Happy Guy Fawkes Night

The thirteen conspirators in the Gunpowder Plot: Guido (Guy) Fawkes is third from right

I hope you, like us, are looking forward to gathering tonight observing bonfires and fireworks. My family are attending a local show at a nearby fire station, firstly for safety, secondly, so we can bolt easily if the fireworks are too loud for our youngest.

I wonder if you will be burning an effigy, or a Guy, on the fire? As we are in a season of considering what a scapegoat is, we shall be meeting this Sunday to discuss this favourite of scapegoats.

Guy Fawkes was a very small part of the gunpowder plot, part of a Jesuit uprising to assasinate the Protestant King James I of England (VI of Scotland) on the state opening of Parliament November 5 1605. Catholics had been getting a very raw deal in England since Henry VIII had created the Church of England and his daughter Elisabeth I had made it law for all public and religious officers to swear allegiance to the monarch as head of church and state, pushing Catholics further to the margins. The throne fell to the Protestant James I, Elisabeth’s second cousin twice removed, only as her first cousin, the Catholic Mary Queen of Scots was executed for treason.

With hopes of expanded freedoms for catholics diminishing with James’ rule, a number of plots to depose protestant “tyrants” across Europe were springing up. The Gunpowder Plot was masterminded by three men: Robert Catesby, Thomas Wintour, and John Wright, with two others Thomas Percy and Fawkes added after the masterminders had tried and failed to win the support of King Phillip III of Spain and Pope Clement VIII to engage in military action against England.

The plot, obviously failed. Fawkes, whose role it was to guard the gunpowder once in position, was arrested after intercepted correspondence was shown to the King only 5 days prior. A relatively small cog in the conspiracy, Fawkes’ notoriety results from his discovery on scene and his confession under torture which indirectly led to the deaths of the other conspirators.

So the “Observance of November 5th Act 1605″ was passed the following January and we have been punishing Fawkes ever since. He is the scapegoat for the plot and the other actors in the story: his co-conspirators, the tyrannical Protestant establishment, the peacible Catholics who refused to engage in violent uprising, get forgotten.

And what does his effigy mean to us today? Interestingly, as well as being forever punished on our bonfires, thanks to Alan Moore’s “V for Vendetta” Fawkes image has now become associated with defiant resistance to oppressive regimes. How should we see him? And how does his actions, and the context, fit with our belief in a radical Christ? Well, come along tomorrow and discuss! (Aneurin Bevan Pub – 7pm).

Happy Guy Fawkes Night!

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange wears Guy Fawkes mask at Occupy London demo

Protester on the steps of St Pauls at Occupy London Protest: does he have a point?

Samhain Ritual 2011

This year’s ritual is different to last year, mostly because it was also drawing in the elements of the scapegoat study that we’ve been doing. I’ve put it below, if anyone wants to borrow ideas – most of it already comes from other sources (which I’ve tried to put in brackets after each relevant section) -hope the formatting transfers easily!

Samhain “Small Ritual”

Samhain
The beginning of the year in the Celtic Traditions
The beginning of winter, after the harvest has been gathered in, a time of waiting
A time to celebrate with a community around a fire
A time to hope that the stores last the winter, that spring returns in time
A moment of remembrance for loved ones departed and for spiritual awareness
A moment to pause and reflect and celebrate
The Turn of the Year

All: The Love of your creator be with you
Reader: God’s blessing be yours,
And well may it befall you;
Christ’s blessing be yours
And well be you entreated;
Spirit’s blessing be yours,
And well spend you your lives,
Each day that you rise up,
Each night that you lie down. (from Carmina Gadaelica)
All: We have been loved by God from before the beginning (Julian of Norwich)
Reader: We are not alone
We live in God’s world; (Iona Community Worship)
All: And so everything has being because of God’s love. (Julian of Norwich)

* A time for goodbyes & for remembering*
(may light candles; Playing:Mumford & Sons – Timshel)

The Night Stair by Alison Swifen ( A meditation on the Yew Tree)
A silence like no other
Is ne’r day in the
morning. The world is
sleeping off the ill
effects of the
old year and
it is too soon to
speak any
story into the new.

Quiet as thick
flakes of snow. Quiet
as the rising and falling
of a child’s sleep. Quiet
as the sleep of
the dead,
under the yew.

Quiet
as the abbey church at
candlefall when
Amens are said,
and on the air,
before the latch drops,
behind the night stair,
the last echo of God
breathing in our
prayer.

In the themes of both remembrance and our recent one of looking at the ideas of the scapegoat, we read all of Hebrews chapter 9.

(listen – Hildegard of Bingen – Spiritus Sanctus vivificans vita
Enya- Athair Ar Neamh
Sufjan Stevens- The Lord God Bird)

Lectio Divina: 1 John v 5-9
This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 
Confession & Reconciliation

*We pause in silence to recall and remember thoughts, words, and deeds which we would rather leave dead & buried in the old year.
In silence we bring these to God in our hearts.*

All: We confess to God and in the company of all God’s people that our lives and the life of the world are broken by our sin.

Reader: When the world could wait no longer,
All: The carpenters took up their tools,
They made a cross for God’s own Son,
Fashioned from wood and skill of human hands
Fashioned from hate and will of human minds
Reader: He was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,
All: For Us He Grieved.
Reader: He was summoned to the judgement hall,
An enemy of the state, a danger to religion,
All: By Us He Was Judged.
Reader: He was lashed and scourged with cruel whips
All: By his stripes we are healed.
Reader: He was nailed to the cross by human hands,
All: Bone of our bone, flesh of our flesh.
Reader: He died, declaring God’s forgiveness.
He rose on the third day, transforming death.
He ascended into heaven, that he might be everywhere on earth.
He sent the Holy Spirit as the seal of his intention.
He sets before us bread and wine, and invites us to his table.
This is the place where we are made well again.
All: And All will be made well.
Reader: For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world,
All: But that the world, through him, might be saved.
(Iona Community Worship)

*We share communion together*

(can use the following as pass the bread and wine/juice to one another)

The Body of Christ, broken for you.
The Blood of Christ, shed for you.

Reader: Rejoice therefore, O my soul, for God wills thy reconciling;
Seize hold upon his outstretched hand to tell thee of reconciling love.
All: God help me and encompass me,
From this hour till the hour of my death.
(Carmina Gadaelica)
 
Reader: We are not alone.
We live in God’s world.
All: We believe in God,
Who has created and is creating
Who has come in Jesus to reconcile
And make all things new.
Reader: We trust God,
All: who calls us to be the church;
To love and serve others,
To seek justice and resist evil,
To proclaim Jesus,
Crucified, dead and risen;
Our Judge and our hope.
Reader: In life, in death, in life beyond death,
All: God is with us: we are not alone.
Thanks be to God.

Reader: Therefore, with the whole realm of nature around us,
With earth, sea and sky,
We sing to you.
All: With all the angels of light who envelop us,
With all the saints before and beside us,
With brothers and sisters, east and west,
We sing to you.
Reader: And with our loved ones,
Separate from us now,
Who yet, in this mystery, are close to us,
We join in the song of your unending greatnes.
All: Holy, holy, holy is the LORD Almighty;
the whole earth is full of his glory.
Reader: Kindness in our face
And the Spirit’s grace
Wisdom in our speech
As we speak to each;
O Lord Christ, thou art
Love within the heart;
In love may we greet
Though a foe we meet.
(Carmina Gadaelica)

All: May the God of all people and the Lord Jesus Christ,
Give us grace and peace this night and every night.

The Scapegoat: ideas so far

Back in July Simon had the idea that we discuss the idea of the scapegoat (& the festival of Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement) and scapegoating in society, possibly with a view to putting on an artistic/ worship event around the theme.

When we had an initial brainstorm we had thought about different connotations associated with the idea of scapegoat, depending on context. In our first session we looked at scapegoating in contemporary life – the idea of scapegoating is a divisive one, blaming an-other (group) for problems. In looking at the biblical concepts of the scapegoat (animal) at the day of atonement & then that as a picture that is fulfilled in Jesus, we see a different theme. In that initially we are seen all-together in the group of those who are on the outside (of what we should be, of being ok to be in the presence of God, of being ok to be the people of God) and in need of someone else to take evil from us so that we can all-together be inside (where we should be, in the presence of God, being the people of God). We then brainstormed artistic ways to express these ideas… hopefully more to come later…

See the post below/ above for a description of the first discussion on the term, scapegoat.

Due to us all deciding to be away on the same weekend, the open book discussion moved into the slot of “the scapegoat in media & research” and the following readings from the bible were discussed:

(Leviticus 16)

We looked at the instructions for the celebration of Yom Kippur = The day of Atonement.
Things We Noticed (please keep adding to this!):
The priest has to make atonement for his own sins and to cleanse the tabernacle itself before he can go on to offer atonement for the sins of all the people.
The goat that is chosen to be the scapegoat is the only other living being that is permitted to go into the tabernacle at this time. Its movement is then from the presence of God, to having the sins of the people openly confessed & placed on it, & then out from the people into the desert, as if the goat is God’s agent.
We noticed that central to the whole concept is the confession of the sins of all the people, that as one collective (both “native-born” and “foreigner residing among you”) they declare all their “wickedness and rebellion.”

We then moved on to looking at
(Isaiah 53)

We noticed in this reading that the “sufferring servant” (has he has been named) is described in terms that relate to both a sacrificial animal (several different kinds of situation of sacrifice seem to be being referenced) and as the scapegoat. We thought the part that references the scapegoat of the day of atonement most clearly was: “For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
However, we also noticed that in terms of identification with those who are outsiders and ‘scapegoated’ today that this phrase seems particularly relevant: “By oppression and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested?”

We then also had a quick peek at Acts 7

We noticed that the thing which is so provocative about Stephen’s speech is that is goes out of his way to describe God speaking OUTSIDE of Israel and it’s ending with a CONFESSION of their (his own included as this was his people) acts of rebellion and wickedness. We also noticed how Stephen is then ‘scapegoated’ for daring to venture this opinion.

There are a few readings that we have not yet covered that we felt may also relate. One is a key one that we hope to focus on alongside our compline meditation next week:

Hebrews 9

And we also thought this is relevant:

1John chapter 1v5-9

Scapegoating in contemporary life

Picture of scapegoat

A few weeks ago we looked at scapegoating in our everyday life. By definition it always takes place in groups – who is in and who is out. We asked did having a scapegoat strengthen the group? Did the group need a new scapegoat if the old one left? Did Judas serve a purpose by being scapegoated for his actions, when all he did was let Jesus fulfil his mission.
In contemporary film there are characters who start off as a scapegoat but ends up being the hero because he stands out and is vindicated.