Uncategorized – Page 38

Counting on … day 45

4th March 2025

Shrove Tuesday is a day for being shriven but what does that word mean? The verb shrive comes from the Old English scrifan “assign, prescribe, ordain, decree; impose penance, hear confession; have regard for, care for,” (and curiously its original meaning was “to write” (strong, past tense scraf, past participle scrifen) – https://www.etymonline.com/word/shrove

As we approach Ash Wednesday and the season of Lent confessing our sins and being prescribed (possibly self-prescribed) an appropriate penance, is probably our best understanding of the word. Shrove Tuesday (or in this day and age, Ash Wednesday) is a good day to reflect how we can clean the slate, make a fresh start, and clear away away what stops us from loving God and loving our neighbour. In reality a process that could take all of Lent and probably a lifetime too – but Lent is a good place to start.

During Lent I plan to use the Counting on blog entries to ponder how we can rebuild those relationships through the Book of scripture and the Book of nature – God’s inspired word and God’s inspired activity.

Counting on … day 44

3rd March 2025

Most new technology seeks to reduce the effort needed to complete a task. This can mean automation or semi automation, and often leads to a reduction in job opportunities. Sometimes we might as a society wish to reflect on this: would it be better to have more manual jobs and less unemployment? Would it be better to have hand made bread rather than factory made bread? And if so would we be prepared to pay more for our bread? (Interestingly we have in recent years been willing to pay more for hand-made cups of coffee.)

Would it be better to sweep roads with brooms rather than with motorised road sweeping vehicles? Might this be cheaper as it would not require electricity to recharge the vehicle?

Would it be cheaper than the contribution made through taxes for unemployment benefit?

(Returning to coffee – are taxes being used to pay benefits to those on low pay eg baristas)

Sunday next before Lent

2nd March 2025

Reflection with readings after

Are we changed though relationships with God? I hope so!! I hope we become more fully the best person we can be. I guess we won’t see it through the medium of shining faces, but maybe we see it in people’s demeanour – their being more patient, more honest, kinder, empathetic, more loving. Maybe we see it in changes in the environment around them – calmer workplaces, more efficient meetings, meaningful worship – or in activities and actions such as open house cafes, gardening events, tree planting, book swopping events, community projects etc.

We are currently seeing the effects of Donald Trump presuming to take on the role of king of the whole world – it is not very inspiring. But what would the world be like if we all accepted God as king, if we all agreed to God’s reign being paramount, if the law ‘love your neighbour as yourself’ was the prime factor in making decisions?

Even if God is not (yet) universally acknowledged as King, what would the world look like if we – as many as believe it to be one of the two great commandments – acted as if the law that we should love our neighbour as ourself, was always the prime factor in any decision we made whether in our homes or churches or communities? I recently read a book about a fictional future earth – Aerth – where the populace (transformed by the impact of a devastating pandemic) had as it first rule ‘Do no harm’. This simple determiner did produce for the community carefully thought through decisions.

St Paul tells us that through God’s glory we “are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another” which sounds so wonderful and amazing. But I think St Paul is aware of the effort, the cost, involved. When the disciples saw Jesus radiant with glory, they were terrified. And when they heard him talking with Moses and Elijah it was about the suffering and trauma that lay ahead. St Paul goes on to write that it is through God’s mercy – which is a power of love – that we “engage in this ministry” (which is the transforming of the world through the wisdom of the gospel) and “do not loose heart” which points to the difficult uphill nature of the task. What we must do says St Paul is always be truthful as we prick the conscience of the world.

So this is our calling: to live as if God’s reign is supreme, to allow that to transform us, to love our neighbour, and to do so truthfully even when the truth is uncomfortable to hear. And our strength will come from God – God’s mercy will be with us even when things seem set against us.

So that is our calling: to love our neighbour, and to do so truthfully even when the truth is uncomfortable to hear. And our strength will come from God – God’s mercy will be with us even when things seem set against us.

Exodus 34:29-35

Moses came down from Mount Sinai. As he came down from the mountain with the two tablets of the covenant in his hand, Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone because he had been talking with God. When Aaron and all the Israelites saw Moses, the skin of his face was shining, and they were afraid to come near him. But Moses called to them; and Aaron and all the leaders of the congregation returned to him, and Moses spoke with them. Afterward all the Israelites came near, and he gave them in commandment all that the Lord had spoken with him on Mount Sinai. When Moses had finished speaking with them, he put a veil on his face; but whenever Moses went in before the Lord to speak with him, he would take the veil off, until he came out; and when he came out, and told the Israelites what he had been commanded, the Israelites would see the face of Moses, that the skin of his face was shining; and Moses would put the veil on his face again, until he went in to speak with him.

Psalm 99

1 The Lord is King;
let the people tremble; *
he is enthroned upon the cherubim;
let the earth shake.

2 The Lord is great in Zion; *
he is high above all peoples.

3 Let them confess his Name, which is great and awesome; *
he is the Holy One.

4 “O mighty King, lover of justice,
you have established equity; *
you have executed justice and righteousness in Jacob.”

5 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and fall down before his footstool; *
he is the Holy One.

6 Moses and Aaron among his priests,
and Samuel among those who call upon his Name, *
they called upon the Lord, and he answered them.

7 He spoke to them out of the pillar of cloud; *
they kept his testimonies and the decree that he gave them.

8 O Lord our God, you answered them indeed; *
you were a God who forgave them,
yet punished them for their evil deeds.

9 Proclaim the greatness of the Lord our God
and worship him upon his holy hill; *
for the Lord our God is the Holy One.

2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2

Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with great boldness, not like Moses, who put a veil over his face to keep the people of Israel from gazing at the end of the glory that was being set aside. But their minds were hardened. Indeed, to this very day, when they hear the reading of the old covenant, that same veil is still there, since only in Christ is it set aside. Indeed, to this very day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their minds; but when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And all of us, with unveiled faces, seeing the glory of the Lord as though reflected in a mirror, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord, the Spirit.

Therefore, since it is by God’s mercy that we are engaged in this ministry, we do not lose heart. We have renounced the shameful things that one hides; we refuse to practice cunning or to falsify God’s word; but by the open statement of the truth we commend ourselves to the conscience of everyone in the sight of God.

Luke 9:28-36

Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”–not knowing what he said. While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

God’s generosity and our greed

1st March 2025

God hates cheating in the marketplace; rigged scales are an outrage. Proverbs 20:23 (The Message)

You Lord, are the source of all good things:

We praise you.

You call us to tend and care for your creation:

May we strive to do your will.

You have made us as brothers and sisters with all that lives:

May we live together in peace.

A reading from Leviticus 25:3 – 7

For six years you shall sow your field, and for six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather in their yield; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest for the land, a sabbath for the Lord: you shall not sow your field or prune your vineyard. You shall not reap the aftergrowth of your harvest or gather the grapes of your unpruned vine: it shall be a year of complete rest for the land. You may eat what the land yields during its sabbath—you, your male and female slaves, your hired and your bound labourers who live with you; for your livestock also, and for the wild animals in your land all its yield shall be for food.

God, who planted the Garden of Eden

with good things to eat, and caused the earth to bring forth green shoots:

We praise you.

God, who caused rivers to flow,

who sent rains in due season, and filled the seas with life:

We praise you.

God, who modelled Adam to be a gardener,

who modelled the creatures in diverse kinds, each as helpers and Eve as co- partner:

We praise you.

God, you created a world

which can offer all that is needed, and give each being, plant and creature, a place to belong:

We praise you.

And the Lord said to me, ‘Amos, what do you see?’ And I said, ‘A plumb-line.’ Then the Lord said, ‘See, I am setting a plumb-line in the midst of my people Israel”. Amos 7:8

Generous God,

we have overworked the soil and drained it of its nutrients;

we have covered vast swathes in tarmac, and have covered our gardens with plastic lawns.

We consume more than we give back, we have not measured true to your plumb-line:

Lord have mercy.

Generous God,

we have decimated the forests, and grubbed up hedgerows,

we have wiped out diversity and favoured monocultures.

We have taken and not put back, we have not measured true to your plumb-line:

Lord have mercy.

Generous God,

we have poisoned the waterways and flooded them with sewage,

we have drained lakes and rivers to water our crops.

We have ignored what happens downstream, we have not measured true to your plumb-line:

Lord have mercy.

Generous God,

We have dredged the seas and overfished the oceans.

We have over consumed fossil fuels, melting icecaps and inundating islands.

We have ignored the science, we have not measured true to your plumb-line:

Lord have mercy.

Generous God,

we hunted some creatures to extinction, and pushed others to the margins;

we have destroyed their homes, and taken away their food.

We have despised them as co-habitants, we have not measured true to your plumb-line:

Lord have mercy.

Generous God,

we have demonised our fellow humans, and used them as slaves;

we have taken their wealth and left them to starve.

We have spent more on war than on peace, we have not measured true to your plumb-line:

Lord have mercy.

Open our eyes to see the error of our ways.

Open our hearts to overflow with love.

Open our hands to be generous in sharing.

May we act justly

and love mercy

and walk humbly with you our God.

Amen

Counting on … day 43

28th February 2025

Many products that are made and sold are designed to replace manual power with electrical power, whilst at the same time health advice is that we should increase our physical activity to maintain our health. From experience I know that using a washing machine is very much easier and less time consuming that washing by hand – and ensures a quicker drying time – so I would always prefer to have washing machine. But are there some activities that we could as easily and as beneficially perform manually? A broom to sweep the path? A dustpan and brush to sweep the stairs? Secateurs to clip the bush? A ballon whisk for batters?

Hand power is satisfying and gives me a greater sense of independence and control.

Counting on … day 42

27th February 2025

Manufacturers are good at promoting the efficiency and desirability of their next household tool or appliance. But if we buy each one, will we have room to store them – will our work surfaces be big enough? Do we need soup makers, and icecream makers, bread makers, yogurt makers etc? Could we not use equipment we already have? A saucepan for soup, a freezer for icecream or a mixing bowl for bread?

Counting on … day 41

26th February 2025

Years ago in Zimbabwe, I saw heated coasters being sold for coffee mugs. Sometimes technological advances offer us things we really don’t need! On other occasions technology gives us easier or faster tools when actually we could without too much inconvenience, continue with the pre-exiting tools. Electric coffee grinders are fast but is that a saving that automatically outweighs the hand grinder? Are mini vacuum cleaners really more efficient than a dustpan and brush?

Counting on … day 39

25th February 2025

Improving technology can make things we use more efficient. However this doesn’t always lead to a reduction in our use of energy and resources. Flatscreen TVs are more energy efficient than the bulky cathode ray TVs, but rather than taking advantage of the energy/ resource saving offering by flatscreen TVs we now buy bigger and bigger TVs so loosing the benefit of what we could have saved!

https://www.ethicalconsumer.org/technology/shopping-guide/televisions

Counting on … day 38

24th February 2025

Recently I read an article promoting Low Tech as a better means to achieving a sustainable global economy. The logic would be that whilst electric cars are a better alternative to petrol cars because they produce less greenhouse gas emissions, bicycles for short journeys and trains for longer journeys would be more sustainable in terms of resources used and pollution created. And as a plus, encouraging active travel would benefit people’s health and reduce medical costs.

https://theconversation.com/low-technology-why-sustainability-doesnt-have-to-depend-on-high-tech-solutions-176611?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=bylinecopy_url_button

2nd Sunday before Lent

Could we withstand seven years with no harvests?

The UK imports 60% of its food – and amazingly if viewed by sector we import 45% of our vegetables and 83% of our fruit! As many of the countries from whom we import fruit and vegetables are prone to the adverse effects of climate change, food security for us as a nation is a concern. And for us as part of a global population, the adverse impacts of climate change of food security for many vulnerable communities should be an even greater concern.

What about our food security as individual households? Unlike in the past, many of us do not bottle, dry or otherwise preserve food to see us through the rest of the year. Nor do we tend to stock large quantities of staples such as flour, oats and rice. If they were a snow storm or flood such that the shops were closed for even a week, would we have enough food in our homes?

God has created a world which is constantly producing edible plants, fruits and seeds which serve to feed all manner of fauna including humans. Our love for God should be expressed in the grateful caring and sharing of this harvest – and that surely includes safeguarding the soil and the climate upon which the plants depend, and ensuring that throughout the seasons and during times of sufficiency and insufficiency, that food is fairly shared.

Jesus is quite clear in his teachings that love is not something that we reserve just for ourselves and our nearest and dearest. Echoing the challenge of last Sunday’s readings about the blessings of feeding the hungry rather than the woes of stashing away private wealth, today’s gospel tells us to love our enemies. To do good to those who hate and abuse us. To give without expecting anything in return – and in fact to give in an outrageously extravagant manner, giving more than is asked.

This may seem counter-intuitive to those of us who brought up to look after ourselves, to be self-sufficient, to safely garner wealth so that we won’t be needy. It is hard to give generously if we feel we can not trust that our own future needs will be met – and for me the fear is that even if I am generous, the financial institutions are not and will persist with their greater power to hoard more and more of the world’s wealth. But is that a self fulfilling approach that does not allow us to try the alternative of being truly generous now so that everyone can have enough – the poor as well as the rich, the bad as well as the good?

Each time we say the Lord’s Prayer we say ‘Your kingdom come, your will be done.’ God’s kingdom is surely the one where everyone shares generously what they have been given, so that all may have enough regardless of their merits? How do we get to that situation?

What will change global systems so that those with power and wealth can’t get and take more and more?

What will change global systems so that the needs of the poor and vulnerable are met? So that everyone can get enough food, live in a safe comfortable home, have access to education, employment and health care, have quality leisure time with access to green spaces and community events?

What will change global systems so that all nations and communities are treated with respect?

What will change global systems so that justice and peace prevail, so that we all cooperate for the common good?

Can we as Christians, who know we are weak and compromised, act upon Jesus’s instruction and be overwhelmingly generous with what we have to share? Can we respond to the words of the prayer he taught us and work to change systems – at what ever level: family/local/ community/ national – to enable God’s kingdom, God’s reign to prevail?

Genesis 45:3-11, 15

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph. Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, so dismayed were they at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come closer to me.” And they came closer. He said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For the famine has been in the land these two years; and there are five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest. God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God; he has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt. Hurry and go up to my father and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph, God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not delay. You shall settle in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, as well as your flocks, your herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there–since there are five more years of famine to come–so that you and your household, and all that you have, will not come to poverty.'”

And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them; and after that his brothers talked with him.

Psalm 37:1-12, 41-42

1 Do not fret yourself because of evildoers; *
do not be jealous of those who do wrong.

2 For they shall soon wither like the grass, *
and like the green grass fade away.

3 Put your trust in the Lord and do good; *
dwell in the land and feed on its riches.

4 Take delight in the Lord, *
and he shall give you your heart’s desire.

5 Commit your way to the Lord and put your trust in him, *
and he will bring it to pass.

6 He will make your righteousness as clear as the light *
and your just dealing as the noonday.

7 Be still before the Lord *
and wait patiently for him.

8 Do not fret yourself over the one who prospers, *
the one who succeeds in evil schemes.

9 Refrain from anger, leave rage alone; *
do not fret yourself; it leads only to evil.

10 For evildoers shall be cut off, *
but those who wait upon the Lord shall possess the land.

11 In a little while the wicked shall be no more; *
you shall search out their place, but they will not be there.

12 But the lowly shall possess the land; *
they will delight in abundance of peace.

41 But the deliverance of the righteous comes from the Lord; *
he is their stronghold in time of trouble.

42 The Lord will help them and rescue them; *
he will rescue them from the wicked and deliver them,
because they seek refuge in him.

1 Corinthians 15:35-38,42-50

Someone will ask, “How are the dead raised? With what kind of body do they come?” Fool! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies. And as for what you sow, you do not sow the body that is to be, but a bare seed, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body.

So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a physical body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a physical body, there is also a spiritual body. Thus it is written, “The first man, Adam, became a living being”; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. But it is not the spiritual that is first, but the physical, and then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. As was the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; and as is the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.

What I am saying, brothers and sisters, is this: flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.

Luke 6:27-38

Jesus said, “I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. Do to others as you would have them do to you.

“If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return. Your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High; for he is kind to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

“Do not judge, and you will not be judged; do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven; give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.”