Teach Us to Serve (Lent 4)

[This is the fourth of the mediations used during Lent at All Saints Ealing.  In place of the sermon, the congregation are invited to reflect upon a work of art from the National Gallery. The reflection is accompanied by simple meditative music. The reflection is inspired by the lectionary readings for the day and two books: Nicholas Holtam's The Art of Worship and Anne Richards' Unreconciled - Exploring mission in an imperfect world. The selection of accompanying music as well as commentary on it is provided by the Director of Music - Gina Kruger.]

Jacopo Tintoretto, Christ washing the Feet of the Disciples, about 1575-80 (Coutesy of The National Gallery)

Whoever serves me must follow me,

and where I am, there will my servant be also.

Whoever serves me, the Father will honour.

John 12:26

Perhaps one of the most powerful and deceptive of emotions is pride. It is so easy to convince ourselves that we are doing something for another’s benefit when in fact we are the ones who are gaining. It is also very painful sometimes to let go of our agenda especially when we believe that it’s the right way to get things done.

Jesus is constantly challenging his disciples to shift their attention from themselves to him. A lot of the time he is simply saying, “Imitate what I am doing!” This is probably because serving others doesn’t come naturally or easily to us. We need Jesus to help us form the habit especially when our self-respect is at risk.  It’s also because Christian life demands much more than the redirection of energy. If we choose to really follow Jesus, we inevitably find ourselves at the foot of the cross. It’s a vital paradox - faith finds its power in vulnerability and  self-sacrifice, the willingness to offer yourself to another without calculating the risk or expecting a reward.

In this painting we see Christ, the light of the world, on his knees and washing what would have been the foulest part of the body – the feet. Ropy sandals, unsanitary city streets and sweat would have combined to make them so. Tintoretto has captured a fascinating insight into this ritual. Judas is on the right wiping his feet dry after having had them washed. Jesus has humbled himself and washed the sullied feet of the very person he knows will betray him. As we gaze at the painting it should dawn on us that the saviour’s remarkable gift of caritas (unlimited loving-kindness) to Judas is already in the past tense. It has been given without hesitation.

'Jesus Lord and Master, who served your disciples in washing

their feet: serve us often, serve us  daily, in washing our motives,

our ambitions, our actions, that we may share with you in your

mission to the world and serve others gladly for your sake;

to whom be glory for ever. Amen

MICHAEL RAMSEY (1904-1988)

Keep us simple (Lent 3)

[This is the third of the mediations used during Lent at All Saints Ealing.  In place of the sermon, the congregation are invited to reflect upon a work of art from the National Gallery. The reflection is accompanied by simple meditative music. The reflection is inspired by the lectionary readings for the day and two books: Nicholas Holtam's The Art of Worship and Anne Richards' Unreconciled - Exploring mission in an imperfect world. The selection of accompanying music as well as commentary on it is provided by the Director of Music - Gina Kruger.]

Francisco de Zurbarán, A Cup of Water and A Rose, 1630 (Courtesy of the National Gallery)

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul;

the decrees of the LORD are sure,

making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right,

rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is clear,

enlightening the eyes;

Psalm 19:7-8

We lead incredibly catered lives. This is especially true in a city like London where we have access to everything we could ever want. Ironically, for many of us, life can often feel empty. The genius of this still life is that it literally offers us the beauty of a still life – an unadorned cup, a simple pewter plate and a rose in bloom. Spend a little time with this work and we soon realise that it guides us to something not portrayed but certainly present, and that is stillness. 

What would the table setting of our lives look like? What unnecessary clutter or blinding pressure would come between us and savouring the refreshment of water or the delight of a rose in bloom? Paul in our reading from 1 Corinthians 1 today puts the challenge to us in this way: “Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?”

This cleansing righteousness (or making right) of God is made very real when Jesus is turning the tables of traders and moneychangers in the temple courts. He cries out “Stop making my Father's house a marketplace!" (John 2:13-22) He could well have said, “Stop desecrating your sacred lives by chasing after things you want but do not need, clean out the clutter of your minds and hearts because you’ve lost sight of God!” Are we prepared to let Jesus turn the tables in our messy lives, to clear the way for the simple message that God loves us?

'Tis the gift to be simple, 'tis the gift to be free

'Tis the gift to come down where we ought to be,

And when we find ourselves in the place just right,

'Twill be in the valley of love and delight.

When true simplicity is gain'd,

To bow and to bend we shan't be asham'd,

To turn, turn will be our delight,

Till by turning, turning we come 'round right.

ANON, 19^th century. American Shaker song.

Music for the Reflection: 

Granada by Isaac Albeniz (1860-1909)  

This is the first of five pieces in the Suite Espanola Op. 47. Marked Serenade, this is a beautiful evocation of the city of Granada in southern Spain.

Estudio Sin Luz by Andres Segovia (1893-1987)

The title means ‘A study without light’.  This piece was composed during a period of convalescence after an eye operation to restore Segovia's failing eyesight. It is dedicated to his optician Jose Rubio.

Organ Postlude: Chorale Prelude - As Pants the Hart for Cooling Streams (tune: Martyrdom) by C. H. Parry.

Parry worked at the Royal College of Music, London, and in Oxford. He is most beloved by worshippers for his musical setting of the hymn 'Jerusalem'.

"40"

An incredible animation portraying Jesus' 40 days in the desert. A moving way to bring the story of Lent alive for children and young adults.

Lead us into all truth (Lent 2)

[This is the second of the mediations used during Lent at All Saints Ealing.  In place of the sermon, the congregation are invited to reflect upon a work of art from the National Gallery. The reflection is accompanied by simple meditative music. The reflection is inspired by the lectionary readings for the day and two books: Nicholas Holtam's The Art of Worship and Anne Richards' Unreconciled - Exploring mission in an imperfect world. The selection of accompanying music as well as commentary on it is provided by the Director of Music - Gina Kruger.]

Joseph Wright ‘of Derby’, An Experiment on a Bird in the Air Pump, 1768 (Courtesy of the National Gallery)

From the arrogance that thinks it

knows all truth,

from the cowardice that shrinks

from new truth,

from the laziness that is content

with half truth,

O God of truth, deliver us.

ANON

How do we know that something is true, that it can be depended upon? Is truth something we can discover through our senses and then test over and over again as a result? And if that is the case, what about experiences of love, beauty and even cruelty? Is there any truth and essence to these things or are they merely chemical constructions of our brains produced by the blind instinct of evolution? 

Joseph Wright, the first painter of the industrial revolution, captures a remarkable moment in this painting where humanity meets the cold logic of scientific method. Depicted here is an air pump that would have been used to entertain guests in the 1700s, an elaborate parlor trick.  A vacuum is created in the glass bowl, restricting the breathing of the poor cuckoo. The longhaired amateur scientist can save the bird by releasing the valve at the top of the flask. But will he do it? The other people in the scene demonstrate anything from dismay and complete disinterest to curiosity and distraction. All of these responses are revealed by a single source of light, we assume a candle hidden behind the glass beaker in the centre. Only one man is intently focused upon it. But who here perceives the truth?

For the Christian the truth is a person and not just a thing or a concept. Jesus says “I am the way the truth and life” (John 8:36). So for us, truth is encountered and experienced in the Son of God rather than reduced to a system of watertight logic. And when we say "experience" or "encounter", what we mean is that we have come into contact with something much greater than our minds or our senses, much greater than anything we can know about the world or ourselves. So our faith should fill us with awe, wonder and even uncertainty because it isn't something that can be slipped into the tidy space of a testube.

Almighty God, you show to those who are in error

the light of your truth,

that they may return to the way of righteousness.

Grant to all those who are admitted

into the fellowship of Christ’s religion,

that they may reject those things that are contrary

to their profession, and follow all such things as are agreeable to the same;

through our Lord Jesus Christ, who is alive and reigns

with you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God,

now and for ever. Collect for Lent 2, Year B

Music before service: Prayer by Louis Vierne.

Vierne became organist at Notre-Dame, Paris in 1900.

Music for the Reflection:  Andante Sostenuto from Symphonie Gothique by Charles-Marie Widor (1844-1937).

This movement combines the mystery of plainchant heard in the first bars, while exploiting the French organ's new capabalities with regard to volume and timbre.  Widor, organist at St-Sulpice, Paris was using advanced contra-puntal techniques while he expanded his writing to fill large cathedrals in France, buildings which reflect the tension between simple faith and profound theological matters.

Postlude: Music by Francois Couperin (1688-1733), organist and composer at the Chapel Royal in Versaille.

++Rowan Williams vs. Richard Dawkins

The full video of the debate "Human Beings & Ultimate Origin" between Archbishop Rowan Williams and Professor Richard Dawkins.