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?

The first cut is the deepest

What follows is my opinion. Not that of the Methodist Church or anyone else (though I like to think that God may see things similarly!)

I've been to a presentation this morning at the local Police station about the cuts.

What was apparent is that the forthcoming cuts from the ConDems are being taken very seriously. But as yet all management can do is speculate. Details won't come out until 20th October and even then the feeling today was that it won't be until December maybe before it is possible to formulate any idea of what the effect of the cuts might be in terms of policing and (from my point of view more importantly) people.

I'm not an economist so perhaps I'm not best placed to comment on the cuts. Do they need to be this drastic? Are the nation's finances really in such a bad position? Is it all the fault of the last government? Didn't the banks have a part in causing the mess?

So many questions. So few answers.

All I know is that as a minister I am encountering many people who are worried. Worried about whether they will have a job in a few month time. Worried about relatives who are going to need specialist care soon because of diseases such as dementia. Will that care be available? Worried about schools, libraries, social services, children in care. Worried about how to fund their children through university. You name it. People I meet are worried about it.

They are not worried about the size of the deficit or whether the UK will lose it's triple A credit rating if the deficit isn't tackled. Maybe they should be but I don't know. And I've yet to hear a clear rational explanation for why the deficit needs to be brought down so quickly by such drastic action.

Do the ConDemns not care? Or are they unaware of the effect this is having and will have? I don't know. But I can't help but feel they are very often far removed from the realities of everyday life. And are far removed from the concerns many public sector workers have yes for their jobs but equally for the services they provide to the public. Many of he public servants I've met are that - servants. they see their role as serving the public. Of course there are some who don't. And of course there are some who are a waste of space and do jobs that quite frankly are a waste of space too! But most have chosen to work in the public sector out of a sense of duty. And to see them so downhearted and worried greatly saddens me.

Make it Jesus' business

In 1970 the economist Milton Friedman suggested that there are no ethical obligations on companies other than to obey the law and to meet shareholders demands.

But in 1991 Pope John Paul II criticised Friedman and said that being in business is not just about making profit. Businesses are part of society as a whole and need to recognise they exist to serve all in society. Or to put it in modern terminology, businesses need to recognise that society as a whole is a stakeholder in the business and has an interest in the business. Which means businesses need to be mindful of all in society and their interests.

I’ve recently been awarded a Degree in Applied Theology. When I mentioned this to some people at church I got blank looks. So what is applied theology?

Put simply theology is talking and thinking about God. Applied theology could be described as talking and thinking about God in an everyday setting or in everyday situations. Including in business.

As part of my degree I looked at whether it is possible for businesses to operate ethically and to operate using Christian principles. I came to the conclusion that it is possible to operate businesses ethically using Christian principles – though whether many businesses choose to do so is another matter.

One organisation that many business people belong to actively encourages its members to behave ethically. And that organisation is Rotary.

In Swindon the Old Town Rotary club is best known for organising the Duck Race that takes place at the Bank Holiday in May. This event raises thousands of pounds for local charities each year.

Although Rotary is not a Christian organisation, I recognise within Rotary principles that are Christian. For example Rotary’s motto is “Service above self” which I interpret as putting others first before self interests.

Whilst Christians believe that to be a follower of Jesus is not just about doing good works, serving other people and loving our neighbours is still an important part of our faith. As Jesus frequently demonstrated through his healing the sick and caring for the poor.

I believe Christian values and principles can bring something important to businesses. Because Christian values ensure that the needs of all stakeholders connected to a business are recognised and valued through tried and tested moral principles.

Service above self - truly echoing Jesus’ teachings.

Solstice at Stonehenge

Wearing my Volunteer Police Chaplain’s hat I attended the Solstice celebrations at Stonehenge a couple of weeks back. (Actually, I don’t have a hat – though I have a very nice yellow fluorescent jacket with Police Chaplain on the back!) It was an interesting experience.

I spent most of the night being driven around the area in a police car. So I did not get up close to the stones themselves. We did drive past the site very closely (along the road that leads to the Stonehenge car park.) And we were close by at dawn on 21^st June – though by this time I had fallen asleep!

For many of the people their being at Stonehenge was nothing more than a bit of a party. Many were stopping at Stonehenge on their way to Glastonbury for the Festival. But for others marking the Solstice at Stonehenge is a religious experience (my words not theirs). These are of course the assorted druids, pagans and witches who believe that the sunrise on the longest day has some religious meaning.

I found on the Daily Mail website an interview with Gina Pratt, a 43-year-old housewife and a self-described witch. She said being inside the circle as the sun came up gave her 'a kind of a grounding feeling (of) being in touch with the earth again, and the air we breathe.' She added 'It makes you feel small and insignificant ... but it makes you feel like you're here for a reason,' she said.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/article-1288546/2010-summer-solstice-revellers-Stonehenge-mark-longest-day.html

In an odd sort of way I know what Gina Pratt means. Because I find that there some places I’ve visited that feel ‘special’. It’s hard to put your finger on what it is. But there is something about them. For me Avebury is one such place. On another occasion standing at the base of a giant redwood tree in Yosemite National Park in California.

So what is ‘it’? I think that what makes both of these places special for me is that at both of them I felt very close to God. Celtic Christianity described such places as “Thin places”. In other words places were the gap between God and people, between heaven and earth is so narrow that it is possible to have an encounter with God. "Thin Places" are the places in our lives where the divine and the natural worlds come so close together that we can catch a glimpse of God. For the Celtic Christians these places were very real - places within creation where we could physically go.

Or the Thin Places in our own lives are those moments where the space between us & the Kingdom of God is thin, when we are introduced to a greater glimpse of Who He is through our experiences and through the stories of others.

Maybe you have a “thin place”? A special place where you go to encounter God? Perhaps you’ve just never thought of it in those terms.

God of thin places, we are grateful that you invite us to come very near. We give you thanks for your choosing to come close to us in the whispering wind of the Holy Spirit, who passes gently through our days and emboldens us for courageous faith, and in the person of Jesus Christ in whom we catch a vision of your faith. We see you as creator of all that surrounds us and praise you for the beauty of special places, where we find our hearts at rest in you. We are grateful that you welcome us into your love and desire that we be your children seeking compassion and mercy for those in special need. When we fail, you pick us up and hold us close and teach us to walk again. Teach us to walk through these dangerous days as ambassadors of your peace in our communities and in this world. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. (C) Rev Dr Agnes Northfleet.

Dustbin priorities

Today the ConDem govt announced that it is to stop local councils implementing forn ightly refuse collections and insist that bins are emptied weekly.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23846371-eric-pickles-blocks-bid-to-drop-weekly-bin-collections.do

Our bins are emptied weekly here in Swindon and we have weekly recycling collections. That said we in this part of town don't have a wheely bin we have bags. So I suppose we do need a weekly collection. But if we had a wheely bin I don't see that a fortnightly collection of rubbish would be a problem.

Presumably fortnightly collections save money? So why implement weekly ones? Ah, of course it is because the ConDems always do what the Daily Heil sorry Daily Mail says http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-409070/Councils-fortnightly-bin-collection-stealth.html

Better weekly rubbish collections than spending the money saved by fortnightly ones on children in care say or home helps or libraries.

West Cumbria Shootings

This is the text of a Thought for the Day I gave on BBC Wiltshire on Sunday 6th June.

Following the talk I spoke about how the police must feel in situations like this and also spoke to the Bishop of Carlisle who was being interviewed "down the line".

The day after the shootings in West Cumbria the church leaders issued a statement in which they said that

All the churches from across a very wide area have been, and will continue to be, involved in supporting those affected by yesterday’s tragedy. In addition to ministering to people in our communities, clergy will be available to support the hospital and emergency services chaplains as required. The church will continue to play a longer term role in providing support and sanctuary to those who need it, and we strongly encourage all churches in the area to make their buildings and people available for people to come and pray, light candles and have someone to talk to.

And in an interview he gave last week the Right Rev James Newcombe, the Bishop of Carlisle said:

The Church is there for everyone, giving support long after the funeral flowers have wilted.

Emotional wounds of this kind are not quickly healed and we will all continue to pray and listen in the months ahead.

Faith can give me, and others in Cumbria, hope that we are not alone.

Only with faith can we begin to grapple with something as awful and difficult to understand as this.

Despite living in a time when many people no longer attend church, it’s still a common instinct among what is rudely called the “unchurched” to stumble into church at times of national bereavement and violent tragedy. We associate Princess Diana’s death with the masses of flowers left outside Buckingham Place and many other places. Yet I remember how people came to churches at that time to light candles, to say prayers and to write in books of remembrance.

On 9/11 small crowds of dazed bankers found sanctuary in London’s City churches, as they did in Manhattan, as they heard of what had happened to friends, colleagues and strangers in the Twin Towers in New York. On 7^th July 2005, some of those same City of London churches offered spiritual solace and practical refreshment for the emergency services that descended selflessly into the Underground hell of the bombing at Aldgate.

And it is quite possible that today, this morning, people in West Cumbria, in Whitehaven and Egremont, Frizington and Lamplugh, Wilton and Gosforth, Seascale and Boot, all places where Derrick Bird shot his victims, it is quite possible that some people who normally do not attend church will be there this morning.

They will be going to find some peace in their troubled minds. They will be going to try and find answers. They will be going to be alongside others in the community who have suffered the same sorts of trauma and shock. And maybe some of them will be going because they want to get angry at God for allowing this to happen.

All those are good and valid reasons for being at church today.

At times such as these the Church is recognised as being a place all in a community can turn to whether they are people of faith or none.

I imagine that for the families of those killed by Derrick Bird, and indeed Derrick Bird’s own family, the major question must be Why? Why did he do it? Why did he shoot my wife, my husband, my son, my daughter? We’ve all heard the theories about the disputed will and his worries about unpaid tax. But those theories still do not explain why he shot as many people as he did. And chances are no one will ever know Why.

That is what will make this dreadful event all the more awful to come to terms with. There will be lots of questions and perhaps very few answers. And I hope and pray that for the people in West Cumbria most closely affected by the events of 2^nd June, they will at least be able to find some comfort and support from their Christian neighbours even if there are no answers.

I’d like to conclude by reading the prayer that has been written by the Church Leaders of West Cumbria in response to the shootings on 2^nd June.

O God, Creator of us all,
in your Son, Jesus you have walked the way of darkness and death,
you send your Spirit of healing and truth to all in need

We pray for those injured or bereaved by inexplicable violence
May your gracious compassion surround and uphold them

We pray for all individuals and communities whose lives have been changed by this tragedy
May your sustaining love be present in all expressions of support offered and help received

We give thanks for the commitment and dedication of the emergency services
And pray that they may be given the strength they need to serve others

We give thanks for the resilience and courage of West Cumbrians
And pray that the bonds of community care and concern may hold fast at this time

Lord, in your mercy
Hear our prayer
And let our cry come unto you

Amen.

He bids us build each other up

On 22^nd May (the day before Pentecost and two days before the anniversary of John Wesley’s conversion) the Great Western Federation came into being. In case you’ve missed it, the GWF is a partnership between the Swindon & Marlborough, Upper Thames and Chippenham circuits. Through working closer together we aim to co-operate in mission across North Wiltshire.

The launch, held at St Josephs College in Swindon, was well attended with nearly all churches in the three circuits represented. I was pleased to see people from the three churches I look after there, as well as some from Butterworth Street (who I will be looking after from September.)

We started with a service and then the signing of the declaration by the great and good of each circuit and then each church was presented with a candle to mark the occasion. As well as the formal signing, everyone present was also invited to sign up to the agreement in a book. Over the next few months this book will be passed across the circuits between churches and at each stop everyone will be invited to sign. The book will be accompanied by a small gift from the previous church to the recipient. It is hoped that this passing of the book will enable strong links to be built up across the Federation.

But what does being part of a Federation mean? Well, as I’ve said, the Federation’s main aim is to provide ways of the three circuits working together for the mission of the Kingdom. To give you some of the ideas already being looked at. In each of the three circuits there are one or two people wanting to train as local preachers. Now I remember from my own time training as a local preacher the training is far more rewarding in a larger group than if there is just one or two of you. So one thing we can do as Federation is run the local preacher training jointly for the benefit of all.

Similarly we are starting to look at ways of providing training for Sunday School teachers and youth club leaders. Through the Federation we can put on a good amount of training hopefully.

Inevitably talk of the Federation makes us think about “Super Circuits”. And who knows, if that is where the Holy Spirit leads that may happen. But for now that is not the aim. The aim is I feel summed up neatly in a the second verse of a Charles Wesley hymn (HP 753) All Praise to our redeeming Lord

He bids us build each other up;
And, gathered into one,
To our high calling’s glorious hope,
We hand in hand go on.

In other words by working together we will build each other up and support one another in proclaiming Christ Jesus as Saviour.

I shed a tear

I attended a prayer breakfast for clergy in Swindon today. It was led (excellently) by two members of Swindon Youth for Christ.

The SYFC team explained how in the various schools they attend the young people were amazed to think that people would pray for them. So SYFC had brought along some requests for prayer that children (all at secondary school I think) had requested. I was given this:

"I prey to see all my brothers and sisters again and no that they are safe with there carers"

(I've typed it exactly as written.)

This broke my heart. And I was almost unable to read it out in the small group I was with.

I think it was partly because Mrs Not a normal vicar works in social services and shares with me so many of the tragic tales she encounters of children in care. This prayer was almost as if I knew the child making the request.

I hope and pray that God hears this prayer and answers it as the child wishes - even if in the long term the child may be better off in care (which is sometimes the case after all.)

Keep an eye on them!

So we've elected our MPs. But at the time of publishing this we still don't have a government. No doubt one way or the other that will be resolved in the next 48 hours.

And once Parliament is up and running then what?

I preached at the end of April on the importance of Christians voting and of course trying to vote for the political party that seems to most closely reflect Christian values. The essence of what I was saying is that legitimate, just governments are part of God’s plan to establish his Kingdom. Therefore, it is our duty as Christians to elect such Governments.

Driving home in the car after that service the Vicar's wife said “It was a good sermon but you missed out something. You should have said that as Christians we also have a duty to hold MPs accountable and watch what they are doing.”She was right. I should have made that point and in fact I am going to make that point now.

I am sure you are familiar with the story of Jesus being given a Roman coin by the Jewish authorities and asked him whether it was lawful to pay taxes to the Romans. They were attempting to impale him on the horns of a dilemma. Jesus said the tribute should not be paid then the Jews would have reported Jesus to the Roman authorities for treasonable talk. On the other hand if he said pay the Roman tax he would alienate a lot of his own supporters.

Jesus’ answer was that if you use Roman currency then you accept Rome’s right to raise taxes and should pay Roman taxes – using that currency. But equally Jesus said it was important to recognise that Roman authority only goes so far. God’s domain encompasses everything.

The point for us today is that if we use the services provided by Government, we must pay taxes to the Government and also accept that the Government is legitimate. If we enjoy the state and all its privileges then we cannot divorce ourselves from the state.

As Christians we have a duty to be conscientious citizens, honest citizens, accepting what the Government says. And therefore as conscientious citizens I believe it is important that we take part in how the country is run. For some that will mean wanting to enter politics. But for most of us it means making sure our views are heard and that MPs are acting in accordance with the values we hold dear. The values of people who are already citizens of God’s Kingdom.

So once the dust has settled and we know who the Prime Minister is and who our MP is, I think it is important that we as Christians monitor our MPs but also pray for them and maybe even send words of encouragement to them.

Father, You guide and govern everything with order and love.
Look upon the assembly of our national leaders
and fill them with the spirit of Your wisdom.
May they always act in accordance with Your will
and their decisions be for the peace and well-being of all. Amen.

Facebook - Home of Daily Mail readers?

I've just been invited on Facebook to vote for who I want to be Prime Minister.

OK, I know I am pedantic but none of us vote for Prime Minister. We vote for MPs and the convention is that the leader of the party with most MPs becomes Prime Minister.

But then looking at the posts that go with this I found this gem:

Carol TaylorneeWright

Most of the decent hardworking people i know and speak to want Cameron to be our next PM, they like his policies on immigration,law and order,europe and reforming the welfare state,the few that want Brown back in are to be honest ,workshy lazy spongers and are worried they might be forced to get off their backsides and work instead of poncing off the taxpayers.And after reading some of the comments on here,i think voting age should be raised to 21,because a few are clearly still wet behind the ears,and uneducated.

I've no idea who Carol Taylor nee Wright is. But I bet she read the Daily Mail!

I fear we have at least five years of this bigotry to come Lord help us.

Dare to be a Daniel

Yes we are about 2 weeks away from the General Election. And so inevitably this I want to share some thoughts on the election.

But where to start? It’s said that preachers can sometimes stand in the pulpit 6 feet above contradiction. As a preacher I am aware of being in a position of potential influence. I am sure you all can think things through for yourselves. But nevertheless, it would be easy for me to starting telling you who I think you should vote for on 6^th May.

But I am not going to do that. Inevitably I suppose from some of my comments you will be able to read between the lines maybe and figure out where my own political preferences lie. But it is not for me to recommend a candidate or a party.

I think it was either Spike Milligan or Billy Connelly who said “Don’t vote for politicians. It only encourages them!” And someone else pointed out “No matter who you vote for the Government always gets in!”

And it has to be said that that level of cynicism is pretty rife in this country. And this is leading to many people not wanting to vote. And if we are honest it perhaps isn’t surprising that is how people feel. There is a widespread distrust of politicians following the expenses shenanigans last year. There will be some people who are fed up with a Labour government for a variety of issues perhaps the Iraq war. But equally there will be people who will look at the Conservatives and not see anything in them to support. And in the interest of balance other parties such as the Lib Dems mightn’t hold much attraction for in reality under our system of voting there isn’t much chance of them getting in t power.

And most worrying of all is that I heard an interview on Radio 4 last week from a constituency in Liverpool which has one of the lowest turnouts in the UK. One young man there said he wasn’t going to vote as he didn’t know how to vote. He said he’d like to but as no one in his family had ever voted he just didn’t know what he had to do, where he had to go etc.

At one time there used to be a sense of civic pride in voting. It was seen as a duty somehow. But that seems to have gone. I am sure many of you being older still have that sense. You remember your parents or grandparents talking about the time when they could not vote or had only just got the vote. Many of you remember the Second World War and how in many respects that war was fought to ensure that people around Europe and the world would have the freedom to vote.

So what is the situation for Christians? Are we obliged to vote? And who should we vote for if we do vote?

For some of us the decision is easy. We’ve always voted for one party and will do so this time round. But for others of us we want to weigh up the pros and cons of voting and the various parties. And this could mean trying to compare policies. If I vote for them they might tax me more. If I vote for them I’ll pay less tax. But taxes go to pay for schools and healthcare. If I don’t pay more tax will healthcare be cut?

These are the things we weigh up. But I’d like to suggest that we should also throw into the mix our faith. In other words what does the Bible and 2,000 years of Christianity have to tell us about the issue we are facing?

And of course this is where you might think we get stuck. There are no Parliamentary elections in the Bible. Well that’s true. But there are things in the Bible that we can interpret for today.

For example, in Romans 13 Paul provides some teaching on the Christian response to Government.

After a century which saw totalitarian governments devastating continents, and nations and people Romans 13 makes difficult reading. Many wicked governments have used Romans 13 as justification for their actions. However, haven’t people always tried to manipulate the Bible to justify their own ends? And if we cut out all those passage that people have used to justify wrong things there’s be very little left.

Bishop Tom Wright suggests that there are several ways in which we can look at the passage today.

It was a statement by Paul about the Roman Empire of his own belief that in some way the Empire was given by God. Ad this comes about through Paul’s own experience of being a fairly privileged Roman citizen.

Or it was a particular statement about a particular time in the Roman Empire when a new Emperor – Nero – had come to the throne and initially he appeared to be ruling justly. Though that would soon change.

Or the third reason Paul wrote what he wrote is that Paul was making a general statement about ruling authorities. And Paul’s statement applies to all legitimate authorities all the time. What Paul is trying to show is that the creator God has a desire for order within the societies he has created. And this order is provided by legitimate government.

And it is this third point that mainly shaped Christian thinking over time. Ruling authorities are what they are because God wants order in the present world. God will not allow chaos to reign. For chaos and anarchy enable the powerful, the rich and the bullies to come out on top. God desires, even in the present time, even in the world that has not yet confessed Jesus as Lord, that there should be a measure of justice and order.

Unless we are anarchists, I think we all recognise that all societies need some regulation, some ordering, and some structure of authority. And we recognise that this ordering is useless unless everyone is at least in principle signed up to it.

We believe that one day Christ will come and bring in his Kingdom. But until that time we have to trust that God’s overall plan for the world includes legitimate and just governments governing.

That is what Paul is trying to say.

So if we accept that. That it is part of God’s plan for us to be governed by legitimate governments, how do we ensure that those governments are legitimate and are the kind of government that we as Christians would feel is upholding Christian values?

The preacher Canon J John, a prominent figure within the evangelical community who wants Christians to become more politically involved, urges his fellow believers to "do our best to find out about our local candidates".

Quoted in a piece on the BBC News web site http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk_politics/election_2010/8607964.stm

J. John adds:

"We might want to ask whether they are genuinely committed to moral values or do they simply adopt whatever is the current fashionable view? Does the candidate place their party's ideology above everything else? Would they be prepared to vote against the party line on moral grounds?

"Are they grappling with the bigger issues or are they simply interested in small-scale, day-to-day matters? Perhaps, above all, we should ask whether potential candidates seek to be elected in order to serve their self-interest or the interest of others."

The implication of Canon John's words is that, to satisfy a Christian voter, candidates should put morality above party.

Whilst that is very laudable, nowadays MPs are not like that. There are very few MPs who are independent i.e. not belonging to a party. And there are even fewer who are prepared to go against the party on moral matters. There have been some such as Frank Field who put his Christian beliefs first. But they are rare.

So how do we decide who to vote for if J. John’s suggestion will not work? Well for me it comes down to trying to decide which party’s policies seem to reflect the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I admit this takes some scrutiny.

But for me the starting point is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In other words we look at what Jesus says about the values of his Kingdom and how he would have treat other people, and then decide which political party most closely reflects this.

We start with the parable of the Good Samaritan and in fact the preface to the Parable where the young man coming to Jesus says that the greatest commandments are: Luke 10:27

'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbour as yourself.'"

On this basis I think we can saely conclude that as Christians, voting for the BNP is a no no!

Then we have the Sermon on the Mount Matthew 5.

And thirdly we have Jesus quoting Isaiah when Jesus preached in the synagogue in Nazareth Luke 4: 18 – 19:

These pieces of the Gospel, for me anyway, condense the essence of Jesus’ teachings. They are the blue print for how we should react to other people and how we should be seeking to establish the Kingdom of God before Christ comes again. It seems to me therefore that it is important for us as Christians to look at the parties and decide which one will most closely mirror these teachings of Jesus.

Which one will best care for the poor? Which one will best care for the homeless, the oppressed? Which one cares about our neighbours and neighbours are all people everywhere let’s not forget.

And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God.

Micah 6:8

I have my views and I know in which box I will put my box on 6^th May. But if you are undecided maybe my thoughts this morning will help you decide. Or come along to the hustings being hosted by Swindon Churches Together on Tuesday Evening (27th) at St Barnabus Church in Swindon and put the candidates to the test.

And to give you some more food for thought, I leave the final word to Tony Benn:

“My Great-grandfather was a Congregational Minister and my Mother was a Bible scholar, and I was brought up on the Bible, that the story of the Bible was conflict between the kings who had power, and the prophets who preached righteousness. And I was taught to believe in the prophets, which got me into a lot of trouble over the years. And my Dad said to me when I was young, "Dare to be a Daniel, Dare to stand alone, Dare to have a purpose firm, Dare to let it (be) known."

§ Interviewed by Kevin Zeese in 'Counterpunch', December 19, 2005