Home of Robb Sutherland
As you probably know, Ruth and I are involved in a couple of services at Greenbelt this year. We’ve had details confirmed about when the U2charist will be happening. It is going to be in the “InSense” venue at 5pm on Monday. The worship is being organised by Luminous in Lincoln. Metanoia will be leading the musical aspects of the service with a selection of U2 songs.
It’ll be great to see you there!
This Ted Talk came from Carole reminding me of a blog I wrote for the Big Bible site about Theological Ghettos. The way the internet works at the moment disturbs me as it edits out the things it believes I don’t want to see. Google shows me what I want to see. An algorithm decides what my world should look like. Google essentially feeds me pictures of Mother Theresa, Desmond Tutu and Eddie Van Halen. That kind of thing. Give the people what they want! And why not?
Facebook recently introduced a change to the way it works. It has started to push content to your friends when you click “like” or comment upon a post. I assume this means that every time I click like on a Star Wars meme is is pushed through to some of my friends. As they are friends with me they must clearly be interested in the same things as I am – this is the logic that Facebook is employing.
This has shattered my internet filter bubble. The world now looks a little different than before. In the past week I have discovered that a “friend” of a “friend” likes the EDL. I’ve seen numerous racist memes. I’ve discovered that there is a more unpleasant underbelly to the society I am part of. A less pleasant world that I was happily living without. No doubt my friends have discovered that I talk about ‘vicar things’ a lot more than they thought previously.
It won’t come as a surprise to you to discover that I am “politically liberal” and so are a large proportion of my friends. However, Facebook has just let everyone’s guard down. Everyone is now less able to hide “the real you” from the world of Facebook unless they choose not to engage with it. Every click potentially outs you as the person who “likes” pictures of fluffy kittens. Alternatively you may find your more sinister side on display for the world to see as you are “outed” as a secret Belieber.
The Reverend Robert Sutherland, currently Assistant Curate, Morley Team Parish to be Vicar of Illingworth and Mixenden.
Details of Robb’s installation and induction will be announced at a later date.
In many ways this past week and today have been a bit of a blur. The announcement was made by the church warden this morning and I am a little overwhelmed by the support that everyone has shown Ruth and me. We have loved being part of the community here in Morley throughout my curacy and we are ever thankful for the immense love and support that we have been shown.
I’m looking forward to the challenges of my new role as we become part of the community in north Halifax.
Dear reader, please bear with me for a moment as I take you on a flight of fantasy into the annals of my mind. Imagine for a moment that we are in the board room of Coca-cola looking at the strategy for the future. Around the table is a much smaller group of executives than a decade ago looking at their new advertising campaign.
“Coke, it just doesn’t taste like it used to.”
I spend a large portion of my life trying to marry up the experiences I am having with those around me. Within “The Church” I predominantly hear negative voices decrying the end of “The Church”. I remember being asked 7 years ago if I “knew what I was getting myself into” offering for ordination in the Church of England in my early twenties. What with “these guys over here” or “those guys over there”. Then of course there is “the institution” and “the structures”. “Do you really know what you are getting yourself into”? Certainly this is the predominant narrative that everyone seems to be currently telling.
Within this domineering public narrative I guess I must be doing it wrong. I became a follower of the way as an adult 15 years ago. I was introduced to this guy who spent a few years in The Middle East walking from town to town declaring the coming Kingdom of God. He said that lives could be changed! There is something better than this! We don’t have to accept the way the world does things. We can be different. I was told that if you follow this guy, communities will spring up that transform the lives of the places in which they live. Communities that are gifts to the towns, estates, villages and cities in which they live, work and play.
I didn’t become an Anglican by accident. I wasn’t born into a family who worship with the Church of England. I didn’t even begin my Christian journey within it. I chose to join my local Anglican church after university because I passionately believe in the local church and The Church of England. We’re not a large gathered people but a people who are spread out far and wide in small pockets within every community in the land. A place with room to explore theology with a range of different people of differing viewpoints as we strive to discover more of the mysteries of God through wrestling with scripture, tradition and reason (and often one another).
Over a glass of wine in a mildly moist marquee the other night I was talking with a colleague. We were both rather passionately espousing about what we do, the people we do it with and the places where we do it. During the course of the conversation he turned to me placed his hand on his chest and said,
“I’m sorry, I’m a positive priest”.
With a sharp blow from with a 4 pound lump hammer he hammered the square stake into the round ventricle. We have spent so much time huddled together saying “Coke: It just doesn’t taste like it used to” that we’re asking why everyone is now drinking Pepsi. I implore you, dear reader to remember what we’re here for. Remember those words of the revolutionary guy you all inspired me to follow 15 years ago. Look for the Kingdom he is inviting us to declare in the communities in which we live. Go and be the good news in the communities in which you live.
It is amazing life that we lead as Christians. We follow an amazing guy and it is a great privilege to be invited into his mission.
It is time for a Positive Priest Movement.