Patterns of Resilience

Our preacher today was The Ven Dr Justine Allain Chapman, Archdeacon of Boston in the diocese of Lincoln, UK.   She will draw this morning on the resilience shown by St Peter.  

Justine writes:

"Coping with change and the difficulties of life is something we can’t avoid if we are to live well and become more compassionate to ourselves and those we live amongst. Our spiritual resources can be deepened and shared with greater understanding and we can become wiser, more mature.

Resilience – coming through adversity strengthened - was the subject of my research into pastoral care and led to a doctorate and book, Resilient Pastors: the role of adversity in healing and growth (SPCK 2012) written when I was teaching ordinands and lay people as vice principal of the South East Institute for Theological Education in the UK. The research came out my experience of pastoral ministry as a curate and vicar in South London, as a Head of Religious Education in a multi-faith school in North London, and life itself.

Having shared the insights of the research at various clergy gatherings, and then developed them for quiet days and retreats I have gone on to write: The Resilient Disciple: a Lenten journey from adversity to maturity (SPCK 2018). 

Now, as archdeacon I am familiar with the challenges of life in the Church of England's parishes and draw on them, on themes of the desert, Leonard Cohen, the Japanese art of kintsugi and the life of St Peter as an example of a disciple who came through difficulty to live compassionately and courageously."

The texts she preached from were - Psalm  82; Amos7:7-17;  Col 1:1-14; John 21:15-22