This Wednesday was Burns’ night and we had Jodie’s parents visiting so I regaled them with some poetry from Rabbie (Robert) Burns before after and during our haggis, neeps and tatties! We got a Macsweens haggis (Edinburgh’s finest!) from Waitrose and it made my day to eat fayre from the motherland. Burns’ poetry is hard even for Scottish people to understand but I enjoyed reading with gusto To a haggis in a ritualistic way before I stabbed the haggis with a big knife!
On Saturday we went to a study day at the London School of Theology on Paul the theologian, it was stimulating and well worth the drive into London. Jodie is doing a Theology degree by extension with LST so it was good to accompany her to her theological college. I would like to do a masters at some point but we can’t afford it at the moment but I am keeping the grey cells alive by continuing to read theology and other books. I have just finished The Theology of Dorothee Soelle, a series of articles by friends of hers after her death in 2003. I came across her in the early 90s and always enjoyed her especially as she also was strongly influenced by latin american liberation theology and spent time in Nicaragua. She has some interesting things to say about suffering, theodicy (the big issue of God and the existence of evil and suffering) and mysticism.
On Sunday I preached at Bunyan and Jodie led the service, it went very well and I got good feedback from the congregation. I appreciate having the regular opportunity to preach and it gives the congregation an opportunity to get to know me better too. Unfortunately the sermon isn’t up on the website so I can’t put a link up but if it appears soon I will add the link. I preached on Exodus 3:1-15 and enjoyed wrestling with the passage and asking, who is God? “Who am I for such a task?” - Moses and who are we? Small questions!!!!
I went along with Dave Morris (my pastor/friend) to the local Herts Baptist ministers meeting and enjoyed the discussion on how we keep fresh theologically post college. I have never found it a problem to keep reading theology post my theology degree but was given some ideas about new books and authors worth exploring. It was also good to share fellowship with fellow baptist ministers and made contacts for future preaching opportunities which is also helpful. I also went with Dave (again!) to the local stevenage ecumenical ministers group for a lunch at a posh farm in the countryside, we had a lovely steak pie with spuds and veg and treacle tart for pudding, yum yum!!! It is strange to think of me wining and dining with the aristocracy but Teddy our host is something like the deputy lord lieutenant of Hertfordshire as well as being an Anglican priest. It was a delicious lunch and a good time of fellowship too even if I didn’t agree with the inevitability of capitalism espoused by most present. Also on the food front we had a lovely chinese take away with Jodie’s parents last night, so even though I didn’t put on much weight over Christmas this week may see me putting on a few pounds!!! It didn’t look good on the scales this morning but maybe the haggis and other food is still hanging around in my gut!
To finish on a high, I went to see my local team Stevenage Boro play MK Dons, my old home team on Tuesday night and the new beat the old 4-2! It was a cracker of a game to take Melvin, Jodie’s dad to as he hadn’t been to a live game for decades. I still have a soft spot for MK Dons and keep an eye out for their results but Stevenage Boro have taken their third place in my heart behind Hibs (1st) and Arsenal (2nd). Stevenage is home for now even if only till November but it will be a base for the foreseeable and the home of my sending Church, Bunyan Baptist.
No news on the jobsearch front, but am managing to keep busy with pastoral visits, reading, studying and enjoying my first year of marriage! Go well, Love Stu x
