Carol's 80th.

On Monday Carol reached the 80 year milestone (a few months ahead of me - an age gap of which I have made much as a younger man!)  Necessarily because of Carol's poor health, it has been low key with a couple of meals shared with friends, including our church home group meeting in the large garden of one of our members.  One, a professional signwriter, had designed a large poster blazoning Carol's birthday which was pasted to a window with balloons.  Senior fish and chips were enjoyed followed by delicious sweets and a dairy free chocolate cake with unblowable candles!  It was such a kind generous time with all these newish friends (we joined the church about 8 years ago!) giving their best.

One of them had earlier given Carol an attractively wrapped gift which looked like containing a picture.  Indeed it did.  To our delight Lesley had written a poem set in a delightful design. 

For Carol on her 80th birthday. 

Eighty years, and each a thread 

In woven grace where angels tread 

A Pastor's wife, yet more than that- 

A heart where love and wisdom sat

With ink and flourish, line by line,

Your calligraphy made words divine.

And every scarf around your neck

A gentle, artful warmth reflects.

You've lit more candles than we know,

Not just with wax, but kindness' glow.

Your table, open, wide, and true,

Has welcomed many, just like you.

For those in need, you took their part,

With steady hands and servant's heart

Now eighty rings this lovely chime,

A life well lived, a sacred time.

So here's to Carol, graceful, bright,

A beacon still, a shining light.

Lesley has only known Carol a very few years but she's captured so much about her character, calligraphy, love of colourful matching scarves, hospitality giver, and compassion with kindness that has marked Carol's life. I know many of you readers won't know her but you can imagine my pride and gratitude for this creative tribute.

BQ Vol.56.2

My copy of Baptist Quarterly dropped through the letter box yesterday . This journal aims to engage with Baptist heritage and history, not only to encourage readers to recall the past but enable them to reflect on Baptist life today. With the big purpose of challenging and inspiring Baptists for tomorrow.  I have been a subscriber for over 50 years having been guilt-tripped (!) into commitment right at the beginning of my ministry.  I have always been interested in history and Earnest Payne, a noted Baptist historian, General Secretary of the Baptist Union (and someone with whom I had a personal relationship) pressed home the need for young ministers like myself to become regular readers.

Through the years there has been much to encourage and stimulate reflection. The articles are well researched, ranging far and wide. Sometimes I confess they are too niche to hold my attention. Only once have I been published with my long paper responding to the World Council of Churches' Baptism, Eucharist and Mission document (BEM) - or to be accurate to its Baptism section.

I never, ever thought that I would appear in its pages with my own story!  But the edition arriving yesterday begins with Ian Randall's paper: Cambridge, Baptists and the Formation of Minds and Hearts. He presented the paper last year at a 2024 conference on Baptists and Education.  Ian is a good friend and when I read his paper I couldn't believe that his focus on the 1980's brought together my ministry at St. Andrew's Street Baptist Church, Roy Clements at Eden Baptist Church, the Cambridge Papers - examining key issues of the time - and a number of other areas of Baptist involvement.  As he puts it: ' The Baptist initiatives outlined here, not previously analysed, show ways in which Baptists in Cambridge contributed to Christian thought and action through churches, publications, centres and groups.'

As I re-read it I felt honoured to have been included in such meticulous research (Janice, Ian's wife is co-researcher). Undeniably the 80's were glorious years to be alive in Cambridge with God's blessing and power at work in many ways.  Was I startled by some of the details unearthed? Most definitely. Was I dumbfounded to find them in the BQ jostling alongside much heavyweight material?  Too true!  It is a genuine privilege to have a section of your life charted in this way, put in the wider context where I have so many happy memories.  So, it was a good day to open the post and see my BQ. Thank you Ian and Janice.

Escape Pain

I have just been to my first Escape Pain clinic. Over 4 months ago my hospital physiotherapist selected me for this programme.  Partly, I think, because of desperation that his set exercises (since June 2024) had reached their (his/mine) exhaustion limit.  I always tried to be positive but, bluntly, sometimes the exercises themselves seem to backfire. And, partly, because this clinic is a collective approach as eight people share experiences to boost confidence.

I am one of the oldest but there is something encouraging being surrounded by hobbling, creaking limbs and pilgrim brave souls. Each of us was given a name badge so that Hannah (our noble leader) could address us and we could begin group dynamics.  We met in the hospital gym full of equipment around the echoing walls. In the middle we sat on chairs and we told how Escape Pain would allow us to become more confident in dealing with our joint pain for the long term by helping us learn techniques for avoiding the Vicious Cycle: Pain - Prolonged Rest- Overactivity.  So, we are to expect advice about safe exercise and pacing; healthy diet, managing flare ups, setting personal goals.  Always gaining tips from other people in the same condition. 

That sounds good! Our first session had warm up exercises and then rotation around eight stations.  I had a couple of thoughts.  One was general.  How optimistic Escape Pain is! I suppose you have to be positive but ageing takes its toll.  It made me think about false messaging that some people hear about the gospel. That faith in Jesus Christ means escaping pain in charmed loved lives. A kind of spiritual insurance police. No, discipleship is in the real world where Jesus identified with our human condition and now lives with us and the Holy Spirit, helping us to live with suffering and pain.

The other thought brought a smile. When we were leaving one of the women came over to me and asked me if I was Michael Quicke.  She said she thought there wouldn't be many Michael Q's (my label) in the world. It turns out she is a Baptist minister's widow whose husband was minister where my father pastored in the 1960's.  Instantly, the network of connections and relationships hummed into action. I was so happy to meet her.  That will make a difference as we meet up again. 

In this odd blog, which blends personal bits and pieces with more solid stuff, I shall report in at least once as the clinic progresses. 

Brutal deshelving

I have mentioned before my grief at needing to find good homes for my books.  On the eve of my 80's I need to let go. Of course, my main academic library I left in the US. My precious preaching books complete with dedications from friends and rich accompanying stories, came back to Cambridge but have now gone to a seminary.  But I still have an odd assortment, gathered through the ages, residing in my garden shed study back in Cambridge. Now I am left with a rag-tag (is that the expression?) of mostly older books some of which are in past-their-best condition. In particular I have books of sermons of some of the 'greats'.  My Holy Week post mentioned the famous Methodist preacher W.E. Sangster.  I have 15 volumes of his sermons, teaching and devotionals that were lovingly found, mostly in the used book shop in Saffron Walden.

But I have many other old books of past worthies.  I have reached the point where I know I must deshelve (again, is that a word?)  If any of you, dear readers, have particular favourites you might like to give a  home to, I might just have the odd volume or two.  You never know. I would gladly pack them off to you for the cost of postage. 

It's so sad to jettison books for recycling though I think some probably deserve it.  But, let's see if there are any rescues possible!  

The Resurrection Dance.

A glorious joyous Easter to you. My last post's reference from Mere Christianity triggered C.S. Lewis' memorable summary of living the resurrection life as Easter people. It has a contemporary ring and reminds me of Richard Rohr's book Divine Dance (2016) which invites readers into encountering Trinity life - God as community, friendship and dance. 

The whole dance, or pattern of this three-personal life is to be played out in each one of us: or (putting it the other way round) each one of us has got to enter that pattern, take his place in the dance. There is no other way to the happiness for which we were made. Good things as well as bad, you know, are caught by a kind of infection. If you want to get warm you must stand near the fire: if you want to be wet you must get into the water. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into the thing that has them They are not the sort of prize which God could, if He chose, just hand out to anyone. They are a great foundation of energy and beauty spurting up at the very centre of reality. If you are close to it, the spray will wet you; if you are not you will remain dry. Once a man is united to God how could he not live forever? Once a man is separated from God what can he do but wither and die.

What happened that first Easter is 'the very centre of reality'. Encountering the risen Jesus, with willingness to remain close, also places us in relationship with the Father and Holy Spirit that overwhelms. If you want joy, power, peace, eternal life, you must get close to, or even into the thing that has them.  I love Easter Sunday. The Cross and Resurrection are the very centre of reality for my life, my everything.  May it be a deep joyful day for you too. 

Holy Week

This Holy Week I have been reading one of my old books by W. E. Sangster ( a renowned Methodist preacher 1900-1960) titled: They Met at Calvary.  Its sobering to reflect on: the teachers who hated him, the priests who bought him, the traitor who sold him, the crowd who cried, 'Crucify him!', the judge who sentenced him, the thieves who died with him, the people who ministered to him.  For the most part it's an extraordinary tangle of dark motives unfolding in fast real time. The book's last chapter is a typical gospel challenge from this master preacher who coined the expression ' preach to convict'. It's called I was there!

If you come to Calvary with some admiration of His life and some pity at His death and see in Him nothing but another good man beaten by the wickedness of the world, you have not really come to Calvary at all. No mere man could save you.

If He was a man, it was murder; if He was God it was an offering.

If He was a man it was martyrdom; if He was God it was sacrifice.

If He was man, they took his life from him; if He was God, he laid it down of himself.

If He was man we are called to admiration; if He was God we are called to adoration. 

The teaching of this Church Universal is this: the immortal God has died for you.

All the happenings of his week that changed the world are complex as they lead through to the death of Jesus.  To think that there are so many haters in the story which leads to the most glorious foundation of Christian faith in the Cross and Resurrection. I was reminded of C.S. Lewis' comment in Mere Christianity.

If Christianity was something we were making up, of course we could make it easier. But it is not. We cannot compete, in simplicity, with people who are inventing religions. How could we? We are dealing with Fact. Of course, anyone can be simple if he has not facts to bother with.

 We are called to adoration before the Easter facts.

Acorns

Opposite the Cambridge church (nicknamed St A's by the students) where I was minister 1980-1993, Emmanuel College has inscribed words to describe their past students: I have set an acorn which when it becomes an oak, God alone knows what will be the fruit thereof.  When the new minister, Simon Cragg, was inducted a couple of Saturdays ago at a full and joyous service he reproduced this quote with a picture of an acorn on the front of the printed service sheet.

I was thrilled that the church was jam packed for Simon's new beginning - in fact they had prepared 200 hot lunches for guests and found 320 stayed. Careful stewardship (!) fed everyone though several, like myself, were unable to stay.  

To my surprise it turned out that the acorn theme proved personally significant. Simon explained in his description of the steps leading to his call to pastor St A's that he had heard Michael Quicke (that mention jolted me!) when he was a child.  Apparently I preached a sermon that struck him as a 5 year old. When he was 15 years old he found a cassette recording (remember those?) of the same sermon in his father's collection. His re-listening led directly to his calling from God into ministry. Wow!  I had no idea that this happened and his father told me afterwards it was news to him.  Simon referred to the inscription, how he was an acorn planted in the church's past ministry and how he shares the vision of many acorns being planted to flourish in the future.

At the end of the service I was met by one of the former students who is now a local Baptist minister. 'You baptized me', he said. Right behind was another former student who told me he was now in Anglican ministry in a church not far away. Talking with them I heard of two more former members of the church who are now in ministry,  One of them remarked how these were all acorns planted in my time.  

We can never tell this side of heaven what God is doing in the lives of others but as you grow older it is one of the greatest encouragements to learn stories like this.