Tuesday, January 29, 2008

Holocaust Memorial

I have to make a quick comment on this, simply as it was so profound.

This evening we had a Holocaust Memorial Day Commemoration, led by the Centre for Jewish Christian Relations, and some other Federation students. It was a lovely 'service', with a great sensitivity to the occasion without being pointedly over emotional. My dear friend Petra, a Christian from Berlin read the 22nd Psalm, not in English nor German, but in Hebrew. (She is somewhat of a linguistic whizz!) The simplicity of this statement I found to be strikingly profound, not because I identify the atrocities of WW2 with the German people as a whole, but knowing the stigma that the few have left on the identity of a nation. Maybe I have over-egged the pudding somewhat here, but this moved me.

Gb,
R x

Friday, January 11, 2008

New year, new me?

Quick answer...no! I've always been rubbish at keeping resolutions so, this year, I didn't make one, it's a daunting enough year ahead, with my entire thesis first draft to be handed in by this time next year! Despite the threat of work, I have some exciting singing prospects in the pipeline, more about those when they are confirmed.

I must confess that life hasn't been the greatest over the last few weeks. The stresses and strains of mixing research and training have taken their toll, and luckily my body has been my warning system (though excess heartbeats are a rather scary way of your body telling you you're stressed!!). So I wonder how this relates to God and me?

I've just started a term with a prayer guide. Nothing highly spiritual about it really, rather just someone to meet up with to chat about my prayer life, keeps me on my toes if nothing else! Most times when I pray during my services, especially when all ages are present, I reiterate the importance of a healthy prayer life and how it is all about relationship. I've always said something like this...
"The best friends we have are those we talk to, imagine having a
friend that you never spoke to."
I think that we too often forget that the presence of the living Christ is with us always, I know I certainly do. Sat in my room in the chair I sit in solely to read my Bible and pray, that very verse came to me, as I looked up, I saw it printed on the sheet given to me by my prayer guide:

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit that dwells in you. Romans 8:11

It's hard to comprehend of course, but as that very same spirit that raised Christ from the depths of hell dwells in me... who am I to fear. I watched Bruce Almighty again today, I love it, and I don't care what people may say about it theologically. It spoke to me of that omniscient, omnipresent God that I forget so often.

Hmm...enough ramblings,

Gb,
R x