GadgetVicar

Holy Week 2011

On Thursday I got to wash feet and have mine washed too. It's always humbling and this year has been no exception. Normally it's been a woman who offers (unbidden) to wash my feet - this year a man quickly offered, just at the point when I thought I might get away with not having my mine done. Gordon Cheung and Johnny McClue meanwhile were doing the same thing on Channel 4. We followed that eucharist with an excellent and full Passover meal. It was a long night...

Good Friday brought the Labyrinth, a kind of multi-sensory twelve stations of the cross. It never fails to move me, especially the sound of nails being driven into the cross, while one is either yet to reach that point in the journey, or has moved forward to the tomb: the Cross echoes around like that. In the afternoon, there was time for some space. Amazingly, Crossraguel Abbey had no other visitors, the sun was hot, the swallows were doing acrobatics overhead and it was a perfect place for some contemplation of what God has done in Christ.

Today is waiting, preparing and visiting. Tomorrow brings resurrection with me helping out with the service at Drumchapel first thing, followed by the Together service at St Silas' (Balloon release and lamb for lunch!), then Holy Communion in the evening. 

Snow Consequence

It begins to look like the new hall might not be completed until the New Year. The internals will be done by the end of the week, but the external walls and ramp can't be done because of all the white stuff. That might make getting a building control completion certificate a bit tricky. As one of the builders suggested to me last week, 'Mebbe the Big Guy disnae want ye tae huv the hall fur Chrismus?'. Some interesting theology to work through there, I think.

It's possible that we'll be in a situation of looking at, but not being able to actually use, the almost finished building. Will we be frustrated? Absolutely not. We've waited more than ten years for this. Another month or two won't hurt us......

The Eternal Living - Courtesy of Armstrong & Miller

REV.

Now that it's finished, 'GadgetVicarage' will offer his reflections on BBC 2's comedy series about an inner London vicar.

The good things: I think it was a fair take on much of the nature of church ministry. The pressures of time, loneliness, leadership, temptation, jealousy and a disconnected hierarchy all rang bells. The vicar's marriage and the pressures it faced also rang true.

Many of the pastoral situations were also familiar. People wanting to get married, then never seeing them again. When the man came to the door begging for a train fair to get to Southend, GVBOY said, 'This is your life!' I can't tell you how many times I've taken people to the bus or train station, only to have them disappear when they realised that they weren't getting cash-in-hand. The anger at people's abuse when he told the workmen where to go in the first episode had me laughing. The poignancy of the last scene, where he was present as someone died, was a great reminder of the privilege that ordained ministry is.

However, I felt it was all so unremittingly dark. Adam Smallbone had no friends in the congregation. His lay reader was a pain and the cassock-chasing lady was a nightmare. I know that was for comic effect, but surely there could have been someone in the parish that cared for him and his wife with no strings attached and colleagues who could support him? He only seemed to have fun when he was smashed (as in the last episode - mind you, the drunken dancing was fun), and he drank an awful lot. Again that might reflect some reality somewhere, but surely not in most churches? Evangelicals were portrayed as power-hungry and uncaring for the poor (a caricature that is definitely not fair). As for the Church, well, it simply made for such a poor advert. Why would anyone want to come to such a sad institution? Lastly, Adam just seemed lost. Why was he doing this job? He didn't know why he believed or even what he believed. His prayer life consisted of rigid conformity in saying the daily office, or praying arrow prayers in the loo or on the street. There was no sense of people rallying around him and praying, and it made me grateful that I get to minister in a church like the one I do.

The reality is a lot more positive and fun than Rev. makes it out to be.

Scottish Prayers For The World Cup

The bishop of Croydon has written some prayers for the World Cup.

How about these for Scottish soccer fans?

Forgive us for failing (again). We'll really try to do better, but can't promise anything.

God who is always on the side of the depressed and defenceless, can we please have a go next time?

O, Lord, please let anyone but England win, for we are their neighbours and have to live with them.

Grant to our spouses unfailing patience as we watch the games, and may they supply us with an abundant supply of nibbles and liquid refreshment. Forgive them their inability to appreciate the beautiful game which you have created, and stop up their mouths from moaning about there being nothing else on the telly.

Wonders of The Solar System

I had a quiet evening in last night and was so tired I fancied a relaxing no-brainer kind of entertainment, so ended up watching the box (or should that now be panel?). It turned out to be a stimulating geek fest with The Sky at Night (on "Is there life on other worlds?" - I'm a sucker for that), followed by Horizon on the subject of dark flow. Both were fascinating programmes.

The highlight was earlier on in the evening - Professor Brian Cox presents Wonders of the Solar System, the BBC's latest HD-fest that looks at what it says on the tin. I'd love his job! The only word to describe the programme is stunning. The youthful Cox explains and enthuses, the visuals are beautiful, and the music fits gloriously. See the first episode about the Sun on iPlayer. Take a look, and give thanks to the wonder-full Creator:

Glee

Lots of laughter at the meeting of our Prayer Response Team tonight. I could have sworn that the intro to one of the songs we used in worship was "We Will Rock You" by Queen. The little group I was in never got round to praying for each other as we were too busy getting to know each other, which was part of the aim for the evening. We ended with Holy Communion and prayer for the staff. Much appreciated. We're beginning to feel our way forward in this area of ministry, with a sense of things developing well. Sunday morning will see us offering prayer for everyone in the congregation, in what is beginning to look and feel like something special.

Rounded off a busy few days by watching "Glee" (or as GV Bro describes it, "Let's do the show right here").  Tonight we discovered that Sue Sylvester has a soft side. Amazing! I really don't understand how one of my friends, who is a lover of all things cheesy, doesn't like "Glee".  It's clever, funny, and at times, uplifting. There's prejudice, jealousy and anger. There's also lots about loyalty, joy and creativity.  It is very watchable.

It all takes me back to my own youthful days of treading the boards......maybe we should start a Glee Club at church?

And lastly: Little Boots @ Glasto

Tenori-on and Stylophone! Electro-poptastic.

Also at Glasto: Neil Young - Rockin' in the Free World

It never ends but is quite wonderful - you have to love all that distortion and feedback.

Flo @ Glasto

Flo @ Glasto. Whadya think?