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(A lovely post upon the tradition of gifting flowers from our wonderful Floral Lead; Denise)  Gifting flowers goes right back to ancient times when societies often used flowers in religious traditions, appreciated for their beauty, scent, and practical uses flowers were offered to the gods and to the dead. The Greeks used flowers in ceremonies and also in storytelling. Later, they exchanged flowers to show love. Gifting flowers is a tradition that has lasted throughout history and has evolved over the centuries, but it’s aritual that spans all cultures. From congratulations on the birth of a baby to condolences on the loss of a loved one, gifting flowers continues to be one of the most popular ways to mark the momentous events of life. The gifts can be as simple as wild flowers picked from the wayside to elaborate bouquets bought from the florist.
Valentine’s Day continues to be the biggest flower-giving day of the year, but it is far from the only special occasion marked by this ancient ritual. Roses are the most popular flower to be gifted - whatever the occasion. In the Middle Ages gifting flowers became an integral part of chivalric courtship between a knight and his lady, with daisies symbolizing fidelity and affection. Floral motifs were included in the designs of shields, tapestries, and heraldry, embedding the symbolism of flowersinto medieval identity and storytelling. The blending of flowers with the ideals of knighthood gave gifting flowers an air of nobility and passion.The practice of gifting flowers with their layered symbolism during theMiddle Ages laid an important foundation for the expressive traditions that followed. Gifting flowers continued into the Renaissance times, when different flowers and flowering plants were linked to a variety of virtues and emotions. Blooms became not only tokens of love and appreciation but also powerful emblems of political alliances and power. However, it was in the Victorian era when posy gifting became popular and reached its peak. The meanings associated with flowers were compiled and popularized by writers and poets at this time. These interpretations were drawn from various sources, including ancient myths, folklore, religious symbolism, and the type, shape and colour of the flower itself; and were published in various forms, including flower dictionaries and ‘language of flowers’ books. The first flower dictionary in Europe, ‘Le Langage des Fleurs,’ was published in 1819, giving a list of flower meanings. Young gentlemen would send flowers with hidden meanings to a young lady. This form of flower code (called ‘floriography’) was a way of conveying one’s feelings in a time whenrestraint and discretion was the order of the day. Bouquets of specific flowers would be gifted, acting as messengers of emotions. The messages weren’t always positive, however, as beautiful arrangements could also be disguised as signs of rejection, anger, and sorrow. Some examples of flowers and their meanings are: Red roses represent love and respect, white roses symbolise humility and reverence, and pink roses express gratitude, while yellow roses signify the enduring bond of friendship. White carnations represent innocence, pink convey remembrance, and red symbolise admiration. Violets symbolised discretion and humility Hydrangeas represent understanding and friendship. Daffodils are linked to hope and new beginnings. Orchids symbolise eternal love and beauty. Chrysanthemums, in many cultures, symbolise loyalty, friendship, and rebirth. Lavender flowers represent mistrust and a lack of faith. These are but a few examples; there are, of course, many more flowers that could be added to this list. Sending a bouquet of flowers with a message in the type of flower itself is almost a thing of the past. Floristry (the cultivation, arrangement, and sale of cut flowers) developed in the mid 19th century, and so began the commercialization of the gifting of flowers that prospers to this day. Today we pick up a bunch of flowers usually from the supermarket (florists now being in short supply in Ripon) and scarcely give a thought to what flowers are contained therein. We hope that the mere giving of flowers will send the desired message to the recipient. I’m guilty of this - I choose flowers that are aesthetically pleasing, that look fresh and that have longevity, rather than thinking about the meaning of the chosen blooms; and look for the same things when receiving flowers. That is until Valentine’s Day, and what female wouldn’t say no to a beautiful bouquet of red roses then? However, having looked at the meaning of the orchid, maybe a potted orchid, that would possibly last for many years, may be a better gift. Any gentlemen reading this, please take note! DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS
Over the last few years, Lucy has coordinated the digital communications for St John's and Holy Innocents but will be stepping back from this role over the summer. The PCC are looking for someone who might be able to help continue Lucy's great work. In particular, we are looking for someone who can maintain our church website and produce our monthly e-newsletter. If you think you might be able to help, (training can also be provided as needed) please contact Tony Whitley, Jane Gazard or David PW. PCC SECRETARY Jan Carnell has given up as our administrator so we are looking for a PCC Secretary. The role involves taking minutes for about eight PCC meetings a year as well as sending out papers in advance. Once a year there is an annual meeting to minute, as well as a report to assemble and print. If think you might be able to help us, please contact Tony Whitley, Jane Gazard or David PW. JUNIOR CHURCH St John's is restarting its Junior Church, starting on Sunday 5th July. To begin with this will be on the first Sunday of the month as part of the 10am service. Ideally we would like to be able to offer it on the third Sunday as well. Could you help? If so, please speak to David or to Carol-ann Howe. Many thanks David By Rev David Paton Williams Thirty six years ago Jenny and I brought our young baby son George to the font, to be brought into the family of the church and blessed by God.
And today George and Lauren bring their young baby daughter, Chloe to be baptised as well. And so the circle of life keeps moving on. And that reminded me of the film of the Lion King. which begins with Mufasa and Sariba presenting their young cub Simba to the rest of the Pride and all the other creatures. And after many adventures and the sad death of Mufasa, it ends with Simba and Nala presenting their cub in the same way. And in the sequel film (released online) we learn that their cub is female - called Kiara. The circle of life carries on and something is passed on from one generation to the next. Each with its own opportunities and challenges. Simba's story involves the healing of the natural world, while Kiara will need to try to reconcile two parts of the pride that hate and fear each other. There are many echoes here from the Bible. The Spirit of God was deeply involved in Jesus' life from the moment of his conception, and at his baptism the Spirit was poured out on him. And one of the last gospel stories about Jesus - which I read - pictures Jesus breathing into his followers to give them new life. The word in Hebrew for breath and Spirit are the same (Ruach) and Jesus is passing on that same Spirit which gave him the ability to live in the most remarkable way and, when it came to it, to die in the most remarkable way as well. He is passing that Spirit on to his followers, the next generation who will face their own challenges and opportunities, as they try to work out what it means to live for God in this world. And so it has continued for 2000 years, as the circle of life goes on and as God's Spirit of life and love is received by each new generation. And that message is there for us in the music in the film as well. The song we heard is called "He lives in you" and it is about how the spirit of Mufasa lives on in those who come after him. "He lives in you. He lives in me. He watches over everything we see. Into the water, into the truth, in your reflection, he lives in you." And for Christians that isn't merely a song, its real life, because we believe that the "he" is Christ. And he lives in you and he lives in me. It is a very beautiful and positive message. But we also know that the world isn't always an easy place. And by contrast with the Lion King, I've just finished reading Cormac McCarthy's novel "The Road". It's an incredibly bleak story set after some cataclysmic disaster, where almost all the plants and animals and fish and birds have died, and so have almost all the humans, and when everything - land and sea - is covered in ash that keeps on falling out of the sky. And in the story, a man and his young son, walk and walk, just trying to stay alive and trying - though maybe not always succeeding - to stay on the side of what they call "the good guys". They believe they can do this because they are carrying what they call "the fire". At the end of the book the father dies and just before he does he tells his son: You have to carry the fire. And the son replies: I don't know how to. Yes you do. Is it real? The fire? Yes it is. Where is it? I don't know where it is. Yes you do. It's inside you. It was always there. I can see it. The man believes that it is a divine fire - the fire of love. And no sooner has the boy's father died than another family find him and take care of him. And fire was one of the ways the coming of the Holy Spirit was pictured in our first reading from the day of Pentecost. And no sooner have Jesus' followers received the fire, than they are building a radical new community of love and care. We have been given the gift of life and the fire is inside each of us. By faith, consciously connecting our lives with God, the divine source of that fire, we can kindle it and carry it. We can find the energy, the hope, the joy, the love, that carries us and others through the wonderful and deeply challenging times of our lives. Helping not only our families, but like Simba and Kiara, and the past generations of Christ's followers, helping to carry on God's circle of life and passing on the fire of His love.  I would like to add my thanks to Juliet, Simon and Gabriel for all their support for Sharow Bells and wish them well on their next adventure. On 9th May, Sharow Bellringers hosted the 150th Anniversary Dinner on behalf of the Yorkshire Association of Change Ringers. St John's looked resplendent with the tables set, and the food was superb. The event raised £1,700 for the bell fund which was a wonderful result. Wood also made a cake, which was dressed with the anniversary logo. Well done everyone for making it such a fantastic day.
Ascension Day was marked by bells being rung and Wood playing his trumpet from the roof of the tower. Really quite remarkable. 17th May was Bell Sunday, which we celebrated by ringing the bells, prayers and flowers. Many thanks to Rev David, Wood and Denise who made the service so special.
From 12 noon till 12.30pm, on Wednesday 17th June, the bells will be rung for all to hear. The tower will be tested by the civil engineers to see how much it sways. There will be three measurements. One when the tower is at rest, when we aren't ringing. One when we are ringing all 8 bells, with no silencing, so the clappers and the bells all swing. And a final time after we have stopped ringing. The findings will be used as part of our application for Faculty Approval for the project works, both inside and outside the tower. An important consideration as the stonework of the tower is currently in very poor condition. Half term saw both Gregory and Izzy joining our Silent Wednesday practice. Both young people are making great progress. David and Wood also continue to teach us all, on Mondays and Wednesdays, to improve our striking and learning to ring different methods and call changes. My next fundraising Wild Swim for the bells will be on Saturday 6th June in the River Great Ouse near St Ives Cambridge. If you'd like to support the bell project or learn more about bellringing, please get in touch. Bridget Taylor-Connor Tower Correspondent 07752981346 [email protected] Give to St John's Bells - https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/appealforapeal Sharow Bellringers on Facebook - https://rb.gy/44gwkk  Bellinging Prayer for the |
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“Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers,
for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
-Hebrews 13:2
for by doing so some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.”
-Hebrews 13:2
I’ve often wondered whether angels arrive with wings at all. Perhaps they arrive carrying coffee. Or moving chairs. Or patiently answering theological questions they have already answered six times before. Perhaps they arrive and quietly get on with the work of loving people.If that is the case, then St John’s has had one among us for quite some time.
I first met Juliet through the Magdalen Fellowship as a very, very, very nervous new Christian. Looking back, I suspect I must have been exhausting. I had questions about everything. Faith, scripture, suffering, prayer, church, doctrine, God. Most of all, I needed someone who wouldn’t make me feel foolish for asking them.
Juliet met me exactly where I was.
Before long she’d persuaded me to join her Bible study group with our dear Lesley. Those mornings became one of the places where my faith was formed. There would be learning, certainly. We would dissect biblical texts, watch videos, disappear down theological rabbit holes and occasionally wander so far off topic that nobody could quite remember where we’d started. There would usually be a discussion about cats. There would often be laughter. Sometimes tears. And there was always love.
I first met Juliet through the Magdalen Fellowship as a very, very, very nervous new Christian. Looking back, I suspect I must have been exhausting. I had questions about everything. Faith, scripture, suffering, prayer, church, doctrine, God. Most of all, I needed someone who wouldn’t make me feel foolish for asking them.
Juliet met me exactly where I was.
Before long she’d persuaded me to join her Bible study group with our dear Lesley. Those mornings became one of the places where my faith was formed. There would be learning, certainly. We would dissect biblical texts, watch videos, disappear down theological rabbit holes and occasionally wander so far off topic that nobody could quite remember where we’d started. There would usually be a discussion about cats. There would often be laughter. Sometimes tears. And there was always love.
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The thing about Juliet was that she never seemed frustrated by my questions. She welcomed them. Somehow every answer felt both deeply thought through and entirely accessible. Not because she was trying to win an argument, but because she loved Christ so completely that speaking about him felt as natural as breathing.
Lesley and Juliet together were a remarkable pair. What a gift they were to so many of us. And oh Lesley, how you are missed.
Then came Celtic Worship with Reverend Ruth. This was also where I met Simon, Juliet’s wonderfully funny husband, who seems physically incapable of entering the church without improving the chair arrangement. Together they are one of those partnerships that simply works. The sort of partnership that makes ministry look less like work and more like shared joy. I remember watching Juliet begin taking the chalice, reading the Gospel and growing into her vocation. There was never anything performative about it. Just a sense that she was becoming more and more fully herself. More fully who God had always called her to be.
Many of us developed the habit of dropping into church and finding Juliet sitting at one of the café tables, apparently attempting to write an essay. Apparently. In reality, somebody would always stop to chat. Then somebody else. Then somebody else.I suspect half the congregation have interrupted a theological essay at some point. At Reverend David’s first PCC meeting he described Juliet as having a “ministry of presence”. I’ve never heard a better description. Juliet was there. When life was wonderful. When life was dreadful. When faith felt easy. When faith felt impossible.When there were questions to wrestle with. When there was news to celebrate. When there was grief too heavy for words.She had an extraordinary ability to make people feel seen.That is a rarer gift than we often realise.
Lesley and Juliet together were a remarkable pair. What a gift they were to so many of us. And oh Lesley, how you are missed.
Then came Celtic Worship with Reverend Ruth. This was also where I met Simon, Juliet’s wonderfully funny husband, who seems physically incapable of entering the church without improving the chair arrangement. Together they are one of those partnerships that simply works. The sort of partnership that makes ministry look less like work and more like shared joy. I remember watching Juliet begin taking the chalice, reading the Gospel and growing into her vocation. There was never anything performative about it. Just a sense that she was becoming more and more fully herself. More fully who God had always called her to be.
Many of us developed the habit of dropping into church and finding Juliet sitting at one of the café tables, apparently attempting to write an essay. Apparently. In reality, somebody would always stop to chat. Then somebody else. Then somebody else.I suspect half the congregation have interrupted a theological essay at some point. At Reverend David’s first PCC meeting he described Juliet as having a “ministry of presence”. I’ve never heard a better description. Juliet was there. When life was wonderful. When life was dreadful. When faith felt easy. When faith felt impossible.When there were questions to wrestle with. When there was news to celebrate. When there was grief too heavy for words.She had an extraordinary ability to make people feel seen.That is a rarer gift than we often realise.
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One of Juliet’s greatest strengths has always been her ability to empower others.She took me from being too nervous to make a squeak in church to receiving my Occasional Preacher’s Licence within a year. Even writing that sentence feels faintly ridiculous. But that is what Juliet does. She sees possibilities in people before they can see them themselves. When Reverend Ruth announced she was leaving, I remember Juliet saying, “We need to do something.” I had a few ideas. Looking back, perhaps more than a few. What followed was a Day of Prayer which largely existed because Juliet patiently endured an endless stream of messages from me. Questions. Ideas. Revisions. More questions. More ideas. More revisions. I still do it now. I suspect she occasionally sees my name appear on her phone and briefly considers emigrating.
Yet, she always encouraged. Always listened. Always found a way to help someone else step forward. At times I became convinced she possessed two brains and eight arms, rather like one of the many-winged heavenly creatures in Revelation. No other explanation seemed adequate. Particularly when one considers Junior Choir.
Every Friday, without fail, Juliet somehow transformed the side chapel into a place of music, creativity, faith, snacks and organised chaos. For the rest of us it often looked rather like herding sheep. Very enthusiastic sheep. Juliet, meanwhile, radiated a calm which somehow spread to everyone around her. Children adore her. Volunteers stay because of her. Families find belonging because of her. I suspect many of those children will remember Juliet long after they have forgotten the details of any particular activity or song. Because people rarely forget how someone made them feel.
Yet, she always encouraged. Always listened. Always found a way to help someone else step forward. At times I became convinced she possessed two brains and eight arms, rather like one of the many-winged heavenly creatures in Revelation. No other explanation seemed adequate. Particularly when one considers Junior Choir.
Every Friday, without fail, Juliet somehow transformed the side chapel into a place of music, creativity, faith, snacks and organised chaos. For the rest of us it often looked rather like herding sheep. Very enthusiastic sheep. Juliet, meanwhile, radiated a calm which somehow spread to everyone around her. Children adore her. Volunteers stay because of her. Families find belonging because of her. I suspect many of those children will remember Juliet long after they have forgotten the details of any particular activity or song. Because people rarely forget how someone made them feel.
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Then there were the summer camps. The legendary summer camps. It was perhaps here that I saw Juliet sparkle brightest. Alongside her brilliant son Gabriel and an army of wonderful volunteers, she transformed St John’s into entirely different worlds. One year an Arabian desert appeared, complete with a home for Joseph’s Technicolour Dreamcoat. Other years brought animals, trees, mazes, tents and scenes which seemed impossible to create inside a church building. Yet somehow they appeared. Every time.
I still cannot quite comprehend the creativity, planning, safeguarding, logistics, volunteer coordination and sheer energy involved. What I do know is that children walked through those doors and encountered joy. Not a shallow joy. Not entertainment for entertainment’s sake. The joy of discovering that faith is beautiful. The joy of discovering that church can be alive. The joy of discovering Christ. How blessed we were to witness it.
I still cannot quite comprehend the creativity, planning, safeguarding, logistics, volunteer coordination and sheer energy involved. What I do know is that children walked through those doors and encountered joy. Not a shallow joy. Not entertainment for entertainment’s sake. The joy of discovering that faith is beautiful. The joy of discovering that church can be alive. The joy of discovering Christ. How blessed we were to witness it.
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As the years passed and St John’s navigated seasons of change, Juliet became one of the people deeply endeavouring to hold things together. Alongside visiting clergy, our brilliant churchwardens, lay workers and countless volunteers, she helped ensure that worship remained prayerful, joyful and firmly centred on Christ.
She led worship. She nurtured Celtic Worship. She studied tirelessly. She learned Greek. She wrote what felt like countless essays. And through it all there remained a deepening sense of prayer. A growing depth.A growing attentiveness to God. I watched someone who was already gifted become increasingly rooted. Increasingly thoughtful. Increasingly courageous.It was tangible just in her voice alone, a powerful certainty.
She led worship. She nurtured Celtic Worship. She studied tirelessly. She learned Greek. She wrote what felt like countless essays. And through it all there remained a deepening sense of prayer. A growing depth.A growing attentiveness to God. I watched someone who was already gifted become increasingly rooted. Increasingly thoughtful. Increasingly courageous.It was tangible just in her voice alone, a powerful certainty.
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Alongside all this, Juliet continued to weave together her vocation as an artist and her vocation as a disciple.Her Art and Spirituality retreats became places of welcome and transformation. People travelled from across the region to attend. Clergy and lay people. Artists and those convinced they had not produced anything creative since primary school. It never seemed to matter. Under Juliet’s guidance people somehow found themselves creating. Praying. Reflecting. Being still.
What struck me most was that everyone would begin with the same invitation, yet leave having created something entirely unique. Juliet has always understood something important about people. That no two souls encounter God in exactly the same way. Then came Wonderful Wednesdays. A simple name for something profoundly important.
In a world where loneliness has become one of the defining challenges of our age, Wonderful Wednesdays created community. Coffee. Conversation. Creativity. Friendship. Belonging. People who may never have crossed the threshold of a church found themselves welcomed and valued. People who felt isolated found companionship. People who thought creativity was beyond them discovered otherwise. The impact was so significant that even our local MP came to see the work for himself and the extraordinary contribution churches continue to make within our communities.
What struck me most was that everyone would begin with the same invitation, yet leave having created something entirely unique. Juliet has always understood something important about people. That no two souls encounter God in exactly the same way. Then came Wonderful Wednesdays. A simple name for something profoundly important.
In a world where loneliness has become one of the defining challenges of our age, Wonderful Wednesdays created community. Coffee. Conversation. Creativity. Friendship. Belonging. People who may never have crossed the threshold of a church found themselves welcomed and valued. People who felt isolated found companionship. People who thought creativity was beyond them discovered otherwise. The impact was so significant that even our local MP came to see the work for himself and the extraordinary contribution churches continue to make within our communities.
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Everything I have written here is only a fraction of Juliet’s ministry. It is simply the part I have witnessed. Others will have entirely different stories.Stories of encouragement. Pastoral care. Quiet acts of kindness. Unexpected wisdom. Timely prayers. Gentle conversations that arrived at exactly the right moment. But for me, perhaps the greatest gift Juliet gave was this: She explained Christianity to me in a way nobody else ever had. Not simply through words. Though she has plenty of those. Not simply through theology. Though she has plenty of that too. She explained Christianity by living it. By meeting people where they are. By walking alongside them. By helping them feel held. By helping them discover gifts they did not know they possessed. By pointing, over and over again, towards Christ.
So yes, I confess I am a little jealous of St Peter’s in Harrogate. They are gaining a curate of extraordinary creativity, wisdom and pastoral sensitivity. They are gaining someone who notices people. Someone who empowers people. Someone who carries joy into rooms. Someone who shines. Who misses nothing and will make every ministry of their church shine a little brighter (and make a poster for it too).
So yes, I confess I am a little jealous of St Peter’s in Harrogate. They are gaining a curate of extraordinary creativity, wisdom and pastoral sensitivity. They are gaining someone who notices people. Someone who empowers people. Someone who carries joy into rooms. Someone who shines. Who misses nothing and will make every ministry of their church shine a little brighter (and make a poster for it too).
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I shall miss the random messages containing photographs of beautiful rainbow light spilling through St John’s. I shall miss arriving with a barrage of theological questions. I shall miss the hugs. I shall miss the laughter. I shall miss the sparkle.
Please keep sending the music. Please keep sending the fascinating things you’ve learned. Please keep being exactly who you are.
And thank you. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your ministry. Thank you for the countless lives you have touched, many of which you will never fully know about this side of heaven.
This article tells only one story among many. But I suspect if all those stories were gathered together, they would tell us something rather beautiful. That God delights in working through ordinary people who say yes. And that sometimes, if we’re very fortunate, one of those people arrives at your church, sits down at a café table intending to write an essay, and quietly changes the lives of everyone around them.
St John’s has been immeasurably blessed by Juliet.
And St Peter’s is about to be too.
Please keep sending the music. Please keep sending the fascinating things you’ve learned. Please keep being exactly who you are.
And thank you. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your friendship. Thank you for your ministry. Thank you for the countless lives you have touched, many of which you will never fully know about this side of heaven.
This article tells only one story among many. But I suspect if all those stories were gathered together, they would tell us something rather beautiful. That God delights in working through ordinary people who say yes. And that sometimes, if we’re very fortunate, one of those people arrives at your church, sits down at a café table intending to write an essay, and quietly changes the lives of everyone around them.
St John’s has been immeasurably blessed by Juliet.
And St Peter’s is about to be too.
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Juliet, May the raindrops fall lightly on your brow. May the soft winds freshen your spirit. May the sunshine brighten your heart. May the burdens of the day rest lightly upon you. And may God enfold you in the mantle of His love.
-Lucy
Add your comments, memories and thanks to Juliet below.
From Reverend David
Today, on the Sunday after Ascension Day, I'd like to do something I don't often do, and take a biblical text that's different from the passages we have just heard read.
It comes from the letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4 v10: "Christ ascended above all the heavens so that he might fill all things"
The three days leading up to Ascension are what are called, Rogation Days - from the Latin word "to ask" - where we pray for farmers and the fruitfulness of their work.
And I remember one magical year at Bedale when we did that through the old tradition of beating the bounds of the three parishes.
Apparently there was also a tradition of (for some reason) shoving choir boys through holes in hedges but we left that bit out.
But I remember as we walked and prayed, we were blessed by wonderful weather and saw hares and a deer, lapwings, skylarks and curlews.
All this seemed particularly appropriate when we were about to celebrate the ascension of Christ.
When as - Ephesians says - we worship the one who ascended so that he could fill all things.
What an extraordinary claim to make about
a flesh and blood human being - that he fills all things.
Jesus, a carpenter from Nazareth,
was now the cosmic Christ - at the heart of all creation.
One thing this says to us is that the world has a dignity and value that it has often lacked in our materialistic, greedy, exploitative society.
Our ancestors used to think of the world as a sacred and mysterious place. They believed that spirits lived in the trees and rocks and streams. Creation was respected but it was also feared because it was so easy to anger the gods who might then wreak havoc in people's lives.
However, Christianity, along with Judaism and Islam, taught that there is only one God - a God of faithfulness, justice and love, who is the creator of all that exists.
By doing so people were freed from the fear of the unpredictable and even malign spirits that they thought inhabited the world.
And by doing this the created world became a secular space
- one that we could study and understand in scientific terms,
But it also seemed to become a place that we were free to exploit for our own benefit without any adverse consequences. Although, we can now see how mistaken and damaging this view was.
So the ascension of Christ has something to teach us in a time of growing ecological awareness and crisis.
The ascension marks the moment when the appearances of the risen Christ came to an end, but when the first Christians said that he had "ascended into heaven" they didn't mean he had been taken away from them, leaving behind a purely material world.
Instead his presence expanded (so to speak) to fill all things.
Yes, he "went to heaven" but heaven was just a word they used to talk about the presence of God - so Christ had gone to be with God - who is at the heart of all things.
So we can now see that our world is indeed a sacred place, not because it contains fickle nature spirits
but because it contains and, is contained by, the risen and ascended Christ, it is filled with the Spirit of life and love.
The world - as good catholic theology has always taught -
is a sacramental place - it is a meeting place with God.
Every bush is burning.
Every rainbow is a sign of God's promise.
Every bird and flower has so much to teach us if we will only consider them deeply.
Yes we can still study and understand it scientifically.
Yes we can still harness and utilise it for the good of humanity and of our fellow creatures.
But it has a dignity and value in its own right
because Christ is present in all things,
so it can become an object of wonder and contemplation.
We can even say that it is the Body of Christ.
If the Body of Christ is wherever the Spirit of Christ dwells, then it is not only the bread of communion or the Church community. If his Spirit dwells, often unrecognised, in all people, then we can speak of all humanity as the Body of Christ. And if, as St Paul says, he fills all things, then we can see the whole created world in the same way.
And that also means that to destroy it and to endanger the whole future of our planet, through our addiction to consumption
and to indulgent lifestyles is a sacrilege, a sin against the creator.
We wonder how Christians in Nazi Germany could go to worship on Sunday and then go back to work in concentration camps or on the railways or the administration that serviced the holocaust.
Well I sometimes wonder what future generations will make of the way people in our day carried on participating, either knowingly or unwittingly, in the destruction of creation.
The Ascension of Christ is a such a rich theme that we cannot do justice to it in the one week allotted to it in our church calendar.
But one thing that it does show do is to link our worship and service of Christ with our care for the natural world.
We are used to thinking of our care for other people in that way - that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we do for Jesus. Well the same is true of the created world because God made it, loves it and fills it with his presence.
So, to be faithful to the Christ who is at the heart of all things means acknowledging - as the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins put it: that the world is charged with the grandeur of God,
and that - "There lives the dearest freshness, deep down things."
And Paul points us to the reason for this when he tells us that:
"Christ ascended above all the heavens so that he might fill all things".
Today, on the Sunday after Ascension Day, I'd like to do something I don't often do, and take a biblical text that's different from the passages we have just heard read.
It comes from the letter to the Ephesians, chapter 4 v10: "Christ ascended above all the heavens so that he might fill all things"
The three days leading up to Ascension are what are called, Rogation Days - from the Latin word "to ask" - where we pray for farmers and the fruitfulness of their work.
And I remember one magical year at Bedale when we did that through the old tradition of beating the bounds of the three parishes.
Apparently there was also a tradition of (for some reason) shoving choir boys through holes in hedges but we left that bit out.
But I remember as we walked and prayed, we were blessed by wonderful weather and saw hares and a deer, lapwings, skylarks and curlews.
All this seemed particularly appropriate when we were about to celebrate the ascension of Christ.
When as - Ephesians says - we worship the one who ascended so that he could fill all things.
What an extraordinary claim to make about
a flesh and blood human being - that he fills all things.
Jesus, a carpenter from Nazareth,
was now the cosmic Christ - at the heart of all creation.
One thing this says to us is that the world has a dignity and value that it has often lacked in our materialistic, greedy, exploitative society.
Our ancestors used to think of the world as a sacred and mysterious place. They believed that spirits lived in the trees and rocks and streams. Creation was respected but it was also feared because it was so easy to anger the gods who might then wreak havoc in people's lives.
However, Christianity, along with Judaism and Islam, taught that there is only one God - a God of faithfulness, justice and love, who is the creator of all that exists.
By doing so people were freed from the fear of the unpredictable and even malign spirits that they thought inhabited the world.
And by doing this the created world became a secular space
- one that we could study and understand in scientific terms,
But it also seemed to become a place that we were free to exploit for our own benefit without any adverse consequences. Although, we can now see how mistaken and damaging this view was.
So the ascension of Christ has something to teach us in a time of growing ecological awareness and crisis.
The ascension marks the moment when the appearances of the risen Christ came to an end, but when the first Christians said that he had "ascended into heaven" they didn't mean he had been taken away from them, leaving behind a purely material world.
Instead his presence expanded (so to speak) to fill all things.
Yes, he "went to heaven" but heaven was just a word they used to talk about the presence of God - so Christ had gone to be with God - who is at the heart of all things.
So we can now see that our world is indeed a sacred place, not because it contains fickle nature spirits
but because it contains and, is contained by, the risen and ascended Christ, it is filled with the Spirit of life and love.
The world - as good catholic theology has always taught -
is a sacramental place - it is a meeting place with God.
Every bush is burning.
Every rainbow is a sign of God's promise.
Every bird and flower has so much to teach us if we will only consider them deeply.
Yes we can still study and understand it scientifically.
Yes we can still harness and utilise it for the good of humanity and of our fellow creatures.
But it has a dignity and value in its own right
because Christ is present in all things,
so it can become an object of wonder and contemplation.
We can even say that it is the Body of Christ.
If the Body of Christ is wherever the Spirit of Christ dwells, then it is not only the bread of communion or the Church community. If his Spirit dwells, often unrecognised, in all people, then we can speak of all humanity as the Body of Christ. And if, as St Paul says, he fills all things, then we can see the whole created world in the same way.
And that also means that to destroy it and to endanger the whole future of our planet, through our addiction to consumption
and to indulgent lifestyles is a sacrilege, a sin against the creator.
We wonder how Christians in Nazi Germany could go to worship on Sunday and then go back to work in concentration camps or on the railways or the administration that serviced the holocaust.
Well I sometimes wonder what future generations will make of the way people in our day carried on participating, either knowingly or unwittingly, in the destruction of creation.
The Ascension of Christ is a such a rich theme that we cannot do justice to it in the one week allotted to it in our church calendar.
But one thing that it does show do is to link our worship and service of Christ with our care for the natural world.
We are used to thinking of our care for other people in that way - that what we do for the least of our brothers and sisters we do for Jesus. Well the same is true of the created world because God made it, loves it and fills it with his presence.
So, to be faithful to the Christ who is at the heart of all things means acknowledging - as the poet Gerard Manley Hopkins put it: that the world is charged with the grandeur of God,
and that - "There lives the dearest freshness, deep down things."
And Paul points us to the reason for this when he tells us that:
"Christ ascended above all the heavens so that he might fill all things".
By Reverend David Paton Williams
Imagine for a moment you are climbing a mountain, enjoying the spectacular views. But then suddenly the cloud descends and you can barely see a few feet in front of you. Its cold, damp and a little bit scary. Will you find your way safely to the top, and back down again?
But then out of the mist emerges a great pile of stones
- a cairn - and you heave a sigh of relief.
In an instant you know that you are not lost, you know that others have been this way before you and that you are
on the right path. You press on and before long you find another cairn marking the path. It is like a giant signpost that says "This is the way. Don't worry, keep going."
Well, sometimes walking the way of faith can be like that.
"I am the Way" says Jesus. And before it was known
as the Church, one of the earliest names for the people
who followed Jesus was "The Way".
We see it called that later on in the book of Acts.
It was a movement of people who were on a journey
- living life the way they had seen it lived by Jesus
in faith and hope and love.
But, as the community got larger, the needs of the more vulnerable members, like the widows, were in danger of being neglected. So the apostles chose seven others to make sure that no one missed out. I suppose you could liken them to 1st century food bank volunteers, hough they were also involved in preaching and teaching.
They were servant leaders just like Jesus.
But although many of their Jewish brothers and sisters were joining them "on the Way", the religious leaders were not happy.
and tensions were growing. And those tensions turned to outright hostility when one of the seven, called, Stephen was accused of attacking the Law of Moses and the Temple and hewas hauled in front of the Sanhedrin, the council of leaders.
The early Christians were a close knit community, supporting and encouraging each other. But now Stephen was alone.
And no one had ever walked this way before.
There had been Jewish martyrs certainly
- but no one had been on trial for their faith in Jesus before.
Since then it has happened countless times, but those people
have at least had the example of others to help them
- the cairn of faithful Christians to follow.
But not Stephen - he was alone on the mountain,
which must have taken enormous courage and faith.
And so Stephen looks to Jesus - indeed he has a vision of him. And as he is being stoned to death he prays what Jesus prayed when he was dying - asking for forgiveness for his executioners and finally handing over his spirit.
He follows the way of Jesus right to the end.
Although note that while Jesus prayed those prayers to his heavenly Father, Stephen prays them to Jesus.
So already - long before any doctrine of Christ's divinity has been thrashed out by the Church - Jesus and the Father are seen as almost inseparable. Just as in John's gospel, Jesus says that whoever has seen him has seen the Father.
In a modern phrase, he was the human face of God.
Or drawing on John's prologue - where it says that Jesus was in the bosom of the Father - we could say that Jesus was the human heart of God. He made the unseen but
ever-present love of God visible in a new, truer, living way. Embodying it in all that he was and did.
So Jesus could say that he was "the Way" to the Father.
Last week we heard of the Good Shepherd who not only led his flock out of the sheepfold, but was also the Gate they passed through. Similarly, Jesus says that he leads them
by example on the path, but he is also the Way itself.
But we need to be careful here - especially with the words that follow - "no one comes to the Father except by me", which sound so exclusive.
Firstly, the context is that Jesus is about to leave his followers, and they are feeling lost and scared.
So Jesus isn't thinking about people following other faiths - he is speaking words of reassurance, that although
his followers may not be able to see him any longer
he will still be with them on the journey - indeed he will be the way itself. They won't get lost. All will be well.
And John's prologue tells us that the one who speaks these words is none other than the Eternal Word, the Cosmic Christ, who gives life to all things and light to all people.
So how could he exclude anyone who seeks and responds to the light of God in loving and sincere ways,
whatever their culture or tradition?
And yet, if Jesus is showing us the loving heart of God,
then this is something very special, even unique.
Jesus opens the way to a deeper, personal relationship
with the Father, founded on total love and trust
- just like the one that was the bedrock of his own life.
So where does that leave us? Well, we are people on the way.
We are still on the journey, we haven't got there yet.
We are still exploring, finding our way, trying things out,
making mistakes.
But being on the way means we find so many helpful markers and pointers - among our fellow travellers in the church,
and in the goodness of God that we find
in so many other people and the natural world.
We find these pointers in the riches of our tradition- in art, music, hymnody, poetry and writings. We find them of course throughout our scriptures. We find them in all the things of wisdom, beauty and goodness - because they are infused with the Cosmic Christ who gives life and light - from whom we can never be separated if we travel in love and sincerity.
He is Truth, he is Life - again in a generous and inclusive way. So wherever we find these we find Christ. So don't be afraid he says. I am the way - follow me in my way of living,my way of loving and trusting God, even my way of dying
and you won't go too far wrong.
And while you are at it, you will be laying another stone on the cairns along the path;helping those around you and maybe those who come after you, to walk the Way of Christ as well.
Imagine for a moment you are climbing a mountain, enjoying the spectacular views. But then suddenly the cloud descends and you can barely see a few feet in front of you. Its cold, damp and a little bit scary. Will you find your way safely to the top, and back down again?
But then out of the mist emerges a great pile of stones
- a cairn - and you heave a sigh of relief.
In an instant you know that you are not lost, you know that others have been this way before you and that you are
on the right path. You press on and before long you find another cairn marking the path. It is like a giant signpost that says "This is the way. Don't worry, keep going."
Well, sometimes walking the way of faith can be like that.
"I am the Way" says Jesus. And before it was known
as the Church, one of the earliest names for the people
who followed Jesus was "The Way".
We see it called that later on in the book of Acts.
It was a movement of people who were on a journey
- living life the way they had seen it lived by Jesus
in faith and hope and love.
But, as the community got larger, the needs of the more vulnerable members, like the widows, were in danger of being neglected. So the apostles chose seven others to make sure that no one missed out. I suppose you could liken them to 1st century food bank volunteers, hough they were also involved in preaching and teaching.
They were servant leaders just like Jesus.
But although many of their Jewish brothers and sisters were joining them "on the Way", the religious leaders were not happy.
and tensions were growing. And those tensions turned to outright hostility when one of the seven, called, Stephen was accused of attacking the Law of Moses and the Temple and hewas hauled in front of the Sanhedrin, the council of leaders.
The early Christians were a close knit community, supporting and encouraging each other. But now Stephen was alone.
And no one had ever walked this way before.
There had been Jewish martyrs certainly
- but no one had been on trial for their faith in Jesus before.
Since then it has happened countless times, but those people
have at least had the example of others to help them
- the cairn of faithful Christians to follow.
But not Stephen - he was alone on the mountain,
which must have taken enormous courage and faith.
And so Stephen looks to Jesus - indeed he has a vision of him. And as he is being stoned to death he prays what Jesus prayed when he was dying - asking for forgiveness for his executioners and finally handing over his spirit.
He follows the way of Jesus right to the end.
Although note that while Jesus prayed those prayers to his heavenly Father, Stephen prays them to Jesus.
So already - long before any doctrine of Christ's divinity has been thrashed out by the Church - Jesus and the Father are seen as almost inseparable. Just as in John's gospel, Jesus says that whoever has seen him has seen the Father.
In a modern phrase, he was the human face of God.
Or drawing on John's prologue - where it says that Jesus was in the bosom of the Father - we could say that Jesus was the human heart of God. He made the unseen but
ever-present love of God visible in a new, truer, living way. Embodying it in all that he was and did.
So Jesus could say that he was "the Way" to the Father.
Last week we heard of the Good Shepherd who not only led his flock out of the sheepfold, but was also the Gate they passed through. Similarly, Jesus says that he leads them
by example on the path, but he is also the Way itself.
But we need to be careful here - especially with the words that follow - "no one comes to the Father except by me", which sound so exclusive.
Firstly, the context is that Jesus is about to leave his followers, and they are feeling lost and scared.
So Jesus isn't thinking about people following other faiths - he is speaking words of reassurance, that although
his followers may not be able to see him any longer
he will still be with them on the journey - indeed he will be the way itself. They won't get lost. All will be well.
And John's prologue tells us that the one who speaks these words is none other than the Eternal Word, the Cosmic Christ, who gives life to all things and light to all people.
So how could he exclude anyone who seeks and responds to the light of God in loving and sincere ways,
whatever their culture or tradition?
And yet, if Jesus is showing us the loving heart of God,
then this is something very special, even unique.
Jesus opens the way to a deeper, personal relationship
with the Father, founded on total love and trust
- just like the one that was the bedrock of his own life.
So where does that leave us? Well, we are people on the way.
We are still on the journey, we haven't got there yet.
We are still exploring, finding our way, trying things out,
making mistakes.
But being on the way means we find so many helpful markers and pointers - among our fellow travellers in the church,
and in the goodness of God that we find
in so many other people and the natural world.
We find these pointers in the riches of our tradition- in art, music, hymnody, poetry and writings. We find them of course throughout our scriptures. We find them in all the things of wisdom, beauty and goodness - because they are infused with the Cosmic Christ who gives life and light - from whom we can never be separated if we travel in love and sincerity.
He is Truth, he is Life - again in a generous and inclusive way. So wherever we find these we find Christ. So don't be afraid he says. I am the way - follow me in my way of living,my way of loving and trusting God, even my way of dying
and you won't go too far wrong.
And while you are at it, you will be laying another stone on the cairns along the path;helping those around you and maybe those who come after you, to walk the Way of Christ as well.
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