Church Drive February 2013

Transcription

1 Church Drive February 2013 Monthly News from St Giles West Bridgford In this edition The Rector Writes The Maths of Les Miserables Book Review An Introduction... Faure s Requiem St Giles Directory What s on this Month at St Giles

2 The Rector Writes Entering Lent This month we enter the season of Lent. The Rectory is hosting a pancake party for our young people on Shrove Tuesday (12th February), and we have our usual Ash Wednesday services on the 13th February. Lent is traditionally associated with self-examination, penitence, self-denial, study, almsgiving and the celebration of Easter. A saying from the 11th Century sums up the season thus: Now is the healing time decreed For sins of heart and word and deed, When we in humble fear record The wrong that we have done the Lord. What are you giving up? is a question commonly asked and answered by those who have no Christian faith or allegiance. The notions of self-examination and perhaps self improvement persist though shorn of their Christian meaning. There are a few initiatives that begin this month which can be approached in this spirit of reflection and self-improvement. In this issue of Church Drive you will details of our parenting course beginning on the 25th February and running over 3 Mondays. Led by our very own Claire Barker and Katie Conley it seeks to provide some common sense help for modern parents. This is a course not for bad parents but for all who would want to be the best parent they can be. I ve signed up as a participant, not because I m the vicar, but because I m a dad. 2 Katie is also involved in co-ordinating our homegroups and lent study groups. There are 2 alternatives the groups will be looking at this year, one a reflection on The Passion which is DVD based, the other a more traditional bible study.

3 If you would like to join a group just for Lent please speak to Katie katieconley@btinternet.com. Our Easter Celebrations this year will have a focus on Passion Sunday (17th March) with a performance of Faure s Requiem. Andrew and the choir are hosting some special rehearsals for this and invite any who would enjoy being part of an extended choir to join them. The rehearsals begin on Tuesday 5th Feb and continue weekly after that. For more information do chat to Andrew / andrew.rootham@virginmedia.com or see the article on page 10. Children s Garden at St Giles Lent and Easter culminate in the good news of the resurrection and new life in Christ. This spring we will begin work on our St Giles children s garden which will run alongside the church hall along Stratford Road and round the corner along the back of the church. Plans have been approved by the PCC, a secure gate has been fitted and we hope to start work soon. We are very grateful to the family of Freda Oldfield for their gift of 2000 to St Giles in Freda s memory. Freda was a much-loved member of our congregation who particularly enjoyed our family services and seeing the children enjoying church. Her family have agreed that their gift should go towards the cost of the new garden, and it means that we are able to provide a wonderful space for kids here at St Giles. Yours in Christ, Lee Proudlove Rector 3

4 The Maths of Les Miserables There is something deeply compelling about Les Miserables, the film that s been breaking box office records and picking up nominations left, right and centre. It is a powerful tale of redemption which, as I reflect on it, could be said to illustrate some profound moral mathematics. Valjean steals a loaf of bread and consequently spends 19 long years in prison working in a chain gang, where hatred crowds out almost everything else in his heart. Injustice + resentment = bitterness. After his release on parole, he is shunned repeatedly as he looks for food, work or lodgings, but finally a kindly bishop offers him food and shelter. However, Valjean steals the man s silver in the night, only to be caught and brought back to the bishop. Quite unexpectedly, instead of accusing Valjean, the bishop admits he had given the silver to his guest, and thus lets him go free. This act of extraordinary mercy to someone as yet unrepentant leads to a radical change in Valjean, who resolves to break with his past and start a new life. Forgiveness + sacrificial kindness = transformation Years later Valjean is a successful factory owner and town mayor. He comes to the aid of Fantine, one of his former employees who had resorted to prostitution in a desperate attempt to provide for her daughter Cosette. Valjean realises he could have prevented it, and as Fantine is dying he vows to take care of her daughter. (I defy anyone to watch Anne Hathaway singing I dreamed a dream and not cry it s a consummate performance!) Valjean doesn t just provide an allowance for Cosette, however, he raises her as his daughter. Mercy + unconditional love = adoption 4

5 Meanwhile, when he left behind his past life, Valjean broke the conditions of his parole and for years has been evading his former jailer, Javert. This man knows only the rule of the law, and he sees people in just two categories: the law abiding and sinners. One transgression + nothing else = a criminal for life Javert first catches Valjean moments after he has vowed to find Cosette, and Javert is indifferent to Valjean s plea to go first and rescue the child, after which he would turn himself in. Rule of law + hard heart = mercilessness Valjean escapes from Javert and a decade later, we find him in Paris, where an uprising is under way. The revolutionaries capture Javert for spying, but when Valjean sides with them he is given the task of executing Javert. He leads him away, but instead of killing him, he sets Javert free. Javert warns that he will not cease to hunt him down; Valjean says he knows, but still releases him unconditionally. Forgiveness + refusal to take revenge = a gracious life Javert confronts Valjean one last time as he is rescuing a wounded revolutionary. Valjean s resolute commitment to show mercy to others disarms Javert, whose world of unbending law starts to come unravelled. But his world just has no place for mercy. Crime must be punished. In anguish he realises he cannot live in the same world as Valjean, so he chooses death and plunges into the roaring water (the second time in the film I cried my eyes out). Receiving mercy + hardened heart = a tragic end Is there an equation here for you to ponder? This article was produced by The Jubilee Centre The Jubilee Centre is a Christian social reform organisation that offers a biblical perspective on issues and trends of relevance to the general public. For more information, see 5

6 Book Review: An Infinity of Little Hours In the eleventh century, Bruno of Cologne founded the Carthusians, an order of hermits whose motto down through the centuries has been "never reformed because never deformed." Theirs is an austere life of prayer and meditation. Nancy Klein Maguire has written a fascinating book about the quest of five novices who desire admission to the order in They must spend five years before making the "solemn profession" that entitles them to become a Carthusian monk. The five young men arrive at the monastery at Parkminster, West Sussex, England. They enter a world that contains its own rituals and rhythms: "Carthusians mark time not by decades, years, hours, or days, but by the liturgical year, the seasons of the Church. Their time is out of time, directed not by business opportunities, not by social engagements, but by the tolling of the immense church bell. Maguire describes the layers of concentric circles that wrap these aspiring monks to solitude and closeness to God. The land surrounding the Charterhouse is the first circle; high walls around the monastic complex. The monk's cell provides another layer of privacy, and then there is the inner room of his cell that no one can enter without his permission. The Carthusians are completely cut off from the world: no magazines, television, newspapers, secular books, telephones, radios, or even musical instruments. They have no hot water (in winter they have to break the ice on the bucket of water in they use for washing in their cells), have a completely vegetarian diet and only speak to one another during their weekly walk when they venture outside of the confines of the monastery. 6

7 I found this book a fascinating insight into a completely alien world. A closed religious community heading into the 1960s. The story of the monks and what led each of them into the monastery, and their struggles to remain within it gives is told sympathetically but not uncritically. Maguire has a gift for letting these men now in their 70s - speak in their own voices of their faith, vocation, trials and temptations. Surprisingly there is much humour here and some tragedy, as we follow the stories of Paddy, Hans, Bernie, Chuck and Dave and their transformation into Brothers Leo, Ignatius, Damian, Malachi and Philip. Early on in the story it is revealed that all except one of the monks will ultimately leave the monastery and return to civilian life, we are left until the end of the story to discover who it is who remains in Parkminster to this day, and one of the most rewarding chapters is the final one where some of the monks are reunited with one another for the first time in 50 years. All have changed but speak movingly of their time in the monastery and the profound effect it has had on their lives and spirituality. If you are thinking of something different to read during Lent, I would recommend and Infinity of Little Hours. One reviewer said of it astonishing, the book does what all great nonfiction does, paints a picture of a world with strokes so well-defined one feels as if he or she has visited it. Reading An Infinity of Little Hours is almost like praying. I agree. Lee Proudlove 7

8 An Introduction... I have lived in West Bridgford for almost 9 years, which was a return to Nottingham for me having spent my student days at the university a few years earlier. I first came to St Giles early in 2007 when our eldest son Daniel was baptised, and over the years since have become a regular member of the Sunday morning congregation. I have enjoyed becoming involved in the church s fantastic children s work with both of my boys, and am now one of the Sunbeams leaders. I have not worked since having my children, so am very much looking forward to taking on the administrator role, to getting to know lots more people at St Giles and to contribute in whatever way I can to the smooth running of the church. Karen s truly are big shoes to fill. With the grace of God, my feet will grow to fit them! And I look forward to fulfilling my mother-in-law s pearls of wisdom you ll really enjoy feeling useful. Here s hoping that I am and I will! Claire Sheard 8

9 3 Mondays 25th February, 4th & 11th March The George Chapel, St Giles pm 9.30pm Complimentary glass of wine and refreshments No charge but please book a place via admin@stgilesparish.com 9

10 Faure s Requiem Death and taxes. Both unpleasant, both inevitable. Both highly emotional subjects. Strangely, few composers tackled the subject of taxes, but the classical music world is rich in references to death. And the quintessential musical expression of death is the requiem. Think about it for a second or two. A great composer is inspired by death. Perhaps a person close to him has died, or perhaps he is near the end of his life and death is looming. What does he do? He writes music! But the style and theme of that music will depend on his personal feelings towards the subject matter. Faure's Requiem is unique. The anguish, loss and horrors of Death and Judgment Day are left by the wayside. Faure concentrates on the true meaning of the word "Requiem", or "rest". His Requiem is about peaceful acceptance and release, and the music is serene, elevating, comforting. St Giles Choir are about to begin rehearsals for a production of Faure s Requiem which will take place on Passion Sunday (17th March). As always, the Choir are keen to welcome new members, why not come along and join them for the Requiem to see how you get along? The first rehearsal is on Tuesday 5th February from 7.15pm, and then every Tuesday until the performance. For more information contact Andrew Rootham on or andrew.rootham@virginmedia.com. 10

11 St Giles Directory Rector Lee Proudlove Tel: Church Caroline Harper Tel: Wardens Richard Crawley Tel: Administrator Claire Sheard Tel: Pastoral Care Daphne Carter Tel: Co-ordinators Debbie Keown Tel: House Groups Katie Conley Tel: Seniors Johanna Langheld Tel: PCC Secretary Adrian Cudmore Tel: PCC Treasurer Eddie Pearce Tel: Sacristan Maureen Swann Tel: Dir. of Music Andrew Rootham Tel: Junior Church Sarah & Iain Moppett Tel: Sunbeams Hannah Ashton Tel: Toddler Group Caroline Crew Tel: Wedding Caroline Harper Tel: Co-ordinator Church Hall Eileen Else Tel: Lettings Church Cleaning Helen Jarvis Tel: and Flower Rota 11

12 Coming St Giles in February Monday 4th, 2.00pm pm - Seniors Games Afternoon in the Church Hall. Monday 11th, 8.00pm - First Priority Prayer Meeting in Church. Come and make prayer your first priority. Everyone is welcome for a time of worship and prayer. Tuesday 12th, 10.30am - Seniors Coffee at Bradmore Garden Centre. Wednesday 13th, 7.30pm - Ash Wednesday Communion Service Monday 25th, 7.30pm - Parenting Course in the George Chapel Thursday 28th, 3.45pm - Messy Church Thursday 28th, 7.00pm - Youth Night in Church. If you have an idea for an article for Church Drive, or anything to advertise, please contact Claire Sheard (details on inside back page)