I have taken a day off work today- the sun is shining, and I need a day at home after a really busy couple of weeks.

Greenbelt festival is looming!

Aoradh are going to be doing a few worship things again- participating in a day long worship event along with Sanctus 1 and Safespace. I just checked the GB website and see we are not mentioned as participants! How rude.

As part of the worship, we are providing a great big loom, into which people will be encouraged to weave in the names of their community- here is the loom frame in front of our house-

We are also doing a couple of liturgies- one around communion, with a really lovely piece that Audrey wrote, and another based on the Community of God- the Trinity, with our bit focussing on the Father.

If you are at Greenbelt this year, it would be great to see you- we will be in the New Forms cafe for most of the day on Saturday…

I pulled out an old piece of writing I did thinking about fatherhood, and have been doing some work on it. Here are a couple of sections I am playing with-

We were made for relationship.

.

All of us- with no exceptions

Every one of God’s children

.

From the star pupil,

To the remedial

Poorly clothed

Last-to-be-picked

Back-of-the-classroom loser

.

Who becomes the favourite

The Chosen One

The last-

Now made first

.

Beloved

Of the most high God

ABBA

.

Abba is not a word of examination

It demands no achievements

And sets no unreachable goals

.

Abba is not a word of judgement

It has no laws to uphold

And carries no truncheons

.

Abba is not a word of profit

It knows no sensible spending limits

And demands no collateral

.

Abba is not an ineffectual word

It answers to no committees

And has no obligations

.

Abba is not a word of power

It has no foot soldiers

And demands no blind obedience

.

Abba is not an absent word

It has no shoddy rented spaces

And evicts no tenants

.

Abba is an open word

Open doored

Open armed

And open hearted

.

It is a word that invites us home.