I have  a special affection for Mary Magdalene who is remembered in the church calendar today. Needless to say  it has nothing to do with her (erroneous) reputation as some sort of rescued “fallen woman” ! but rather stems from her encounter with Jesus on the morning of the Ressurection as told in John chapter 20.

It is when Jesus uses her name, that Mary recognises him, and is able to do what he asks, to go and tell the others  that He is Risen. He speaks to her, not in general terms, not as an anonymous representative, but as a person, he calls her by name.

It’s that name thing again -

Here’s the deal with names  for me! forgive me if I’ve said it all before!

When I was little I used to be very proud of the fact that my name means “messenger of God”.. goodness knows what my parents were thinking…

Fast forward to 1994 and i’m watching the very first ordination of women priests from Bristol Cathedral. The very first to be ordained was Angela Berners-Wilson. As the bishop prayed over her “Send your Holy Spirit upon your servant Angela” that was when I felt God saying to me  ”- and  this is for you too…” A friend gave me  a copy of a newspaper the next day with those words as the headline!

One of the verses that became very important to me while I was going theorugh the whole selection process was from Isaiah 43

Fear not, for I have redeemed you;
I have called you by name; you are mine.

It wasn’t until after my recomendation for training that I made the connection between the circumstances of that original sense of vocation, the meaning of my name and that verse that had become so important to me!

When I arrived in Salisbury for the first weekend at college, I discovered that the newly installed font had those words from Isaiah inscribed around the edge.

..and to bring the story full circle, on Monday I was in Bristol Cathedral, where that first ordination had been held, at  a Eucharist celebrating Mary Magdalene ( albeit a couple of days early!) and not only was the gospel naturally enough that account from John, but  the verses from Isaiah were used in the closing worship too. God does like to make a point sometimes!

The question on everyone’s lips  on July 1st 1989 which can now be answered!! Sitting here writing a blog post about how I can’t believe it’s TWENTY years since graduation. It was another glorious hot day, we’d had a  month since finals ended doing  May Week stuff for the last time,  clearing  the house, burning notes, drinking more fake champagne – and plenty real stuff.  Most of us had jobs to go to in September so we were released from that  feeling of needing to spend the summer working and then, one final burst of ceremony.

me, JUly 1st 1989 at college

The official Cambridge website describes graduation far better than I could do, but for those of you who  haven’t seen one – yes it really is that formal, you process from college ( or in our case half way as it was a bit further away that a lot of them) and process into Senate House in ranks of four, lots of Latin and bowing & kneeling  and the the deed is done and you walk out the back and round the lane onto the Senate House Lawn to wait for  your guests to emerge. A Very British way to graduate! It was pretty warm under that lot though – we’d been ( quite literally) pinned into the finery at college that morning  checked off against lists of rules , rubrics & regulations regarding gown length, hair length & colour, earrings, rings & heel height. We’d turned up with the requested four stout safety pins (don’t ask me what the boys did but we  girls all had our hoods pinned right through our shirts and attached to the front of our bras – they’re very heavy!) hair clips and spare tights ( just the girls again) and there was to be no  unpinning however warm it got until well into the evening! I also seem to remember a lot of fuss about the correct angle of the ties & bands the guys were wearing.

I am deeply appreciating the irony that having shed the gown and burnt* the notes, here I am twenty years later, knee deep in essays once more preparing  for a time  and a job when dressing up in slightly archaic clothing will not be considered unusual!

So, here I am twenty years on,  Happy Graduation anniversary to any Homertonians of ‘89 who happen to chance on  this, and here’s to the next twenty!

*ps don’t tell, but the note burning was only selective – the privilege of learning from some of the great historians was far too good to burn!! they’re  in  the attic ( the notes that is  not  the professors..)

]]> http://fibrefairy.wordpress.com/2009/07/01/what-will-we-be-doing-in-20-years/feed/ 5 fibrefairy homertonpic FL akh july 1 89 senate house grad http://fibrefairy.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/corpus-christi-and-other-thoughts/ http://fibrefairy.wordpress.com/2009/06/13/corpus-christi-and-other-thoughts/#comments Sat, 13 Jun 2009 20:27:15 +0000 fibrefairy http://fibrefairy.wordpress.com/?p=367 ]]>

On Thursday I went to a fantastic Corpus Christi service in a neighbouring parish. I don’t think I’ve been to one since my Little St Mary’s days in Cambridge.
I was brought up in a very non sacramental tradition, non-conformist, and somehow I knew something to be missing for me but had never had the experiences or the teaching to put a label to it. When I went to college I started doing the church trail in Cambridge and explored the length of the candle in the C of E, discovering why I liked what I did and how God was speaking to me. I loved heartfelt liturgical worship, and more and more the Eucharist became more important to me. I didn’t and still don’t have a physical Real Presence theology, but the words of the hymn sum it up ” Thou art here, we ask not how”.
I am immensely grateful for the chances I’ve had to explore all this. I feel really privileged to be equally comfortable in a New Wine marquee with charismatic evangelicals as in an incense filled church with my Anglo Catholic friends. The Spirit is still the same Spirit I joke sometimes that an ideal service is one where you can cross yourself and raise your hands in worship in the same meeting! Perhaps it’s not so much of a joke, and perhaps it’s not such a leap between the two either. The last weekend that I was in college I had several conversations about how both Anglo Catholic worship and Charismatic worship are experiential, they are rooted, both in the interface between something spiritual happening and something physical happening, whether that’s a sacrament or a physical expression of worship – and if a sacrament is as the old definition goes, and outward sign of invisible grace, then there is something sacramental too about physicality in worship, whatever your churchmanship. Perhaps?
I’m reading at the moment ( click for detail) and finding it absolutely fascinating. I’ve been trying to tell people round me that modern and relevant doesn’t have to mean ditching the old, and this book is confirming that.
anyway – back to the Corpus Christi service! I’d had a tough week, essay writing and dealing with ” stuff” and God met me in that service in an amazing way – a way that yes I’d still probably associate more with New Wine or a big evangelical church, not clouds of incense and beautiful liturgy, but I’m still learning you see…

There’s something about this time of year, the diary seems to be filling up rapidly. All but one of my children are making a Big Transition in September, Ben starts school, Charlie goes into the Juniors, and Ruthy makes the big leap to secondary school, even Kate who thinks she isn’t making a big jump, really is, as she enters her last year in Primary. The result of all this right now is Meetings. Just when I’d legitimately got rid of lots of church meetings for the duration of my training, the school ones seem to be coming thick & fast. Attending my 4th and last Reception Year welcome meeting was amusing though rather than emotional Ben has the rather wonderful teacher that Ruthy and Charlie both had in YR so I’m very happy, and she doesn’t seem too worried (yet!). Ben’s certainly not
Everyone tells me that your last child starting school is emotional, that I *will* be there sobbing at the school gates. Well, they told me that when the first one began, 7 years ago, and I wasn’t sniffing into my hankie then and I really am not expecting to this time – ask me again in September. Starting secondary school however is another matter – no! I am not old enough to start with, nor can she be! for goodness sake, I remember her only yesterday learning to walk!
She’s ready though, tiny as she is, and I’ll wave her off in September trying to ignore the Abba soundtrack in my head.

If you’re as saddened as I am by the fact that as a country we’ve just elected two BNP MEPs then please consider signing this petition at Hope not Hate.

HOPE not hate
Celebrating modern Britain

The recent political shenanigans rather simplistically remind me of two children squabbling over a toy,and while they do, a third child walks over and picks it up unchallenged. This result is a challenge to the mainstream parties to buck their ideas up a bit and start working for the whole of Britain rather than just their political careers. Protest votes can be dangerous.

I do some of my processing and journalling on paper, and some of it here, but probably most of it is in my head, composing blog posts that never make it, composing journal entries that I never really have time to write – but I think that’s still ok – the very existence of a journal and a blog is making me reflect and process and sift thoughts, ideas & feelings, even if they never make it to type or ink.
The last few weeks have been very much like that – there’s been so much going on, not just in my life, but in the lives of those around me. Hospitals, death, anniversaries, growing up, remembering, parenting,wondering,friendship, struggling, hoping – it’s all been in there. None of it would make much sense if I detailed it now, sometimes weeks or days or even years after the events. Lots of it I can’t blog about because it involves too much of other people. Some of that will make it to my paper journal. This post isn’t really about the “stuff” it’s about the process of processing. It’s quite a hard process sometimes, even when it’s only in my head I feel vulnerable and exposed. Current events can cause past events to freshen, old scabs to fall off – it’s a painful process too but a necessary one. Blog, or book or brain – it’s all good.

I saw this link a few weeks ago – and meant to post it here and promptly forgot!
it’s a Time article about use of Twitter and related tech. in church. Interesting stuff…!

This morning, thanks to Mr FF hitting the snooze button on his radio a couple of times, I came to listening to this- ( or a version of it)

  I love the Brandenburg concertos, they carry with them lovely memories of university days and good friends, hope, resurrection, summer sunshine and peace.

It was a good way to start the day:-)

About 7 years ago we were on holiday in Cornwall with my parents, and I saw a lovely hand sewn bag,I think it was in the shop at Eden, made from woven wool, slighty felted, like old blankets. It wasn’t cheap, nor was it “perfectly” made but it was lovely; the textures and shape appealed to me. Later that day my mum presented me with a parcel that contained the bag..awww. It’s been well used, and a little while back I overdyed it from it’s original pinks & blues, to a palette of greens & teals. It’s one of those bags that fits loads in, but never seems too big when it’s empty either. But like all good things, my loved bag is coming to an end Last weekend at college the strap began to thin and developed a tear in the wool, there are worn patches and holes in it,developing all of a sudden. Repair work isn’t working, as the now fragile fabric can’t take the strain of stitches & patches.
So, sad as I was, I decided that I needed a replacement. I have more bags than I know what to do with, but that particular one needed replacing. I was in Ikea last week and I decided to look for fabric, I found some, and I also found wool blanketing cushion covers! I picked the orange & red one to line the bag, which I made in a very similar shape, just slightly wider than my old favourite. The lining was a patchwork of the felt, I think I used almost every scrap of the cover somehow. It’s not perfect as the original wasn’t, but I used it today and I feel like Ive caught the spirit of that bag, in different fabric and with a different feel, but still with that useful shape and gorgeous wool texture.

I’ll try & get some better pictures later perhaps, I’m pleased with the details on this; the patchworked top stitched felt lining & the 3d top stitching on the outside of the bag in particular.

 This is one of my favourites, I used it as calligraphy on  Christmas card one year.

BC:AD

This was the moment when Before
Turned into After, and the future’s
Uninvented timekeepers presented arms.

This was the moment when nothing
Happened. Only dull peace
Sprawled boringly over the earth.

This was the moment when even energetic Romans
Could find nothing better to do
Than counting heads in remote provinces.

And this was the moment
When a few farm workers and three
Members of an obscure Persian sect
Walked haphazard by starlight straight
Into the kingdom of heaven.