Hazel Catkins, usually my first indicator of Spring

As a young boy February seemed to me to be a non-month; the excitement of Christmas was a distant memory and the Easter break too far ahead. School then finished at 4pm, so by the time we walked home there was little time to play out. Added to this was the fact that I was brought up near to the biggest railway marshalling yards in Europe. The smoke from the engines and the coal fires of the houses would linger at times producing a dark, grey smog – there was nothing for it but to wait for the long days ahead.

It was not always this way. For our ancestors February heralded the coming of the spring. It was part of a season know as Imbolc (said im -molk) a reference in the old Gaelic to pregnant ewes ready to give birth to their lambs. For some rural communities in Ireland, the 1^st February, St. Brigid’s day, is still traditionally seen as the first day of Spring. The people of the past had many festivals to mark out the circle of the year and some of these have been Christianised and found their way into our Church Calendar. Imbolc for example is our Candlemas, Samhain (Winter) our All Saints.

I find the idea of the circle of the year to be inspiring. God said in the book of Genesis, “While the earth remains, seed-time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.” Sadly, today most of us live in towns and cities and have, to some extent, lost touch of God’s creation of which we are a part. We have lost the rhythm of the seasons with different fruits and vegetables being available throughout the year. How I remember the rush to the greengrocers when we had fresh peas rather than the tinned variety!

Willow Buds

As I grow older I have come to believe we would be spiritually better off if we made reconnection with that creation, so I am going to make a suggestion. This month, if you are able, get out to the park or take a walk along the loop line that runs through our parish. Take notice of what you see around you and offer up a quick thanksgiving to God for his goodness and his creation which he has given you to enjoy. If you want to take things further here is a little exercise I recommend whilst you are out.

Face West – the direction of the setting sun. Take a couple of deep breaths and be still. Observe the remains of fallen leaves, the dead branches of trees and all that belongs to last year. If there is anything that troubles you, anything that burdens you ask God to remove it. Then imagine it blowing away with the remains of those leaves. Take another moment to pause and thank God he has removed whatever troubled you far away.

Face East – the direction of the rising sun. Again take a couple of deep breaths and be still. This time become aware of new life – the small buds on the branches, the birds singing soon to find a mate, the lengthening days. This time ask God to breath into you his new life which he offers to all freely. Ask him to be with you in the year ahead. Remain quite a moment longer to thank God for his gift of nature free for you to enjoy.

Finally, go home resolving to be more aware of all that God has to offer, whatever the season- Oh, and make a nice cup of tea!

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! (Genesis 1:31)

Liverpool Anglican Cathedral

I spent Saturday at the Liverpool Anglican Cathedral for my second quiet day on the run, last week being at Pennant Malangell.

Our day was split up into times of teaching and times of quite. Two of the quite times where meditative walks. The third walk was on my way from the Cathedral into Liverpool City Centre.

The first walk was a guided meditation round the Cathedral itself looking at some of the features and thinking how they may relate to God. There were hundreds of tourist in every nook and cranny of that large building but what struck me we the way in which all visitors are forbidden to get neat to the high altar. Now I know this is normal for most churches that are open to the public and I understand the reason why, but at that moment the image seemed to be a metaphor  for much more – it was if we were saying to people “this is as far as you are coming to God and no further.”

The day was warm and sunny and yet in the Cathedral it was cool and dark. As I looked at the towering thick walls I couldn’t help but think that what we had created was a mausoleum for God – a place where he could dwell safe from the evils of the outside, being protected by the thick, fortress-like walls.

My second walk  could not have been a bigger contrast. This time I walked in St. James’ Garden, a one time burial ground for the rich and important of Liverpool. Here the sun shone, the birds sang and the wild-flowers bloomed. People were walking about or sitting enjoying the day and suddenly I realised that this place of death was in fact a place of life. It seemed here God was near in a way that he had been missing from the inside.

The final walk was into town and on into the main shopping area. Recession of not people were scurrying here and there with shopping bags or sitting outside the multitude of bars that now grace our town. In the main pedestrian walk a solitary man stud with his placard inviting people to repent. In his hand was a bunch of tracts which nobody took.  Where as God in this situation?

The truth is God was there in all of my walks, what changed was my perception of his presence.  The question is: how how do we get others to perceive the presence of God in whatever path he may choose them to walk. 

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

The Allerton Oak

The Allerton Oak is said to be over 1000 years old and the place where the ancient Court for the area met.

It is precious but precarious. Propped up and fenced off it is kept going by advice from a host of experts including Kew Gardens. How much longer it survives no one can be sure.

Oak Sapling

Signs of new life. A new Oak that with care will live in a world remarkably different from that of Allerton.

Important as the old oak is its time is limited. We need to be planting new – not just one but many – in those areas in which they will do the most good.

As Christians do we spend too much of our time defending the old and not enough nurturing the new?

Whenever I mention St. Francis I usually get the response “Oh, he is the one with the animals.” True there are many stories of Francis and animals, but there are lots about other Saints too. It my be that you have come here thinking more about Ecology,  after all Francis has been made Patron Saint of Ecology – I hope somebody has told him! Whatever your reason for visiting it is true to say that Francis was interested in the world around him and that included the animals and the environment, but that is not to say he was an environmentalist as we would know it today. He was not a vegetarian and he certainly did not go round trying to save the planet, the truth is he was more concerned with saving souls from hell.

Francis lived in a world that was changing. The feudal system was breaking down; townsfolk were fighting their Lords and even each other. The Church was amassing wealth at an alarming rate alienating itself from the ordinary people in the process. Francis was involved in all of these things.

That is the real challenge for Franciscans today. We are concerned for the environment not becuase of Francis but because, like him, we hate to see God’s creation abused. We are concerned about the wars which surround us and bring in their wake poverty and famine. We are concerned about a Church that is pulling itself apart and spending its time ‘navel gazing, while out in the real world there are those that desperately need both our support and the knowledge of Christ we can offer.

OK, I may well mention animals from time to time; I will certainly mention the environment, but forgive me if I tend to concentrate on peace, social justice and encouraging people on their Christian walk – I think that is what Francis would want me to do.