21 people took part in the church day retreat “A Date with God” last Saturday. It was an opportunity to just get away
from our everyday lives and to intentionally rest in God’s presence. It was a time to remember that we are human “be-ings” not human “do-ings”. People took fantastic photos of the gardens and enjoyed experiencing God through their
imaginations, through art and in writing.

In marked contrast, on the following day 6 of us headed off to Sports Central to take part in a touch rugby tournament, to raise funds for Northern Pride. Instead of rest and relaxation,
it was serious physical activity and cheerful noise. We had our flag flying in the main hall and our display boards and publicity material available in the community area. We were out and proud as LGBT Christians. People were intrigued
to see a church group having fun and a pastor running around the sports hall like a mad thing!

A life of faith contains these two aspects – time away from the world and full engagement in it. The challenge always to get the right balance between the two. Too much time on retreat and we lose contact with the world that we are called to serve and may become self absorbed.  Too much time running around and we can find it hard to actually hear God’s voice, guiding, challenging, loving us.

Jesus was active and fully present in the world. Yet he also knew that he had to spend time alone in prayer, or with a small group of his disciples, so that he could recharge his spiritual, emotional and physical batteries.

In our worship at the moment, we are “Learning from
Jesus”. Perhaps this is one of the lessons that we need to learn.

This week, just try and notice the balance in your own life. Do you need to make some adjustments? Take the chance to change a little.

God bless,

Cecilia

The Olympic Torch has been and gone from the North East. The interest and public response has, I think, taken the organisers by surprise. Certainly I was impressed by the number of people that turned out in Newcastle all along the
route and the huge crowds that were down at the Quayside to watch Bear Grylls zipwire from the Tyne Bridge.

So why are people waiting patiently at roadsides all round the country – often in grim weather, to see someone run or
walk past with this torch - an event that is often over in a matter of seconds?

We are gathering to be part of something bigger, to witness a historic event, perhaps even to personally support the torchbearer.  There are some things that simply mean more when we join together as a community. Just think of the powerful message of solidarity that came out from Wooten Bassett every time the body of a service man or woman was driven through that town. The silence and respect of that community said more than a thousand words.

As people of faith, it is important that we spend time alone with God, listening for God’s voice, even just trying to feel God’s presence. It is also part of the human condition to gather and have a shared experience. That is why being part of a faith community is a vital part of our spiritual journey. It is perfectly possible to be a Christian without being part of a community. However, it adds to our faith and enables us to gain more by having a shared experience of God through worship, serving each other and having fun. It also means that we are there for each other in the tough times too. The torch bearers do not run alone – they have a huge support crew alongside them.

This week I invite you to give thanks for all the different communities that you have been part of, which helped you to develop and grow as a person.

Thank you for being part of the faith community that I serve!

God bless,

Cecilia

Many of you will be familiar with the film “Sister Act”. A loud, rough casino singer from Las Vegas is placed in a convent by the police, after she witnesses a murder by a gangster and his mob. The singer, impeccably played by Whoopi
Goldberg, turns life in the convent upside down, until the gangsters finally catch up with her.

The gangster orders his hapless henchmen to shoot the
singer, but they won’t “because she’s a nun”. When he steps forward to do the deed himself, the Mother Superior, who has resented all the turmoil and change in the convent, steps forward and says “Yes, she is a real nun”. She goes on to list the virtues that this raucous woman has and how she has been a blessing to the Mother Superior and the other sisters.

The Mother Superior finally recognised it was the qualities of character and not the vows taken, the rules obeyed or the traditions upheld that made this woman holy and her life pleasing to God. She looked beyond the surface to what lay in the woman’s heart. (We will learn from "Sister Act” in August’s worship theme "The Gospel According to Hollywood!)

This week, the Church of England issued its response to the
consultation by the Government on Equal Marriage. Sadly, the response concentrates on tradition, rules and gender, instead of describing the characteristics of a good and wholesome marriage that nourishes and supports both partners and is pleasing to God.

It is worth noting that marriage as a sacrament only came into being in 1439. The English Marriage Act of 1753
lay down the legal requirements for marriage and, in 1836, the law was amended to allow the use of secular registrars as well as an Anglican clergy to perform marriages. Marriage has evolved over time, both in church and in civil law. In the 21st century, it is reasonable for it to evolve again.

God bless,

Cecilia 

This week is the start of Euro 2012 – a football tournament for those of you are not interested. There has been some
controversy over the choice of Ukraine as one of the host nations, and some politicians and fans have chosen to stay away in protest.

It is easy to think that such protests and boycotts do not have an impact. Or that it has to be someone important or powerful in order for anything to make a difference.

Recently, I have heard from two different people in the
congregation who are each making their own personal protests in different ways. One is refusing to take Communion in their home church, in protest at that denomination’s treatment of lesbians and gay men. Another person refuses to visit the USA or any country that still uses the death penalty for prisoners. These protests gain strength every time the person tells their story and make others think about the issue too.

You may think that one person cannot make a difference. Rosa Parks was an African American woman at a time when racial segregation was still legal and well embedded in USA. After a long hard day at work in 1955, she refused to give up her seat to a white man on the bus and was arrested. This small act of protest became the focal point for a massive bus boycott and was a key event in the civil rights movement. Now, just under 60 years later, the USA has a black President.

You are on the mailing list of MCC Newcastle today, because in 1968, one man called Troy Perry dared to
believe that it could be possible to have a Christian church that would proclaim God’s inclusive love for all people – including lesbians, gay men, bisexual folk and
transgendered women and men.

May you find one way of making your voice heard on an issue this week.

God bless,

Cecilia

It looks like we might have had our summer already in the North East, doesn’t it? :-)
 
Most people feel better when the sun is out and the ordinary around us becomes beautiful. Then, the rain appears, skies are grey and we can quickly forget the warmth of the sun.

We have just celebrated Pentecost, a moment of high drama in the story of the disciples and the event that many see as the beginning of the Christian church. For a while afterwards, everything went really well. The church grew and the community lived in harmony, sharing all they had in common. Then human nature, the need for structure, not to
mention persecution and imprisonment, started to take their toll on the utopian vision that the early followers of Christ had for the church. Paul and the other apostles kept having to remind the disciples of the new life that they were called to in Christ and the difference that the Holy Spirit was making in their lives.

In our own faith journeys too, we have moments of great fire and passion - God seems close enough to touch. These are the moments that we need to remember and cherish, when our life is more challenging and difficult.

Deep under the city of Newcastle runs the Victoria Tunnel. In
some point in its history, in the midst of the darkness and damp, someone made a small crucifix and placed it on the wall in the tunnel. It is an amazingly beautiful and touching symbol of faith to find in such an extraordinary setting.
The tunnel curators do not who put it there or why, but it offers a lasting tribute to the faith of someone who wanted to have something to remind themselves and others of the presence of God, even 85 feet below ground.

May you feel the warmth of God’s love, just like the sun, this
week.

God bless,

Cecilia