Category: Thought for the Week

I have just had to check whether or not the Church of England does officially celebrate St Valentine’s Day. We do; hooray! However, it is to commemorate Valentine as a martyr from Roman times, not the patron saints of lovers. The church website offers the following as to how that came about:

“The present-day ‘retail custom’ of sending cards and flowers declaring love only clouds the commemoration and may owe its existence to John Donne [poet and Dean of St Paul’s]. Donne wrote a marriage song for Princess Elizabeth, the daughter of James I who married Frederick V, Elector Palatine on St Valentine’s Day in 1632. His marriage song merged the religious commemoration of Valentine with fertility symbolism. The spring mating rituals of birds and possibly the pagan Lupercalia festival also add flavour to the reasons behind the current celebration of the day. Extract from Saints on Earth: A biographical companion to Common Worship by John H Darch and Stuart K Burns”.

Whilst I am all in favour of historical accuracy, I suspect most people will find more resonance in the association of Valentine with their beloved than the martyr(s) from the time of the Roman Empire. Sometimes there is room for both myth and reality.

Rev David Poyner

Shortly  before Christmas I took a break from carol services to go to Belfast in Northern Ireland; it was hosting a meeting of the British Pharmacological Society and I was going to present some new findings from our research. I grew up in the 1970s, when the news was all of “the troubles”, the feuds between Loyalists and Republicans, conveniently badged as Protestants and Roman Catholics. The violence is now over, but this was my first visit to a place in some ways I knew well from those old broadcasts. I have to say I was very impressed with what I saw. On the journey from the airport to the city, I did see an Irish flag flying in estate in a town on the bus route, but that was the only glimpse of the past. Belfast was a very friendly, vibrant, multi-cultural city; at least in the centre, it seemed to have completely moved on. Of course, in the space of a short visit, I am sure I did not get a complete picture. But I loved the cathedral, that made me so welcome at one of their lunchtime communion services (and which manages with just two full-time clergy, unlike some places…). And I really loved the First Presbyterian Church, a Protestant church, where the guide and caretaker, so enthusiastic about it, is a Roman Catholic. Change can happen, the Kingdom of God does come.

Rev David Poyner

Many years ago, whilst discretely looking through on old Book of Common Prayer during a boring sermon, I discovered that King Charles 1, the one in the Civil War and who was executed by Parliament, was listed as a martyr of the church. I assumed the church had long since  discretely laid this aside. It was only after I had been ordained that I discovered the church still commemorates him, with his festival being the 30th January. There is even a society that holds an annual service to remember him. The website of the Church of England is honest about Charles. “His promotion of High Church practices in an overwhelmingly Calvinist (and increasingly Puritan) Church did not increase his popularity, nor did his use of harsh methods (in both Church and State) to enforce the royal will. And Charles was no statesman. Handicapped by his belief in the ‘divine right of kings’ he stood on his dignity, habitually failed to take the peaceful option, and showed in his public dealings that his word could not be relied upon. Even Archbishop Laud, who had more reason than most to be grateful to him, described Charles as ‘a mild and gracious prince who knew not how to be, or be made, great’.”

So why is he still celebrated? The website continues: “Perhaps sensing that he could do more good in death than he had ever done in life Charles resolved after receiving the death sentence to meet his end in a noble and fearless way ….. Paradoxically, his execution was a triumph which left an enduring legend….”.

Whether or not Charles was really a martyr, perhaps he can be commemorated for showing that whatever may or may not have been achieved in life, a good and Godly death is still possible.

Rev David Poyner

I think I have written before on the “serenity” prayer, attributed to the 20^th century theologian Reinhold Niebuhr but originally popularised by his colleague Winnifred Wyman; “Oh, God, give us courage to change what must be altered, serenity to accept what can not be helped, and insight to know the one from the other”. I find it easier to say and pray it than live it. Anxiety is a normal state of mind; it evolved to help us focus our minds on urgent, perhaps life-saving tasks. However, it can become pathological; the anxiety takes on a life of its own and stops us doing anything. Like depression, it is common, it is no respecter of religious faith but it can usually be treated successfully in individuals. Unfortunately, there also seems to be a form of collective anxiety that is found amongst groups or organisations, which can be harder to deal with. The Church of England seems to be a prime example of this, with what seem to be endless calls for new strategies, particularly in response to falling numbers. Behind these there seems to be the assumption that we are all doing something wrong but this can be corrected by changing the way we do things. Sadly, I think the problems the church and indeed other organisations obsess about are deep-seated and fall into the category of “what cannot be helped”. In the case of the church, I have observed failed initiatives all my life, leading to more anxiety. Perhaps the only response is to try and counter this with as much personal serenity as we can muster; to continue to do the small things that we think are right and make a difference. There is much kindness just in a smile. As a Christian, I leave the rest to God, whose strategy I will never be able to fathom but whose love I trust.

Rev David Poyner

I was somewhat alarmed to see a post with this title on the Facebook page of an old school friend. The “Black Dog” is of course, depression, a reference to how it can seem to come and live with a sufferer. Fortunately it turned out that my friend was not currently struggling this, but he had suffered from it in the past and wanted to increase awareness of it. So far in my life I have been fortunate in that I have only ever had mild depression, in response to particularly stressful life events. This has always passed quickly. However, I have seen many people who have had severe depression. It can be triggered by particular events; the mild depression deepens and will not go away. Sometimes it seems to have no particular cause. Either way, it is always debilitating and potentially life-threatening. A consultant psychiatrist from a major teaching hospital once told me that the only thing he really concentrated on during his lectures to medical students was depression; it was by far the most common mental illness they would encounter and it was also the one where usually they could make a difference by prompt diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Around 1 in 6 adults experience clinical depression; it is more common in women than men and often occurs in people in their 20s and 30s, although there is a peak later in life. Like all illnesses, it is no respecter of religious views; a number of my vicar friends have been treated for it. Fortunately, they recognised the symptoms and got appropriate help from a doctor. So, in line with the wishes of my school friend, I write this to raise awareness of clinical depression, and, if that is your spirituality, to pray for those who are suffering from it, those who are helping them and those researching new treatments.

Rev David Poyner

The quotation, “The kings of the earth rise up” is taken from Psalm 2; it expresses the futility of earthly rulers trying to usurp God in the way they ruled. In many ways, if you want to know the best way of governing a country, the Bible is not much help. Ancient Israel tried various method; rule by kings, rule by priests (from which, deliver us good Lord), rule by an elected champion; we can perhaps add various forms of rule by governors appointed by foreign powers. None stood the test of time. They did not try the modern form of democracy which is now the norm in the West, because it had not been developed in their day. Quite possibly, if it had, they might have been disappointed with its results, unless the states around them had also adapted it.  But if the Bible cannot offer us much wisdom as to the best form of government, it has much to say about what good government should look like. That points to the merciful rule of God, who was celebrated for loving justice and equity, who championed the cause of the powerless against those who misused might. The prophets in the Old Testament roundly condemned those who abused power; in the New Testament, the song of Mary that we call the Magnificat, celebrates a God who humbles the mighty but uplifts the poor. These teaching still apply to any earthly ruler who seeks to rise up in our age.

Rev David Poyner

Happy 9^th Day of Christmas! The Church has always taken a long view of Christmas. Partly this is to do with the way it organises its calendar, it needs something to fill the space between Christmas Day and its next big marker, Epiphany, on January 6^th when we remember the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus. Of course, it allowed for a 12 day Christmas party, a break at the coldest time of the year and it allowed the serious religious types plenty to time to be pious; up to a point. The tail end of Christmas was dominated by what has become known as the feast of fools, when a choir boy was allowed to become Bishop for the day and, according to popular tradition, even the most straight-laced vicar was encouraged to take part in, or be the victim of pranks and jokes. That at least is how the festival is often portrayed and, due to some rearrangements of the calendar in the 18^th century, it may have given us our modern April Fool’s Day. However the truth is  more interesting. When the festival was becoming popular, the word “fool” was also to those who led simple lives, the humble and those at the bottom of the social pyramid. Originally it was the “minor” clergy who were celebrated by being given the positions of honour whilst the bishops and the like would do the menial work. Today, we might think of the “fools” as being the unsung helpers who clean churches (or community buildings), who visit the lonely and the sick, who deal with the all the paperwork that accompanies everyday life. A feast of fools, when we celebrate the overlooked, still has things to teach us.

Rev David Poyner

In recent years, Christmas seems to have got longer. For many people, the holiday lasts a week until 2^nd January. This is the case at the university where I worked, although the extended holiday was driven less by the wish to give staff extra holiday than a desire to save heating and lighting costs across the campus. Those who work in retail have a rather different experience of Chirstmas, as it has become a festival of shopping. As the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” reminds us, there is nothing new in this. From early times, Christmas was celebrated over an extended period; the twelve days are the period from Christmas Day to January 6th, Epiphany, which in the Chirstian calendar marks the visit of the Wise Men to the infant Jesus. For the most part, the twelve days were largely observed as a time for partying and celebration; a welcome break from the dark and cold just after the shortest day on December 21st. There are some important religious days included within the twelve days, some of which act as a reality check to the theme of goodwill and jollity; St Stephen on the 26th, the first Christian to die for his beliefs; Holy Innocents on the 28th, marking the massacre of children that King Herod is said to have carried out in an attempt to kill the infant Jesus. I suspect few apart from vicars really notice these. However, somewhere, between perpetual sack-cloth and ashes and eternal frivolities is a balance in which we should strive to live.

Rev David Poyner

I am in the middle of the round of Christmas carol services. By Christmas Day I will have led 6 services as well as attending another with friends. But this goes with being a vicar. Carols take all forms, ancient and modern, simple and complicated in their message. Some have very little to do with the stories in the Bible about Christmas. But they are sung, often by those who would not consider themselves to be religious. Music can move us in ways that words alone fail to do. The Holy Spirit has  ways of reaching to people that they, I, do not expect. I do not worry too much about the words in carols, I am happy simply that, as they are sung, the Spirit moves.

Rev David Poyner

This coming Sunday is traditionally known as Gaudate Sunday, from the Latin reading that was said before the priest celebrated mass. Gaudate is the Latin word meaning rejoice and the reading was from one of St Paul’s letters; “Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice”. Two weeks before Christmas, it is not always easy to find the time to draw breath, never mind rejoice. This coming week I am off to Belfast for a scientific meeting; back on Thursday, carol service on Friday, then Sunday, then Monday… I am sure it is much worse for all with big families. However, we are really missing something important if we have no time for joy at Christmas. The conventional piety is that we ought to feel gratitude at God’s gift to us of Jesus but I’ve never been very comfortable with that approach; it uses the language of duty and obligation, not of joy and rejoicing. For me, that comes in the words and music of Christmas or the crisp winter days. However it works for you, I pray (yes, really…) that you will experience rejoicing this Christmas.

Rev David Poyner