Dear Scargillians
This comes as ever with much love and prayers. I would imagine that the majority of us are struggling with this lockdown, particularly as we are having a proper Winter, today at Scargill we have had some more snow. But we do have some online events which we hope will be a light in the darkness as we meet together ‘virtually’. This week is busy with opportunity!
This coming Monday we are very pleased to have a Quiet Day led by Mat Ineson, there is still time to book, and if you miss Monday Mat will be doing a repeat of the content on Saturday’s Quiet Day.
Also on Monday, we are also delighted that Gordon Dey will be beginning an eight week course on ‘The World of Jesus’, running 7-9pm. There is still time to book.
Tuesday to Thursday: Dave Hopwood and I are leading a retreat on ‘The Voice and Silence of God’. I am very tempted to have one of the sessions where we are silent together! There is still space and we’d love to see you.
Our Enneagram 2 course with Margi Walker and Diane Stone begins on Tuesday 9th February.
Our monthly Scargill Forum will be on Wednesday February 10th, 7:45 for 8-9:30pm, which has become a real joy to meet with fellow Scargillians, to have some fun and think theologically over the issues we are facing.
We are very pleased to announce ‘Crafternoons’ a new opportunity to connect with other Scargillians and the Scargill Community over your favourite craft, jigsaw or knitting on a Saturday afternoon from 3-4pm. The initial two dates are Saturdays 13th and 27th February. If you wish to come along to this Zoom event then do email hello@scargillmovement.org for details. We’d love to see you.
The final thing to mention is our online Half Term event (week beginning 15th February) based on ‘The Dawn Treader’ by C.S. Lewis. There will be a number of fun activities for all ages – watch out for further details.
Thank you to those who have used recycle4charity envelopes to send spent Printer cartridges off for recycling, raising money for Scargill. These envelopes are no longer valid, so please send your spent printer cartridges to Scargill Admin Team for sending on as a batch.
Here is Di’s reflection on one of J.M.W. Turner’s wonderful paintings. Enjoy!
Diane writes:
Now, when did you last sing – ‘Jesus bids us shine’?
Jesus bids us shine
With a pure, clear light,
Like a little candle,
Burning in the night.
In this world is darkness,
So let us shine–
You in your small corner,
And I in mine……………………
It possibly wasn’t in 1868 when it was written by Susan Warner! Faith and I both recall singing it in Sunday School whilst my children, now all in their 30’s, have never heard of it! But we have all read and know the passage from Matthew 5:13-16 where Jesus said, ‘You are like salt for everyone on earth……. You are like a light for the whole world……Make your light shine, so that others will see the good that you do and will praise your Father in heaven.’ In my Bible I have written (in pencil) How? Why?
Well, a few weeks ago there was chaos in Washington as Trump supporters stormed the Capitol and forced the lockdown of Congress BUT this was followed by Joe Biden’s inauguration where a young woman of colour, wearing a long, gorgeous, warm, yellow coat, read her amazing poem giving hope, not only to Americans, but across the world. Amanda Gorman’s poem, ‘The Hill We Climb’ concluded with these words:
“When day comes we step out of the shade,
aflame and unafraid
The new dawn blooms as we free it
For there is always light,
if only we’re brave enough to see it
If only we’re brave enough to be it”
This got me thinking, firstly, ‘are we ‘brave enough to see it’? Can we see the light in our present darkness? Some of us may be able to, others will find it more difficult, and I started to look for a painting that would hold and support these thoughts. First I found this quote from Dorothy Koppelman who wrote, ‘Magnificently, in the paintings of J. M. W. Turner, there is a light so blazing and so deep, one can almost be completely absorbed – and always, too, there is that blackness.’
And so, ‘Snow Storm – Steam-Boat off a Harbour’s Mouth’ painted in 1842 by Joseph Mallord William Turner (The Tate) has become my picture of the week. As I looked at the painting, ‘The swirling storm’ encouraged my eyes ‘to circle around the canvas repeatedly’ – in fact at one point I felt a little queasy, never having been a good sailor! Anyway, I noticed ‘The black of the wind and the waves of the sea create a circle around the doomed ship. Through the windy peephole, (you) can see the helpless ship at the mercy of nature’s violent motion.’ BUT within the chaos of the storm there is light. In fact, it was the bright light that drew me to the ship in the middle of the canvas.
Although we, today, may feel powerless against the storm of the virus with numbers of UK deaths reaching 100,000, Amanda has reminded us ‘there is always light’. So let us look for the light, let us look towards the hope we have in the vaccination program and the falling numbers of cases, let us look and see Spring is on its way, ‘Aslan is on the move’, let us begin to see there is light at the end of the tunnel.
Often in order to be brave enough to see the light there needs to be those who are ‘brave enough to be it’ encouraging those who currently can’t see. Susan Warner almost urges us to shine ‘in (our) small corners’ and Matthew 5 encourages us to make our light shine for others to see. You may like me ask ‘How’? Well just now after walking Ossie I met a delivery man, we greeted each other and then I mentioned the miserable weather, his cheerful response agreed then he added ‘but it’s what you make of it! Have a lovely day’ and left with a smile on both our faces.
So today I want to inspire us all to ‘be brave enough to be it’, ‘be brave enough to look for it’, ‘be brave enough to see it’. Remember there is always light.
With love and prayers