30th June 2013
So today was my first service at Fairview UMC Mooresville. And I’d been told in advance it would be a bit different as many months back a guest choir had been booked to come and lead worship. The African American male voice choir of St Paul Baptist Church Charlotte. http://www.spbcnc.org/
The 50 strong choir led worship magnificently and the Holy Spirit came upon many there this morning including yours truly. Sadly,timings meant that the choir could only sing 5 items. They’d originally offered 11. To be honest I’d have happily given up the sermon slot for them as I felt ministered to through their singing and the words of the songs they sang.
(As an aside, I have a habit when in the USA of referencing much of what I encounter to films and TV shows. So this morning as the choir was having a sound check and one of the accompanists started playing a Hammond type organ, I immediately thought of the scene in The Blues Brothers where Jake & Elwood go to the church of Reverend Cleophus James. Thankfully I resisted the urge to do somersaults down the aisle – though with my Ray bans on there is a passing resemblance to John Belushi)
However, there was an expectation that I would preach and preach I did. I’m not going to say much about the sermon as I’ve posted an abridged version of that already. But given the proximity to 4th July the theme of freedom was appropriate. Though I’m not sure producing a large Union Jack and draping it over the pulpit was the most politically correct thing to do! (It got a big laugh though.)
I loved the children’s talk lead by one of the ministry team. Focusing on 4th July he asked the children what their favourite part of the holiday was and one obligingly said “fireworks”. This was useful as the talk used fireworks as an illustration!
From feedback afterwards (from members of the choir, their families and church members) my sermon seemed to have struck the right note and was well received. (A friend on Facebook asked whether someone had shouted “Preach it Reverend”. I don’t think they did, though there were a few “Amens” and “Yes sirs” around.) And I know I certainly felt up lifted by the worship the choir lead.
The lunch was a thing to behold. It was termed a “Covered dish lunch”. And people had been hugely generous in the amount of food provided. It’s hard to say but there must have been heading towards 300 people for lunch and all had plenty with lots left over. (We have the food parcel to prove it.) The generosity of Fairview’s people knows no bounds.
I had time to wander round and “work the room” to say hello to some people I’d already met and to meet some people for the first time and to thank the choir. One conversation with a wife of a choir member was poignant. She thanked me for the sermon and said she agreed with what I’d said. But then she said “Many folks like us don’t really celebrate 4th July. The founding fathers didn’t have us in mind when they made the declaration of independence. Still, we enjoy the day off.” I don’t know how widespread this view is among African Americans but it was sad to hear it.
That said, when I was preaching my sermon a similar thought did go through my mind. I used a quote from the Declaration of Independence in my sermon:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
And as I read those words out this morning I did reflect on the irony that slavery was still around in the USA for the best part of another 100 years. As George Orwell wrote in Animal Farm “All are created equally but some are more equal than others.” (But let’s not forget that although the British abolished the salve trade in 1803 we didn’t ban slavery until 1833.)
I wished I’d had more time to talk to the choir for I wanted to share with them how in Wales there is a great tradition of choral singing in general and male voice singing in particular. And I was reminded how the Welsh miners took Paul Robeson to their hearts. http://www.walesonline.co.uk/news/wales-news/singer-campaigner-paul-robeson-was-1819886
This will be a day that I will treasure. I will have to rely on the images in my mind as my camera played up. But among so many wonderful things in my heart and mind will be the song the choir sang to close the service “I’ll meet you on the other shore.”
“Neighbour, Just in case the Lord should come before we get together again, I’ll meet you on the other shore.”
Thank your Fairview and thank you St Paul’s choir for a special day.
Sunday 30 June 2013
Called to freedom
Abridged text of a sermon preached at Fairview UMC 30th June 2013 – Called to Freedom
One question I asked David Calhoun before coming to the USA was whether I’d be expected for me to make reference to Independence Day or to preach a special sermon. David told me I didn’t need to – though I should perhaps make reference to the day on the Sunday before or after.
Well when I saw the Galatians passage in the Lectionary passages for this Sunday, it soon became apparent that Freedom would be on the agenda. For the passage in Galatians has plenty to say about freedom and, as I understand it, Independence Day is all about Americans wanting to be free from us pesky Brits!
To get to grips with this passage from Galatians we have to understand the background to it.
A group of Jewish Christian missionaries came to Galatia and told the Christians there they had got it wrong. In order to be a follower of Jesus Christ they needed to adopt the following of Jewish laws. Only by doing so would they worthy of salvation.
On hearing what was happening, Paul penned his letter to dissuade the Galatian churches from accepting this message from the Missionaries.
In Paul’s eyes the Missionaries had got it wrong. Paul preached that salvation comes through God’s grace. Grace that was shown through the death of Jesus on the cross. Paul emphasised that it is the cross, not adherence to the Law of Moses that is the basis of a relationship with God.
The Missionaries acted as though the death of God’s son on the Cross had not changed the world. The Missionaries wanted things to go back to how they were before Jesus. Whereas in Jesus Christ God has transformed the world. And continues to transform the world.
In summary, the Missionaries wanted to shackle the members of the church in Galatia to the Jewish law. Paul urges the people of Galatia to take a stand against the Missionaries and their message because their version of the Gospel will tie them down.
Paul is saying Jesus Christ has freed all people from the obligation of following the Law of Moses
5 1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
And in saying this Paul is echoing the words of Jesus. You’ll remember how Jesus once said in Matthew 11
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
It was often said that a Jewish person was yoked to the law. In other words, they pulled the law around with them and like the yoke itself the law would have been heavy and burdensome. But in Christ Jesus people do not need to be yoked to the law for salvation. The law doesn’t bring them salvation. Faith in Jesus Christ brings salvation. And salvation brings freedom.
I don’t know what it is like here in the USA but we in Britain are experiencing more and more regulation and red tape. I chair the Board of Governors – Trustees if you like – of a local High School in Swindon. And I despair for the teachers who are constantly on the receiving end of more bright ideas and paperwork form the Government. But it is not just schools that are subject to more and more regulation. Many institutions are becoming more regulated and perhaps the reason why is because it is no longer possible to allow schools, hospitals, banks etc. etc. to govern themselves because they cannot be trusted to do so.
As someone who worked in the banking sector for about 15 years prior to ministry, I can understand why the banks are becoming more regulated. Our governments - whether under Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair – operated a so called “light touch” approach which allowed the banks to regulate themselves. And to misquote that well know financial commentator Oliver Hardy –
“another nice mess they’ve gotten us in to!”
If institutions could be trusted to run themselves they wouldn’t need regulation. But because institutions apparently cannot be trusted to run themselves, they are becoming subject to tighter regulation.
In sharp contrast to this Paul reminds the Galatians that they do not need to be subject to the Law of Moses because
18 if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
In other words, as Christians, if we living by the Holy Spirit, and being guided by the Holy Spirit, we do not need the rules and regulations that the Law of Moses imposed. Through the Holy Spirit we are in touch with how God would have us live our lives and we don’t need 600 or so laws given to Moses to tell us how we live Christ like lives.
5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Freedom is a basic human right. The American founding fathers knew that when they wrote the words:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
But we always have to balance individual liberty with the good of the entire community. It’s a fine line isn’t it between lawless anarchy and oppressive totalitarianism. Paul, mindful no doubt of the might of the Roman Empire, tells the Galatians that they must stand firm for freedom, but at the same time they must care for one another and the wider community
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters;[c] only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence,[d] but through love become slaves to one another.
Galatians 5:13
And in caring for one another, they are not to be selfish or self-centred.
We have a saying in Britain “I’m alright Jack.” It supposedly came from the Royal Navy “I’m alright Jack you can pull up the ladder” meaning anyone else waiting to be rescued could fend for themselves. It is a term used to indicate a person who only acts in their own best interests, even where assistance to others would necessitate minimal effort on their behalf.
Paul reminds us that in Christ we have freedom but that freedom must not be abused. We are not to say “I’m alright Jack I’m saved I don’t care about you”
The City of London is the original site of Londinium, the Roman city and the area is roughly a square mile. It is a City within a City and has its own local government and police force. Today the City of London is the home of UK banking and commerce and it is probably the most important financial centre in the world after New York.
On the wall of my study is a framed certificate that shows I am a Freeman of the City of London. Historically, to be a Freeman of the City meant you could trade there without having to pay City taxes and it meant that a Freeman could drive cattle or sheep to market in the City over London Bridge without having to pay a toll. It also meant that you were not a slave.
Today it is nothing more than an honorary title. And I share the honour of being a Freeman with illustrious people such as Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. However, in theory, a Freeman is still entitled to drive sheep or cattle over London Bridge – though as the Chamberlain of the City said to me at my investiture “Although you can drive sheep over London Bridge we’d rather you didn’t. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police tends to get rather upset.”
I mention this because it’s a good example of being free to do something but at the same time having responsibilities to others.
Paul reminds us that
14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
Just before I came away I was sent some information on the Moral Mondays campaign that is taking place here in North Carolina. As I understand it leaders of five of the main denominations have come out against cuts being made by your state legislature in respect of Medicare and unemployment benefit.
It would be impolite as a visitor to these shores, and to this wonderful State, to make comment. But I was struck by the wording of the joint statement released by various church leaders including
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, North Carolina Conference, United Methodist Church
Bishop Larry Goodpaster, Western North Carolina Conference, United Methodist Church
And in the statement the church leaders say this
Our concern about the legislative actions is not an act of political partisanship. Rather it is a matter of faith with respect to our understanding of the biblical teachings and imperatives to protect the poor, respect the stranger, care for widows and children and love our neighbours
And one of the passages of scripture they cite in support is Galatians 5:14
14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
In 1834 6 men – five of whom were Methodists - all from the small Dorset village of Tolpuddle in England, were found guilty of trying to form a trade union for farm workers. To use today’s language they were framed. But the court ordered them to be imprisoned. In fact they would be transported – sent to Australia – almost as slaves. To cut a long story short, after a national campaign, they men were pardoned and freed.
One of the men was George Loveless. He was a Methodist local preacher. Just before he was sent to Australia George Loveless, wrote a hymn the first verse of which is this:
God is our guide! from field, from wave,
From plough, from anvil, and from loom;
We come, our country's rights to save,
And speak a tyrant faction's doom:
We raise the watch-word liberty;
We will, we will, we will be free!
In Christ we are set free. Free to worship him. Free to be saved by him. And free to love our neighbours as ourselves as he commanded. In Christ we will, we will, we will be free!
One question I asked David Calhoun before coming to the USA was whether I’d be expected for me to make reference to Independence Day or to preach a special sermon. David told me I didn’t need to – though I should perhaps make reference to the day on the Sunday before or after.
Well when I saw the Galatians passage in the Lectionary passages for this Sunday, it soon became apparent that Freedom would be on the agenda. For the passage in Galatians has plenty to say about freedom and, as I understand it, Independence Day is all about Americans wanting to be free from us pesky Brits!
To get to grips with this passage from Galatians we have to understand the background to it.
A group of Jewish Christian missionaries came to Galatia and told the Christians there they had got it wrong. In order to be a follower of Jesus Christ they needed to adopt the following of Jewish laws. Only by doing so would they worthy of salvation.
On hearing what was happening, Paul penned his letter to dissuade the Galatian churches from accepting this message from the Missionaries.
In Paul’s eyes the Missionaries had got it wrong. Paul preached that salvation comes through God’s grace. Grace that was shown through the death of Jesus on the cross. Paul emphasised that it is the cross, not adherence to the Law of Moses that is the basis of a relationship with God.
The Missionaries acted as though the death of God’s son on the Cross had not changed the world. The Missionaries wanted things to go back to how they were before Jesus. Whereas in Jesus Christ God has transformed the world. And continues to transform the world.
In summary, the Missionaries wanted to shackle the members of the church in Galatia to the Jewish law. Paul urges the people of Galatia to take a stand against the Missionaries and their message because their version of the Gospel will tie them down.
Paul is saying Jesus Christ has freed all people from the obligation of following the Law of Moses
5 1 For freedom Christ has set us free. Stand firm, therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery.
And in saying this Paul is echoing the words of Jesus. You’ll remember how Jesus once said in Matthew 11
29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.’
It was often said that a Jewish person was yoked to the law. In other words, they pulled the law around with them and like the yoke itself the law would have been heavy and burdensome. But in Christ Jesus people do not need to be yoked to the law for salvation. The law doesn’t bring them salvation. Faith in Jesus Christ brings salvation. And salvation brings freedom.
I don’t know what it is like here in the USA but we in Britain are experiencing more and more regulation and red tape. I chair the Board of Governors – Trustees if you like – of a local High School in Swindon. And I despair for the teachers who are constantly on the receiving end of more bright ideas and paperwork form the Government. But it is not just schools that are subject to more and more regulation. Many institutions are becoming more regulated and perhaps the reason why is because it is no longer possible to allow schools, hospitals, banks etc. etc. to govern themselves because they cannot be trusted to do so.
As someone who worked in the banking sector for about 15 years prior to ministry, I can understand why the banks are becoming more regulated. Our governments - whether under Margaret Thatcher or Tony Blair – operated a so called “light touch” approach which allowed the banks to regulate themselves. And to misquote that well know financial commentator Oliver Hardy –
“another nice mess they’ve gotten us in to!”
If institutions could be trusted to run themselves they wouldn’t need regulation. But because institutions apparently cannot be trusted to run themselves, they are becoming subject to tighter regulation.
In sharp contrast to this Paul reminds the Galatians that they do not need to be subject to the Law of Moses because
18 if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.
In other words, as Christians, if we living by the Holy Spirit, and being guided by the Holy Spirit, we do not need the rules and regulations that the Law of Moses imposed. Through the Holy Spirit we are in touch with how God would have us live our lives and we don’t need 600 or so laws given to Moses to tell us how we live Christ like lives.
5 It is for freedom that Christ has set us free.
Freedom is a basic human right. The American founding fathers knew that when they wrote the words:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
But we always have to balance individual liberty with the good of the entire community. It’s a fine line isn’t it between lawless anarchy and oppressive totalitarianism. Paul, mindful no doubt of the might of the Roman Empire, tells the Galatians that they must stand firm for freedom, but at the same time they must care for one another and the wider community
13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters;[c] only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence,[d] but through love become slaves to one another.
Galatians 5:13
And in caring for one another, they are not to be selfish or self-centred.
We have a saying in Britain “I’m alright Jack.” It supposedly came from the Royal Navy “I’m alright Jack you can pull up the ladder” meaning anyone else waiting to be rescued could fend for themselves. It is a term used to indicate a person who only acts in their own best interests, even where assistance to others would necessitate minimal effort on their behalf.
Paul reminds us that in Christ we have freedom but that freedom must not be abused. We are not to say “I’m alright Jack I’m saved I don’t care about you”
The City of London is the original site of Londinium, the Roman city and the area is roughly a square mile. It is a City within a City and has its own local government and police force. Today the City of London is the home of UK banking and commerce and it is probably the most important financial centre in the world after New York.
On the wall of my study is a framed certificate that shows I am a Freeman of the City of London. Historically, to be a Freeman of the City meant you could trade there without having to pay City taxes and it meant that a Freeman could drive cattle or sheep to market in the City over London Bridge without having to pay a toll. It also meant that you were not a slave.
Today it is nothing more than an honorary title. And I share the honour of being a Freeman with illustrious people such as Sir Winston Churchill and Margaret Thatcher. However, in theory, a Freeman is still entitled to drive sheep or cattle over London Bridge – though as the Chamberlain of the City said to me at my investiture “Although you can drive sheep over London Bridge we’d rather you didn’t. The Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police tends to get rather upset.”
I mention this because it’s a good example of being free to do something but at the same time having responsibilities to others.
Paul reminds us that
14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
Just before I came away I was sent some information on the Moral Mondays campaign that is taking place here in North Carolina. As I understand it leaders of five of the main denominations have come out against cuts being made by your state legislature in respect of Medicare and unemployment benefit.
It would be impolite as a visitor to these shores, and to this wonderful State, to make comment. But I was struck by the wording of the joint statement released by various church leaders including
Bishop Hope Morgan Ward, North Carolina Conference, United Methodist Church
Bishop Larry Goodpaster, Western North Carolina Conference, United Methodist Church
And in the statement the church leaders say this
Our concern about the legislative actions is not an act of political partisanship. Rather it is a matter of faith with respect to our understanding of the biblical teachings and imperatives to protect the poor, respect the stranger, care for widows and children and love our neighbours
And one of the passages of scripture they cite in support is Galatians 5:14
14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’
In 1834 6 men – five of whom were Methodists - all from the small Dorset village of Tolpuddle in England, were found guilty of trying to form a trade union for farm workers. To use today’s language they were framed. But the court ordered them to be imprisoned. In fact they would be transported – sent to Australia – almost as slaves. To cut a long story short, after a national campaign, they men were pardoned and freed.
One of the men was George Loveless. He was a Methodist local preacher. Just before he was sent to Australia George Loveless, wrote a hymn the first verse of which is this:
God is our guide! from field, from wave,
From plough, from anvil, and from loom;
We come, our country's rights to save,
And speak a tyrant faction's doom:
We raise the watch-word liberty;
We will, we will, we will be free!
In Christ we are set free. Free to worship him. Free to be saved by him. And free to love our neighbours as ourselves as he commanded. In Christ we will, we will, we will be free!
Saturday 29 June 2013
The hole with The Mint in it
29th June 2013
So this time last week (sort of) I was all packed and ready for the off. The Voice UK was on the telly and given the lack of anything interesting on US TV (or at least the channels we can get) I’d settle for The Voice now.
Today we left the confines of Mooresville and ventured south along I77 to Charlotte. I’m not sure what I was expecting exactly. Grand colonial style buildings maybe? Well if they exist we didn’t find them. We’d headed for the Uptown area of the city as our guide book seemed to indicate that this was where it was happening. In fact Uptown is a bit like going to the City of London or Canary Wharf on the weekend – pretty dead.
Uptown is the finance district we realised including a very large Wells Fargo office block. To someone raised on a diet of The Virginian, High Chaparral and Western movies (thanks Dad) then Wells Fargo will always be synonymous with stage coaches getting robbed by men in black hats and John Wayne saving the day. Alas no stage coaches (though we did see a tour of the city by horse and carriage.)
However, we did find a very interesting gallery called The Mint. http://www.mintmuseum.org/ The Mint is on two sites with the other site (out of town) being in an older building that once housed a branch of the US Mint hence the name. The Uptown Mint is in a modern building.
This Mint had a good collection of paintings by Americans from 19th to 21st centuries. And there was much to like. But I was particularly taken with a small exhibition by a photographer called Sharon Core. The pictures featured were of people eating. But I liked a series called The Overtoom Squatters. This was a series of photos of people sat at a long tale enjoying a meal together. And I was reminded of depictions of the last supper.
http://www.mintmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/detail/still-lives-early-works-by-sharon-core
And seeing real people enjoying a meal together in this way made the idea of the Last Supper come alive. In one of the pictures a bearded guy is placed in the middle of the table and he just looks fed up with all the partying going on around him. Very thought provoking.
There was also a painting called “Politics”. I can’t remember the artist’s name. It was relatively modern and had almost a photographic quality to it. It depicted two groups of men (and from their style of dress it was supposed to be set around the time of Jesus Christ) shouting at each other and pointing at one another. In between them is a woman looking downcast. In one of the groups of men is a bearded man. He looks angry but somehow detached from the groups and somehow appears to be concerned with the woman. The woman caught in adultery? I’ve attached a blurry photo I sneakily took.
So I have to say Charlotte is the hole with the Mint in it! Actually that’s a bit unfair. I liked what we saw. The streets are tree lined and there were lots of public spaces with chairs and tables to sit and watch the world go by. But Uptown just seemed lacking in …. Something.
(For those of you too young, too forgetful or not British, the Polo mint, long popular in the UK, used to be marketed with the slogan “Polo. The mint with the hole”)
So this time last week (sort of) I was all packed and ready for the off. The Voice UK was on the telly and given the lack of anything interesting on US TV (or at least the channels we can get) I’d settle for The Voice now.
Today we left the confines of Mooresville and ventured south along I77 to Charlotte. I’m not sure what I was expecting exactly. Grand colonial style buildings maybe? Well if they exist we didn’t find them. We’d headed for the Uptown area of the city as our guide book seemed to indicate that this was where it was happening. In fact Uptown is a bit like going to the City of London or Canary Wharf on the weekend – pretty dead.
Uptown is the finance district we realised including a very large Wells Fargo office block. To someone raised on a diet of The Virginian, High Chaparral and Western movies (thanks Dad) then Wells Fargo will always be synonymous with stage coaches getting robbed by men in black hats and John Wayne saving the day. Alas no stage coaches (though we did see a tour of the city by horse and carriage.)
However, we did find a very interesting gallery called The Mint. http://www.mintmuseum.org/ The Mint is on two sites with the other site (out of town) being in an older building that once housed a branch of the US Mint hence the name. The Uptown Mint is in a modern building.
This Mint had a good collection of paintings by Americans from 19th to 21st centuries. And there was much to like. But I was particularly taken with a small exhibition by a photographer called Sharon Core. The pictures featured were of people eating. But I liked a series called The Overtoom Squatters. This was a series of photos of people sat at a long tale enjoying a meal together. And I was reminded of depictions of the last supper.
http://www.mintmuseum.org/art/exhibitions/detail/still-lives-early-works-by-sharon-core
And seeing real people enjoying a meal together in this way made the idea of the Last Supper come alive. In one of the pictures a bearded guy is placed in the middle of the table and he just looks fed up with all the partying going on around him. Very thought provoking.
There was also a painting called “Politics”. I can’t remember the artist’s name. It was relatively modern and had almost a photographic quality to it. It depicted two groups of men (and from their style of dress it was supposed to be set around the time of Jesus Christ) shouting at each other and pointing at one another. In between them is a woman looking downcast. In one of the groups of men is a bearded man. He looks angry but somehow detached from the groups and somehow appears to be concerned with the woman. The woman caught in adultery? I’ve attached a blurry photo I sneakily took.
So I have to say Charlotte is the hole with the Mint in it! Actually that’s a bit unfair. I liked what we saw. The streets are tree lined and there were lots of public spaces with chairs and tables to sit and watch the world go by. But Uptown just seemed lacking in …. Something.
(For those of you too young, too forgetful or not British, the Polo mint, long popular in the UK, used to be marketed with the slogan “Polo. The mint with the hole”)
Friday 28 June 2013
The case of the leaking yogurt
28th June 2013
Was part of a trip that took 6 children from Fairview to Dan Nicholas Park near Salisbury NC. (About an hour’s drive from Mooresville.) This was part of the regular “Fun Fridays” programme that runs at Fairview during the summer. Aimed at those in what we would call Primary School.
Leading the expedition was the Director of Children’s ministry accompanied by someone who works in the church nursery school. She explained that sometimes numbers can be greater than this and sometimes there will be children who aren’t from church families though today the children were all churched.
Off we trundled in one of the two church mini buses (or “vans”). We had been going for about 5 minutes when we heard a plaintive cry of “My yogurt’s leaking.” It’s a sign of a well organised trip when such an emergency can be seamlessly dealt with.
The drive to Salisbury was lovely along quiet country roads with lots of trees and farms.
The journey allowed me to chat to the Director (who was driving) and she had a really interesting story to tell about her life, her family and her interests.
Dan Nicholas Park is a mixture of activities for children from a miniature railway, small zoo, a carousel and crazy golf. (Sadly didn’t get to play crazy golf. I suspect as the Americans didn’t want a repeat of the Ryder Cup and Justin Rose winning the US Open.)
The other thing we did, which I think must be unique, was that we panned for gem stones. Everyone is given a large bucket filled with sand and gravel and then this is sieved in a channel of fast flowing water. Clearly the stones are planted as everyone got some (such as quartz, fool’s gold and amethyst). But it was great fun panning for the stones.
And it was a pleasant relief to sit in some shade as we panned for the temperature today was around 90F.
At lunch one small child who was lovely but fairly boisterous produced from his lunch box a packet of Oreo biscuits and a can of Mountain Dew. If you’re not familiar with this drink it is a citrus flavoured energy drink. Probably not as potent as Red Bull but with enough of a zip for a small child. The child did suddenly get a new lease of life. But thankfully it wasn’t too long before we headed home.
Then this evening Tom and I went to dinner at the lovely couple from church who have been looking after us. They had invited a few friends round and we had a great time. The original plan was to sit outside and eat but the weather intervened. (We must be heading into the third hour of a thunder storm.)
A good variety of conversation. But the show stopper for me was when one guest told how he was authorised to conduct marriage having applied on line to a place in Las Vegas. He’d done it originally as a bit of a dare. But since then he has conducted several marriages for friends and has another two lined up.
Given the amount of hassle marriages cause I wonder if there is any chance of sending some more his way?
Was part of a trip that took 6 children from Fairview to Dan Nicholas Park near Salisbury NC. (About an hour’s drive from Mooresville.) This was part of the regular “Fun Fridays” programme that runs at Fairview during the summer. Aimed at those in what we would call Primary School.
Leading the expedition was the Director of Children’s ministry accompanied by someone who works in the church nursery school. She explained that sometimes numbers can be greater than this and sometimes there will be children who aren’t from church families though today the children were all churched.
Off we trundled in one of the two church mini buses (or “vans”). We had been going for about 5 minutes when we heard a plaintive cry of “My yogurt’s leaking.” It’s a sign of a well organised trip when such an emergency can be seamlessly dealt with.
The drive to Salisbury was lovely along quiet country roads with lots of trees and farms.
The journey allowed me to chat to the Director (who was driving) and she had a really interesting story to tell about her life, her family and her interests.
Dan Nicholas Park is a mixture of activities for children from a miniature railway, small zoo, a carousel and crazy golf. (Sadly didn’t get to play crazy golf. I suspect as the Americans didn’t want a repeat of the Ryder Cup and Justin Rose winning the US Open.)
The other thing we did, which I think must be unique, was that we panned for gem stones. Everyone is given a large bucket filled with sand and gravel and then this is sieved in a channel of fast flowing water. Clearly the stones are planted as everyone got some (such as quartz, fool’s gold and amethyst). But it was great fun panning for the stones.
And it was a pleasant relief to sit in some shade as we panned for the temperature today was around 90F.
At lunch one small child who was lovely but fairly boisterous produced from his lunch box a packet of Oreo biscuits and a can of Mountain Dew. If you’re not familiar with this drink it is a citrus flavoured energy drink. Probably not as potent as Red Bull but with enough of a zip for a small child. The child did suddenly get a new lease of life. But thankfully it wasn’t too long before we headed home.
Then this evening Tom and I went to dinner at the lovely couple from church who have been looking after us. They had invited a few friends round and we had a great time. The original plan was to sit outside and eat but the weather intervened. (We must be heading into the third hour of a thunder storm.)
A good variety of conversation. But the show stopper for me was when one guest told how he was authorised to conduct marriage having applied on line to a place in Las Vegas. He’d done it originally as a bit of a dare. But since then he has conducted several marriages for friends and has another two lined up.
Given the amount of hassle marriages cause I wonder if there is any chance of sending some more his way?
Thursday 27 June 2013
Happiness is --- a dollar in the bucket
27th June 2013
Tom and I visited one of the three Mooresville Rotary clubs this morning – RC Mooresville Top of the Lake. This was a breakfast club with over 30 members. The average age would have been around 50 I should say and maybe a third of the people there today were women. So quite a different demographic to the club back home.
It was their club handover today. That is when the new club president (and officers) take up office.
One thing that I’d not come across before was the “Dollar in the happy bucket”. (Perhaps it’s me, but this sounds like a euphemism for something – though I’m not quite sure what.) Anyway, a small plastic bucket (like a children’s sandcastle type bucket) was passed round the room and everyone was encouraged to put in a dollar and say thank you for something over the last week. So for example, one of the female members (whose husband was also a member of the club) wanted to give thanks for them having had a lovely 2 week holiday in Italy. The first 2 week holiday they had had in 37 years so she said as they’d not been prepared to leave their business for so long previously. Others gave thanks for someone having come through an operation.
“The happy bucket” sounds really corny. But I really liked the sentiment behind it. Wouldn’t it be good if we were more willing to say thanks to God in Church for something that has happened to us? And yet may experience has been that when people are given the opportunity to say “thank you” for something in church there is silence. I’m sure some people say prayers of thanks at home. But why not publicly? And would it be too radical to combine it with a happy bucket?
Having had a Skype conversation with Anne earlier, she told me some people have been saying (albeit in fun) “Isn’t he doing any work?” Well I never work and only on Sundays (I thought I’d say it before someone else did.) But I have been doing some “work”
Yesterday, we had a staff meeting which was an opportunity to meet the ministry leaders and hear about what they do. Followed by a working lunch. Well ok lunch.
Today, with the Director of Spiritual Growth I had a pastoral meeting with a member of the church who is going through a difficult time. This was a most enlightening experience as I learned so much from my colleague in the hour or so.
And I’ve been sermon writing. And what has been wonderful has been having the space to reflect and think on my sermon and not the usual rushing to get something ready for Sunday. In fact I am a week ahead of myself which is unheard of. Usually I have the sermon 95% finished by the Friday before the Sunday and I am up early on Sunday to finalise things. So I am enjoying the luxury.
Once I’ve finished the blog it’s domestic duties – the ironing calls. Tom meanwhile is out with a group of 20 somethings from church.
Wednesday 26 June 2013
Man of Steel Son of God?
26th June 2013
Just back from seeing the new Superman film "Man of Steel". It was alright but it went on a bit. However, I was struck by some of the Christian symbolism in it. I don't want to say too much in case you've not seen it and want to go. But it certainly has messages that would prove useful discussion starters for a youth group say.
I'm not claiming that this is my original thought. I heard a theology lecturer make the same point on BBC Radio 4 last week and a quick trawl on the net will find plenty of people saying the same thing for example http://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2013/06/man-of-steel-chock-full-of-christian-dog-whistles/
(Just a comment to the film makers. I'm pretty sure it is standard operating procedure for air dispatchers, in the back of large transport planes, to be fitted with a tethered safety line. If this had happened Lois Lane wouldn't have fallen out)
Today has been a bit quieter. I had a staff meeting with the various ministers at the church today. That was interesting and fun. I'm going to enjoy working with them over the next few weeks. Got into an interesting discussion with the Music Director and Worship Leader about contemporary worship music in Britain. I'm not a great authority but mentioned Stuart Townend (especially the most recent album "The Journey") Also St Graham of Kendrick and Lou Fellingham / Phatfish. (They had heard of Matt Redman.)
But the most important thing achieved today was the purchase of a big mug for my morning cuppa. There are only standard size mugs in the parsonage and a standard size mug of tea in the morning isn't good enough. I was trying to decide where I could find a pint sized mug when inspiration struck. I called into a service station of the kind used by truckers over here. From previous visits to the States I know that such places frequently sell very large insulated mugs for truckers. And I wasn't disappointed. So now I'm fully equipped in the breakfast stakes.
Just back from seeing the new Superman film "Man of Steel". It was alright but it went on a bit. However, I was struck by some of the Christian symbolism in it. I don't want to say too much in case you've not seen it and want to go. But it certainly has messages that would prove useful discussion starters for a youth group say.
I'm not claiming that this is my original thought. I heard a theology lecturer make the same point on BBC Radio 4 last week and a quick trawl on the net will find plenty of people saying the same thing for example http://caffeinatedthoughts.com/2013/06/man-of-steel-chock-full-of-christian-dog-whistles/
(Just a comment to the film makers. I'm pretty sure it is standard operating procedure for air dispatchers, in the back of large transport planes, to be fitted with a tethered safety line. If this had happened Lois Lane wouldn't have fallen out)
Today has been a bit quieter. I had a staff meeting with the various ministers at the church today. That was interesting and fun. I'm going to enjoy working with them over the next few weeks. Got into an interesting discussion with the Music Director and Worship Leader about contemporary worship music in Britain. I'm not a great authority but mentioned Stuart Townend (especially the most recent album "The Journey") Also St Graham of Kendrick and Lou Fellingham / Phatfish. (They had heard of Matt Redman.)
But the most important thing achieved today was the purchase of a big mug for my morning cuppa. There are only standard size mugs in the parsonage and a standard size mug of tea in the morning isn't good enough. I was trying to decide where I could find a pint sized mug when inspiration struck. I called into a service station of the kind used by truckers over here. From previous visits to the States I know that such places frequently sell very large insulated mugs for truckers. And I wasn't disappointed. So now I'm fully equipped in the breakfast stakes.
Tuesday 25 June 2013
Take me out to the ball game
Tuesday 25th June
Slept a bit better last night. Awake at 4am and read for a while but did go back to sleep for an hour. Feeling much more with it today.
Struck by the warmth of welcome of so many people who have been dropping into the church to say hello. And their helpfulness. One chap spent a couple of hours sorting out the network at church to make sure I could log on with my lap top and connect to the network printer. (Yes “network” and “network printer” phrases I haven’t heard for about 7 years since leaving the work place.)
We were taken for lunch at a little café on Main Street. And Main Street could be straight out of an archetypal small town America movie. I half expected to see Spencer Tracey getting out of a 1950s Buick. It’s not surprising that it is used for films (and part of the area was sealed off today as filming was taking place.)
But what’s interesting about Main Street Mooresville is that it has reinvented itself. Many of the shops are now art galleries and cafes. It is somewhere to relax not to shop. (People shop in the various out of town shopping malls.)
Chatting over lunch I was struck by how there are so many similar issues facing churches on both sides of the pond. Mooresville is served by 4 United Methodist Churches each with its own pastor (and one assumes team of ministers.) But we were told how one church (in a very prominent position) is facing the possibility of closure as its members are refusing to consider change. Where have we heard this before? Those 6 words guaranteed to ensure a church is doomed to die “We’ve always done it this way”
And the assumption on the British side of the pond is that American churches get it right.
To finish today off Tom and I went to see Fairview UMC softball team play another church – The Cove (http://www.covechurch.org/) Fairview’s team was made up of young and old all shapes and sizes who wanted to play for fun. The Cove’s team talk it far more seriously.
Now if people sometimes say that baseball is rounders, softball really is rounders played with a bigger bat and ball. And a softball game lasts about as long as a game of rounders, in other words much shorter than a baseball game. Which is probably just as well for Fairview lost 20 – 0. It was a bit like The Bad News Bears http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074174/
A fun evening
Slept a bit better last night. Awake at 4am and read for a while but did go back to sleep for an hour. Feeling much more with it today.
Struck by the warmth of welcome of so many people who have been dropping into the church to say hello. And their helpfulness. One chap spent a couple of hours sorting out the network at church to make sure I could log on with my lap top and connect to the network printer. (Yes “network” and “network printer” phrases I haven’t heard for about 7 years since leaving the work place.)
We were taken for lunch at a little café on Main Street. And Main Street could be straight out of an archetypal small town America movie. I half expected to see Spencer Tracey getting out of a 1950s Buick. It’s not surprising that it is used for films (and part of the area was sealed off today as filming was taking place.)
But what’s interesting about Main Street Mooresville is that it has reinvented itself. Many of the shops are now art galleries and cafes. It is somewhere to relax not to shop. (People shop in the various out of town shopping malls.)
Chatting over lunch I was struck by how there are so many similar issues facing churches on both sides of the pond. Mooresville is served by 4 United Methodist Churches each with its own pastor (and one assumes team of ministers.) But we were told how one church (in a very prominent position) is facing the possibility of closure as its members are refusing to consider change. Where have we heard this before? Those 6 words guaranteed to ensure a church is doomed to die “We’ve always done it this way”
And the assumption on the British side of the pond is that American churches get it right.
To finish today off Tom and I went to see Fairview UMC softball team play another church – The Cove (http://www.covechurch.org/) Fairview’s team was made up of young and old all shapes and sizes who wanted to play for fun. The Cove’s team talk it far more seriously.
Now if people sometimes say that baseball is rounders, softball really is rounders played with a bigger bat and ball. And a softball game lasts about as long as a game of rounders, in other words much shorter than a baseball game. Which is probably just as well for Fairview lost 20 – 0. It was a bit like The Bad News Bears http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074174/
A fun evening
Monday 24 June 2013
The Grays (well two of them) have landed
Sunday 23rd / Monday 24th June
We set out for the airport at 05.00 UK time. I’m not going to go through all the details of flights etc. as that would be boring though they were all on time which was a bonus.
The way our travel agent had found flights to suit Tom and I meant we went via Atlanta. A glance at a map will show you that Atlanta is several hundred miles south of Charlotte NC (our final destination airport.) So it was quite depressing to see on the plane’s flight tracker screen that we flew over Charlotte only to fly back to it later.
Atlanta is a major “hub” airport. To get from the international terminal to the relevant internal flight terminal means getting on an underground railway that connects the terminals. But despite its size it was very efficient. From getting off the plane, clearing Homeland security to collecting our bags took about 20 minutes. Clearing security is quite scary (or maybe I just have a guilty conscience!)
In the words of the stewardess on the plane “They don’t have a sense of humour so don’t make jokes” and she was right. The officer I dealt with was efficient in a Herr Flick kind of way. (Come to think of it he looked like Herr Flick – but I wasn’t going to point that out.) “Where are you going after Atlanta?" (Despite the customs card giving an address.) “When did you last visit the USA?” (Despite my passport showing a date stamp.) “What is the purpose of your visit?” “Are you working here?” (I truthfully answered ‘No’ as I don’t work!) I was starting to get twitchy. But then when he took my finger prints and a photograph I knew I was in.
Unlike say Heathrow, there are plenty of airport staff on hand to explain which terminal to go to next, how to check in bags once again and so on. All were friendly and courteous and everyone was African American. In fact many of the customer service staff in the airport shops, bars and cafes were African American. In the McDonalds we used (yes I know, but I promise that is the first and last time) all the staff (at least a dozen) were all African American.
In contrast, the vast majority of airline staff I saw (and I think the terminal we were in was exclusively for Delta airlines) were white whether pilots (queuing at McDonalds – so given the choice pilots refuse airline food too) or cabin crew or check in desk staff.
According to http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/1304000.html in 2012 the population of Atlanta as estimated at 443,775. With 54% of these being “Black persons” (the term used by the US Census.)
I couldn’t help but feel that there is still a divide in society in Atlanta (at least in the airport) where the great majority of those in the service industry were black and the great majority of professionals were white.
Now this may not be a statistically valid sample and in fact may well be a distortion. But that is my perception. And this is my blog so there!
Thanks to jet lag having gone to bed at around 8pm I then woke at 4.30am. So today has been a bit fuzzy round the edges. But it was good to meet many of the staff at Fairview today and see the impressive set up. I’ll have plenty to interest me I’m sure.
Finally having pulled into a petrol station / come grocery store this afternoon for some supplies (beer if truth be told) I was surprised to see that the store operated a “Challenge 40” policy. In other words if they thought you were under 40 they’d ask for ID. The guy behind the cash desk said to me “Would you like me to ask you for some ID?” which was a polite way of saying “You look well past 40 pal.” But nevertheless I said “Yes please and produced my British photo ID driving licence. He was confused by the date format but eventually figured out I’m almost 50.
“So you guys are British right? Do you like Top Gear?”
We set out for the airport at 05.00 UK time. I’m not going to go through all the details of flights etc. as that would be boring though they were all on time which was a bonus.
The way our travel agent had found flights to suit Tom and I meant we went via Atlanta. A glance at a map will show you that Atlanta is several hundred miles south of Charlotte NC (our final destination airport.) So it was quite depressing to see on the plane’s flight tracker screen that we flew over Charlotte only to fly back to it later.
Atlanta is a major “hub” airport. To get from the international terminal to the relevant internal flight terminal means getting on an underground railway that connects the terminals. But despite its size it was very efficient. From getting off the plane, clearing Homeland security to collecting our bags took about 20 minutes. Clearing security is quite scary (or maybe I just have a guilty conscience!)
In the words of the stewardess on the plane “They don’t have a sense of humour so don’t make jokes” and she was right. The officer I dealt with was efficient in a Herr Flick kind of way. (Come to think of it he looked like Herr Flick – but I wasn’t going to point that out.) “Where are you going after Atlanta?" (Despite the customs card giving an address.) “When did you last visit the USA?” (Despite my passport showing a date stamp.) “What is the purpose of your visit?” “Are you working here?” (I truthfully answered ‘No’ as I don’t work!) I was starting to get twitchy. But then when he took my finger prints and a photograph I knew I was in.
Unlike say Heathrow, there are plenty of airport staff on hand to explain which terminal to go to next, how to check in bags once again and so on. All were friendly and courteous and everyone was African American. In fact many of the customer service staff in the airport shops, bars and cafes were African American. In the McDonalds we used (yes I know, but I promise that is the first and last time) all the staff (at least a dozen) were all African American.
In contrast, the vast majority of airline staff I saw (and I think the terminal we were in was exclusively for Delta airlines) were white whether pilots (queuing at McDonalds – so given the choice pilots refuse airline food too) or cabin crew or check in desk staff.
According to http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/13/1304000.html in 2012 the population of Atlanta as estimated at 443,775. With 54% of these being “Black persons” (the term used by the US Census.)
I couldn’t help but feel that there is still a divide in society in Atlanta (at least in the airport) where the great majority of those in the service industry were black and the great majority of professionals were white.
Now this may not be a statistically valid sample and in fact may well be a distortion. But that is my perception. And this is my blog so there!
Thanks to jet lag having gone to bed at around 8pm I then woke at 4.30am. So today has been a bit fuzzy round the edges. But it was good to meet many of the staff at Fairview today and see the impressive set up. I’ll have plenty to interest me I’m sure.
Finally having pulled into a petrol station / come grocery store this afternoon for some supplies (beer if truth be told) I was surprised to see that the store operated a “Challenge 40” policy. In other words if they thought you were under 40 they’d ask for ID. The guy behind the cash desk said to me “Would you like me to ask you for some ID?” which was a polite way of saying “You look well past 40 pal.” But nevertheless I said “Yes please and produced my British photo ID driving licence. He was confused by the date format but eventually figured out I’m almost 50.
“So you guys are British right? Do you like Top Gear?”
Tuesday 18 June 2013
God is still speaking - but are we listening?
If your church follows the Lectionary for its Bible readings on Sunday then you’ll have noticed that we currently have a series of readings from Paul’s letter to the Galatians.
We think that what prompted Paul to write to the churches in Galatia (part of modern day Turkey) was his concern that the Christians there were being taught the wrong things about Jesus.
Paul’s angry and passionate letter provide us with a glimpse of a controversy that surrounded the early church as it expanded into Gentile communities around the eastern Mediterranean. And at the heart of this controversy was a thorny question. Were these churches to be understood as branches on a tree that was Judaism, or were they to be understood as belonging to a new community neither Jewish or Pagan?
The question was crucial, for if these fledging churches were going to be thought of as Jewish sects, then they would be subject to Jewish values and practices. This meant following all the Jewish laws and for men the unkindest cut of all - circumcision.
Paul had founded the churches of Galatia during his missionary travels in Asia Minor sometime after the meeting in Jerusalem that he describes in Galatians 2: 1 – 10. And everything points to the members of the churches in Galatia being pagan converts. And these were healthy, thriving churches. Paul tells us in his letter about baptisms, about the Holy Spirit coming on the churches and all in all the churches seem to be running well. We don’t know how long Paul spent with them, but he must have had reason to believe that, when he left them, all would be well.
However, at the time Paul writes his letter, he has received word that his work is being undermined by Jewish – Christian missionaries who had arrived on the scene and were preaching a different gospel. And they were also persuading the Gentile Galatians that they needed to be circumcised.
Now it is worth remembering that these Missionaries were not Jews trying to persuade the Galatians to abandon their new faith. No, they were Jewish Christians who were arguing that for new converts to be followers of Jesus, they needed to take on what it means to be Jewish which includes circumcision. They arrived in Galatia and started to preach that Paul had got it wrong. Paul had not instructed the Galatians about God’s law.
On hearing what was happening, Paul penned his letter to dissuade the Galatian churches from accepting this message from the Missionaries.
The basic element of the Missionaries’ message is clear. They believed Jesus to be the Messiah of Israel and they saw themselves as summoning Gentiles in the name of Jesus, to come under the Law of Moses. In short, they represented a form of traditional Jewish teaching that called for observance of the Law. And they sought, in the name of Jesus, to extend the Good News about the Law of God to the Gentiles.
But in Paul’s eyes the Missionaries were betraying the Gospel of Jesus because it is God’s grace, which was shown through the death of Jesus on the cross that brings salvation. It is the cross not the law that is the basis of a relationship with God. And God’s grace is for all people.
In Galatians 3:28 Paul writes:
28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Paul was sure that what he was preaching was the Gospel.
In Galatians 1:11 - 12 he says:
11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Paul’s bold, almost boastful, claims of superiority and his assuredness that he was given the Gospel directly by Jesus Christ, is uncomfortable. Because we can be reminded of those strands of the Church today who seem so sure about everything. Who believe they are infallible. Who know their stand point to be true. You know the type. Attempts to discuss with them differences of theology and biblical interpretation and biblical and church authority, can often result in comments like:
“Hey, you’re not arguing with me, you’re arguing with the Word of God.”
This is something that concerns me over the current debate over gay marriage.
I think it is worth noting that according to one article I read recently:
In the Bible there are 7 verses that talk about homosexuality. (Incidentally Jesus says nothing on the subject.) There are 12 against divorce. There are 2,350 verses about money. 300 verses about social justice and the poor. Shouldn’t we have more to say on those topics? But no we seem obsessed about homosexuality.
The United Church of Christ denomination in the USA is similar to the United Reformed Church in this country. The United Church of Christ has as its slogan “God is still speaking.” Apparently this is taken from something the comedienne Gracie Allen wrote to George Burns “Don’t put a full stop where God has put a comma. God is still speaking”
I really like that. “God is still speaking.” In other words, God is still leading us on to understand more of him and of his truth. In John’s Gospel Jesus says:
12 ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, the Spirit will guide you into all the truth;
(John 16:12-13).
In other words, we don’t know the whole of the Gospel – the Good News. It is constantly being revealed to us and the Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s further revelations. The Holy Spirit helps us hear God speak. For God is still speaking. So we should not assume that everything God said was in a book parts of which were written 4,000 years ago. In my view those Christians who think God stopped speaking 2,000 years ago, and by the way He spoke in the language of the King James Bible, are just plain wrong!
There are those in the Church today who are like the Missionaries Paul spoke out against. The Missionaries believed, when you boil it down, that Jesus merely came to add to the Jewish law. But this was the very thing Jesus did not do. In Matthew Jesus says:
Matthew 5:17
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.
But there are some today in Church who hold on to the Law and forget about the Gospel. They forget what we are told in
John 1:17
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
And that grace and truth brings with it freedom. A point Paul goes on to make in chapter 5 of the letter to the Galatians. We are freed from the burden of obeying laws.
14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
We are freed from the burden of sin. We are freed through Christ Jesus. Through his love for us. Through his dying for us and rising for us.
There is a story about an ancient Persian king who had injured his ankle quite severely. None of his court physicians knew how to help him. A member of his court told him about a certain slave who was said to have a great insight into matters of the body.
The Persian king sent for the slave who was brought to him weighted down with chains and dressed in rags. However, the slave was indeed able to give him great assistance with his problem. The pain ceased and the ankle soon healed. The king was elated and justly grateful for the slave's help. He was so grateful that he sent the slave a gift - a new set of golden chains.
Some people shy away from Christianity because they are afraid that they may be trading in one set of chains for another. Some Christians can do that to people, but not Jesus Christ. Christ sets us free! And he is still speaking!
We think that what prompted Paul to write to the churches in Galatia (part of modern day Turkey) was his concern that the Christians there were being taught the wrong things about Jesus.
Paul’s angry and passionate letter provide us with a glimpse of a controversy that surrounded the early church as it expanded into Gentile communities around the eastern Mediterranean. And at the heart of this controversy was a thorny question. Were these churches to be understood as branches on a tree that was Judaism, or were they to be understood as belonging to a new community neither Jewish or Pagan?
The question was crucial, for if these fledging churches were going to be thought of as Jewish sects, then they would be subject to Jewish values and practices. This meant following all the Jewish laws and for men the unkindest cut of all - circumcision.
Paul had founded the churches of Galatia during his missionary travels in Asia Minor sometime after the meeting in Jerusalem that he describes in Galatians 2: 1 – 10. And everything points to the members of the churches in Galatia being pagan converts. And these were healthy, thriving churches. Paul tells us in his letter about baptisms, about the Holy Spirit coming on the churches and all in all the churches seem to be running well. We don’t know how long Paul spent with them, but he must have had reason to believe that, when he left them, all would be well.
However, at the time Paul writes his letter, he has received word that his work is being undermined by Jewish – Christian missionaries who had arrived on the scene and were preaching a different gospel. And they were also persuading the Gentile Galatians that they needed to be circumcised.
Now it is worth remembering that these Missionaries were not Jews trying to persuade the Galatians to abandon their new faith. No, they were Jewish Christians who were arguing that for new converts to be followers of Jesus, they needed to take on what it means to be Jewish which includes circumcision. They arrived in Galatia and started to preach that Paul had got it wrong. Paul had not instructed the Galatians about God’s law.
On hearing what was happening, Paul penned his letter to dissuade the Galatian churches from accepting this message from the Missionaries.
The basic element of the Missionaries’ message is clear. They believed Jesus to be the Messiah of Israel and they saw themselves as summoning Gentiles in the name of Jesus, to come under the Law of Moses. In short, they represented a form of traditional Jewish teaching that called for observance of the Law. And they sought, in the name of Jesus, to extend the Good News about the Law of God to the Gentiles.
But in Paul’s eyes the Missionaries were betraying the Gospel of Jesus because it is God’s grace, which was shown through the death of Jesus on the cross that brings salvation. It is the cross not the law that is the basis of a relationship with God. And God’s grace is for all people.
In Galatians 3:28 Paul writes:
28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
Paul was sure that what he was preaching was the Gospel.
In Galatians 1:11 - 12 he says:
11 I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel I preached is not of human origin. 12 I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.
Paul’s bold, almost boastful, claims of superiority and his assuredness that he was given the Gospel directly by Jesus Christ, is uncomfortable. Because we can be reminded of those strands of the Church today who seem so sure about everything. Who believe they are infallible. Who know their stand point to be true. You know the type. Attempts to discuss with them differences of theology and biblical interpretation and biblical and church authority, can often result in comments like:
“Hey, you’re not arguing with me, you’re arguing with the Word of God.”
This is something that concerns me over the current debate over gay marriage.
I think it is worth noting that according to one article I read recently:
In the Bible there are 7 verses that talk about homosexuality. (Incidentally Jesus says nothing on the subject.) There are 12 against divorce. There are 2,350 verses about money. 300 verses about social justice and the poor. Shouldn’t we have more to say on those topics? But no we seem obsessed about homosexuality.
The United Church of Christ denomination in the USA is similar to the United Reformed Church in this country. The United Church of Christ has as its slogan “God is still speaking.” Apparently this is taken from something the comedienne Gracie Allen wrote to George Burns “Don’t put a full stop where God has put a comma. God is still speaking”
I really like that. “God is still speaking.” In other words, God is still leading us on to understand more of him and of his truth. In John’s Gospel Jesus says:
12 ‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, the Spirit will guide you into all the truth;
(John 16:12-13).
In other words, we don’t know the whole of the Gospel – the Good News. It is constantly being revealed to us and the Holy Spirit helps us to understand God’s further revelations. The Holy Spirit helps us hear God speak. For God is still speaking. So we should not assume that everything God said was in a book parts of which were written 4,000 years ago. In my view those Christians who think God stopped speaking 2,000 years ago, and by the way He spoke in the language of the King James Bible, are just plain wrong!
There are those in the Church today who are like the Missionaries Paul spoke out against. The Missionaries believed, when you boil it down, that Jesus merely came to add to the Jewish law. But this was the very thing Jesus did not do. In Matthew Jesus says:
Matthew 5:17
17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them.
But there are some today in Church who hold on to the Law and forget about the Gospel. They forget what we are told in
John 1:17
17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
And that grace and truth brings with it freedom. A point Paul goes on to make in chapter 5 of the letter to the Galatians. We are freed from the burden of obeying laws.
14 For the entire law is fulfilled in keeping this one command: “Love your neighbour as yourself.”
We are freed from the burden of sin. We are freed through Christ Jesus. Through his love for us. Through his dying for us and rising for us.
There is a story about an ancient Persian king who had injured his ankle quite severely. None of his court physicians knew how to help him. A member of his court told him about a certain slave who was said to have a great insight into matters of the body.
The Persian king sent for the slave who was brought to him weighted down with chains and dressed in rags. However, the slave was indeed able to give him great assistance with his problem. The pain ceased and the ankle soon healed. The king was elated and justly grateful for the slave's help. He was so grateful that he sent the slave a gift - a new set of golden chains.
Some people shy away from Christianity because they are afraid that they may be trading in one set of chains for another. Some Christians can do that to people, but not Jesus Christ. Christ sets us free! And he is still speaking!
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