Thomas Traherne

October 10 is the commemoration of the English poet and divine Thomas Traherne (1637-1674).  Here's a taste of his stuff.

A Serious and Pathetical Contemplation of the Mercies of God

For all the mysteries, engines, instruments, wherewith the world is filled, which we are able to frame and use to thy glory.

For all the trades, variety of operations, cities, temples, streets, bridges, mariner's compass, admirable picture, sculpture, writing, printing, songs and music; wherewith the world is beautified and adorned.

     Much more for the regent life,

     And power of perception,

     Which rules within.

     That secret depth of fathomless consideration

     That receives the information of all our senses,

     That makes our centre equal to the heavens,

      And comprehendeth in itself the magnitude of the world;

      The involv'd mysteries of our common sense;

      The inaccessible secret of perceptive fancy;

      The repository and treasury of things that are past;

      The presentation of things to come;

      Thy name be glorified for evermore.

      O miracle of divine goodness!

      O fire! O flame of zeal, and love, and joy!

       Ev'n for our earthly bodies, hast thou created all things.

                                    

      All things visible, material, sensible.

      Animals, Vegetables, Minerals,

      Bodies celestial, Bodies terrestrial,

      The four elements, Volatile spirits,

      Trees, herbs, and flowers,

      The influences of heaven,

      Clouds, vapors, wind,

      Dew, rain, hail and snow,

      Light and darkness, night and day,

      The seasons of the year.

      Springs, rivers, fountains, oceans,

     Gold, silver, and precious stones.

      Corn, wine, and oil,

       The sun, moon, and stars,

       Cities, nations, kingdoms.

       

And the bodies of men, the greatest treasures of all,

For each other.

What then, O Lord, hast thou intended for our Souls,

who givest to our bodies such glorious things!

 

Enjoy and reflect - God made all of us and all of it is good.  It's only our twisted human visons and misunderstandings that make it so "evil".  That twistedness (which you can call original sin) distorts us and our actions so severely that the world and others and God suffer.  If we let divine Grace in Christ change, transform and re-order "our unruly wills and affections", then God's will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Sunday a day of rest?

 

I spent the morning preaching and celebrating at the Good Shepherd Murrayfield (babies and the baptising thereof was left to the Deacon Brenda!) and then went to lecture on the history of St Michael and All Saints where I am officially attached.  Most illuminating it was too!  Curates with rich wives, mega wealthy High Church spinster sisters, social outreach to fallen women - good rollicking stuff!  Tonight I had a fancy for Evensong and tootled off to Old St Paul's where Anglican chant and Stanford in A reminded me that I am at heart a "Stale Expressions of Church" man, rather than a "Fresh Expressions" fiend!  Then a fish supper for my tea - life is good!

Be still and know.

Here's a thought for the day that I thought was worth sharing:

I create a pool of inner quiet through meditation and contemplation. I create a place of peace within me that I can call on throughout my day. I give myself time to sense the meaning of my life. Unless my mind slows down, I will not be still enough to know through direct experience. I will not have the inner peace to come in touch with deeper and deeper layers of self. If I accumulate and accomplish all that I set out to but lose my ability to enjoy, then I have bought into a fool's paradise. Then I will simply be surrounded by riches that I am unable to appreciate. I will take good care of myself today. I recognize that an important part of taking good care of myself is to give myself the quiet time I need and deserve in order to be happy.

I give myself the quiet I need.

For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?  Mark 8:36-37

Time for a wee quiet lurk with God, I think.

The day thou gavest...

Luckily, this will not be my problem at Murrayfield tomorrow!  Organ & choir, Hymns Old and New and a baptism (the deacon does that!)  Today was marked the "Booking of the Honeymoon".  France, a cottage and a swimming pool are the key ingredients.  And we sorted the wedding hymns.  And the Liturgy will be modern Scottish - but no keech like "handsel" will be involved and there will be a confession and proper prayers for the bride and groom before the Eucharistic prayer starts and nae clergy wandering aboot after the consecration to bless us.  The Liturgy gurus of the Province can experiment away with the laity if they like - neither of us intends our nuptial mass to be a liturgical experiment. (I was very anti vivisection as a youth!  I ain't gonna be no liturgical guinea pig!)  They did that to us when I was a student at Coates Hall and to this day I dislike that ring bound folder thing they call the Scottish Daily Office.  If you need an Office book, a lectionary, a guide to the lectionary, a bible, something with a collect and a hymn book to say mattins with an office hymn then you need to get your act together and produce something more workable.  Moi, je prefere l'Office SSF.  All you need is a bible and a hymnal and a lectionary.  And you're off!  The beauty of the Roman Office is that everything is in one volume.  Perhaps our liturgical gurus might take note of that!

Why I am not a Rector (and neither was St Francis).

 

Just recently, I've been doing quite a lot of church stuff.  And was reminded why I am happier as a Self Supporting Minister.  Office bearers moaning about other office bearers being too officious, encroaching on their area of responsibility and uttering the immortal incantation: "I'll speak to the Rector about it".  Members of the congregation barneying over disabled parking with others who also drive the disabled to Church.  Again the response "We'd better get the Rector to sort it out".  Being somewhat free of the structures, I don't have to put up with the expectation of having to sort out the petty squabbles of other wise intelligent and devout adults who ought to be able to sort this keech out without needing  the assistance of a priest who is called upon to act like a kindergarten superintendent.

But I've also had to pray for someone who's just been diagnosed with bowel cancer, another who was beaten up by the Israeli police whilst protecting Arab orphans under his care were caught up in a bit of a riot.  And stand in for a colleague who got whisked off for a check up when her pulse went all irregular.  Give tea to a distressed RC priest who'd had no support from his brethren.  Real stuff, not church c**p.

So I reflect on this and my own impatience with the Church:

From the first known letter from St Francis of Assisi to all Christians:

 "O how happy and blessed are those who love the Lord and do as the Lord himself said in the gospel: You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart and your whole soul, and your neighbor as yourself. Thereofore, let us love God and adore him with pure heart and mind. This is his particular desire when he says: True worshipers adore the Father in spirit and truth. For all who adore him must do so in the spirit of truth. Let us also direct to him our praises and prayers, saying: "Our Father, who are in heaven," since we must always pray and never grow slack.

    Furthermore, let us produce worthy fruits of penance. Let us also love our neightbors as ourselves. Let us have charity and humility. Let us give alms because these cleanse our souls from the stains of sin. Men lose all the material things they leave behind in this world, but they carry with them the reward of their charity and the alms they give. For these they will recieve from the Lord the reward and recompense they deserve. We must not be wise and prudent according to the flesh. Rather we must be sinple, humble and pure. We should never desire to be over others. Instead, we ought to be servants who are submissive to very human being for God's sake. The Spirit of the Lord will rest on all who live in this way and persevere in it to the end. He will permanently dwell in them. They will be the Father's children who do his work. They are the spouses, brothers and mothers of our Lord Jesus Christ.

"Most high, omnipotent, good Lord, grant your people grace gladly to renounce the vanities of this world; that, following the way of blessed Francis, we may for love of you delight in your whole creation with perfect joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."