Simon Says ...

We are celebrating the return of our newly restored pipe organ on Sunday. Two prayers I have written for the event: Christ our King, angels and mortals sing thy praise and trumpet thy victory, we give thee thanks for thy gift of music, for its power to move our spirits and to raise our hearts, for its accompaniment to joy and to lament, and for its witness to thy creativity and life. May we who worship thee here in this place, join our praise with the whole company of heaven and renew our longing for the coming of thy kingdom. We ask this in thy name alone. Amen. O God, whose praise our lips have sung, hear now our prayers: may the melodies we have sung draw us to the message of your Word; may the harmonies we have fashioned deepen our common life in this community, may the rhythm of our praise guide our lives in your service; we ask this through him to whose glory the music of the spheres is played, even Jesus Christ, our Lord and King. Amen.

There is a lot being written at the moment about the proposed Anglican Covenant , not least because it is going to be discussed by the General Synod of the Church of England next week. Whilst not being totally against the idea of a Covenant - I am persuadable that something like it could be helpful - I am skeptical about this Covenant at the present moment. Some reasons: 1. It does not address the real questions. All of the fuss that the Covenant is supposed to help us deal with centers around issues of sexuality. Yet the Covenant does not address this at all. It is an ecclesiological tool to deal with a theological and ethical problem. That has to be some sort of category mistake. The theological and ethical questions will remain, regardless of the ecclesiology. They just won't be addressed. Rather than adding a new layer to the organisation of the Anglican Communion, shouldn't we all start doing some theology? This is not a quick fix, but a slow and painful process.

Christmas in an Hour Simon Taylor explores the parts of Christmas most carol services leave untouched! 7 th December The Stories of Christmas 14 th December The Word made flesh · Tuesday evenings, 8pm – 9.30pm · The Undercroft, St Mary Redcliffe, Bristol. · Entry is free, but a donation to cover costs would be welcomed. Visit virtualtheology.net to download any talk you miss and to find previous series of the Bible in an Hour.

Silence is one of the important elements of my life, especially my spiritual life (whatever that is). So here are some more or less random reflections on why I find silence valuable: Silence is listening carefully and patiently for the voice of God Silence is opening myself to the love, call and judgement of God Silence is the best way of expressing the otherness (the holiness) of God Silence is rooting myself here and now Silence is attention to the present Silence is the prayer of God within me Silence is a pause from the frenetic business of life Silence is being vulnerable Silence is difficult Silence is carving out space for God Silence is waiting to see what will happen Silence sometimes leads me into sleep Silence needs practice Silence is something I need Silence is a discipline Silence means quieting all my agendas, my hopes, fears, wants and stuff Silence is an acknowledgment that I might have some things badly wrong Silence is uncurling Silence is giving up defensiveness Si

The funeral instructions of one of my parishioners include the request for prayers for those who suffer from Parkinson's Disease and those who care for them. This is the prayer that I have written for his funeral. God of mercy, we hold before you all who suffer from Parkinson’s disease. Give them courage in the face of pain and helplessness, hope in the midst of darkness and despair, and trust in your loving care. Bless the work of the Parkinson’s Disease Society and all who care for those with this disease; may their patience and kindness be guided by your healing touch. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, who, for our sake became weak and helpless, that he might bring your healing and salvation to all people. Amen.