Oxford Christadelphians

29/10/2023

https://vimeo.com/877972069

This is "Welcome" by Oxford Christadelphians on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.

29/10/2023

Check out our new welcome video at:

Oxford Christadelphians We are a small, friendly church in Oxford. We welcome you to come and join us at any of our services. The services follow a simple pattern – prayers, songs and hymns, Bible readings, and a talk or a discussion. We have no priests or paid ministers. We organise our services ...

10/11/2021

Genesis Undone

In the ending, man really made a mess of the heavens and the earth. The earth was ordered and full of beauty, and light glistened on the surface of the seas. But the spirit of the world was straining to be released.

And man said, “Let us burn coal,” and they burned coal. And man saw the machines and the industry that they were enriching. Man called the combustion Productivity, and the pollution he called Progress. And there was evening and there was morning, the seventh-to-last day.

And man said, “Let us burn oil,” and they burned oil. And man saw the cars and the planes, that they were cool. Man called the transport Necessities, and the emissions he called Acceptable Risk. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth-to-last day.

And man said, “Let us burn gas,” and they burned gas. And man saw the power plants and the boilers, that they were cheap. Man called the heat they generated Comfort, and the electricity he called Convenient. And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth-to-last day.

And Man said, “Let us eat meat and dairy, from high yield industrialised farming practices, for cheap and frequent consumption.” And it was so. The forests were cut and burnt, yielding grassland for cattle and soya for animal feed, each according to a single kind. And man saw the meat, that it was plentiful. And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth-to-last day.

And man said, “Let there be new clothes in our shops every season. And let there be new gadgets to upgrade every six months. And let our products be made with built-in-obsolescence, and let us treat them as disposable in any case.” And it was so. And man made two great revenue outcomes – the greater revenue to shareholder profits and the lesser revenue to invest in future growth – and he made the billionaires also. And man saw the overconsumption that it was systemic. And there was evening and there was morning, the third-to-last day.

And man said, “Let us make some half-hearted efforts towards addressing the climate emergency and set long-term targets for future generations to meet.” And it was so. And man set up committees according to their kinds, and treaties according to their kinds, and reports according to their kind. And man saw their efforts that it was too little, too late. And man saw everything that he had made, and behold, he had made an awful mess. And there was evening and there was morning, the second-to-last day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were ruined, and all the host of them.

On the last day, God looked down in sorrow and in anger at all that had been done. And God arose from his Sabbath rest to reclaim the world he created and to remake all that had been undone.

05/11/2021

All nature has a feeling: woods, fields, brooks
Are life eternal: and in silence they
Speak happiness beyond the reach of books;
There's nothing mortal in them; their decay
Is the green life of change; to pass away
And come again in blooms revivified.
Its birth was heaven, eternal it its stay,
And with the sun and moon shall still abide
Beneath their day and night and heaven wide.

John Clare

03/11/2021

To See the Rabbit

by Alan Brownjohn

We are going to see the rabbit.
We are going to see the rabbit.
Which rabbit, people say?
Which rabbit, ask the children?
Which rabbit?
The only rabbit,
The only rabbit in England,
Sitting behind a barbed-wire fence
Under the floodlights, neon lights,
Sodium lights,
Nibbling grass
On the only patch of grass
In England, in England
(Except the grass by the hoardings
Which doesn't count).
We are going to see the rabbit
And we must be there on time.

First we shall go by escalator,
Then we shall go by underground,
And then we shall go by motorway,
And then by helicopterway,
And the last ten yards we shall have to go
On foot.

And now we are going
All the way to see the rabbit,
We are nearly there,
We are longing to see it,
And so is the crowd
Which is here in thousands
With mounted policemen
And big loudspeakers
And bands and banners,
And everyone has come a long way.

But soon we shall see it
Sitting and nibbling
The blades of grass
On the only patch of grass
In -- but something has gone wrong!
Why is everyone so angry,
Why is everyone jostling
And slanging and complaining?

The rabbit has gone,
Yes, the rabbit has gone.
He has actually burrowed down into the earth
And made himself a warren, under the earth,
Despite all these people,
And what shall we do?
What can we do?

It is all a pity, you must be disappointed,
Go home and do something else for today,
Go home again, go home for today.
For you cannot hear the rabbit, under the earth,
Remarking rather sadly to himself, by himself,
As he rests in his warren, under the earth:
"It won't be long, they are bound to come,
They are bound to come and find me, even here."

,

02/11/2021

What can we do about the climate emergency? Our third and final video with some practical tips on reducing our carbon footprint.

01/11/2021

What can we do about the climate emergency? The second of three shorts videos about changes we can all make to our lifestyles to combat climate change. This time, transport.

31/10/2021

What can we do about the Climate Emergency? With COP26, we are thinking about the environment and praying for world leaders as they choose between national self-interest and global well-being. This is the first of three short videos about simple changes we can make to our lifestyles that could have a significant impact on the environment.

28/03/2021

You and me do not agree.
Now how can that be so?
When the truth is so obvious,
how can you not know?

It must be cos you're wicked,
your heart as black as sin.
You choose your truths to suit your views,
and the desires within.

I cannot deny that in the past
I changed my mind – it’s true.
But now my views are fixed like iron,
That nothing can undo.

I suppose I might change mind again;
it’s possible I guess.
But if I do, it will be for the best of reasons,
the best arguments - no less.

Well, okay, my past self was wrong,
his views differ now from mine.
My future self might differ too,
and say I crossed a line.

But the difference is my motives!
Pure of heart and mind, my take.
When you are wrong, you're wrong on purpose;
I err only by mistake.

I know you say you're well intentioned,
that you mean the best, like me.
But on the subject of your motives,
you and me do not agree.