A survey carried out by Tesco mobile amongst 4,000 people puts the iPhone in the top ten of the most important inventions ever launched. Yes, that’s all inventions ever!  The iPhone came in at No.8 and  the Internet, Computers and Telephones at 4, 5 and 6.  Things we in the West find essential like painkillers and flushing toilets were way down.

Now I take such surveys with the proverbial ‘pinch of salt’, but what is interesting is that the iPhone was the only brand name to be mentioned. The silly thing is one could hardly call the iPhone an invention, it is simply another incarnation of something that was already around. 

I am not singling out the iPhone for criticism but it seems to me that it represents a perfect example of advertising combined with the mass hysteria of consumerism making people feel that this is the one thing that I have to possess – something that will change my life for good. So, every year the faithful wait expectantly for their saviour, Steve Jobs, to announce the latest incarnation of his device and millions flock to the stores to buy this ‘must have’ product.

For someone like me a smartphone is a Godsend. Being dyslexic means I have something in my pocket that can keep me organised and on track, but would I place it in a list as one of the most important inventions ever? I think not. Surely important inventions are the ones that have the potential to benefit all of humankind and not the few who can make it down to the nearest Apple Store or wherever.

But there is some good news on our list – at least the wheel made it to No.1

St. Mary de Crypt, Gloucester

Last Week Gill and I decided to take a short break in Gloucestershire. On the Friday we visited Gloucester itself and, like dutiful tourists, we visited the Cathedral. Now Gloucester Cathedral is a grand mix of Norman and Gothic architecture,the burial place of kings and has its marvellous monastic cloisters still intact: they are so good they have become part of Hogwarts! However, as we so often find, it is not these grand places that tend to speak to me but those which are smaller and which we often stumble on more by accident than design. One such place was St Mary de Crypt right in the middle of  what is now the main shopping area of the City.

We were fortunate to find St Mary’s open as like many City Centre Churches it is struggling to survive. Built on a more ancient site the present church dates from the 15^th Century and is typical of many built in that period. But the Church is not just buildings – it is people and here St Mary’s has some claim to fame. It was at St Mary’s that George Whitefield  preached his first sermon after he was ordained and the pulpit he used is still in used today. Whitefield’s name along with that of John Wesley has become synonymous with  the 18^th Century Evangelical Revival which undoubtedly changed the course of English history. Whitefield, like so many great men was banned by the Church of England from preaching in its pulpits and so preached in the open air. The same year that Whitefield preached his first sermon a child was baptised at St Mary’s and later attended its Grammar School – that child was Robert Raikes.

Many people credit Raikes as being the founder of the Sunday School movement. Now when we say Sunday School we should not think of what we have today, these were much different. They were designed to give poorer children, many of whom worked long hours in factories and fields, the chance to learn the Three R’s. In an age when educations was only for those with money, this was revolutionary. – Not a bad heritage to have as a church. -but back to our short break.

On the Saturday we visited Cheltenham. Travelling in by bus from the Park and Ride we were deposited outside of some very expensive shops. As we walked along we moved from the expensive into what I would call the ‘everyday’ – shops we would find in most town centres. Further walking brought us into a word of charity and pound shops. One end of the town could not be more different from the other.

We then moved on to Cirencester. Again we entered on end of the town and a quick look in the estate agents window revealed property selling in the region of £1.8 million. At the other end of the town stood a Big Issue seller and outside of the convenience store a man sat begging. This got me thinking – here was a situation that both Whitefield and Raikes would have recognised. And the more I thought the more I realised that the similarities went far deeper.

The 18^th Century was at the end of a long decline in religious values that had begun with the fall of the Commonwealth and the restitution of the Monarchy. People threw off the shackles of Puritanism and became more an more hedonistic in outlook.

There was a rise in ‘folk’ religion and practice

The Established Church had lost direction and was failing to meet many of the Spiritual needs of ordinary people.

In the 21^st Century we see ourselves in a similar position. We too are at the end of a long decline in religious values that reached their zenith in the mid Victorian period. People first reacted to the strict moral standards and prudishness of century before the coming of the First World War that swept away many certainties. Once again we have the cult of the individual and hedonistic lifestyles to rival that of our 18^th Century counterparts.

We too have seen a rise in ‘folk’ religion that is often a ‘pick and mix’ of many different beliefs. Witness the roadside shrines that are popping up everywhere.

Once again the Established Church seems to have lost direction. There is a watering down of the Gospel to fit in with what we think people want to hear. (See readings for today) In many quarters there is a lack of commitment to God and his message and a morbid fascination of trying to ‘get one over’ on those with whom we fail to agree.

18^th Century society saw a breakdown in old certainties. The Age of Reason was upon us which called into question long held belief. There was revolution in France and a real fear the Reign of Terror could spread to England, this lead to brutal oppression of any who challenged the social order.

Britain’s rise as a world power lead to a widening of the gap between rich and poor and the social divide was more and more based on personal wealth rather than class alone.

These are situations not to dissimilar to what is happening today.

Any cursory glance at Church History will show that it is not really the Church as an Institution that changes things – it is individuals, people like Whitefield and Raikes .As Christians we are called upon to bring about the Kingdom of God; often we see that calling as the building up of the Church and that is where we put our best efforts; but the Kingdom of God is not the Church. The Church has its role in the feeding and building up of those  who, with God’s aid will bring about the Kingdom but the truth is the Kingdom of God exists wherever God’s will is done.

At a meeting I recently attended we were shown pictures and asked to divide them into sacred and secular. Going to Church, attending prayer meeting were deemed spiritual but going to the pub, supermarket or chatting in the street were seen as secular. The thing is it does not work like that Jesus saw chatting round a table at a party or encountering people in the street just as important as attending the synagogue or the temple. Whitefield did his best work when he was denied access to the pulpits of the Church and started preaching outside in the places where people naturally congregated. Raikes went out of the Church and into the poorer areas to find children for his schools. Often his greatest opposition came from those inside the Church, not those outside.

There are 168 hours in a week, what percentage of them do we spend at Church? 1% – 2% and how many percent do we spend with work colleges, friends and neighbours? 30% -40% ? It is in that 30-40% that we can do our best work for the Kingdom, but we can only do it if we stop making an artificial divide between things ‘religious’ and things ’secular.’

Here is something which was emailed to me this week a little exercise that may help us

Notice the next person you see.

Are they familiar to you or a stranger?
What impression do they give?

You are looking at an image of God.

Jesus became an ordinary person, one of us. There was nothing in his appearance that made him stand out.

What if instead of a Jewish man 2000 years ago, God had decided to come as that person?

What if God does want to meet with you in that person.

What if God wants to meet them in you?

Today’s society is at one of its low points.

There is a need for the kingdom of God to be active more than ever.

God works through individuals, often outside of the Church.

God wants to use you

I’m not Whitefield or Raikes I here you say – God has not called me to great things

But God works also through the small things. I am here this morning because back in 1996 a young Jewish Girl said just six words that were to bring me up sharp and change the direction of my life. That is how the Kingdom works – in myriads of small things happening every day.

The Quakers have a saying:- All of life is a sacrament. This morning we will treat the Sacrament of the Eucharist with great respect -will we treat whatever we do 9am tomorrow the same?

George Whitetfield

Robert Raikes

James Jones, Bishop of Livrpool

The Bishop of Liverpool, The Rt Reverend James Jones has used his presidential address to the March synod of the Diocese of Liverpool to call for Anglicans to “accept the diversity of ethical convictions” in the debate on sexual ethics so that “we will let nothing deflect us from mission”

Read the full address here

So we need to be vigilant and keep up the pressure. It’s not done yet and the clock still goes on ticking. So keep on beating the drum and ringing the bells to get the message across.

Not Done Yet Web Page

It seems to have more in sympathy with King Herod than that of the shepherd and angels.

Blessing of the Gifts

The inspiration for the modern day Father Christmas – St Nicholas of Myra, was turned away at the gate of the Yarl’s Wood Immigration Removal Centre in Bedfordshire when he tried to deliver gifts to the children locked up inside.

Jolly Old St Nick brought with him £300 worth of gifts donated by several London churches for the estimated 35 children currently detained. Dressed in a red robe, long white beard, and a bishop’s mitre and crook, and accompanied by Rev’d Professor Nicholas Sagovsky, Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey, they hoped to spread some St Nicholastide cheer among the children of migrants detained for administrative purposes at Yarl’s Wood.

The atmosphere became rather less jolly when the Home Office authorities who run Yarl’s Wood refused permission for St Nicholas to enter the Centre to distribute the gifts to the children. Despite the authorities having agreed to accept the gifts, St Nicholas was met at the gates by a group of unidentified security guards who barred his entry and ordered him to leave the area. They later called the police as St Nicholas blessed the gifts. The gifts were loaded into an unmarked van by staff who refused to provide a name, number or receipt for the gifts. St Nicholas asked one “guard” his name and the man said “write down ‘Father Christmas’”.

St Nick said, “If this is how visitors are treated, I just shudder to imagine what else transpires inside Yarl’s Wood.” While police questioned the St Nicholas team, taxis and delivery lorries made their way in and out of the place with many smiling and stopping to greet the Saint and his companions.

In the afternoon, when St Nicholas returned to make a pre-arranged and approved social visit to two families currently detained, they were informed at the gates that their visit had been cancelled. They were handed letters from Dawn Elaine, the Contracts Manager at Yarl’s Wood, informing them that permission had been revoked because of “concerns about your conduct” when the gifts had been deposited that morning.

The action was organised by the St Nicholas Society and CITIZENS for Sanctuary. The St Nicholas Society exists to increase interest, learning, and appreciation of the tradition of St Nicholas, whose festival falls on December 6th. St Nicholas has previously brought joy to children across the world, including in the USA and Palestine. CITIZENS for Sanctuary is a campaign by CITIZENS UK to implement the recommendations of the Independent Asylum Commission – one of which was to end the detention of children.

CITIZENS for Sanctuary has formed a coalition of 13 national faith organisations representing 7 million people to promote a Sanctuary Pledge at the 2010 General Election. Prospective Parliamentary Candidates across the country will be asked to back the Sanctuary Pledge, which includes a commitment to end the detention of children and families for immigration purposes.

St Nicholas said:
“St Nick has never been turned away from anywhere before. So I was extremely disappointed not be able to hand deliver the gifts to the children detained at Yarl’s Wood today. I hope the kids realize that they will be firmly in my prayers on St Nicholas Day when I preach at the Royal Naval College chapel in Greenwich.”

Canon Professor Nicholas Sagovsky said:
“This was about bringing a moment of joy to kids locked up in a deplorable situation. I can’t help but contrast the smiles and wonderment on the faces of the children that St Nicholas visited at a local primary school this afternoon, with the sad fate of those kids who will be locked up in Yarl’s Wood over Christmas. People of goodwill must make sure that their prospective MPs sign the Sanctuary Pledge at the next election so that next St Nicholas’s Day there will no longer be innocent children detained here at Yarl’s Wood.”

You can watch videos of the event here and here.

The details may from the U.S. but we in the U.K. are no different when it comes to Advent and Christmas.

From my Franciscan perspective it ticks all the right boxes.

Advent Conspiracy Website

Once again it seems that freedom of speech and information is being denied.

The following is taken from today’s Spectator.

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British Press Banned from Reporting Parliament.

This time, perhaps even the lawyers have gone too far. It’s hard to recall, even in the long history of appalling gagging orders, a more disgraceful injunction than this:

The Guardian has been prevented from reporting parliamentary proceedings on legal grounds which appear to call into question privileges guaranteeing free speech established under the 1688 Bill of Rights.

Today’s published Commons order papers contain a question to be answered by a minister later this week. The Guardian is prevented from identifying the MP who has asked the question, what the question is, which minister might answer it, or where the question is to be found.

The Guardian is also forbidden from telling its readers why the paper is prevented – for the first time in memory – from reporting parliament. Legal obstacles, which cannot be identified, involve proceedings, which cannot be mentioned, on behalf of a client who must remain secret.

The only fact the Guardian can report is that the case involves the London solicitors Carter-Ruck, who specialise in suing the media for clients, who include individuals or global corporations.

Remarkable, even by the appalling standards of our libel laws and addled judiciary. This appears to be the question in, er, question:

From Parliament.uk, “Questions for Oral or Written Answer beginning on Tuesday 13 October 2009?

(292409)
61
N Paul Farrelly (Newcastle-under-Lyme): To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of legislation to protect (a) whistleblowers and (b) press freedom following the injunctions obtained in the High Court by (i) Barclays and Freshfields solicitors on 19 March 2009 on the publication of internal Barclays reports documenting alleged tax avoidance schemes and (ii) Trafigura and Carter-Ruck solicitors on 11 September 2009 on the publication of the Minton report on the alleged dumping of toxic waste in the Ivory Coast, commissioned by Trafigura.

And this is a report on how the oil company Trafigura tried to cover up pollution in Africa.

This country’s libel laws have been a disgrace for years and one can only hope that egregious abuses of an already abusive system persuades folk that, dash it, something must be done.

—————————————–

I rarely speak on politics but I for one have just about had it with this government. OK, this particular incident is not all their fault but they have created the situation where it can arise. – Just look at the unecessary secrecy surrounding so much that goes on.

Thankfully, we have the internet and the likes of Twitter. We also have journalists that seek out the truth and I am sure that gagging order or not the truth will come out.  – After all, they did try to hush up their expenses.

Just sometimes I feel Cromwell said it for all of us.

Oliver Cromwell Speech – Dissolution of the Long Parliament

Dissolution of the Long Parliament by Oliver Cromwell given to the House of Commons, 20 April 1653

It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.

Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter’d your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?

Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil’d this sacred place, and turn’d the Lord’s temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress’d, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.

Update 13th October 13:10 BST

After a massive campaign on Twitter and other social media the gagging order will now not go ahead.

There is a petition on the No10 website to get the Governemnt to act so this never happens again. http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/PressFreedom/  Sign it Today! 

Brian Patten

On Sunday just past I returned to my old childhood stomping ground. I am Chaplain to the Picton Scout Association and it was the annual parade for St. George. Inevitably, I met up with some people from my past and we spent a little time reminiscing about our time both in the Scouts and our old school. 

I was one of those people who never did any good in exams (especially the 11 plus) and so ended up at a Secondary Modern School. It was the best thing to happen to me because there I came under the influence of my English teacher, Mr.Sutcliffe.

Harry (Eric) was a larger than life character who gave to me a love of books and a love of music, both which are with me to this day. Even more important, he helped me to develop an enquiring mind and the sense that life was an adventure provided you were prepared to take risks. All of this seems a million miles away from the modern trend to wrap children in cotton wool.

Everyone seemed to love ‘Sooty’, as he was called. When a retirement  reunion was held ex-pupils travelled from all over the UK  just to attend.

One of  Sooty’s pupils was the Liverpool Poet, Brian Patten, who was a year ahead of me. I’m sure Brian would be the first to admit that his love of writing could be traced back to those days in Mr. Sutcliffe’s class.

When he was about to leave school at 15 there was a visit from the Careers Service. It seems that each boy got a good couple of minutes to discuss their future. Brian said he wanted to be a writer. “You can’t do that”, said the advisor, “You have not got any exams.” Well Brian went on to be a Journalist and later a poet, but the experience of those few minutes stayed with him and prompted him to write this poem. It is particularly apt as we enter the exam season.

When I was a child I sat an exam.
The test was so simple
There was no way I could fail.

Q1. Describe the taste of the moon.

It tastes like Creation I wrote,
it has the flavour of starlight.

Q2. What colour is Love?

Love is the colour of the water a man
lost in the desert finds, I wrote.

Q3. Why do snowflakes melt?

I wrote, they melt because they fall
onto the warm tongue of God.

There were other questions.
They were as simple.

I described the grief of Adam when he was expelled from Eden.
I wrote down the exact weight of an elephant’s dream.

Yet today, many years later,
For my living I sweep the streets
or clean out the toilets of the fat hotels.

Why? Because I constantly failed my exams.
Why? Well, let me set a test.
Q1. How large is a child’s imagination?
Q2. How shallow is the soul of the Minister for Exams?

(Matthew 18:23-35)

“For this reason the kingdom of heaven cannot be compared to a Government who wished to settle accounts with the Banks . When they began the reckoning, one who owed  hundreds  of billions of pounds was brought to forward; and, as they  could not pay, the Government ordered them to be sold, together with all their possessions, and payment to be made. So the Bank bosses fell on their knees before them, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you everything.’ And out of pity for them, Government  released them and forgave them the debt. But that same Bank as they went out, came upon a poor pensioners who needed a cheque for £11; and seizing him by the throat, they said, ‘Pay me another £20 for the privilege. ‘ Then pensioner fell down and pleaded with them  ‘Have patience with me, and I will pay you.’ But they refused and debited his account . When others saw what had happened, they were greatly distressed, and they went and reported to the Government all that had taken place. Then the Government summoned the bank and said , ‘You have to be commercially viable!  You have done nothing wrong

True Story.

In the words of Cromwell “I was not angry until now.”