Movement 123

jim cotter on
language, stories,
relationships, belief
and spirituality
more than enough?
ties and
binds
It was a dubious argument. Even then I could see through it. Those gallons of wine
at the wedding feast in Cana. fesus knew what he was doing, you see, because it was
really grape juice. So ran the ancient PowerPoint presentation for total abstinence in
the local Methodist church of my youth. Ah well, excess has always been troubling to
the Puritan soul.
Life in abundance, maybe. But surely not that abundant?
What a waste. All that food could be sent to
stave off starvation. What a waste. All that perfumed
oil for massaging feet and anointing heads:
the money could have been given to the poor. Cenerous
of her, no doubt, but over the top and, well,
l've seen her in hysterical mood before.
And where on earth - or perhaps where in heaven's
name - did those twelve basketfuls of leftovers
come from? And who carried them away?
when in doubt,
err on the side of
generosity
Do such extravagances startle you into asking, 'How generous am l?'As I write this l'm
about to go to Australia and New Zealand for a couple of months (speaking tour or a
series of gigs depending on who asks) and the community in Ceelong with whom l'm
to be based say: when in doubt, err on the side of generosity.
There's that deadline to meet. So spend twice as much time as you can afford with that
friend in need. There's that charity to support. Double the amount you first thought of.
And no, I don't always. Prudence clocks in. But I reckon it's a good direction for a spirited
life. (Better than 'spiritual', don't you think?)
Of course it's embarrassing to receive, with all this excess. I don't deserve it. You can't
afford it. I must repay you sometime.
But we're in the domain of gifts and graces. lt's more 'Pour mercy upon us' than 'Have
mercy upon us.' And 'mercy' has the same roots as 'mercantile' and 'merci'. lt's best
understood as an exchange of gifts from which both parties benefit.
It's the sheer exuberance and fertility of the universe that is so amazing. There's that damson
tree that nearly snapped one year under the weight of an exceptionally abundant
crop of fruit. There's that outpouring of compassion and money after an earthquake. I
could go on. Easy to get carried away once you see the point.
The Spirit is a life-giving, love-making presence connecting us.The unpredictable happens,
something we can't make happen and something we don't understand. And it has
nothing to do with virtue and deserts. But without it we are but a tenth alive. Dance your
gratitude in the communion of the Holy Spirit. Jump for joy and make the Millennium
Bridge wobble again.
Slightly more formally to end with, from two of my life's mentors. The first is from JohnV
Taylor: 'You cpnnot be alive towards Cod unless you are alive towards everything else,
all the glory and all the pain and all the people.'
And from a Sister of the Love of God, a contemplative community in Oxford, beloved
Jane who died some years ago, writing to a friend, and perhaps hinting in dark times at
a reality that is not far away but which you can't quite touch at the moment: '...1 have
found something that can't "come and go" with my feelings. And that is the fact of
having glimpsed the mind-blowing love of Cod as shown in Jesus Christ. The glimpse
is "mine to keep". lt may be delusion; it may not do me a shred of good; but it's worth
dying and even living for, I think.'I
.h..-
,s,
d
Want to ask Jim a
question, or comment
on the column? Go to
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org.ulvforum
Jim Cotter runs Cairns Publications,
an independent Christian imprint
publishing collections of poems,
ptayers and reflections. He has also
set up Small Pilgrim Places, a small
but growing network across the
UK.They seek to turn small chapels
and churches, as well as crypts and
chapels in larger churches, into
'small pilgrim places' - spaces for
ret reat, reflecti on a nd pi I gr i mage,
held together by common values.
They will be places for prayer,
quiet and conversation, providing
a welcome for searchers, seekers
and those rejected or marginalised
by the churches.You can join the
network and receive updates on
their activities at the website:
www. cottercai r n s.co. u k
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