Bedlam from the Rake's Progress 1735 William Hogarth If I was to mention some of the most pressing social issues of the day, mental illness, social exclusion, male violence, and racial prejudice, it might surprise you that all of these are addressed in this account by Luke written almost two thousand years ago. It is the story of Jesus's encounter with a violently disturbed man, shunned by his community, abandoned by his family, and living naked with a herd of pigs! Yet Luke describes this man, not as a madman but as a ‘Citizen of this country'. The encounter with Jesus begins innocently with the kind of question we might address to someone who is soon to be friend, “What is your name”, and the conversation continues after he is freed from his demons as the two sit side by side, with talk about his home and family. It took centuries for the Church to model this kind of compassion for the mentally disturbed. The treatment of the mentally ill, until the 19th century, was not unlike that meeted out by the people of Gerasa, the hometown of this poor man. They were chained, excluded, and sometimes exhibited for the entertainment of the crowds. This is the scene Hogarth painted in the last of his great series of paintings, ‘The Rake’s Progress’. The Rake lies prostrate, almost naked, there are manacles on his ankles and wrists and although it appears that his family tends to him, he is an object of amusement to the ladies who have come to gawp at these poor creatures. The scene is one that would have been common in ‘The Bethlehem Royal Hospital’ in the 18th century. Here a certain Margaret Nicholson was imprisoned after an attempted assassination attempt on King George 111 in 1786. The knife was blunt and the King was not harmed, he even felt a certain sympathy for the woman who believed herself to be the rightful heir to the throne. As the guards took her away he shouted after them: “The poor creature is mad: do not hurt her, she has not hurt me.” These words undoubtedly saved her life as even an unsuccessful regicide was treason and carried a death sentence. Margaret was certified as mad and committed to living out her life at Bethlehem Royal Hospital more notoriously known as Bedlam. She died there 42 years later in 1828. It is probable that George recognised a fellow sufferer as he himself suffered from delusional thoughts and uncontrollable actions. The King however was fortunate to have a doctor who understood that mental illness required sympathy and began a strict regime then termed ‘Compassionate moral treatment’. Though he was ill for long periods during his life this treatment helped to bring him back to his family and his people. Power corrupts Our gospel reading for today describes a man who has lost control of himself, his family, and his life. The picture given to us is of a ‘wild man’ but there is much to suggest that he was once sane, maybe even someone of importance in the community. Not only does he have a home and a family, but he is described as a: ‘Citizen of the city of Geresa’ Luke 8:26. Maybe once he was a man of power, but now he is a man driven to violence by the demons that possess him. We might guess at the causes of his madness. Maybe like Hogarth’s Rake, he is the victim of his own downfall. Could it be that having once been powerful he is now powerless and is consumed by an anger that is dangerous to others and to himself? My name is Legion’ Luke 8:30 Though he could break free from his chains it was his ‘Demons’ who controlled him. We can understand the term demons in both a literal as well as a metaphorical sense, indeed the only way for a pre-scientific mind to understand the uncontrolled violence of mental illness was to ascribe it to forces beyond our control. When we seek to dominate and control we end up by being controlled by demons we cannot tame. Master of the waves and the wind. Luke gives us a lovely parallel portrait of Jesus in contrast to this man called ‘Legion’. He has just described the moment when Jesus calms the waves and the wind. He is a man in control not just of himself but of the elemental forces of nature. But Jesus is not a man who seeks to control or dominate. As he meets Legion he does not attempt to subdue him as others have done but speaks to him by his name. “What is your name?” Luke 8: 30. Perhaps for the first time in many years, this man is being treated as a human being. Instead of the fear and the force with which Legion had lived here is someone who will befriend him. But there is a curious detail here, for whereas Jesus speaks gently to the man, he commands the demons to come out of him. Jesus can command the demons but he does not command the man. The master of wind and waves, the one from whom demons flee, is not willing to command obedience from this man. The power of love: John tells us in his prologue that the one who created the world by his command comes into a world but is not received by the world. ‘The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, yet the world did not know Him, He came to His own and his own people did not receive Him’ John 1: 11 This reminds us of the mystery at the heart of the Christian gospel - the human heart cannot be controlled by force but only won through love, a love that respects our humanity. The power of love is clearly seen in the transformation of this man. When his friends and neighbours come to see him he is: ‘Clothed and in his right mind’. Luke 8:36 Isn’t it remarkable that Jesus sends this man straight home? The family is the place where we are to prove that we are transformed, people. It is in these intimate relationships that we reveal our real selves and find wholeness and healing. King George 111 was a family man and his family was a source of strength to him. How fortunate he was to be able to return to them unlike poor Margaret Nicholson manacled for eight years and imprisoned for life. Jesus gives us a model of healing not by a display of power but by the power of love. Now this citizen of Gerasa is to seek out and serve his family and community as God has sought out and served him. He is re-clothed in his rightful mind. Rev. Simon Brignall We continue to pray for healing in our lives, both of body, mind, and soul, remembering especially Rory, Adam, and David. Prayer for Ukraine God of peace and justice we pray for the people of Ukraine today, and the laying down of weapons. we pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, that your spirit of comfort would draw near to them. We pray for those with power over war and peace, for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions Above all, we pray for all your precious children at risk and in fear, That you would hold and protect them. We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen
You may remember a book published a few years ago called ‘Eats shoots and leaves’ by Lynn Truss. It dealt humorously with the pitfalls of punctuation. The sentence above could be referring to a murderer or to a panda bear, depending on where you put the punctuation. Or maybe you have read the poignant poem by Stevie Smith, ‘Not waving but drowning’ about the misinterpreted signals of a desperate person trying to attract attention. Our words and actions can so easily be misinterpreted unless understood in the right way. The Mona LisaArt works in the same way, it needs to be interpreted and the interpretation depends on how we read the signs or symbols that the artist puts in front of us. The great art of the Classical and Renaissance periods relied on geometrical form and proportion, the triangle and the rectangle, arranged in perfect proportions to give a picture that sense of harmony that brings beauty to nature. Yet for the artist there is more than just harmony, there is emotion and personality, that of the artist and of the subject. A perfectly harmonious composition would be boring, but one that combines harmony with emotion engages us in a relationship that lasts for a lifetime or indeed for generations of lifetimes. Consider, for example, what is acclaimed as the greatest work of art ever painted, the Mona Lisa. The Mona Lisa is not only a painting of exceptional beauty, combining the perfect proportions of geometry, but is also famously enigmatic, posing questions about the personality of the sitter. Is she smiling or is she frowning? Is she looking at me, do her eyes really follow me around the room? All this is the work of the genius Leonardo da Vinci whose understanding of anatomy and light enabled him to play tricks with our eyes that bring the face before us alive. The link between the Mona Lisa and our passage today rests on the same need for interpretation and the measure that is used is not beauty but love. How do we understand words such as Sin, Righteousness, and Judgement, that are so central to the Gospel picture? Jesus tells us that the Holy Spirit will interpret: “When he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin, righteousness and judgement” John 16: 8 Further, Jesus links these three words to what is to come: His Passion, Resurrection and Ascension: “He will make know to you what is to come” John 16: 13. The key to interpreting these three words is love. The love of God in three persons, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit who Jesus tells us will shine a light on the work of the Father and the Son: “He will glorify Me, for he will take what is mine and make it known to you. All that the Father has is mine, and that is why I said, “He will take what is mine and make it known to you” John 16: 14/15. The Passion: In the Passion, the spotlight shines on the Son. Here we see the love of God taking on Himself the sin of the world. The world had understood that sin was something for which each person must account, but the Spirit makes known that in Christ, God Himself has taken the sin of the world on himself. St. Paul puts it like this “Him who knew no sin, he made to be sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God in him” 2 Cor. 5:21. The Resurrection: As the Passion shows us how we die to sin in Christ, so the resurrection shows us how the Father raises us to a new life in Christ. The world had understood that righteousness was achieved by good works, but the Spirit makes known that this new life is made possible only by the Father, as we are raised up with Christ. Again St. Paul spells it out: “But God is rich in mercy, and because of his great love for us he brought us to life with Christ when we were dead because of our sins... and he raised us up in union with Christ Jesus.” Ephesians 2: 4-6 The Ascension announces the final judgement of God as Christ takes his place in glory and ‘The prince of this world stands condemned’ John 16:11. The world had thought of the final judgement of God with dread but the Spirit reveals that it is not mankind that is condemned but the evil one. “The Spirit of God affirms to our spirit that we are God’s children; and if we are children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ... we are also to share His glory. Romans 8:16/17. Those three words, sin, righteousness, and Judgement that sound so severe are in fact words of comfort when interpreted by love. Father, Son and Holy Spirit, one in love working together to bring the whole of broken creation back into perfect harmony through the Passion, Resurrection and Ascension of the King of love. Rev. Simon Brignall
What is it about the British monarchy that makes it so unique, indeed more than unique, a mystical even sacred institution? Over the seventy years of her reign poets and painters have tried to capture something of the aura of divine authority that resides in the person of the monarch and the institution of monarchy. The last poet laureate Carol Ann Duffy caught something of the essence of that authority that weighs heavily on the head of the Queen. (See poem below) The Crown translates a woman to a Queen, Endless gold circling itself. An O like a well, fathomless for the years to drown in. A young woman, only 26 when she succeeded her father, but now the inheritor of a thousand years of history and tradition. A lonely place to be, set apart from the rest of society and yet embodying the hopes and dreams of all those who call her their Queen. Pietro Annigoni’s ( 1910 – 1988) portrait of the Queen is perhaps one of the best known. Commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Fishmongers in 1954, it is not on public display, but copies hang in many British Embassies around the world. It captures the young Queen just a year after her coronation alone in an English landscape. Annigoni confessed to being at a loss when faced with the task but the Queen put him at ease. As they spoke she told him how as a girl she had watched people through the windows. These words were the inspiration for the portrait. “Her words were like a searchlight, lighting my way,” he said. “ I saw her immediately as the Queen who although dear to the hearts of millions of people whom she loved, was herself alone and far off” It may be that he also had in mind the words spoken In 1947 on her 21st birthday. The Queen, then Princess Elizabeth, made this solemn vow before God and the people of the Empire: “I declare before you all that my whole life, whether it be long or short, shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great Imperial family, to which we all belong, but I shall not have the strength to carry out this resolution alone unless you join in it with me, as I now invite you to do... God help me to make good my vow, and God bless all of you who are willing to share it” Her words reflect the words of Christ himself: “The Kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, but I am among you as one who serves” Luke 22: 27. In 1952 on the death of her father George VI, Princess Elizabeth became Queen of Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and 50 other lands. Fifteen months later at her coronation in Westminster Abbey, the vow she made as a young woman became a reality as she was consecrated with holy oil as God’s ‘Anointed servant’. Only after this solemn act did she take up the ‘emblems of majesty. As her trust is a sacred one, her first responsibility is to God. She is set apart by this act of anointing with the words ‘as Kings, Priests and Prophets were anointed’ The Investiture which follows these words serves to emphasise this God-given authority. As the Archbishop placed in her hands the royal Orb, he says: “When you see this Orb under the Cross remember that the whole world is subject to the power and empire of Christ’. After this, the Queen’s ring, the wedding ring of England is placed on the fourth finger of the Queen’s hand to indicate that she is wedded to her people. Today we celebrate the Queen’s faithfulness to these vows over the tumultuous 70 years of her reign. Under the intense glare of the media’s spotlight, and throughout the social upheavals, and family troubles of her long reign she has lived by the words she spoke then. On the occasion of her Golden Jubilee 2002, she once again returned to her commitment to God and service to her people. “For me, the teachings of Christ and my own accountability before God provide a framework in which I try to lead my life” Why should the Queen’s faith be such an issue for us today? We live in a secular age in which the trappings of religious life have been overthrown, and yet we live in a nation that still holds itself accountable before God. Unlike other countries we do not have a written constitution, nor are we a democracy accountable solely to the wishes of the people. Instead, we live by an ancient text that has shaped our society for a thousand years, the Bible. Along with the symbols of royal power, the monarch is handed a bible with the words: “This is the most valuable thing the world affords. “Here is wisdom; this is the royal Law; these are the lively oracles of God.” This ancient wisdom tells us that all authority is from God himself, “By me Kings reign and rulers make laws that are just... I walk in the ways of righteousness and along the paths of justice.” Proverbs 8: 15/20. The long and glorious reign of our Queen is a testament not just to her faithfulness but to our just and gracious God. Rev. Simon Brignall The Crown The Crown translates a woman to a queen, Endless gold circling itself. An O like a well, fathomless for the years to drown in. History’s bride, anointed, blessed for a Crowning. One head alone can know its weight, On throne, in pageantry and feel it still in private space. When it’s lifted, not a hollow thing but a measuring. No halo, treasure, but a valuing. Decades and duty, time gifted. The Crown is old light, Journeying from skulls of Kings to living Queen. Its jewels glow, virtues, Loyalty’s ruby, blood deep. Saphire, ice resilience. Emerald, evergreen The shy pearl, humility. “My whole life, whether it be long or short, devoted to your service.” Not lightly worn. Carol Ann Duffy on the occasion of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.
Convergence - Jackson Pollock 1952 It was Clare’s birthday on Friday and always it’s difficult to know what kind of gift will be right, but our son Pip came up with the perfect present – a puzzle! But not just any old puzzle but a one thousand piece puzzle of Jackson Pollock’s most famous or maybe I should say infamous painting. Convergence – Jackson Pollock 1952 The painting is a collage of colours splattered on a canvas that created shapes and lines that capture the energy and emotions of the artist. As we stand back the textures, colours lines and shapes begin to form a pattern and structure that hint at a purpose and meaning behind the chaos. Communism and Convergence At the time of the painting, the United States was gripped by a fear of Communism and locked into the ‘Cold War’ with the Soviet Union. Behind the chaos of ‘Convergence,’ Pollock was preaching free speech and freedom of expression. As a painter, he could literally throw mud in the face of convention and rebel against the constraints of society. It was everything that he believed the USA stood for wrapped up in a messy, but deep package. No wonder then that his work was backed by the CIA and sponsored by the Congress for Cultural Freedom ( An anti-Communist advocacy group). The Convergence puzzle 1964 In 1964 the puzzle-producing company Springbok released Convergence as a jigsaw puzzle promoted as “the most difficult puzzle in the world”. The impact of ‘Convergence’ became clear the following year when hundreds of thousands purchased the jigsaw puzzle. So well done Pip, this will either drive Mum mad or make her very happy! The Easter Puzzle ‘Convergence’ hints at a coming together out of chaos and confusion when the purpose and meaning of something is understood. In the case of the painting, we can only make sense of the splattered paint as we understand Pollock's deeply felt anti-establishment values. When the Gospel writer Luke is telling the Easter story he hints at the same coming together of meaning and purpose in all the confusion of the events leading up to the Crucifixion. He tells of three groups of people trying to make sense of the death of Jesus and the reports of the empty tomb. In each case, it is the appearance of the resurrected Jesus that brings clarity and faith. The Women at the Tomb For the women who went to the Tomb that first Easter Sunday there was shock as they saw that the stone that sealed the entrance was gone and then horror as they realised that the body of Jesus was no longer in the Tomb. It is only when the angels remind them of Jesus' words to them when they were back in Galilee about his coming death and resurrection that the events of the past week make sense. Just as we make sense of ‘Convergence’ when we understand Pollock, so it is that the women at the tomb understand what they are seeing when they realise who Jesus truly is. The Angels explained that what they saw all fitted together with what Jesus had said to them. The missing piece of the puzzle is now put in place and makes sense of the whole. The road to Emmaus But sometimes even when we have the meaning of events explained to us it leaves us cold. It doesn’t make any difference to our sadness or our fears. That’s how the two disciples walking to Emmaus felt. Even though the women had told them of their experience at the Tomb and even though Jesus walked with them at that moment and explained the events of the past days their eyes remained closed. Only as Jesus breaks bread with them do they recognise the one who is with them. The Upper Room Sometimes words are not enough, we need to ‘See’ Jesus as one who is with us to come to faith. The disciples in the Upper Room had heard the story of the empty tomb, and now listened to the excited story of the two disciples who had returned from Emmaus, but they remained paralysed by fear, hidden away from the world behind locked doors. They too needed to see Jesus in order to make sense of everything and in the case of Thomas, he required extra proof and demanded to place his hand into Jesus' wounded side. ‘Touch me’ Jesus says ‘and see; for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have’ Luke 24: 39 The Promise of the Father For the disciples on that first day of the week out of the confusion, they had seen a pattern that made sense of events. They had met the person whose wounded hands, feet and pierced side now spoke of life, not death. Now they received a promise that they would be given his presence with them always as his Spirit comes to live in them. They are now to go out into the world to bear witness to the one who can make sense of a world that like the world of Jackson Pollock often seems to be chaos and confusion but through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is healed and restored, and given the hope of renewal. Prayer for Ukraine God of peace and justice we pray for the people of Ukraine today, and the laying down of weapons. we pray for all those who fear for tomorrow, that your spirit of comfort would draw near to them. We pray for those with power over war and peace, for wisdom, discernment, and compassion to guide their decisions Above all, we pray for all your precious children at risk and in fear, That you would hold and protect them. We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Peace. Amen Archbishop Justin Welby Archbishop Stephen Cottrell
