Events

 Sunday 6th July
10am Queens Road Unitarian Free Church, Urmston
11.30am Dunham Road Unitarian Chapel, Altrincham
11.30am on Zoom ID 841 9082 8195 no password required

Exploring a spiritual paradox about emptiness and fullness, that both are needed. Exploring the image of an overflowing cup. That this should be avoided in order to live spiritually alive and yet at the same time ought to be the goal of spiritual living. It really depends on what aspect of our humanity we are speaking of. That we need a still, a quiet and empty mind in order to be fully present in life. That said we also need a full heart, one filled to overflowing in order to live a spiritually active life. That we need a full heart, pour out our love. That such love is not at all finite. In fact it grows, the more that we pour it out. We will explore the fullness of emptiness.

All are most welcome...Come as you are, exactly as you are...but do not expect to leave in exactly the same condition...

The following is an extract from the service...

That evening I met with friends as I always do. As they were leaving one said he wanted a word with me. We spoke for a short while and then he presented me with a gift. It was another thank for something many years ago that has led to so many wonderful things. It is crafted from glass cup in the shape of a pile of books. It is of deep significance to him and countless others and I cannot begin to tell how much it meant to me.

I returned home in the beautiful summer sun and unpacked the gift. I didn’t at this moment know what it was going to be. As I picked a knife from the draw I must have put my keys down. I opened it up and was so moved I decided I wanted to take a picture and share with people. I though it would be better to go outside. I did and then returned home put my hands in my pocket and no keys were there. I had locked myself out. Thankfully I was able to call on an angel who let me into the chapel where there is a spare kit. I had to wait a while though and as I did I sat and talked with a friend who was still there, they had been talking with someone. It was a beautiful evening. I also took a video of the gift, so moved by it all, my heart full to bursting. I was also laughing at my gormless self. I shared it with friends, passing on the generosity.

I awoke on Monday morning and beautiful morning it was. I shared a gift of “Oh what a beautiful morning, oh what a beautiful day, I’ve got a beautiful feeling, everything’s going my way”. I added a little extra about even if it isn’t all going my way, it feels like. The truth is not everything is, but there is love and my heart feels filled with love. Perhaps a bit too filled it seems. I have noticed that the fuller the heart, the emptier the head. There are plusses and minuses to this. If your head is too empty then you can too easily find yourself locked out of your own house and this can be an inconvenience for you and others. Yes my heart was full, but my “gorm” was not.

The week off I had enjoyed had done me the world of good. The last 12 months have been very full, a near perfect example of the blessings and curses that come with “Choosing Life”, to paraphrase good old Moses. There has been professional fulfilment too, as I get increasingly involved in helping to shape and develop future ministry. There have been personal and professional challenges, including so much grief. It has felt like too much at times. My mind has felt filled to bursting at times and this has left my heart almost empty. It’s a strange feeling to be filled up to brim with life and yet at the same time to feel almost empty in my being at the same time. A very strange paradox indeed. I know I am not alone. We need to find stillness and not be too full in order to fully function in our own lives, to feel alive.

I am reminded of a story of a university professor who visited a Japanese master to inquire about Zen. The professor began to ask questions while the master just sat quietly, listening. After a while the master began to pour tea into the professor’s cup. The cup soon filled up, but the master did not stop pouring. The tea soon began to spill over on to the table. Initially the professor just sat there in stunned silence, he did not know what to do. Eventually he could take no more and shouted out “It’s overfull. No more will go in!” The master stopped pouring and simply said “Like this cup you are full of your own opinions and speculations. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”

It would appear that a full cup an overflowing cup is not such a great thing. Whether it is filled with things, or filled with fears.  Well certainly this is true when it comes to our minds and perhaps our responsibilities etc. 

That said the last few days have also reminded me of another image of an overflowing cup, that is a beautiful and vital thing.

The image comes the 23rd Psalm that we shared earlier. Here it is said that King David sings of God as a shepherd who will see him safely through the Valley of Death. “Thou prepares a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” In the psalm the overflowing cup is an excess of goodness, a symbol of abundance, a source of joy. In the story we heard earlier the jar could not be filled up, there was always room for something more. I believe that the same is true of love. Can you ever be too full of love?

I am reminded here of the gifts I was given, good “Pooh Bear” and that cup of love and knowledge, that my cup that will no doubt be filled and poured out many times. A cup I will drink from, as will many others.

Two cups of contrasting meaning; two cups overflowing: One depicting a mind that is too full and therefore unable to focus or learn something new; the other depicting a cup overflowing with love that will enable us to live full loving lives, despite the very real troubles present.