Ask-the-Vicar

Joy-to-the-World

By Revd Mark Ackford

As you may know yesterday there was a parish trip to Coventry Cathedral, 28 pilgrims on a journey to a place of remarkable reconciliation, hope and renewal.

The old cathedral was destroyed on the 14th of November 1940, the night of the Coventry blitz and after the bombing, the cathedral’s provost, Richard Howard, wrote “Father Forgive” on a charred wall, symbolising a commitment to forgiveness and peace. In the days that followed, two powerful symbols emerged from the ruined cathedral. Two burnt roof beams – which had fallen in the shape of a cross in the rubble – were bound together and placed where the altar had been and three medieval roof nails were formed into a cross, which became the original Coventry Cross of Nails.

During the BBC radio broadcast from the cathedral ruins on Christmas Day 1940, Howard declared that when the war was over, we should work with those who had been enemies “to build a kinder, more Christ-like world.” The Cross of Nails quickly became a potent sign of friendship and hope in the post-war years. This was especially true in relationships with Germany, and the developing links between Coventry and the cities of Kiel, Dresden and Berlin. In September 1947 a Cross of Nails was presented to St Nikolai Church, Kiel, Germany, a symbol of peace between former enemies.

And so began the moral and prophetic vision of Coventry cathedral’s ministry of reconciliation something that remains to this day at the centre of the cathedral’s raison d’etre.

Beside the ruins of the old cathedral, the new cathedral now stands, designed by Sir Basil Spence and consecrated in 1962, it rises as a beacon of reconciliation, hope and renewal. Its modernist design, in sharp contrast to the medieval remains, represents a determination to move forward without forgetting the past. The physical connection between the old and new structures expresses the continuity between remembrance and regeneration.

This physical connection is the one thing that struck me most profoundly of all. The jagged, open structure of the old cathedral ruins are in stark contrast to the clean lines and uplifting spaces of the new cathedral building, illustrating for me the passage from destruction to hope. In a sense two buildings joined by a bridge, one which physically and metaphorically links the past and future. With the use of natural light, open spaces, and modern materials in the new cathedral all contributing to a feeling of openness, transparency, and trust in humanity’s capacity for renewal.

Today, Coventry Cathedral remains a living symbol of peace, reconciliation, and the enduring human spirit. Its message is as relevant now as it was in the aftermath of war: that out of destruction can come hope, and from forgiveness, a new beginning. Through its architecture, art, and mission, the cathedral continues to inspire people from all backgrounds to seek understanding and to build a more peaceful world.

By Revd Mark Ackford

As some of you will know I have recently been under the weather with a dose of Covid, thankfully I am now on the mend, my period of self-isolation has ended, and dog walking duties have resumed much to Bailey’s approval.

On one of my walks a day or so ago I came across this painted rock lying beside the footpath, which with it’s yellow sun, blue sky, white clouds and green countryside cheered me greatly as I coughed and spluttered my away around the village trying to shift the cold which Covid seemed to have given me as a lingering gesture as it worked its way out the system.

Maybe the person (a child I am assuming) who had painted it had placed it there for just the reason to cheer up those who passed it by, or maybe it was placed there to mark the passing by of themselves and as a reminder for us who spied it out of the beauty of God’s creation and our duty to care for it. Whatever the reason it brought a smile to my face and a sense of hope for the future.

Rocks and pebbles come in many different shapes and sizes. Growing up in Somerset with easy access to the county’s rivers and beaches I noticed that the pebbles found on the beach formed gradually over time as the water washed the sand over them like sandpaper over hundreds of years had given them a smooth, rounded appearance. However, the pebbles that I found on the riverbed of the river Axe flowing through the village of Cheddar where I grew up were not as smooth as the beach pebbles, no sand there and the current was much gentler than the pounding from the waters of the Bristol Channel.

I don’t know about you but sometimes I think that I feel like one of those pebbles, with the water washing over me, turning me over and over, moving me from place to place, being washed by a current which I have no control over, being bashed against other rocks and pebbles, not knowing where I may end up. Sometimes it can be gentle like in the riverbed and other times it can feel like a gale, a storm at sea.

But as a Christian, my life has been placed into God’s hands. You could say, my pebble has been placed in an ocean where the current is controlled by God, the creator of the world. It is constantly being bathed by waves of the Holy Spirit as God continues to smooth my appearance so that I can become more like him.

As I move through life my pebble will still encounter other pebbles and bits of my pebble will be removed in that process as God removes things from my life preparing me for what is ahead. But as I make that contact the same is happening to the pebbles I meet as I figuratively rub up against them. Pebbles are often used to landscape, build and to decorate and I think there are similarities to this in my life as I bump into others on my journey through life with Christ. May those bumps result in a change to the scenery of the earth and to the lives of other people (landscape), may they be used to shape his Kingdom (build) and make the earth a more beautiful place (decorate).

Where is your pebble in the ocean of life and what it is being used for? Is it just floundering around in the ocean of the world being washed by circumstance with no purpose or is it in the ocean of God, being washed and smoothed by the creator of the world, being shaped by his Holy Spirit to look more like Him, with a purpose and hope to go landscape, build and decorate?

I know where I want my pebble to be, and I hope and pray that you do to.

St-Peter-and-St-Paul

Pope Francis
By Revd Mark Ackford

As a Franciscan it is no surprise to me that when I reflect on the life of our dear departed brother in
Christ Pope Francis, that he decided to take the name Francis.

Born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, he chose the name Francis when he became Pope in 2013 as I think St
Francis of Assisi was a man who had inspired his ministry up to that moment and continued to do so
throughout his papacy, Pope Francis wanted to honour St Francis a man who had inspired him as a
man of poverty, a man of peace, a man who loves and protects creation. This choice became a
reflection of Pope Francis’s mission and values, ones which emphasized humility, simplicity, and a
deep respect for nature and humanity. Pope Francis’ decision to take this name was not just a
symbolic gesture but a solemn declaration of his commitment to these principles which he
demonstrated throughout his time in office.

For example, he often emphasized the importance of caring for the vulnerable and the environment,
much like St. Francis did. In his encyclical “Laudato Si’,” Pope Francis calls for an integral ecology that
respects both human dignity and the natural world. He sees St. Francis as a model for living in
harmony with God, others, nature, and oneself.

With St Francis he also shared a commitment to social justice and a deep sense of spirituality. St.
Francis’s love for all creatures and his dedication to the poor resonate strongly with Pope Francis’s
mission to bring the Gospel to the peripheries and address the needs of the marginalized.

Pope Francis approach to leadership was a similar one to that of St Francis which was one of
humility, He opted for simpler living arrangements and often used before becoming Pope public
transportation, demonstrating that leadership can be grounded in approachability and modesty.
Pope Francis once said, “how I would like a church that is poor and that is for the poor” and his
choice to honour the lives of everyday people and prioritize their stories over grandeur has
resonated with millions as demonstrated by the content of the many messages of condolence that
the Vatican has received since his death.

Pope Francis by his example lived a life which will forever live on for me in the words of the famous
prayer attributed to his namesake, a prayer which I think is a fitting memorial and reminder of all
that he stood for:

Lord, make me an instrument of Your peace. Where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is
injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness,
light; where there is sadness, joy. O, Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be
consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; For it is in giving
that we receive; it is in pardoning that we are pardoned; it is in dying that we are born again to
eternal life. Amen.

May he rest in peace and rise in glory.

By Revd Mark Ackford

Do you have a favourite pew or seat!

I often see it every Sunday when I look out across those in Church, familiar and loved faces who in most cases always sit in the same place, their favourite seat, their favourite pew. Now don’t get me wrong there is nothing wrong with this and it has its uses especially for someone like me who is quite happy to putting his hand up as not being gifted at putting names to faces. As on those occasions when I would recognise the face but the name had escaped me would simply describe where they sat to those in the know in the church family and the reply would come back Oh that is Mr or Mrs X or Y!

Recently I came across this story related to this theme of a favourite church pew.

A father and son regularly attended a Sunday morning Communion service in a busy city church. Sitting in the same pew each Sunday it was their favourite pew, just like everyone else who also seemed to have their favourite pew in that church. Whenever the start of the Sunday service approached, everyone seemed to race to ‘their’ pew ready for the Welcome and Opening Hymn.

One Sunday they brought along an additional member of the family, son number two, who growing up had suffered from many demons, but suddenly decided he wanted to come to church with them that day. The father and first son raced into church to secure their usual favourite pew perhaps secretly fearful someone else might sit in their hallowed seats and when they got there noticed that the second son hadn’t entered the church with them. Confused and baffled as to where he had gone the father and the first son went outside to find him talking to a homeless man sat outside on the steps to the church.

In their rush to be righteous, both the father and first son had overlooked the homeless man at the door, whereas the second son, who had at one point in his life been homeless himself, saw a child of God and had stopped to talk to him, to show and offer this homeless man some of Christ’s love, care and kindness.

Today is Ash Wednesday and the Gospel lesson from Matthew 6.1-6,16-21 set for today tells us to act humbly, rather than boast of our righteousness. Matthew tells of Jesus speaking these words to his disciples: ‘Beware of practising your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven’. It is more than likely here that Jesus is referring to the Pharisees in the Synagogue showing off about how holy they were as being hypocrites. Upon reflection, perhaps that’s exactly what the father and the first son were doing in their rush to grab their favourite church pew.

I wonder how often we have walked past the homeless man or woman instead of being moved by Christ’s love, grace and compassion to stop and talk to them, for after all we are all children of God. As St John Chrysostom said, “If you can’t find Jesus in the homeless man at the door, you will never find him in the chalice.” So, this Lent, let us stay humble and live out Christ’s commandment to love God and love our neighbour.