Neill Archer's Blog

Wednesday, 13 March 2013

New Wine 2013

The trouble with you is that you are just too spiritually alive. Go on, admit it. Every moment of every day you are intentionally growing as a disciple. You are hungry to shut the door and sit with the bible open, at the feet of the master, and to simply absorb and change. You are irritating to be with because when you are putting on the kettle or sitting on a bus you keep bursting into abandoned worship. And your faith, well sometimes it just seems limitless. When they were recently selecting the new Archbishop and Pope your name was probably somewhere on that list. A dark horse, but nevertheless a contender to lead the global church.

Or maybe that isn’t quite your 24/7 reality; it isn’t mine. (Although I hope the cardinals considered me for just a moment: ‘What about that Archer chap? He may be Anglican but he can sing in Italian.’) Maybe you are genuinely perplexed by the ordinary challenges of allowing your life and the Kingdom of God to flow together. Maybe your diary and your workplace seem to have too much to say about your spiritual life. Maybe you can’t shake off discouragement in your Christian journey. Maybe the only thing consistent about you is your inconsistency.

This summer, we’re delighted that John and Alice Monaghan and their family (above), will be leading a large group of people from Malmesbury Abbey to the New Wine summer conference at Shepton Mallet (August 4^th-10^th). New Wine Deeper is a space to stop, to spend extended time with friends from church, to learn from inspiring teachers and to meet God, sometimes in the solitude of a tent or a caravan, or sometimes with 3000 worshippers. New Wine is a week to intentionally grow in your faith, young and old, veteran disciple or new Christian. The reality of life meeting the Kingdom of God, and good holy things happening as we go deeper. And also a lot of laughter, late nights outside the tents and food cooked for just too long on the BBQ.

Now is the time to book. There are reduced prices if you book in before April 2^nd, and it’s cheapest to book online at www.new-wine.org. John, our new curate from June 29^th, and the family will be at our 4pm service on March 17^th to introduce themselves and also to speak about New Wine and encourage you to come along. It’s also possible to stay off-site in luxury, one of the Abbey leadership is doing this and she shall be nameless. Another option is to commute down for a day or two – but you don’t quite experience the benefit of stopping for a week to be with God and the church. But however it happens, we’d love you to be part of the Abbey community at New Wine this year.

Thursday, 7 March 2013

Blessed?

We were rather subversive last December; we snuck the Bible into Christmas. A few scenes into our Malmesbury Nativity our four young professional actors started telling the story of the birth of Christ. It wasn’t a fancy script with a new gloss, yes we did intersperse some fairly funky carols, but the actors simply used the complete text from the Bible, the New Revised Standard Version – not a word added, not a word taken away. (And I took the credit as the script writer.) I’m still pretty sure that of the 1,300 people that came through the doors a pretty large percentage had no idea that they were simply listening to the Bible.

What of course this meant was that there was no Little Donkey, Good King Wenceslas stayed in Czechoslovakia, and before the Magi arrived in Matthew’s gospel, in Luke’s gospel Mary and Joseph name Jesus on the eighth day and take him after the 40^th day to present him to the Lord at the Temple – events normally left out of the Christmas story. And there, right in the middle of our Christmas narrative the old man Simeon (see picture above) prayed the Nunc Dimittis, blessed the couple and then prophesied our reading for Mothering Sunday:

This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too. (Luke 2:34,35)

Mary is an astonishing young woman and mother. When she hears from Gabriel that she is to bear the Christ-child she declares in her song ‘from now on all generations will call me blessed.’ And indeed we do, and we recognise that, on top of the natural blessings of motherhood itself, Mary is what our Orthodox brothers and sisters call Theotokos – the God-bearer. But Simeon’s prophecy, magically portrayed by our actors, concludes with the shattering words ‘and a sword shall pierce your own soul too.’ In these few words the cross enters the birth narrative.

As we remember mothers in our lives and in our community this Mothering Sunday, the text set by the Church of England pays attention to the full spectrum of parenting where the richest blessing can sit alongside complexity and heartbreak. In a very short time we will see Mary at the foot of the cross.

It’s not that we have anything against fathers today, they must have some use, but we honour today those who bore us and who walk(ed) in the diverse blessing of motherhood.

Thursday, 21 February 2013

The Servant

He didn’t like it. He didn’t like it at all. ‘Had I completely forgotten that Christ was the PRINCE OF PEACE!?’ he yelled with saliva heading in my direction on each P. I hadn’t, but I also hadn’t forgotten that Jesus said ‘blessed are the peacemakers’, so I stood and listened as five minutes of vitriol was poured out upon me. Me, a vicar in the Church of England (yes, for some reason I was wearing a clerical collar that morning) allowing skateboarders in a 12^th century abbey, which should rightly be silent. SILENT! I wanted to say his theology was pretty hopeless and that Christ was the Prince of Peace not the Prince of Quietness; that the shalom of Jesus was the reconciliation of humanity to God, not a quiet nap in front of a fire. I wanted to ask how many empty silent cold churches God needed that day in North Wiltshire to reach the lost; I estimated that we had provided about 40-50 and thought that that was probably enough. But instead I asked if he would object to the noise of a symphony orchestra playing Handel’s Messiah in the Abbey. He said he would, conversation over, pass the straight jacket.

I liked it. I liked it a lot. It wasn’t just that over 500 young people were at home and enjoyed themselves in the Church of England. It wasn’t just that families that don’t say grace at mealtimes had prayer at the start of skate sessions; ‘this is Your skatepark, we will rejoice and be glad on it.’ It wasn’t just the joy of a young person giving their life to Christ or some seriously tattooed Tetbury skaters hanging out in the Abbey with their new Christian mates. Our partnership with Christian Skaters UK has born so much fruit over 5 years, and this year was no exception. For me the compelling vision was of the body of Christ, the church, serving. Sometimes the church is blinded to the fact that our acts of service are simply ones keeping the show on the road, essentially serving ourselves. To see over 100 volunteers giving their time and energy and peace of mind (did I mention how NOISY! the abbey was?) to serve others really looked like church. ‘After that Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped round him.’ (John 13:5)

To all that served in Malmesbury Abbey Skate 2013 in whatever capacity, administrator or manual labourer, IT or H&S, café or intercessor, my sincere thanks. As you served, we looked like Christ.

Tuesday, 19 February 2013

Leadership & the Art of Fugue

No machine has been designed to accurately count the number of books on leadership emerging each week. So, with a deep desire to proliferate with the rest of them I thought I’d see how easy it was to write (aka ‘make stuff up’) about leadership from Johann Sebastian Bach’s fugues, for instance the Fugue in G Minor, BWV 578. In a gathering of your Mozarts and Beethovens, along with lesser lights like Brahms and Puccini, when JS Bach walks into the room everybody else stands up. He is the master. So go and listen to a JS Bach fugue, then read on for a thesis in fugal leadership, set to become the next big thing:

1. Somebody has to go first

Leadership has never been about following. Exposed, alone the fugue begins with one voice, often in the right hand, rarely in the pedals. The leader takes the idea public and experiences the thrill and vulnerability of being that voice. Richard Branson runs in the room with ‘I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky’, James Dyson declares ‘this really sucks.’ The leader articulates the vision, the leader goes first, the fugue begins somewhere.

2. If your vision is inspired it will come back at you

‘Nobody understands me’ generally means you’re an idiot. A well articulated and inspiring vision will normally be re-voiced in your direction by trusted friends and leadership teams. They know that they’re going to be on this tune for some time, and it won’t come back with added value if it’s nonsense – it will be an embarrassing solo. In BWV 578, as in all fugues, it comes back identically but in a different key, the personality of the second and third voices allowed to re-voice the tune. The fugue underscores the value of ownership, corporate clarity and vision development; the leader lets go, the church or organisation holds on and to a degree reworks the vision.

3. Leadership sets the tone

Now go and listen to the Fugue in G major BWV 577. It’s called the ‘Gigue’ Fugue and is one of the happiest pieces Johann Sebastian Bach ever composed; the sun shone on Weimar when he wrote it, we had it on our wedding day. The happiness pervades from the very first phrase. Don’t be miserable on my watch; leadership (the first voice) sets the tone.

4. Everybody needs to get it

There is a moment in the exposition of a fugue when the hands, the manuals, are sharing the theme, normally in 3 parts; but something is missing, the feet. The moment the feet take up the tune this much is clear, everybody gets it; the whole organ(isation) is on board. Bill George of Harvard Business School talks of leadership ‘aligning people, or bringing them together around a common mission and a common set of values.’ The Fugue is a master-class in alignment. In the D-major fugue BWV 532 the repetitive complexity of the theme begs the question ‘will everybody ever get this?’ Then the pedals come in in bar 20, yes even the pedals get it, everybody gets it.

5. Leaders refresh and repeat vision

After the opening section of any fugue you’ll hear the developmental, conversational Bach, sometimes leading the fugue to a new key, sometimes there will be counter-melodies, but always the initial theme will return holding everything together. Clarity and security through repetition. After a year or so Christ’s disciples must have been entirely unsurprised when he started talking yet again about ‘the Kingdom of Heaven’. In one of his final recorded conversations with a perplexed Pilate he is still revisiting His life’s work, His death’s work, with the words ‘my kingdom is not of this world.’ (John 18:36) Listen out for a final (pedal) articulation of the theme in all Bach’s fugues. The theme is what it’s about, and always will be.

6. Leaders point with enthusiasm to the next chapter

The leader needs to signal when an organisational phase or period is coming to an end and a new beginning is coming. Take the Toccata& Fugue in D minor BWV 565 – yes the really famous one. As it gets near to the end of its 10 minutes it’s clearly ending, but when Bach throws in a Bb major chord in the final bars it’s clear that there is absolutely no loss of creative energy or imagination, and we can be excited about the next chapter. Things end, life doesn’t, and leadership points to new life.

7. Soli Deo Gloria

Even the dimmest student of history, and I count myself among them, can see with ease that leadership can be used destructively and calamitously. Humanity is diminished by unconsecrated leadership. Interestingly JS Bach’s fugues don’t end with a chord, they all end with three letters, S.D.G., Soli Deo Gloria, alone to God’s glory. You’ll find the same letters at the end of Handel’s Messiah. We lead for others, we lead for God, or we lead badly.

So that’s my thesis for now. I'm expecting to be flown to conferences to speak on fugal leadership principles, first class travel and a nice hotel to tell people what the writer to Ecclesiastes has already said: there is nothing new under the sun. JS Bach got there first.

Monday, 4 February 2013

Holy Week Preview

Innovation is at the heart of Malmesbury Abbey; James Dyson doesn't have all the fun. And it’s not just skate parks, cafés, holidays at home or stained glass in our toilets that dries your hands as you pray. Our Holy Week Festival, now in its seventh year, fires our imaginations spiritually as it allows the creative and performing arts, prayer and teaching, to inspire us and to prepare us for our reflections together on the death and resurrection of Jesus.

This year our café, labyrinth and Stations of the Cross art exhibition will return in a slightly different configuration – we hope you don’t fall over anything. The festival opens early as the Riding Lights Theatre Company bring us their new play ‘A Different Drum’ on Wednesday 20^th March. Our daily rhythm of prayer begins on Friday 22^nd March and that evening Revd Si Jones, vicar of St Michael’s Stoke Gifford and a New Wine speaker, is with us to speak on Passion for Jesus, followed by a late night concert from Tristan Cork. On Saturday 23^rd March we meet the young artists from Malmesbury School in the morning and that night the blues/folk/rock sound of Josh Flowers and the Wild is supported by the contemporary soul of Sally Archer at 8pm.

Palm Sunday, weather permitting, takes us outside for Holy Communion and then on the Monday evening the international organist Anthony Hammond improvises a ‘Stations of the Cross’ around the poetry of the French poet Paul Claudel. During the day on Tuesday & Wednesday of Holy Week Springs Dance Company are with us to lead four dance workshops for young people based on Oscar Wilde’s ‘The Selfish Giant.’ On the evening of Tuesday 26^th March the Peter James Jazz trio return with music from their new CD Soul Story, reflecting on themes of death and resurrection, and then on Wednesday 27^th March Andrew Halestrap, Professor of Biochemistry at Bristol University, is with us to ask Does Science disprove God? (Given my career choice I'm hoping for a 'no' answer to be honest.) Sandwiched between the Vaughan Williams Mass in G Minor on Good Friday and our Easter Day worship, on Easter Eve BBC Wiltshire are with us in the evening for a special recording of Easter at Malmesbury Abbey.

10 days to take our imaginations out of the cupboard, to meet with God and to meet with one another. The full brochure and detailed programme will be available in early March.

Thursday, 31 January 2013

Renewal of Marriage Liturgy

Below is a simple liturgy that we will be using in our services on February 3^rd at Malmesbury Abbey as our services focus on the renewal and strengthening of our marriages. Our teaching will be drawn from 1 Peter 3 and Matthew 5:1-10 and will be available online the following week at www.malmesburyabbey.com.

Naturally not everybody is married in our community, and for some February 3rd may be difficult as they long for marriage or mourn the loss of a life partner. But each of us, of every generation in our church and our community, is affected by the quality and resilience of the marriages around us, so we have chosen to address the issue as a church just as St Peter chose to in his letter.

This liturgy replaces our prayers, and during it, apart from a final prayer, all will be invited to pray, either saying the liturgy for their own marriages or saying it on behalf of others known to them who are married or living together. Could I particularly encourage married couples to prayerfully read these words together as a preparation for Sunday. God bless.

A Liturgy for

the Renewal of Marriage

Blessed are you, heavenly Father.

You give joy to wife and husband,

You are the source of love.

Blessed are you, Lord Jesus Christ.

You bring new life to humanity,

You are our salvation.

Blessed are you, Holy Spirit of God.

You are our comfort,

You lead us in the most excellent way.

Blessed be Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

One God, to be praised

now and for ever. Amen.

Living God,

pour out your Spirit

that we may be forgiven in our sin,

strengthened in our weakness

and renewed in our commitment.

Silence is kept

For hardness of heart

and a spirit of criticism