Earth’s crammed with Heaven

For our monthly 6pm evening services that we run in Billingsley over Spring and Summer we have a theme of travel and exploration. Last month, Sue Bates our church treasurer, told us of a recent trip she made to Antarctica; next Sunday (9th July), Caroline Johns, assistant editor of one of our local parish magazines will be telling us about three trips that she has made. In a month’s time, I will be talking about my trips to the Hebrides. In all of these, a common theme will be finding something that speaks to us and nourishes us in the natural world, whether or not we consider that we have a religious faith.

In the 19th century, Elizabeth Barrett Browning wrote a long poem, “Aurora Leigh”; one of its main themes is that division between the natural or physical world and what I would call the spiritual is a false one.

“Without the spiritual, observe,
The natural’s impossible;—no form,
No motion! Without sensuous, spiritual
Is inappreciable;—no beauty or power!”

A few lines later, she picks up a scene from the Book of Exodus, where Moses stumbles on God, “Holy ground”, in a burning bush and is commanded to remove his shoes, for he is standing on ground that is hallowed by God.

“Earth’s crammed with heaven,
And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees, takes off his shoes;
The rest sit round it, and pluck blackberries,
And daub their natural faces unaware
More and more, from the first similitude.”

Our speakers, in their own way, are reflecting on how they find “heaven” (however they understand that) in the common bushes they have observed in their travels. But of course, Browning’s point is that we do not need to go far from our own door to see the same thing, if only we have eyes.

Rev David Poyner

Honesty

Ethics and standards, especially in public life have been much in the news this week as Parliament debated the report on the conduct of our former Prime Minister, Boris Johnson. In the United States, former President Donald Trump has legal difficulties of his own. People will form their own judgements on these individuals, but much of the concern relates to trust; how can we have faith in leaders if they allegedly lie and mislead us? There seems to be an argument that the end justifies the means; provided leaders deliver prosperity and security, does it matter if they mislead and twist the truth? Politics is the art of the possible. all leaders manipulate the news so why get worked up about it?

I am aware that we all manage information to suit our own purposes; we sometimes deal with sensitive situations where we may need to decide what is the least-bad way forward. It is not always wise to be completely transparent in these situations. But when we are in these situations, we need to recognise the difficult course we are navigating. What disturbs me is when some individuals appear to become so comfortable with ignoring the truth that they simply do not recognise they are on a very dangerous path. Not only are they dishonest with others, they become dishonest with themselves. in the Judaeo-Christian tradition there is a simple word for this lack of self-awareness ; “sin”.

Rev David Poyner

Father’s Day

This Sunday will be Father’s Day. Dad never seemed greatly concerned about this, but I always bought him a card and he was pleased, if a little surprised, to get it. Mum was never impressed with the idea of Father’s Day; for her it was just something that card makers had invented to increase their sales. She did have something of a point; does anyone remember “Grandparent’s Day”, which really was a piece of marketing by the greeting card companies. Oddly enough she did not feel the same way about Mothering Sunday, although in fairness that was a day with much more ancient roots, albeit reinvented in the 20th century both by society and, in rare piece of successful opportunism, by the church.

Despite it’s purely secular roots, many churches will be saying prayers for fathers this Sunday; thanks for past or present relationships, or where appropriate, for healing or closure on fractured relationships. I have really only good memories of my Dad and for that I am very grateful. However, I am still haunted by the words of a young man I met whilst I was training, a resident of a local YMCA and held captive by drug addiction. He had a young son but was in despair; “You try and be a good father, a good example, and you can’t”.

For what is good, we thank you loving Father; for what is not, Lord in your mercy hear our cry.

Rev David Poyner