St John's and Kiltermon

Learning to be selfless is hard. It is undoubtedly one of the essential asks of being a dad. And I know, from seeing it lived in the everyday life of my own wife and how she mothers and cares for our sons, and in the I care I still receive from my own mum, and my mother in law, and in the kind of love I see in my own sisters and sisters in law, that selflessness goes a very long way in family life.   Of course it’s not the preserve of mums. It’s seen in dads and brothers and sons and fathers in law and uncles too. But on this very special day in my own home, in your home, in the parish, and in our nation, being Thankful for all that Mothers have been and are, is at the very heart of our life today.   For many, Mothering Sunday, and many other days too, is a time of great sadness as we remember with Thanksgiving those we love, but see no longer. We remember the selfless life of the one who brought us into this world, and the countless unseen tasks every day in bringing ...

  The Lord says, ‘I will send down showers in season—showers of blessing.’ Ezekiel 34   Ever Faithful. Ever New. God’s words to His People continue to speak and challenge us today. Delivered as a prophecy around 600 years before Jesus was born, Ezekiel was given a message to deliver to the household of his own day. Ezekiel in Hebrew is Yehezqel, meaning "God is strength."   That strength of God is evident in Ezekiel’s message then, and for the Church today. It really is very worth reading all of Ezekiel chapter 34; the plight of the household, the neglect of their under-shepherds, the infighting between sheep, the deliberate muddying of watering holes and feeding pasture. The problems it addresses for the household then can sadly seems very modern today.   Ever Faithful. Ever New. But therein lies the great hope. T he remarkable part is the influence and care of God as the Good Shepherd of His flock then and now. None of what happens to His s...

  Outward Appearance   Before the most recent lockdown, my hope was to focus on Discipleship from the beginning of the year, through to Easter. Discipleship is really about the ongoing decision to follow the Ways of Jesus; to shape your life and decisions and values around His teaching and encouragement.   I think it emerged as a theme last year, during or after another period of set apart days, when with almost all of the infrastructure of familiar parish life temporarily dismantled, I thought a lot about how people were managing to follow on after God, without the usual Christian routines.     Yes, Jesus tells us to go to our room and close the door and pray to our Father who is in Heaven; but I suspect for many, including me, we have become used to Church services, meetings and parish events to help us keep going with God. I wondered how hard or easy has it been for those who do want to grow in their faith, to keep going without the norms...

  Keeping Closer Company With Jesus Lord help us begin life afresh, ‘Keeping Closer Company With Jesus.’ Amen   To day marks a new beginning.  Perhaps I should decide what not to eat for the next 40 days or so. Perhaps.   Perhaps I should take on a new commitment. Perhaps.   None of it fills me with excitement or interest or even commitment.   My heart is set on something quite else. God willing I will get to do other great things. Hopefully in about an hour’s time twenty something folks from the parish and our friends from other places will settle into a Quiet Evening. I mention the numbers deliberately. We’ve always had two or three gathered at Breathe during these last four or five years. But in early January so few had connected I did something I’m not sure I’ve done before, I cancelled an evening. This time, I worked much harder, I connected, and emailed and Facebooked, and telephoned, and reminded. Perhaps I shouldn’t have to. Perha...

This week's readings include the phrase , ‘Give Us Grace To Perceive His Glory’  Words of St Paul to the Christians in Corinth. Felted bird and base gifted from very talented someones   A simpler version of this might be,  ‘Give Us Eyes To See.’ I’ve also read recently that ‘You see what you look for.’ Or summed up well in the old question about whether your glass is half full or half empty. This week there have been two glass half full moments. In fact, it turned out more as a ‘My cup is running over.’ One was on Monday. It could have been an unwanted walk, too early in the morning, on too cold a day, o n too dull a path.  Instead it turned into a glorious early morning walk, overtaken by the small winged creatures that live there. If you’re not a bird enthusiast you will have glazed over already. If you are, delight in the news that on one 5Km walk, there were five, I repeat five separate flocks of Long-tailed Tits;  Yes, I said 5 ( I’ve...

  From Everlasting  For days when all we hear is, ‘We don’t know.’ These days, when I write asking for dates, guidance or information, the answer is often,   ‘We don’t know.’ The unknown is sometimes more difficult to negotiate and navigate, that working with the difficult known. That’s my abiding memory of the first lockdown, learning that even a difficult time is made easier if you can see light at the end. It might be someone actually making a decision about exams dates or putting in place what must have been a difficult decision to close Church buildings for the first time. Sometimes when the decision is actually made, we are able to make the adjustments necessary when living though even the most challenging times. One of the notable stresses of this current lockdown is the shifting end date. It feels like a never-ending journey. I notice it in information I am preparing to the parish here.  There isn’t any guidance to share about confirmation be...