“Neighbours from Hell”

“Neighbours from Hell” is the title of a popular television programme which reports on disputes between neighbours, some of which have been going on for many years, and all of which are the source of anger and resentment between the parties involved, and the cause of much pain and distress – why is such a programme so popular?

An important theme in the teachings of Jesus is that of forgiveness and mercy. These are basic attitudes that every Christian must put into practice. Apart from the command to love one another there is no greater obligation placed on a Christian. But, in some of the circumstances of everyday living, forgiveness is more often talked about than put into practice. It is difficult to forgive. It is demanding, and it can take a great deal out of us. Within families and among neighbours incidents can get blown up out of all proportion; we can become so embittered by injuries and wrong-doings that we may find it impossible to forgive … by our own strength alone.

Jesus teaches us to put all our human affairs into a proper perspective and to put our trust in him. In the light of eternity and the shortness of our life span, harbouring anger and resentment is pointless. What comes over clearly in the Gospel is that our ability to forgive others is a measure of the depth of our Christianity. The forgiveness that we offer makes it possible for us to receive God’s forgiveness and to pray in a meaningful way “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.

In the actual circumstances of daily living we are rarely put to the test of forgiveness in matters that are truly painful or emotionally crippling. But, aware of the loving forgiveness of God and his generous mercy shown to all who turn to him, when those times do occur we must be ready to place the situations we face into God’s hands in trust, for, if we are to be true channels of God’s love, then Jesus’s teaching and example must be the standard by which we measure our lives and shape our own conduct.

Heavenly Father,

look with compassion on our failings,

deliver us from hardness of heart

and grant that we may always be ready to forgive injuries

and heal divisions

in the strength of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

 With my love and prayers

Chris Hardwick

Tavistock Parish Church – “The Way Ahead”

Plans are being made to hold a buffet supper at the Town Hall in Tavistock on Friday 14^th July at 6.30 pm to celebrate the life of St Eustachius’ Church and to look at how we can continue to develop our work in the town and the wider community in the years ahead. The event is called “The Way Ahead” and will be an opportunity to look at our future together, our financial situation, our plans to celebrate our 700^th Anniversary during 2018, and our hopes and aspirations beyond that. The evening will include entertainment and guest speakers.

There are many ways in which we invest our time, energy and resources to witness to our community. Steeped in history, St Eustachius’ Church provides a peaceful, sacred space for all who live in the community, the surrounding areas, and to visitors. It is a major focal point for the town, and a place where many people can, and do, go to find a quiet place in a world which, from time to time, may seem a place of confusion or anxiety. We all benefit from having a beautiful and well-kept Church at the heart of Tavistock.

St Eustachius’ Church is not only a place of for worship, prayer, pastoral care and heritage, but also a centre of musical excellence, and a venue for concerts and other events. Tavistock Church hosts everything from choral and orchestral concerts, to the Tavistock Music and Arts Festival, and the highly successful annual Friends’ Christmas Tree Festival, to highlight only a few events which take place during the year. More recently the Tavistock Heritage Festival and the Tavistock Passion have been wonderful events which have drawn many people to the Town.

Please come and enjoy the evening with us. For catering purposes the evening is ticketed. You are welcome to apply for a ticket at The Parish Office, 5A Plymouth Road, Tavistock or telephone on 01822 616673. You will be welcome. Please do come.

With my love and prayers

Christopher Hardwick     

Vicar

Risen, Ascended, and Glorified

The commissioning and sending out of the apostles, and the promise to them of the gift of the Holy Spirit, are Jesus’s words to those who follow him: “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judaea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8).  Then, St Luke describes Jesus’s Ascension as a physical event.  It is comparable to the Ascension of Elijah (2 Kings 2:9).  Elisha witnesses the Ascension of his master, Elijah, having been promised a double share of his master’s spirit. Similarly, the disciples look on as Jesus is taken and they receive the Holy Spirit from him at Pentecost.

The Book of Acts forms a kind of bridge between the Gospels and Epistles. It describes the way in which the Christian message spreads from the rural Palestinian world of Jesus to the largely urban world of Paul later in epistles, and then throughout the Roman Empire. Whereas the Gospels focus on Jesus, the Book of Acts may be said to focus on people talking about Jesus.

This spreading of the Good News about Jesus is possible because of the Ascension of Jesus and the subsequent gift of the Holy Spirit to his followers. His followers are inspired by the Spirit of God to spread Good News about the Son of God: “And you will be my witnesses”. And they were amazing witnesses, witnessing “to the ends of the earth” and passing the task and privilege of sharing the faith on to those who came after them.

We, in our term, are all called to be witnesses. Let us recall the words of the Service of Confirmation: “Let your Holy Spirit rest upon them” and: “Let their delight be in the fear of the Lord” … “God has called you by name and made you his own”. As the first disciples were called and then sent out, so are we. Called by name, and called for a purpose. Called not only to be people who talk about Jesus, but also called to be people who live lives that point to Jesus.

With my love and prayers this Ascensiontide,

Chris Hardwick

A Meditation for Holy Week – “And It Was Night”

 It was night

the horizon

swallowed

the sun

It was night

Rainbows

turned grey –

painters wept

It was night

the moon

showed

her fickle face

It was night

thieves took

joy

from that place

Stars strayed

far away –

and someone

slept

“And It Was Night” A poem by Victoria Field based on John 13.21-32

The theology of glorification, the glorification of the Son of God, is the central theme of the second half of St John’s Gospel from where tonight’s reading comes.  For John, Jesus’s final story begins with a supper – not a Passover supper as the synoptic tradition understood, but with a supper preceding the Passover.  Jesus is alone with his chosen disciples, including Judas.  Jesus knew that his hour had come.  The powers of darkness were closing in – Satan had already put it into Judas’s heart to deliver Jesus up to the authorities.  And Jesus – knowing that his Father had put everything into his hands, and that his story, which began with the Father, would end with his return to the Father – sets in train a series of events that would lead to the cross and to his glorification.  For us, of course – from our perspective, there is a paradox – we see betrayal and injustice that will lead to persecution, suffering and death.

Victoria, in her poem which speaks of sun and moon, light and dark, day and night, places this paradox before us.  Matthew, Mark and Luke in their gospels mainly make a contrast between two ages – between this age, and the age to come.  John however, in his Gospel, makes a contrast between two worlds – the world above and the world below: “You are from below, I am from above; you are of this world, I am not of this world” (Jn 8.23).  It is into this world, which stands in contrast to the world above, that Jesus comes to be light (Jn 11.9).  This world is the realm of darkness, and Jesus is himself the light (Jn 8.12).  The sun rises in the sky, as if to show itself to us in all its brightness and freshness – “What was come into being was life”, John records at the beginning of his Gospel, “and the life was the light of all people” (Jn 1.3b-4). And Victoria writes: “It was night – the horizon swallowed the sun; it was night, rainbows turned grey – painters wept.  The moon showed her fickle face, thieves took joy from that place” – “and it was night” (Jn 13.30).

Why did John include this one seemingly insignificant detail? “And it was night” (Jn 13.30).  The darkness of night shows us the contrast between Jesus, the light of the world, and the powers of darkness.  Throughout that night, and throughout the days that follow, it appears that darkness has triumphed over the light.  Judas leads a group of soldiers and betrays Jesus with a kiss.  Jesus is arrested, brought to trial, and finally brutally beaten and nailed to a cross to die.  When Jesus’s dead body is laid in the tomb and the grave is sealed, darkness does indeed conquer the light.  There is no glorification here.  All hope would be gone if it were not for the reminder that comes from the opening verses of John’s gospel: “The light shines in the darkness and the darkness did not overcome it”. (Jn 1.5)

During Holy Week we are presented with the reality of darkness.  It is the reality of human betrayal.  In spite of the fact that light has come into the world, human-beings love darkness rather than light. Those for whom Jesus had been born refuse to come to the light because their deeds were evil.  In John’s Gospel the crowing evil is hatred of the light – unbelief in Jesus.

Jesus’s opening words, recorded by John, deeply penetrate our being – they expose the weakness of our nature: “Truly, truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me” (Jn 13.21).  In the darkness of this moment, to whom does Jesus speak?  It is far too easy for us to glance knowingly at Judas – to point the finger at him and away from ourselves – for this is the story not only of personal betrayal, but of human betrayal – betrayal by humankind: “It was night, thieves took joy from that place” – and then Victoria exposes the raw truth of the moment: “stars strayed far away – and someone slept”.

Who really betrayed Jesus that night? Who was it that strayed? And who was it that slept?  Mark records that they all began to be sorrowful and began to say to Jesus “Is it I?” (Mk 14.19).  In our sorrow at the unfolding of the events of Jesus’s Passion, we have to ask the same question “Is it I?”

“Stars strayed far away and someone slept”.  We are brought face to face with the reality of human betrayal.  Judas goes about his business and it was night.  He goes out into the night – not only into the physical night where the rays of the physical sun could not penetrate, but also, away from Jesus’s presence – into that spiritual night where the light of the true sun did not shine.

“And someone slept”.  Where was the blind man who had received his sight? Where was the lame man who had been healed?  Or the sick Gentile boy who had been made well? Where were the hungry who had been fed, the lepers who had been cleansed, and the deaf who could now hear? And where were Jairus’s daughter, and the widow’s son, and Lazarus, all of whom Jesus had raised from the dead?

“Stars strayed far away and someone slept” … “Is it I?”  We are brought face to face with the reality of human betrayal.  We are brought face to face with our own vulnerability and weakness.  God’s Son is betrayed, and someone slept.

Candlemas

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple

Luke 2.22-40: When the time came for their purification according to the law of Moses, Mary and Joseph brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, ‘Every firstborn male shall be designated as holy to the Lord’), and they offered a sacrifice according to what is stated in the law of the Lord, ‘a pair of turtle-doves or two young pigeons. ‘Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; this man was righteous and devout, looking forward to the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit rested on him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah. Guided by the Spirit, Simeon came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him what was customary under the law, Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying, ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’ And the child’s father and mother were amazed at what was being said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to his mother Mary,’This child is destined for the falling and the rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be opposed so that the inner thoughts of many will be revealed – and a sword will pierce your own soul too.’ There was also a prophet, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshipped there with fasting and prayer night and day. At that moment she came, and began to praise God and to speak about the child to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. When they had finished everything required by the law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth. The child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favour of God was upon him.

The Calendar and Lectionary of the Church keeps the 2nd February as Candlemas (also known as “The Presentation of Christ in the Temple”). The Feast of Candlemas is not an optional extra, but the natural climax after forty days, of the Christmas/Epiphany season. It is a celebration rich in meaning. The revelation of the child Jesus in the Temple, greeted by Simeon and Anna, calls for our rejoicing. Simeon’s words are prophetic: He speaks of the “falling and rising of many”, and of “the sword that will pierce”. By speaking in this way, Simeon points towards Easter, and Jesus’ suffering.

Coming at the very end of the Christmas celebration and with Lent very close (Ash Wednesday is the 5th March), Simeon’s words make Candlemas a kind of pivot in the Christian year. On the 2nd February we take one last look at Christmas – yes, God became incarnate, he came to us as one of us. The word was seen among us – God took human form. And at Candlemas we celebrate the time when Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the temple in Jerusalem to give thanks for his birth. The child was greeted by Simeon and Anna who thanked God for what they had seen. It’s a wonderful story, and Simeon and Anna are marvellous characters. Physically, they are nearing the end of their lives. The world in which they live is narrow and limited, and yet they have a sense of vision and a depth of understanding not shared by their contemporaries. They are radical in their thinking. What Simeon says about the baby must have sounded absurd, even shocking, to the people of the day. How could this baby from an obscure carpenter’s home be a “light to lighten the gentiles”? Simeon proclaims that Jesus would be a light to all people, a light to the whole world, Jew and gentile alike.

What was it that made Simeon so happy in the temple? What did he hold in his arms that day? Simply a child, a baby not fully matured. A baby that would grow and develop to be the saviour of all, the new Adam. This is what the people of Israel had been promised, and this is what has been given to each of us. Rowan Williams, writing some years ago, succinctly summed up the significance of Christ’s presentation in the temple with these words: “Simeon the priest, when he had received Christ in his arms so that he might present him to God, understood when he saw him, that he was not offering Christ, but was himself being offered”.

Today, the promise that, through Christ we may be presented and raised up to God, remains the hope of all Christians.

With my love and prayers                                             Chris Hardwick