Why the 2007 Prodigal Son never got far...

A sister's tale...

"I am Rachel, one of Ben's many sisters. You may have heard of my brother Ben... Or Benjamin, to give him his Sabbath name.

He was always flighty, when he got the chance, but he didn't often get the chance because, with Father, he and Samuel had to do all the work. And there's a lot of work to do...

I often wished I could have helped, as I'm good with the animals, but apart from feeding up the orphaned lambs until they were big enough to go in with the rest, it isn't fitting for us women to do the work - or so Father says. And Mother would never disagree with him. So Ben and Sam never have a minute to themselves - and Mother's always complaining that she never sees Father...

So we weren't surprised when Ben decided he'd had enough. Mother was furious that Father not only let him go, but gave him money too... But like she always says - no-one ever listens to her! She spent days trying to talk him out of going, but he was adamant, saying he'd end up like Samuel, grey before his time, if he didn't leave now.

We never found out where he went or what happened to him there... All I know is that while he was gone Mother worried; Father sat with a dark cloud over his head; and Samuel worked his fingers to the bone. His mood got darker and darker, as Father withdrew and Mother fretted. We sisters worried that he'd leave us too and then who would be left to work the farm once Father got too old. Not that he was doing anything now - just staring into space...

On that day...

On that day Father was watching, as he always did. We had become so used to him standing on the brow of the hill - looking out for Ben - that we didn't even notice anymore. Only Sam commented, saying he was letting the farm go to wrack and ruin, caring more about Ben than about the livestock or the crops.

Then suddenly Father's voice rang through the house - "He has come!"

Mother ran through the house, gathering us up and filling the kitchen with cooking smells and chatter. "Where has he been?" "What has happened to him?" "Why has he returned?" "What will happen to the farm now?"

Well I gather you know all about the party we had - and if you don't I'm sure you can imagine...

But Sam wouldn't come in.

He was so angry he could hardly speak.

And now, who knows what will happen?

Will it be Sam who leaves this time?

How will Ben fit back into the family?

How can we sisters ever feel secure again?"

(Luke 15: 11-32)

A vision at breakfast?

Last week I attended a clergy breakfast for the first time, as part of my placement.


Quite a large group of clergy met to share porage, pancakes, bacon, sausages and lots of juice and tea at 8am! I found it amazing and enlightening to hear colleagues from Roman Catholic, Anglican, Church of Scotland, United Reform, Methodist churches (that's all I am sure were there - there may have been more) sharing not just their food but their lives and their ministries. They talked about groups using their buildings - shared good practice and concerns, they talked about events in their diaries and committed to working together, and they shared prayer together.



Not once did the issues that divide their churches raise their ugly heads...



They greeted me, along with my announcement that I was from MCC, warmly, without a flicker of the "political" concerns that I have met in so many church circles...



I had a vision at that moment...



To have just such a meeting, with my colleagues in Belfast, once we begin our work there...

Native American Wisdom

From my cyber friend James Michael:

The following was sent to me by Kim, connected to the MCC in Topeka, Kansas:

There was an Indian Chief who had four sons.
He wanted his sons to learn not tojudge things too quickly.
So he sent them each on a quest, in turn,
to go andlook at a pear tree that was a great distance away.
The first son went in the winter, the second in the spring,
the third in summer, and the youngest son in the fall.
When they had all gone and come back, he called them together to describe what they had seen. The first son said that the tree was ugly, bent, and twisted.
The second son said no it was covered with green buds and full of promise.
The third son disagreed;
he said it was laden with blossoms that smelled so sweet and looked so beautiful,
it was the most graceful thing he had ever seen.
The last son disagreed with all of them;
he said it was ripe and drooping with fruit, full of life and fulfillment.

The man then explained to his sons that they were all right,
because they had each seen but only one season in the tree's life.
He told them that you cannot judge a tree, or a person, by only one season,
and that the essence of who they are and the pleasure, joy, and love that come from that life can only be measured at the end, when all the seasons are up.
If you give up when it's winter, you will miss the promise of your spring,
thebeauty of your summer, fulfillment of your fall.

Moral: Don't let the pain of one season destroy the joy of all the rest.
Don't judge life by one difficult season.
Live Simply.
Love Generously.
Care Deeply.
Speak Kindly.
Leave the Rest to God.

Happiness keeps You Sweet,
Trials keep You Strong,
Sorrows keep You Human,
Failures keep You Humble,
Success keeps You Glowing,
But Only God keeps You Going!

Wisdom 2,23 & 3,1-3

God made us imperishable;
God made us in the image of God's own nature.
The souls of the virtuous are in the hands of God,
no torment shall ever touch them.
In the eyes of the unwise they did appear to die,
their going looked like a disaster,
their leaving us, like annihilation;

but they are in peace.

Some of the words I was looking for on the death of Ron...

May you have been greeted by choirs of angels.
May you rest where Lazarus is poor no longer.
May you be gathered to the bosom of Abraham.
May you have eternal rest.

Eternal rest grant unto my loved ones, O Lord,
and to the souls of the faithful departed.
Let perpetual light shine upon them.
May they rest in peace.

Our Father?...

When the apostles asked Jesus, “Teach us to pray,” he taught them the ‘Our Father’.
That is the beginning for all of us.
One teacher’s advice on learning to pray was, “Say the Lord’s Prayer, and take an hour to say it.”
There is no word or phrase in it which does not repay if you mine it for meaning, and savour it. Even the opening word ‘Our’ - not just my father, for I share you with the human race.
What does it mean to call God our Father/Mother/Parent/Lover...?
Is there anyone whom I felt uneasy to claim as a sister or brother?
Take the prayer slowly, breathing slowly as you relish it and are led into its depths.
It sets the scene: each of us as a temple of the Holy Spirit reaching out to the Father through his son.
Many of you who read this have gone beyond words to a sort of quiet presence.
When Jean Vianney, the Curé of Ars, noticed an old peasant sitting for hours in his church, he asked him what he was doing.
“I look at the good God and the good God looks at me.”
That old man was well on his way.

Taken from this week's Sacred Space prayers - with one line added!!

Heaven and Hell

I have struggeld for words since I found out that John, one of my dearest friends, lost his partner to a long illness, on Tuesday night.

I have no concerns for Ron: he was very ill, very unhappy in his life and while I do not claim to know exactly where he has gone, I am convinced he is better off there than he was here...

But John...?

Ron may have been released from suffering into Heaven, but I know John is suffering his own hell at the moment, and so are we, to a lesser extent, who love him, and hate to see him hurting...

We held a prayer group especially yesterday, and unusually for us as a group, there were very few words. I like to think we just held John, and Ron, in the light. I know we wept, and we prayed for a little of that light for ourselves, I think.

Maybe sometimes words would only get in the way, and while I long to see John and give him a hug, I have no words that could possibly seem anything but trite... Maybe it's the same with our prayers - sometimes words would be inadequate and we just need to sit with God and let Her do Her work...

Emergency Telephone Numbers
These are more effective than 999
When -
You are sad, phone John 14
You have sinned, phone Psalm 51
You are facing danger, phone Psalm 91
People have failed you, phone Psalm 27
It feels as though God is far from you, phone Psalm 139
Your faith needs stimulation, phone Hebrews 11
You are alone and scared, phone Psalm 23
You are worried, phone Matthew 8:19-34
You are hurt and critical, phone 1 Corinthians 13
You wonder about Christianity, phone 2 Corinthians 5:15-18
You feel like an outcast, phone Romans 8:31-39
You are seeking peace, phone Matthew 11:25-30
It feels as if the world is bigger than God, phone Psalm 90
You need Christ like insurance, phone Romans 8:1-30
You are leaving home for a trip, phone Psalm 121
You are praying for yourself, phone Psalm 87
You require courage for a task, phone Joshua 1
Inflation's and investments are hogging your thoughts, phone Mark 10:17-31
You are depressive, phone Psalm 27
Your bank account is empty, phone Psalm 37
You lose faith in mankind, phone 1 Corinthians 13
It looks like people are unfriendly, phone John 15
You are losing hope, phone Psalm 126
You feel the world is small compared to you, phone Psalm 19
You want to carry fruit, phone John 15
Paul's secret for happiness, phone Colossians 3:12-17
With big opportunity/discovery, phone Isaiah 55
To get along with other people, phone Romans 12

ALTERNATE NUMBERS
For dealing with fear, call Psalm 47
For security, call Psalm 121:3
For assurance, call Mark 8:35
For reassurance, call Psalm 145:18
ALL THESE NUMBERS MAY BE PHONED DIRECTLY.
NO OPERATOR ASSISTANCE IS NECESSARY.
ALL LINES TO HEAVEN ARE AVAILABLE 24 HOURS A DAY.
FEED YOUR FAITH, AND DOUBT WILL STARVE TO DEATH.