Moved by the music

I love music. Of many different kinds. I hate musical snobbery. I'm not a purist. But I love music.

I love being moved by the power of music. It's one of the things I love about the church. In some places, we have remembered the power of music to move people, and have continued to use it appropriately in church.

Anyway, that's not the point of this post. Thanks to a Facebook post by Maggi Dawn earlier in the week, I came across this song by Sheffield band, Native and the Name. I was stunned. Stopped in my tracks. For me, the experience was reminiscent of the first time I heard Allegri's Miserere sung live, or Saint-Saens organ symphony performed at the Bridgewater in Manchester. It was like discovering the angelic voice of Kate Rusby earlier in the year, or wandering past the Greenbelt Mainstage in the summer and wondering who was making the superb music this time.

With Plain Song, I can't quite work out why I haven't already come across it before. Nick Park's video is beautiful, and it's creation to mark the release of the band's new album, is why it's come to my attention now. Anyway, I've discovered it now, and have followed the various twitter streams and Facebook pages to keep me up to date with the band. I will probably buy the album once we've got past the financial pinch-point of Christmas.

I know musical taste is a subjective thing, and my recommendation doesn't count for much. All I can say is that I like it a lot, so maybe you should give it a listen.

So that's it for procrastination. Back to the books.

Most highly flavoured gravy

The title of the post says something about my irreverent sense of humour! In church this morning, we heard 'Gabriel's Message', one of my favourite advent carols. When we were in Lancaster, we sang it lots, partly because the celebration of Christmas in academic institutions tends to be a little premature for the rousing 'Yea Lord we greet thee...' type carols. So Gabriel's Message became a familiar friend; partly because it's quite easy to sing, even for a thrown-together choir. Most highly flavoured gravy' was the deliberate corruption thrown by a devious director into practices to try and raise a smile from a flagging choir. The risk was always that it might come out in the service we were rehearsing for.

The Church of England captures a range of views about the position of Mary in our religious life as Christians. I've never been persuaded beyond a 'dabble' with the rosary, and I've always been in church settings where Marian devotion is viewed with suspicion. That said, today's readings remind us of the important place of Mary in God's plan, and of her unimaginable trust in God, beautifully rendered later in the first chapter of Luke's gospel.

I don't suppose I'll ever be much more enthusiastic for Marian devotion in my own prayer life, but I'm reminded today of the richness and breadth of our tradition in the C of E.

Christmas is coming, and I have time to write a blog post

Well it's been a while since my last post here. Its been a hectic end to the term at Westcott, and there has been little time to engage with anything apart from essays, reading and trying to keep sane. As always (regular readers will note the theme), the difficulty I find is in balancing the different aspects of life which seem to compete for the same time. I won't rehearse those particular issues again.

The Christmas vacation has truly started now, and I see, on various social media sources, that many of my colleagues have been hard at work with essays. I, on the other hand, have not. I've been winding down, and doing enjoyable things like visiting friends in Newent near Gloucester - seeing their new house, and visiting Gloucester Cathedral. And now North Norfolk, though we arrived to find that my Father-in-law had been cruelly attacked by a Christmas tree (long story), and had broken his left leg in 3 places. An efficient dose of NHS emergency care, and he's home now. Next week is a work week for me. My target is 10,000 words for the vacation, and I know that most of these need to be churned out next week.

Anyway, I thought I should write a post, as there are many things I want to say to the world. Here are my headlines, in brief:

Gareth Malone has upset the X Factor apple-cart by producing a worthy song for a Christmas number one. Let's hope the military wives choir last the distance! As I have said on this blog before (and here), I really rate Gareth Malone. His work is completely inspiring, and his TV shows are uplifting without being escapist. So if you haven't already bought the single, do it now and keep the production-line dross away from the top spot this Christmas.

Rev. has just come to an end again. I wish UK comedy seasons ran for more than half a dozen episodes, but even with only a handful of slots, Hollander, Wood et al have done it again. I loved the end of season scene, and the twists and turns in the plot. I loved the fact that they examined the peculiar notion of vocation from a number of different angles. Nigel's experiences will have been hauntingly familiar to large numbers of applicants to the priesthood. The archdeacon's character-shift will have been painfully close to the bone for a number of clerics, whilst twanging a nerve for the many ordinands who know that, as it stands, they are unlikely to be in the running for senior posts in their impending careers in the church. What Rev does best is to deal respectfully with the big issues in the church. Yes, it's comedy, but it's not simple victim comedy. It's thoughtful and situational comedy at its best. Like the first series, a slow burn, but of exceptional quality.

David Camoron has been spouting some opinions about the Christian-ness of Britain, and the mission of the church. Given his self confessed status as a "committed" but only "vaguely practising" Christian, I'm not sure anyone should pay attention to him. I'm not saying the church always gets it right, but I know that politicians rarely do. ++Rowan's Radio 2 pause for thought is where the church is, and where it ought to be. Alongside ordinary people in the mess of life. Of course, Dave has a right to say what he likes about the church, but I have a right not to listen.

UPDATE - For a more thorough and thoughtful analysis, see +Nick Baines' post here.

I think that's all for now. As I'm meant to be reading and writing next week, I predict there may be a few more posts on the way before Christmas.

So tired

We've reached that point in the term when life seems hard. The mornings are dark, the evenings are dark. Even Cambridge has succumbed to a blanket of drizzle reminiscent of the greyest Lancaster days. Work is piling up around my ears: supervision essays, pastoral portfolio, dissertation, reading. It feels like everything else gets squeezed as a result. Family time, play time, prayer time, downtime. No time! 

And that's why I'm so tired. It's not the fact that LittleLanky isn't in a very settled sleep pattern at present (though that doesn't help), it's the fact that every minute of the day is accounted for, and nothing ever seems to get done. Justice can't be done to any given task, even if we stay up late every night to work on whatever thing is next in the list. We can barely wash and dry enough clothes to see us through the week.

I know that this will pass. It did at this time last year. 

It helps to have a clear purpose, and now my curacy is signed and sealed, that purpose is clearer than ever.

I'm taken back to our days of mountain biking in the Lake District, where hills are hills! On a really severe incline, you just have to push on. You concentrate on the next revolution of the pedals, and the next breath. You know that's all you can do. You can't turn back, you just have to put your head down and get on with it. That's where we are now. 

As advent approaches, and the exciting prospect of Christmas with a two year old becomes a reality, this grey time will be a memory, but for now it's real, and I felt I needed to record it here. I hope I haven't brought you all down too.

Another milestone

Today in the Parish of St Mary Magdalene in Clitheroe, an announcement was made which referred to me.

I was named as the new curate of the parish, who will be taking up his post after ordination as a Deacon at the end of June next year (all being well).

Of course, this wasn't a surprise for me. We've been moving towards today's announcement for some time, and just had to wait for certain formalities before announcements could be made.

The church building (pictured above) is the Parish Church for the town (pictured below as seen from the slopes of Pendle (see the picture at the bottom for a view of Pendle from a neighbouring church)). Rather than tell you what I think about it (from a relatively short visit), you should probably take a look at the website I've linked in the first paragraph.

Both DrLanky and I are very happy about the news. Clitheroe is a lovely town, and the parish seems like a perfect fit for us. The Priest in charge of the parish is a former student of Westcott House, and we seem to get on very well. The only slightly troublesome thing is that he and I share Christian names, as do our wives! I suspect there will be a degree of confusion in PCC minutes, magazines, newspapers etc... All good fun!

One thing we don't know about yet concerns housing. As the parish has not had a curate in the last couple of years, there is no house for us yet. The Diocese plans to buy something for us, and we'll have to wait and see what they suggest. At least this way we know that a house will be bought with our needs in mind.

Today feels like a significant step to me. Of course coming away to theological college was a fairly significant step on a personal level, but until today I've been fairly anonymous. Today marks a significant milestone in my life and vocation as what our Principal would call a 'public Christian' - someone who represents Christ and the Church. Of course, that journey will have more significant steps to come (not least ordination), but today still feels significant. In a small market town in Lancashire, a number of people now know that we'll be there in the summer. I hope they're excited; I am.

Helpful post about St Paul's

+Nick Baines has some wise words about the situation at St Paul's. He makes the point that the C of E is not the RC church. ++Rowan is not a Pope. Dioceses are our unit of authority, and even then, Cathedrals are different. This is a complex matter and +Nick explains it more eloquently than I can. Take a look here.

Sermon for Simon and Jude, Westcott Chapel, 28-10-11

A few people have asked to have a copy of this and I figured the easiest way to get it around was to put it
up here. It's written for the voice, hence the short lines and odd punctuation. I make no apologies for this.

May I speak in the name of the Father, 
The Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

I don’t know about you,
But I find names fascinating. 
I find it extraordinary that a name can carry so much meaning And yet so little meaning...
Both at the same time.

Let me explain...

When names stand alone for us,
When they so clearly refer to a particular person, 
They seem to embody the person they represent.

For example,
If someone mentions the name ‘Eleanor’,
There’s only one person who springs to mind for me. 
And there will be names for each of you,
which do the same thing.

People we know well
seem to inhabit their name,
It would seem wrong to call them anything else.
But sometimes the world gets a bit complicated...

Last weekend,
Late on Sunday,
After working my way through a stack of Luther reading, 
I diligently sent some questions raised by the reading,
as requested by the lecturer...
...Beth Phillips.

Now I said it was late in the day,
I think it was actually early in the next day,
And I did send my considerations and questions to Beth.
But a month or so ago,
The world of Westcott names changed,
And my brain, along with my email client,
Has not managed to adjust to the new world order... 
Beth Phillips (student) and Beth Phillips (Staff member).
Needless to say, confusion ensued.
And I feel I should offer apologies to Beth and to Beth, 
From the entire community.
It’s going to take a while for us to work this one out!

As we reflect on our Gospel reading today
We might imagine that having recruited his band of 12, 
Jesus might be having a bit of name confusion.
We are given a list of the names of Jesus’ chosen 12. 
His disciples.
But life must have been as confusing for Jesus and the disciples 
As it is for the Westcott community today.

We have Simon (who he named Peter)
And Simon (the zealot or the Cananaen)
Then at the end of the list, we have two Judases.
One connected to James,
Who we end up calling Jude...
so he doesn’t get confused with his notorious namesake. 
And the infamous Judas Iscariot.
I wonder if Jesus ever thought about swapping some of the disciples for more originally named replacements...
It would have made life easier.

Instead, Jesus and the writers of the Gospels... 
...add on distinguishing nicknames
or names of relatives.
To help us to know who is who.
Simon and Jude,
Who we celebrate today,
Are most definitely lesser-known amongst the disciples.
If their roll-call in Luke’s gospel is in order of favour or importance, 
We can definitely say that Simon and Jude are not ‘A list’ disciples.

In all of the gospel accounts,
Jude gets only one line of dialogue
Which we find in John’s Last Supper account.
His one moment in the limelight
comes and goes in the blink of an eye,
as he asks for Jesus to clarify an obscure pronouncement he’s just made about what’s going to happen next.

As you’d expect from disciples numbers 10 and 11,
With only Judas Iscariot in a lower position,
We don’t actually know very much about either Simon or Jude.
According to tradition,
Simon and Jude travelled widely in the days of the early church.
They are reported to have joined forces in Persia and Armenia,
and they were both martyred,
and you can pick your location depending on the tradition you prefer. 
The most gruesome account has Simon martyred by being sawn in half.

So here we are,
Celebrating the largely unknown lives of a couple of D list disciples, 
Who don’t really feature as individuals in the bible,
And who led apostolic lives that we don’t know much about.

It seems odd doesn’t it?!

But the thing that struck me as I prepared for today, 
Was that I identify with these two,
And I wonder if you do too.
Despite coming well down the list,
Jesus knows who Simon and Jude are.
Even if we don’t.

Jesus has chosen them to do his work.
He could have chosen others instead. 
He did choose others who had higher profiles, 
But he also chose Simon and Jude, 
And even though the Gospel writers record them at the bottom of the list, 
They’re still on the list.

So as we push through the remainder of this busy term at Westcott House,
Maybe we ought to be cheered by our celebration of these two inconspicuous Saints.
They didn’t seek the limelight.
They didn’t say much of great importance,
or we might expect it to have been reported in the gospels 
They got on with spreading the news of Jesus
It was enough for them that they were known by Jesus,
That they had been chosen by Jesus.

So when we start to obsess...
about the quality of the supervision essay we turned out in the wee small hours of the night,
Or we start to worry...
that we aren’t getting to grips with whichever theologian is causing us grief this week,
We ought to remember Simon and Jude.
We ought to remember that we are called just as they were. 
Whether we like it or not,
Whether we revel in the limelight, or run from it,

Names are a wonderful, 
if sometimes confusing thing, 
But Jesus knows each of our names,
He knows us as we are,
No crossed lines.
No misdirected mail.
He has deliberately chosen each of us
to make him known in our lives and in our vocations.
So as we consider our vocation and our formation for ministry, 
we thank God for all those who have gone before us,
for the many examples of faithful discipleship in our tradition, 
And particularly, today, for Simon and Jude.
Amen. 

What a week!

Our tutor group has taken its turn to lead the worship in the community for the week. In our tutor group, there is a comparatively large number of new students in relation to continuing students. So this week has been a massive learning curve for many, and a busy week for all. Yesterday was a taste of my sundays for the rest of time; I started the day by arriving in college at 6:45 to set up for morning prayers which I led. In the afternoon I helped to rehearse the music group in an Iona based setting for the Eucharist. Then I rehearsed the congregation. Then we did the service. Then I officiated at compline. Then I went to bed! At least I didn't have a sermon to preach too. Oh yes, and we had a festal Eucharist for St Luke to deal with too. Don't get me wrong. It's been a really fulfilling week too. It's been odd to be the experienced practitioners helping out the new students, and it's been nice to see them grow in confidence over the space of just a few days. One really positive aspect of the term so far has been my (and DrLanky's) involvement in trying to do some children's church activities in the community. You can read more here, as DrLanky has started a blog to log her thoughts. We've wondered for ages about how best to involve children in the church, and the experimentation has begun.

I should be reading Augustine...

...but I feel the need to write a blog post instead.

Blackburn Synod in Women Bishops Shocker
I was surprised to see the voting figures from Saturday's Diocesan Synod in my home diocese of Blackburn. As a diocese with a reputation for being conservative in this area, it was widely expected to be one of the few which voted against the legislation. In reality, the motion was passed in both the houses of laity and clergy. The bishops voted against, but the motion is carried anyway.

Most of the people I know are pleasantly surprised by this news, but there are also those who believe that this is the wrong decision for the church. I respectfully disagree with them, but they have a right to maintain their opinion in the same way I have a right to mine. I'm intrigued to see what happens next with those clergy and parishes who have not joined the ordinariate. Is this the straw that will break the back of the proverbial camel, or will we be able to continue to live in tension? I hope it's the latter.

All about Eve
This morning I was on the rota at my attachment parish to preach. We're in the middle of a series of sermons and house-group meetings on the subject of the women of the bible, and I guess I drew a fairly short straw with Eve. I don't have a very long history of sermon writing, but this was definitely the hardest one yet. With a regular lectionary sermon, you preach from the readings. You can go off-piste, but the idea is that you are inspired by the text. With this one, whilst there were readings chosen for the service, the subject matter was broad. And that's what made it hard. How do you fit 'Eve' in to a 5 minute sermon for 8am and a 8-10 minute sermon for 10am? If you'd like to check it out, you can. The Church of the Good Shepherd is thoroughly modern, and as such you can listen to my 10am version on the website.

All quiet on the curacy front
I'm waiting for word as to when I can formally announce the plans for my curacy, so I can't spill the beans here just yet. I can say that it is pretty much sorted, though. We will be returning to Lancashire at the end of the academic year, and I am delighted with the parish and incumbent suggested by the diocese. Just the small matter of completing a degree in theology now. And on that note, where did I put my Augustine reading?

Sunny Lancashire?!

I write this blog post from the very sunny and warm north-west of England. We have come north to visit the parish proposed by my diocese as the one where I will serve the four years of my curacy. We arrived this afternoon and spent the afternoon and early evening with the vicar and his wife (who share the same Christian names as DrLanky and myself). In considering the offers of title parishes, we have been encouraged to follow our gut and look out for any warning signs. So far so good. My gut feeling is positive, and there are no warning signs so far. Tomorrow I'll meet with some more people in the parish and have some more time with the vicar, and I'm looking forward to that! The one thing I have to remind myself is that we are enjoying unusual weather for Lancashire (even in the height of summer), so we need to imagine the place shrouded in mist and drizzle with a steady westerly wind before we make any final decisions. Until we ge further along the line, I can't really give any more details here. As soon as I can, I will.

Just hold your nerve

Lancashire have had an amazing season in the LV County Championship. An unusually pleasant (in weather terms) start to the summer meant that unlike in previous years, Lancashire have registered a mere two draws in their campaign. Only four losses and nine victories put them on a par with Warwickshire at the head of the table, separated only by three points. So it all comes down to the last fixture of the season. In many ways this is a good thing, but you could argue that Chapple's men should have sealed it earlier in the season. Now it's simply a matter of who holds their nerve next week. Batting and bowling points have never been so crucial, oh yes, and a win is fairly important too. Let's hope Kerrigan can continue his form following a match haul of 12 (with 9 for 51 in the second innings).

On a personal level, I feel I am being called to hold my nerve at present. I have been expecting correspondence from my sending diocese to inform me of the parish in which they think I should serve my title (4 years of assistant curacy working with an experienced Priest). I was told that I should know by the end of the first week in September, and it's now the 10th, and I'm still waiting. Now I know that there are a million possible reasons why I haven't heard anything, and I'm trying to see the bigger picture, but it's hard! I just have to hold my nerve for a little longer, and I'm sure it will all be fine. the frustrating thing is that I know it will be hard to get up to Lancashire for a visit in termtime, so I wanted to try and get that done now. The more days pass, the less likely it is that this will be possible... Hold your nerve... it will all be fine.

Greenbelt, my faith and music

Back in the nineties, I was a Greenbelt regular. At that time, it was for the music, and for one band in particular, that I made the journey. I recall a number of very damp Northamptonshire weekends where we'd pitch up ridiculously early at mainstage so we could get a spot right at the front.

As I continued to do the Greenbelt thing, I also stumbled across John Bell and the Wild Goose Worship Group. I recall many late night events in cold tents where we were taught new and exciting music in multiple voice parts. This led to me going on a week long course run by John and his colleagues to teach people how to teach music to others).

In some way, these two small snapshots of my Greenbelt memory are quite telling in terms of where I am now. Many people think that Westcott students all fit neatly into an Anglo-Catholic shaped box, but like others, I find the truth is more complex and more interesting. Whilst Greenbelt has grown into a something of a phenomenon in the world of social justice, attracting names like Mark Thomas and Billy Bragg, when I started going it was all about the music (for me anyway). It was about modern and exciting Christian music from bands like Eden Burning, and it was about challenging the way I thought about music in church, through John Bell and his colleagues.

There was a big gap between my last Greenbelt in the nineties, and my return to GB11. Many things have changed: the venue, my circumstances (I had neither a wife nor a child the last time), the festival content, the quality of the loos... the list goes on. But for me, the important thing was still the music.

Going to GB11 with LittleLanky was a very different experience from GB in the nineties. We didn't actually get to many sessions over the weekend. What we did manage, though, was a Big Sing and Monday night at mainstage with Kate Rusby and Iain Archer (amongst distinguished others).

I suppose what I'm getting at (in a roundabout way) is that music is central to who I am as a Christian, and it isn't possible to fit me into a neat #choralevensongonlyplease Westcott shaped box (and the same is true for many of my colleagues). I'm intrigued about music and its role in my spirituality. I'm intrigued that I'm perfectly at home leading fairly charismatic worship with a guitar round my neck (albeit of dubious musical merit), I'm happy teaching songs from Africa and South America in parts and I'm comfortable directing a choir for a traditional Anglican choral service. There's something in all of those that speaks to me of God, and of worship. There's something that compels me to want to be involved! I seem to need all these and more!

I suppose that's what I like about Greenbelt. It allows me to be myself in a way that I haven't found elsewhere - even after a break of more than 10 years. It provides me with the unpigeonholeable selection of music that fleshes out my particular and peculiar faith.

The Cambridge Theological Federation could be a similar place for folk. It's a collection of people doing academic work in different branches of our complicated church. As well as institutions from pretty much all the major denominations in England, it also contains two theological colleges from the Church of England, each representing a different aspect of Anglicanism. Despite this diversity, we easily slip into a scary silo mentality. "They won't like that because they're from (insert name of institution)". Sometimes, these prejudices are born out in behaviour and conversation, but I sometimes wish we could get past the petty territorial nature of being human, and get onto the business of being a better church! Maybe if we spent more time worshipping together; understanding each other's spirituality by experiencing it, we might learn more.

Rediscovering Greenbelt has been great for me, and it has been wonderful to see DrLanky, LittleLanky and other friends of mine enjoying it too. I feel that it will become again for me what it seems to be for others; a special weekend in the year where much of the nonsense and conflict of life in the church is left outside. Where I can express the full complex and unfathomable diversity of my own faith in a safe, supportive and well resourced place.

Patience

If this is how busy we are in the holidays, the end of the month is going to be hard! The new academic year starts on the 25th September, and whilst I'm looking forward to learning more and doing more theology, I'm not relishing the early starts and the essay deadlines.

The past few weeks have been filled with sorting, tidying and washing following the burglary that happened when we were in Sheringham on placement. Add to that the small matter of Greenbelt (with a toddler), and I don't think we're feeling rested from the summer.

On top of all that, we're currently waiting news from the Bishop about where we might be going next year. Many of my colleagues have started to hear about title parishes, and some have even visited and signed on the dotted line! I, however, have not heard anything. Apparently I will hear this week, and if not I should contact the Bishop's staff. Patience is a virtue; one I don't have in abundance.

So this is Cambridge?!

The sermon given by our vice principal on Thursday identified this brief period of time as a rare bit of downtime in the life of a theological student; placements have mostly finished, the new academic year is still waiting at the horizon, so we have a short opportunity to stop.

For DrLanky and me, there has been little chance for any kind of stopping in over a year! This time last year, I had run out of annual leave and was working very hard to ensure I didn't leave any issues behind me at work. This meant long hours and a fair amount of stress, whilst trying to organise a house-move with a baby. Then September came, and I worked as late as I could before we moved. I finished work on the Friday, and we moved on the following Wednesday. Westcott term started on the Sunday!

With all the deadlines and the pressure of life in Cambridge, there has been zero chance of any decent relaxation, even in the 'holidays', and following the exams I went straight off to Sheringham for my 8 week placement. So life has been 'full on' for well over a year!

Returning to Cambridge a couple of weeks ago was meant to be the start of relaxation, but some inconsiderate burglars did their best to ensure a turbulent return! Thankfully, due to some hard work, we're now at the stage where the house is nearly back to normal, the sun is shining (occasionally), and the visit of friends over the last few days has meant we could enjoy Cambridge in a way we haven't done previously. Yesterday morning was spent wandering round the city with children in backpack carriers, eating and drinking, wandering through colleges with time on our hands. Bliss!

Today we go punting to celebrate the birthday of a Westcott colleague, and we're looking forward to picnicking at Grantchester. Hopefully the weather will hold.

Next week we turn our attention to a brief visit from friends (before greenbelt kicks off), and we'll have the opportunity for further exploration of the city.

For us, Cambridge hasn't been the utopian place we thought it might be. Our feelings about Cambridge are entangled with feelings about the difficulty of balancing Westcott life with family life; of missed opportunities and frustration at life. That's not to say we haven't enjoyed it here, but it's been hard. Maybe this opportunity to rest for a short while, and to enjoy being here, will help us to put things into perspective before the madness starts again.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Welcome home!

We arrived home on Tuesday after nearly a month away. We were greeted by the sight of a house turned upside down by burglars. Fortunately they didn't take too much; just the high value portable stuff; most of which was outdated and unused. The most frustrating bit is that they stole DrLanky's jewellery box which contained her engagement ring. Given our impending tenth wedding anniversary, the timing is sad. Hopefully the insurance company will fund a suitable anniversary present.

Anyway, I'll be off the blog for a bit while we get ourselves sorted out.

Slowing down

As I reach the end of my final week on placement here in Sheringham, I can finally feel myself slowing down a bit. As I won't be on placement after Sunday, there's been no point in attending any funeral visits or meetings for future events. I've done a visit today with one more planned for this afternoon, then PCC this evening. Tomorrow morning I'll be joining a couple of people who take people with learning difficulties and mental problems round the shops. On Saturday I have a morning meeting, and then there's the small matter of preaching at the 10am service on Sunday. Then I'm done, apart from a review meeting with the incumbent of the parish to look at writing a report - that's on Monday after the placement has formally finished.

So there's more to come, but not quite at the manic pace of the first few days and weeks of the placement. Now I need to write some reflections on my placement for the PCC meeting this evening, along with constructively critical comments about the parish! Hmmm.

For those in peril on the sea

Yesterday I was involved in the funeral of Don, who had been Merchant Navy man during the war. The service was a superb tribute to him and to all his comrades who worked to keep Britain's supply lines open despite the prowling U-Boats. The Sheringham Shantymen (several of whom had RNLI pagers on their belts) gave wonderfully moving renditions of a couple of traditional farewell sea shanties, and we sang 'the Naval hymn', from which the title of this post is taken.

Today was my day off, and following an afternoon of DIY labour in my father-in-law's house, we took a stroll along the sea front in the early evening. As we got to the sea front, I noticed that the sea was looking a little rough - too rough for swimming - then I saw three people in the water very close to one of the groynes. We soon realised one of the three was an RNLI lifeguard, who was doing his best to prevent the two teenagers from meeting a gruesome end. We watched as the lifeguard successfully got them round the groyne and onto the beach. At that point, the RNLI lifeboat, which had just been scrambled, roared onto the scene about a minute too late to offer assistance.

The lifeguard had rocketed along the seafront on his bike after getting the call. He'd gone straight into the water, despite the crashing waves, the strong currents and the jagged rocks. When he came out, he was clearly exhausted, but his first thought was to assess his patients and tend to their needs. If he hadn't been so quick to react, I think there would have been some significant injuries, and possibly deaths.

Two striking reminders in as many days of the importance of those whose calling is to protect people around our coasts. Don's favourite poem was read at the funeral yesterday, and it spoke of the unsung heroes of the merchant navy. I have long thought of the RNLI as contemporary unsung heroes, and that they should be state funded; what I witnessed today confirmed this for me.

More news from the coast

It seems to have been some time since my last post, and as LittleLanky is fast asleep beside me and DrLanky is downstairs marking some OU coursework, I have a rare opportunity to blog.

The last few weeks have been busy in my placement. Since the Petertide ordinations and our mad dash to Lancashire, I have been worked hard in the parish. Funerals (and related visits), Weddings (plus rehearsals), Fabric committee meetings, extraordinary PCCs, sermons... plus the usual involvement in Sunday services - reading, deaconing, serving... you get the idea.

After six weeks in Sheringham it's starting to feel like we've done this particular experience now. I have a week and a half left on placement, and we've begun to psychologically adjust to going back to Cambridge. It's been good to be here, but we now want to go home.

Placements like this one are meant to do many things for the ordinands. Learning new things, having new experiences, seeing the reality of parish ministry etc. But the single biggest thing it's done for me is to point out that I really want to get into a curacy, and get on with ministry. I'm happy to embark upon a second year at theological college, and this blog will all too soon be overtaken by academic concerns, but my experience of parish life in Sheringham has got me excited about getting on with this priesthood malarkey. That's probably a good 'learning outcome'!

We should start to get the first clues about where I might be going for a curacy at some point in August. I seem to spend many of my rare idle moments impatiently speculating about where the bishops might want to put me. When that part of the process starts, I expect I will have to be quite tight-lipped until things are confirmed, so whilst I might have some news soon, I won't be able to post anything here for some time. The truth is, I just want to know! Patience is a virtue I haven't quite cracked.

On the positive side, test cricket returns tomorrow. The prospect of a climb to the top of the world test rankings, and a scrap with former England mastermind, Duncan Fletcher, are enough to get me skipping with excitement! Shame I have a funeral tomorrow afternoon, which given the distance from here to the crematorium will occupy me all afternoon. And we can't get Channel 5 here. Do they have an online catchup service?

Crazy week!

It's been a bit of a crazy week!

We were back in Lancashire on the weekend to be at the ordination of Deacons in Blackburn Cathedral, where two Westcott students we're ordained. One of them has a blog here, and he's promised to update it as he starts his journey as a member of the clergy in Blackpool. The other Westcott ordinand has gone to be the new curate at the Priory in Lancaster - where the former was a parishioner before he went to Westcott. It's a small world; especially in the C of E.

Despite being further north in Sheringham than we would have been in Cambridge, it's a considerably longer journey up to the northwest from here. Undeterred, we set out for a weekend of late night travelling, disrupted sleeping patterns and sub-standard service station food. But it was all worth it. It was great to be back in Blackburn Cathedral, and to see lots of familiar faces. It was also good to see what will be happening to me (God willing) at the same time next year. The service was very good (though long) and the music was excellent. Mike Peatman was there, and I share some of his reservations about the use of choir-only mass settings for such services, though the choir and organist were on good form.

Seeing friends up at the front of the cathedral being ordained was described by DrLanky as 'surprisingly ordinary' when you bear in mind the significance of what was taking place. I think when you've done as much church as you do at theological college, there is something delightfully ordinary about the most significant of liturgical events; be they royal weddings or ordinations. Yet despite the ordinariness, there was a level of personal investment in what was going on; our friends were being ordained, and their families' lives would be forever changed by that event. That's where it gets a bit scary for next year.

On Sunday we managed to catch up with friends in Lancaster, and LittleLanky got to play in Violet and Ivy's paddling pool; complete with ingenious filling technology (a hose from the upstairs shower, with a long string connected to the electrical isolator). We had an impromptu barbecue, followed by Reflect at the chaplaincy.

We returned to the Norfolk coast late on Sunday night, and then I went straight back into my placement on Monday with a morning memorial service, and meetings in the afternoon. This was followed by an event to 'meet the curate' at St Peter's. Another reminder of what lies ahead of me at this time next year!

On Tuesday I preached at the Mothers' Union communion service on the theme of Mary Magdalene. Maybe I'll post the text if I get around to it. In the evening, the standing committee met, and I was present. It was a long meeting!

Then on Wednesday, DrLanky, LittleLanky and I went to the parish playgroup. LittleLanky loves it! In the afternoon, due to the unpredictable weather, we took LittleLanky for a swim at the local 'Tropical Leisure Pool'; she loved that too.

Today was BCP communion, some design and proofreading work in the parish office, some detective work with unidentified keys, and a deanery barbecue in Cromer this evening.

Tomorrow is my day off. We're going to London to see good friends who have just welcomed a baby girl into the world.

And to crown the week in a very satisfactory manner, I see on the BBC website that the News of the World is to close. It's a shame it's taken such a massive scandal to bring about the end of this ridiculous redtop, but I am nonetheless delighted at its demise. Can we get rid of any others at the same time?

Judging books by covers

As I think I may have mentioned, sheringham has a few elderly inhabitants, and today I got to 'go solo' and visit 2 different couples who are longtime members of the church to which I am attached. It's very tempting to make assumptions about people before you've spoken to them properly, and it's easy to dismiss people on the basis of their age and infirmities. I'm sure I've done it in the past, though I make a conscious effort not to.

One of the conversations I had today was with a retired military man. We talked and talked, covering lots of varied ground from old testament source criticism, the new atheists, the use of military idiom in civvy life, local history to Greek philosophy... In the end, I was there for nearly 2 hours, and had a really nice time. I'm not sure if that's the aim of a pastoral visit!

My point is, though, that it's easy to forget that in our congregations, there are many elderly people who we neglect on an intellectual level, and who need to be cared for in more ways than just the physical ones. I know when I get out in to full time ministry that my time will be pressured, but I hope I can make space to do what I did today; to sit and talk with people who don't often get the opportunity to exercise their intellects in that way.