Lets talk about death…

Hi folks, This weeks reflection comes from one of my colleagues as a guest blog. John Morley is a lay employee in the Methodist Circuit I work in. His role is to engage with the older generation both pastorally in the churches in the circuit to support the local ministers, and also to work in developing work in the community.  So here we go…

It’s good to be able to offer a discussion subject as a guest contributor on Sunday@thepub.

Woody Allen said “I don’t mind death I just don’t want to be around when it happens” Talk of death still seem to be taboo for many of us today? Why don’t we talk about it more. Are we  afraid of it and if so why?  If we believe that ‘Christ has conquered death’ why are we afraid to think about it. Or is death just a final end and there is nothing much that can be said and we just need to get on with living.

‘We all will die one day. Mortality rates remain at 100 per cent, and nobody among us is getting any younger. Among the Spirit’s many essential movements in our lives is this: to prepare us for the end of our lives, without fear. So many us are afraid to even think about death, much less speak of it. That fear can enslave us and can rob us of so much aliveness. The Spirit moves within us to help us face death with hope, not fear . . .’ – Brian Maclaren.

There is a recent movement of people meeting to talk about death called ‘Death Cafes‘ what do you think about this?

How do we think we should prepare for death.  Have we made any preparations? Can we help others in their preparations? Can we prepare or is death an unknown  we cannot control.

So this week we will be talking about this on Sunday night as we meet. Once again we will be meeting at 7.00 for our litter pick. This week we will meet at the bottom of the ramp below THE GRAND HOTEL to do a clearance from that direction. And then going on to Cullercoats Crescent Club for about 8.00pm. Hope you will be able to join us.

Cheers Rob and John

The closer you look…

Photo taken by Carolyn

I hope you are feeling blessed and inspired today. I know I am! As you are already aware (because I keep mentioning it) we at Sunday@thepub are involved in a weekly litter pick focusing around the coast of North Tyneside.  This last Sunday night we went to Cullercoats Bay. It was once again a lovely evening. The tide was out so we had a huge expanse of beach to comb through. As part of this exercise I’m asking those who join us to pick up and collect bottle tops; our hope is to make and create something out of them!

While we were out on Sunday night it was really interesting to look closely amongst the shale and stones to discover small fragments of glass. So I thought why not pick them up! We could collect them and, like the plastic bottle tops, make something out of them.

What was interesting was to look closely at the sand and see just how many tiny fragments of glass and plastic which were too small even to pick up. There is certainly an issue with how clean we think our beaches are… So much of it is has been bashed about by the sea and sand that it’s so small to even work out what to do with it. So if you do go to the beach… or if you go anywhere PICK UP YOUR RUBBISH! And why not think about taking an extra carrier bag to remove other bits of rubbish you see lying around. Lets be Wombles!

So where is all this going? Well I gave you a clue in the title to this blog but left you hanging! ‘The closer you look’… and the second part of it is this… ‘the more you will find’. I think this could be true for a lot of the things that life throws at us. It’s certainly true for the wonder and beauty of all that we see around us. I think it’s also true for those who call themselves followers of Jesus – the more you look at who Jesus is and what he was about the more intriguing He gets!

I wonder how much we really look? How much do we really take in when we look at the beauty of the earth? How much do we really look in to those things and experiences that come our way? How much do we look into the person of Jesus? How much do we look at other ways of being or to other opinions that differ from our own?

In our modern ‘Googling’ generation it’s easy not to look particularly closely at that which we see and experience as we have instant answers… or opinions…

The experience of looking closely at the sand and seeing the mixture of sand, glass, pebbles, plastic and other tiny bits of rubbish and shell, is that it was actually very beautiful, but you needed to look closely to see it. But also in the midst of that beauty were objects that harm and damage the environment.

Photo taken by Carolyn

It seems to me that we have an opportunity in this world to look at that which is within us and around us whether its nature, theories, science, people we encounter… to look closely and see what else we can discover… for there may be profound beauty… and even the odd bit of rubbish.

This week at Sunday@thepub we will be meeting at 7.00 for our litter pick, we shall meet at the slope leading down to Cullercoats Bay. We will then meet at the Crescent Club from 8.00pm for our usual discussion. I hope to see you there.

At the edge…

Hi folks, this weeks reflection comes out of a conversation I had this last week. Last Sunday saw the first of our litter picks for sunday@thepub. While we were walking and picking up litter, even though it wasn’t to bad we still managed to pick up a fair bit. It struck me and others that the litter was mainly and visibly seen at the edges. The edge of the sea as it lapped on to the shore and then up at the top as it was caught by the fence or bushes.

And so I have been thinking about the ‘edge’. It’s a term I hear a lot, and its a term I hear in many different circles. You may have heard some of them…

‘edge of society’,

‘edge of the church’,

‘edge of the universe’,

‘edge of reason’,

‘don’t stand too close to the edge’

‘lose her edge’

‘Take the edge off’

That kid is taking it right to the edge!’

‘a competitive edge’

‘edge of extinction’

‘At the cutting edge’

‘at the water’s edge’

What is interesting about some of these phrases is whats wrapped up in them, it’s almost a negative and risky image that is being portrayed. So back to the litter pick, with the litter being pushed to the edges it made me think about my own Christian life and that of the church. So much of the history of the Methodist Church was steeped in the tough places, – the edge, where all the litter and the rubbish was blown. Its been great to be involved in things like Street Pastors that try to care and help those who are vulnerable after a night out – it’s the edge. Litter picking isn’t dangerous unless you start finding glass and other such things, but it is the edge. it’s not glamorous, and most folks avoid getting involved. As a result of Sundays litter pick I found myself walking to a meeting on Monday… and I picked up some litter as I walked… I could have filled a bag with rubbish if I had brought one… the litter pick spilled over…

I wonder if ‘part’ of being a follower of Jesus… no in fact I want to say that ‘being’ a follower of Jesus means getting to the edge… Amongst the rubbish and problems and being a presence, picking up the litter, mopping up sick, fighting for the homeless, standing with the poor.

What does the edge look like for you?

Are we all asked to get involved in the work at the edge?

How can you follow Jesus to the edge?

This week we are meeting again at 7.00pm to pick up some more litter and we shall concentrate on Cullercoats bay. so we will meet at the ramp again… once again we will be at the crescent club afterwards from about 8.00pm if you can’t join us for the litter pick.

God bless. Rob

 

God and the beach

Living and working on the coast is just amazing, I can’t imagine living anywhere else now… unless it was somewhere that had a proper summer! Anyway I have been thinking a lot about the beach recently what with the sunday@thepub litter pick in my mind as well as beach art and other connexions.

I was digging about on the internet and reflecting and reading and came across a great little blog which you can see in full here. The interviewer asks Peter Kreeft who is a professor of philosophy in the States, What fascinates us about the sea? There are a few reasons on the blog that are interesting… but what about you?

I suppose for me there is something about its vastness that draws me to look at it and just marvel at its size… its depth… the mystery of it.

Kreeft also talks about something called “ORENDA”. It’s not a word I have come across before, but I like it… the dictionary says this –

a supernatural force believed by the Iroquois Indians to be present, in varying degrees, in all objects or persons, and to be the spiritual force by which human accomplishment is attained or accounted for.

There are obvious connections with what some of us call the Holy Spirit.  That which runs through all things.  Kreeft says the following about this word orenda in his interview which I love!

the spiritual magnetism or electricity in things that draws us and gives us that standstill shock, that catch of the breath. It is the secret ingredient the Creator put into seas, trees, stars and music.

So another question that is asked of Kreeft is this. The vitality the beach provides through seemingly  boring things, the endless rolling in of the waves, long stretches of sand, etc… What do you think this tells us about God? So what do you think?

So as we ponder on this wonderful element of nature it maybe that you have no concept of God, or even if you do, how can something of all that we have thought about here challenge our limited understanding? and maybe ask us some other questions?

So this week we are making a connection with nature and maybe even with God as we begin our month-long activity of litter picking. Meeting this week at 7.00pm on the ramp below St Georges Church in Cullercoats and then moving on to the Crescent club in Cullercoats from about 8.00pm.

I hope you will join us, weather permitting! Cheers Rob