Hillside Parishes Magazine

March 2000 - Reflections........... into Lent

As I write, with Lent round the corner, I find myself reflecting on the life of an old family friend, Loopy Kennard, who was very good to me as a boy when life was rather bleak. Ever one to make the best of whatever circumstances, even his pre-war German friends took him out to lunch from P.O.W. camp during the war. He had a knack of' jollying people along. During Lent we might reflect on our own. private deserts but Loopy, who had his share of downers, was not one to dwell on might have beens, nor was he going to let anyone else sink unnecessarily. Life was for living, and Loopy overcame his fair share of obstacles and setbacks that tipped the balance in the opposite direction. I thought it rather appropriate that his memorial service should be on St. Valentine's Day.

Turning again to the thought of our own private deserts, and how we live with the uncomfortable, I've taken the signs in John during the Epiphany period and perhaps these manifestations can help us through. In fact, I still have the raising of Lazarus, John 11v. 1-44, and the draught of fishes, John 21v.1-14, to consider in greater detail than merely as an amazing extension of Jesus' manifestation as Son of God.

There is no doubt that John does use his gospel to endorse Jesus as the Christ. Indeed that is why he wrote, particularly for a simpler and more contemporary audience than us. Way back then, people needed convincing in different ways - however, The Story, and accompanying stories, still hold good for us today and convey their own truths. Equally important, there is still a vibrancy about and within these portions of scripture that speak to us today and fill our deserts with life and drink and food.....................................

When Jesus sets out to raise Lazarus, the great quote falls from his lips "I am the resurrection and the life: he who believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die", John 11v.25. As Jesus said to Martha, to believe is to see the glory of God. Jesus' words to the raised man are significant "Unbind him, let him go". If we do not use Lent to reflect on our private deserts we can be as tied to nothing, as we might be bound to some sin, and being empty can be as dangerous as being overfilled.  Unfettered we have freedom to use as we choose and not to leave empty. Also within that choice we have freedom of will. Within all that is the challenge to find and hold on to Eternal Life.

John 21v.1-14. Toiling at night the disciples, having returned to their everyday lives, caught nothing. With dawn Jesus was with them and they persevered. We may read all sorts of things into the meaning of 153 - a perfect number and the sum of (1 to 17) - but, with Jesus there, life changes. Not only did he feed them spiritually, materially and physically but he supplied their needs. Thus equipped, Peter is commissioned to tend Jesus' flock. The juxtaposition of the draught of fishes in John's gospel is a great contrast to where it is found in Matthew, Mark and Luke at the beginning of Jesus' ministry, where he calls his disciples to be fishers of men.  John gives the incident new meaning. They won't know a spiritual desert in themselves afterwards - as John says "They knew it was the Lord".

We might treat the Bible differently today, knowing Jesus as Lord already, but we still need the story of his doings, sayings and teaching to feed, refresh and stimulate our spiritual journey. The mortal side of Jesus gave rise to the unexpected through his divinity.
May the unexpected stimulate your spiritual journey this Lent ......

 TH

SNAPSHOTS 1. Hardly a cruise - but what could you expect for £40 ?

When we sailed from Liverpool to Bombay in March 1947, John was 4 months old. We were to become part of an Indian-led Divinity School team housed in an Indian-planned "Cathedral - Village" compound. We arrived in time for Church union and the attempt of the Nizam of Hyderabad to resist the unification of newly independent India. For us, that had meant a year of semi-blockade and a month or two, finally, of severance from the former British India where any stores of European provisions could be found. And any hope that John would soon have a brother or sister seemed to miscarry for no reason that local doctors could understand. So it was decided, as furlough time approached, late in 1949, that John and I should go ahead of Anthony so as to give a chance to recuperate, and to understand what was the matter.

We were about 500 miles by rail from Bombay. Indian trains could be relied upon to keep up a steady 30 m.p.h., weather permitting. However, second class was comfortable. Anthony saw us off on the S.S.Chitral. This ship had taken emigrants to Australia, and was picking up as many passengers as possible at her ports of call. Many of the people were women planning to settle "at home" in England - they had never been to Britain in their lives and were widows or companions of British ex-servicemen. They had no idea of the devastation in London and other big cities and I heard later, on another voyage, that most had returned to India on the next boat.

John had his 3rd birthday on board. We were aware of unusual activity on deck, e.g. lifeboats prepared, with sails checked out, as we coasted along the southern shores of Crete. We did not sail through the Straits of Messina, but continued south of Sicily and then north to Marseilles. In fact, the Chitral had one faulty engine and one "good" engine that was liable to break down. Coming down the east coast of Spain one morning, I was told by the steward: "We were doing circles again in the night". This was repeated right in the middle of the Straits of Gibraltar - black discs were displayed. We were rapidly given orders to enter the Naval Dockyard, where we stayed for a couple of days. We could disembark if we wished, but those of us with small children stayed on board. One friend who had gone into the town brought John a gift that delighted his heart - the first Dinky toy that he (or I) had seen, a red double-decker bus.

The rest of the journey, past Cape Finisterre and up the English Channel, was uneventful but wearisome. Then finally up the Thames to Tilbury where we caught a train to Waterloo - when my father met us, one tired little boy was fast asleep clutching his Dinky bus. Sleepy or not, he awoke and greeted him with great excitement, repeating "Double-decker bus!!". Then, in the taxi taking us to Westminster, to stay with friends, there were the first real red London double-decker buses to be seen! That trip, which normally took just over a fortnight, I think, had taken nearly 3 weeks - it felt like it! MIRIAM HANSON