It’s a great script.  Like burial of ashes at sea – which I only ever got to do once – but that’s a story for another day.  ‘I accept your nomination … ‘  And I thought of my broadcasting hero, Alistair Cooke.  He was honoured by an invitation to address the United States Congress on its 200th anniversary.  He told his audience he felt as if he was in a dream, standing naked before them and there was only one thing he could find to say.   “I gratefully accept your nomination for President of the United States!”

Meanwhile, the story of the deciphering of Charles Wesley’s diaries catches the attention.  The notion that one would write other than for publication seems extraordinary to a dedicated blogger.  Nevertheless, my literary executors will have to decide what to do with my secret diaries which are hidden behind the third shelf on the left in my study.  Just as a ‘taster’, I offer you the ‘crie de coeur’ of all parish priests: ‘Umvdjggje flbn ubiu fmpfq tuj!’

And finally, I promised our clergy that I would write some Lambeth reflections.  These are more descriptive than evaluative – I hope to do more of the latter very shortly.  They are intended to be a short piece for Magazines and the like and something longer for those who are into that sort of thing.

I’m keeping a distant eye on the Democratic Convention.  The American way of politics is remarkable.  I do notice some similarities to our Canon 4 – tho’ fortunately the speech of affirmation from the candidate’s spouse and guest appearance by the children has not yet been written in by the Canons Committee.

Hard to miss the handing on of the Kennedy flame by Ted [whom today’s Times described as ‘gravelly-voiced and terminally ill’] Kennedy.  Most interesting of all the extent to which Hillary has and Bill Clinton may manage a full-throated, unqualified endorsement of the candidate.  I’ve always been interested in the spiritual challenge of losing – part of my life with the Ulster Protestants and my visits to the white South Africans.  The press have clearly been attuned to the idea that an open-hearted generous-loser affirmation from Hillary would have enormous power – but one which was in any way qualified or which had an eye to the possibility that a Republican win might open up possibilities for 2012 – could be very damaging.

If you haven’t read Obama’s book, I can recommend it.  He’s an FDR fan and he has an academic’s view of the subtle balances of the American constitution which is very instructive.  But it’s the unknown unknowns that he needs to watch.

I enjoyed Lambeth – but it’s great not to have it dominating the landscape as it has done for so long.  I’m ready now to try and write some reflections for our clergy to use with congregations – because there is considerable interest out there.

Meanwhile, I shared in the Dedication Festival yesterday at our congregation in Auchterarder – time to get back into the sermon-writing habit.

Meanwhile, people keep suggesting that I might be interested in the Brompton Bicycle World Championship which is happening at Blenheim Palace at the end of September.  The interesting thing is that, because of the commuting ethos of the Brompton, all racing is conducted in jacket and tie.

Extraordinary how autumnal it feels already – or is it just my age? The combine harvesters are encircling Blogstead and we’re soon going to have to keep Poppy in for her own safety. We’re about to have a series of visitors and we’ll be glad to see them. People come and enter into the soap opera of our lives .. and go away pondering.

Meanwhile, I had a very interesting post-Lambeth meeting with our clergy. I used about half of the Lambeth DVD. I think that many found it both revelatory and reassuring to see bishops from all over the world talking in very measured terms about the issues which face us. Particularly impressive, I thought, was the video of Tom Shaw of Massachusetts and Philip Baji of Tanga, Tanzania. Tom was a member of my Bible Study Group. The film showed their efforts to make links of friendship and understanding across gaps of culture and theology.

Just one more from Humph – this time in Glasgow:

.. and so, as the chill wind of time blows up the kilt of destiny and the short-sighted octopus of fate tries to mount the bagpipes of eternity ..

Poppy’s fans will be glad to know that she is safely home after enjoying pre-and-post Lambeth hospitality in Belfast. She came as a paws passenger again on the Stena to Stranraer – much more hospitable towards her than the P&O which seems a bit iffy.

It’s as well I watch almost no TV since there is almost no TV to watch other than the Olympics – the sporting equivalent of the Lambeth Conference. It’s all very moving to the point of misty-eyed, of course. But as I listen to the victors saying how wonderful it is to have the reward for all the hard work and sacrifice, I wonder about the others. Do they just tiptoe away and get on with their lives? Those who put in great effort in ministry for little visible result can of course say through gritted teeth, ‘One sows and another reaps’

For some reason, I’ve had Humphrey Lyttleton’s sign-off lines from ‘I’m sorry I haven’t a clue’ running through my mind. Is the end nigh, I wonder?

“As the vanquished charwoman of time begins to Shake-n- Vac the shagpile of eternity, I notice that we have just run out of time.”

I was glad to go to the 10th Anniversary celebrations at the Bield yesterday.  It’s a centre for rest and relaxation, prayer and healing – just on the edge of Perth.  Robin and Marianne Anker-Petersen and their team have created a wonderful resource.  Every time I go there, I am impressed by the number of people I meet who are not church members but who recognise this as a place of peace, healing and spiritual resource.

This is the Chapel – once the carpenter’s shop.  Part of what makes this such a special place is the beauty of the grounds and the under-stated good taste of the house.

I dipped my toe in the Enneagram water.  But, after three weeks of Lambeth, it seems that I have little idea who I am any more.

Not much sign of the ‘Culte Carla’ in France. Surprisingly, we found ourselves surrounded by the Culte Protestant and small villages each with its large Eglise Evangelique.

But it was time to finish digesting Lambeth and go home. English Diocesan Bishops are giving their summaries of how it was. You can read them on Thinking Anglicans. Our clergy are meeting next week to hear what I thought about it. So I’ll have to do some thinking.

We had an extremely rough trip home on the Zeebrugge-Rosyth ferry – Force 9 and china-crashing rough. It was a long night in the Scheheradze Karaoke Bar. As Liaison Bishop for the Mission to Seafarers in Scotland, I felt it was an important opportunity in ministry to contribute ‘Eternal Father, strong to save.’ I was just swinging into ‘Wide, wide as the Ocean’ with actions when I was unceremoniously hustled off the stage with cries of ‘A la Manche!’

And so back to the rustic simplicities of Blogstead.   TS Eliot echoes in the mind: ‘And the end of all our exploring/Will be to arrive where we started/and know the place for the first time.’  The new neighbours have moved in and will begin the ‘Getting to know you’ programme shortly. +Bruce is watching his lettuces grow. All is calm. Indeed, Blogstead in such moments seems to be located in neither time nor space. More, as the French might say, une idee … une saveur douce, piquante et un peu exotique.

There’s an end of term feeling around today.  Tomorrow still has a full programme which ends with the Service in Canterbury Cathedral – after which we’ll be nipping through the Tunnel to worship for a short while at the shrine of ‘Culte Carla’.

Not really a moment for assessment and evaluation.  Except to say that I think that many of the participants here have rediscovered the much-vaunted ‘bonds of affection’ and therefore are feeling rather less affection for the idea of Anglican Covenant.  But, as one of the hymns this morning said, we need somehow to ‘disentangle peace from pain’.

And how do I feel about it all?  Well on many levels, it’s been one of the truly great experiences – an extraordinary meeting of the world church and a great privilege to be part of it.  The Bible Study Group will remain the pinnacle of that.  It was at times a sublime experience.  If you’ve been reading regularly, you’ll know that I have said some hard things about the process of the Conference and I still feel that.  But this has been ‘one person’s view’ of Lambeth and it doesn’t diminish in any way my gratitude to the organisers and the stewards for the extraordinary amount of devoted work they have done to make this happen.

Thank you for reading – and for the comments.  I’m a bit blog-spent now so I’m going to take a break until we regain the peace of Blogstead mid-month.

Yes

Churches are always messy and frustrating places.  That’s why domestic violence within the church is always an issue.  That’s why – or I think that’s why – we had a major session on it in searing heat in the Big Top two days ago.  I have no idea whether it was either necessary or helpful.  I know that I felt both manipulated and stigmatised – quite enough to be going on with for one morning.  And the Stewards were keeping a tally of the number of men who left.
But – to go back to the messy and frustrating stuff of the Church.  I agree with the other bloggers who have been saying that new understandings have been emerging here.  I’ve heard them in my Bible Study Group and Indaba Group.  The Bible Study has gathered a clear sense that prayerful reading and study of scripture in the context of trusting relationships will yield new strands of insight to lead us forward.

We’ve explored the tension between definition and imagination.  I feel in many places a growing feeling that the excursion towards covenant territory has been useful but will not yield an answer. Indeed it may hinder the kind of explorations which are needed. It will ensure that our focus is on the internal workings of the church when it needs to be exactly the opposite of that.  If we are going to have a Covenant, I remain attracted by Rabbi Jonathan Sacks’ suggestion that it should be a Covenant of Faith predicated on difference.
The session today called in response to Archbishop Rowan’s call for generous suggestions from those holding the two positions he outlined in his address proved to be a serious mistake.  I heard no suggestions of any great value and, as a result, the meeting became tetchy.  I still think that something can be done here – but there needs to be a roadmap of symbolic words and actions which allow the two groups to move towards one another.

Three days to go.  Counselling sessions are under way to help those of us who have become completely institutionalised and fear that we may not be able to cope with the traffic noise.  And we have to move the beds back.  The Management, thankfully, ran the white pyjamas up the flagpole some time ago.

I’m grateful for the comments on yesterday’s post.  This whole place is full of putative oppositional pairings at present – justice and righteousness being just another of the more common.  I think Archbishop Rowan took a calculated risk in setting out his picture of the two groups as he did.  There seems to be some kind of tentative dialogue stirring and that is to be welcomed.  If I have any answer to Kimberly’s question as to where the centre might be, I think it is probably among those who can identify with both sides of this issue and who are unable to reach a clear and final view on it.

Gene Robinson addressed a meeting here this evening.  I felt I needed to go and hear him and so I did.

It’s been unbelievably and unrelentingly hot here for the past two weeks and a fair measure of weariness is setting in.  At Evening Worship today, what should have been a three minute address in a stifling big top stretched to 15.  I resisted the temptation to leave – but only just.  We’ve been here now for 15 days.  Four more to go.  Satis superque again.