Southwark in Derbyshire.

Around 350 Clergy from the Diocese of Southwark headed to St Pancras Station on Monday morning this week - under instruction by the Bishops to gather 'to the left of Platform 1' before boarding a specially chartered train to Alfreton, Derbys. 

The Southwark Diocese 'Hearts on Fire' Conference took place at Swanwick Conference Centre, beginning on Monday and ending today.


The week included morning Bible studies by Rev Esther Mombo, alongside a programme of talks including excellent and thought provoking ones from Rev Dr Mike Lloyd (Principal of Wycliffe Hall) and Rev Dr Sam Wells. Evening social activities included 'Strictly Come Southwark', a quiz, and a scratch performance of 'Joseph and his amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat' (I opted for watching a film...). There was also a very well attended meeting of the Southwark Diocesan Union, addressed by Rev Gary Jenkins.

The highlight for me was Mike Lloyd's talk on 'Confidence in our Mission', the basis of which was to point us to the love of God as the ultimate reality behind the universe and the answer to mankind's search for identity and value. 

'What the doctrine of the Trinity is asserting is that the ultimate fact about existence is a relationship. The ultimate reality is the love between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. So there is nothing so basic, so ultimate, or so surely founded and grounded as love.'

In a world that might be (rightly) suspicious about ideologies that make claims to ultimate truth, and fear how that can be used to exclude and exploit,  Mike reminded us from the Bible that the cross reveals the nature of that love as sacrificial and self-giving rather than domineering: Jesus gives himself up to death in order to win a victory over death. From 1 John:

9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

The greatest truth in the universe is that we are loved by God, and are called into relationship with him through Christ. In responding to the good news of Jesus we are drawn into that eternal relationship of love that exists between the Father, the Son and the Spirit. And then we experience the love of which all other love is a pale reflection. 

Mike peppered his talk with quotes from Monty Python, The Big Bang Theory, and this one from the fictional Rev Gerald Ambulance on explaining the Trinity:

How can God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit all be God, if there’s only one God? Look at it like this: once upon a time there were three little bunnies called Flopsy, Mopsy and Cottontail. One day a nasty man caught them and put them in a rabbit pie. They were still three rabbits, but only one pie. To put it in plain language that even a complete dur- brain could understand, the three persons of the triune Godhead are one in substance, but in three hypostases. If you have any further questions, don’t hesitate to ask someone else.’ 

The Theologwarts express has now returned to Southwark.