privileged and powerful people he grew up with but alongside his fellow Hebrew slaves in whose liberation he would play such a pivotal role.

There are many mothers like Jochebed in today’s world whose lives have been blighted by war, disease and malnutrition which together continue to cost the lives of many adults and children worldwide. How might we reflect in our lives, especially in our giving and campaigning, this divine bias to the poor and persecuted that marked the life and ministry of Jesus? After all, we do claim to be his followers…

 

Questions: Why are we often afraid of people ‘not like us’? Have we ever been helped by an ‘unlikely person’? What did it make us think and feel?

Prayer: Lord, every member of the human family is made in your image. Help us to live our lives in the light of that truth. Amen.

20th February - Melchizedek

Melchizedek: Genesis 14 v 18-20; Psalm 110 v 4; Hebrews 7 v 1-22: ‘You are a priest for ever’.

 Melchizedek is a figure that we know almost nothing about – and that, as we shall see, is actually the point. In the three verses in Genesis 14 that describe his encounter with Abraham we learn that he is king of Jerusalem, referred to here as ‘Salem’, which at the time in which this story is set was a Canaanite city.

 On a visit to Jerusalem some years ago I went to have a look at the somewhat controversial archaeological excavations taking place underneath the Palestinian township of Silwan funded by an association called Elad, one of whose aims is to move Jewish settlers into the neighbourhood. These have uncovered not only the city that King David built in the 10th century BC but also the remains of a sizeable Canaanite fortress dating back to the 18th century BC, a reminder that Jerusalem has a history stretching back many centuries before David captured it and made it his capital (2 Samuel 5 v 6-10).

 Melchizedek is described as a priest of ‘God Most High’ (El Elyon) rather than Yahweh, Israel’s God. Melchizedek is neither Jewish nor does he worship Israel’s God. His name means ‘king of righteousness’ and it is significant by submitting to his blessing and offering him a tenth of his booty (from his recent raid on those who were holding his nephew Lot as a prisoner - see Gen 14 v 1-17), Abraham is implicitly acknowledging the validity of both his kingship and priesthood.

 The writer to the Hebrews makes the most of the fact that we know so little about Melchizedek. He uses the reference in Psalm 100 v 4 to the Messiah being ‘…a priest for ever in the order of Melchizedek’ as a bridge to link Jesus with this mysterious king and priest. To be a priest in the Jewish nation you had be descended from the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron – it was your family tree that validated your priesthood. But even though we don’t know who Melchizedek’s ancestors were (Heb 7 v 6) or how he came to be a priest king, Abraham seems happy to acknowledge him as his peer (v 7).

 The point that the writer to the Hebrews wants to communicate is that the priesthood of Jesus does not depend on his family background. In his lifetime it was still only members of the Levite tribe who had authority to act as priests in the Temple in Jerusalem (10v 11) as they were still doing when Hebrews was written (probably a few years before its destruction in 70 AD). Jesus was actually a member of the royal tribe of Judah (v 14) which begged the question as to how he could be a priest. He sees in the unknown figure of Melchizedek, who makes such fleeting appearance in the Old Testament, the one who points to the real nature of Jesus’ priesthood. Whilst Melchizedek obviously had a family background we have no idea whether his priesthood was in any way hereditary. It is the silence about this in the few verses in which he makes an appearance in the Old Testament  that is crucial to the writer. It is the fact that he is just there, appearing from nowhere and having his priesthood acknowledged by no less a person than Abraham that offers an illustration (and it is no more than that) of the kind of priesthood Jesus exercises.

 So whilst Jesus isn’t a Levite, he can be a priest of the order of Melchizedek (Heb 6 v 6) because that kind of priesthood doesn’t need to be validated by a family tree. This gives him the freedom to achieve something beyond the abilities of any priest who served in the Temple; which is to give his own life for the sin of the world (Heb 7 v 3).

 The unknown author of Hebrews argues that the endless sacrifices that lay at the heart of Jewish religious life were a bit weak and useless (v 16), didn’t work (v 18) and have become obsolete (Heb 8 v 13) which is pretty strong language given that much of the Old Testament revolves around the sacrificial system! But this new High Priest, one who like Melchizedek relies on his own greatness rather than who he was descended from, has once and for all become a great high priest, dying on the cross for the sins of the whole world and passing into heaven (Hebrews 4 v 14).  

 So where does this take us? One thing that the writer to the Hebrews points out is that Melchizedek was king of ‘Salem’ (Heb 7 v 2) which he associates with the word ‘Shalom’ meaning peace. So in Melchizedek the writer of Hebrews identifies someone who by being both king and priest and with a name speaking of peace points to Jesus. What Jesus has done as king and priest is to bring peace between us and God by taking our sins upon himself. This is not because of any sense that he has changed God’s mind; that God was angry with us but isn’t any more because of Jesus’ sacrifice. Appeasing the wrath of the gods by throwing them a victim is something more akin to pagan rituals and Jesus came to do away with that sort of thing. What Jesus does, by his death and resurrection, is to take into himself the totality of the sin, suffering, sense of alienation and hurt that fracture our vision of God and our relationship with him and assure us that God does, and always has, loved us more than we could ever know. As the song puts it, ‘peace, perfect peace, is the gift of Christ our Lord’.

 Whilst some of this may seem a bit dense and somewhat obscure, the bottom line is that Jesus’ authority does not depend on any human institution but comes directly from God. This is why we can, in a way beyond even the many heroes of scripture listed later in Hebrews (11 v 40), prayerfully put our faith in him, even or especially in the kind of painful situations that the recipients of the letter, under the cosh for their faith, found themselves in. So, in the words of the writer, ‘Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (12 v 2).

 

Questions: What do you understand by the phrase, ‘Jesus died for our sins?’ What difference does the fact that God loves you enough to send Jesus make to the way you live your life?

 Prayer: Lord, peace is your gift to us in Jesus, help us to worship and share his peace in our daily lives. Amen.

19th February - Hagar & Ishmael

Hagar and Ishmael: Genesis 16 v 1-15; 21 v 9-21: ‘God heard the boy crying’.

Conflict in the Middle East is endemic, goes back thousands of years and shows no signs of stopping any time soon. The day before these words were written Eyad Rahwi Al-Halaq, a thirty two year old unarmed Palestinian man, was shot dead by Israeli police near one of the gates to the city of Jerusalem. He was autistic, had the mental age of a six year old and ran away from the police, who believed he had a concealed weapon, because he was frightened.

The story of Hagar and Ishmael is relevant to today’s ongoing tensions not least because according to Islamic belief Ishmael was a prophet as well an ancestor to Mohammed and a number of important Arab tribes. The roots of the parting of the ways this story describes lie in a somewhat dysfunctional family life fuelled by the poor relationship between Sarah and Hagar (16 v 4-6). It is Sarah, who instigates a complex sequence of events by trying to fast track the promise God had made to her husband Abraham (that he would be the father of many nations) by organising a biblical version of surrogate motherhood. She later laughs at the very thought that she herself could bear a child at her age (18 v 12-13); the strain in Abraham’s extended family is clearly visible.

The fulfilment of the divine promise with the birth of Isaac doesn’t seem to have made family life any less complex. At the feast to celebrate Isaac’s weaning Ishmael, by now a teenager, starts poking fun at his younger half-brother (21 v 9-10) and the die is cast – the tension boils over and, as far as Sarah is concerned, Hagar and Ishmael have to go.

Whilst this acts in one sense as a cautionary tale about the dangers of second guessing God’s purposes and running ahead of them, the care with which God treats Hagar and Ishmael and the promise he makes to them remind us that no human being should ever be told or themselves feel that they, ‘should never have been born’. After Jesus heals the man born blind in John 9 (and in response to his disciples’ cultural assumptions) he repudiates the very idea that the man’s blindness was some kind of punishment for the sins of his parents (v 1-3) - nobody is any less beloved of God because of the circumstances of their birth or the failings of their parents. Every human life is sacred and Ishmael, notwithstanding his father’s weakness and lack of faith in God’s promise to him, bore God’s image. The storyteller wants us to understand that God really does care for him and his mother; we are not asked to believe that they somehow don’t matter.

Sarah’s jealousy culminates in a visibly distressed Abraham sending Hagar and Ishmael, his wife and son, out into the unforgiving heat of the desert where, in spite of God’s promise that Ishmael will be the progenitor of a great nation (21 v 13), he must have feared for their lives. It is in the desert, with Ishmael close to death, that God demonstrates that even if Sarah couldn’t give a bean about them he most certainly could.

God not only saves their lives but invests them with meaning and purpose (21 v 20). Whilst it is implicitly stated in verse 12 that those descended from Isaac are the focus of God’s promise, Ishmael’s story makes it clear that his covenant with Israel is not at the expense of his care for and interest in people of other ethnicities. In fact the promise of God to Abraham in chapter 12 that he will be the father of a great nation is followed by another promise that, ‘…all peoples on earth will be blessed through you (v 2-3); a thought taken up in the latter part of Isaiah by which time Israel understands her vocation to be ‘…a light for the Gentiles’ (Isaiah 49 v 6). Jesus certainly didn’t understood his ministry to be just to the people of Israel and it was in part his refusal to be the kind of nationalist leader that many of his contemporaries believed the Messiah had to be that made them so desperate to do away with him.  

Ishmael is regarded by both Arabs and Jews as the ancestor of the Arab peoples, something which takes us back to the recent killing of Eyad Rahwi Al-Halaq. The story of Hagar and her son reminds us that although as human beings we are capable of cruelty and insensitivity to those who are considered outsiders, God has no favourites (something Peter discovered at the house of Cornelius – see Acts 10 v 34). With nationalism an increasing problem (and not just in the Middle East) the Christian belief that God sent Jesus to die for all irrespective of who they are or where they are from means that racism and Christianity stand in opposition to each another on every level.

The story of Hagar and Ishmael also speaks of God’s particular care for the poor and the vulnerable; those who are not able to care for themselves for reasons very often beyond their control. Benefits in Britain have been inexorably squeezed in recent years, causing mounting distress and anxiety to many (greatly exacerbated by the coronavirus lockdown) and Christians need to respond. This could involve buying items for the local food bank alongside our weekly shop, giving to organisations that work with the disadvantaged in society and/or volunteering to help with projects addressing the needs of those in our own communities. The former Bishop of Liverpool, David Sheppard, wrote a book about how Christians should respond to inequality which bore the title ‘Bias to the Poor’. It is hard to escape the fact that Jesus spent the vast majority of his time with the poorest of the poor, something that should continue to shape our outlook and our way of life as Christians.

 

Questions: As Christians what is it that gives our lives meaning and purpose? What might God be calling us to do in these unique and difficult times?

Prayer:  Lord, you promised blessing to all people. As you bless our lives may we, by your Spirit, be a blessing to others today. Amen.

18th February - Lot

Lot: - Genesis 19 v 1-29: ‘Flee for your lives!’

It’s important to bear in mind that this story is actually about xenophobia rather than sexuality. It is the lust to dominate that is expressed here in gang rape which, whatever form it takes, is brutal and humiliating. Lot’s offer to defuse the situation and protect his visitors by offering up his daughters merely compounds the obscenity. Nobody comes out of this well, not least Lot himself who has a drunken, incestuous relationship with both his daughters in the next chapter!

It is significant that the later prophet Ezekiel says of Sodom that, ‘She and her daughters were arrogant, overfed and unconcerned; they did not help the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable things…’ (Ezekiel 16 v 49-50). The things that happen in this passage reflect a society that seems primarily to have forgotten its obligations to the poor and vulnerable, one reason why it’s extremely unfair to the LGBT+ community to associate them with the sins of this town.

Lot was Abraham’s nephew and had turned up in the locality of Sodom, situated in the plain of the Jordan River, as a result of having separated from his uncle because of the danger of their combined flocks over grazing. Although by the time this story takes place Lot had clearly been settled in Sodom for a while the locals have far from taken him to their hearts (v 9). His visitors, two of the three men who called to see Abraham in the previous chapter (Gen 18 v 2) and here identified as angels (v 1), come with a warning that Lot needs to pack up quickly and leave town to avoid the coming destruction.

The desire of the citizens of Sodom to dominate puts Lot’s visitors in grave danger. This desire, then as now, exerts itself so often over people who are considered to be ‘those who don’t belong’ which is how their putative attackers saw Lot and his visitors. Their attitude has much in common with the kind of xenophobic fears that we recognise from our own day as the triggers for so much vicious and cruel behaviour. It’s why in so many countries minorities have such a hard time of it and why migrants fleeing war and destitution continue to arrive in Europe (if they manage to survive crossing the Mediterranean Sea in overcrowded boats often not seaworthy) only to find themselves behind barbed wire or on the wrong side of a closed border crossing.

Jesus, in stark contrast, lived a life marked by love rather than fear. It enabled him to see people suffering from leprosy, a minority group shunned by those, including their own family members, who were terrified of catching it (which was pretty much everyone), as those who needed to be loved. Just imagine for a moment how it might feel for such a person after many years of complete isolation simply to be touched by Jesus. John in his first letter says that, ‘There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, for fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love’ (1 John 4 v 18).

Of course, none of us is perfect, and we all know what it means to have fears and anxieties (very much focused at the time of writing on the COVID-19 pandemic) and we sometimes struggle to offer love in the way that Jesus did. Yet God is always loving and merciful to us and says to us, in words from Hebrews, quoting the book of Deuteronomy, ‘…never will I leave you; never will I forsake you’ (Heb 13 v 5). We don’t know much about Sodom, the town has never been found and we must assume that the destruction attributed to God in this story represents the memory of a catastrophic earthquake in a seismically active area. Yet as Lot and his family flee, God’s mercy guides them, imperfect as they are. As we move from fear to love it is important for us not to keep looking over our shoulder, as Lot’s wife did in this story, but to keep going. As Paul puts it, ‘…but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me’ (Phil 3 v 12).

There is an echo here of the storm on the Sea of Galilee when Peter, having seen Jesus walking on the water has a typically irresistible urge to join him. Having got out of the boat and gone some distance he looks away from Jesus only to be overwhelmed by the wind and start sinking (Mat 14 v 25-33). Whilst he focused on Jesus, he was connected to his love and power, but once he looked away he was filled with the fear that he was about to be drowned as a result of his foolishness. Peter and his fellow disciples would certainly understand the fears of those seeking to cross the Mediterranean at great risk to themselves; fishing on the Sea of Galilee was a perennially dangerous way of making a living! Jesus encouraged Peter to look away from his fears and see in his divine presence how fear dissolves into love. We, living in a world in which fear drives everything from the way people vote to panic buying, are called to keep our eyes on the love of Jesus. As she was escaping the place of fear and destruction Lot’s wife made the mistake of turning back to focus on her fears rather than forward to her deliverance. Whilst we know that we are all works in progress and struggle to allow fear to dissolve in God’s love it is important that we continue to look forward, to follow Jesus and to take time daily to reflect on his presence in our lives. Learning to love rather than to fear is our ongoing daily quest.

 

Questions: Why is it that people sometimes want to control and dominate others? How would the world we live in change if people were more accepting of outsiders?

 Prayer: Lord, forgive us all for creating so many divisions. Help us live our lives with open hearts and open arms. Amen.

Ash Wednesday - Cain

Cain – Genesis 4 v 1-17: ‘Am I my brother’s keeper’.

The Old Testament takes a keen interest in fraternal relationships (I grew up with three brothers so have a bit of background here!). Interestingly on a number of occasions it is younger brothers, sometimes deservedly (Joseph) and sometimes by adroit use of skulduggery (Jacob) who gain the upper hand. In the story of Cain and Abel it is God’s apparent preference for the younger rather than the older brother’s sacrifice that leads to fratricide.

 It isn’t entirely clear why God favoured the offering of Abel. It could be argued that he had taken a bit more care in choosing some of the very best of his flock to offer but the text offers nothing definitive to back this up. God simply made his choice. It is, however, in the violent response of Cain that much of the warning this story embodies is to be found. He considers himself slighted; hardly surprising when, in the cultural milieu from which this story arose, it was the firstborn son who should have had everything going for him, something we see this reflected at their respective births. When Cain is born Eve expresses a delight (v 1) entirely missing from the birth of her second son Abel (v 2). The continuing use in the context of royal succession of the adage ‘the heir and the spare’ contains a faint echo of this.

 Cain’s fury at having been apparently snubbed and his deadly jealousy that his younger brother had, in his eyes, put one over on him reflect a sense of entitlement that we recognise as being very much present in the world in which we live. It often manifests itself in a feeling of superiority leading to an over developed sense of one’s own importance, unrealistic demands on other people and an overweening desire for power and influence. It follows that when these needs are unmet there is considerable potential for conflict. Many narcissistic dictators are driven by this but such attitudes exist in all parts of society including, if we are being honest, churches.

 It is Cain’s sense of entitlement, his sense of outrage that God has not recognised his intrinsic superiority as the elder brother and effectively cheated him of the recognition that he believed was his by right that leads him to take the life of an entirely innocent younger sibling. And one terrible mistake then leads to another as he tries to lie his way out of it with his rhetorical and immortalised question, ‘am I my brother’s keeper?’ (v 9 - roughly translated as ‘search me, guv’).

 The point for us is that Cain’s deep seated rage, an anger that is a grown up and much more lethal form of throwing one’s toys out of the pram, has got out of control and mastered him entirely (v 7). Before continuing one thing needs to be made clear; anger isn’t always destructive and self-centred. It can be an appropriate response to injustice. Attitudes and actions involving nations, communities and individuals that cause poverty, disempowerment, prejudice, despair and death should make us angry enough to want to get out of our seats and do something about it. Jesus got into a furious rage with those who had desecrated the Temple by using it to line their own pockets by extorting money from those already very badly off (Mat 21 v 12-13). He was quite unable to stand to one side and leave it unchallenged. It is surely very appropriate, in the face of global trading arrangements that benefit rich countries over poor ones, elections being rigged so that despots can cling to power, basic human rights being denied to so many and conflict causing such death, destruction and suffering, that we become angry enough to do more than wearily accept that this is ‘the way of the world’.

But in complete contrast the destructive and misplaced nature of Cain’s anger can achieve no good thing. it is the anger of one who believes that he or she should have got the promotion that another colleague was given and who never forgives them for it, the anger of the person in charge addicted to having it their own way whose authority is questioned, the anger of one jealous as others are praised, the anger of one who considers himself to be better and more worthy than others. Those who allow this kind of anger to become their master hurt other people in all sorts of ways and sometimes end up, as in the case of Cain, finding the intended or unintended consequences a profound cause for lasting regret.

 It is worth noting that although Cain does not escape punishment for his violent act he is not as a result placed beyond God’s care – indeed the ‘mark of Cain’ (v 15) protects him from the same fate as his brother (backed by the threat of severe divine vengeance! v 16). It’s a reminder that anger does have a habit of multiplying and causing a chain reaction. At the time of writing self-isolation is being used as a way of protecting people from Covid-19 and here God acts to isolate the sin of Cain and to draw its sting knowing its destructive and replicatory force. It’s a reminder of the words of Jesus from the cross, ‘Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing’ (Luke 23 v 34). As those who, however imperfectly, seek to make known the forgiving love of God we too are called to interrupt the chain reaction so often caused by sin, including bitter and belligerent anger, as we work for justice and peace and make the forgiving love of Jesus more fully known.

 And if we look into our own hearts we may find some misplaced anger that we are often barely conscious of but which surprises us from time to time with its vehemence. It might even relate to something that happened a long time ago and has never been properly addressed and sorted out. Such anger has the power to cripple us emotionally and spiritually meaning that through prayer, good advice and maybe, if needed, professional counselling, we need to find a way of moving on. It is often in the letting go that we find the path to freedom and new life.

Questions: Have you ever allowed misplaced anger to be your master? Why was Jesus able to forgive those who crucified him?

 Prayer: Lord, forgive us when we become needlessly angry and help us to forgive those who have been needlessly angry with us. Amen.

Update 25

Good Evening,

Electoral Roll

Around this time each year as we approach the Annual Parochial Church Meeting we are required to update our Electoral Roll. Normally this would be covered during our Sunday services but with church being closed for Public Worship, Phil Ketteringham, our Electoral Roll Officer has asked me to circulate the following notice:

Under the Church Representation Rules, the Church Electoral Roll is required to be revised yearly. All persons whose name currently appears on the Roll that wish to confirm their recorded details are correct should contact the Electoral Roll Officer or the Parish Office. Any errors or omissions in the data will then be noted and updated. Any persons wishing to be added to the Roll are requested to apply for enrolment not later than Tuesday 9th March 2020. Applications forms are available on our website. The Revised Roll will come into operation on Sunday 28th March 2021 after the Annual Parochial Church Meeting. You can contact Phil on phil.ketteringham@bramhall.church. If you wish to stop receiving these update emails from me, please let Phil know and he will amend our database accordingly.

The Annual Meeting has been scheduled for Sunday 18th April – in the hope that we will be able to gather in person for this.

Funeral of Ian Bell

Vivien and Belinda have asked me to circulate the following with regards to Ian Bell’s funeral on Tuesday:

Thank you so very much for all the love, support and kind words. It has been really appreciated by Mum, Martin, Steven and myself. Dealing with the loss of a loved one is challenging at the best of times but it is made increasingly so under Covid-19 circumstances, especially when family members are on different continents.  The service is being streamed on the church You Tube site and should start streaming at 2.45pm. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6wv_XNl2ZQU&feature=youtu.be 

Several people asked where they could make a donation in memory of Ian. Vivien has suggested:

  • Wellspring. It is a resource centre for homeless and disadvantaged people.

  • Walthew House. They work with people and organisations in the community to provide practical and emotional support for people with a sight or hearing loss.

To make it easier to donate we created a page in memory of dad:  https://ian-bell.muchloved.com/. This link also allows people to upload comments or photos if people would like.

On behalf of my Mum, Viven, and my brothers Martin, Steven, myself, and Ian’s grandchildren we want to thank you all again for your kindness and support at this time,

Belinda Hill (Ian and Vivien’s Daughter)

Lent Begins

Lent begins on Wednesday and I am looking forward to welcoming many of you back into church for worship at our communion services. During our online service yesterday I mentioned 3 daily devotional resources that will be available throughout Lent should you wish to use them. I will be doing Daily Reflections based on the Church of England #LiveLent resource, and on the church website there will be 2 different themes of written reflections. One from the Diocese based on the care of creation, and another written by Revd Rob Green, formerly of Norbury Parish, based on characters throughout the bible. The link for these is: https://www.bramhall.church/lent

Enjoy your pancakes tomorrow, and whatever you choose to do, or not do throughout Lent, may you know the faithful and enduring love of God walking with you every day.

Take Care,

Calum

Introduction

In his semi-autobiographical novel David Copperfield, Charles Dickens brings to life a wonderful collection of minor characters who the eponymous hero encounters as the novel progresses. They include Barkis who asserts his willingness to marry Clara Peggoty; the scheming and manipulative Uriah Heep, always ever so ‘umble; Mr Micawber, who never quite gets his personal finances in order until he goes to Australia and Betsy Trotwood, perpetually worried by encroaching donkeys. They all play their part in the narrative of David Copperfield’s life and his story wouldn’t be the same without them.

 As we read the Bible there are, of course, a number of major characters such as Abraham, Moses, Elijah, Peter, Paul and, above all, Jesus himself who shape the narrative and are fundamental to our understanding of what it all means. But there are also a host of minor characters, some of whom, like the strange and unknown priest Melchizedek who greets Abraham at Salem (the future Jerusalem) following his success in battle, only appear briefly (in his case in three verses, Genesis 14 v 18-20) and yet they enrich the story and open windows through which we can see more fully the nature and purposes of God. Melchizedek’s importance includes the way in which the writer to the Hebrews uses him to offer a window into the nature of Christ’s priesthood; something which occupies more verses than his original appearance to provide refreshments for Abraham.

 In this series of reflections we are going to look at a number of these minor characters, some of whom may be quite unfamiliar, and see what we can learn from them as we journey through Lent. They were not all paragons of virtue and, like us, were flawed human beings. But their stories are included in the biblical narrative for a reason; they have found a place in God’s word to us because they help us to better understand the story of God’s revelation to us in Jesus Christ.

 At the end of each reflection there are some questions you might like to consider. There may, of course, be other questions that come to mind that are worth exploring. There is also a short prayer but please feel free to make your own prayer response.

 A note on referencing. When referencing from the passage for the day when it is contained within a single chapter the verse or verses only will be referenced, as in (v 6; v 3-5). If the reading contains verses from two chapters it will be chapter and verse, as in (6 v 7). All other references contain book, chapter and verse(s) as in (Rom 8 v 17)

Update 24

Good Morning,

This time last year, we were in the midst of the Wonderland Festival – can you believe it’s been a year already?! With Lent following just after Wonderland last year, I had to plan ahead, and so plans for Lent and Easter were already in place by this time last year. Below are some of the plans I have put together for Lent this year. When we get to the beginning of March a review will have taken place regarding public worship at St. Michaels so I will be able to share more information then about our Easter celebrations.

Ash Wednesday

Lent starts on Wednesday 17th February. We will hold 2 services of Holy Communion, one at 10.30am and one at 7pm. Due to restrictions, the imposition of ashes will not be included this year, but following a discussion at the last PCC meeting, communion will be offered in both kinds. The evening service will be streamed on YouTube and our website. Booking is now available for these services, with each service being limited to 40 people. As the church office is closed at the moment, I would be really grateful if you could use the online booking system https://www.bramhall.church/worship-1, if you know of folk who are not online but would like to attend these services, please either get them to phone the Vicarage or a Churchwarden.

Lent Groups

I intend to run 2 Lent groups this year following the same material. These will be on Tuesdays, the morning group at 9.30am and the evening group at 7.30pm and they will last for an hour, both of which will take place on zoom. The book we will be looking at is Living His Story. Revealing the extraordinary love of God in ordinary ways: The Archbishop of Canterbury's Lent Book 2021 by Hannah Steele. The groups will start on Tuesday 16th February to enable us to cover the whole book before Easter. If you wish to join one of the groups please let me know, I will send out the link details on Monday 15th.

Andrea Millington will be producing further study materials for Lent for those that were part of the Thursday Fellowship Group. If anybody else would like to receive these materials please let Andrea know on andreamillington@gmail.com

Stations of the Cross

From Ash Wednesday the Stations of The Cross will be displayed in church with devotional material to accompany them. The church will be open on Monday mornings between 9.30am and 12pm and Thursday afternoons between 1.30pm and 3.30pm. If there is a demand to open church for further times, I will look to make this happen.

Lenten Windows

For those who spent time walking around Bramhall during lockdown 1 you may have noticed many rainbows appearing in windows and at one point even teddy bears. We have borrowed (stolen) an idea from another parish (thanks to the Munn family) for Lenten windows. The idea is that each week of Lent you put a picture in one of your street-facing windows that relates to a Lent theme or activity. You could either add to the scene each week with something new, or put something different up each week. If you are up for joining in, the theme for the week beginning Sunday 14th February is Pancakes. When you have put up your picture or display, do send me a picture as it would be great to show it in the weekly Sunday service. Here is an example of something you might want to do for Pancake week designed by Sheila Newbon.

Prayer

For those that have been using the Daily Prayer liturgy the Lent orders of service will be available on the church website from next week.

Over the last year, there has been a working group focussing on renewing and publishing a Parish Prayer Cycle for our Parish. This resource includes suggestions of places, organisations and people to pray for each day of the month as well as other prayer resources. We have had enough printed for every member of church and these will be available to collect from church from Ash Wednesday. They will also appear on our website from next week. My hope is that in time, our social media accounts will be used to highlight who we are praying for each day, but that’s a plan for the future.

I noticed this morning that plant seeds that I planted on Tuesday have begun to sprout, slowly pushing their way through towards the light. Spring is full of beautiful imagery that can point us to the wonders of God and his kingdom. I don’t know exactly how you are feeling right now, but if its anything like me, lockdown is starting to take a toll, with each day being very similar, the weather being cold and dull and not being able to go out to meet people and explore. The signs of spring I noticed this morning were fresh hope and excitement that just as spring is only round the corner, so too, hopefully, the end of lockdown might be too. God is faithful – he has walked winter with us, and is calling us forwards further into his joy, love and his kingdom. To quote from a service I led this morning for the Air Cadets on Merseyside ‘The best is yet to come’. Don’t lose hope!

Calum

Update 23

Good Evening Everyone,

As we approach the end of January, I thought it was time to send out my first update of 2021, so included are a few bits of information that hopefully you will find helpful and maybe even encouraging.

Public Worship

On Christmas Eve the Churchwardens announced that we had come to the decision to close St Michaels for Public Worship for the duration of January. This was for multiple reasons, including the high infection rates. The PCC Standing Committee have reviewed this decision this week, as requested by the PCC, and have decided to keep the church closed for Public Worship during February also. This decision was based upon the local infection rates, which despite some decrease remain relatively high.

Ash Wednesday falls on the 17th February and this marks the start of the season of Lent and journey to Easter. With it being such a significant date in the church’s year we will hold 2 gathered services on this day in church. Booking will be required and these will be services of Holy Communion. More information about this will follow next week. Following Ash Wednesday the Standing Committee will meet again to make a decision about March and also Easter. My hope is that the rates will have decreased enough for us to be able to worship together in our church building for Easter.

Candlemas

This Sunday marks the Presentation of Christ in the Temple otherwise known as Candlemas. I filmed our service yesterday, and for those on Facebook, you may have seen the picture of all the candles lit in church. Due to most the usual church furniture not being in church, this year has provided a unique opportunity to fill the church with candles. So make the most of this, St Michaels Church will be open for Individual Prayer between 5.30pm and 6.30pm this Saturday (Saturday 30th January) where you can come and spend time in the space as it has been set up for Candlemas with over 300 candles lit. As David Taylor and I looked out on the church having lit all the candles the words of Jesus ‘I am the Light of the World’ the Gospel of Johns words ‘The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it’ were particularly poignant, powerful and encouraging.

Lent

Lent is fast approaching, and I hope to write again towards the end of next week to share with you various resources we will be making available to encourage you in your faith during this season. There will be Lent Groups on Zoom and 2 different series of Lenten Reflections. We hope to offer further resources too – but that’s for another update.

Grief

Despite 2021 being less than a month old, it has been a difficult month for our nation but also for our church community. The Covid-19 death toll in our country passed a very sad milestone this week, and we have received news of the deaths of a number of our church family. The loss of one person is always hard, I am struggling to find words to communicate the loss St Michaels is currently experiencing. Death is never easy for those who are left behind, and yet we have a hope, and whilst this hope might not always numb the pain we feel, it offers strength to walk in each and every new day. Death is not the end. Jesus has overcome death, and welcomes home those who love him. Its ok to be sad, its ok to be angry, its ok to question but know that God is with you, God is with us. In the coming weeks, we will have an opportunity to publicly remember some close friends and to say goodbye, and whilst this will be hard we will be able to do so trusting in the promise of Jesus – that he has welcomed our Brothers and Sisters home.

Prayer for the Nation

In response to the national sense of grief many feel, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York are calling Christians to pray every evening, for our nation and world but particularly for all those who have been hit hardest by this crisis. They have put together a range of resources to support this time of prayer – all of which you can find on the national Church of England website - https://www.churchofengland.org/resources/prayer-nation#na

A year ago we were preparing for the challenge of Wonderland, the joys, the laughter, the confusion and the exhaustion. They were good days – the days of fellowship, of joy, of laughter with friends will return again. Don’t lose hope. God is faithful!

With my prayers,

Calum