Just a beginner

Just a beginner

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Given the topic of my post yesterday, and the things that are on my mind at the moment, I smiled on reading today's Morning Bell text message. This week Ian Adams is reflecting on Martin Laird's book on contemplative prayer, Into The Silent Land (DLT 2006). The message this morning was:

morning bell: 'become comfortable with the sense of always being a beginner' [Martin Laird] Nurture - and enjoy - being a beginner today ...

How do you pray?

How do you pray?

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For the last 10 years or so I have prayed, almost daily, using a prayer book. I started out by using the Daily Office SSF, the prayer book of the Anglican Franciscan communities; then I tried Common Worship: Daily Prayer, first when it was trialled and then when it was eventually released; then I tried the Catholic Divine Office, or breviary, in its three expensive volumes and in its shorter Morning and Evening version. I have also used the Book of Common Prayer from time to time, both in its original form and in that which is included in Common Worship. All these different prayer books have helped me at different times to keep a discipline of daily prayer and to provide the words for me to say or read. But is this prayer?

During the last two years of ministerial training I have encountered all sorts of ways and methods of praying, from Quaker-style periods of silence to hands in the air, pop concert-like shenanigans. I have walked around labyrinths in silent contemplation and I've swayed to endless choruses with the help of Powerpoint. But is this prayer?

As an ordinand (one training for ordained ministry) I have to meet a 'mentor' within my diocese from time to time. We talk about how things are going, both on the training course and within parish church life. My mentor is an evangelical priest and he has never used a prayer book for his daily prayer. He will read a passage of Scripture, usually making his way slowly through a Gospel or Epistle, and then use that reading as a base or prompt for his own free prayer. That is how he prays every day. I have always been impressed with how easily he prays. At the end of each meeting he will pray for me, and using free prayer he will gather up all that we have been talking about and offer it to God.

I wonder whether my use of prayer books, which I read, have had an inhibiting effect upon my own ability to use free prayer. I am aware that within groups of people some are more comfortable with free prayer than others, and I wonder how much of that is to do with personality types and how much is to do with the long practice of reading set prayers.

The English theologian John Owen, who was ejected from the Church of England in 1662, along with hundreds of other priests, for refusing to use the Book of Common Prayer, has written at length about prayer.

He contends that written liturgical prayer can have a negative effect on real prayer. 'Having utterly lost the Spirit of grace and supplications, neglecting best of all his aids and assistances, and being void of all experience in their minds of the power and efficacy of prayer by virtue of them, they found it necessary by these means to set off and recommend their dead forms.'

He writes that written prayers 'will appease a natural conscience; outward forms and representations of things believed will please the fancy, and exercise the imagination; variety, frequent changes of modes, gestures, and postures, with a sort of prayer always beginning and ending, will entertain present thoughts and outward senses, so that men, finding themselves by these means greatly affected, may suppose that they pray very well when they do nothing less: for prayer, consisting in a holy exercise of faith, love, trust, and delight in God, acting themselves in the representation of our wills and desires unto him, through the aid and assistance of the Holy Ghost, may be absent, where all these are most effectually present.'

'No persons, no churches, are obliged, by virtue of any divine constitution, precept, or approved example, to confine themselves, in their public or private worship, unto set or humanly-devised forms of prayer.'

(Works, Vol. 4, p 244-8)

For Owen, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that enables us to pray.

'The Spirit of Christ reveals to us our own wants, that we may reveal them unto him' and that we 'are guided by the Spirit to make requests for those things unto God which it is his will they should desire.' Therefore inspired by the Spirit 'free prayer, unto them who have an ability for it, is more suited to the nature of the duty, and to Scripture commands and examples, than the use of any prescribed forms.'

All this is food for thought for me who is set in his ways of liturgical prayer but who would like to be able to use free prayer more effectively. How do you pray?

John Calvin

John Calvin

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This week marks the 500th anniversary of the birth of the reformer John Calvin. Jean Cauvin (Latinised as Calvinus) was born in Noyon, France, on 10 July 1509. His father wanted him to become a priest so he began his training for the Catholic priesthood in the universities of Paris and Orleans. However, he was greatly inspired the humanists and decided instead to study law at the university in Bourges. In his late teens or early twenties Calvin underwent a conversion experience and he aligned himself with the reformers, who were agitating the Roman Catholic Church for change. Due to the unrest these Protestants were causing many were driven underground and had to flee France.

It was in 1536 that Calvin, now a licensed lawyer, wrote the first edition of the Institutes of the Christian Religion so that 'those who feel some interest in religion might be trained in true godliness.' He included a preface addressed to the King of France in an attempt to show that the protesters were in fact of an orthodox faith. Calvin too eventually had to flee France as he became implicated in the 'heretical' preaching of his friend Nicolas Cop.

On his way to Strasbourg Calvin stopped off in Geneva to see his friend William Farel and reluctantly agreed to stay to help pastor the French exiles. After a year he left for a pastorate in Strasbourg where he stayed for three years. It was here that he began his writing of commentaries which were to eventually cover almost all of the books of the Bible.

In 1541 Calvin was persuaded back to Geneva were he resumed his life of preaching and teaching. He preaching over 2000 sermons during his time in Geneva, as well as continuing to write commentaries and letters.

Geneva at that time had a population of around 10-15,000, which about half that of the present population of Chichester. The city was also under siege for much of the time and frequently ran short of food. It is within this context that Calvin dedicated his life to preaching, writing and pastoring his growing flock. He forced himself to work through various bouts of ill health, until his death in 1564.

I first read Calvin's Institutes in 2001 when the two volumes were recommended to my by a friend. The books are easy to read and the theology is always conveyed with a pastoral heart. Calvin is thoroughly Biblical and frequently refers to the early Church Fathers, especially Augustine. Many of the doctrines, like predestination, which Calvin has become associated with, where in fact already considered orthodox by theologians like Augustine and Thomas Aquinas. I still enjoy reading Calvin and would encourage anyone to read him for themselves. Like many great historical figures the man has become much maligned because of the ideas and actions of those who purport to be his followers. Study Calvin, not Calvinism.

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'Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts; the knowledge of God and of ourselves.' (Inst. 1.1.1)

'We must be persuaded not only that he [God] once formed the world, so he sustains it by his goodness, in particular, rules the human race with justice and judgement, bears with them in mercy, shields them by his protection; but also that not a particle of light, or wisdom, or justice, or power, or rectitude, or genuine truth, will be found, which does not flow from him, and of which he is not the cause; in this way we must learn to expect and ask all things from him, and thankfully ascribe to him whatever we receive.' (Inst. 1.2.1)

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I will post more on Calvin this week but here is a link to an interesting article featured in last Saturday's edition of The Times.

John Henry Newman

John Henry Newman

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The great John Henry Newman was an important contemporary of the main characters of the previous two posts. He was close friends with Henry Wilberforce, the brother of Samuel, but he did not get on at all with Henry Manning. The latter was the great outdoorsman while Newman was the quiet theologian. I read in the Times today that Benedict XVI has given the go ahead for the Beatification of John Henry Newman and that this looks likely to take place next year. This will be a great event for the Church, both Anglican and Roman Catholic. I have been reading Ian Ker's fascinating biography of Newman, which has recently been republished. It is a massive book of 760 + pages and is very well written. The Times online also has a copy of Newman's obituary, which was published on August 12, 1890, the day after his death. That too is an interesting read.

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'I went to sleep; and now I am refresh'd

A strange refreshment: for I feel in me

An inexpressive lightness, and a sense

Of freedom, as I were at length myself,

A ne'er had been before. How still it is!'

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(from The Dream of Gerontius)

Graffham Church

Graffham Church, Sussex

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Due to the fact that Lavington Church has now become the chapel for Seaford College you have to visit Graffham Church for more details about Wilberforce and Randall. Samuel Wilberforce took part in that famous debate about Darwin's theories with Thomas Huxley in 1860, and as Bishop of Oxford he remained a great friend and supporter of Richard Randall. Wilberforce died from a fall in 1873.

Randall eventually overcame the troubles at Lavington and finished his time in the parish doing splendid work. He left in 1867 to take up the first incumbency at All Saints', Clifton where he again established a form of worship that put into practice many of the Catholic reforms. He was again dogged by controversy and persecution, not least from his Bishop who refused to allow Randall to preach in Bristol Cathedral. This restriction was eventually rescinded in 1889.

In 1891 Randall accepted the title of Dean of Chichester and moved back to Sussex, this time to the cathedral. Here Randall was not entirely happy as he felt that he did not get the support he needed from the chapter clergy. He stayed until 1901 when he retired, first to London and then finally to Bournmouth, where he died in 1906. Dean Randall was at the cutting edge of the Oxford Movement, whose ideas first came into being in ivory campus towers but were then implemented by brave parish clergy. If Dean Randall could visit his churches and cathedral today he would find that virtually all of his reforms were well established and much loved by all who worship there.

A roll of previous rectors at Graffham, including Manning and Randall, is displayed within the church and just outside the front door there is a small monument to commemorate the brave Dean Randall.

Incidentally, Samuel Wilberforce's son, Earnest, became the Bishop of Chichester and in 1902 it was he who consecrated my own parish church, St George's, Whyke.

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Background for these two posts comes from the book A Tractarian at Work: A Memoir of Dean Randall by Briscoe and Mackay (Mowbray 1932).

Lavington Church

Lavington Church, Sussex

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Today I visited a couple of churches to the north of Chichester, which are of particular interest. Lavington Church, near Duncton, is close to Lavington House and Seaford College. In the mid-19th century Lavington House was owned by the Bishop of Oxford, Samuel Wilberforce, and when he was in residence he would worship in this church. The rector of the church had been Dr Manning, who went on to become Archdeacon of Chichester before converting to Rome. He later became Cardinal Manning, the Archbishop of Westminster.

In 1851 Wilberforce appointed a young curate, Richard Randall, to take over as rector at Lavington Church together with the church at Graffham. Randall had been influenced by the Tractarians whilst in Oxford and was in sympathy with many of the ideals of the Oxford Movement. Things ran along nicely for a time, with good pastoral work done around the surrounding farms and villages. But trouble was stirred up by a young curate, Edward Randall, who was no relation. He objected to many of the 'Romish' practices of the rector and sent his concerns to the Bishop of Chichester and the Times newspaper. Randall was accused of elevating the host and the chalice, signing himself with the cross, using a Roman hymnal, teaching the local children about 7 sacraments, wearing vestments and chanting parts of the Eucharist service. These were the heady days of the Catholic revival in the Church of England and Randall was pushing the boundaries. Randall was a pioneer of the type of worship many of us take for granted today but back in 1850s he was repeatedly censured by his Bishop and pilloried by opponents.

Being together

'Church is not primarily an event in which we do something, think something, feel something; it is being together in a situation where we trust God to do something and to change us - whether or not we notice it, let alone fully understand it.'
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Rowan Williams, Ancient Faith, Future Mission (Canterbury Press, 2009)

Carmelite Chapel blaze 4

The burning chapel

(photo from WSFRS)

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The chapel as it used to look

(photo from St Richard's Church)

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These two photos make for an interesting comparison. You can see what the chapel looked like before the nuns left the convent 15 years ago, and you can see what it looked like during last night's fire. It is a great shame.

Carmelite Chapel blaze 3

Convent chapel destroyed

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This was the scene after the fire had got hold of the roof. We had fought the fire from the doorway of the chapel on the left, but falling debris had prevented us from getting into the chapel itself. I felt numb about the tragic loss of a building that was once used by the Carmelite community for their daily services. The nuns left the convent about 15 years ago and the buildings were unoccupied, so it is some blessing that no one was injured in the blaze.

Here is the news report on the BBC News website this morning. Here is a link to the Fire Service website which contains some video footage (scroll down to report added 29th June 01:00am).

I have felt drawn to read about St Therese of Lisieux for a number of years now, and the sermon that I heard yesterday had renewed that intention. So now after this bizarre coincidence, within the space of an hour or so, I think The Story of a Soul should be on my reading list! But for now I need to get some sleep, as it was a long, long night.

Carmelite Chapel blaze 2

Chapel well alight

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My partner and I fought the fire from the entrance to the chapel and this was my view. It was a totally surreal scene, with flames coming from the left and right, and all the while debris was falling from the burning roof above us. The sanctuary of the chapel was burning well and there was just this orange glow that you can see here. One of my colleagues later said that it "looked like hell!" As I knelt there trying to keep the flames back I remembered that my principal had preached about St Therese, the Camelite nun, only an hour or so ago. It was really bizarre.

My partner and I changed our air cylinders and came back for another stint of fire-fighting, and by this time the flames had come forward to where this photo was taken from. In fact, once the flames were overhead we thought it was time to withdraw. Eventually, 2 aerial platforms arrived on the scene and we were able to get some large water jets into the building from above.

Carmelite Chapel blaze 1

Carmelite Convent Chapel

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Last night turned out to be one of the most bizarre night duties I have done in nearly 20 years. At the start of the shift I nipped across to a church which is adjacent to the fire-station to watch the ordination to the priesthood, of a friend of mine. Also attending the service was the principal of my theological training course, and he preached the sermon. In the sermon he expounded the reading of Ephesians 4.7-16, and talked about how we 'grow up' into the image of Christ. He began his sermon by talking about St Therese of Lisieux, a Carmelite nun who died at a tragically early age but left us the fascinating autobiography called The Story of a Soul. I left the service at the 'Peace' and as soon as I got back to the station it started.

We were called to Selsey to a fire that had been seen on the beach, but this turned out to be nothing. On the way back we were sent to a car fire in a nearby village, which we dealt with and handed over to the Police. Then on the way back we noticed a huge plume of smoke in the distance and as we got nearer we could see that it was coming from the old Carmelite Convent. Sure enough we received a priority call to the convent and we were there within seconds. Straight away I could see that the roof of the chapel was already well alight.

Faith at Work

A sign in the world

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This week the conference of the British Medical Council will discuss whether doctors and nurses should be allowed to offer to pray for patients. A group of Christians in the medical professions will argue that faith and prayer have a positive role to play in the provision of health care. On my placement at my local hospital I read reports that supported this important healing aspect of our faith. However, it may also be argued that the offer of spiritual care should fall to the hospital chaplains and their teams of ward visitors. These people will, after all, be trained in the use of various listening and counselling skills, which will aid them in their prayer ministry.

But I think that there is a wider issue here and it is understandable that the secularists/atheists just don't get it. It is the wider issue of how faith has an impact on all areas of our lives, including where and how we work. Yes, any organisation has a duty of care to all of its customers, clients, or in the case of the NHS (and the Fire Service, for that matter) to every person of whatever religion, faith or of none. This goes without saying and there are policies and procedures in place to ensure this is the case. But again there is a wider issue - the Christian person is still a Christian, even at their place of work. Being a Christian is not like joining a secular club, where you can leave your hobby or interest at home, as you head for the office or factory floor. A Christian is a person changed within, as St Paul says 'I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.' (Galatians 2.19,20) It is this conversion, this realignment of your life with the life of Christ, that has a major impact on the way you live the rest of your life. Faith is not like a pair of overalls that you can put on or take off when you go to work, it is the gift of the Spirit of God which you carry in the very core of your being. This is why martyrdom has always been an aspect of the Christian faith. Once you become a Christian, once you have given your life to the Risen Son of God, there are just some things that you can do and say, and some that you can't.

This is what atheists just cannot understand. They see faith as something which you exercise on a Sunday morning, and that you can leave it on the dining room table, like a book, when you dash for the office on Monday morning. But of course you cannot, and neither should you do so, because if our faith is like a garment, only for certain occasions, then it is not really faith at all. The Christian faith, as this country once knew full well, has an impact on every aspect of our lives. If I see the world through a Christian lens and have a heart of compassion for everyone I meet, then I cannot help but pray at work.

The first time I prayed for someone at work came soon after I became a Christian. I was part of a crew of Fire-fighters sent to a car crash which involved a motorcycle. The biker was trapped under the front of the car, which had also dragged him through a thicket hedge. He was face down with his leg bent back the wrong way, his foot up by his shoulder. It seemed to take ages for us to carefully get the heavy rescue vehicle in place so that we could lift the car off him. The air ambulance had landed nearby and we had doctors, paramedics and ambulance technicians all busily working on him. I had seen some bad accidents in my time and this was one of those that didn't look good.

As we drove back to the station in thoughtful silence, I felt the urge to pray for him. This was the first time I had prayed for someone that I did not know but it felt like the right thing for me to do. I had no idea of his own beliefs and he certainly hadn't asked for my prayers but I just offered him up to God, in silent prayer.

Two days later we stopped by the local hospital and a couple of us went in to gingerly ask after the biker's well being, quite expecting to be told the bad news. However, we were shown to a bed in the corner of the ward only to see the young man sat up in bed. He was busy chatting to his young girlfriend. He had broken his leg and was bandaged around his chest, but apart from that he was fine. We shook his hand and chatted to him for a while, and then we left. I walked away from that ward with an extra bounce in my step and offered up a silent "thank you" to God.

As a Christian I cannot help but let my faith have an impact on the way I go about my work. I will talk to people about my faith if they ask me and I will offer my own opinion in any discussion if the opportunity arises. How could it be any other way?

Remember the story of Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who, for refusing to pay homage to the golden statue of King Nebuchadnezzar, were thrown into the fiery furnace (Daniel 3). They trusted in God and he did not let them down. Let us not bow down to the golden image of secularism but let us stand firm and be Christ-like disciples of God, wherever we are.