February 2009 web message

In the Cathedral at Coventry in January they used an exhibition to tell the story of Anne Frank. I remember going to Dover Town Hall in the 1960 to see this powerful story out of the awful catastrophe of war and holocaust as a play. My interest in theatre was then in building sets, and they had built an impressive two tier set, out from which the play unfolded. I was drawn in. The futility of such human behaviour; all sorts of questions about how this individual tragedy fitted into the whole story of European history and the Second World War. It was a significant experience in the shaping of a teenage mind.

I found myself in the Cathedral to preach on the Saturday in the week of prayer for Christian Unity. I might be tempted to add my script to this. Outside was a march through the City. Remember that this City has seen some interesting parades in it’s time, they came through the City streets toe gather in the old cathedral ruins to ‘stand up against violence’. They came to stand alongside the moving sculpture of the embrace, where daily the litany of reconciliation will be read, even prayed. I am glad my preaching ended in time to go and stand too.

In the midst of this event, part of the movement of remembering Holocaust, across our land, which was focused on Coventry this year, another story was emerging in the City, from recent violence between Palestine and Israel. During this violence in Gaza, Manal Timraz a resident and restaurant owner in Coventry saw the violent death of fifteen(15) members of her family. Manal’s response is amazing. Manal has chosen not to call for revenge, more violence, but rather chooses from all her pain of loss to forgive and call for peace. A new strand of the movement for peace and reconciliation is underway.

I was privileged to meet Manal and her son at Earlswood Methodist Church, where we had a simple service of prayer and candle lighting and collecting. Manal, who is a Moslem, came with her Jewish neighbour, Barbara and Ann Farr from Pax Christi. Manal has called for one million candles to be light for peace on 14th February in Gaza (where she hopes to be), in Bethlehem (where Anne hopes to be) in the Chapel of Unity at Coventry Cathedral, between 12noon and one o’clock.

Earlier this year I was given a book to read, ‘the Boy in the striped pyjamas’. It was release as a film later in the year. I read the book and last Sunday I saw the film in Birmingham Town Hall, as part of our ‘standing up against violence’. If you have not seen the film or read the book I commend it to you, as I would Nelson Mandela’s ‘A long road to freedom’. All this I share in the hope that we might be counted as ‘children of God’, in recognition of our peace making.

If you want to send a message for peace to Gaza or Bethlehem you can use these contacts

Manal Timraz

Habibi Restaurant

Far Gosford Street

Coventry

CV1 5DX

By email: manal@habibirestaurant.co.uk

Ann Farr

49 Stanely Road,

Earlsdon

Coventry, CV5 6FG

By email: annfarr@phonecoop.coop

But let me encourage you to have a day in Coventry on 14th February and come and light a candle.

Yours in love,

Bill Anderson.

That Script:

If the gift of Babel is the wonderful diversity of our human family, as I think I heard said during the Islam Awareness Week back in the Autumn. Diversity found in language, culture, and expressions of faith. Surely then the challenge of the Shepherd has to be for us to learn to live together, rejoicing in that diversity, with more than just tolerance, respect, shared values; with the more than of love for one another.

So what will this week of prayer lead us to?

Bob Fyffe, the General secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland in commending this week of prayer to us, also reminds us, quoting the Guidelines for growing co-operation among the Christian Churches, ‘Charta Oecumenica’ ‘Fundamental differences in faith are still barriers to visible unity. There are different views of the church and its oneness, of the sacraments and ministries. We must not be satisfied with this situation. Jesus Christ revealed to us on the cross his love and the mystery of reconciliation; as his followers, we intend to do our utmost to over come the problems and obstacles that still divide the churches’.

The notes produced I believe this year from the Korean Church make some suggestions.

Headlines only: much relief or I could have constructed one of those sermons which pretends to have three points but manages eight.             

    1.  will we learn to live with diversity and not allow it to be a source of division?

    2.  will we stand full square against violence and injustice, together?

    3.  will we both work and live to deal with poverty and it consequences?

    4.  will we join together in our responsibilities to creation?

    5.  will we seek to build communities of welcome where prejudice of any kind is not tolerated?

    6.  will we together become places of healing, so that the pain bourn by so many in our world,

               pain of body mind or soul, can be touch by God’s grace?

    7.  will dare to face the differences of people’s faith with welcome and hospitality?

    8.  will we allow ourselves to face brokenness in order that hope may come to birth among us?

I want to say that as I encounter the Christian community in my round as what folk sometime call ‘a senior church leader’, I find stories that could illustrate ways in which each of these questions are being addresses.

• declarations of ecumenical intention and hospitality

• demonstrations for peace and justice
• eco congregations
• pastoral tasks which reach out beyond those who ‘belong’
• many of the activities which happened under the ‘Hope 08’ banner

but I believe that the time is right for the people called Christians in communities up and down our land to do new bold things together.

• Single centres for worship and mission
• Shared ministry of both lay and ordained
• Centres open to serve in bold actions, through all sorts of activity.

So we embark on a week of prayer

I will pray that we may all find more of that love,

which is at the heart of God,

with which I invite you to take the hand of friend or stranger and walk the road

Love, which casts out all fear.

Amen

Great God of the rich diversity of the Trinity

Gift to us your great love

Love, which cast out all fear

That we may be bold to work for you

May the blessing of God, Creator, Redeemer and Sustainer

Be with us this night and always.

Amen