8 O' Clock News September 2015

The Eight O’Clock

News Read this in COLOUR at www.cck.org.za

September 2015

8 am Service, Christ Church, Kenilworth

Comfort ? or Change?

The quinine tree in my garden is pushing out fresh green shoots. I saw a yellow-billed kite hovering near the Umhlali off-ramp when I was taking my son to sport on Saturday morning. Some greater striped swallows have returned to sit on their favourite perch outside our front door and greet us with a chirp in the morning. The changing of the seasons is here.

Change.

When I go camping I’m aware of even the slightest change of the wind or clouds or sun. I can see the afternoon storm coming down a valley like a wall of water and prepare for it. But I lose touch with everything being dynamic in the safety and security of my home and indoor living. I think church and even my faith suffers the same effect—being linked with the identity and sense of permanence of a building.

I know I should be rooted in Christ and that He calls me to follow Him, which implies constant movement and change—looking to His cross and taking up my cross. But I’ve lost my sense of being a pilgrim through this world and its time. The persecuted church in the Middle East and North Africa knows this best. Constant upheaval, moving from building to building, and losing leaders or church members is anticipated. Believers must walk hand in hand with the Lord in the hope of getting through another day or if not, to die well for their faith.

I know we sometimes pray for the persecuted church in our services. But I hope they are praying for us, the comfortable church, because we are in far more danger of losing sight of what we’re really meant to be about in God’s kingdom. Whatever the season or the change, may I find Christ at the heart of it and may I point others to Him. - Rev Peter Houston Previous Youth Pastor at CCK September 2015 Eight O’Clock News

021-797-6332

Transactional or Relational? * I recently read Eddie Askew's meditation and prayer based on Micah 6:1-8. It seems to connect to Rob's sermon on Generosity but with perhaps a slightly different slant [and to Craig Stewart’s]?

True Sacrifice ‘Lord, what do You want? Another hour at work?

A bit more in the collection plate? A smile, a cheque when the Oxfam man comes round?

I reckon I can manage that, if it's clear that's what You ask. And in the giving I'll get a bonus too.

I'll feel good, having made the effort. Feel more than good, as I stand warming my hands at the fire of self-satisfaction.

‘Can we leave it that way, Lord? I'll do my bit and You'll do Yours. My little world secure, unshaken.

The even progress of my life undisturbed by earth tremors of real commitment. Many do less.

But as I'm tempted to relax, I feel uneasy. I'm only playing games. Hiding the face of my selfishness behind gestures of goodwill. Counting to a hundred and hoping I'll not be found.

Your wounds cut deep. Slice through the skin of my hypocrisy. Lay bare the truth inside.

Your loving hands reach down to take, not the small things I offer in the hope they'll be enough, but me. No less.

My world rocks in the earthquake of Your approach, the impossibility of Your demands.

But as I let go, surrender, I find a new stability, as I stand, hands empty, in Your presence.

Your love seeps in through the cracks in my ego. Fills the empty spaces with Your grace.’

- Sent in by Wendy Gunn [* Title suggested by Craig Stewart’s sermon on 30/8/15]

2

Purple Ladies

Seniors’ Tea and Movie

Caught by our roving photographer, Janice Prendergast last Sunday: Hazel Large and Helen Myburgh. It was Hazel’s last service for a while as she heads off to her new assignment in Mali where she will minister under the banner of Wycliffe Bible Translators.

“Don’t eat the Daisies” Starring: Doris Day & David Niven Monday, 14 September 2015 In the Church At 2.00 p.m.

Humour !

British

R.S.V.P Please put your name on the list at the back of the church by Wednesday, 9/9/2015

Seasons of Creation Creating God, Your name is written in every leaf, every bird, every river, every stone, every living being.

Thank You for calling us by name.

Thank you for your continued creating power in water, rivers, forests and oceans.

Make us attentive to the wounds of the earth and willing to work for the healing of the whole creation.

Let our children enjoy an abundant nature and live a long life on earth.

- Extract, Green Anglicans Newsletter, August 2015 September 2015 Eight O’Clock News

FREE PUPPIES 1/2 Cocker Spaniel, 1/2 sneaky neighbour's dog.

FREE PUPPIES. Mother is a Kennel Club registered German Shepherd.

Father is a Super Dog, able to leap tall fences in a single bound

FOR SALE BY OWNER. Complete set of 45 volumes Encyclopaedia Britannica, Excellent condition, £200 or best offer. No longer needed, got married, wife knows everything.

- Source unknown, sent in by Rose Clack

3

Connections Someone once told me I was a born networker.

I think she was right. I love making connections between people, and enjoy connecting people with one another. I’m fascinated by the interconnectivity of people, and perhaps even more so when it happens in the Christian context.

Recently we spent a few days at Volmoed, and spent some time reading that wonderful Christ Church Centenary book which we found on the shelf in the cottage. We have our own copy and have read it often, but being on holiday meant we had time to look more closely. It was such fun seeing the faces and reading the stories of the people who are part of the ongoing story of Christ Church. Many of them have become our friends, some of them are no longer alive, some have moved on. All are part of the warp and woof of what makes a community—the good experiences and the bad experiences. It was interesting to see how many times Chris Dare’s name appears. She was one of life’s great characters and obviously made contributions in a number of areas. There’s a wedding photograph of Rose and Ken Clack and on the same page one of their daughter’s wedding.

During those few days at Volmoed Rose, Jane and Elizabeth popped in to visit and had tea with us. It was as if they’d stepped out of the pages of the book into the lounge of the cottage!

When we were still in the Baptist ministry we used to visit Christ Church if we had a free Sunday, never dreaming that one day we would be members here with a history in the parish. For some time I came to the Wednesday Wives’ meeting. Someone came and chatted to me. I told her I wasn’t part of the church, but was the wife of a Baptist minister in a church in Muizenberg. She told me she’d been a Baptist before her marriage. She was Lorna von Besouw, nee Edwards. We knew various members of her family who were very involved in the Baptist denomination, and I was, at that time, on the Baptist Christian Citizenship Committee with her brother, Brian. When we came into the parish I met Lorna again. By then Brian was on the board of Cornerstone College where I work, and Lorna had become a part-time student. So now we see one another at college during the week and on Sundays at church.

At another of the Wednesday Wives’ meetings I was chatting with some ladies over tea. One said she was having to adapt September 2015 Eight O’Clock News

to her husband working from home after years of going to an office each day. I said my husband was a minister and worked from home so I was used to that. Another said her husband’s job used to take him away for long periods of time so it was an adjustment when the situation changed and he no longer went away. I asked what he did. She told me he had worked on ships, and that they’d actually met when he was an officer on a ship and she a passenger. I was intrigued because my brother had been a merchant seaman. I discovered that the ship was the SA Vaal and that my brother had been an officer on that very trip on which Dennis and Belinda Henwood met. Dennis and my brother trained at the General Botha and still see one another at various meetings.

Shortly after Jim became associate rector at Emmanuel we attended a parish camp at Rocklands. We met lots of new people, among them a very friendly gentleman who wore a US Navy cap. I asked what his interest was in the US Navy and he said that some US Navy people had visited the institution where he taught merchant seamen. The caps had been gifts to all the staff.

We chatted quite a bit about his career and then he asked me why I was so interested. I told him about my brother, and it turned out that he and my brother had sailed on the same ship for a number of journeys, and were together when my brother celebrated his 21st birthday at sea. The name of Simon Pearson is on his birthday key.

We realise that we are now part of the ongoing story of Christ Church, along with the people that we greet during the Peace, kneel with at the altar rail for communion, and drink tea with in the sunshine after church. The people we laugh with, sometimes cry with, and with whom we share the journey.

And together we are all part of the wonderful story of the people of God. - Jeanette Harris Who also sent in the strip below as it reminded her of the Editor !

4

Gentleness

Thursday Refresh

In a recent Christ Church Weekly Philippians 4:5 was quoted, “Let your gentleness be evident to all”, and we were all urged to be gentle in our dealings with others. Not being a gentle man myself I decided to look more closely at this verse.

According to William Barclay the word epleikeia, translated “gentleness”, is one of the most untranslatable of all Greek words. It has been translated as patience (Wycliffe), as softness (Tyndale and Cranmer), as the patient mind (the Geneva Bible), as modesty (the Rheims Bible), as moderation (Authorised Version), as forbearance (the Revised Version and Moffat), as the forbearing spirit (Weymouth) and as gentleness (NIV).

The Greeks themselves explained this word as follows: This quality of epleikeia was “justice and something more than justice”. Epleikeia should be used in those cases when strict justice becomes unjust because of its generality. Any teacher will praise a struggling pupil more highly for getting 60% than they will praise a bright student who gets 80% but is capable of better. Any judge will use his or her discretion when sentencing, taking circumstances into account. A classic example is Jesus being confronted by the “woman taken in adultery”. The law was quite clear. The guilt was clear. But Jesus' response showed epleikeia.

After reading and thinking about this it seemed to me that the ‘gentleness’ referred to in the bible reference contained elements of tolerance and self control (see OUP dictionary “forbearance”), of trying to see both sides of a case and understand the persons and personalities involved. Orson Scott Card, author of the splendid science fiction novel, Ender's Game, followed it with Speaker for the Dead in which Ender travelled the Universe speaking at the funerals of people who had died. When he spoke he brought to his hearers an understanding of what had made the deceased the person he or she was, what had moulded them and driven them and explained their behaviour so that some valued them more and others could forgive their shortcomings.

To me epleikeia is a quality Christians sometimes lack. Because our faith gives us certain certainties we can become dogmatic about what is right and wrong, about what should be done, about how people should behave. Do we know the full story, the reasons behind the appearance of things? Are our reactions appropriate, showing tolerance and self control? Is our gentleness evident to all? I think I must try to be more of a gentle man.

- Peter Broster September 2015 Eight O’Clock News

Thursday Refresh is a small and intimate service that meets on Thursday mornings at 9:15 am in the prayer chapel in the church (excluding school holidays). The vision for Refresh is to offer a gentle, quiet and sacred space in the week—open to all but especially those who are unable to be part of one of the Sunday services. Our service is simple: a song or two, sometimes a responsive reading of a Psalm, a short meditation or talk, sharing of the peace and communion and followed by a cup of tea together at 10 am.

This is what some have to say about Refresh: Wendy: Refresh has grown to be a valuable nurturing and intimate space to connect with God in the midst of an often frenetic week. It feels like a hug! I feel renewed when I leave to continue my week. It’s a precious and incredibly uplifting time where I walk away having learnt so much from the message, been fed spiritually by communion as well as being given the opportunity to really feel gratitude and to give thanks through worship and song. It has helped with keeping a closer relationship with God. All in 45 minutes! I really miss it when I can’t be there!

Colleen: Refresh is a time midweek to stop and draw nearer to God in an intimate group of caring people.

Sally: Refresh, to me, creates a space for reflection for peaceful intimacy with God. Whilst each week we follow a short liturgy of confession and communion, other elements of the service vary widely: we may hear from CCK clergy or one of our congregants or engage in a Lectio Divina meditation, or hear about a Christian poet or writer. Refresh is ideal for those who find it difficult to get to church on Sunday and for those who have flexible work patterns, or for those who appreciate a quieter, more contemplative feel. This service may surprise, challenge or soothe me, but it always nourishes my soul. It truly is a spiritual refreshment in the middle of the week!

All are welcome to join us. If you would like to know more please be in contact with Yvonne Kane (yvonne@cck.org.za or 082 689 7380) or Jared Ruttenberg (jared@cck.org.za).

Sue & Rob Taylor’s First Pets When Rob was at Theological College in Grahamstown, Sue was warden of a women’s residence at Rhodes University. She and Rob lived in the flat which went with her job. They missed pets so much that they bought a potted Azalea and as it was full of buds, they called it Buddy. They loved Buddy dearly and when Sue found a chameleon, they put it on Buddy and they named this second pet, John.

It is said that one shouldn’t trust people who dislike pets. I think CCK is in safe hands !

5

Book Review : Enthralled [Autobiography - Jessica McCarter] This is a spontaneously-written autobiogaphy and I found it a delight to read. As happens in life, it is filled with humour and tragedy, lighter moments and real challenges.

Nursing in the 60s is very different to what it is today and the comparison makes interesting reading. One of her memories describes being floor nurse to Professor Chris Barnard some time before his first heart-transplant—the anxieties that accompanied the lowly position of floor nurse to this professor are fittingly awesome. On the whole the exhuberance of these young nurses is contagious.

The second part of Jessica's story tells of her life as wife to an engineer involved in the construction of dams, particularly that of the Katse Dam in Lesotho. I know nothing of such construction but became sufficiently interested to google the Katse

Dam to see what it looks like today! I have new respect for such projects.

The third and last part of the story follows her terrible car accident when she is rendered physically helpless and dependent for two years.

She describes her recuperation and singlemindedness to pursue ordination in spite of the accident—and in spite of being unable to prostrate herself at the ceremony, she adds goodhumouredly.

Another asset of this book to local readers is the rich description of familiar locations in South Africa.

Also Jessica's familiarity with St John's Parish brings her story closer to home [Many in Christ Church will remember Jessica and Ed and the years they spent at CCK.] - Theresa Keay (Resource Centre Librarian)

A Docile Dog Luiz Higa Junior of Sao Paulo, Brazil has a Golden Retriever named Bob. He also has a hamster and various birds. All live, sleep, hang out together...

… and Luiz’s unusual family is a hit on Instagram.

- Sent in by Mary Thompson, East London

September 2015 Eight O’Clock News

6

An Anglican Martyr Did you know that that we have an Anglican martyr immortalised on the walls of Westminster Abbey?

[Photograph—Middle statue.]

Peter Houston wrote about Manche Masemola a few weeks ago: ‘...Her story is challenging. ‘In 1927 Manche (of the Pedi tribe) and her cousin Lucia walked several miles to hear the Rev Augustine Moeka (of the Anglican Community of the Resurrection) share the message of the gospel. That night she accepted Jesus’s love and forgiveness. In the days that followed she started to attend Bible classes. When her family found out about her new faith they tried to dissuade her first with words and then with beatings.

Manche told Moeka, “I will be baptised in my own blood”. She died (17 years old) on 4 February 1928 on a remote hillside after a particularly severe beating by her non-Christian parents. She is one of ten 20th Century martyrs who are depicted in statues above the Great West Door of Westminster Abbey in London.

Of Worship—They Said... * Sound theology should shape everything we do in corporate worship. [Don Carson] *Great melodies are like great restaurants.

[Keith Getty] * There are so many new songs available there is no time for congregations to learn or digest them. [Dave Bilbrough] * Some of the best worship songs are like a chapel and a classroom at the same time. They teach you something about God, and then give you space to reflect and respond to that.

(Matt Redman) - From Chris Molyneux’s September Musings,

Sowellisms

‘Here is a teenager who was not afraid to stand out and standalone from her peers and elders because of her faith in Jesus.

Here is a young woman, like many today, who experienced emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her family while the community turned a blind eye and did nothing to intervene.

Here is a church member who was left alone and vulnerable at just the wrong time.

Her story challenges me. Am I prepared to stand out and stand alone for my faith in Jesus? What am I doing to work against the abuse of women in our society? Are our churches a safe space, a supportive place, for those bruised and broken by life?’

- Peter Houston [Manche is remembered in an annual pilgrimage in Sekhukhuneland in Limpopo]

Beware—Children Have Ears !

My wife hosted a dinner party for all our friends, some of whom we hadn't seen for ages and everyone was encouraged to bring their children along as well.

All throughout dinner my wife's best friend’s fouryear-old daughter stared at me as I sat opposite her.

The girl could hardly eat her food for staring.

I checked my shirt for spots, felt my face for food, and patted my hair in place, but nothing stopped her from staring at me.

Finally I asked her, "Why are you staring at me?"

Everyone at the table had noticed her behaviour, and the table went quiet, waiting for her response.

The little girl said, "I'm just waiting to see how you drink like a fish."

- Source unknown, sent in by Rose Clack

It is hard to imagine a more stupid or dangerous way of making decisions than by putting these decisions in the hands of people who pay no price for being wrong.

It is amazing that people who think we cannot afford to pay for doctors, hospitals and medication somehow think that we can afford to pay for doctors, hospitals and medication and a government bureaucracy to administer it.

- Thomas Sowell, an American Economist and Political Philosopher. Sent in by Belle Divaris September 2015 Eight O’Clock News

- Source unknown, Sent in by John D’Arcy Evans

7

The Black Dot One day a professor entered his classroom and asked the students to prepare for a surprise test. They all waited anxiously at their desks for the exam to begin. The professor handed out the test, text down, as usual. Once all were handed out, he asked them to turn over the papers.

To everyone’s surprise, there were no questions, only a black dot in the centre of the page.

The professor, seeing their perplexed expressions said the following: ‘I want you to write what you see there.’

The students, confused, started on their strange task.

When finished, the professor collected all the papers and started reading out the answers. All students, without exception, focused on the black dot and tried to explain its position in the centre of the sheet. When all had been read out, the classroom silent, the professor began to explain: ‘There is no grade for this. I wanted to give you something to think about. No one wrote about the white paper around the dot—all of you focused on the black dot. And the same thing happens in our

Points to Ponder “Don’t expect God to give you His thrilling moments, but learn to live in those common times of the drudgery of life by the power of God. I must realize that my obedience even in the smallest detail of life has all of the omnipotent power of the grace of God behind it.”

- Oswald Chambers “When a maid cooks and cleans and does other housework, because God’s command is there, even such a small work must be praised as a service to God far surpassing the holiness and asceticism of all the monks and nuns.”

- Martin Luther

lives. We have a white piece of paper to observe but we always focus on the black spot. Our lives are a gift given to us from God with love and care, and we always have reasons to celebrate—nature renewing itself every day, our friends around us, the job that provides our livelihood, the miracles we see daily.

However, we choose to focus on the dark spot—the health issues which bother us, the lack of money, the complicated relationship with a family member, the disappointment with a friend. The dark spots are very small when compared with what we have in our lives, but they’re the ones which pollute our minds.

Take your eyes away from the black dots in your lives; enjoy each one of your blessings, each moment God gives you; live a life filled with love.

- Source unknown, sent in by John D’Arcy Evans who had the following to say about the story:

‘... I deduce that the reason we, as humans, focus on the 'Black Dot' is because it is a defence mechanism to keep us focused on the dangers that might confront us. Another point of interest for me is that the white component of the picture is in fact, infinite while the 'Black Dot' is limited. (The mathematical definition of a point is that which has position but no magnitude !’)

Important Facts To Remember # Death is the number 1 killer in the world. # Life is sexually transmitted. # Good health is merely the slowest possible rate at which one can die. # Give a person a fish and you feed them for a day.

Teach them to use the Internet and they won't bother you for weeks, months, maybe even years... # *Health Nuts* are going to feel stupid someday, lying in the hospital, dying of nothing. # All of us could take a lesson from the weather.

It pays no attention to criticism.

- Source unknown, Sent in by Alison Kempton Jones

Food Art Docile Dog, Hamster and birdy friend cuddled up together

September 2015 Eight O’Clock News

Fruit (R) Onions (L)

8

Waiting...

What Alzheimer’s Feels Like

According to the pundits, September is the start of Spring.

It was an uncharacteristically warm and sunny morning in

I am writing this during the last week of August—a day of white sky, some rain and nobody would think that Spring is just a week away. But to be fair, we did have three lovely days last week which had more than just a hint of Spring in them—days to treasure while they are happening.

On one of those beautiful days I had put out breadcrumbs for the birds on their ‘table’ which rests on small logs of wood, and a little later I walked past it and saw a really tiny mouse enjoying ‘breakfast’. It was so tiny and perfect, its body no more than a few centimetres long. I stood entranced at this little creature made by God. So often when one gets into the house there are shouts of “a mouse!, a mouse!” and we do all we can to eliminate it, but out in the garden he/she was charming. Aren’t we odd?

The mole rats have begun their summer upheavals of soil early this year in my ‘railway’ garden as I call it—on the verge opposite the house along the railway line fence—so many of the indigenous plants have only their tops sticking out, the rest covered by pyramids of sand. I can’t win this battle—they are very determined.

Eddie Askew, writing a meditation on Moses and the burning bush, has this to say, “In her deeply moving book When the Heart Waits, Sue Monk Kidd describes an acute crisis in her life. Nothing was going right and she was near despair. One day she found a chrysalis in a dogwood tree. The cocoon seemed lifeless, yet she realised that profound change was happening inside it and that in a few short months new life would emerge. It told her that waiting is an essential part of spiritual growth, painful and unpredictable though it may be.

“Waiting can be hard. Desert experiences aren’t pleasant but impatience gets us nowhere except deeper into frustration.

The only thing we can do is wait, and pray through the darkness. God had His purpose for Moses as He has for us, and He makes it clear when He’s good and ready, and not before.”

One of our difficulties is the prevailing ‘instant’ living style we have got drawn into—instant puddings, cake mixes, coffee, no time to peel and eat a juicy orange—just drop a Vitamin C tablet into a glass of water (though we do have to wait until it has dissolved!), cell phones which must be answered now, driving or not! I believe we need to fight against all the things that increase our ‘hurriedness’ and slow down.

My prayer for each of you is that as Spring brings warmth and beauty to enjoy, so you too, may be able to slow down significantly to truly look and see all God’s wonderful gifts of creation in colour, scents, creatures like tiny mice, and not forgetting people.

Alaska. I was sitting on the aft deck of a cruise ship watching brilliant blue icebergs drift silently by, on vacation with my partner Candy. We had decided to go on a seven-day cruise through Alaska's Inside Passage because I had always wanted to see the glaciers and time was running out.

Diagnosed six years ago with Alzheimer's disease at age sixty, it was time for me to do those lifetime adventures. As I watched one small iceberg glisten in the sunlight, I was drawn to its facets and how as each one caught the sunlight a small piece would topple off. This is what it's like to have this disease, I thought. My brain is the iceberg and every day I lose some little part of it. There are days when the sun is bright and I may lose a bigger or more obvious piece and there are cloudy, cold days when I don't lose anything. Such is the life of an iceberg and a brain attacked by Alzheimer's disease.

When I was first diagnosed, it had become apparent to me that I was having cognitive problems. Once a creative, holistic thinker, I could no longer hold in my head the many ideas needed for this type of thinking. I had become much more linear in my approach to life.

Now Step 1 had to be followed by Step 2 and then 3... As my symptoms progress and I lose more and more, I have come to appreciate one aspect of this disease—forgetting. Every time I am aware of a change in my abilities it is only apparent for a short time. During that time I become distressed, but I know that in a very short time I won't remember ever having it. I guess this is a protective process, and it does make life easier for me...

Abba, Father, I am here, For You, For myself, For the world, For this moment, I am here . . .

[Angela Ashwin] - Sent in by Wendy Gunn September 2015 Eight O’Clock News

- Extract from Dr Stephen Hume’s article in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Living with Alzheimer’s and other Dementias

Seasons of Creation We give You thanks, most gracious God, for the beauty of the earth and sky and sea; for the richness of mountains, plains, and rivers; for the songs of birds and the loveliness of flowers.

We praise You for these good gifts and pray that we may safeguard them for our posterity.

Grant that we may continue to grow in our grateful enjoyment of Your abundant creation, to the honour and glory of Your name, now and forever.

- The Book of Common Prayer (1549) - Sent in by Alison Bourne

Editorial Team Tel.

e-mail

Ev Els

021 696 0336 emichael@iafrica.com

Cheryl Anderson

083 272 1530 canderson@beckman.com