22.2.10

sacrifice and blessing

i've really missed blogging over the last couple of months - but the truth is that i have had little to say, well, no, better to say that i've had little that i could say.

my particular ordination process is not a little bit strange, quite a lot painful, definitely disorientating and displacing. here is a little reflection on this strange world.
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last wednesday we had a wonderful ash wednesday service at 7.30am in the local URC. i presented myself to be ashed and prayed for, and my comment to the man who was praying with me was that i still feel called to ordination, but that the whole process is something that i'm really not enjoying that much, to which he replied 'that's exactly how i feel'. he prayed for me, and i prayed for him. it was beautiful.

sacrifice and blessing

this term i get to audit some degree modules, alongside my masters, both of which i enjoy very much, one is about church and sacraments and is taught by a URC lecturer and a RC lecturer, i began to realise over the last few weeks how diligent they are in using inclusive language, particularly when it comes to God-language, and how much i felt consoled by that.

sacrifice and blessing

the other module that i audit is, this term, about women's ordination. there's a man in my class who is a modern catholic, he says everything i could possibly want to say about the place of women in God's Church, he knows much more than me and says it very eloquently. i thank God for him in that place. he's a blessing to me.

sacrifice and blessing

one of the people who has been a good friend to me over the past few months is a man who is evangelical anglican. he is gifted in generosity, hospitality and sensitivity, he has given of his time when i've been stressed and fearful and has drunk gallons and gallons of coffee with me probably endangering his own health. in him i see jesus.

sacrifice and blessing

6 comments:

Tim Goodbody said...

Hi Jody
nice to be reading you again. Having given up fb for lent I'm now back on theblogs!

I value your openness about your journey, which was described to me by a fellow ordinand many yearws ago as like walking through a minefield blindfolded.

Looks to me as though you have some good guides
blessings
Tim

Jody Stowell said...

hi tim
yes, a minefield, i've also heard it described as a bed of nails.

xjody

Anonymous said...

Good to hear from you Jody, thank you for sharing the positives. God bless you as you continue x

Jody Stowell said...

thanks serena, i like to think of it as 'moments of beauty'. they can keep you alive..

Rev R Marszalek said...

thanks for this Jody
-equally swinging between joy and excruciating pain ...

appreciate you sharing

Rach

Kate P said...

I like your 'moments of beauty'. I was talking with fellow ordinands at the weekend about 'glimpses of glory' - those short windows into the Kingdom that are always just about enough to pick up and keep going on this strange journey (thinking through manna from heaven - just 'enough' not a feast).

xxx