Good Morning and welcome to the penultimate unpacking of the Fruits of the Spirit. We have enjoyed our ramble along the paths of Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness and Faithfulness. Today we embrace Gentleness and on Friday, Self Control.

One of the interesting things that clergy discover very soon after their ordination is that their understanding of Theology is vastly different from the view of the strangers they meet in their first parish. I am not talking so much about church members, but the folk they come in to contact with as they try and make an impression in their local community.

I remember when I arrived in Eastbourne, 40 years ago full of the excitement and enthusiasm, ready to tell everyone all the wonderful things I had learned at University and Theological College. I had loved studying Moral Philosophy, and the History of Anglican Liturgy, and our New Testament Studies had blown me away. Deconstructing my childlike faith, and replacing it with a deep and meaningful understanding of the great mystery which is the incarnation. I had learned New Testament Greek, has a smattering of Hebrew, and I knew all about the Parousia! 

Imagine my poor first parish. I thought my mission was to be to those outside the church, so I spent my time at the local pub, getting to know my new parishioners.

You will not be surprised that they didn’t want to talk about the things on my agenda. They were not interested in the synoptic gospels, or the authorship of Galatians. Theirs was a simple faith, mainly informed by the Christmas Carols they sang so gustily after the pubs closed and they went to Midnight Mass.
They believed in Gentle Jesus, meek and mild. And they loved, Little Donkey. 
They had no time for me trying to tell them of Jesus the revolutionary who turned over the tables of the money changers at the Temple, or who challenged the Roman authorities by questioning their authority. My new non church friends definitely liked their Jesus to be gentle.

In my defence, I was only about 12 years old, but they taught me a great deal, not least that it is not my job to expect  them to think the same as me,  but rather it was my job to encourage them to cherish the faith that God had given them, and where possible, to help it to grow.
This is where the Fruits of the Spirit make such great sense for me.

There is, of course, a place in our religion and liturgy for the great challenges of the Christian faith. The message of Jesus is not to be taken lightly. We are called to pursue Justice in a broken world, expected to welcome the sinner, the stranger, the foreigner. We are called to love our enemies.
Each day at Evensong, we say, in the Magnificat

He has shown strength with his arm  
and has scattered the proud in their conceit,

                   Casting down the mighty from their thrones  
and lifting up the lowly.

                   He has filled the hungry with good things  
and sent the rich away empty.

This is indeed dramatic and powerful stuff. But we mustn’t lose sight of the Gentleness which is also so evident in Jesus’ teaching. There is love, compassion and quietness in so much of what he says, and for me the striking words to the crowds who are about to stone the woman ‘You who is without sin, cast the first stone’ is a demonstration of the gentleness which is in his heart.
His words completely diffuse the situation, and call people to reflect. The world needs so much of this today.

So, we may want to be passionate about change, we may want to combat all forms of social, racial and gender  injustice,  we may want to cast down the mighty from their thrones – but there is awesome power in the Gentleness that comes to us as we allow the Holy Spirit to work through us. Our enemies are destroyed when they become our friends. The outcasts are removed when they are welcomed in. The poor are no more when we share what we have. The stranger is removed when we ask them their name. Those who are different have the most to teach us, and gentleness can change the world.

Give peace a chance, transform by delight, and hear the sound of God in the still small voice of calm.
Praise the Lord for the Fruit of Gentleness, that’s what I say.

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you. 

As ever,

Fr Marcus

Here is the link to today’s glorious service from Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin.

Here is the link to today’s video –

My Dear friends,

As we continue our ramble through the path of the Fruits of the Spirit we come across the wonderful sense of Faithfulness.
This is a particularly great one because it is both a Gift and a Fruit.
Before we unpack that a little, let’s try and get our heads around Faith.
Faith is that thing which allows us to detect,  discern and discover the Grace of God at work wherever it is at work. Once we have discovered it, we can then act accordingly.

So what is The Grace of God. Well the definition is the ‘Unearned and undeserved Blessing of God’.

We can’t buy it, earn it, claim it as a reward or steal it, but we can receive it and observe it.

However, because we tend to be worldly souls hiding behind our egos, we often miss seeing the grace of God at work, because it is in the most unexpected places. We don’t like the fact that he justifies the wicked or forgives the unrepentant, yet that is exactly what he often does.

It is the Grace of God that allows Mary Magdalen, a lady ‘with a past’ to be the first person to witness the resurrection, and proclaim that Christ is Risen. It is Saul, who is out to destroy the New Way, who by the Grace of God becomes the Apostle to the Gentiles. 

But Grace does not only flow to the unrighteous, it flows wherever and whenever God wills, and Faith is the ability to see that Grace of God at work.

Faith allows us to see things within, and beyond the sensory. So we can see the grace and presence of God in the wonder and awe of his creation, and in the words of Holy Scripture. We can certainly see the grace of God at work in many people who love the Lord, and plenty of people who don’t. But we can also experience the Grace of God at work in the things which are beyond us, and it is faith that allows us to see that. So the story of creation may be beyond us, but we may think that even though it is too big for us, we accept that God is behind it. Or the scriptural miracles. By their very nature they can’t happen, but our faith allows us to accept that God is working in ways which are beyond us. Or beliefs like the Trinity. Too confusing to comprehend, but our faith allows us to say Yes to them.
Also with the Sacraments, it is faith that allows us to see and accept that at Marriage something happens, God joins two people together. Or at Baptism and Confirmation God gifts his Spirit. Or at the Eucharist God reveals himself in the breaking of the bread.
Faith is the ability to perceive and accept the things of God which are beyond.

The scriptures teach us that Faith is a Gift, freely given to all. But some are too worldly, some are too busy, some are too self centred to receive it, but many, many do and in so doing they experience the great things that God has done.

Once we allow for God and his Spirit to have their presence in our lives, then those Fruits of the Spirit will blossom, and we will see even more what god is doing, and will discern what he is calling us to do, and who he is calling us to be. We will long to do his will, because we know it brings us the most Joy and the most satisfaction. We will also know that God calls us to do his will, and equips us with whatever we need to carry it out. These Fruits of the Spirit ar the ability to continue accepting those things of God which are beyond us, even when they get tough, and the world calls us in a different direction.

The fruit which is Faithfulness is the ability to stick with our church when we can no longer go. To continue with our prayers when we want something other than that which is happening.  It enables us to see beyond those who let us down, it allows us to forgive those who cause us or others to stumble. It gives us the ability to see God at work inside his church, and outside as well.

You can see a bit of circular motion in all of this. Faith allows us to discern the grace of God, which in turn teaches us his will, which makes his presence more powerful, which allows us to see him at work in places beyond our imagining.

The more we accept the Gift of Faith, the more the Fruit of Faithfulness will grow, so we can with confidence we can proclaim that greatest of mysteries Christ has died! Christ is Risen! Christ will come again!

Bless you, Bless you, Bless you,

As ever,

Fr Marcus

Here is the link for today’s video. Click the link to view.

Good Teacher, what must I do….

My Fellow Pilgrims,

 Wonder if you have been god today, and if so, why?!

As you know we are romping through the Fruits of the Spirit, Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness and Self Control, and today we walk the path of Goodness.

It is interesting when Jesus was asked a question that begins ‘ “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?”  Jesus replies “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone.” It is as if Jesus himself does not want to be referred to as Good, but acknowledges that Goodness comes from the father.

In the story, Jesus goes on to tell the Rich Young Ruler to obey the commandments, and when he says he has done so, Jesus urges him to sell his possessions  and give the proceeds to the poor, and to follow him.
The man went away very sad because he was so wealthy.

For me this story speaks volumes. There were those who thought that to do well in life, to be rich, successful, have many children and be popular was a sign of God’s Blessing. To be poor, barren, disabled or diseased was a sign of God’s wrath. Those people were being punished by God so they obviously deserved it.

This is the ultimate lie the ego tells us. God is on our side, and he wants what we want.
The young ruler asks about eternal life – for himself ‘What must I do?’ he isn’t asking, as a ruler, how best he can serve his people.

The point of the story is that even those who have much, and believe they are blessed by God may not be being very good. They may be merely feeding their ego.
Jesus’ response to the original question is that only God is good.
Now, as you know the Fruits of the Spirit are not a list of the things we must strive for, but the consequences of allowing God so deeply into our lives that we naturally do his will. And for us to be Good, to be God like (it comes from the same root) once again we are called to let go of the ego, to allow the Holy Spirit into the whole of our lives, and to endeavour to discern and practice the will of God.

Not as easy as it sounds, and again the story comes to our aid.
the rich young ruler went away sad when he was encouraged to sell up and follow Jesus because his heart was where his treasure is. But the story does not finish there.  Jesus goes on to how hard it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven, and his hearers said then who can be saved, to which Jesus replies “What is impossible for mortals is possible for God.”

On our own we can’t be full of virtue and get everything right. We fall short time and again, and quite often we are led astray by that ego inside that convinces us that we know best.
Jesus is aware of this. All through his ministry and teaching he sheds the voice of ego, but he never leaves us alone. He replaces the ego with ‘The Comforter’ – the Holy Spirit, and that is the true presence that will bring us not only joy, but all of the Fruits of the Spirit.

To live our best lives, our fullest lives, we just need to let the Holy Spirit in.

Bless you,

Have a good Feast of the Birth of John the Baptist tomorrow, and we will speak soon.

As Ever,

Fr Marcus

Click the link to view this morning’s glorious service from Fr. Rodney and Fr. Robin –

Here is the link for Fr. Marcus’ Saturday video.

In a world where you can be anything, Be Kind.

My Dear Friends, 

As we continue our pilgrimage through the Fruits of the Spirit, today we walk hand in hand with Kindness.
One reason why I chose that pilgrim start is because when we have been on Camino we have experienced overwhelming acts of Kindness and generosity, with complete strangers offering us hospitality, feeding us, and inviting to share meals like members of their family. 
You know it makes such a difference.

The other places where I have experienced incredible kindness is when visiting places where folk are very poor. In a Sudanese Refugee camp, where people had very little, they offered us their food. In Parts of India, where my friend and I were driving to Calcutta, strangers opened their houses and welcomed us in. In Pakistan where our van broke down, someone we had never met before took off his belt to strap our battery in place.

These have been inspiring moments, and you too have experienced many of them, and shown your owns acts of kindness. It is not something exclusive to the poor or the pilgrim, the traveller or the stranger. It is something that we are all called to embrace.

Today we are thinking of it as one of the fruits of the Spirit. This means  not so much striving to be kind, but rather being open to the guidance and presence of the Spirit, and we will experience kindness.

I remember hearing a story of someone moving in to a little village, and asking the priest ‘What are the people like around here?’ 
The priest replied ‘What were they like where you came from?’
‘Oh, they were a miserable and grumpy lot. Keeping themselves to themselves and not being very welcoming! ‘ Said the newcomer.

The priest replied ‘You will probably find them much the same here.’

Later that same day another new resident came along and said to the priest. Hi, lovely to meet you. We have just moved in, so I am keen to say hello. Tell me, what are the folk round here like?’

The priest replied ‘What were they like where you came from?

He said, ‘They were lovely, full of joy and very welcoming, and always pleased to help!’

The priest said ‘You will probably find them much the same here.’

You see, a great deal of the response we get from people depends on how we approach and engage with them. Both misery and laughter are infectious, and kindness is the most infectious of all.

If we are living with God in our lives, and showing love, and thinking of others. If we are trying to treat people with respect, and looking our for the stranger, the orphan and widow, then folk will respond. Without doubt we will be on the receiving end of great kindness.

But there is more. 
Someone who is poor, knows what it is to go without, and is very likely to be generous with the little they have because they understand others hunger.

The person who has been a stranger knows what it is like to feel excluded, and they will offer friendship and hospitality.

The person who only thinks of themselves will want to hang on to everything. Where your treasure is, your heart will be also.

You don’t need me to tell you to be kind. You don’t need faith in order to be kind. You don’t even need to encounter great need in order to be kind, but you do need to allow the Spirit in to receive all the kindness that is coming your way.

Being kind makes everyone feel better. You know that. Not being kind is a path to misery.
So, you know what to do.

Bless you, feel the love, embrace the Spirit, and let your kindness shine forth. Be open to all that is given you, and be comfortable in your own skin.

As ever,

Fr Marcus

Here is the link –