Month: September 2020

Janet made it to the seaside! 215 miles, spaced out over a few years, and she’s walked the transpennine trail. Well done her! And lunchman (I) have had some fun too.

The new testament readings from Sundays lectionary are both about living in community. Call me ambitious, but I’d like to think we could model ‘living in community’ for everybody. But boy is there a long way to go…. (1) because ‘there is no such thing as society’ and (2) community life among Christians remains as deeply dysfunctional as it was in the first century.

Harvesting today by the railway path near Hull. Hard work for those doing it, but no doubt glad it’s been possible at all this year. There can be a time when, for all our plans, nature has the final say.

Living God, we pray for people
whose livelihoods are precarious,

for farmers depending on the weather,
for workers on zero hours contracts.
God give security, hope and fair treatment.

Walking into Hull today, with some disruptions – to Janet because of network rail’s flood response, and to both of us because of flood defence works near the retail park. Plenty to see, old and new. Alarming to see so many pieces of damage to the fence on the A63 and this by the path…

Then later we went on a supplementary drive in the direction of Spurn Point. No wonder my then twenty year old mother thought that this place and the others she was sent to with anti-aircraft teams were the ends of the earth.

Back to the flat lands for some more walking on the east end of transpennine trail. Varied walk in in many ways, mostly with a muted palette, except for this…

Saw Babette’s Feast yesterday thanks to streaming. Really liked the film. Not that I’m yet convinced about quails. Also note that food, not necessarily expensive, plays a big part in the gospels.

A momentary surge of joy this morning when I saw that certain papers were missing from the newsagents. Then I realised that what Extinction Rebellion had done was an attack on democracy. You have to play fair, even with those who don’t.

The water coming off the hills yesterday was brown and peaty (it usually is, to some degree). When I was young I used to drink water out of the hillside streams from time to time. AFAIK it did me no great harm. If it did, it was probably safer and certainly less antisocial than traditional young men’s pursuits like driving too fast or drinking oneself into unconsciousness. But you never know exactly what’s upstream – a dead sheep, or an impromptu sock laundry maybe.

Decent morning for a walk today.

As the water, in its taste or colour,
bears the mark of where it has been,
so we too bear the ‘baggage’ or our past.
Loving God, forgive our wrongs,
heal our wounds,
help us come to terms with deep trauma,
and bring us, just as we are,
with our histories, our hopes and our fears,
into the fullness of what we could be.

No walk today yet. It was raining, but now starting to clear up. I’ve high hopes of getting started once the veg have arrived.

“What about the vegetables, Mrs Thatcher?”
“Oh, they’ll have what I’m having.”
Thank you, Fluck and Law – voices from the past.

The Lectionary on Sunday includes a secondary OT reading from Ezekiel about the consequences of not speaking out. Harsh words for people like me who are not happy with the things some people are doing, but say (or do) very little about it.

I used to be patriotic (no really, I did), but get less patriotic every time my Prime Minister opens his mouth. In any case, I reckon real patriotism consists of treating your fellow-citizens* right.

The sun is just starting to peep out from time to time. It’s still good to see, even if it was predicted.

* ‘Fellow-citizen’ – anyone who shares the physical space of these islands.

When Paul writes to the Romans (Sunday’s Lectionary), he writes about love. Simples. No need for complicated laws, just love one another. But it’s hard to do. When we’re torn apart by anger or bitterness, it’s hard to do. It can also be more complicated than we realise. What really is for the best in a complicated situation? We just may need help – from each other and the Spirit of God.

Nevertheless, love!

Small walk this morning near the hospital. A beautiful early autumn morning.

And then a visit to the Co-op

Conflict or co-operation?
War or peace?
I think I know where I stand – but these decisions aren’t always easy, and may God give wisdom to everyone who has to make them.