Lentweets

Each day in Lent I will post a tweet (a Lentweet) on aspects of public penitence (#PublicPenitence).

Lent is the season of preparation for the revelatory and transformative moment of Jesus' death and Christ's resurrection.

In this transformative process - spiritually, symbolically and in the people we are - Christians are made new. We can become more ourselves as God made us - a little more Christlike, a little closer to realising the godly qualities in each of us.

This is both personal and public, individual and communal. None of us is an isolated atom: we are who we are only in continual engagement with the people around in the circumstances in which we find ourselves. Our potential may be vast, our constraints are legion.

The Lenten disciplines of penitence and denial are intended 

1. to help us determine and focus on what is important (against the background  clamour of so many very persuasive distractions)
2. to re-prioritise our lives - giving spiritual considerations much greater importance in lasting practice
3. to prepare ourselves for the transformation of being caught up in Christ's death and resurrection.

I suggest - and this is what the Lentweets will focus on - that a part of our Lenten observance should also address the world around us. We should repent both of our own failings and of those of the world in which we live.

I suggest we should look at the evils of our ordinary existence - from the biggest (eg. war and poverty), to the near at hand (like addictions and discrimination), to the pervasive (such as the mal-distribution of wealth, income and opportunity).

Those things are all  bigger than us. It can be very hard to get our heads around them. But they are all made and sustained by the decisions people make. None of them are natural or inevitable. 

We are not individually responsible for the way things are. But we are complicit in it. We are responsible for our response to the evils of the world. And we are deeply shaped by so much much that is simply wrong. 

Pray for transformation and work for a little better.

Paul Bagshaw

Enemies and Opponents - an imaginative path 3

These five imaginative exercises were devised for those attending the quiet mornings in St Hilda's Church in Lent 2015.

They are meant to be followed in sequence:

1. Calling Disciples

2. Strangers and Outsiders

3. Enemies and Opponents (this one)

4. Power and Violence

5. The Resurrected Jesus

The framework for each exercise is the same. The sequence follows an emotional path towards the cross and, through it, to the resurrected Jesus.

An imaginative path:

Please note: this can be a heavy duty exercise. Don't go any further or stay any longer than you are comfortable with. It's not meant to be an ordeal but an opportunity for discovery.

Take the break as advised. Have a proper break. Have a cup of tea (or your preferred equivalent). Go for a walk. Distract yourself, and then come back to pick up where you left off.

Don't leave a section suddenly. Always leave on a positive note by saying thank you, and politely excuse yourself before you turn to go.

It is important that, in your imagination, you walk yourself from your present surroundings and circumstances into the imagined setting – and equally important that you walk yourself back out again at the end. Take it steady: there is no rush.

And if you do leave abruptly then look at what it was that made you leave. Offer it in prayer.

1. Enemies and Opponents

1. The first step

Imagine the landscape of Jesus' day (don't try to 'get it right')

Walk into the place, carrying an empty bag

This is a quiet, safe place, with no-one else around

Look around and find a comfortable spot,

imagine something as a landmark, and put your bag down

fill the bag with all the everyday things you bring with you,

what you're going to do when you leave here

what you need to get on with later

conversations you've had, or need to have

all those things you ought to have done but haven't got around to

and when you've filled the bag

put it down and leave it there. It will be safe.

El Greco, 

Christ Driving the Money Changers from the Temple,

2. The first turn

Walk a little way along a path, go round a corner

There are two of Jesus' disciples stood watching. Stand with them. You are not on your own.

imagine you can see three or four people walking and talking

Look and listen

you can see their agitation before you hear anything.

One person is hurt, distressed

One person is bewildered, disorientated

One person is angry, shouting

Why?

Jesus is at the heart of the group.

What has he said or done to provoke such reactions?

Don't say anything, just hang around with them a while as an observer, a watcher, standing to one side of the group.

After a little while.

Say thank you, and politely take your leave and return to the spot where you left your bag, and walk out of the place, back into the church.

TAKE A BREAK

3. The second step

Walk back to the place you were in before, carrying your bag with you

remember: this is a quiet, safe place, with no-one else around at the moment.

This time, put more important things into your bag

People – relationships,

fears, hopes, anxieties

time

yourself – who you are

(you can come back to this spot at any time, everything will be safe)

Leave the bag again, and set off around the same corner as before. It will be safe.

Madrazo, the trial of Jesus before the Sanhedrin

4. The second turn

When you round the corner Jesus is sat there, a small man on his own, waiting for you

The crowd is still there, so are the disciples. Only now the disciples are stood behind Jesus, looking at the crowd over Jesus' shoulder.

Join the disciples. You are protected by them. 

Listen, look,

Consider: how is Jesus in the face of such hostility? How does he respond?

Consider: what is it in Jesus that could provoke such antagonism?

Ask him.

And if Jesus does not provoke these reactions in us – then what is it that we don't see, or that we don't acknowledge?

Ask him.

It is hard to stand in the face of such hurt and anger with its threat of violence. You are safe but don't stay too long; Jesus will wait for you.

5. The third step

When it's time, when you're ready:

Say goodbye properly, and thank the disciples you stood with, thank Jesus

Walk back round the corner to where your bag is

Sit beside it for a while,

reflect on the experience of Jesus you've just had

reflect on what it felt like to be a foreigner, an outsider

Take a last look around and, when you're ready,

pick up your bag and carry it with you as you

walk back into the present

In the present:

Unpack your bag: in your imagination slowly take out all the important things and re-assume them; then take out the less important things and own them again. Cherish each item.

TAKE A BREAK. Relax. Do something. Give yourself time to reflect on your experience.

and repeat if you wish.

Please feel free to leave a comment.

Strangers and Outsiders - an imaginative path 2

These five imaginative exercises were devised for those attending the quiet mornings in St Hilda's Church in Lent 2015.

They are meant to be followed in sequence:

1. Calling Disciples

2. Strangers and Outsiders (this one)

3. Enemies and Opponents

4. Power and Violence

5. The Resurrected Jesus

The framework for each exercise is the same. The sequence follows an emotional path towards the cross and, through it, to the resurrected Jesus.

An imaginative path:

Please note: this can be a heavy duty exercise. Don't go any further or stay any longer than you are comfortable with. It's not meant to be an ordeal but an opportunity for discovery.

Take the break as advised. Have a proper break. Have a cup of tea (or your preferred equivalent). Go for a walk. Distract yourself, and then come back to pick up where you left off.

Don't leave a section suddenly. Always leave on a positive note by saying thank you, and politely excuse yourself before you turn to go.

It is important that, in your imagination, you walk yourself from your present surroundings and circumstances into the imagined setting – and equally important that you walk yourself back out again at the end. Take it steady: there is no rush.

And if you do leave abruptly then look at what it was that made you leave. Offer it in prayer.

2. Strangers and Outsiders

1. The first step

Imagine the landscape of Jesus' day (don't try to 'get it right')

Walk into the place, carrying an empty bag

This is a quiet, safe place, with no-one else around

Look around and find a comfortable spot,

imagine something as a landmark, and put your bag down

fill the bag with all the everyday things you bring with you,

what you're going to do when you leave here

what you need to get on with later

conversations you've had, or need to have

all those things you ought to have done but haven't got around to

and when you've filled the bag

Angelika Kauffmann  

Discourse between Jesus and 

the Samaritan Woman at the Well

put it down and leave it there. It will be safe.

2. The first turn

Walk a little way along a path, go round a corner

imagine you can see three or four people walking and talking

join the group. Look and listen;

Jesus is at the heart of the group.

There is a woman there who is a foreigner. She does not understand the language. Someone is interpreting for her. What does the woman want?

You too are a foreigner.

How do you feel? An outsider? Not understanding?

Don't say anything, just walk with them a while as a friend, as one of the group

After a little while.

Say thank you, and politely take your leave and return to the spot where you left your bag, and walk out of the place, back into the church.

TAKE A BREAK

3. The second step

Walk back to the place you were in before, carrying your bag with you

remember: this is a quiet, safe place, with no-one else around at the moment.

This time, put more important things into your bag

People – relationships,

fears, hopes, anxieties

time

yourself – who you are

(you can come back to this spot at any time, everything will be safe)

Leave the bag again, and set off around the same corner as before. It will be safe.

4. The second turn

When you round the corner Jesus is sat there, a small man on his own, waiting for you

Do you sit or stand: you choose.

Listen, look,

You come as an outsider, a foreigner, a stranger,

yet he knows you.

Say anything you like: and wait.

Do you need an interpreter? Someone who can make clear to Jesus what you mean – someone who can make clear to you what Jesus says?

If so, wait little, someone will come along who can help.

Trust them.

Ask whatever you wish to ask

There may be an answer, there may not, just wait.

You are utterly safe, known, loved, protected

Wait, listen

But don't stay too long; Jesus will wait for you.

Joseph-Marie Vien, Healing the royal official's son

5. The third step

When it's time, when you're ready:

Say goodbye properly, and thank him

Walk back round the corner to where your bag is

Sit beside it for a while,

reflect on the experience of Jesus you've just had

reflect on what it felt like to be a foreigner, an outsider

Take a last look around and, when you're ready,

pick up your bag and carry it with you as you

walk back into the present

In the present:

Unpack your bag: in your imagination slowly take out all the important things and re-assume them; then take out the less important things and own them again. Cherish each item.

TAKE A BREAK. Relax. Do something. Give yourself time to reflect on your experience.

and repeat if you wish.

Please feel free to leave a comment.

Calling Disciples - an imaginative path 1

These five imaginative exercises were devised for those attending the quiet mornings in St Hilda's Church in Lent 2015.

They are meant to be followed in sequence:

1. Calling Disciples (this one)

2. Strangers and Outsiders

3. Enemies and Opponents

4. Power and Violence

5. The Resurrected Jesus

The framework for each exercise is the same. The sequence follows an emotional path towards the cross and, through it, to the resurrected Jesus.

An imaginative path:

Please note: this can be a heavy duty exercise. Don't go any further or stay any longer than you are comfortable with. It's not meant to be an ordeal but an opportunity for discovery.

Take the break as advised. Have a proper break. Have a cup of tea (or your preferred equivalent). Go for a walk. Distract yourself, and then come back to pick up where you left off.

Don't leave a section suddenly. Always leave on a positive note by saying thank you, and politely excuse yourself before you turn to go.

It is important that, in your imagination, you walk yourself from your present surroundings and circumstances into the imagined setting – and equally important that you walk yourself back out again at the end. Take it steady: there is no rush.

And if you do leave abruptly then look at what it was that made you leave. Offer it in prayer.

1. Calling Disciples

1. The first step

Imagine the landscape of Jesus' day (don't try to 'get it right', it's meant to be imaginary)

Walk into the place, carrying an empty bag

This is a quiet, safe place, with no-one else around

Look around and find a comfortable spot,

imagine something as a landmark, and put your bag down

fill the bag with all the everyday things you bring with you,

what you're going to do when you leave here

what you need to get on with later

conversations you've had, or need to have

all those things you ought to have done but haven't got around to

and when you've filled the bag

put it down and leave it there. It will be safe.

Jesus walking with his disciples - History Channnel / Christianity Today 

2. The first turn

Walk a little way along a path, go round a corner

imagine you can see a small group of people walking and talking

join the group. Look and listen

Jesus is at the heart of the group

Amongst them are:

Simon and Andrew, James and John, Mary and Martha, Philip and Nathanael, there are others too.

look through their eyes

what do you suppose the disciples see in Jesus?

what do you see?

What are their hopes, do you think, what are their desires, what are their blind-spots?

And yours?

Don't say anything, just walk with them a while as a friend, as one of the group

After a little while.

Say thank you, and politely take your leave and return to the spot where you left your bag, and walk out of the place, back into the church.

TAKE A BREAK

3. The second step

Walk back to the place you were in before, carrying your bag with you

remember: this is a quiet, safe place, with no-one else around at the moment.

This time, put more important things into your bag

People – relationships,

fears, hopes, anxieties

time

yourself – who you are

(you can come back to this spot at any time, everything will be safe)

Leave the bag again, and set off around the same corner as before. It will be safe.

Altobello Melone - The Road to Emmaus

4. The second turn

When you round the corner Jesus is sat there, a small man on his own, waiting for you

Do you sit or stand: you choose.

Listen, look,

Say anything you like: and wait.

There may be an answer, there may not, just wait.

You are utterly safe, known, loved, protected

Wait, listen

Do you see what the disciples saw in Jesus?

But don't stay too long; Jesus will wait for you.

5. The third step

When it's time, when you're ready:

Say goodbye properly, and thank him

Walk back round the corner to where your bag is

Sit beside it for a while,

reflect on the experience of Jesus you've just had

Take a last look around and, when you're ready,

pick up your bag and carry it with you as you

walk back into the present

In the present:

Unpack your bag: in your imagination slowly take out all the important things and re-assume them; then take out the less important things and own them again. Cherish each item.

TAKE A BREAK. Relax. Do something. Give yourself time to reflect on your experience.

and repeat if you wish.

Please feel free to leave a comment

Opinion: it's a secular country

The Huffington Post (UK edition) has commissioned a sociological study of attitudes to religion in the UK.

Bringing the Faith to the Heathen (Mexico)
(c) Adam Jones

It should worry all of us who are committed members of a faith not least because it reinforces other, earlier, surveys.

Amongst the findings::

• "More than half of Britons believe that religion does more harm than good, with less than a quarter believing faith is a force for good, ..."
• "Even 20% of British people who described themselves as being 'very religious' said religion was harmful to society, and a quarter of [them] said atheists were more likely to be moral individuals than religious people."
• "Of the 2,004 people surveyed in the HuffPost/Survation poll, 56% described themselves as Christian, 2.5% were Muslim, 1% were Jewish and the remainder were of another faith or none."

What seems a little more hopeful (at least from my perspective) was the finding that:

• "Young people are actually more likely to have a positive view of religion. Around 30% of 18-24 year old believe religion does more good than harm, compared to just 19% of 55-64 year-olds."

but, of course, this can't tell us which way young people will move as they grow older. It is the age group least likely to be present in church.

All of which leaves religious folk a number of problems, amongst them:

• We are at some point in a long-term trend away from religious sensibility to an increasing secularity. 
• The legacy of Christian buildings, communities, public symbols and stories is clearly more or less irrelevant to the challenge.
• The language of faith is inaudible and/or incomprehensible to a growing majority of people - not just archaic (traditional) language, but any language of faith.

In practice we - Christians - live and hide in our own little encampments. We tend to be much more concerned to defend our own particular and local church than to be expansive in our sharing of faith. We pour energy into internal conflicts (as Christians always have) and sometimes even convince ourselves that our fights matter.   

And none of this should be surprising. We feel beleaguered, discarded, unappreciated, unmourned. Therefore the emotionally-reasonable reaction is to step back into what we know, what we've always done, including our own internal squabbles: it's where we're safe, comfortable and know where we stand. 

It's no use, of course. It's  just hiding under the blanket and pretending that the storm will pass. It won't.

At the very least we have to step out of our shells and risk getting soaked. I think it's time to stop talking (and certainly stop preaching) and to start listening. Just as a beginning.  

Paul Bagshaw