Among the dead

On Jane's blog she had a joke by a Bishop (I think his name was George) about how he didn't want to get up and go to church. The hymns were dreary, the sermons were dull, the people hated him, but he had to go: he was the Bishop. I think I need to met George before too long. I'd like to tell him he doesn't have to go. I know many people think they do and faithfully go on doing it. But I do not share this view. On Monday I hope to go to Cardiff where I have been asked to share some bible studies using RB (of course) for a Council for World Mission group on Evangelism in Europe. Well, of course I was surprised. But I'm going, even if I'm not giving the bible study they wanted: What does the bible say about evangelism? I told them I couldn't do that because I didn't know. I said I do some RB and they said I could if it wasn't too scary.

That's what it has come down to. Not being too scary. The dying church doesn't like its gospel too scary. Back in Bethany (where else) the neighbours are still talking about Lazarus and the scare they got when he came out of the stinking tomb, bandages flapping. Me, I'm with Lazarus. I hope to meet George sometime and invite him along.

Among the dead

Whisper softly,
speak in hushed voices
but do not disturb the dying.
Be respectful,
keep your eyes lowered,
as it dies little by little.

But you,
you who have already been in the tomb
three or four days,
who have smelt your own stench
and then emerged
at the call of the Life Giver:
you are not afraid.

For you,
you who make up words
who use your own given name
and dance on graves
flinging bandages about
celebrating release:
you are not afraid.

You already know
that body is not here.
There’s no point in seeking the living
among the dead.

JAL: 23.01.2010

Rejoice

Bob came back this morning and said 'Our bins have been emptied'. This is a joyous event! The first bin emptying of 2010 - due to challenging conditions. So here's a prayer for bin emptying.

Rejoice greatly

Rejoice
Rejoice
Rejoice greatly:
our bins have been emptied,
been emptied
been emptied.

We rejoice for the emptying of bins,
the cleaning of streets
and the sorting out of communal space.

When the snow came everything stopped
and the white washed out our collective memory
our rubbish and mess,

But now our lives are getting back on track.
The council workers are getting back on schedule
and our neighbourhoods are getting back in order.

Mindful of the need to sweep our lives clean,
to recycle what good there is in what we’ve done in the past
so that we may make a better attempt at today and tomorrow,
we ask you to refresh us in our efforts to make good our community.

And so we rejoice.
happy to have a chance to try again
and to have empty bins to refill carefully.

JAL: 22.01.2010
The first stanza in italics should be sung lustily in the style of Handel.

Rocking the cradle

Over on Jane's blog she is blogging about her sermon this morning on the parable of the woman looking for the lost coin, and prayers for Haiti. So here are more prayers to add to the world's prayers for Haiti today.

God is sweeping

God is sweeping up the dust,
clearing away the rubble
checking every pile
that was once a house or school,
hotel or office block,
for the precious ones
who are lost.

God will keep on sweeping,
checking, looking, weeping
as the numbers mount up
and the mass graves are filled.

God will keep on rocking,
rocking the world
in the cradle she has made.
She only asks that we help
to rock as we can.

Today, please help to rock the cradle for Haiti.

God of all,
give us life
one more time.


JAL: 15.01.2010

Learning to talk

'Learning to talk is very important', parents in NE Sheffield agree. This was the stunning conclusion of my PhD. Learning to talk is also very complicated and so you can appreciate why the appointment of a Communications Champion by the current British government has aroused my interest, despite heaps of snow in West Yorkshire.

Dr Jean Gross, the new CC, was reported across the British press yesterday. The Daily Mail went with 'Middle-class parents too busy to teach children how to talk, says "communication champion",' Whilst the Guardian had 'Parents too busy to help children learn to talk, study suggests'.

Like I said, learning to talk is very complicated. I realise that is never going to be a sound bite in anyone's newspaper. However, my own study of the life experiences of parents in NE Sheffield parenting children learning to talk makes nonsense of both headlines.

It's nearer the truth to say;
1 parents think that learning to talk is very important;
2 parents expect their children to learn to talk and when this doesn't happen most are surprised, sometimes frustrated and have limited resources for dealing with the situation;
3 parents of children learning to talk are usually juggling many more family life pressures and issues alongside this one;
4 most parents, including those from multicultral parts of NE Sheffield (this study was done in the parliamentary consitituency of Sheffield Brightside) have some parental knowledge about learning to talk. That is to say, they have attitudes, beliefs and experiences on which to build when it comes to parenting in this situation. Few, if any at all, will be completely without this, and few will apreciate the patronising approach of so called experts who act as if parents know nothing.

Meanwhile on her blog, Anita, has something to say about the role of the third sector in supporting and promoting parents of children with communication needs. Check it out: http://www.thecommunicationtrust.blogspot.com/