We're living at a time of great financial uncertainty, and its impossible to see what the final outcome will be.
One thing is certain. Many have made great fortunes by simply manipulating wealth; and instead of us going through a time of abundant world-wealth sharing, we have seen the poor have getting poorer.
Whilst I don't like using judgemental language, we could say that what has happened is a judgement on us all whose life-styles are relatively good.The old testament prophets would certainly have seen the wealthy nations under the judgement of God because of this.
What can we do about it? There is very little that most of can do except to use the world's resources wisely, especially fuel and food,support charities which genuinely help the needy,and think even more carefully in the future about where we place, and how we use our savings.There is also a moral obligation I believe to encourage others to think the same.
On the one hand we see the greediness of people that has left the world's monetary systems in a terrible mess. On the other let us never forget that many things take place which show another side to human beings. One of the most inspiring events to have taken place during the last few weeks is the the Great North Half Marathon held in Newcastle. This year well over 50,000 people took part and with the support of over six million friends nearly £350 Million pounds has been raised for over 5,000 charities. I'm sure the runners gained a great deal of satisfaction and pleasure in doing this, both from the sense of personal acheivment and going something to help others. These positive things remind us that we are not to be 'put off' doing good by those who do evil, but rather ' inspired' by those who do good.. St. Paul,reminds us,for example, not to 'grow weary of well doing.' (Galatians 6:9)
Should we be praying therefore in the present situation for the kingdom of God to be seen in human affairs, a fulfilment of the will of God in our society? The Lord's prayer teaches us to pray 'Your kingdom come in earth as it is in heaven'. May we play our part in praying this prayer, and living out the implications of it.
With all good wishes,
David - warden prayer12.
Dear friends, Last Sunday I went to the closure of my home church, Vicar Street Methodist Church, at Dudley,in the West Midlands, England. It was an emotional, sad and deeply meaningful occasion, but many of us feel that it was a right decision. The Church building,because of redevelopment in the area is now in a very unsuitable place, rather like ' a watchman's hut in a garden of cucumbers' as the prophet Isaiah would have said.
John Mundon, one of the older members gave a very inspiring talk.He said that one of the characteristics of the church had been its 'openness, warmth and sense of spontaneity'.A lot of people had been tremendously helped by this.
The leader of The Bible Class over many years was Bert Bissell, who was really a very charismatic leader, Those of us who went to the class owe a great deal to him. Warmth and spontaneity were great characteristics of his life.
Spontaneity however can sometimes be a very misleading quality.
When we hear a great musician playing, we may think; 'How easy it is', or 'how naturally things come over!' We fail to recognise that what we hear is really the culmination of many years of practice until it becomes second nature to the performer.
Bert was a man of prayer. He also kept a diary, a kind of spiritual 'work-book' in which many of his reflections on his own inner pilgrimage, and what he saw as 'signs of growth' spiritually in others were recorded .For him what frequently came out as 'spontaneous,' I believe, sprang out of a mind and heart deeply dedicated to prayer.
For all of us,if we are to be truly spontaneous for God, there is the need for secret prayer to be practiced.
'Spontaneity' is much more than just being active- just getting up and doing things. If it is only 'performance' and 'show', disaster can quickly follow. It also involves preparation of heart and mind to live out our lives according to the 'will of God' however we understand his will and purposes for us.
I am deeply thankful for all that 'Vicar Street' meant to me as a church and Bert Bissell as the leader of the class.
Jesus himself also said, on one occasion that many kinds of 'healing work' that he was able to perform came only by prayer and fasting.(Mark 9:29)
We may occasionally have moments of what appear to be outright inspiration, but much 'good quality' spontaneousness can only come as we too accept the discipline of prayer. May we all find a pattern than is helpful to us as individuals, so that God can truly fulfil his loving purposes within our lives.
With all good wishes,
Sincerely,
David.
(August 2008.)
Dear friends, Whilst visiting the Victoria Hall, Hanley - in the Potteries - recently, we noticed a brass plaque in memory of John Edward Smith, the Captain of the Titanic. After the tribute to his heroism, it quoted what are reputed to have been his last words to the crew.
I imagine all of these.Lots of others might have been included, especially generosity of spirit, tolerance, and fairness. It would not include narrow and 'little' exclusive outlooks which see one's own country in static, sentimental and unrealistic terms.
'Being British' should still be a positive quality.
Not one which sees 'brits' as people who visit other countries, to booze, abuse and show disrepect to other people's ways of life. Unfortunately a minority groups have damaged our country's image as a fair, reliable and upright people. This needs to remedied. Yes, we are made up of people from Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, England, and other island communities around our shores with very distinctive identities and qualities about them, such as Shetland, The Isle of Man, and the Channel Islands. We must also add that we are part of Europe, with a tremendous heritage we have shared over the centuries; but Britishness is also something that needs to be recovered.
All of us should be proud to the places to which we belong, whatever our country may be, but there is a greater loyalty still. We live in God's world. We need to respect everything that He has given us within it, as well as caring for the people within it.
From a Christian point of view The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Bartholomew, has taken a lead in promoting this sense of care and loyalty to the planet earth. He has been recognised as a beacon - even described as the 'Pope of Hope.' He deserves our prayerful support, as he stresses the God given dimension in our efforts to restore and protect the fragile ecological balance of the planet.
There is underlying Captain Smith's last words too, something of a deeper kind. Our Nations heritage says 'being British', also means 'do not forget God,' care about the world He has given, and faithfully work for the common good. Many secularists write God out of our history, but we must not forget this.
May God's blessing be on us all as we work at this important task - of being responsible world citizens, as well as being in the best of that word, if it applies to us, 'British.'
All good wishes,
David
-Warden prayer12.
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(July 2008.) Dear friends,
Life is unpredictable. That's almost an understatement. We can begin a new day with enthusiam and vigour, but discover by the end of it that the outcome has been very different from what we intended.
There's also the opposite. An uneventful start to the day ends up bristling with activity and purpose. There are also many accasions when we experience something in between.
Earlier in my 'retirement' studies, I was asked to interview the late Bishop Montefiore, a former Bishop of Birmingham,who at that time was nursing his wife in the final stages of Alzheimer's.It was a very caring time but also a very precious time for him.
I asked him what he thought was the most important thing to remember in old age. ' Remember the Sacrament of the present moment' he said.
As we get older, he felt, this was important for us all, whether we are 'religious' people or not.Life's moments are like a sacrament for us all. Life is valuable. It is to be enjoyed, yes, but not to be wasted.
In spite of all the ups and downs of daily experiences, we also must appreciate that life is a gift that God has given.
Thomas Ken wrote
Redeem thy misspent moments past
An live this day as if thy last
Improve thy talent with due care
For the great day thyself prepare.
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May all of us take these attitudes to heart. Living each day happily but sensibly. Not with any sense of fear, but rather pleased that we are able to live life with a sense of 'the God given gift of the present moment.'
As Christians may we encourage others to do the same.
Every blessing,
Sincerely
David- Warden prayer12.
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(June 2008. )
Dear friends,
We shall soon have lived in our present home longer than anywhere else!
We enjoyed the moving around of earlier years and mixing with many different kinds of people: but living in a permanent situation has also had advantages. It has enabled us to lay down for a few years at least,some roots.
Eleven years of 'retirement' in the same place has meant that have found much satisfaction in our garden, our house, good local facilities, worshipping in a new situation,spending more time with friends, and when we can, visiting the family .Although we are now free from the pressure of work, there are still a great number of worth-while roles of ministry to fulfil.
Many people in the world however do not have a desirable place to live in. There are millions of displaced people and refugees, who have been driven out of their homelands and forced to live in squalor and poverty. Others are victims of war, earthquakes, floods, and other natural disasters. Some have been 'moved on' because of the greedy exploitation of others, and there has been no adequate compensation or replacement. All these people need our support and our prayers. We ought to much more active than we are in helping them.
There is something else though that has to be remembered, and it's this: that 'here we have no abiding city' (Hebrews 13vs14.) and we all seek a greater 'city 'to come.
For all of us the present scene is passing.
We may have many pleasant experiences on the way as well as difficult ones, but in the long run, there is something 'greater still' to come.
Bearing this in mind, it seems to me that besides supporting and praying for people in their need, we have to learn how to have fellowship with them. As we remember people at twelve o'clock ( or some other prayer time ) we are also travelling along on a pilgrimage just as they are. Are we sensitive to their spiritual and emotional needs too in our prayers?
May we all feel that in Christ's name we are part of a wider fellowship.
No-one ever needs to feel lonely. Please let us know where we can strengthen this bond of 'companionship ' with all travellers on the way.
Every blessing.
David -Warden Prayer12.
(My main email address now is: david.monkton@bitinternet.com )
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. (May 2008.)
Dear friends.
At the end of the summer the prayer12 web-site will have been in existence for ten years.
The site, at the moment is divided into two parts, and has received over 17,000 visits.
Although this includes visits I have made to the site myself to keep it up-to -date, it is still a very considerable number.
Rarely a week goes by without several specific requests for prayer being made for every kind of imaginable kind of human need, and I have found it a tremendous privilege to share with so many people their intimate concerns, for themselves and others, and the wider needs of the world.
Web-sites have changed a lot over ten years, and I am now in the process of updating it - not just in information but in format and style.
If you have any comment as to content and presentation I would be pleased to receive it in the next week or so if possible. If you are not receiving this letter by email, and you would like to receive a copy in this way please let me know.
I would also be pleased if you would give your prayerful support at this time of reshaping the site, so that it may continue to be a means of bringing comfort and help in the name of Christ to others.
With all good wishes,
Yours sincerely,
David- Warden.Prayer12.
(My main email address now is: david.monkton@bitinternet.com )
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. (April 2008.) Dear friends.
For ten years I have served in a voluntary chaplaincy team at the Nottinghamshire Hospice, usually visiting once a month.
Sometimes people say to me ' I don't know how you could do this work, I would find it too depressing.'
What a wrong idea such people have!
At the hospice there are dedicated and friendly staff who work alongside a supportive and enthusiastic band of volunteers. There is rarely any hint of despair, and several clients have been going to this day care centre for terminal illnesses for a longer period than I have as a chaplain.
One of them has written on the Comments page of the hospice website -
"We have so much fun and the laughter hardly ever stops. If I wasn't here, I would be at home just sitting in my chair and wishing my days away. Here, I have made new friends and the care given by the staff is wonderful - my days may be numbered but my time is full to the brim"
This is not bit of advertising 'spin,' but fact. We all find the atmosphere there is attractively infectious!
The motto of the hospice is 'adding life to days,' and it lives up well to its logo.
This phrase 'adding life to days,' however reminds me of something else which is central to my own calling as a minister.
When Jesus says 'I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly' he is saying something very similar to what this logo is saying.
The question is this: are we involved in our lives in spreading the Good News, the quality of life that Jesus came to bring?
Whatever problems people may have, and whatever disabilities they have to cope with, there is I believe, always something extra that true faith in God brings.
Let us pray that all around us will find this abundant life whatever their situations may be, and that we may all be agents involved bringing change for all who have special needs.
With all good wishes,
Sincerely,
David Warden- prayer12.
Dear friends,
Today we have just been to the funeral of a close friend, some ten years younger than ourselves, who has known a great deal of suffering and illness for many years of her life. I was asked by the family if I would give the tribute. This I was pleased to do, although in many ways it is far easier to give a talk about someone you don't know closely, than someone you do!
There was a good gathering of friends who had been influenced by her from all walks of life. Although she had no children of her own, there were lots of people there to whom she had been 'aunty.' To several of them she had also been their godmother.She was a greatly loved person.
Losing friends and loved one's is never an easy experience, but there is one thing that for Christians is tremendously helpful to remember. It is our 'resurrection hope.'
The season of Lent that we are in at the moment,is about learning to face up to the realities of life as Jesus did - and seeing that the easy options on life are not always the right ones. In the end Jesus came through his temptations, followed later in his ministry by his sufferings and death on the Cross. On the third day we believe, and declare, 'He rose again from the dead.'
This is a tremendous claim to make, and a truth we can only grasp by faith, but what a great difference it can make when we do put our faith in Christ!
With our sense of loss today however we did feel this sense of assurance that her faith in Christ led her along the way to 'eternal life.'
Another Easter approaches, and we will read again the message given to the angels that 'Christ is risen'. It is not a story that only spoke to people two thousand years ago, but it is a living message for today.
May this same living Lord contiunue to make His presence known to us, and may this help us all to interpret the whole of life in a positive way.
With all good wishes,
Sincerely,
David.
Warden Prayer12.
Dear friends.
In mid January Pauline and I spent eight days in Southern Germany with friends on a three rivers boat cruise.It was a very different holiday; not knowing from one day to the next what to expect!
We were dependent on the state of the rivers, and often unable to travel as far as we intended. On the first day, for instance, the boat was unable to get under bridges: the water levels were so high. Whenever we came to locks commercial traffic had precedence.
Many places visited still had medieval charm. There was Nuremburg with its sombre reminders of how whole nations can be swayed by persuasive individuals whose policies cruelly threaten and destroy the lives of others and their way of life.
In contrast we also saw many churches and cathedrals, which to our surprise still celebrated the Old Julian Christmas and Epiphany. Christmas trees were lit up either side of their altars and nativity cribs were on display. In the half- light these 'lights shining in dark places' reminded us of Jesus as the Light of the world. They presented a kind of spiritual experience in themselves.
The Holy season of Lent can be like a holiday with elements of the unknown about it. We are not offered a fixed programme, and there is certainly the unpredictable there.This is a time when we are called to meditate, and as Eley McAinsh wrote in the Living Spirituality network recently. 'Meditation is meant to render me unprepared for the unexpected - God.'
As we enter into the Lent experience once more, may we too discover through what we might describe as 'tales of the unexpected,' that God has truly blessed us in ways that we never thought of. May we also discover through these things that we are better equipped to serve God in His world today.
With all good wishes,
Sincerely,
David.Warden Prayer12.
Dear friends.
The year that has passed has been distressing for many people.
At the present time we are shocked by the assassination of Benazir Bhutto in Pakistan, and many instances of violence have grabbed the headlines in recent months. It looks as if there is a slowing down of the economy, we are concerned about global warming and the exploitation of valuable resources in the world by greed.
From a personal point of view we may feel the loss of friends, and locally many of us here in Nottingham are a disappointed at the closing of many local Post Offices in the next few weeks. How thankful we need to be to those who run our local post offices and the stores that usually accompany them. They have performed a valuable service - but I haven't noticed any of their names on the New Years Honours list!
Having said all these negative things however, I always believe that we need to approach the New Year with Hope.
I believe that in more instances than we realise, a new year brings with it opportunities, and if we are sensitive enough, we take up these opportunities as ' God given.'
In the Methodist Church, at this time of the year, we like to use what is called the annual Covenant Service. In this service there is a phrase which says 'Put me to what you will.'
Every one of us ought to leave ourselves open to the 'will of God', however we understand this. It is only in this way that we can see our lives truly used in God's world.
May the New Year be for all of us a happy one, and as a commercial advertisement put it, may we also 'make the year 2008 be a memorable one,' by being open to new things and new ways of venturing out in faith.
Every blessing,
Sincerely,
David - warden Prayer12
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