Belated reflections on St Stephen’s Day, which was yesterday. 26th December. Interestingly it fits in with, what I felt was a bad BBC drama, Vigil. In one episode the main character has been captured by suspected Middle Eastern terrorists and the British soldiers come with their drones to rescue her. It is only when someone looks up that there can be a positive identification made by facial recognition software. Someone facing downwards, side-wards or anyway other than directly up cannot be recognised.
Now here’s the verse from the story of Stephen that struck me. Do read the whole story if you don’t know it.
54 When the members of the Sanhedrin heard this, they were furious and gnashed their teeth at him. 55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”
Acts 7 54-56
Now I know God knows us all whether we look up at them or not [which actually those back viewing the drone footage knew everyone anyway] But with those viewing the drone footage they needed this full on head upwards facing the camera identification to either rescue or destroy.
After reading this passage about Stephen I wonder if God needs us to look up to be able to fully show us things. Interestingly if you walk with your head upright on your shoulders then your breathing and your digestion are improved. If your head is even down a little bit then this makes it harder for your body to digest or your lungs to work to their full capacity. But perhaps it is also easier to worship God if our heads our upwards.
I know heaven isn’t “up there” and hell “down there” but I do wonder if we look upwards as we go through life, whether walking, talking with friends, working, etc whether we connect with God more so.
I know that there is prostrating prayer, bowed down prayer, but how often do we encourage prayer with heads raised? Would Stephen have seen that amazing vision if he had bowed his head and accepted his lot?
I wonder if he lifted his head in defiance to the anger of the religious leaders. [For those who don’t know he then gets stoned to death] I don’t expect he did it to receive that vision. I do wonder, as I spend time with this story, if God blessed Stephen because he was bold enough to look upwards, to see the sun shining, to hear the birds singing, to graciously rather than fearfully accept his fate.
As 2023 ends and 2024 is coming I hope that I can lift my head more to God, to the wonder of my world, to the joy of being, and for the health of my body, and no longer allow the pessimism that can so easily engulf to drag my head downwards thus hindering my well-being.
Do you fancy giving it a go too???
mailing list. I started with “There have been four fantastic workshops over this past week …” and go on to talk about the new well-being one I’m doing at Llandudno Museum, the restart of the Memoirs one after it’s Easter break and the two that I am now doing at Gwrych Castle. But it got me thinking “what makes something a success?” and Why am I saying these workshops have been fantastic?
joining us next week from the previous set of workshops. At the Memoirs one the group are sharing details about their lives to each other and one came in with a brochure for another relating to something they spoke about a fortnight previous. Networks and friendships are being made.
So many of us have had to find our own roots and wings due to circumstances beyond our control, and often beyond our parent’s control. As I find my roots settling down deeper into the soil of North Wales, and especially this lovely little town, I feel my wings getting stronger. I am learning that to truly fly you do not have to travel the world but can stay in a small area but be truly free. But that is for a different blog 🙂 
8-900 pages long. So for the last month I suppose I have been hanging out with these characters and so I am missing them today. The trilogy is The Liveship Traders by Robin Hobb. Well worth giving a month to.
that pain it gives us resurrection. According to the Anglican and Catholic church calendars we are in that period between Easter and Pentecost and it is a time to reflect on resurrection. I was at a wedding of my dear friend who’s first husband committed suicide and during her talk the vicar said that this was my friend and her new husband’s resurrection time and that it was significant that they were marrying just after Easter. It’s true. She can now give her pain to Jesus, keep her memories of her first husband, but open up into the new life she has said yes to. And yes I weep through writing this because I have my own pain with it too. I can only give my own pain to Jesus again and again. I will still have the memories not only of the times when he was alive and the crazy things we all did together but also the memories of the fateful day and the aftermath of it. But they can be viewed as memories and a constant giving to Jesus of the pain.
we may view our childhood Christmases or the darkened ones where we may remember things with despair.
the deterioration in many of her friends and wonders if it will be their last Christmases together. So she does make a difference; she makes sure she turns out over the Christmas holidays to see them, puts it in her diary to visit more often, and most importantly is grateful that she is still fit and well and able to get about and prays that it will continue.
wrong in hoping for what might not happen but don’t let it make you overwhelmed by what will not be. Write what your perfect Christmas would be then even look at what things you can do to make that happen. Remember that you cannot make everyone cheerful but you can make sure you don’t let their grumps get you down. And if they do take yourself off and write about it.
Aspirational Adventures 