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The CHRISTIAN Comment
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The fantastical Alice in Wonderland returns to the cinema screen this month and will no doubt dazzle young and old with its pantomime characters, its riddles and animals engaging in human activities. What began as a story to entertain young Alice Liddell, as she rowed along the Thames over a century ago, has now acquired an almost cult-like status. Described as nonsensical it manages to call into question grand statements that oppress and deny all but the powerful.
Though we may not care to admit it, perhaps there’s an element of each character present in all of us - though hopefully not quite so exaggerated! During Lent as we re-examine our lives do we identify our controlling Queen of Heart tendencies, wanting to ‘paint all the flowers red’ or perhaps the White Rabbit always being late rings true. To be the Wise Caterpillar would be a good aim… a tiring notion for the narcoleptic Dormouse. Or the Cheshire Cat, frightening and yet delightfully courteous and helpful, and despite his ‘comings and goings’, the grin remains.
Then there is the main character Alice…persistent, strong-minded, curious, tenacious, a natural risk-taker, independent…counter-cultural in the Victorian world where children are seen and not heard. No wonder the Queen of hearts wants to chop off Alice’s head!
Making a stand always carries an element of risk - and yet it is the path of the Christian disciple - so perhaps as we search our souls this Lent and accept our idiosyncrasies we may also find our ‘Alice’. And that ‘Alice’ may be just what is needed to challenge today’s oppressive features of our culture, just as Jesus did in his time.
Not so nonsensical after all!
Shirley Knibbs
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This is the time of year when you expect to see snowdrops making an appearance - even around Halifax in (hopefully) the closing days of a winter that seems reluctant to depart. In the most bone chilling of winds these little flowers stand as the first sign of spring coming.
Jesus left us no recorded thoughts about snowdrops, let alone a parable. He did speak of himself as the true vine with his disciples able to bear much fruit if they remained in him. If they did not remain in him, they would be like a branch that is thrown away, withered, unfruitful and fit for burning, Such words might seem off- putting to some, puzzling to others. How do you assess how much a disciple has produced?
The snowdrop might give us a clue. Year after year it flowers vulnerable to the battering of wind and frost. It is only a small sign of changes to come and some people may give it little thought, but it has a life that will not be denied expression. Its apparent weakness is deceptive.
In the same way Jesus’ followers today are to be signs of a better, more joyful world to come. They are as frail and fallible as any other humans, but can still show kindness in a world with much indifference; care for those from different backgrounds in the midst of conflict; and hope when there are many reasons for despair or discouragement. None of these may seem substantial or powerful compared to the reality and magnitude of the problems of the world. Such attitudes need disciples who are well grounded in their faith, if they are to cope with all the tests and questions that the world may throw at them.
Jesus offers us the vision of a world more different from what we know than spring or summer is from winter. If we trust in him day by day, then perhaps we can live like snowdrops, pointers to a different world that cannot be suppressed.
Patrick Taylor
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Last night the snow fell again and this morning Scarborough once more resembles a winter wonderland. Silently, peacefully and, it is beginning to feel almost relentlessly, the snow fell and changed the landscape with its beautiful white embrace. For many people the snow has been a thrilling experience, a wonder of creation and a source of great fun but for others it has been disruptive and we have all had to change our plans and our routines in response to its presence. That it fell over the Christmas period was also a great joy for the anticipation of a White Christmas is now very much part of our seasonal celebrations. Soon the snow will pass and its beauty and its inconvenience will become a memory and our task is now to ensure that the message of Christmas doesn’t disappear as quickly!
Like the snow Christ comes silently and peacefully and dwells among us. This truth is thrilling, a wonder of God and a source of great joy but it is also disruptive and the message of Christmas challenges us to change our plans and our routines in response to Christ’s presence. This has been the subject of our worship at St Andrew’s throughout January as we look to the year that lies ahead. In February I will have been part of this faith community for a year and it has been a good year. St Andrew’s is a relatively small congregation who inhabit a building that is a Scarborough landmark. What is truly wonderful about this community is their willingness to embrace the challenge of the Gospel, their enthusiasm for the work of the kingdom and their trust that God is with them. As we have moved away from the manger we have explored what it is about Christ’s presence that enables us to face the new challenges and opportunities that our journey together will reveal.
So whilst the snow lasts we will try and enjoy it just as we have enjoyed Christmas and the celebrations that it brought but when the snow has gone we know that we will have much to do as we keep the essence of the Gospel at the heart of our community life. 2010 fills me with great excitement I think it will be a thrilling experience and a source of great fun as we are challenged with the Gospel.
Jason McCullagh
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Mission comes in many different forms and I would like to tell you about two forms of ministry that are taking place at Bilton and Knaresborough United Reformed Churches.
Samaritan's Purse runs a project called Operation Christmas Child (OCC) which Bilton URC is committed to. The aim is to send a message of love to children around the world with the power of a simple gift. Bilton URC became involved for the first time in 2007. As a church we collected over 120 boxes. In 2008/2009 we printed flyers which we distributed to our friends and church neighbours. We also registered as an OCC collection point and this year over 180 boxes were collected from us to go to a distribution point.
In 2008 approx 125,000 boxes went from our region to countries like Belarus, Serbia and Bosnia. OCC has really caught the imagination of our members. Some start collecting as early as the January sales!
Each box contains gifts which are educational and fun and there is a choice of male or female and two age groups. The boxes, which our members fill, usually contain as standard: a hat and gloves, notebook, pencils. eraser, pencil sharpener, coloured pencils/crayons, toothbrush + paste, flannel, a toy and sweets. Items are given as a Harvest Festival gift and last year we had a Jumble Sale and raised £180 toward the £2.50 shipping cost for each box.
Members come together and work as a team to fill the boxes. It's great fun and has a 'feel good' effect. We also hope to involve more of our neighbourhood by posting the flyers. This year approximately 40 boxes came from non-church people. We want our community to see that we are an involved church locally and internationally.
Bilton URC is planning to start a ‘Messy Church’ programme this year.
After a lot of pray, planning and preparation Knaresborough United Reformed Church (KURC) held its first summer Holiday Club in 2009 called ‘Rockies Plaice.’ Rockies Plaice is a fish and chip Restaurant set below the Upper Room in Jerusalem. Through the week the children were introduced to the early disciples through the marvellous acting of the Holiday Club Staff. The Synod was very supportive of this mission venture for which we say “thank you.”
No-one at KURC had previous involvement in a Holiday Club. After all the preparation and as time drew near to the door opening on that first Monday morning we wondered if anyone would turn up. “Oh ye of little faith!”
On the first morning we had 79 young primary school age children in the morning and 34 older primary school age children in the afternoon. The attendance for children of both ages rose on Tuesday and we levelled out in the mid 70’s by Friday for the morning children and dropped slightly for the older children in the afternoon. The staff of thirty eight people, from teenagers to pensioners from KURC, ‘worked their socks off’ all week. It was a “grand time” and what was amazing is that the majority of children were from non-church families.
Each parent/Carer at the end of the week was handed a form by which to critique the Holiday Club. Here are some of the comments: ‘Excellent - truly exciting and memorable,’ ‘Confident my children are safe, well looked after and having loads of fun’ ‘My child finds it hard to separate in new situations but not at Rocky’s Plaice - a real breakthrough,’ ‘brilliant that it was free, you could certainly give a donation - all the effort, time and creativity that went into it - it wouldn’t come cheap’ ‘Fantastically welcoming atmosphere we have been greeted with every morning.’ KURC are now planning the 2010 Holiday Club with the hope that Bilton will host one in 2011.
Since Holiday Club last year, a monthly Kids Club has started keeping the continuity summer Holiday Club. We average around forty children each Saturday. Both Churches are committed to mission and they praise God for what he is doing through them.
God bless
Revd Bob Jones.
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O little town
Bethlehem
David’s city.
Crowds gathered
To be counted,
Drinking and making merry.
The inns are full,
Not a bed to be had.
A good profit for the
Landlords, no doubt.
All those people
Ambivalent to what was
Happening in a stable
Behind an inn.
An everlasting light
Shines in the dark streets,
Unseen, unrecognised,
A light proclaiming a
Royal birth,
Goodwill and peace on earth.
No pomp and ceremony
Instead silently, how silently
The wondrous gift is given.
Given for all in this world of sin.
We hear the glad tidings,
Enter our lives
Holy child of Bethlehem
Be born in us today,
Cast out our sins,
Abide with us
Our Lord Emmanuel.
Nick Percival
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At this time of the year we are bombarded and smothered by the Christmas Event as given to us in the media, in the shops and on the high streets. Our churches are busy too doing all those things that we feel that we have to do in these four weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Members of our congregations have haggard looks, and some even look weary. The endless round of carol services, christingle services, nativity services and the like. And even the well-known carols seem to lose their edge, especially when they are sung as a matter of duty.
So it is refreshing when you glimpse a sight of the Gospel in a place you might not usually look. Two highlights for me in this Advent season have been a visit to the cinema, and an evening’s concert. The Film was “Nativity”, with a very good cast including Martin Freeman, Ashley Jensen from “Ugly Betty” and the comedian Alan Carr. If you are a primary school teacher you will love it - or perhaps squirm with embarrassment. A good film to take your kids to and the real message of Christmas is in there too!
The concert was by the folk singer Kate Rusby. Along with her current band, and some very talented brass players, she sang some beautiful carols from the South Yorkshire tradition. They were fresh and powerful, and you felt a sense of worship even though you were in Penistone Paramount Theatre!
For many people Christmas is about eating and drinking to excess, and getting the latest this and that. We say it every year, but the real meaning of Christmas is lost on most people. We celebrate God’s gift to the world of Jesus - but he should not remain a helpless baby in our eyes. His life and ministry were to do with building good and loving relationships one with another, and thus getting closer to the Kingdom of God. If we remember that this Christmas, Jesus becomes a real gift to us, our neighbour and the world.
Simon Swailes
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Christmas is a busy time for us all. There are cards to write, food and presents to buy, friends and family to visit, the decorations to put up … not to mention special services to come to and carols to sing. The shops are full of Christmas goodies, the doormat is littered with gift catalogues, there are regular TV adverts for party dresses and festive fare and magazines telling you how to cook a stress-free Christmas Dinner - and then how to lose the weight you put on eating it! It all seems a long way from a young Jewish woman giving birth in Bethlehem …
So here is my recipe for a stress-free Christmas dinner this year:
Starter: John 1: 1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”. Christmas is God’s gift to us, so if you don’t think God would be worried about you forgetting the sprouts, then you don’t have to worry about it either!
Turkey: As Americans eat turkey at Thanksgiving, why not take it as a reminder to give thanks for God’s gift to us of his Son, born as one of us to give his life for us?
Christmas pudding: flaming with brandy and covered in brandy butter - the flames of the Spirit!
Nuts and dates: fruits of the earth - our call is to live fruitfully for Christ.
Mince pies: originally made in an oval shape to represent the manger Jesus slept in as a baby, the top representing his swaddling clothes.
Family and friends: Christ had visitors (shepherds and wise people), so enjoy yours.
Green and red: the colours of the season [poinsettia and holly] signify growth and blood. They remind us that Christ’s death on the cross is as much part of the Christmas story as the wise men and angels, and that Christmas is part of our continuing journey of faith and growth as God’s people.
Love, joy and peace: Jesus is the reason for the season - may God’s gift of love, the Prince of Peace, fill your hearts with joy this Christmas.
God bless and happy Christmas,
Stella Hayton
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The other day I went into a newsagent's shop looking for Christmas cards. There were banks of them, of course, covered with robins and holly and Christmas puddings, Santa Clauses by the score, and even inebriated monks! But not a single card preserved the memory that Christmas has something to do with the birth of a child. The wonderful, haunting stories told by Matthew and Luke might never have been penned. There were no stables, no kings, no shepherds, no stars, no Bethlehems. It's true there were occasional angels, but they had been turned into caricatures, cartoon fairies with tinsel haloes. The great, solemn, joyful theme of the Nativity was lost completely.
Surely we cannot be content with such a travesty, such a deprivation. Take Christ out of Christmas and the whole thing degenerates into a sordid 'celebration' of vulgarity and greed! Yet...the world is hungry, not for the festive board laden with 'goodies' but for the story of a child and all that story means of the coming of God into his world. According to St. Matthew, the birth of that child fulfills an ancient and mysterious promise - the promise of One who would be called 'Immanuel', 'God with us'. This truth, of course, is what must undergird our celebration of 'Christ's Mass', the Feast of the Nativity.
But this is a God who comes to us not in power and glory but in all the weakness and vulnerability of a baby...and there are many who find that a stumbling-block. It means, you see, that we have to re-think all that we ever thought we knew about God, and that can be a most uncomfortable, disturbing thought.
We thought that God was supposed to be in control, but, in the Child of Bethlehem, he took the ultimnate risk of putting himself into our hands, into our power. But then, that is love's nature, to risk everything for the beloved. And it was a risk. In the beginning Herod tried to kill him and failed, but, at last, although it took another thirty years, we 'nailed' him - literally - to a cross.
Christmas, above all else, is a celebration of love. However, it is not complete in itself. From Bethlehem we must, in the end, move on to Jerusalem. From the manger we must move to the cross...for they are of a piece, they belong together. There isn't a 'Christmas Gospel' and an 'Easter Gospel' - somehow separate - but one Gospel of the love of God made known in Christ.
Rev. Anthony Gardiner (The Bridge Church, Otley)
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My old man said "Follow the van,
And don't dilly dally on the way".
Off went the van wiv me 'ome packed in it,
I followed on wiv me old cock linnet
So there I was surrounded by all my belongings in boxes and watched them being loaded onto the removal van. No flitting by night for me. No worries about the rent being paid as had the original writer , hence the quick flit. Indeed most things fit in the van so I wasn’t even obliged to walk with the linnet. No, this was a planned move and oh dear did I need several tens of boxes.
I am reliably informed by Wikipedia that this song appears in the Sega Master System version of Lemmings, making its first appearance in the 17th level rated "Fun". Never got that far myself.
I know that moving house appears in the top five stress level list and I certainly didn’t call it fun. Just why the lemmings keep on moving is not quite clear.
In the process of packing I had to get rid of accumulated ‘stuff’ of all shapes and sizes. Memories came flooding back not least because when mum died a couple of years ago I had accumulated some of her stuff. Mother-in-law died earlier this year and another accumulation of stuff.
There’s that old question of what would you save from a burning house?- I’m not sure I could make an instant decision even now that at this precise moment I know where most of my belongings are. Then I think of those who live in much simpler ways than I do, without many possessions and think especially of those who are overcome by natural disasters and have all their belongings swept away.
Jesus told us not to worry about possessions, to sell them and then to be like the birds of the air worrying only about food for the day. Aah if only… then there would be no need for all these boxes of books, clothes, pictures, gadgets etc etc. Perhaps if I did just that then moving next time might be so much easier. Not that I am planning on that for a good while yet.
Sue Macbeth
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What’s the worst bit of the Bible? A survey published recently listed what some people thought were the “worst” bits. Among the ten listed were things like whole nations being wiped out, wives being subject to their husbands, the horrendous - ‘babies being smashed against rocks,’ and this one, which was voted the worst of all:
"I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man; she must be silent."
These words were written by St Paul in one of his letters to Timothy (1 Timothy 2:12). Difficult to know exactly why they came out as worst, though they have been, and still are in some places, used to repress and hold back women from leadership. But probably the original reasoning behind the words was not to treat women as second class, but that the world into which the early church was expanding would have found the idea of a Christian congregation being taught and led by a woman almost unthinkable.
But what intrigued me was that each of the ten “worst” bits of the Bible looked very different when you looked below the surface. They only seemed “worst” because people were being very literalist about them or not attempting to understand their context.
Take those terrible words that come at the end of Psalm 137- “Happy is the man who ... takes your babies and smashes them against a rock.” How could words like that possibly get into and be allowed to stay in the Bible? But when you look at the story behind the words you quickly realize these are deeply traumatized people who have seen their own children brutally murdered and who are now powerless except to scream at God and cry out for justice. We might have felt the same.
But there’s lots more good news than bad, and we need to keep the difficult bits in perspective. We need to bring in the ‘Jesus factor’ and discover the difference he makes not only to understanding the Bible but to our lives today. There are answers here for those who will stay and look for them.
Malcolm Hanson
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I always approach Tavistock House with trepidation because no sooner are you through the door than on your left is a bookshop and my feet automatically lead me to shelves full of the most fascinating titles. I scan one or two books and realise that they are exactly what I have always needed and that they will be fantastically useful in the future. Will I never learn? The bookshelves at home are full and the books I bought last time are still on the soon-to-read pile. I have actually heard of people putting books on their shelves two deep: how do they know what they have got behind the front row?
And this is where I must confess that I have the same problem with my Bible. Its not that I don’t open it although there are people, I’ve heard, who own a Bible and have never opened it. My problem is I’m too busy. I look at my Bible to find out what the lessons are for next week or to find a passage which can be used to open a meeting. I open my Bible to prepare Bible studies each week but I never really read it for pleasure. There are so many corners, so many books, so many messages that I have missed. It’s as if they are on the soon-to-be-read pile which I’ll get round to when I have time.
I remember the publication of the New English Bible New Testament in 1961 so well. I ordered it from a bookshop in town and when I went to collect it I sat in my car and read passages which I understood for the first time. Tears ran down my cheeks as the gospel became clearer and I just wanted to sit there and read it from one end to the other. I can still sense the feeling I had that day and I want to open my Bible and feel the same today. Join with me in praying that we can make the time to reread our Bibles with fresh eyes and that we allow it to excite us again to the possibilities it presents.
Roderick Garthwaite
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"There'll be bluebirds over the white cliffs of Dover tomorrow, just you wait and see…”
Well do I remember as a child listening to the wireless - yes, this was in the days before we had ‘radios’ let alone television - and hearing Vera Lynn, the "Forces Sweetheart" singing this most popular song of the time.
Now once again the voice of Vera Lynn can be heard floating over our airways singing that same World War II song that made her so famous.
In June 1940 British and French soldiers were evacuated from Dunkirk and the French surrendered to Nazi Germany. During the summer and autumn of 1940, fierce battles were fought over the cliffs of Dover by British and German aircraft in the Battle of Britain - the largest and most sustained aerial bombing campaign by the Luftwaffe so far. By 1941 Nazi Germany had overrun much of Europe, and Britain continued to be bombed.
The British peoples’ spirits were at rock bottom. The “White Cliffs of Dover” was written in 1941 before America had joined the war by two Americans, Walter Kent and Nat Burton, to uplift the spirits of the Allies. Using a "Bluebird of Happiness" as a symbol of cheer, the lyrics of the song looked toward a time when the war would be over and peace would rule over those iconic white cliffs of Dover.
A Burma Star veteran was being interviewed on the radio last week about what this song meant to him, and many like him, when they heard it all those years ago.
“It gave us hope”, he said. “If you’ve got hope in your life, you’ve got life”.
That could well be a strapline for our Christian faith - “when you’ve got hope in your life, you’ve got life” - for our hope lies in Jesus Christ, and the promise of new life through his death and resurrection.
We too have our “symbol of cheer” - the cross - the symbol of our hope and our promise of new life in Jesus.
So when you are feeling low and cast down by personal difficulties, national calamities or global uncetainties, remember our “symbol of cheer” and the hope we have in Jesus, for as Paul wrote “… hope does not disapoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 4 : 5).
If you want to know more about that hope in Jesus Christ, call in at a church near you.
Rod Morrison
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I write this hard on the heels of a busy September with its round of meetings that always seem to be programmed in at this time of year. In them this question has often cropped up: “What is our mission?” People have used various words such as evangelism, outreach, community building and mission as they have sought to define what their church or churches together should be doing to respond to the Good News of Jesus Christ. In one ecumenical meeting when there was such a variety of responses a request went out for an official definition of “mission”.
My summer reading has included a book by Susan Hope: “mission-shaped spirituality - the transforming power of mission” (published by Church House Publishing, 2006). This is a very useful book in which Susan reflects on the inner resources and attitudes of mind required to engage in mission today. Susan offers her personal experiences and many examples from others to illustrate how different churches are doing “mission” in fresh and relevant ways.
She starts from a broad definition of “mission”:
“God’s missionary purposes are cosmic in scope, concerned with the restoration of all things, the establishment of shalom, the renewal of creation and the coming of the kingdom as well as the redemption of fallen humanity and the building of the Church” ( taken from “Mission-shaped Church”, by Church of England Mission and Public Affairs Council, Church House Publishing, 2004, page 85)
We are given glimpses of the types of spirituality (“life lived towards God”) and openness to the prompting of the Holy Spirit which are motivating Christians into mission and evangelism (and where evangelism is “that set of intentional activities which is governed by the goal of initiating people into the kingdom of God”).
Susan contends the church must move from a “come” to a “go” way of mission. We cannot expect people to come to us. We must go to them - empowered by God’s Spirit - to share and live a life of love in Christ Jesus. It is important to have a daily spiritual rhythm and a balance between the worship offered up to God - the preparation to carry God’s presence (done in community with other Christians) - and then the going out into the busy world. The homecoming, reporting back, accountability and celebration on returning from mission, and the time for reflection and resting, are essential to sustain the mission and enable us to “keep-on-keeping-on” announcing the Good News. Is this your mission too? Then reading this book by Susan Hope could play a part in your achieving it.
Geoff Ellis
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“Was Jesus alive before he was born?”. This was the question which my 6 year old granddaughter asked as we were driving up a slip road from the M1. As I concentrate on negotiating the roundabout, I knew that there also needed to be a response - 6 year olds don’t ask profound questions for the sake of it, they really want to know. There followed a conversation, the result of which was that we both agreed that it was difficult to understand!
About a week later I was in conversation with two men at Corus Engineering Steels. One of these two often enjoys the challenge of a discussion with the chaplain about the Christian view of matters prominent in the news. Neither of the two men would profess to be Christians, certainly not practicing ones, and both have sons in the forces, serving in Afghanistan. They were concerned, not so much about their sons but about the awful stories which they said they often couldn’t read fully about the families and particularly children, living in Afghanistan. Our discussion ranged over familiar ground of the rights and wrongs of war and the way humans treat each other and God’s part in all that. I never come away from those conversations without having my faith challenged and my understanding deepened.
A few days later again and I was in discussion with a small group of Christians from a variety of denominations. One lady was stridently positing the view that ‘we’ needed to teach ‘them’ about right and wrong and about God. The ‘them’ she was referring to included children, young people and those outside the church. When I gently suggested that maybe ‘they’ could teach us a thing or two I don’t think she was too impressed but arrogance is not part of the Christian calling and God speaks to us from all sorts of places and through all sorts of people. The first disciples were illiterate fisherman and lowly tax collectors - not those the priests, scribes and Pharisees would have expected to be able to share God’s wisdom. From the stories Jesus told, we know that he use the ordinary daily events of people’s lives to help his followers understand his message, he also reminded those around him of the need to become like little children even if we sometimes find the questions children ask take us well beyond our comfort zone!
We all need to be prepared to hear God speak to us from the most unlikely and surprising places - let’s listen for what he has to say.
Val Morrison
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On several occasions, we’re told, the Pharisees tried to outwit Jesus with tricky questions about the law. In Mark chapter 10 the subject is ‘divorce’ - under what circumstances can it be allowed? Moses allowed it on easy terms, it seems, but Jesus assumes life-long monogamy as the rule, “till death do us part” as we say.
Incompatibility or unreasonable behaviour is not enough ground for divorce. Even cruelty and adultery do not suffice. Any who divorce their partners and marry others are committing adultery. Man must not separate what God has joined.
Matthew, however, in his account of this conversation (ch.19), manages to elicit one justification for divorce: adultery, but then, according to the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. Ch. 5v28) those who even look on another, with lust, are committing adultery in their hearts, and hearts are where it counts with God!
Do you know of anyone who is not condemned by this ruling? If all are guilty of adultery, in their hearts, then all divorces are justified.
Obedience to the ‘law’ saves no one (Paul said it), but what is impossible for human obedience is possible for God’s grace (Jesus said it). Those trying to catch-out Jesus will need to be born again if they are to understand him. God can forgive unreasonable behaviour and cruelty and adultery. These sins will not divorce God from us because he loves us enough to suffer rejection and murder at our hands without saying, “I don’t love you any more”.
But is that kind of loving possible for us? Or do we still need a Moses (or a parliament) to draft laws for the hardness of our hearts?
David Megson
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‘I lift up my eyes to the hills; from where is my help to come? My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.’ Psalm 121.
Hills hold special places in Jewish and Christian history in the Bible. Jesus taught, preached, prayed, was arrested and crucified on hills. Cities, including Jerusalem and its temple, were built on hills. And Jewish pilgrims travelled there to celebrate great religious festivals.
Unlike our services, these festivals, or seasons of worship, lasted several days. Singing as they ascended to the ‘City of God’ reflected their excitement. (It was in imitation of the Old Testament people that Reformed Churches, until recently, did not hold a Communion Sunday, but a Communion Season, including visits by elders to peoples’ homes). Israelites were celebrating not just by singing hymns of praise, but to sacrifice in an act that taught them that sacrifice is at the very heart of God (revealed later in Jesus).
Pilgrims were met at the gate of the Temple by elders who welcomed them in the name of the Lord, as they handed over their sacrifices to the priest for safe keeping.
The familiar words of Psalm 121 were recited, as one of the group was invited to say; ‘I lift up my eyes to the hills, is this where my help comes from?’ (Pagan gods were worshipped and offered sacrifices on hills too). An elder then prompted the group to reply: ‘No! My help comes from the Lord’, who actually made these hills, and looks after us as a shepherd looks after his sheep. The Lord is our keeper, who will keep us from all evil and will keep our life, even into eternity.’
When we ‘lift our eyes to the hills’ from where does our help come? From the many gods worshipped today?
Or, as the Psalmist confidently responds, from the One who created us and this amazing world and everything in it - in love, for love; trusting us to love and preserve it too?
Denise Megson
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Anyone looking for a relaxing autumn holiday might consider a week on Rupert Murdoch’s 56-metre luxury yacht ‘Rosehearty’. It can accommodate 10 guests and can be hired for either the Mediterranean or the Caribbean (full crew provided) for just £181,000. If this seems just a little too much for your pocket, what about Richard Branson’s private island, Necker, in the British Virgin Islands (where else?). It can cater for 28 people at only £30,000 a night but with a minimum stay of 5 nights. I came across these details in a newspaper a week or two ago, so turning the page quickly with a wry smile, my eyes met a headline “Too poor to pay - so young mothers and babies are locked up in hospital”. As a poor mother from the slums of Nairobi, Kenya, Monica knew that gaining admission to a maternity hospital would be difficult. Leaving was to prove much harder. She was referred as an emergency case 3 weeks overdue to the largest maternity facility in East Africa, Nairobi’s Pumwani hospital, where she gave birth to a healthy boy weighing 8lbs 5oz. However as she was unable to pay the delivery fee of £27, the hospital refused to discharge her. She was sent to a special detention ward housing 42 other new mothers and their babies where she was told she would be kept until she or someone else paid the daily-increasing fee. (Source - The Guardian 14.08.09)
Such accounts of filthy richness (a politician’s phrase) and desperate poverty sitting side by side raised in my mind whether this was a political matter or a religious one (remember that we are often told that the two should never be mixed). I must leave it to the politicians to argue their case but for me this is very much a religious issue, calling for a wave of righteous anger at the injustice and inhumanity featured here, especially as many other examples of gross inequality and unfairness abound in our world. Jesus Christ had strong words to say against those who were happy with their material wealth and kind words of comfort for those at the other extreme. Perhaps our own thoughts and words should follow suit.
Barry Parker
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In my morning devotions today I came across a piece about Kevin (the 5th century hermit not the moderator…… although…..). The story is told that as he knelt in prayer a blackbird built a nest in his open hands and, so they say, he remained perfectly still till the eggs hatched and chicks fledged.
A nonsense? A pretty picture? or a deep truth?
Maybe, like me, you know the painfully, breathholding, excitement of watching creation’s splendour right under your nose? I was an ordinand on retreat at Launde Abbey in the early summer when we were sent out to BE STILL in the extensive grounds of the abbey. I walked off through the trees up onto a more open slope and stopped by an old tree stump. I have no idea how long I stood before I was aware, out of the corner of my eye, of a small pair of ears twitching just above ground level. And as I stood, rooted, 3 baby rabbits, who knew no better, came out to play and feed and sun themselves within inches of my feet. My memory says I stayed till they took themselves back underground and never knew I’d watched, but maybe an adult rabbit warned them or I moved and spoilt it, I don’t know but by the time I got back an afternoon had disappeared in an instant - and I’d missed the abbey’s legendary afternoon tea and cake!
But actually what struck me about Kevin’s story was a thought about ministry in the church, any ministry in the church, about holding and praying and waiting, about being still and being a place and a person where God can perform for others His miracle of life and growth, being almost invisible yet absolutely indispensable.
A nonsense? A pretty picture? or a deep truth? Play with it for a while….. pray with it for a while…. BE STILL.
Alison Termie
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Have you ever been to Land’s End, Cornwall, England? If you have then you’ll recognise the signpost above. The ‘arms’ of the signpost are all pointing in different directions and to different places.
There’s one telling you that you are 3,147 miles from New York, and another that you are 874 miles from John O’ Groats in Caithness, and another that you are 231 miles from Southampton and a few others.
Now it’s a long time since I have been there, but I don’t recall Leeds or Guernsey getting a mention…not that that would be a problem.
Jane Anne, my wife, and myself have just returned from the Island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. We found it to be a very welcoming place, the people were so friendly and life moves at a slower pace there, than we are used to in Leeds, it was a perfect place to relax and unwind.
The question we were continually asked as we met people was not ‘Where are you going?’ but ‘Where do you come from?’ They wanted to know where our home was. Psalm 90 begins with a beautiful description of God: Lord, you have always been our home.
Of course there is no signpost pointing us in the direction of God, that is unless you think of your church and its people as a sort of signpost…churches like Headingley St. Columba, where I am the Minister, and people like you and me.
Think about it that way and you’ll realise that in just about every village and town and city in just about every part of the world there’s a signpost to God. The only difference is that instead of telling us how far away you are from home, it’s reminding you how close God is to us.
Our life is full of signposts pointing in all directions - God has given us the choice. Some signposts point to greed, money, wrong doing, vandalism, false pride - there are so many different directions in life far more than the signpost at Land’s End, but there is one signpost which will lead you in the right direction - Follow that and you cannot go wrong - It is the Cross of Christ, the only one which points in the right direction.
So no matter where you are going or even heading on holiday from Land’s End to John O’ Groats or Guernsey or even further a-field, know that in God and His people you have a home no matter where you are…and that it’s home where you will be welcomed and accepted as one of the family…and no matter where you’re heading in life now, or in the future, may you know God keeping you safe and blessing you with His grace and peace.
Bill Frame
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Whilst wondering what to write for this week’s comment I stumbled across a small piece in a recent newspaper with the headline ‘Haggis was invented in England.’ To this particular Scot such a revelation was quite breathtaking. How could haggis, with all its associations for St Andrew’s celebrations and Burns’ suppers the world over, actually originate from south of Hadrian’s Wall? It was some time before I could recover sufficiently to read the article in detail.
Anyway, according to a food historian (no, really!) by the name of Catherine Brown, she claims to have found references to this ‘Great chieftain o’ the puddin’ race’ in The English Huswife (sic), a recipe book of 1615 written by Gervase Markham. As the article goes on to mention, such a date puts it at least 171 years before Robert Burns wrote his famous Address to a Haggis, a poem incomprehensible to all but Scots and which praises to the heavens the virtues of this worthy repast. Denial on my part soon kicked in, but it seems that the writer’s conclusions are unimpeachable. Mind you, it was only a short article buried on an inside page, thus giving hope that one might be able to continue the myth of generations, but even this could prove unfounded as the findings are to be mentioned on a television programme - and in Scotland as well!
Such news is hardly of earth-shattering importance - except, perhaps, for the Scottish Tourist Board - but this item of relative trivia indicates a serious and important lesson for all Christians. In short, are we willing to go on searching after truth, even if it might mean dispelling those ideas and notions on which we have come to depend? Many of our beliefs are learned from others, rather than from a direct experience of God, and they may just need to be challenged from time to time. After all, Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would “guide [us] into all the truth” (John 16:13), implying a journey of continuing discovery rather than a destination easily reached. Behind the Lord’s teaching lies a challenge to be committed to openness, to be willing to take risks, to be humble enough to accept that we may sometimes be wrong, and to be excited by the thrilling prospect of discovering ever-new insights about the God whom we worship.
Commenting on this passage William Barclay suggests that “revelation comes to us, not from any book or creed, but from a living person. The nearer we live to Jesus, the better we will know him. The more we become like him, the more he will be able to tell us.” Such is the Christian’s task - to be open to the Spirit in order to learn more of God’s truth for us and the world around us.
So here’s to truth and a willingness to search after it; who knows, one day we may even discover that the Scots invented cricket!
Oh, by the way, denials about the English genesis of haggis are already hitting the web news - click here for just one such story.
James Coleman
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If someone says to me, "Look, there's a rainbow!" I immediately drop
what I'm doing and go to look at it. Are you like that? I find the
appearance of a rainbow irresistible. This summer should have been
ideal rainbow weather, with its constant diet of sunshine and showers,
often at the same time, but here in Halifax, at least, we have been
denied. The conditions need to be exactly right.
But weren't we supposed to be having, not rainbow weather, but
barbecue weather? When the Wimbledon roof worked its magic and kept
large parts of the country (including Halifax) dry for a couple of
weeks at the beginning of the summer I began to hope that it might be
so. But no, the pattern of the last couple of years has reasserted
itself and the summer has assumed its customary soggy mantle.
Friends ask me, jokingly, I think, whether I can use my influence with
the Bloke who runs the weather to get a bit of decent summer around
here. But does God run the weather? God's gracious gift to us is a
world with working life-support and weather systems, and it seems to
me that the climate is more susceptible to human induced change than
to divine interference. Events like Jesus calming a storm are an
exception. That won't stop me doing things like praying for rain in a
drought-stricken land, because prayer is an expression of my
relationship with God and I want naturally to talk to God about things
that bother me. But I need also to make sure that I live in harmony
with the planet.
Which brings me back to the rainbow. In the Bible's story, the first
rainbow appears when Noah and his ark reach land after a devastating
flood has destroyed everything (another story about God interfering
with the weather - and how!). It comes with a promise to all living
creatures that never again will God cause a flood like that. Perhaps
that's what draws me to the rainbow - it still speaks of God's love
and care for me and all the world. It's a sign of God's intention not
to destroy, but to save - to give fullness of life and hope in Jesus
the Christ. If I am to be in any way like him I must show the same
love and care, and be prepared to pay the price.
John Filsak
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As I sit down to write this piece my wife and I have just come back from two weeks holiday. It was a time for both of us away from the routine of work life, a time away from the normal stress and strains of everyday home life. There is a saying about ‘a change is as good as a rest’ and of course, we came back feeling better, rested and so on, well at least others have said I look better for having a holiday.
But as I was driving to my first meeting back after holiday I began to reflect on those two weeks, I wondered if I had just swopped one type of busyness for another? For during those two weeks there was so much to see as we visited new places, so much to take in and of course we wanted to do as much as we could. So perhaps in the end we were just as active and may be on our return we were just as tired but I think it was a different type of tiredness a more pleasurable one. It is also true that afterwards we were refreshed, well for about two days as the routine of life once again kicked in.
Now I do not know whether you are the sort of person who when they go on holiday can do nothing at all and for you that is good, but I still wonder if even them we find true rest and relaxation plus renewal for the stresses and strains, the ups and downs of everyday life?
Jesus as we read about his life found that he needed to withdraw and find rest and the strength he need. But for him it was not to some holiday destination that he went, it was to be in the presence of God, his Father through prayer and stillness. That for him was what he needed and so do we. Life for us includes so much, from excitement to grief, from routine to new adventures, from busyness to sleep. So maybe we to need to find the time to spend with Jesus and God so that we to may find that true rest and renewal that sustains us each day no matter what life throws at us.
We give thanks for holidays and times away from the daily routine of life and it is good that we are able to take such times. Let us also in the busyness of our everyday lives find the time to seek rest and renewal in the presence of God and his Son Jesus.
David Coote
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There are times when the cold, hard, facts say that something cannot be, but God continues to lead us forward.
Below is a letter from a Grandma to her grandchild. She felt God was leading her forward and wanting her to share the love she has for him. She writes:
The other day I went up to a local Christian bookshop and saw a "hoot if you love Jesus" car sticker. I was feeling particularly cheeky that day because I had just come from a thrilling choir performance, followed by a thunderous prayer meeting, so I bought the sticker and put it on my car’s rear window.
I stopped at a red light at a busy junction. I was miles away, lost in thought about the Lord and how good He is and I didn't notice that the light had changed. It is a good thing someone else loves Jesus because if he hadn't hooted, I'd never have noticed! I found that LOTS of people love Jesus!
Why, while I was sitting there, the guy behind started hooting like crazy, and then he leaned out of his window and screamed, "For the love of GOD! GO! GO! Jesus Christ, GO!" What an exuberant cheerleader he was for Jesus!
Everyone started hooting! I just leaned out of my window and started waving and smiling at all these loving people. I even hooted my horn a few times to share in the love!
I saw a guy waving in a funny way with only his middle finger stuck up in the air. Then I asked my teenage grandson in the back seat what that meant, he said that it was probably a Lancashire good luck sign or something.
Well, I've never met anyone from Lancashire, so I leaned out the window and gave him the good luck sign back. My grandson burst out laughing... why, even he was enjoying this religious experience! A couple of the people were so caught up in the joy of the moment that they got out of their cars and started walking towards me.
I bet they wanted to pray or ask what church I attended, but this is when I noticed the light had changed. So, I waved to all my sisters and brothers grinning, and drove on through the junction.
I noticed I was the only car that got through the junction before the lights changed again and I felt kind of sad that I had to leave them after all the love we had shared, so I slowed the car down, leaned out of the window and gave them all the Lancashire good luck sign one last time as I drove away.
Praise the Lord for such wonderful folks!
Love, Grandma!
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We have been living through interesting times these past few months. The nation has been both riveted and disgusted as The Daily Telegraph has day by day been revealing our MPs’ expenses. What many find most repulsive is not so much the huge amounts concerned as the pettiness of the claims. Could anyone really stoop so low as to claim for money given to a church collection or spent on a Poppy Wreath?
Not long before these Parliamentary exposures we were given an insight into the massive salaries and bonuses paid to our banking wizards who in happier times fancied they were the ‘masters of the universe’. And now we have the House of Commons wrangling over the terms of reference for the long-promised Inquiry into the Iraq War.
People have a deep yearning for the truth, but the forces that would suppress it are very powerful. Even after the revelations by The Daily Telegraph, we saw how the House of Commons blanked out (or ‘redacted’) the most damaging facts. At first we were told the Iraq Inquiry would be private. Now the Government has been forced to make it public.
Is it fanciful to see the work of the Holy Spirit here? Jesus said, ‘But when he, the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth’ (John 16.13). Jesus said that he himself was The Truth. Why should we imagine that the Holy Spirit operates only in ‘churchy’ places? Wherever the forces of deception and dishonesty are routed, we can be sure God’s Spirit of truth is at work.
Human beings need to know the truth. We are tired of spin and being taken for fools. There can never be trust when the currency is lies, sleight of hand, dishonesty. We need to know the truth, and truth is nothing but reality.
We Christians need a greater confidence in the Lord Jesus who claimed to be The Way, The Truth, and The Life. Perhaps we would make more headway if we stopped seeing Jesus as just life-style choice and began to assert his truth-claims.
Brian Hunt
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I recently returned from a few days away at a conference. When I got back home, I realised that I'd lost my brooch. I knew I'd lost it that day, but I didn't know where. I rang the hotel, they took my number and said they'd get back to me. The next day, I got a call, saying they had found the brooch and would send it on. It arrived a couple of days later.
Obviously, I am delighted to have my brooch back, but I was surprised at how unexpected that was to me. Perhaps its the level of honesty and service which is reflected in the media at the moment which has made me less trusting of others I don't know personally.
How wonderful that, even though I make mistakes, God still thinks positively about me, and that helps me to reach for higher ideals and behaviour. That's something which we would like to see more of in public life, but it is my own levels of honesty and service, which I can do something about.
This small incident has helped me to think of others more positively. What a shame that the public seem to have lost confidence in those whose job it is to serve us. Perhaps the current media frenzy will help some public servants to re-assess their situation. It is often, of course, the reputation and behaviour of a few which tarnishes the rest. In the meantime, as local and European elections draw close, I shall pray that those who represent us will do so with honesty, integrity, etc etc. Which candidate is most like the archangel Gabriel?
Or is it just about all of us walking with God?
Helen Drummond
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Nature’s way of announcing the changing of the seasons can be quite remarkable sometimes. Pink and white blossom explode into flower to remind us that the month of May will soon be upon us, with summer just around the corner, we hope. I have an Easter cactus in full bloom on my windowsill, red and pink flowers bursting forth. A design fault? maybe.
We are constantly reminded that our environment is changing - daily reports once thought radical about climate change are now being described as conservative. Pictures of barren areas in the southern hemisphere invade our homes through our TV screens to remind us that all nature is not beautiful or inspiring. Design fault or, as some would say, a natural cycle of events in the earth’s life - warming up and cooling down. The life of May blossom is short, like a burst of laughter welling up throughout the year, enjoyed for a moment, sometimes bringing tears to our eyes, and then gone. Occasionally nature surprises us as it did with my Easter cactus - its mix of colours unexpected but still glorious. And then there are the barren places…
Whatever the experts tell us ultimately the responsibility for our planet lies with us - my mind is made up when I witness God’s laughter and tears in his natural world.
Shirley Knibbs
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The Devil is… Donald Pleasence.
There we are! The secrets out. Ok I can hear you thinking. John’s lost the plot again. But let me explain.
It’s Good Friday afternoon and I’m watching TV - shame, should be at church or doing something worthy. Well in my defence I am watching ‘The greatest story ever told’ a film which is famous mainly for John Wayne’s appearance as the Roman centurion at the crucifixion and for being arguably the most boring depiction of the life of Jesus ever. On the plus side it is a good film for playing spot the star as so many played cameo roles. But as I watched the film I saw something that I had never seen before. I saw Donald Pleasence and he is the devil, Satan, call him what you will.
He only has one star scene when, dressed like a hermit he tempts Jesus in the wilderness. But, if you watch carefully, he keeps on cropping up. He’s part of the Sanhedrin when they decide what to do about Jesus, he’s there in the garden on the night when Jesus was betrayed, he’s there in the crowd when they cry crucify, he’s there when Peter denies his Lord not just once but three times. If you look hard enough he’s always there never taking centre stage but always part of the action encouraging others to go against God’s plan.
Easter has come and gone and the world has returned to normal as though nothing had happened, nothing has changed and the devil is… You add your own name because we all like to demonise someone, to have someone other than ourselves to blame for our misfortunes. But when you read the papers, watch the TV news, listen to the radio, surf the net or anything else that you do look for the real devil, never the star but always there in the background. Then look for God, look for the light, look for signs of the spirit moving in and through people’s lives. They are there as well and you will find them in the most unexpected places. You don’t need special glasses (rose tinted) just an open heart.
Go on; try a bit of God spotting for a change.
John Mackerness
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During this Lent I have been involved in ecumenical study groups using “Transforming Lives” materials from the Wakefield Diocese. One passage that particularly struck me is a story:-
“There once was a monastery deep in a Russian forest. As time went by numbers of the brothers left. Others got discouraged and crabby. It looked as though the whole thing would fold and fade away. Then one night the Abbot had a vision in prayer. The revelation was simple and short - ‘one of your number is the Messiah.’
He shared this vision with the rest of the community. And from that day onwards, things started to change because when each was with another member of the community they would think, ‘perhaps this is the One’. So they began to treat each other with great love, care and respect. When they got up in the morning and looked in the mirror they thought, ‘perhaps I am the One’ and they began to treat themselves with great love, care and respect. And so the community began to grow. People from far and wide came to join and soon the community that had been dying came to thrive, grow and prosper.“ (Based on a story from “Values and Visions,” Sally Burns and Georgeanne Lamont, ©1995.)
If this revelation had been given to us what difference might it make? Could it be that this revelation is in some ways relevant to every single Christian person and connects us to Jesus’ passion and resurrection? Let me explain what I’m thinking. Colossians 1:27 states “The hope of glory, Christ in you.” Alan Spence, in his book “The Promise of Peace”, concludes that: “The Father gave his only Son to become as we are so that, in offering up himself on our behalf through the Spirit, he might reconcile us to God” (©2006, p.118). That Son is the Christ who lives in us, who told us that what we do for others we do for Him. (eg Matthew 25:40.)
So as we journey through Holy Week towards the cross and beyond let us remember that He lives in and through us. I pray that “Christ in us” may be a visible sign of His resurrection!
Annette Haigh
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As Christians we believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This belief is fundamental to the hope that is in us. Give yourselves some time out and read 1 Corinthians 15, all of it! It the most amazing chapter! It deals with the issue of God raising Jesus from the dead. From the time of the early church Christians proclaimed this message abroad and it spread like wild fire. How do we know? Two points I would like you to consider.
Firstly, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul tells us that Jesus appeared to Peter, the twelve disciples and to more than five hundred of the believers, most of them still living. This suggests that if anyone wanted to know if Jesus really did rise from the dead then there were many who could testify to seeing him! He also appeared to James and Paul. So, in Paul’s day the word that Jesus was resurrected was on the street corners, in the market place and the synagogues! Paul says that if Christ is not raised then our faith is useless but he has been raised and our faith is therefore fruitful. We have confidence in the gospel because in Paul, Peter, James and John’s day there were those were eye witnesses to the risen Lord!!
Secondly, if you study the spread of Christianity, historically, you find that soon after the resurrection churches started to appear all over the place. There are Pauline churches in Macedonia, Greece, Crete, (western Asia) Spain, and Rome. There were churches of Peter scattered along the coast of the Black Sea in Pontius, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia. Now open your bible to Acts 2 verse nine and connect the list I have just given you with the list in this chapter. At Pentecost people were affected by Peter’s preaching and went home with it. The journeys of Peter and Paul confirmed what had been said at Pentecost and Christian communities grew.
We know today, all over the world, the gospel message is being received joy and thanksgiving. Many churches in the U. K. and across the globe are growing in number and more people are hearing the gospel preached. The times we are living in are exciting and we need to be pro-active in sharing the good news with others. Many people today are lost to the gospel. Many people do not know of the hope we have in Jesus. It’s time to grow more Christians and more churches. We need renewal and revival to spread through our country. Wishful thinking will not achieve it but prayer and proclamation will. In the words of somebody or other ‘don’t get angry get active!’
Bob Jones
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Growth by Grace
As I sit to prepare this comment for our Synod website, the big bible read is due to get under way. Members of Wigton Moor URC will be reading the Scriptures for an hour on Tuesday 3rd March, and I am looking forward to participating.
I have always been passionate about reading Scripture, and I see daily bible reading as a key Christian discipline. My evangelical roots are strong. Daily bible reading is a personal joy and priority. I see it as important because I believe it is fundamental to our growth as Christ’s disciples. If we are to grow as Christians, then “hearing and obeying” God’s Word is crucial. (Psalm 1, Luke 6: 46-49, Luke 8:15, 21 and James 1: 22-25)
John Stott, one of my favourite bible teachers writes; “Growth into maturity in Christ depends upon a close acquaintance with and a believing response to the bible.” Wise words indeed! Our Christian maturity and fruitfulness hangs in the balance. I have discovered that we can grow in numerous ways, including the following;
Growth in our personal relationship with God and our love for God.
Growth in our understanding of God’s will, God’s priorities for our lives.
Growth in our desire and passion to worship God.
Growth in our ability and courage to witness for Christ. (1 Peter 3:15)
Growth in our love, zeal and equipping for Christian service. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)
Growth in our ability to discern between good and evil. (Hebrews 5:11-14)
Growth in our ability to resist temptation and stand against evil. (Matt 4 v 1-11, Ephesians 6: 10-17).
Growth in our ability to endure and stand during difficult times. (Luke 6 v 46-49)
Growth in understanding ourselves and our place in God’s world. (Psalm 8)
Any growth is due to the grace of God, and his Word is a rich source of grace. Vision4life is encouraging us to get back to basics and there is nothing more basic than hearing and obeying God’s Word.
Revd Peter Clarkson (28.2.09)
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Blossom or blight?
These days I’m venturing ever further into cyberspace, and I’m not sure whether to be glad or worried. Most mornings I announce my status to friends on Facebook; I’m part of a blog (an electronic diary that everyone on the Internet can read) written by and for women in the URC (Women in Ministries) and have started my own blog, Pieced Together Praise. I even attended my first virtual service yesterday evening, led by someone in Maryland, US.
There are big plusses to such Internet developments. I’m back in touch with friends I’ve not seen and am unlikely to see in the flesh for years. When my mother had a stroke last autumn, electronic messages of support came to my father (an even more cautious web-surfer than me) from thousands of miles away, and he was able to give far-flung relations regular emailed updates without extra hassle. We could look up the reports on various nursing homes for my mother online together, helping us make difficult decisions as to her long-term care.
On the other hand, between email, blogs and online games it would be quite possible to spend all my waking hours on the Internet, and quite apart from the health implications (I’m lazy enough anyway) that would cut me off from the rest of reality. Devotees of Second Life may spend their non-working hours on the Internet, but followers of Jesus, who chose to come into the messiness of human living as a non-virtual baby, also need face-to-face contact with other people. After all, the virtual world is much smaller than the real one. Millions have no access to computers; millions more find such technology inaccessible or distasteful and will not use it. And given the dark side of humanity reflected in some websites, that reaction is very understandable.
Yet the very fact that, though we may never meet face to face, I’ve written this and you are reading it indicates to me that this new medium can connect us to each other and to God in a unique way. Good news… till the computer breaks down, anyway!
Sarah Hall
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I am sure that I am not the only one that has been having unchristian thoughts recently! You would not be surprised by the group that I am thinking about. You have had the same thoughts! Over the last few days we have seen a group of bankers appear before a Commons Select Committee, and apologise for what they have done over the last twelve months to help bankrupt the world’s financial system. But at the same time they have taken obscene bonuses which many see as almost stealing from the system. They have taken OUR money as tax payers, and then moments later declared thousands in their organisation redundant. I am very angry.
But others have got a lot more to be angry about. Some have lost their jobs; others have seen their savings decimated. Some can no longer afford to pay the mortgage on their homes and have been repossessed, and many firms are facing liquidation because they are no longer able to get loans to keep going. I am telling you things you already know, because we are all living through this, but our thoughts and prayers are with those who are directly suffering because of the mismanagement of others.
As churches we are going to be affected too. As with everyone else our costs are rising, and many churches rely heavily on investment income, which of course has fallen considerably. In a recession, giving to charitable causes often goes down as people feel the pinch, and only have money to spend on essentials.
I am in no doubt that Jesus would be very angry with our present situation angry and saddened by the way the poor and marginalised yet again have been exploited by the rich and the powerful. Many lives have been and will be broken, but those responsible will not be called fully to account.
Jesus challenges us to care for these people - to continue to share our resources even in times of hardship. He calls us too, to challenge our way of living, so that we are more neighbour-centred and less self-centred. This recession is a wake-up call to our churches, but also to us as individuals. Are we going to rise to the challenge?
Simon Swailes
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Sitting in my study I’m looking out over a wonderful winter landscape. Well, wonderful until I have to think about going out in it! The snow is falling, the ground is white, and rather than the “snow on snow” of the Christmas carol, it’s snow on ice. Personally, I think that catching up on paperwork has never felt so attractive!
I remember our cat encountering snow flakes for the first time - leaping and catching them, until he discovered that when there were too many they were cold and wet. And then there was the morning when he leapt through the cat flap straight into a snow drift - I’d never realised a cat had such a small turning circle. John had to do a “Good King Wenceslas” and make a path for him so he could go outside
Snow can affect people in different ways. Some people have been benefitting from unscheduled days off (I can hear children going along the snicket, pulling sledges and throwing snowballs, making the most of the opportunities for play and fun) - but we had to cancel a couple of meetings at church this week because some of our older folk daren’t venture out for fear of falling, and will be missing their regular visitors and outings. Others have faced a major struggle to get to work, or even to the shops. For some it’s an opportunity to be embraced, for others a hazard to be faced; something to be enjoyed with friends and family, or a barrier that will keep visitors away; to be cleared from our path or used as an excuse to knock on a neighbour’s door.
But looking at its beauty, and the way it transforms the world around, we can see it as a gift from God, for our pleasure and to lift our spirits - and even the problems it brings are an invitation to reach out to others. There are the people who have worked hard to clear their paths … and their neighbours’ on either side; the phone calls to check up on friends; the offers of help with childcare or shopping. These can all be little signs of grace, of God’s love at work.
So whether you’re taking time out to build a snowman, stuck in a line of slow-moving traffic or staying in to keep warm, and whether what you really want is more snow, less snow or even no more snow ever, how about a word of thanks to God for the gifts that snow brings - of beauty and wonder, of joy and kindness, of generosity and fun, and the opportunity to share his love in acts of caring - but also a prayer for those of us who could use just a little bit of extra oomph before we can face getting all wrapped up to go out in it!
Stella Hayton
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The other day someone asked me to name a rabbit. Not personally, you understand. It's just that we were having a day out at a small 'zoo' near Sheffield, and they had had a litter of very special rabbit kittens born, and they wanted help with naming them. I think my wife came up with our best offering - 'Barack Obunny'! Neat, eh?
I tell this story for one reason only - to illustrate how far a relatively young and inexperienced American politician has entered into the collective imagination, not just of the American people, but of the whole world!
The reality is, of course, that President Obama has become the focus of so many hopes and expectations, that it is hard to see how he could live up to even a fraction of them. There are going to be disappointments, for politics is 'the art of the possible', and 'the possible' is often far less than we would wish. Reality is a hard, intractable thing, quite capable of upsetting the plans and aspirations even of the President of the United States! However, we live in hope.
The political excitement of recent months 'across the pond' has made me think again about the often difficult relationship between faith and politics. Admittedly, Alastair Campbell once famously said that governments in this country do not 'do' God. Well, that's as maybe. Frankly, that doesn't actually remove Him from the equation. God remains, always, the undergirding reality of all that is - and His authority, indeed His sovereignty, remain too, above and beyond all human authority. It is His word that the politicians of this world need to hear - with its demand for mercy, for justice, for compassion, for personal and national integrity. And that is our task, our task as the Church, our task as Christians - to go on reminding all the world's politicians - including our own - that they are not somehow absolved from the reality of divine judgement just because they are involved in politics! The world depends on them in so many way. It has a right to expect even politicians, about whom we have learned to be so cynical, to live up to their calling!
Rev. Anthony Gardiner
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So there we are- baubles down, packed away again. Tree waiting for the pines to drop and then be prepared ready for the Easter cross. Cards off to the recycling. Looking ahead now to the next seasonal shift. And what did you do with that extra leap second before the new year rang in?
Although the clock is a Chinese invention used from around 500 AD, it began to assume prominence during the late 17th century. Once watches were in use they became a means to power for people began to have notions of efficiency. Until clocks were widespread the natural rhythms of days and seasons were circular but then became linear each moment a unique opportunity and never to be repeated again. Out of this came the Protestant work ethic seeing time as part of wise stewardship of God’s resources.
True, time is a gift from God and not to be squandered, but there are many for whom time weighs heavily on their hands. Those who have no rhythm to a day at all, those whose day is structured down to that last second, those who wait for appointments, for a piece of important news, those who can see no change in their condition.
Too often in our church life we go on from activity to activity without having time out to seasonally adjust. We go on accumulating tasks without looking at the ebb and flow or seasonal clock.
If we don’t respond collectively to light and darkness, winter and summer, then we shall want to live our life at the peak, the ideal.
Thomas Merton says ‘The Christian does not need to consider time an enemy’ (Seasons of celebration Farer, Straus and Girous 1977 p 48). How many of us wish for an extra hour, and extra minute or an extra second in our day. Why? What do we want it for? Surely we need to just concentrate on what we are becoming rather than what we achieve. The human situation is the same for us all, 24/7. It’s how we use it that counts.
Sue Macbeth
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‘We three kings of Orient are!
Were there three? Were they kings? Where was the Orient? And why couldn’t they string words together in the normal way?! Well the answer to all those questions could be ‘it’s poetic license’. The bible story from which that carol came is found in Matthew Chapter 2 verses 1 - 12 and refers to three presents, the visitors are variously called kings, wise men, magi, we are told they traveled from ‘the East’ which is a pretty vague location by anyone’s standards and of course ‘are’ rhymes with ‘star’ so has to end the line!
It’s a good story, it’s colourful, we can visualize the journey and many have, in hymns, poetry and drama. But it is not the questionable facts of the story which should concern us. It is the underlying message which is important. And perhaps one of the most important parts of the message for us to hear as we enter a new year is that these visitors followed a star. Like a first century sat. nav. it first led them to the wrong place but then led them to the right place. Traveling in those days was always difficult and dangerous, they certainly did not know where they were being led, the cul-de-sac of Herod’s palace caused them to ask questions and to have to listen for God’s advice about the way to go. The final destination was not what they expected.
As we embark on 2009 we have a star to guide us, Jesus the light of the world. Like those first century visitors we have no knowledge of the journey or the destination, we need to journey in faith, listening for God’s advice about the way we should go. There is another hymn which begins ‘Wise men seeking Jesus’ If seeking Jesus makes us into wise men lets do it and as we do let’s offer that same light to others along the way. There will be lots of opportunities to offer that light during the year but specifically at this time let us offer the light of our prayers for the people of Israel/Palestine remembering that it was there that Jesus the Light of the World was born.
May God bless you all in 2009
Val Morrison
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