Sabbatical Report

There are 2 copies of the report for anyone who might be interested. The longer report can be viewed at

http://docs.google.com/Doc?id=dmw43qs_1gbtxwv

and the shorter version which simply gives details of some of the quotes from Peterson's 3 books on Spiritual theology can be found at:

http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=dmw43qs_5z8sb8j&hl=en

Hope this might be of some interest.

Day 85

The sabbatical period is almost over. Officially I will be back in the pulpit on Sunday, but have started to prepare for this and the services throughout Advent.

Our final 'sabbatical' weekend was spent at home( only the second weekend we have been at home since the beginning of September). On Saturday we attended the annual St Andrew's day dinner of the Harrogate St Andrew's Society and on Sunday we went to the annual St Andrew's day service at St Paul's URC.

At the dinner we were entertained by an exiled Scot who now lives in Hertfordshire. He sang some familiar Scottish songs and in his speech reminded us of a particular Scottish phrase which uses two positives to make a negative - "Aye right". A wonderful little phrase which can be used very effectively with the right tone of voice.

Another Scottish phrase can be used to describe the return to normal, everyday life after the sabbatical period. During this week it is back 'to auld claes and porridge' for me.

Day 81

No blogs for quite few days after our visit to Scotland at the weekend. We had a good time with the family and Annette enjoyed meeting cousins she hadn't seen for over 30 years. Such was the 'cousinly' conversation and showing of family photographs that the time sped past and before we knew it we were being reminded that the restaurant was about to close at midnight. It is the first time I have been thrown out of a restaurant at closing time!

Over the past few days I have continued to work on some writing up of what I have been reading.

Here are a few of the quotes from the three Eugene Peterson books -

“Spiritual Theology is about living the Christian life. It is not some text or technique or programme and is about God and not us.”

“The doctrine of the Trinity is vital because it prevents us from reducing God to what we can understand or need at any one time. We are in the presence of the One who is both before us and beyond us. We need to listen and wait. Trinity is a steady call and invitation to participate in the energetically active life of God.”

“Community is vital but is often difficult.” Peterson uses the example of the Israelites on the journey following the Exodus and suggests ‘getting saved was easy, becoming a community was much more difficult’.

Faith is not an explanation, it is a passion

In describing the experience of Isaiah in the Temple the author reminds us that “ 'holy, holy, holy' is not Christian needlepoint - holiness is dangerous, exhilarating.”

“The holy is not that which we can market or produce or control on our terms. We, like Isaiah (and Moses and John on Patmos) can only respond.”

“Jesus, who in abridged form is quite popular with the non-church crowd, was not anti-institutional. Jesus said "Follow me," and then regularly led his followers into the two primary religious institutional structures of his day: the syna­gogue and the temple. Neither institution was without its inadequa­cies, faults, and failures.”

“a spirituality that has no institutional structures or support very soon becomes self indulgent and subjective and one generational.”

Sadly - International football has not brought much joy to north and south of the border over the past few days!

Day 75

The last few days have been taken up with a number of church things that needed to be dealt with. But I have also continued to listen to lectures given by Eugene Peterson at Regent College, Vancouver. He gave his lecture series the title 'Soulcraft' and expands on what this means by a study of Paul's letter to the Ephesians. Each lecture lasts just over 90 minutes and he expresses much to ponder over. He reminds us that the 'church is not a utopia but a workshop' and he emphasizes again and again the importance of the Christian community to which we belong which, of course, is clearly part of the message of Ephesians. It is an interesting exercise to read through this short letter of Paul and note the importance the apostle places on the Christian community and our part with it.

But more of that when I can sort out the notes I have taken so far. Just one more lecture to go.

Later today Annette and I will he heading up to Scotland to visit family and take part in a family reunion with members of Annette's wider family, some of whom she has not seen for over 30 years.

I am sorry to be missing the prayer vigil at church being organised by our young people as part of a Tearfund initiative. I hope they will be well supported through the 24 hour period from 7pm tonight.

No blogging for a few days now.

Day 72

Back to blogging after a lovely week's holiday in Shropshire. Annette and I had a small holiday cottage on a farm at Clee Hill with lovely views overlooking the town of Ludlow. We enjoyed seeing something of the area and also managed a couple of not too strenuous walks in the Mortimer Forrest.
The weekend was spent at Stourbridge with the family and included a visit to Cadbury's World which we enjoyed( and not just for the chocolate) and also to the Walsall illuminations.
The beginning of this week has really been spent on a mixture of church things which needed to be picked up. Tomorrow the Liaison Group meets following the decision of West Park URC and ourselves to accept the Declaration of Intent. Now we have the task of working out the details of how such an ecumenical project would work.
Tomorrow I must also get back into the sabbatical studies.

Day 60

At the moment I am listening to a series of lectures given at Regent College by Eugene Peterson on the subject of ‘Spiritual Formation’. He bases the lectures on Paul’s letter to the Ephesians.

He is clear that our Christianity is about LIVING the Christian life and he suggests that sometimes we show more zeal and enthusiasm about becoming Christian or about doing Christian things than about living the Christian life day after day in the setting of our everyday, ordinary lives. As I have already noted from his books about Spiritual Theology, Peterson gives continual emphasis to the fact that Spiritual formation is about God and not simply about ourselves. It is our opening ourselves to what God is doing and has done. .Spiritual formation is about the whole of life and cannot be pinned down to a programme or a particular set of actions. To use words from Ephesians 4 - it is to walk worthily of the life to which we are called.

Peterson sees the first half of Ephesians as having to do with ‘calling’ while the second half has to do with ‘walking’. The context of our lives as Christians is Word, Work, World, Worship - and in this context we live as God’s people.

Peterson notes that Paul begins his letter to the Ephesians by giving thanks for them. This doesn’t mean they had no problems or were a ‘perfect’ group of people. The Church at Ephesus was the same as every other church - made up of sinful people. Peterson makes the point that so often we only look at what is wrong and try and fix it. He suggests that it is easier to live in relationship with problems than with health - I will need to ponder that one.

But I am sure we all know people who seem more interested in what is wrong with others and themselves than with what is right. There must be a balance to be had in this. We know too that it is often easier (and, if we are honest, sometimes more congenial) to point out faults and failings rather than begin by giving thanks for what is good.

Something good is surely the recent fact that a group of 138 Muslim leaders from around the world and across the various denominations of Islam have come together to reach out to Christians through a statement entitled - "A common word between us and you." A recent email from the Sojourners organisation included this link to a short article about this by Brian Maclaren -

http://blog.beliefnet.com/godspolitics/2007/10/a-word-of-hope-between-us-and.html

I think that is enough for today’s musings. Any comments will be gratefully and thankfully received.

After the last blog, I will refrain from mentioning football results from north of the border - suffice to say I am smiling today about more than one result.