The King's Speech

Have you seen the film The King’s Speech staring Colin Firth yet? If not, and you get the chance, do go. It is an excellent film and is very moving. If you have not heard about the film, it is the story of how King George VI overcame a terrible stammer with the help of an unconventional speech Australian speech therapist Lionel Logue.

The film plays out against the story of Edward VIII’s abdication and the realisation that “Bertie” (the family’s name for George VI) would become King. With the increasing use of the wireless, and Bertie’s father George V having made broadcasts to the Empire, Bertie will need to learn to conquer the stammer that has been part of his life since he was a boy.

At times the film is very funny but there are some very moving scenes. And one in particular was very poignant where Bertie shouts out “I just wanted to be a naval officer not the King!”

But of course as we know, George VI went on to be King during a very difficult time for this country, though it is said the Queen Mother was always angry at the way her husband’s health was affected by having to become King.

This put me in mind of Shakespeare’s phrase “Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them.” For while George VI was born into the Royal Family, he never dreamed he would one day be King and would have to conquer his stammer in order to speak to his people.

But the scene in the film also put me in mind of some of the words of our Methodist Covenant service.*

Christ has many services to be done:
some are easy, others are difficult;
some bring honour, others bring reproach;
some are suitable to our natural inclinations and material interests,
others are contrary to both;
in some we may please Christ and please ourselves;
in others we cannot please Christ except by denying ourselves.
Yet the power to do all these things is given to us in Christ, who strengthens us.

We may not like our calling; we may feel uncomfortable with what we are called to do. God bless. We are called to serve a King who was not a King of this world. A King whose Kingdom is like no Kingdom of this world. The greatest King of all.

For more information on the Covenant service go to http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.content&cmid=1499

Look to the future - it's only just begun

It’s 28^th November and so far I’ve not heard Slade's classic Merry Christmas Everybody played.

This song was released in 1973. I was ten at the time. And the lyrics seemed somehow to have been written about the way we spent Christmas. Like most children I would have loved snow to fall on Christmas Day – but it never did. We were always waiting for family to arrive whether grandparents from the nearby town of Tredegar, or aunts and uncles from London or cousins from Swindon. So even on Christmas Day there was a sense of waiting – especially as the tradition in our house was not to have presents until after the Queens Speech! No wonder I’m not a monarchist!

But actually there is a line in that song that is quite profound when you stop and think about it – “look to the future now it’s only just begun”. That is not a Christmas lyric but an Advent lyric. For in Advent we are juggling some interesting concepts. We are looking to the future but equally the future has already begun.

We are looking to Christmas in which we are thinking of how Jesus came to earth 2,000 years ago. But we are also looking forward to a time when we hope as Christians Christ will come again and bring in his Kingdom. But equally we are concerned about there here and now.

Throughout Advent, I'm basing my services on a book called “Another world is possible, another world is here”. And the title of that book suggests to me the same idea that consciously or unconsciously Slade were singing about. About how, as Christians we should always be looking to the future – the glorious hope of Christ coming again and bringing in his Kingdom. But also how we have a part to play in bringing in that future. Of shaping the Kingdom of God. Of preparing the way for the Kingdom of God.

Advent is a time in which we seek to build a bridge from the here and now and look forward to the what might be. Advent is a time to dream dreams. To hope. As Bruce Kent puts it in the introduction to the book

In other words Advent gives us hope that another world is possible and announces that with Jesus another world is here.

We all like to look back. We take comfort from memories from times past. And it is good to look back. To take stock of those things in the past that have made us who we are today. And at times those memories can be important to help us through the times we are in now. But we are called to be people who look forward as well.

To that extent we are no different to the people of Israel and Judah at the time of Isaiah. They had just enjoyed a golden period. A peaceful period. But this era ended with the death of King Uzziah in 740BC. For the next hundred years the might kings of Assyria wielded their power in the Middle East.

Isaiah witnessed the collapse of the northern kingdom of Israel under the onslaught of Assyria. Isaiah, ministering to the people of Judah, warned them that they too could go the same way as Israel for like the people of Israel Isaiah saw that the people of Judah were rebellious towards God.

As it happened Judah did not fall prey to Assyria. The Lord intervened. But sometime later, the Babylonians would sweep in taking the people of Judah into exile in Babylon. From there those people

Psalm 137

¹ By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
² There on the poplars
we hung our harps,
³ for there our captors asked us for songs,
our tormentors demanded songs of joy;
they said, “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”

The people of Judah in exile in Babylon wept as they remembered what had been.

But Isaiah, and that other great prophet Jeremiah, reminded the people of Judah that they should not look back. Rather they should look forward. They should look to the future.

And while Bible scholars think that the passage we’ve heard from Isaiah today was written before the exile, the prophet is still looking forward beyond the present, beyond the conquest by Babylon. Looking forward to a time when God’s kingdom will be established. Looking forward to a time when God will reign.

What this passage is saying is that the reign of God will involve a radical transformation of the world as we know it. God’s reign will mean a change from nationalism and conflict to unity and peace. And when this reign is established what will the response be? People will:

“ ... will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war anymore.”

Professor Gene Tucker in his commentary on Isaiah makes the observation on this passage that “Isaiah’s proclamation is not a summons for people to bring in the new age.” Rather, the Professor says it is a proclamation that the future is God’s. In other words God will determine the future. God will shape the future.

That is comforting for it means that in God’s time we’ll be restored. Peace will reign. However, that is not to say that we do not have a part to play in bringing in God’s kingdom. Clearly we should respond.

That’s what verse 5 means as I see it:

⁵ Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the LORD.

The light of the Lord means that those of us who already live in the presence of the Lord are challenged to take the first steps on the path that one day all nations will take. God’s path. We are to show the way. To demonstrate what God’s kingdom and his reign will be about. We are to demonstrate love and compassion. We are to demonstrate peace.

Pope John Paul II saw peacemaking as an urgent task for everyone – not just people like himself who had the ear of the world’s leaders. He called on everyone to make gestures of peace. And he practised what he preached. His trademark gesture of kissing the ground when he got off the plane symbolised the unity of the world and the preciousness of every part of it. John Paul seemed to recognise that gestures can speak louder than words. Gestures can reach across barriers, dispel suspicion and offer healing and reconciliation.

The post master of my parents’ village in South Wales is a Muslim by the name of Mohammed. Being a small village he is known by everyone and he knows most of them. He knows my parents well and knows that they are Christians. And it is he a Muslim who is one of the first people to hand deliver a Christmas card to them each year. They find that simple thing as greatly moving. Gestures can reach across barriers, dispel suspicion and offer healing and reconciliation.

Professor Stanley Hauerwas is feisty Methodist Texan theologian who teaches as Duke University in the USA. Much of the work he has done over the last 30 years has been in promoting peace. This has at times made him very unpopular.

He tells the story of how he once pinned a notice to the door of his University office. It read: "A modest proposal for peace. Let the Christians of the world agree that they will not kill each other."

The notice caused a storm of protest from students. ‘How dare you talk only about Christians killing Christians,’ they insisted. ‘Surely you should be concerned with everyone refraining from deadly violence.’ To which Hauerwas responded, ‘well of course, it would be just great if everyone stopped killing others. But you have to start somewhere. And I did say it was a modest proposal for peace!”

A Modest proposal for peace. You have to start somewhere.

We look forward to celebrating the coming into this world of the Prince of Peace and as we look to a time when he will come again and establish God Kingdom. As you leave today you will each receive a small candle. I invite you to light a candle throughout Advent as a symbol of peace. And as a way of focusing your prayers on the future and seeking what God has in store for us here at St Andrews.

⁵ Come, descendants of Jacob,
let us walk in the light of the LORD.

Let us look to the future – it’s only just begun.

Big Society or the Kingdom of God

This is the text of a thought for the day I broadcast on BBC Wiltshire on Sunday 21st November.

On Monday 15^th November, along with 200 others, I was invited to tea at the House of Commons. The invitation came from Swindon South MP Robert Buckland and the occasion was a presentation about the Hop Skip and Jump charity’s planned development at Lydiard Park, which was given planning permission in January.

Hop Skip & Jump will open a centre for children with a range of disabilities. The aim is to provide a safe play haven for children, where they can happily play & have fun, giving parents some much needed respite & support.

Mr Buckland spoke of how he recognises the value of such a place as he is has a daughter with special needs. He said he expects to use the new centre in Swindon when it has been completed. And he commented on how the provision of the Hop Skip and Jump centre is an example of how the Big Society can make a difference.

Like many charities – though not all of course – Hop Skip & Jump has Christian connections. One of the founder trustees Celia Carter is a Church of England vicar in Gloucestershire.

Christians have a long had a tradition of providing for the disadvantaged. This might be through charities or it may be at a more local and personal level perhaps through a church lunch club. We do things such as this because Jesus challenged all his followers to care for their neighbours just as he did.

A couple of months back Robert Buckland talked at a meeting organised by Churches Together in Swindon on what The Big Society meant. I came away none the wiser because even Mr Buckland admitted he wasn’t entirely clear what David Cameron meant by The Big Society.

In fairness, at the Conservative Party Conference a few weeks later David Cameron did set out a bit more clearly what he means. He said:

“It's about government helping to build a nation of doers and go-getters, where people step forward not sit back, where people come together to make life better.

A country defined not by what we consume but by what we contribute. A country, a society where we say: I am not alone. I will play my part.” [1]

I hear those words about the Big Society and I think of something Jesus frequently spoke about - the Kingdom of God. And Jesus made it clear to his followers – citizens in God’s Kingdom - that we all have a part to play in building the Kingdom of God.

The citizens of the Kingdom of God are called to follow the Law of the Kingdom of God: To love the Lord God with all our hearts, minds and souls and to love and care for our neighbours as much as we love and care for ourselves.

At the time of Jesus and ever since, people have asked “What is the Kingdom of God?” At the time of Jesus people thought it literally was a Kingdom. But in a passage in the Bible found in Luke’s Gospel Jesus said:

²⁰ ... "The kingdom of God does not come with your careful observation, ²¹nor will people say, 'Here it is,' or 'There it is,' because the kingdom of God is within^[a] you." Luke 17:20-21

There are some similarities between the Big Society and the Kingdom of God as both aim to see people involved in their creation and in the community around them. But the Big Society is not the Kingdom of God. Because for starters the people of the Kingdom of God – the followers of Jesus – are not necessarily the go getters Mr Cameron is referring to.

Nor are the followers of the Kingdom of God inspired by government to care for the widow, the prisoner, the hungry, the homeless, the outcast, all people Jesus cared for. All people the citizens of God’s Kingdom are challenged to care for.

Rather for over 2,000 years the citizens of the Kingdom of God have been inspired to show compassion as a way of showing how much we love Jesus and wish to serve him by caring for those around us. Not because a politician tells us to do so.

Comment

After my thought, the presenter of the show asked me whether I thought it was possible to have a foot in both camps. That is be part of the Kingdom of God and part of the Big Society. I said that I thought it was possible and there are some overlaps. (A bit like a Venn diagram - I never did understand those.) But there are distinctions.

And here, as opposed to on air, I feel I can say that I feel the Big Society is nothing more than a way of making the voluntary sector take on things the state should be doing.

---

[1] http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/06/david-cameron-speech-conservative-conference

Wayne's World

Money has been in the news a lot over the last few weeks. Whether it is Wayne Rooney’s £250,000 a week salary or the massive spending cuts announced by George Osborne, money is in the news. And whilst it’s sometimes said it’s not polite to talk about money, we all do. Perhaps talking about the price of petrol, the price of a pint or how much our house is worth.

How people used their wealth concerned Jesus a great deal. On one occasion a rich young man asked Jesus what was needed in order for a rich person to go to heaven. Jesus told him that he needed to give away everything he had to the poor. On hearing this news the young man was very disappointed and in fact the followers of Jesus were amazed. Jesus then went on to say that it is very hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God and in fact “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Mark 10:23

Teachings like this suggest the Christian faith is against wealth and money. People quote Christianity as saying “Money is the root of all evil” which suggests that money is to be avoided at all costs. In fact St Paul, an early follower of Jesus, said “The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil.” 1 Tim 6:10

I interpret this as Paul saying Wanting to make money for money’s sake is bad but using money to help others is good.

The founder of the Methodist Church John Wesley once preached a sermon called “The right use of money”. The sermon is over 250 years old and some of the ideas in it can seem old fashioned today. For example he talks about needing to ensure that we take care of our servants and don't hang extravagant works of art on the wall! Both things I relate to as a Methodist minister naturally.

But there is a great deal of truth within in it. And one idea John Wesley put forward seems to me a good rule for the right use of money. Wesley was clear that money made should be made legally and fairly without harm to others. People should save to have enough money to live comfortably but not extravagantly and then give away the money left over to help others.

Put simply Wesley said that we should “Make all you can, save all you can and give away all you can”.

It’s a good rule. But will it apply in Wayne’s world? And will it apply in the world of George Osborne's friends in the City I wonder?

A fight between God and the Devil. God won!

I'm amazed at the TV pictures coming from Chile showing the rescue of the 33 miners who have been trapped 600 metres below ground for the last two months. At the time of writing 11 have been rescued and I hope and pray that all the others will be rescued too.

What I find fascinating is the way the miners and their families all believe that God played a part in the rescue. On Sunday (when the rescue shaft broke through to the miners) family members were interviewed and all started off their comments by saying "We thank God".

And today, one of the miners on reaching the surface said "Down there it was a battle between God and the Devil. God won."

Mario Gomez one of the rescued miners said "God kept me alive."

Naturally, the press have referred to the miners' plight as being "in hell". Well, today once again hell has been conquered.

On BBC TV 1pm news a psychologist was interviewed about the after effects of this on the miners. And even he was talking in terms of heaven and hell.

How refreshing that people are prepared to talk openly abut faith in this way. What a witness. I'd be interested to see the reaction someone like Richard Dawkins would get if he were to suggest to these people that God did not have a hand in this!

Your country needs you

I try to keep my blog for spiritual and theological ramblings. But it's my blog and my rules. So today I'm dipping in to the murky world of politics.

I didn't hear much of David Cameron's speech to the Tory Conference last week and have read it this morning on The Guardian web site http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/06/david-cameron-speech-tory-conference

Here are my thoughts and observations on his words of wisdom.

"The end of a Labour government that had done so much damage."

Even a devoted Labour supporter such as me wouldn't claim a perfect record. The Iraq fiasco being a prime example. But is reducing NHS waiting times damage? Reducing class sizes damage? Yes the deficit is damaging but why did this come about? Becasue of the need to bail out banks. If Labour had done nothgin to help the banks what kind of mess would we be in now?

Cameron listed the things that the ConDems have achieved so far. These included:

"Corporation tax – cut. The jobs tax – axed. Police targets – smashed. Immigration – capped. The third runway – stopped. Home Information Packs – dropped. Fat cat salaries – revealed. ID Cards – abolished. The NHS – protected. Our aid promise – kept."

As it happens dropping HIPS and the ID card I'm in favour of. But to claim the NHS is protected? How? Letting GPs run it will protect it will it? No. GPs will let outside agencies run it. Privatization by the back door.

"The mess this country is in – it's not all because of Labour....Of course, they must take some of the blame.... They left us with massive debts, the highest deficit, overstretched armed forces, demoralised public services, endless ridiculous rules and regulations and quangos and bureaucracy and nonsense."

Dave, you think you inherited demoralised public services? Well you've certainly cheered them up with 25% cuts looming haven't you? The massive debts come from bailing out the banks. And Dave didn't you support Labour spending plans up to 2008 - just before the banking crisis. What I'd like to know but you'll never tell us is what would be the deficit without the banking bail out?

And then we get on to the stuff abut "pulling together" and "we're all in it together" etc etc.

"We can build a country defined not by the selfishness of the Labour years but by the values of mutual responsibility that this party holds dear. A country defined not by what we consume but by what we contribute. A country, a society where we say: I am not alone. I will play my part. I will work with others to give Britain a brand new start."

Who did so much to demolish society and bring in selfish individualism Dave? Margaret Thatcher. You don't like mentioning her do you?

"The big society is not about creating cover for cuts. I was going on about it years before the cuts. It's not government abdicating its role, it is government changing its role."

Yeah right. It's funny how about a week before your speech Nottingham PCT announced it would be axing chaplaincy posts to save money. No doubt thinking that churches and other faith groups will step in and supply chaplains free of charge. That's the Big Society at work. http://www.churchtimes.co.uk/content.asp?id=101118

And where are all these people queueing up to volunteer Dave? And volunteer to do what? "I've got an estate car so I'll collect the rubbish for our street" is that what you mean?

"Our emergency budget showed the world that Britain is back on the path of fiscal responsibility. It took us out of the danger zone – and the man we have to thank for that is George Osborne."

Is that the same George Osborne who announced he would cur child benefit for higher rate tax payers but hadn't realised that households where two people earn slightly less than higher rate tax threshold would still be eligible for child benefit. http://www.guardian.co.uk/politics/2010/oct/04/george-osborne-under-fire-welfare Well done George. Genius.

"Fairness means giving money to help the poorest in society. People who are sick, who are vulnerable, the elderly – I want you to know we will always look after you. That's the sign of a civilised society, and it's what I believe.

But you can't measure fairness just by how much money we spend on welfare, as though the poor are products with a price tag, the more we spend on them the more we value them.

Fairness means supporting people out of poverty, not trapping them in dependency."

Fine words Dave. but what do they mean? How will you achieve this?

"Your country needs you. It takes two. It takes two to build that strong economy. We'll balance the budget, we'll boost enterprise, but you start those businesses that lead us to growth.

It takes two to build that big society. We'll reform public services, we'll devolve power, but you step forward to seize the opportunity."

Ah yes. Conjure up the words of Lord Kitchener. Rally the troops and then send them over the top to get mown down in the gunfire of a double dip recession.

A couple of weeks ago we got a surprise phone call from a German friend who was over in the UK at Basingstoke on business. We were able to go and meet our friend who we’d not seen for over a year.

We enjoyed catching up and chatting as friends do. And at some point the conversation turned to the Pope’s visit to Britain and then on to a wider discussion about the church. This was interesting as our friend is certainly not a practising Christian and in the 30 years we’ve known her this was probably the longest discussion on faith we’d had.

And it turned out that what had sparked her interest in faith was that she had read a book called (in German) Die Hutte. As our friend started to explain about the book I realised I had read it. In English it is called The Shack.

In case you want to read it at some point I won’t give too much of the plot away. Written by Canadian William P. Young, The Shack’s main character is Mackenzie Philips, a father of three, called "Mack" by his family and friends. Mack was not a devote Christian and when his daughter Missy was abducted and murdered four years previously he loses what little faith he has.

However, he encounters God and over the course of a weekend spent at a camping shack, Mack spends time with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. This encounter leads him to re-evaluate his life and his priorities.

I found the book very interesting and was taken by the way William Young explores the different aspects of the Trinity.

And certainly our friend found the book making her evaluate her beliefs – though I think it fair to say that she is still looking.

It has to be said that not all Christians like the book. Some have been very critical of it even saying it is heretical. Personally I think that is unfair, as I feel The Shack can help us try and think of God and the Trinity anew. And that can’t be a bad thing. One thing for sure it is a Marmite book – you’ll either love it or hate it!

God is multi faceted. In other words there are many aspects to God. And we get different glimpses of the different facets at different times. I feel The Shack is a book that makes us think about this.

So if you do read it, I’d be interested to see what you think of it. Is it a help or a hindrance to your journey of faith?