Archive for the 'Life' Category

Common Worship Ordination

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Published
by
bcg
on 9 April 2008
in Church, Life and Theology
. 3 Comments

I have to confess that there are many parts of the Church of England's new Common Worship services that I don't like.  The Baptism service, for example, is hugely long, overly complicated and (I think) theologically wrong.  (For more on that you might want to read my essay on baptism.)  The pattern of daily prayer changes every day, and there are so many options that it is difficult to see what is 'Common' about the new services.

Despite all this, my wife and I spent the day in Durham Cathedral yesterday – where we will be ordained in June – going through the ordination service, both practically and theologically.  As the last part of Common Worship to be published, there has been a lot of time and effort put into the service, and I think it has paid off.  The prayers are good, there is a focus on the call to preach and to serve, and even on the importance of the Bible!

The ordination itself, where the Bishop lays his hands on each candidate, takes place within the context of the main prayers in the service.  From the service booklet we were given yesterday (all forty pages of it!) it really does seem like the transition between prayers – ordination – prayers is seemless.

The centrality of prayer in the service caught me by surprise, but actually I think is absolutely right.  It means that our life as ordained ministers begins firmly within the context of family, friends and the wider church praying for us, and it means that we ourselves begin on our knees.  This all acknowledges just how important it is that God enables us to perform our various ministries (ordained and non-ordained), that we can't do any of it in our own strength.

I was looking forward to the service before – now I can't wait!

Church blaze at Radford Semele

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Published
by
bcg
on 21 March 2008
in Church and Life
. 1 Comment

I was rather shocked on Sunday morning to hear that one of my Dad's churches has burnt down.  The blaze was so fierce, all that's left are the stone walls.  At its peak, there were fifty fire-fighters trying to bring the fire under control.

Fire destroys Radford Semele church

The fire services are still investigating how the fire started, and haven't yet ruled out arson.

‘Interesting’ Service

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Published
by
bcg
on 2 December 2007
in Church, Life and Theology
. 7 Comments

I went to a service in an Anglican church this morning.

We prayed for the souls of the dead, said that the bread and wine 'will become' Jesus' body and blood, sang the wrong words to In Christ Alone (the 'love' of God was satisfied, not his wrath), proclaimed that the Spirit proceeds only from the Father (in the Nicene creed), and used a eucharistic prayer which mis-quoted Jesus (his blood was shed for 'all', rather than 'many').

I think that most, if not all (including the denial of God's wrath being satisfied) are explicitly against the 39 Articles, and the Book of Common Prayer. In what sense was this an Anglican service, other than that it was taken by an Anglican priest? We have universalism, a denial of substitutionary atonement, and the 'presence' of transubstantiation.

Apparently the problems with the creed and eucharistic prayer were misprints... but what misprints!

Divali in Little India

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Published
by
bcg
on 1 November 2005
in Life
. 0 Comments

Well Susie and I have just returned from our first experience of Divali. We spent the evening in Southall, otherwise known as Little India. It was quite incredible.

As soon as we stepped out of the A Rocha centre the noise was amazing. Firework explosions coming from all around. We walked through the (crazy and ridiculous) traffic, which was almost at gridlock due to people filling a yellow box, down to the railway bridge, which is one of the highest points in Southall. From there we looked out and saw fireworks all over the horizon, literally. Tens of mini firework-displays all over the place, peppering the horizon with colours. The noise was something else.

After we'd stood there for a good half hour we decided we needed a pint, so we went to the pub opposite the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Gurdwara (the largest outside India). Outside the Gurdwara there were countless little candles – and some of them had properly caught fire. There was melted wax everywhere, and a small bonfire.

And then some crazy man brought out a bucket to douse the flames. For those of you who don't know, water and oil fires do not mix. There was a minor explosion as he threw water on the flames. And then he did it TWICE MORE!! I couldn't believe it. Anyway, we left...

..only to find some lads lighting fireworks in a car park, and holding lit roman candles, spurting flames everywhere. People were putting fireworks down on the street and lighting them. We saw one fall over just before it went off, and the firework almost went under a nearby car before exploding. It was crazy.

Apparently it used to be worse, but the police are cracking down. It was certainly quite an experience, to say the least. I've never seen (or heard) so many fireworks all at once, all in the same place. Quite spectacular. And terrifying. Some fireworks exploded about ten metres in front of us at one point – they had gone off in someone's garden, at an angle, and exploded in the middle of the street. At head height.

We survived I'm glad to say, and thoroughly enjoyed the experience, even if some of it was almost unbelievable. (Especially the guy throwing water on an oil fire.)

-bcg-