God-Given Moments of Opportunity

"For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then shall relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place but thou and thy father's house shall perish: and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"
Esther 4:14

The message contained in the words spoken by Mordechai to Esther in ancient Persia with which this post begins, still have deep relevance to our lives today. Those familiar with the biblical Book of Esther will know the story well; the Jewish girl Esther is chosen to be part of King Ahasuerus' harem after his execution of one of his previous wives, and is told by her uncle Mordechai to keep her Jewish identity hidden. After some time Ahasuerus' wicked vizier Haman, decides to slaughter the Jews of Persia and receives royal approval to do so. Esther is confronted by Mordechai who asks her to approach the king and appeal for the salvation of her people. She expresses some hesitation at this, for it was well known that those who approached the king without him having summoned them were liable to be executed. Mordechai responds with the words written at the beginning of this post. Ultimately Esther does intercede, and with a serendipitous and providential series of coincidences the Jews are saved and Haman and his followers are killed. This ancient deliverance from genocide is celebrated annually by Jews on the festival of Purim, which this year begins this Wednesday evening.

Esther had to make a decision. Through no choice of her own she found herself in a situation which she could not have previously envisioned. She had become the beloved wife of the King of Persia, her people, their ties with her occulted from her own husband, were on the verge of destruction and she had some chance of being able to prevent it. But she would have to risk her own life to do so. Would she take hold of the opportunity before her, save her people and have her name become a focus of celebration for millennia to follow, or would she step back from Providence's challenge? She chose well, but do we?

Jesus of Nazareth also faced a tough choice, one that led to the events we will commemorate in a few short weeks:

"And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him. And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; remove this cup from me; howbeit not what I will, but what thou wilt." Mark 14:36

He decided to do the will of his Creator, but do we?

We may not all be placed in such momentous situations, on which hinge matters of life and death, but nevertheless we are given opportunities to choose between that which will make us realise our true selves; the best in us, and that which will lead us far from what we could truly become.

Last week my mother ended up in an unfortunate, but thankfully minor, accident. While waiting to fill her car with petrol, the car in front, driven by an elderly lady, began to reverse. Sounding her horn to try and prevent collision failed to work, and the car in front collided with hers causing some damage. My mother spoke with the clearly distraught driver of the other vehicle, who through a veil of tears pleaded with her to take the car to an inexpensive garage to have it repaired, as being a pensioner, whose husband had only recently passed away, she could not afford much, and was eager not to have her insurance premiums increase. After swapping details my mother reassured the lady that she would seek out an inexpensive garage for the repairs. It turned out that the bill for the repair would be over £200 pounds. When being informed of this price on the telephone the other lady, again through tears, said that it was far too expensive for her low income to cope with, and that she would have to communicate with her son who lived far away to see if he could help an eventuality she thought most unlikely. That afternoon my mum and I had a long conversation as to what to do. On the one hand she was not at fault for the accident, and is also a pensioner and who is struggling to build up a new business after having been made redundant recently. Why should she have to leave her car with dents and scratches, or loose over £200 pounds of her own money to repair it? The other woman should have been looking where she was going, or cease driving if she is not up to it anymore, and should certainly pay for the damage caused or go through the insurance that exists for just such an occasion. On the other hand the lady's distress and difficult circumstances were believed by us to be genuine, and we were both mindful of the teachings of our master;

"And if any man would go to the law with thee, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. And whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile go with him twain." Matthew 6:40

"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise." Luke 6:31

These teachings, are reflected in the Talmudic story of Rabbah Bar Hana who hired two men to carry a precious amphora of wine back to his home, and who after they smashed the jar through their negligence, took their cloaks as compensation for his loss. Later he was informed by the great sage Rav that despite his legal right to do what he did, he should return to these poor men their cloaks and pay them in full the money they would have gotten had they not broken his amphora, because God wishes people to go beyond the letter of the law and their genuine entitlement, to act with love and compassion for others.

So the debate went back and forth most of the evening. In the end my mum had in mind to inform the lady the following day that she need not pay. Ultimately first thing the following morning my mother received a phone call from the other party's insurance company stating that they would repair the damage as their client had contacted them and accepted full responsibility. The decision had been, at the last moment, taken out of my mother's hands. But nevertheless she had in my opinion risen to glorious heights as a result of her deliberations and resolve. I am sure that it will be "reckoned unto her for righteousness".

History is replete with examples of people who refused to pass up moments of Providential opportunity. Who overcame hesitancy to instead heed the pleadings of God's voice speaking in their conscience, and who acted in ways that sanctified the name of the Divine and of Humankind. They serve as great exemplars to us all, for the little choices that we must make from day to day.

We may not fully understand the story of which we are a part, but it can do us no harm to keep at the forefront of our mind, that the choices we make, are writing the very words, the very sentences and paragraphs of this great human story. I believe we can face this reality faithfully and contentedly in the knowledge that the great Author is always whispering words of guidance to us, if we only pause to listen.

"Send forth, O God, Thy light and truth,
And let them lead me still,
Undaunted, in the paths of right,
Up to Thy holy hill.
Then to Thy altar will I spring,
And in my God rejoice;
And praise shall tune the trembling string,
And gratitude my voice."
John Quincy Adams 1841

Matrimony Rethought

"Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up. Again, if two lie together, then they have warmth: but how can one be warm alone?" Ecclesiastes 4:9-11


One of the defining features of Unitarianism since its inception and one of its principle strengths, is in its commitment to freedom of thought and freedom of religious inquiry. The challenge for the individual is to understand why he/she holds the beliefs they do, and to reassess them in the light of new evidence or new thought. As an honest pursuit of truth this can be done with confidence and without fear. However it isn't always easy in life to revise a belief or opinion that one has held, especially if one has held to that belief with any kind of passion or conviction.

Over recent weeks I myself have had to rethink a position which I had held with some degree of passion and clear conviction and that issue is same-sex marriage (and to a lesser extent Civil Partnerships).

Those readers who read my blog regularly may remember a while back me mentioning that I was opposed to same-sex marriage and that I believed I had rational reasons for being so. I never elaborated those reasons at the time but I do so now in order to show where my thinking has changed.

I used to believe, and actually I still do, that marriage, an institution of great worth and importance, is specifically designed for and expressly addressed to the nature of male - female relationships. Ultimately this is rooted in my belief that the purpose of marriage is to regulate intimate relations between men and women by limiting them (in a moral sense) to legally defined unions. In this way the not unusual outcome of male-female intimacy; children, are born into an environment which is clearly defined and regulated, with paternity protected and issues of stability and inheritance also clarified. The child born as a result of an act of love, sees in the love and commitment between its parents a reflection of their love and commitment to him/her. The bringing together in such a union of male and female creates a microcosm of society for the child to learn about and develop within. I also believe that in creating an arena which in some sense morally legitimises sexual activity, it strengthens positive and humane values that serve to dignify physical intimacy and elevate it above simple pleasure seeking, recreation or exploitation.

It is fair to ask why a relationship between two people should have anything to do with the state and the law at all. Surely it is a private matter, involving those who freely enter into a partnership. It appears to me that the state and the law have been involved for much of human history in this area because of the huge social importance that heterosexual relationships play in society, again primarily because these relationships bring forth the next generations, but also because they bring together the two halves of humanity. As such the representative of society; the State through the agency of the Law clearly defines and confers recognition on these unions, and creates for them certain privileges which reflect the esteem with which society holds them. The wonderful, late Rabbi Isaac Bernstein, whose lectures on the Bible are an enthralling glimpse into the wisdom of traditional Jewish Biblical commentary, noting that many of the Bible's laws governing the public national life of the Israelite nation occur in the book of Deuteronomy, and wondering why laws of marriage appear there, concluded in a similar vein that the relationship between a man and a woman is of national and not only private importance.

I felt and I continue to feel that homosexual relationships, such as the one I have with my beloved partner, while being most precious to those involved in them, do not have the same social/national importance as heterosexual relationships. Their small numbers compared to the heterosexual majority, their non-reproductive nature (leaving adoption, surrogacy, children from previous relationships aside) place them, in my thinking, more in the category of private importance and not public importance.

Because of this difference I felt that same-sex marriage, in equating homosexual and heterosexual relationships could serve to confirm and reinforce a loss of understanding as to the value and nature of marriage which would be very regrettable. It is this last belief that I feel that I have no choice but to rethink.

I have come to realise that marriage is not a "zero-sum game", and that because something is designed for one specific set of circumstances, it does not mean that its value cannot be felt in other areas. Simply put the value of marriage is not restricted to opposite-sex couples for which it is designed. Marriage (and/or civil-unions) have valuable benefits for same-sex couples, aside from the practical benefits such as, for example, next of kin rights etc, and I can see no way that such gains would diminish the value of marriage in general.

The existence of same-sex marriage could play a strong part in encouraging and supporting positive values regarding intimacy in the gay "community", providing as it can, an ideal setting for a loving sexuality and adding extra support to those people, especially men, who wish to resist the overt sexualisation, and the value-free sex that is sadly not an unusual aspect of the contemporary gay "scene". For too long, and almost certainly as a result of the bigotry and rejection of homosexuals by mainstream society and religion; morality and healthy, elevating principles have not had the same structural and cultural support in gay society as has existed in the wider community. Same-sex marriage could help to repair some of the real harm that such a lack has caused.

It is not easy to exaggerate the immense personal and emotional value for couples, same-sex or otherwise, of having their relationship formally recognised. To declare to their peers their love for their partner, and to have that respected, even if not approved of, is of huge psychological importance and not something that should be prevented without good reason, and as I said above I no longer see any strong reasons to prevent it.

Finally, two men or two women willing to commit themselves to each other exclusively, to share each other's lives, to support and care for each other for the rest of their days, forsaking all others, is something that is in and of itself beautiful and uplifting and worthy of recognition, and if truly celebrated and truly valued would do much to enrich our civilisation, where concepts such as commitment, care, and restraint have unfortunately seen some erosion. Indeed how encouraging it is in this age where marriage has been undervalued to see the passion and desire on the part of same-sex couples to formalise and celebrate their couplehood in this way.

Of course in some sense I have yet to address the elephant in the room. Many religions and many people of faith view same-sex marriage as improper because it would seem to legitimise relationships which they feel are truly wrong and sinful. It would seem as if society, of which they are a part, is giving its imprimatur to sin, and in some people's view, to an abominable sin, so naturally they wish to prevent this from happening. I do have respect for people with such views and am not quick to judge them as bigoted, homophobic or wicked, especially those who harbour no hatred of individuals but who genuinely "hate the sin and love the sinner". However I do believe they are very mistaken. Either way no church, mosque, synagogue or temple should ever be forced to conduct marriages which they deem as contrary to their conscience, beliefs or theology. Not in a free and liberal society.

Theologically I have no problem with same-sex marriage. It is also clear to me that the meaning of the famous Biblical prohibition, often cited by those opposed to same-sex marriage and homosexuality itself:

"V'es zochor lo tishkav mishkavei isha. Toeva hi" Literally: "And with a male do not lay female layings. It is an abomination" Leviticus 18:22

is as it has always been understood in Judaism, a prohibition on one particular male-male sexual act. It is not a prohibition against homosexual attraction, love, togetherness, commitment or broader intimacy. As such this prohibition does not to my mind in and of itself preclude same-sex marriage. It is certainly true that an argument can be made to suggest that marriage in Biblical terms serves to legalise sexual union and hence the prohibition against the sexual union of two men, means that same-sex marriage is null and void, however our society has over the centuries broadened its understanding of marriage, and same-sex marriage need not be seen (and indeed is not seen) as having anything to do with specific forms of homosexual intimacy. It, like marriage in general, is much more about the love, companionship and desire to live as a committed partnership.

It is my belief that the Eternal esteems devoted love whether it is between a man and a woman, or two men, or two women. My partner and I both feel God's presence in our life together, guiding us, strengthening us and even challenging us to be the best we can be, not only as individuals but also and importantly as a couple. Experience informs me that all the little events that thankfully brought he and I together, were the hand of Providence, which reminds me of the words of our teacher Jesus:

"What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder". Mark 10:9

And so I celebrate the change in the law that has allowed religious groups in Britain to conduct civil-partnerships in their places of worship. I give thanks that Unitarians, alongside Quakers and Liberal Jews fought for this right. I cautiously hope for the time when the definition of marriage is legally broadened to include same-sex relationships and I pray that tolerance and understanding be extended to those whose conscience prevents them from agreeing to such changes. I hope that honest and respectful arguments be used to conduct the debate on this contentious issue, and that it not be used by either side to further political agendas. But above all this I look forward to the time when my partner and I become husbands to each other in my chapel, in the presence of God, and trust that after 14 years together our embarking on this new step, solemnised by the very law of our great nation, serves to strengthen even further our loving bond.

"God is love; His mercy brightens
All the paths in which we rove;
Bliss He wakes, and woe He lightens:
God is wisdom, God is love"
John Bowring Hymns 1825

The Eternal's Healing Face.

"O Lord my God, I cried unto Thee, and Thou hast healed me." Psalm 30:2

Over the last few days I have unfortunately been unwell with a pretty harsh cold. I had the opportunity during this time (apart from feeling very sorry for myself) to contemplate the wonder that is our body's natural ability to heal. The fever I suffered with, while very uncomfortable, was a stark reminder of my body's various strategies to defeat the invading virus, which when thought about with any depth truly fills a person with gratitude for the wisdom inherent in the way our immune systems function. And there was even more to be grateful for; the healing properties of chemicals and plants and the awesome wisdom of humanity that over time has learned to harness these properties to manufacture medicines that can cure or make bearable many illnesses. (How lucky we are to live, as James Martineau says in one of his prayers, "at the end of so many ages, heirs to the thoughts of the wise, the labours of the good). Finally and certainly not least, much gratitude towards the love and concern of our fellow human beings, which is often so clearly felt when one is unwell.

The more I mused on all this, the more I came to see the notion of healing and repairing as existing throughout our world and the vast cosmos beyond. It can be seen in the way a forest destroyed by a violent and all consuming fire, very quickly begins to replenish itself, with shoots of the new trees and plants emerging from the scorched earth. The way that plants and life return to land obliterated by flows of volcanic lava. The way that new stars are formed out of the vast gas/dust clouds left behind by other stars in their supernova death-throws. The way our skin so rapidly repairs itself when cut, not to mention the ability of some creatures to replace entire limbs. The power of sunlight to help ease some skin disorders, and the way that the sea and its wave actions slowly clean the last traces of oil spilled on its surface, allowing life to flourish once again, and so on and so forth.

My own personal theological conception of God is most similar to what is called Panentheism. A Greek word meaning All is in God. This understanding is present in many religions and the Jewish religion itself uses the word "Makom" Place, as one of the names of God, signifying that God is the place in which the universe exists. I conceive of the Eternal as present in every aspect of the created world, and yet not confined by it, but instead transcending "beyond" it. An analogy I personally find helpful is to conceive of an image in my own mind; say a man sitting on a swing in a park. That image has an existence, but it exists solely within me. I am therefore present in every single part of that image, in its shape, colour, texture and movement, it could not exist without me, I am the very fabric of that image, and yet I am not that image, my essence and existence transcend it.

It is my belief that the essential nature of God, The One, is unknowable, as it exits beyond all possible frames of human conception. The only way we can know something about the Divine, I believe, is through the world that He created and through revelation.

So as I look at the aspects of healing and mending that are present in nature, I see God, specifically God as Healer. The very properties in chemicals and plants that cure illness and discomfort, the very forces discovered by science that bring new life to where destruction ruled are the healing Hand of the Divine itself, revealing Her merciful face as a God who wants this world of ours to exist and to mend and to repair. Nature is both a veil that hides the Divine countenance and a mirror that magnificently reveals it

And so onto us, made in the image of our Father in Heaven as we are informed so radically by the Bible. Should we not also, as a religious imperative use the power of healing and mending inherent in us for the improvement and welfare of our fellow human beings, and beyond that to the other dwellers of this world? Surely religion is not only about prayers, observances, self-actualisation, personal salvation, committee-meetings and some coffee and biscuits.

For did our teacher Jesus, himself not send out his followers into the world to heal:

"And he sent them forth to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick."

I am a believer that we can all do something to bring healing to those who are ill, indeed a wonderful American Orthodox Rabbi, Rav Pam, taught his students that even telephoning an unwell person, and talking with them for a while can bring them cheer, which even if for only a few moments has the power to make them feel better. This too is healing. What do we do and what could we do, as individuals and congregations to support our local hospitals and hospices I wonder?

But there are other ways too. There are so many rifts amongst people, from the trivial to the international. What part do we play as individuals, and as wider congregations to bring together those who have been torn asunder by hatred, pain or mistrust, and heal those divisions?

We can of course never be one hundred percent sure, but I feel that if we play our part, however small, in bringing health and reconciliation to our world, we too will become living demonstrations of the Almighty's healing presence and a testimony that God is found within us as much as beyond us.

"And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace." Luke 8:48

Sensual Worship & Life As Worship

"O taste and see that the Lord is good".
Psalm 34:8

Recently I was asked to do a reading at my church, for this past Sunday, to mark the anniversary of our minister's first year as head of our congregation. It was suggested to me, and I readily agreed, that I focus my thoughts and comments on the role of our minister in introducing a strong focus on worship to our Sunday services. Despite panicking due to 'writers block" having descended on me, I managed, at the last moment, to compose a reading that was deeply appreciated by our wonderful minister and the congregation too.

This whole episode got me thinking about worship and the differences both between individual congregations, and between ourselves and other faiths. It is quite clear that there is no such thing as a one size fits all style of service. There are those that like the traditional, "word" focused hymn sandwich and there are others who prefer worship to be constructed around more contemporary styles of music, fostering a greater atmosphere of informality. Then there are those who feel much more connected to services which include all the senses, the smell of incense, the soft glow of candles, hauntingly beautiful music.

At my chapel we have a weekly service which is in the traditional hymn sandwich style. Most of the congregation enjoy that way of conducting service, I too thoroughly enjoy it. I love the calm and reverential atmosphere it creates, the link with tradition, and the strong Englishness about it just tickles me. However I personally also yearn for a more sensual form of worship, and happily I have strong reasons to believe that our congregation will hopefully be working this year at creating additional weekday services that will provide an alternative way to worship.

The Catholic church of my youth was filled with ritual, mystery, scents, sights and sounds that have left their imprint on my subconscious. I only need to smell frankincense and I am instantly transported to a place of reverence and mystery that exits beyond words. During the Reformation there were those who, in my view correctly, saw aspects of Catholic worship and doctrine as being either non-scriptural or even contrary to Biblical ethos and instruction, and sought to bring Christian worship and practice in line with what was to be found on the pages of the Old and New Testaments supported by reason and logic. In so doing they stripped churches of all their imagery and statues, and the worship itself of much of its ritual and symbolism and succeeded in making Christian places of worship similar to Jewish synagogues. Indeed some Protestants believed that their version of Christianity, stripped as it was of non-Biblical Catholic traditions, would prove irresistible to Jews, but of course they were mistaken. Because while the Synagogue was and is largely ritual free, Jewish life is certainly not.

Judaism unlike Christianity is a religion of Laws. Laws that introduce a plethora of rituals and observances that add sanctity to every part of daily life. From the weekly Sabbath observance with its joyful family meal filled with singing, to the festival days, each with their own symbols, foods and rites that closely follow and reflect the seasons in which they fall. When the Jewish Temple stood in all its grandeur in Jerusalem, public worship was powerfully evocative involving all the senses. From the ritual clothing of the priests, to the music and singing of the Levites. The scent of incense and of the roasting meat of sacrifices would have filled the air. Even after the destruction of the Temple, the Jews still worshipped God with the totality of their lives. From eating to love-making each act was suffused with the sacred and celebrated. Truly life as worship. Christianity on the other hand, lacking a similar code of daily observed laws, has largely been a religion whose major worship activity has taken place within the church building. When the Reformation removed sensuality and spectacle from church-life a vacuum was left. Fortunately the deeply embedded need that human beings have for rites and ceremony was filled by the widespread folk religion that was to be found and celebrated across the land. I believe I am correct in saying that many of our "ancient" folklore and folk customs are derived primarily from pre-Reformation Catholicism, that were banned from the church but were adapted and kept alive by the populous at large. Births and death, the turning of the wheel of the year, were all marked and celebrated with a riot of colour and enjoyment. People felt a deep connection to the Eternal, through the beauty and harshness of nature that surrounded them and which influenced their lives so profoundly. Acknowledgement and reverence of the Divine was interwoven into daily life, sometimes in ways that created deep opposition from the Church. People became deeply connected with their neighbours and to the place in which they lived, and the joys and griefs of life had many avenues of expression. Then on Sunday people would attend their chapels and churches and worship together in simple dignity. Such a combination worked well.

Over the past 200 years or so however, life has changed dramatically. The rural, agrarian life of the majority of people, and the deep bonds of community that such a life created, as well as much of the hardship and suffering, has almost entirely vanished. Technology and urbanisation have played their part in ensuring that traditional folk-religion, rooted in time and place, became increasingly distant from the hearts of people. Today there is almost no religious ritual left in daily life, and many people have never even heard of traditions such as Gooding Day, Candlemass, Michaelmas, Grotto Day, or Mischief Night. What ritual remains is primarily materialist in focus, such as the annual Christmas shopping, or Easter egg purchase! There is a huge deficit in widely-venerated spiritual observances, and so now perhaps more than ever there are real dangers for those churches whose only worship style fails to address the need for ritual in the heart of mankind. Mainstream Protestant Christianity, and to a certain extent Unitarian Christianity have become faiths somewhat disconnected from God's presence in nature and the symbolism/ritual by which we express our souls' deepest yearnings, although I am glad to see that the Unitarian Christian Association has been exploring other approaches, such as the beautiful and popular Taizé method.

One great strength of our Unitarian community is that we are not constrained by fixed ways of doing things. Our traditions are not set in stone. We have so much room to explore different, and life-affirming styles of worship, and I believe that even the smallest congregations can experiment, even if only once a month, with different forms of services.

Once again I bring an example from the life of John Pounds. In his time he was famous for taking the children in his care for long rambles on the South Downs behind Portsmouth. He would point out the flowers and trees, teaching the children (and even the adults) their Latin names and how to identify them. He would speak constantly of the goodness of God manifested in the marvels of creation, and his gratitude to his Maker was contagious. He taught the children that in appreciation and thanksgiving for the beauty that surrounds us in life (despite life's negatives many of which John Pounds had personally suffered) we should behave well and live good lives in service of our fellow man and the Eternal that unites us all.

Surely this worship, (which has to my mind many similarities with the ethos of Celtic Christianity) conducted on the grassy hills and forest groves, was as precious and sacred as any that can be conducted inside a chapel or church. Each has its place and now more than ever we must lift both types onto their proper pedestals.

God to enfold me, God to surround me,
God in my speaking, God in my thinking.
God in my sleeping, God in my waking,
God in my watching, God in my hoping.
God in my life, God in my lips,
God in my soul, God in my heart.
God in my sufficing, God in my slumber,
God in mine ever-living soul, God in mine eternity.

Carmina Gadelica.

It Came Upon The Midnight Clear.

"And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry and satisfy the afflicted soul, then shall thy light arise in darkness and thine obscurity be as the noonday. And the Lord shall guide thee continually and satisfy thy soul." Isaiah 58:10-11

'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens is a personal favourite of mine, and of many other people too. I enjoy reading it each year, and watching the many versions of it on television or dvd, including it has to be said, the wonderful 'Muppet Christmas Carol'. To me the story encapsulates the very essence of Christian faith, especially as understood by Unitarians. So profound are the teachings of this great faith that we, even now after two millennia, pause once a year to remember and celebrate the birth of its originator, Jesus of Nazareth.

To me the fundamentals of the Nazarene's teachings are:

Love of God,
Love of Humankind
Repentance
Hope

Most of Charles Dickens' writings are rich with themes that explore these fundamentals, and 'A Christmas Carol' is perhaps the richest.

During one very beautiful exchange in the book, Scrooge's nephew while seeking to persuade his uncle of the merits of the Christmas season, and the values it embodies so eloquently deliverers a most moving of speeches:

"There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,' returned the nephew. 'Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come around - apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that - as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

It took the visit of three spirits, four if you include the ghost of Marley to make Scrooge agree with the above passage, turn his life around, and for him always to keep at the forefront of his mind the advice, given by Marley, advice that is a relevant now as when it was written:

"Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, where, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business."

We may not be as miserly and bitter as Ebenezer Scrooge was before his apparitional visitations. However, many of us can perhaps identify areas of our lives or relationships where we may profoundly lack either the love of God, or the love of our neighbour that a true love of God should engender. Do we put our needs and desires ahead of all else, or do we recognise that we share this world with countless others and an existence with the Ultimate Existence? Are we like the biblical Joseph before his descent to Egyptian slavery and imprisonment saying to others "Hear I pray you this dream which I have dreamed" or do we, also like Joseph, shortly before his assent to greatness say to others about their dreams "tell it me, I pray you".

Whatever our failings we can have hope in the Good News that Jesus' brought, that change is possible, that goodness is within our grasp, and that like Scrooge we can turn away from the negativity in our lives and reach out and take hold of that which is our true life.

One man who honoured Christmas and the message that the babe in the manger would bring to the world was the cobbler and worshipper at the High Street Unitarian Chapel in old Portsmouth, John Pounds. I heard the following reading by R E Jayne, at our chapel's carol service this evening and it spoke deeply to me therefore I would like to share it:

"John Pounds always celebrated Christmas with a feast, humble in its dishes, but lavish beyond words in its spirit of love and goodwill, at which all his neighbours were welcome. He was a famous cook, but most famous as maker of Christmas puddings. Every year he would make one tremendous plum pudding; and then on Christmas day he kept open house; anyone who cared to look in could have a taste of the pudding until it had all gone. No jovial baron of olden times, or generous hearted lord of the manor, ever dispensed Christmas fare to the people on his estate with greater goodwill than this poor cobbler, when he cut and handed round to his visitors their slices of his only plum pudding. As Charles Dickens said of the converted miser Scrooge, so it may be recorded of John Pounds. "He knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge." He did not commemorate the birth of Christ in selfishness, but in a 'a more excellent way,' by feeding the hungry who were poorer even than himself, and by bringing happiness and laughter into the lives of the people, and especially the little children of the squalid streets and alleys of old Portsmouth."

At this time of year when lights of rededication to ancient faith blaze in the windows of those observing Hanukkah, and the sounds of carols telling the story of that humble stable in little Bethlehem all those years ago drift on the evening breeze, there is a palpable magic in the air that can remind us to re-commit to our true treasure, our true gifts, and that hopefully will inspire us to share it with others now and in the year to come.

May God bless you all, and may your Christmases be filled with happiness, health and holiness.

When Business Was Good

"In all thy ways acknowledge Him and He shall make straight thy paths" Proverbs 3:6

I am excitedly looking forward to Ian Hislop's programme "When Bankers were Good" this coming Tuesday evening on BBC Two, featuring as it does some wonderful, philanthropic, Victorian men and women who understood that divine service, ethics and morality apply in all areas of life including the hurly burly world of business and from whom our modern society can learn a thing or two. I believe that some of those to be featured in the programme were Unitarians which provides some added interest for me.

Reading about this programme reminded me of a biography that I have recently read, about a man who Florence Nightingale referred to as: "One of God's best and greatest sons" namely William Rathbone VI

William was born in 1819 to the prominent mercantile, banking and political Rathbone family (who had become Unitarians, albeit still valuing their Quaker heritage, since William Rathbone IV moved from Quakerism to Unitarianism). At an early age he came under the influence of the Rev J.H. Thom whose views regarding the responsibilities of the wealthy towards the poor, were to shape William's whole life thereafter. Rev J.H Thom had characteristically said:

"What we are as Christians may be judged from what we suffer the poor around us to be."

William took such teachings to heart and began a life of the greatest philanthropy and public good, the effects of which continue to be felt right down to our own age. The family's existing wealth was only augmented by William's shrewd and successful business activities opening as he did branches in Canton and Shanghai and diversifying into ship-owning. Being aware as he was, from a very early age, that people often sadly decline in generosity as their wealth increases, he set for himself a principle by which at first a tenth of his income would go to the furtherance of public good, and then at every increase of his earnings there would be a subsequent increase in the proportion of money given away, until eventually the proportion reached five-tenths, and then subsequent to this, all further increase in income should go to the service of benevolence. He himself summed up this attitude when he described surplus wealth, after a person had provided for the reasonable needs of himself and his family, as:

"a trust for which he owes an account to himself, to his fellow-men, and to God; it is not an absolute freehold which he may use solely for personal enjoyment and indulgence."

He also knew the other scourges that wealth could bring in its wake, and so he took it upon himself to continue his father's efforts to abolish bribery and corruption.

William was no stranger to the needs of Liverpool's disadvantaged citizens, and his honour and prestige did not stop him from house-to-house visits of the poor during which he saw first-hand the misery in which many of them lived, which only served to strengthen his resolve to use his affluence and influence to bring alleviation to the problems he saw.

In 1859 his life was rocked by the illness and death of his wife Lucretia. His observation of and gratitude for the care given to his wife by a nurse, Mary Robinson, led him to desire the same standard of care for the poor of Liverpool. To this end he engaged, at his own expense, a nurse to work in the most disadvantaged districts and he laboured tirelessly to establish in 1862 the Liverpool Training School and Home for Nurses which set in place a district nursing scheme which eventually spread throughout the entire country. Not yet satisfied, he investigated and became increasingly saddened by the state of care at the great infirmary at Liverpool Workhouse and successfully strove to better the nursing practices there.

In 1868 he entered Parliament as a Liberal MP where he worked at reforming local government and specifically local taxation, efforts which significantly contributed to the Local Government acts of 1888 and 1894

William's other great and generous endeavour and a central component of his lasting legacy, was his involvement in the foundation of University College Liverpool in 1882 and the University College of North Wales in 1884, now known as Liverpool University and Bangor University respectively, a natural outgrowth of his belief, a belief that was strongly held by many 19th century philanthropists and reformers, and still held today, that a good education is one of the best and most sustainable routes out of poverty.

His death in 1902 called forth many tributes from prominent people in Liverpool and led the Archdeacon Madden to refer to him as "An ideal citizen, and typical modern saint". As a result of William's devoted service to God and to his fellow human beings he became one of a dearly remembered group of people whose activities in the furtherance of civic virtue led a Baptist minister Rev. Dr. C. F. Aked to say in 1905:

"The life of Liverpool has been enriched by some Unitarians who were amongst the saintliest of God's children; the records of its public philanthropy and of its private beneficence are eloquent with stories of Unitarian goodness."

Today many in society are looking for a new way for politics and business to be conducted. Some wish to do away with the systems we currently have and replace them with something else (a 'something' which very often they find hard to articulate). However we Unitarians have past luminaries who have illuminated ways for us to conduct ourselves in our work, and in the use of our wealth. All our congregations can if we so wish, continue the legacy of our forebears, even if only in small ways, and once again join forces with those of all faiths and none to strengthen the fabric of our society, inrease opportunities for all and continue spreading a spirit of munificence throughout our land.

"For where thy treasure is, there will thy heart be also". Matthew 6:21

Facing The Night With Joy And Trust

"I form the light and create darkness; I make peace, and create evil; I am the Lord, that doeth all these things." Isaiah 45:7

Halloween is upon us with all its symbols and traditions that help to brighten up this time of year and which give us all an opportunity to engage in a little frivolity. Halloween's observances stem, I believe, from the Gaelic festival of Samhain, a name which in both Irish and Scottish Gaelic has in time become applied to the whole month of November. Traditionally this day marked the end of the harvest season and the beginning of winter, the night-half of the year. Animals that had been fattened over the warm summer months would be slaughtered and their meat preserved to feed the people over the lean and cold months ahead. A big feast would be held to rejoice in the face of the hardship and danger which the winter would likely bring. This danger and hardship was the cause of an uncertainty which drove people to devise and play divinatory games on the night of Samhain, or Oidhche Shamhna in Gaelic, to ascertain what the future had in store. The Christian festivals of All Saints and All Souls that are observed on the first and second of November introduced a focus on the departed into the existing traditional agricultural festival. People would remember all those who had died, and would in some cases go "souling" house to house asking for gifts of money or food in exchange for praying on behalf of the souls of the departed. In time costumes would be worn and the seeds for trick-or-treating were laid down.

We now stand at the gates of winter, with the landscape painted in hues of orange, yellow and red, just as the sky is illuminated with those same colours in the moments before the sun sets and ushers in the night, therefore now more than ever is the time to recognise that we don't know what the future holds, and that life does indeed have mysteries and fearful possibilities that threaten us all. Despite this we need not be bound in chains of anxiety, or search desperately for signs to reveal to us the hidden, instead we can look the coming night, with all its dangers and difficulties in the face and laugh with a spirit of joy. For we can remember the days of light and fullness and rejoice in their fruits which now follow us into the dark night to sustain us. We can look fondly on the memories of our loved ones, and of the wise men and women of the past, especially our teacher Jesus, whose wisdom still lives for those who wish to avail themselves of it. The departed do not leave us, but through our recollections continue to inform our present and shape our future.

Above and beyond all else we can place our confidence into the hands of the Creator of light and darkness, life and death, whose presence is with us always, and whose love for us is immeasurable.

Wishing everyone a Happy Halloween.

"Among the bonny winding banks,
Where Doon rins, wimplin' clear,
Where Bruce ance ruled the martial ranks,
And shook his Carrick spear,
Some merry, friendly, country-folks,
Together did convene,
To burn their nits, and pou their stocks,
And haud their Halloween
Fu' blithe that night".
Halloween by Robert Burns 1785