Creator God: a prayer of agony and anguish November 6, 2021
Posted by Phil Groom in Christianity, Prayer, Theological Reflection, Watching and Waiting.Tags: COP26, Prayer
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Creator God,
Sustainer of the Universe,
Author of all that is good,
Great artist whose handiwork
spans snowflakes and star fields,
joins atoms and eons,
why did you entrust this world
to creatures so fickle as us?
Did you know that we would take
the sacred remains of those
who came before us
and burn them to fuel
our greed,
our avarice?
Did you know that when you came
to dwell in our midst,
speaking peace,
we would murder you
and twist your welcoming words
into a message of shame,
driving the outcasts,
those whom you called friends,
even further away?
I dare to believe that you did,
that you knew,
that you counted the cost
and found it a price worth paying,
that the pain you bore
and the blood you shed
were built into your plan
from the very beginning.
I dare to believe
that the trust you’ve placed
in these fickle hearts
will be trust repaid
as we find our way
towards a world repaired,
that the harm we’ve done
can be turned around
to build a better world:
A world where love
is the greatest thing,
where the lost are found
and the captives freed,
where the truth is told
and the truth is heard
and the “Blah blah blah”
of the hypocrites
is gently overcome
by the weeping crowds
turning things around
to find a better way;
A world where hope
leads to trust renewed,
where resources shared
open doors once closed,
where the poor are fed
and the naked clothed,
and the path we tread
is the way back home
to you.
GroomNews Christmas 2018: A Year of Surprises December 13, 2018
Posted by Phil Groom in Advent and Christmas, Family, Life, Watching and Waiting.Tags: Archdeacon of Wilts, GroomNews, Phil & Sue Groom, Phil Groom, Sue Groom
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Archives | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017
One of the best things about life is its endless capacity to take you by surprise. I think it’s safe to say that certain shepherds keeping watch over their flocks by night understood that…
Knitivity, by Phil’s Mum
Sometimes those surprises are good. In no particular order, as they say on Strictly:
- The arrival of a new great-nephew, Adley. Okay, not a complete surprise, his parents, Sam & Darren, did tell us that he was on the way: congratulations, Sam & Darren!
- Family get-togethers, including a wedding for one of Sue’s cousins and Phil’s Mum’s 80th birthday party…
- Phil landing his dream job with Canal & River Trust in April…
- Visiting lots of lovely coffee shops – and discovering their magnificent cakes – whilst on retreat at Alnmouth Friary…
The Village Tearooms, Alnmouth: without a doubt, one of the best cafés in Alnmouth!
- A Special Appreciation Award for Phil at this year’s Christian Resources Together Authors, Booksellers and Publishers retreat…
- The opportunity for Sue to take a holiday in Cornwall and explore Land’s End with her sister, Alison…
- Catching up with friends we hadn’t seen for years…
- Discovering the free public tennis courts at Bradford-on-Avon during our summer holiday on Almost…
Sometimes those surprises are not so good:
- Getting back from that summer holiday only for Sue to wake up in excruciating pain one day the following week, leading to various tests and investigations and – eventually – a diagnosis of a prolapsed disc, a consequence of her long-term hip problems. The good news, however, is that her back is now much better, the pain is under control and she is on the waiting list for a hip replacement…
- Phil being told in November that his wonderful new job is one of around 240 roles at risk of redundancy within Canal & River Trust as the organisation undergoes a major restructuring…
- Phil’s Dad collapsing, being rushed into hospital and being diagnosed with stomach cancer…
Meanwhile many other things in life continue as normal:
- The joys and challenges of being an Archdeacon, which include taking services and supporting parishes through clergy vacancies, meaning that most weeks we attend a different church, always good fun; sitting on various committees; licensing new clergy and other church workers; sitting on various committees; helping to resolve conflict; sitting on various committees; doing radio interviews; sitting on various committees…
- Sue’s studies in Ecclesiastical Law in Cardiff. It’s a two year course, so this is her final year already!
- Sue’s swimming, 50 or 60 lengths most mornings, interspersed with Pilates classes, physiotherapy sessions and walks along the towpath, all of which combine to help keep her fit.
- Sue’s Mum, still living in her own home with the support of a live-in carer.
- Phil’s driving lessons, the end of which are hopefully in sight as his driving test comes up just before Christmas! Clear those roads!!
All in all it’s been an interesting year with plenty of ups and downs, but we’ve been aware of many people praying for us through the rough patches: if you’re one of those people, thank you – we’d be grateful for your continued prayers, especially for our parents with the challenges they’re facing.
As always, this comes to you with our love, prayers and very best wishes for Christmas and the year ahead,
Thank you for supporting Equal Marriage: The Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP responds February 6, 2013
Posted by Phil Groom in Current Affairs, Watching and Waiting.Tags: Alistair Burt, Equal Marriage, Equality, Freedom to Marry, Marriage, Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, Same-sex marriage
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TODAY, as those of us who support equal marriage rejoice at the outcome of yesterday’s vote — 400:175 in favour — it gives me great pleasure to be able to follow up my last post with the Rt Hon Alistair Burt MP‘s response, and I thank Mr Burt for his prompt, courteous and carefully considered reply, received within a matter of minutes of my message to him:
From: BURT, Alistair
Subject: RE: Thank you for supporting Equal Marriage: An Open Letter
Date: 5 February 2013 12:21:28 GMT
To: Phil Groom
Cc: Colin Coward, Changing Attitude; Freedom to MarryDear Phil
Thank you for your email on the Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill coming before the House today.
As you would expect I have given a great deal of thought and consideration to my position.
I will support the Bill being put forward by the Government because I believe fundamentally in the equality of all UK citizens before the civil law. I also believe that Churches and those of all faiths should be able to make their own decisions over who is blessed by marriage as a religious rite.
I do not believe the Bill interferes with that rite, and indeed every effort is being made to ensure that it is protected.
On the issue itself I do not agree with arguments which suggest that marriage is being devalued. Marriage is not threatened by extending the right to two consenting adults who wish to make a commitment to long term stability. Marriage is more threatened by the prevalence of break up and separation which society should be trying so hard to avoid.
As a Christian, I believe that God created us all equal, and whilst I fully understand the issues of interpretation in the Bible, this is not a matter which should require Parliament and Civil Law to comply with. This is even more the case when issues of interpretation are challenged and where there are many other Biblical instructions which are not part of the law of the land.
I have given this very careful and serious thought and I trust that in time we will all appreciate the opportunity for individuals to experience what marriage means to so many.
I hope you have a clear sense of my opinions on such an important issue, and I am very grateful for your supportive email. I am very happy for it to be published on your blog.
Kind regards
Alistair BurtOffice of Alistair Burt | Member of Parliament for NE Bedfordshire | Minister for the Middle East, North Africa & South Asia | Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Thank you for supporting Equal Marriage: An Open Letter to the Rt Hon Alistair Burt, MP February 5, 2013
Posted by Phil Groom in Current Affairs, Watching and Waiting.Tags: Alistair Burt, Church of England, Equal Marriage, Freedom to Marry, Letter to MP, LGBT, Marriage, Same-sex marriage
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Dear Mr Burt,
Thank you for supporting equal marriage.
I was delighted to discover recently that you are one of the signatories to the Freedom to Marry launch letter, a letter which I, as one of your constituents, wholeheartedly endorse.
No doubt you have received many messages urging you to reconsider your position. I, however, would like to encourage you to stand firm and vote in favour of the legislation, to ensure that LGBT people are recognised as equal members of our society and allowed to share the same freedom to marry as everyone else.
As you are no doubt aware, there are many Christians and members of the Church of England such as myself who support this measure despite the official opposition of the Church, which we say does not speak in our name: allowing gay couples to marry does not undermine the institution of marriage; to the contrary, it can only help to strengthen society and marriage itself as more people commit to lifelong, faithful relationships.
I will be publishing this letter on my blog (address below) and, with your permission, please, would also like to publish your response.
Thank you once again for your support; I look forward to hearing from you soon.
With all good wishes,
Phil Groom
—
Phil Groom
https://philgroom.wordpress.com
www.facebook.com/philgroom
http://twitter.com/notbovvered
CC. Colin Coward, Changing Attitude; Freedom to Marry.
Marriage: Defined for the 21st Century January 19, 2013
Posted by Phil Groom in Life, Watching and Waiting.Tags: Equal Marriage, Marriage, Same-sex marriage
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I BELIEVE IN MARRIAGE. It is one of the most wonderful institutions developed by the human race, in which two people can commit to one another, in a faithful, loving partnership, for life. There are few things in life more beautiful than an old married couple still seen together, holding hands, smiling, on their gold or diamond wedding anniversary: it’s like watching a glorious sunset lighting up the entire sky with its glow.
It is precisely because I believe in marriage that I believe the right to marry should be extended to all people, irrespective of gender or orientation: I believe in Equal Marriage; and I was delighted to discover this definition of marriage in my computer’s dictionary yesterday:
Marriage, as defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary 2nd edition © 2005 by Oxford University Press, Inc., via Apple’s Dictionary.app, Version 2.1.3 (80.4)
The significance of this can hardly be overstated as it reveals the fallacy of those who argue that marriage cannot be “redefined” — it not only can be: it has been; not so much redefined, however, as its definition extended. The old definition of “the formal union of a man and a woman, typically recognized by law, by which they become husband and wife” still stands, but it stands alongside a further definition: “a similar long-term relationship between partners of the same sex.”
The arguments of the so-called “Coalition for Marriage” (C4M) — which seeks to restrict marriage to heterosexual relationships on the grounds of supposed “profound consequences” that “those who believe in traditional marriage will be sidelined” — are thus exposed as the folly they truly are. The recognition of equal marriage does not sideline the “traditional” view of marriage, but simply acknowledges both.
This is not, as one of my facebook friends wrongly assumed, an appeal to authority; it is, rather, a recognition of reality. Equal rights require equal rites, and I look forward to when that day comes here in the UK.
If God does not withhold blessing from gay people, upon what basis does the church? January 18, 2013
Posted by Phil Groom in Christianity, Church, Watching and Waiting.Tags: Chalkegayte, Equal Marriage, Equality, Homosexuality, Inclusion, Matter of Integrity
3 comments
The Blog of Kevin, 17/1/2013: Plucking Blackberries
FROM THE BLOG OF KEVIN, Plucking Blackberries:
Where I see genuine love, commitment, and a desire for a covenant relationship, I see God. Where I see people who love God, who serve God, who God speaks to and through as much as the next person, I see God. And to deny them equal status, to keep them at the edge like women at the synagogue, is wrong. If God does not withhold his Holy Spirit from gay Christians, how can we withhold anything?
It’s the same question the early church faced when the challenge was whether or not Gentiles could be baptised:
While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, ‘Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?’ So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.
Who amongst us dares argue with the Holy Spirit? Wake up, O Christians!
Women Bishops: Over 13,000 petition signatures call for action whilst Synod dithers November 26, 2012
Posted by Phil Groom in Christianity, Church, Watching and Waiting.Tags: Archbishops' Council, Church of England, General Synod, Women Bishops
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HOW LONG, O LORD?
As of this morning, across the four petitions noted over the weekend by Thinking Anglicans — Women Bishops: online petitions — there are now more than 13,000 signatures calling for action in response to General Synod’s failure to ratify its draft legislation for women bishops:
- Petition to the Cabinet Office: No women Bishops, no automatic seats in the House of Lords – over 7,500 signatures
- Petition to ‘The Group of Six”: Women Bishops – Another Vote Now – over 5,000 signatures
- Petition to The General Synod of the Church of England: Unconditionally ordain Women as Bishops in the Church of England – over 1,000 signatures
- Petition to the Archbishops’ Council, the House of Bishops and ABC Designate the Rt Revd Justin Welby: No Confidence in General Synod: Calling for an Urgent Review – over 150 signatures
And the official response of the Church of England? Silence and Synod deferred. Yes, a number of bishops have blogged their dismay, but as yet, only silence from those who are in a position to move things along.
To quote Sir Tony Baldry, Second Church Estates Commissioner, from his session answering questions in parliament, this issue “cannot be parked, and work needs to be done urgently to try to ensure that it is resolved as quickly as possible.”
On Saturday the Very Revd Michael Sadgrove, Dean of Durham, described the decision to delay Synod as “extraordinary”, resembling “a bad case of loss of nerve”:
In Tuesday’s backwash, there was an ominous symptom of attitude in the church that needs examining. We were told that General Synod will not now meet in February but only in July 2013. This is extraordinary. When the nation is in crisis, Parliament is summoned within days to consider it and guide those who have to make rapid decisions in life-threatening situations. When the Church of England is in its gravest crisis for decades, the Synod postpones its next meeting and decides that it will be sufficient to meet in 8 months’ time.
This looks like a bad case of loss of nerve. It’s as if we are in denial that the situation is as serious and urgent as it is. This is how it’s being perceived in the nation. Most significant at a time of trial, it looks like a failure of governance. There is a big reputational risk here. Just when you want your governing body to be there and exercise its proper authority, it vanishes like the Cheshire Cat into the thicket not to be seen again till the sun comes out next summer. I urge the Synod to meet in the next few weeks to show both church and nation that it has noticed what is happening and is doing something about it.
And today, news has emerged of a strong warning to the Archbishops from William Fittall, General Synod’s Secretary General, in which he is reported to state:
Unless the Church of England can show very quickly that it’s capable of sorting itself out, we shall be into a major constitutional crisis in Church-State relations, the outcome of which cannot be predicted with confidence.
— Failure to vote in women Bishops risks ‘constitutional crisis’ in Church
Enough dithering, my Lord Bishops: Synod must be recalled sooner not later. Please do not keep us hanging in limbo; the period for quiet reflection is over: it’s now time for action. Failure to respond will only result in further pressure as those campaigning for Bishops to removed from the House of Lords grow in number and measures to enforce equality legislation become increasingly likely. Please don’t wait to be pushed: take a lead.
Thank you.
Dear Bishops, Synod is broken: have you got the message yet? November 23, 2012
Posted by Phil Groom in Christianity, Church, Watching and Waiting.Tags: Church of England, General Synod, Petition, Women Bishops
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THANK YOU to everyone who has signed my petition, No Confidence in General Synod: Calling for an Urgent Review: 50 signatures in the first 24 hours and still gathering momentum, approaching 90 as I write. I’m aiming for 500+.
All the distress notwithstanding, the more I reflect on this situation, the more I think the way things have panned out is actually for the best. Daron Medway hits the nail on the head in this twitter exchange:
Not so much a tragedy, then, as an opportunity; but in the meantime, Synod is broken and thousands of people, men and women alike, feel severely bruised and battered by that discovery. We have a voting system that is not fit for purpose — but which can be fixed very simply without compromising on the two-thirds majority principle: 2/3 majority overall backed by a simple majority in all three houses. This retains the 2/3 majority protocol but ensures that a minority can’t hold the whole of Synod hostage yet still allows a majority objection in any single house to veto a motion.
All we need, Right Reverend gentlemen — yes, that’s you I’m speaking to, your Bishopnesses — is for you to make it happen. Call an emergency session or whatever it is you have to do, and fix it. Don’t faff about: just “get with the programme” as a certain other gentleman has expressed it, and mend the broken pipe before it floods us all with despair. In the meantime, I look forward to the day I can address a paragraph such as this to “Right Reverend ladies and gentlemen.”
If my little petition isn’t enough to persuade you that urgent action is needed, please see these other petitions:
- Petition to the Cabinet Office: No women Bishops, no automatic seats in the House of Lords – over 6,000 signatures
- Petition to ‘The Group of Six”: Women Bishops – Another Vote Now – over 3,000 signatures
- Petition to The General Synod of the Church of England: Unconditionally ordain Women as Bishops in the Church of England – approaching 600 signatures
Thank you.
The Church of England and Women Bishops: Is General Synod fit for purpose? November 21, 2012
Posted by Phil Groom in Christianity, Church, Watching and Waiting.Tags: Church of England, General Synod, House of Laity, Justin Welby, No Confidence, Unfit for Purpose, Women Bishops
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AFTER THIS WEEK’S DEBACLE in General Synod in which a minority within the House of Laity were allowed to hold sway over the proceedings by blocking draft legislation for women bishops in the Church of England, I find myself asking, quite simply, is General Synod fit for purpose?
How can a governing body that repeatedly fails to ratify the clear wishes of the vast majority of its members be regarded as fit for purpose? Upon what basis does the Church of England continue to allow the tail to wag the dog?
To the majority in the House of Laity who voted in favour of the legislation: I salute you – thank you. But I must nonetheless ask how we have reached the point where the wishes of that majority are so easily undermined? The decision of the House of Laity does not represent the laity at large, and this is fundamentally wrong: a vociferous minority have infiltrated the House and thus done away with the possibility of true lay representation within Synod itself.
I therefore, as a lay member of the Church of England, hereby lodge a vote of no confidence in General Synod until such time as it can bring its affairs into order by effecting a genuinely democratic voting system that gives a fair and proper representation to its members in place of the current inequitable system.
I call upon the Archbishops’ Council and the House of Bishops to conduct an urgent review into the rules of governance in Synod to correct this grossly unfair system; and if the matter is not resolved before his enthronement, I further call upon Archbishop Designate the Rt Revd Justin Welby to make addressing this inequitable situation one of his first priorities following his installation at Canterbury.
If you are with me on this, please sign this petition:
Thank you.
Dr Sizer is cleared – Church Times; and a public call to @CCJUK to acknowledge the truth of the CPS findings May 4, 2012
Posted by Phil Groom in Watching and Waiting.Tags: Antisemitism, CCJ, Church Times, Council of Christians and Jews, Crown Prosecution Service, Moral Cowardice, Stephen Sizer, Surrey Police, Wasting Police Time
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SO READS THE HEADLINE in Ed Thornton’s report in today’s Church Times (News, p.8) of the debacle in which the Council of Christians and Jews, CCJ, made allegations of antisemitism and inciting racial hatred against the Revd Stephen Sizer.
Unfortunately the article is subscriber only content, but Google have kindly provided a teaser:
Church Times – Dr Sizer is cleared
www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=128025
THE Crown Prosecution Service has decided that a cleric who was accused of posting anti-Semitic content online did not commit any criminal offence.
The article goes on to cite the statement issued by Surrey Police previously noted here, Crown Prosecution Service decision on @CCJUK v/s Stephen Sizer finds no offence committed:
Surrey detectives carried out a thorough and extensive review of the material in question and following liaison with the Crown Prosecution Service it has been determined that no criminal offences have been committed. The matter has now been closed and no further action is being taken.
Stephen posted the following response on his blog last week, The Ugly Truth Exposed:
My support for a just and lasting peace between Israelis and Palestinians, based on international law and recognised borders, achieved by peaceful and democratic means, has unfortunately left me open to what can only be described as an unbalanced and targeted campaign from certain quarters, a situation which is deeply regrettable.
I care passionately about the safety of the Jewish people. I repudiate racism, anti-Semitism as well as Islamophobia. I would not have posted a link to a website I knew to be anti-Semitic. Having consulted a number of Jewish friends, I now keep a small list of websites to avoid in future. I will be more careful about the origin of material I post on my blog and Facebook, and welcome opportunities for discussion with members of the Jewish community to move forwards in a spirit of mutual respect.
Sadly, however, CCJ appear to be unwilling to acknowledge the truth of the matter and have thus far only issued a brief acknowledgment that they have
received the advice of the Surrey Police, together with that of the appropriate legal authorities
with no indication of what that advice consists of.
As a member of CCJ I find this response from CCJ disappointing, to say the least, if not thoroughly disingenuous. I can see no reason why CCJ should hide the truth of the matter like this and I now call upon them to issue a full and honest statement, acknowledging the CPS findings.
The police have declared the matter closed. Stephen has said that he wishes to see a line drawn under the matter. I call upon CCJ to do likewise. To fail to do so is a thoroughly reprehensible act of moral cowardice.
… and an apology to Stephen for the distress caused by an unnecessary investigation would not go amiss either.
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