Dear Scargillians,
As we enter the third week of ‘Lockdown 2’, we hope that this finds you well in what continues to be very challenging times.
If we can pray for you, please let us know at: prayer@scargillmovement.org
Di’s reflection on ‘Building Bridges’ is a wonderful theme that runs through the life of Scargill.
So, we would love to connect with you. We have a Scargill Forum on Wednesday 25th November with our guests being Faith Lucas, Michael Mitton and Felicity Lawson. We gather at 7:45pm for 8pm start, and are finished by 9:30pm.We’d love to see you so do book here.
Our online programme is going well. We offer it as a way of encouraging us all in these dark days. Coming up is the Advent weekend (Friday 27th to Sunday 29th November) entitled ‘Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow’ with Bishop Chris and Karen Openshaw; from Wednesday 2nd to Friday 4th December Felicity Lawson will be leading our Advent Retreat entitled ‘Watching, Waiting, Hoping’. There are other online events for the rest of December please look at our Programme.
It has been a real joy to connect with may of you in our Thursday Evening Prayers (4:30pm). We will continue to livestream these and thank you for your encouraging and constructive feedback.
Now for Di’s reflection – enjoy!
Diane writes:
I don’t know how old this song is but I remember singing it as a child – and that was quite a long time ago!!!
He’s got the whole world in His hands
He’s got the whole wide world in His hands
He’s got the whole world in His hands
He’s got the whole world in His hands
He’s got the sun and the rain in His hands…
He’s got my brother and my sister in His hands…
He’s got the rivers and the mountains in His hands…
He’s got the whole world in His hands…
It was not so long ago David Attenborough showed us (his) Life on Our Planet asking us again to face the consequences of our actions! And since I last wrote there has been the American Presidential election; our hopes for a vaccine seems nearer, with promises of a World Wide vaccination programme; we have heard from the news and from friends around the world that there remains many concerns and difficulties; and Phil and I have begun watching Small Axe – 5 films set from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s, each telling a story involving London’s West Indian community, whose lives have been shaped by their own force of will, despite rampant racism and discrimination. And so I have recently been thinking that I should be praying more and more for the world. To pray beyond my local community here at Scargill, beyond my family and friends, including Working Friends of course! Beyond the divides in the United Kingdom and BREXIT.
At the same time, I remembered a giant sculpture Faith introduced me to called ‘Building Bridges’, used by Patrick van der Vorst to illustrate Matthew 6:7-15 (The Lord’s Prayer). It is the work of Lorenzo Quinn, for the Venice Biennale 2019.
“The artist wanted to symbolise how people can overcome their differences and his sculpture consists of ‘six pairs of hands joining across ‘dividing’ waters, with each pair representing an essential, universal value: “Friendship, to build on the future together; Wisdom, to make mutually beneficial decisions; Help, to cement lasting relationships; Faith, to trust in your heart and self-worth; Hope, to persevere in worthwhile endeavours; and love, the fundamental purpose for it all”. Surely these values go beyond dividing waters, to the joining of hands also across dividing seas and nations.
‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be held holy, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven those who are in debt to us. ….’
Jesus tells us that praying the ‘Our Father’ reminds us that God is the father of us all, and therefore every human person is truly our brother or sister. Can you join me in holding the ‘whole world in our hands’? Our world needs friendship, wisdom, help, faith (trust), hope and love. Our world needs prayer. Our world needs praying hands.
Oh and to finish, an apology, in my last reflection I quoted ‘Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another…..’ Of course this was from John 14 not Paul – although we all know he did write a lot about love, but not this sentence. A rambling mind I’m afraid is not always reliable.
With much love and prayers