Thank you for joining us for Start:Stop. This reflection will last around ten minutes, followed by a period of silence and prayer. The prayer response is on the sheet which you can pick up on the table at the entrance to the church. Please come and go as your schedule dictates. We begin with a short bible reading, which can be found on page 250 in the New Testament section of the Bible.
Bible Reading : 1 Peter 2.4-10
Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture:
‘See, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’
To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very head of the corner’,
a cornerstone chosen and precious;
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.’
To you then who believe, he is precious; but for those who do not believe,
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the very head of the corner’,
and
‘A stone that makes them stumble,
and a rock that makes them fall.’
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
and a rock that makes them fall.’
They stumble because they disobey the word, as they were destined to do.
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.
Once you were not a people,
but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
Reflection
The bible is full of passages that encourage us to see the world – and to do things - differently. Perhaps the ultimate example is the image of Jesus on the cross; triumph over earthly power through powerlessness; ‘the stone that the builders rejected’, as Peter’s First Epistle has just reminded us.
It is this stone, deemed unworthy for use on earth, that Peter encourages Christians to take as the reference point - or corner stone - for their lives - both as individuals and in relationship with each other; building God’s spiritual house.
The letter attributed to Peter, the first Bishop of Rome and the “Rock” upon which Jesus said the church is to be built, is addressed to persecuted Christians in Asia Minor - (modern day Turkey) and offers hope and encouragement to keep their faith through suffering. The letter is likely to predate the great fire of Rome in AD64, which led to Nero’s widespread persecution of Christians throughout the Empire; but even before then, Christians has been at the mercy of local leaders— those who did not relinquish their Christian faith and offer gifts to the Emperor, were often executed.
Recently a visitor asked me if this was still a functioning church; surely a functioning church would have a crucifix? I pointed it out, but he mistook my gesture and thought I was directing him to the stone altar. “I see what you mean” he said as we walked towards it. In fact, he saw what I didn’t mean - and I saw what he did – and in so doing we both saw something afresh; our altar as a living stone – a symbol of Christ’s victory through the cross.
The misunderstanding brought to mind a poem by George Every;
This is a place of human sacrifice,
And on this altar stone, young men must die.
The Green God on the great red mountain,
Cries his burden ‘Crucify
Yourselves, as I am crucified..’
but now you are God’s people;
once you had not received mercy,
but now you have received mercy.
Reflection
The bible is full of passages that encourage us to see the world – and to do things - differently. Perhaps the ultimate example is the image of Jesus on the cross; triumph over earthly power through powerlessness; ‘the stone that the builders rejected’, as Peter’s First Epistle has just reminded us.
It is this stone, deemed unworthy for use on earth, that Peter encourages Christians to take as the reference point - or corner stone - for their lives - both as individuals and in relationship with each other; building God’s spiritual house.
The letter attributed to Peter, the first Bishop of Rome and the “Rock” upon which Jesus said the church is to be built, is addressed to persecuted Christians in Asia Minor - (modern day Turkey) and offers hope and encouragement to keep their faith through suffering. The letter is likely to predate the great fire of Rome in AD64, which led to Nero’s widespread persecution of Christians throughout the Empire; but even before then, Christians has been at the mercy of local leaders— those who did not relinquish their Christian faith and offer gifts to the Emperor, were often executed.
Recently a visitor asked me if this was still a functioning church; surely a functioning church would have a crucifix? I pointed it out, but he mistook my gesture and thought I was directing him to the stone altar. “I see what you mean” he said as we walked towards it. In fact, he saw what I didn’t mean - and I saw what he did – and in so doing we both saw something afresh; our altar as a living stone – a symbol of Christ’s victory through the cross.
The misunderstanding brought to mind a poem by George Every;
This is a place of human sacrifice,
And on this altar stone, young men must die.
The Green God on the great red mountain,
Cries his burden ‘Crucify
Yourselves, as I am crucified..’
The poem isn’t a direct reference to our altar stone, or the millions of young men who died during World War One who are represented by the three soldier silhouettes amongst us this morning. It was inspired by the scene in the chapel of Kelham Hall, a former theological college – and specifically the Kelham Rood, which now stands in St John the Divine Kennington. A rood is a large sculptural representation of the crucifixion. The “Green God” was the large bronze sculpture by Charles Sergeant Jagger – an artist famous for his depiction of suffering in his war memorial designs. The rood stood on a brick arch in the chapel (the “red mountain” in the poem) when George Every was a student there. Misdirecting our visitor and our subsequent conversation - enabled us to recognise something familiar between what at first seem to be the very different images of our stone altar here in Walbrook and the vivid realism of the Kelham Rood, which, inspired by Jagger’s experience in World War One, emphasizes the humanity of Jesus.
There is hope for those who suffer as Christ suffered on the cross. The young men who were to die in Every’s poem were those being ordained; taking on a new identity - a new life in Christ, which, as Peter’s letter reminds us, brings new responsibilities for those called “out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Responsibilities which were affirmed by three members of this church on Saturday, when they were confirmed by the Bishop in St Paul’s Cathedral. Sarah, John and Vince - along with all those present - reaffirmed their commitment to renounce evil behaviour, to desire God’s word and to become more Christ like in their thoughts and deeds; to make Christ the corner-stone of their lives.
At the start of the WW1 centenary I worked on a project with a church in North London to uncover and reflect on some of the stories of the 146 men listed on the war memorial there. Cross-referencing records from the Commonwealth War Graves commission with the 1911 census allowed us to identify the family homes of these men.
We all know about the unprecedented loss of life in WW1, but seeing a poppy marking the home of each of the fallen on a map of the parish provided a vivid illustration of the scale of the impact of the war on that place. Perhaps for the first time in generations, we saw that we all lived in or near to a house where at least one of the fallen and their families had lived. It was then that the memorial stone became more than a list of 146 names. We rediscovered these men and their families as living stones - part of our community of faith; and as a result of that renewed relationship, we came to look on those suffering in conflicts around the world today, through different eyes.
The project uncovered stories of great suffering - the loss of sons, brothers and fathers, choirboys, servers and bell-ringers from every street in the parish. Through records of those who appealed against conscription we learnt of the hardship of those left behind. Letters from the front showed the appalling conditions of those in the trenches and those interned as prisoners of war.
With any such project there is a risk of glorifying war. In describing the difference between heroes and martyrs Sam Wells, the Vicar of St Martin in the Fields, has said “The definitive heroic icon is the soldier: who is prepared to risk death for the sake of a higher good....The story of the hero is told to rejoice in valor. The story of the saint is told to celebrate faith.”
But the obituaries of these - often reluctant - soldiers, published in the parish magazine, are not hero worship. They tell of faithful and obedient men who, despite hardship and suffering, obeyed the word by following their call as Ambassadors for Christ in circumstances when they had little choice but to obey orders. Despite the risk of paying the ultimate price, they chose to set out their lives by the corner-stone of Christ. As Peter’s letter goes on to remind the church in Asia Minor; we may not be in a position to change the way that the authorities on earth behave, but we do have the power to act with honour, service and love; during times of suffering and even persecution.
There is hope for those who suffer as Christ suffered on the cross. The young men who were to die in Every’s poem were those being ordained; taking on a new identity - a new life in Christ, which, as Peter’s letter reminds us, brings new responsibilities for those called “out of darkness into his marvellous light.” Responsibilities which were affirmed by three members of this church on Saturday, when they were confirmed by the Bishop in St Paul’s Cathedral. Sarah, John and Vince - along with all those present - reaffirmed their commitment to renounce evil behaviour, to desire God’s word and to become more Christ like in their thoughts and deeds; to make Christ the corner-stone of their lives.
At the start of the WW1 centenary I worked on a project with a church in North London to uncover and reflect on some of the stories of the 146 men listed on the war memorial there. Cross-referencing records from the Commonwealth War Graves commission with the 1911 census allowed us to identify the family homes of these men.
We all know about the unprecedented loss of life in WW1, but seeing a poppy marking the home of each of the fallen on a map of the parish provided a vivid illustration of the scale of the impact of the war on that place. Perhaps for the first time in generations, we saw that we all lived in or near to a house where at least one of the fallen and their families had lived. It was then that the memorial stone became more than a list of 146 names. We rediscovered these men and their families as living stones - part of our community of faith; and as a result of that renewed relationship, we came to look on those suffering in conflicts around the world today, through different eyes.
The project uncovered stories of great suffering - the loss of sons, brothers and fathers, choirboys, servers and bell-ringers from every street in the parish. Through records of those who appealed against conscription we learnt of the hardship of those left behind. Letters from the front showed the appalling conditions of those in the trenches and those interned as prisoners of war.
With any such project there is a risk of glorifying war. In describing the difference between heroes and martyrs Sam Wells, the Vicar of St Martin in the Fields, has said “The definitive heroic icon is the soldier: who is prepared to risk death for the sake of a higher good....The story of the hero is told to rejoice in valor. The story of the saint is told to celebrate faith.”
But the obituaries of these - often reluctant - soldiers, published in the parish magazine, are not hero worship. They tell of faithful and obedient men who, despite hardship and suffering, obeyed the word by following their call as Ambassadors for Christ in circumstances when they had little choice but to obey orders. Despite the risk of paying the ultimate price, they chose to set out their lives by the corner-stone of Christ. As Peter’s letter goes on to remind the church in Asia Minor; we may not be in a position to change the way that the authorities on earth behave, but we do have the power to act with honour, service and love; during times of suffering and even persecution.
“For the Lord’s sake accept the authority of every human institution, whether of the emperor as supreme, or of governors, as sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to praise those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing right you should silence the ignorance of the foolish.”
In this season when we remember those close to us who have died and the faithful who have given their lives for others, let us remember our call to be Living Stones - to do right for those who suffer and are persecuted in the world today.
Prayers
Lord, help us to remember all who suffer as a result of conflict and persecution.
Through the power of your spirit, help us to bring peace and justice to the world.
The response to Lord, our sure foundation is
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Lord God, our sure foundation
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Lord, help us to remember all who suffer as a result of conflict and persecution.
Through the power of your spirit, help us to bring peace and justice to the world.
The response to Lord, our sure foundation is
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Lord God, our sure foundation
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Lord, we remember the service men and women who have died in the violence of war.
We pray for all members of the armed forces who are in danger this day,
remembering their families, friends and all who pray for their safe return.
We pray for all members of the armed forces who are in danger this day,
remembering their families, friends and all who pray for their safe return.
Lord God, our sure foundation
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Lord, we remember all those whose lives are disfigured by war or terror,
We remember those who are persecuted for their faith, particularly at this time for the Coptic Christians in Egypt and for Asia Bibi and her family, living in fear of persecution in Pakistan.
We give thanks for the work of peacemakers and peace-keepers
and for all who bear the burden and privilege of leadership;
grant them wisdom and resolve in the search for reconciliation and peace.
Lord God, our sure foundation
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Lord, we remember all who are suffering through bereavement, and those who are in pain in mind, body and spirit;
for those who continue to suffer the consequences of fighting and terror.
for those whose lives in conflicts past and present, have been given and taken away.
Lord, we remember those whom you have gathered from the storm of war into the peace of your presence;
may that same peace calm our fears, bring justice to all peoples and establish harmony among the nations.
Lord God, our sure foundation
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Blessing
God, grant to the living grace, to the departed rest
and all people unity, peace and concord
and to us, the Living Stones of your church, life everlasting.
And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with us and remain with us always.
Amen
Links
The Kelham Rood
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Lord, we remember all those whose lives are disfigured by war or terror,
We remember those who are persecuted for their faith, particularly at this time for the Coptic Christians in Egypt and for Asia Bibi and her family, living in fear of persecution in Pakistan.
We give thanks for the work of peacemakers and peace-keepers
and for all who bear the burden and privilege of leadership;
grant them wisdom and resolve in the search for reconciliation and peace.
Lord God, our sure foundation
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Lord, we remember all who are suffering through bereavement, and those who are in pain in mind, body and spirit;
for those who continue to suffer the consequences of fighting and terror.
for those whose lives in conflicts past and present, have been given and taken away.
Lord, we remember those whom you have gathered from the storm of war into the peace of your presence;
may that same peace calm our fears, bring justice to all peoples and establish harmony among the nations.
Lord God, our sure foundation
Use us, your living stones, to build your kingdom on earth.
Blessing
God, grant to the living grace, to the departed rest
and all people unity, peace and concord
and to us, the Living Stones of your church, life everlasting.
And may the blessing of God Almighty, Father, Son and Holy Spirit be with us and remain with us always.
Amen
Links
The Kelham Rood
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