Goodhand in Banbury

A play, a church service and the Pub quiz. I wonder which helped me the most? We took the opportunity to make a last minute booking to see Chekov’s Play the Seagull at the Oxford Playhouse. I had never seen it before. It was excellent.   A very young cast drawn from students from various Oxford colleges. While it has elements of humour you could not describe it as joyful. It explored as all good writing does the interplay of human relationships. Manipulation by a parent that undermines a son. Infatuation that leads to betrayal and hurt and so much more. Even the suicide in the story, which saw one cast member remain at the end wiping the blood off the screen, a reminder how I had scrubbed a floor when a church members husband had committed suicide at their home. Yes it was all about relationships. As an experience it was one which made me think deeply as all good writing and performances do, and I would love to see it again to get more out of it. That’s what happens when writing is...

We were sitting with our grandson in hospital as he underwent his latest Chemo sessions. He was having to take his anti sickness medicines. He has grown to really hate them, and while he does take them, it’s a personal battle to overcome his aversion to them.   His cry out “Why” resonated very deeply.   Why does this six now seven year old have to go though all this medication, injections, radio therapy, chemo, a kidney removed WHY, WHY, WHY!   Any one diagnosed with cancer asks ‘why’ as do we all. But people have commented "but why a child of his age?" The whole “it’s not fair” is aired, and we certainly feel that, even though we know cancer is no respecter of age or circumstances.   Why, amongst other shouts, is most certainly the cry of the Psalmist.   So often when it’s all just a mess why is shouted, and most certainly is accompanied with a lot of complaining to God and blaming of God.   Yes God can cope with our anger and our blaming of God which is w...

 My six year old grandson, currently undergoing chemotherapy, dropped by for a play time allowing mum and dad to get some jobs done. My daughter said "well you can answer all his questions" not least of which was "If God is everywhere why don't we keep bumping into him?" Good question and thankfully he wanted to play and not talk theology!!!! But it is a good question and one that should be addressed. My internal reaction is how do I explain that we do. I'm reminded of the Celtic blessing which speaks of encountering God/Christ in the strangers guise. This is a big ask. Jesus in his teachings and story telling, and not least in his actions revealed we need to have the eyes of a gracious God that we might truly see the other. To see someone like ourselves loved by our creator, and to allow the filters of prejudice fall away. Perhaps it's why we so often refer to Christ as the light of the world who reveals reality about others and uncomfortably ourselves....