Over the last year, Stratton Methodist Church has been working on Community Kitchen. The project’s original vision was to provide hot meals and a drop in centre for homeless and lonely people once a month on a Saturday. And although that’s what happens, not many people have attended.
However, there has been a rethink throughout the year and now, in addition to offering meals, the team take meals and sandwiches out to where those in need are. Mainly to the Salvation Army hostel in Swindon – Booth House.
Yesterday I went with some of the Stratton Team to visit Booth House and help drop off Christmas goody bags for the residents. The goody bags contained a box of mince pies, some sweets, some crisps, biscuits and a Christmas Cracker. All 60 bags had been put together and paid for by members of the Stratton Methodist Church.
Part of the set up at Booth House is a social enterprise project called “Recycle” a project that restores bikes and then sells them on.
The bike mechanics are residents from Booth House and in learning to restore the bikes they are learning new skills and studying for NVQs. The Stratton folk have struck up a real rapport with the men and women who work in Recycle and we dropped in to the project.
I got chatting to the manager of the project. He was so enthusiastic it was infectious. But what really touched me was the following story.
Often when customers buy a bike from the shop or have had a bike serviced, they leave a tip for the mechanics. The mechanics have been pooling the tips they’ve received. And last week they were asked how they’d like to share the tips out. Perhaps paying for a takeaway? But no the mechanics said they wanted the money they received to go to Swindon Foodbank.
That’s right. These men and women who have nothing by the standards of the world, wanted to give away what little they now had to others.
As I was being told this story, “The power of love” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood was playing in the shop. The chorus of the song is this:
The power of love
A force from above
Cleaning my soul
Flame on burn desire
Love with tongues of fire
Purge the soul
Make love your goal
Those men and women in Recycle know what it is to be unloved to be poor by the standards of the world. Yet their lives are being turned round by the love shown to them via the Salvation Army. And those men and women have chosen to share that love – the love of Jesus Christ – with others. What more powerful Christmas message is there?
Saturday, 22 December 2012
Monday, 29 October 2012
Come back George Dixon all is forgiven
On 15th November the people of England and Wales will have the opportunity to vote for Police Commissioners.
The BBC web site contains a useful summary http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19504639
Apparently, the idea for elected police commissioners was contained in the Conservative manifesto of 2010. And was then given the nod by the coalition agreement. So straight away we run into a problem as I see it. Given that the Tories did not have an outright majority how come this is being brought in? (The same is true of lots of other things of course such as NHS reforms, student loans etc etc.)
But why do we need the Commissioners? According to the Home Office website this will enable me to have a say when it comes to cutting crime in my area. Well, call me old fashioned, but I can’t say I have ever thought “Do you know what? I want a say in how crime is cut in my area by speaking to a Police Commissioner.” If I’ve been worried about crime I would speak to my elected local councillor or my elected MP.
Ah you may say. But your councillor or your MP cannot dictate to the police how an area should be policed. I actually think that’s a good thing. It seems to me there is a real danger in allowing one person put pressure on a Chief Constable to do a certain thing. For example, what if the Police Commissioner has an obsession with Speed Cameras and wants them installed everywhere? (OK not a good example.) So what if the Commissioner decides he wants more “Bobbies on the beat” because that is the Commissioner’s obsession? Is the Commissioner going to be skilled in assessing the impact of such a move on overall policing?
My concerns have been niggling away so I decided to write to my MP.
Dear Sir
Because I am a volunteer chaplain with Wiltshire Police, I’ve had a few conversations with Officers and members of the public over the last couple of weeks about police commissioners. Generally most comments tend to range from “Never heard of them” via “Not interested” and “Won’t bother voting” to “Don’t see the point” and “What’s the cost?”
So in the interests of trying to inform people I encounter about this, I’d be interested to know your views about the benefits. And also what it is going to cost.
Many thanks.
David
My MP replied as follows:
Dear David,
Thank you for your email. I have copied in to our (Conservative) candidate who will also be able to respond.
In a nutshell the elected Police Commissioner will be an elected, accountable individual who can set the local policing priorities.
We currently have a Police Authority, packed by Councillors – all of whom are paid, but no-one can name. The elected commissioner will be cheaper than the current Police Authority, with the money saved going into frontline policing.
Our candidate is a local resident (Wroughton) with extensive knowledge of Policing and the Justice system.
It is fair to say a November election isn’t helpful, but I am afraid the Lib Dems were responsible for this. Future Police Commissioner elections will be on the same day as the annual May elections.
It would appear our opposition isn’t making much effort which whilst good for us politically, it doesn’t help with raising the profile of the role.
The candidate also added:
Dear David,
Can I build on that.
The cost of the office off the PCC will be no more than that of the police authority it replaces. Indeed the cost of the many meetings the PA had with the force will also be reduced and it is envisaged that the process of decision making will be much swifter.
It is a pity the election has not been more widely publicised, but over recent days “working” the markets across the county I have found an increase in interest. It should be remembered that this job is much bigger than just policing, as it covers youth offending, victims and prisoner health, and it seems that it may have further responsibility in the future.
I believe that, beyond the pure commissioning role, it will be an important role in the county in bring together agencies, both statutory and voluntary, to build better and stronger communities, which are a foundation for crime reduction and the basis upon which British policing works, policing by consent.
I think this explains why it is important that people vote, so that a person with the skills to deliver this is elected to the post.
These answers beg further questions
Who are you? My MP said We currently have a Police Authority, packed by Councillors – all of whom are paid, but no-one can name. That’s true. I can’t name the members of the police authority - though a glance at the Wiltshire Police Authority web site tells me that the current authority for Wiltshire Police is made up of
• 6 councillors appointed by Wiltshire Council
• 3 councillors appointed by Swindon Borough Council
• 8 independent members (one of whom is a magistrate)
And all named.
Personally I’d far rather the police force be held to account by 17 people as opposed to 1. And if the concern was that no one knew who the Police Authority was, then why not fix that rather than bring in some post more suited to Gotham City than Swindon?
Cost. Neither my MP nor the Tory candidate was specific on cost. The MP said The elected commissioner will be cheaper than the current Police Authority, with the money saved going into frontline policing. On the other hand the Candidate said The cost of the office off the PCC will be no more than that of the police authority it replaces.
Which is it? Is there a saving or is it the same?
I am left with a moral dilemma. I do not approve of this measure. (In fact I’ve yet to meet anyone who does – including Tory voters!) So do I boycott the election? Of if I do vote am I condoning this shambles? Who do I vote for?
Life was so much easier in the days of Dixon of Dock Green!
The BBC web site contains a useful summary http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-19504639
Apparently, the idea for elected police commissioners was contained in the Conservative manifesto of 2010. And was then given the nod by the coalition agreement. So straight away we run into a problem as I see it. Given that the Tories did not have an outright majority how come this is being brought in? (The same is true of lots of other things of course such as NHS reforms, student loans etc etc.)
But why do we need the Commissioners? According to the Home Office website this will enable me to have a say when it comes to cutting crime in my area. Well, call me old fashioned, but I can’t say I have ever thought “Do you know what? I want a say in how crime is cut in my area by speaking to a Police Commissioner.” If I’ve been worried about crime I would speak to my elected local councillor or my elected MP.
Ah you may say. But your councillor or your MP cannot dictate to the police how an area should be policed. I actually think that’s a good thing. It seems to me there is a real danger in allowing one person put pressure on a Chief Constable to do a certain thing. For example, what if the Police Commissioner has an obsession with Speed Cameras and wants them installed everywhere? (OK not a good example.) So what if the Commissioner decides he wants more “Bobbies on the beat” because that is the Commissioner’s obsession? Is the Commissioner going to be skilled in assessing the impact of such a move on overall policing?
My concerns have been niggling away so I decided to write to my MP.
Dear Sir
Because I am a volunteer chaplain with Wiltshire Police, I’ve had a few conversations with Officers and members of the public over the last couple of weeks about police commissioners. Generally most comments tend to range from “Never heard of them” via “Not interested” and “Won’t bother voting” to “Don’t see the point” and “What’s the cost?”
So in the interests of trying to inform people I encounter about this, I’d be interested to know your views about the benefits. And also what it is going to cost.
Many thanks.
David
My MP replied as follows:
Dear David,
Thank you for your email. I have copied in to our (Conservative) candidate who will also be able to respond.
In a nutshell the elected Police Commissioner will be an elected, accountable individual who can set the local policing priorities.
We currently have a Police Authority, packed by Councillors – all of whom are paid, but no-one can name. The elected commissioner will be cheaper than the current Police Authority, with the money saved going into frontline policing.
Our candidate is a local resident (Wroughton) with extensive knowledge of Policing and the Justice system.
It is fair to say a November election isn’t helpful, but I am afraid the Lib Dems were responsible for this. Future Police Commissioner elections will be on the same day as the annual May elections.
It would appear our opposition isn’t making much effort which whilst good for us politically, it doesn’t help with raising the profile of the role.
The candidate also added:
Dear David,
Can I build on that.
The cost of the office off the PCC will be no more than that of the police authority it replaces. Indeed the cost of the many meetings the PA had with the force will also be reduced and it is envisaged that the process of decision making will be much swifter.
It is a pity the election has not been more widely publicised, but over recent days “working” the markets across the county I have found an increase in interest. It should be remembered that this job is much bigger than just policing, as it covers youth offending, victims and prisoner health, and it seems that it may have further responsibility in the future.
I believe that, beyond the pure commissioning role, it will be an important role in the county in bring together agencies, both statutory and voluntary, to build better and stronger communities, which are a foundation for crime reduction and the basis upon which British policing works, policing by consent.
I think this explains why it is important that people vote, so that a person with the skills to deliver this is elected to the post.
These answers beg further questions
Who are you? My MP said We currently have a Police Authority, packed by Councillors – all of whom are paid, but no-one can name. That’s true. I can’t name the members of the police authority - though a glance at the Wiltshire Police Authority web site tells me that the current authority for Wiltshire Police is made up of
• 6 councillors appointed by Wiltshire Council
• 3 councillors appointed by Swindon Borough Council
• 8 independent members (one of whom is a magistrate)
And all named.
Personally I’d far rather the police force be held to account by 17 people as opposed to 1. And if the concern was that no one knew who the Police Authority was, then why not fix that rather than bring in some post more suited to Gotham City than Swindon?
Cost. Neither my MP nor the Tory candidate was specific on cost. The MP said The elected commissioner will be cheaper than the current Police Authority, with the money saved going into frontline policing. On the other hand the Candidate said The cost of the office off the PCC will be no more than that of the police authority it replaces.
Which is it? Is there a saving or is it the same?
I am left with a moral dilemma. I do not approve of this measure. (In fact I’ve yet to meet anyone who does – including Tory voters!) So do I boycott the election? Of if I do vote am I condoning this shambles? Who do I vote for?
Life was so much easier in the days of Dixon of Dock Green!
Tuesday, 4 September 2012
Open all hours?
Back on 18th March the Governemtn announced that for the duration of the Olympics Sunday trading hours would "relaxed" to cope with the extra demand created by the games. That day I sent the following email to my MP
I am very disappointed to hear this morning that the Government is intending to scrap the remaining restrictions on Sunday trading during an 8 week period over the summer.
I have to say I wholly echo the thoughts of your colleagues Nadine Dories who quoted on the BBC web site said without debate and vote of whole house.
"Is the coalition government secretly implementing an anti-Christian agenda?”
And equally another of your colleagues Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey warned that a temporary lifting for the Games was likely to lead to a permanent change and could stop staff enjoying the "once-in-a-lifetime" chance to enjoy the sporting spectacle.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17419351
Sunday is a sacred day for Christians certainly. But actually most major faiths have a day of rest. And that is there for a purpose for people to rest, to be with their families and friends. I know of far too many people who feel burned out by the long hours culture in this country. That is not saying that hard work isn’t important. But hard work needs to be balanced by hard play too.
This change is shameful.
I got the following reply:
Dear David,
Again I am afraid we disagree.
This is an excellent chance to maximise the opportunity that the Olympics presents us, and will give our retail sector a major boost.
I answered:
I could just about see that in London (where most Olympic events are going to be held) extra opening hours would be useful and retail would draw in extra tourist pounds. But In Swindon? In Bristol? In Cardiff?
It’s just a ploy to sneak this in permanently. How long before Easter Sunday and Christmas Day go the same way?
Regards
David
He replied:
Dear David,
Thank you for your e-mail of18th March about the decision to suspend Sunday Trading Laws during the Olympics and Paralympics.
As you are aware, the Chancellor confirmed this decision in last week’s Budget and clarified that this suspension of the normal Sunday trading laws will be in operation for 8 Sundays during the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. I appreciate your concern about the impact that this change will have on small, independent retailers and I know that this has been taken into consideration when making this decision, as the Government is determined to help small and medium sized businesses as much as possible. However, I believe it was deemed an important temporary measure to make sure that the UK benefits from the Olympics as much as possible.
I do understand your worry that this may be a way to sneak in permanent changes to the legislation but I would like to assure you that it is only temporary and the Chancellor and other Ministers have all confirmed that it will not remain in place after the Olympics. I know that the Government is very aware of concerns about the impact that this might have on family life, and I share these concerns so I am glad that the measure is only for 8 Sundays. I also understand your comments about changes to the law in places other than London and I appreciate where you are coming from. However, I think that firstly it would be very difficult to change the law solely for London, and secondly those that are in favour of these changes would feel discriminated against. In many ways it is more just to make these changes across the board as shops then have the discretion to make up their own mind about opening times.
On 11th August, the Daily Telegraph carried a report that the Governemtn were considering making the relaxtion in Sunday trading hours permanent. Quelle surprise! So my poor old MP got another email:
Dear Sir,
When the Government announced plans to extend Sunday opening hours during the Olympics I wrote to you to express my concern. You wrote back assuring me that “I do understand your worry that this may be a way to sneak in permanent changes to the legislation but I would like to assure you that it is only temporary and the Chancellor and other Ministers have all confirmed that it will not remain in place after the Olympics.”
Therefore you will understand why I was concerned to learn of the report in The Daily Telegraph on 11th August that the Government intends to carry on with the extended opening hours after the Olympics.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9469076/Longer-Sunday-opening-for-big-shops-sparks-new-Coalition-rift.html
It would seem that my suspicion of the Olympics being a stalking horse to sneak this measure in have proved to be true. I do not think for a moment you set out to deceive me in your reply in March. Obviously your masters have changed their minds.
As I said in my original email, my opposition to the change is not about being opposed to Sunday trading per se. (Churches lost that argument years ago and as an occasional Sunday shopper myself I’d be a hypocrite to say I didn’t value shops being open for a short time on Sunday.) My opposition is based on the pressure extended opening places on shop workers and their families. And I was heartened to hear this was the view of Sir Stuart Rose (Former Chairman of M&S) express the same view during an interview on Radio 4’s Today programme this morning.
I won't go on publishing bits and pieces of the emails after that. basically his stance was he thought there might be some benefit in the hours being relaxed permanently. he heard what I said about the pressure on families. But equally he'd be contacted by people syaing they liked the extra hours as it fitted in with their lifestyle.
On 19th August the CEO of Sainsburys Justin King expressed reservations
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19311429
In fairness, when I shared this with him my MP said this:
Dear David,
Thank you for sending me the link, it is certainly interesting to hear a major retailer speaking out against relaxing the law permanently, not what I’d expect!
I think it interesting that Mr King seems to have some reservations as to the economic benefits of the last 7 weeks – that certainly seems to tally with what other retailers have been saying.
Also interesting in the article is the point about family life being affected by having one parent working at weekends. This is certainly something that will have to be balanced with the desire of some families (those who work Mon-Fri) to be able to shop all weekend.
Today as you may have heard, retail sales figures for August were down, apparently due to people not shopping during the Olympics. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19468578
Given that a major factor for extending Sunday trading hours during the Olympics was to cope with the supposed extra demand, I hope the Government will now accept that there is no demand for extra opening hours and therefore allow the Sunday trading hours to revert.
Incidentally, at a prayer meeting I attend with other Swindon ministers on Monday morning, one of my colleagues (Rev John Rowe from Lawn Community Church) shared an experience he’d had just last week. John had been in London sight-seeing with his family and they went to Harrods. Whilst John was browsing through one section, he was approached by one of the shop assistants. They got into conversation and John says the shop assistant started to say how concerned he was if Sunday trading was extended, as it would mean he would see even less of his family than he does now. (Apparently the man lived in Essex and faced a long commute to and from work each day.)
The Conservative Party always seems to pride itself on family values. But if the Government changes the opening hours of shops permanently, it is clear that a great deal of strain will be put on shop workers and their families.
By the way, I might not agree with my MP's politics but he is great at replying
I am very disappointed to hear this morning that the Government is intending to scrap the remaining restrictions on Sunday trading during an 8 week period over the summer.
I have to say I wholly echo the thoughts of your colleagues Nadine Dories who quoted on the BBC web site said without debate and vote of whole house.
"Is the coalition government secretly implementing an anti-Christian agenda?”
And equally another of your colleagues Suffolk Coastal MP Therese Coffey warned that a temporary lifting for the Games was likely to lead to a permanent change and could stop staff enjoying the "once-in-a-lifetime" chance to enjoy the sporting spectacle.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17419351
Sunday is a sacred day for Christians certainly. But actually most major faiths have a day of rest. And that is there for a purpose for people to rest, to be with their families and friends. I know of far too many people who feel burned out by the long hours culture in this country. That is not saying that hard work isn’t important. But hard work needs to be balanced by hard play too.
This change is shameful.
I got the following reply:
Dear David,
Again I am afraid we disagree.
This is an excellent chance to maximise the opportunity that the Olympics presents us, and will give our retail sector a major boost.
I answered:
I could just about see that in London (where most Olympic events are going to be held) extra opening hours would be useful and retail would draw in extra tourist pounds. But In Swindon? In Bristol? In Cardiff?
It’s just a ploy to sneak this in permanently. How long before Easter Sunday and Christmas Day go the same way?
Regards
David
He replied:
Dear David,
Thank you for your e-mail of18th March about the decision to suspend Sunday Trading Laws during the Olympics and Paralympics.
As you are aware, the Chancellor confirmed this decision in last week’s Budget and clarified that this suspension of the normal Sunday trading laws will be in operation for 8 Sundays during the Olympics and Paralympics this summer. I appreciate your concern about the impact that this change will have on small, independent retailers and I know that this has been taken into consideration when making this decision, as the Government is determined to help small and medium sized businesses as much as possible. However, I believe it was deemed an important temporary measure to make sure that the UK benefits from the Olympics as much as possible.
I do understand your worry that this may be a way to sneak in permanent changes to the legislation but I would like to assure you that it is only temporary and the Chancellor and other Ministers have all confirmed that it will not remain in place after the Olympics. I know that the Government is very aware of concerns about the impact that this might have on family life, and I share these concerns so I am glad that the measure is only for 8 Sundays. I also understand your comments about changes to the law in places other than London and I appreciate where you are coming from. However, I think that firstly it would be very difficult to change the law solely for London, and secondly those that are in favour of these changes would feel discriminated against. In many ways it is more just to make these changes across the board as shops then have the discretion to make up their own mind about opening times.
On 11th August, the Daily Telegraph carried a report that the Governemtn were considering making the relaxtion in Sunday trading hours permanent. Quelle surprise! So my poor old MP got another email:
Dear Sir,
When the Government announced plans to extend Sunday opening hours during the Olympics I wrote to you to express my concern. You wrote back assuring me that “I do understand your worry that this may be a way to sneak in permanent changes to the legislation but I would like to assure you that it is only temporary and the Chancellor and other Ministers have all confirmed that it will not remain in place after the Olympics.”
Therefore you will understand why I was concerned to learn of the report in The Daily Telegraph on 11th August that the Government intends to carry on with the extended opening hours after the Olympics.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/politics/9469076/Longer-Sunday-opening-for-big-shops-sparks-new-Coalition-rift.html
It would seem that my suspicion of the Olympics being a stalking horse to sneak this measure in have proved to be true. I do not think for a moment you set out to deceive me in your reply in March. Obviously your masters have changed their minds.
As I said in my original email, my opposition to the change is not about being opposed to Sunday trading per se. (Churches lost that argument years ago and as an occasional Sunday shopper myself I’d be a hypocrite to say I didn’t value shops being open for a short time on Sunday.) My opposition is based on the pressure extended opening places on shop workers and their families. And I was heartened to hear this was the view of Sir Stuart Rose (Former Chairman of M&S) express the same view during an interview on Radio 4’s Today programme this morning.
I won't go on publishing bits and pieces of the emails after that. basically his stance was he thought there might be some benefit in the hours being relaxed permanently. he heard what I said about the pressure on families. But equally he'd be contacted by people syaing they liked the extra hours as it fitted in with their lifestyle.
On 19th August the CEO of Sainsburys Justin King expressed reservations
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19311429
In fairness, when I shared this with him my MP said this:
Dear David,
Thank you for sending me the link, it is certainly interesting to hear a major retailer speaking out against relaxing the law permanently, not what I’d expect!
I think it interesting that Mr King seems to have some reservations as to the economic benefits of the last 7 weeks – that certainly seems to tally with what other retailers have been saying.
Also interesting in the article is the point about family life being affected by having one parent working at weekends. This is certainly something that will have to be balanced with the desire of some families (those who work Mon-Fri) to be able to shop all weekend.
Today as you may have heard, retail sales figures for August were down, apparently due to people not shopping during the Olympics. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-19468578
Given that a major factor for extending Sunday trading hours during the Olympics was to cope with the supposed extra demand, I hope the Government will now accept that there is no demand for extra opening hours and therefore allow the Sunday trading hours to revert.
Incidentally, at a prayer meeting I attend with other Swindon ministers on Monday morning, one of my colleagues (Rev John Rowe from Lawn Community Church) shared an experience he’d had just last week. John had been in London sight-seeing with his family and they went to Harrods. Whilst John was browsing through one section, he was approached by one of the shop assistants. They got into conversation and John says the shop assistant started to say how concerned he was if Sunday trading was extended, as it would mean he would see even less of his family than he does now. (Apparently the man lived in Essex and faced a long commute to and from work each day.)
The Conservative Party always seems to pride itself on family values. But if the Government changes the opening hours of shops permanently, it is clear that a great deal of strain will be put on shop workers and their families.
By the way, I might not agree with my MP's politics but he is great at replying
Friday, 31 August 2012
Red Letter Christians
This time last week I had put up my tent and was getting ready to get stuck into the Greenbelt festival at Cheltenham racecourse.
One of the keynote speakers this year was Tony Campolo. He is a 78 year old Professor of Sociology at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and is as an associate pastor in the Baptist church. I’d heard the name, and had seen references to things he said in the Christian press over the years. I knew he was an Evangelical Christian and assumed, (wrongly as it turned out), that as an American evangelical he would be verging on the fundamentalist. (If you want to find out more about him go to www.tonycampolo.org.)
During his talk he referred to himself (and another Greenbelt speaker Shane Clairborne) as “Red Letter Christians”. This was not a phrase I’d come across before, but during the course of his talk, (and subsequently reading one of his books), I came to understand what it means.
Apparently the phrase was first used by a radio journalist interviewing another American theologian Jim Wallis. The interviewer was trying to pigeonhole Wallis as a certain type of Christian – Evangelical, Liberal, and Charismatic? Having failed to do so, the journalist said to Wallis “So you’re one of those Red Letter Christians – you know – the ones who are really into the verses of the Bible that are in red letters.” Wallis agreed he was. (Quote taken from “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” Tony Campolo)
In some versions of the Bible, the words spoken by Jesus are printed in red. So Red Letter Christians seek to follow the teachings of Jesus and are committed to living out the things that Jesus taught. Sounds good to me!
You’d think all Christians would be Red Letter Christians, but the reality is that many aren’t, particularly in America. Why? As Tony Campolo points out in his book “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” what differentiates Red Letter Christians from other Christians, is the commitment by Red Letter Christians to social justice. And sadly many Christians do not have the same commitment.
I think it is important though to make sure that social justice doesn't become the be all and end all. And Campolo tends to agree as he says in his book that Red Letter Christians:
1. Hold to the same theological convicitions that define Evangelicals by beliving in the doctrines set down in the Apostles Creed which are central to what the Church has held over the centuries.
2. RLCs have a very high regard for scripture. They emphasise the "red letetrs" becuase they believe that the Bible can only be understood from the persepctve of Christ Jesus.
3. RLCs believe that Jesus can be alive and present in everyone and that salvation depends on him alone.
In fact Campolo would argue that these three have to be present and then following the red letters is a response.
I am pleased to call myself a Red Letter Christian.
For more information see http://www.redletterchristians.org/
One of the keynote speakers this year was Tony Campolo. He is a 78 year old Professor of Sociology at Eastern University in Pennsylvania and is as an associate pastor in the Baptist church. I’d heard the name, and had seen references to things he said in the Christian press over the years. I knew he was an Evangelical Christian and assumed, (wrongly as it turned out), that as an American evangelical he would be verging on the fundamentalist. (If you want to find out more about him go to www.tonycampolo.org.)
During his talk he referred to himself (and another Greenbelt speaker Shane Clairborne) as “Red Letter Christians”. This was not a phrase I’d come across before, but during the course of his talk, (and subsequently reading one of his books), I came to understand what it means.
Apparently the phrase was first used by a radio journalist interviewing another American theologian Jim Wallis. The interviewer was trying to pigeonhole Wallis as a certain type of Christian – Evangelical, Liberal, and Charismatic? Having failed to do so, the journalist said to Wallis “So you’re one of those Red Letter Christians – you know – the ones who are really into the verses of the Bible that are in red letters.” Wallis agreed he was. (Quote taken from “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” Tony Campolo)
In some versions of the Bible, the words spoken by Jesus are printed in red. So Red Letter Christians seek to follow the teachings of Jesus and are committed to living out the things that Jesus taught. Sounds good to me!
You’d think all Christians would be Red Letter Christians, but the reality is that many aren’t, particularly in America. Why? As Tony Campolo points out in his book “Red Letter Christians – a citizen’s guide to faith and politics” what differentiates Red Letter Christians from other Christians, is the commitment by Red Letter Christians to social justice. And sadly many Christians do not have the same commitment.
I think it is important though to make sure that social justice doesn't become the be all and end all. And Campolo tends to agree as he says in his book that Red Letter Christians:
1. Hold to the same theological convicitions that define Evangelicals by beliving in the doctrines set down in the Apostles Creed which are central to what the Church has held over the centuries.
2. RLCs have a very high regard for scripture. They emphasise the "red letetrs" becuase they believe that the Bible can only be understood from the persepctve of Christ Jesus.
3. RLCs believe that Jesus can be alive and present in everyone and that salvation depends on him alone.
In fact Campolo would argue that these three have to be present and then following the red letters is a response.
I am pleased to call myself a Red Letter Christian.
For more information see http://www.redletterchristians.org/
Monday, 27 August 2012
Faith, Hope but which Charity?
Back from Greenbelt 2012. Had a great time and heard some great talks from Shane Claiborne, Tony Campolo and Peter Owen - Jones. Trying to process what I've heard. The talks were of faith and through we all live in challenging times, contained a great deal of hope.
And that brings me to charity.
Whilst I'm trying to process what I've heard, I've come home feeling that I should be giving a bit more to charity. But which one / ones? Home? Abroad? So many to choose from and in so many sectors.
But I feel I would like to support something to do with housing (given my mortgage lending background) or environmental.
Have spent the evening looking at various options but have got no further. So blogger friends I'm asking you for some ideas. Have you got any experience of charities in these sectors? Christian or otherwise.
Let me know.
And that brings me to charity.
Whilst I'm trying to process what I've heard, I've come home feeling that I should be giving a bit more to charity. But which one / ones? Home? Abroad? So many to choose from and in so many sectors.
But I feel I would like to support something to do with housing (given my mortgage lending background) or environmental.
Have spent the evening looking at various options but have got no further. So blogger friends I'm asking you for some ideas. Have you got any experience of charities in these sectors? Christian or otherwise.
Let me know.
Saturday, 18 August 2012
The wisdom of Solomon
You may have seen on the news recently the story of Tony Nicklinson from Melksham. In 2005 Mr. Nicklinson suffered a severe stroke which has left him totally paralysed. But he still has all his mental faculties. He can communicate via a computer but otherwise can do nothing for himself. He has now gone to court asking for the court to allow someone else to end his life.
In a recent interview with BBC Wiltshire Mr. Nicklinson said:
I have locked-in syndrome and it makes my life a living nightmare. I cannot speak and I am also paralysed below the neck, which means I need someone to do everything for me. For example, 90% of itches have to be endured because by the time someone comes to scratch it and I have laboriously explained where it is, the itch has gone. Now I just put up with them.
We live in a wonderful age where people (in the developed world anyway) have access to wonderful medical care meaning people are living longer and doctors are able to treat diseases and illnesses that in the past would have meant people dying. But the other side of this is that people are being kept alive through what the medical profession called “heroic measures”. This means “ … a treatment or course of therapy which possesses a high risk of causing further damage to a patient's health, but is undertaken as a last resort with the understanding that any lesser treatment will surely result in failure.”
Interestingly, one of the doctors who treated Mr. Nicklinson for the stroke back in 2005 has said that he would have withheld treatment had he known the long term outcome.
In recent months I have found myself dealing with many people who have been faced with seeing a loved one slowly die, and the tacit question is whether it would be more humane for some kind of assisted suicide. The gut instinct is “Yes”. However, it is not as simple as that. There are many issues associated with this topic not least (from our perspective) what is the Christian stance. And that stance can be summarised as that human life is a God given gift and should not be taken away.
I have found a helpful article by published by the Massachusetts Council of Churches in the USA on the internet http://www.masscouncilofchurches.org/docs/doc_suicide.htm#statement.
The article (although 11 years old) tries to set out Christian thinking. Put simply it says that assisted suicide carried out by a doctor is not desirable but equally neither are “medical heroics”.
The above was the basis of my newsletter to my churches in July. On Friday 17th August the High Court ruled it would be illegal for someone to assist Tony Nicklinson to die. The thrust of the argument seems to be that someone would have to kill Tony Nicklinson and that is murder. The judgment said it was something for Parliament to decide.
Who would be a judge? Who would be a doctor? But who would be Tony Nicklinson?
In a recent interview with BBC Wiltshire Mr. Nicklinson said:
I have locked-in syndrome and it makes my life a living nightmare. I cannot speak and I am also paralysed below the neck, which means I need someone to do everything for me. For example, 90% of itches have to be endured because by the time someone comes to scratch it and I have laboriously explained where it is, the itch has gone. Now I just put up with them.
We live in a wonderful age where people (in the developed world anyway) have access to wonderful medical care meaning people are living longer and doctors are able to treat diseases and illnesses that in the past would have meant people dying. But the other side of this is that people are being kept alive through what the medical profession called “heroic measures”. This means “ … a treatment or course of therapy which possesses a high risk of causing further damage to a patient's health, but is undertaken as a last resort with the understanding that any lesser treatment will surely result in failure.”
Interestingly, one of the doctors who treated Mr. Nicklinson for the stroke back in 2005 has said that he would have withheld treatment had he known the long term outcome.
In recent months I have found myself dealing with many people who have been faced with seeing a loved one slowly die, and the tacit question is whether it would be more humane for some kind of assisted suicide. The gut instinct is “Yes”. However, it is not as simple as that. There are many issues associated with this topic not least (from our perspective) what is the Christian stance. And that stance can be summarised as that human life is a God given gift and should not be taken away.
I have found a helpful article by published by the Massachusetts Council of Churches in the USA on the internet http://www.masscouncilofchurches.org/docs/doc_suicide.htm#statement.
The article (although 11 years old) tries to set out Christian thinking. Put simply it says that assisted suicide carried out by a doctor is not desirable but equally neither are “medical heroics”.
The above was the basis of my newsletter to my churches in July. On Friday 17th August the High Court ruled it would be illegal for someone to assist Tony Nicklinson to die. The thrust of the argument seems to be that someone would have to kill Tony Nicklinson and that is murder. The judgment said it was something for Parliament to decide.
Who would be a judge? Who would be a doctor? But who would be Tony Nicklinson?
Wednesday, 15 August 2012
Ark anyone?
Our summer holiday was interrupted by rain. The plan was to attend a music festival in in Dorset for 5 days and then travel to Pembrokeshire for 10 days. There was only one flaw – we intended to camp!
We managed to endure the music festival – despite liquid mud lapping round us – but decided a campsite perched near a cliff, one field away from the sea was going too far. So we cancelled and spent time at my parents’ home instead. (Thankfully by then we had some decent weather.)
The music festival - http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk - is fortunately not on the scale of Glastonbury; and whilst it had Glastonbury like mud, it also has posh facilities like showers. And it was whilst queuing for a shower one morning that I got talking to a man called Adam. Inevitably, we started talking about the weather and we both said we couldn’t help but wonder if the poor summer was down to climate change. We both felt that the summers over the last 10 years or so have been very wet and perhaps this was down to climate change.
Of course we cannot know for sure. But just because we cannot be sure, does not mean that as Christians we should not be concerned about the potential impact of climate change.
A Christian group that lobbies on the need to do something about climate change is Operation Noah. http://www.operationnoah.org/
In its declaration issued at the start of Lent 2012 Operation Noah said:
“Humans, made in God’s image, have unique responsibility for the wellbeing of creation (Genesis 1:26, 2:15). We are to care for the earth because it is gift, the product of God’s love. No sparrow falls without God knowing. Humanity has always had the capacity to destroy our environment, but today we have this to an unprecedented extent. Whereas previous generations did not know the damage they were causing, we do. We must use our power wisely to promote the flourishing of future generations and the diversity of life on earth. This is the responsibility of every Church and every believer.”
This statement sums up what Christian theology about creation is. That we are God’s custodians, his stewards, created by him to care for his planet.
The Methodist hymn writer Fred Pratt Green wrote these words:
Earth is the Lord's: it is ours to enjoy it,
Ours, as God's stewards, to farm and defend.
From its pollution, misuse, and destruction,
good Lord deliver us, world without end!
Whether or not you are a person of faith, and merely a person of science, all of us have a duty to care for our planet and be concerned about what seems to be happening to the climate. And it seems to me that even if the climate isn't changing, taking steps to ensure that people minimise our impact on our hom,e has to be a priority regardless.
We managed to endure the music festival – despite liquid mud lapping round us – but decided a campsite perched near a cliff, one field away from the sea was going too far. So we cancelled and spent time at my parents’ home instead. (Thankfully by then we had some decent weather.)
The music festival - http://www.larmertreefestival.co.uk - is fortunately not on the scale of Glastonbury; and whilst it had Glastonbury like mud, it also has posh facilities like showers. And it was whilst queuing for a shower one morning that I got talking to a man called Adam. Inevitably, we started talking about the weather and we both said we couldn’t help but wonder if the poor summer was down to climate change. We both felt that the summers over the last 10 years or so have been very wet and perhaps this was down to climate change.
Of course we cannot know for sure. But just because we cannot be sure, does not mean that as Christians we should not be concerned about the potential impact of climate change.
A Christian group that lobbies on the need to do something about climate change is Operation Noah. http://www.operationnoah.org/
In its declaration issued at the start of Lent 2012 Operation Noah said:
“Humans, made in God’s image, have unique responsibility for the wellbeing of creation (Genesis 1:26, 2:15). We are to care for the earth because it is gift, the product of God’s love. No sparrow falls without God knowing. Humanity has always had the capacity to destroy our environment, but today we have this to an unprecedented extent. Whereas previous generations did not know the damage they were causing, we do. We must use our power wisely to promote the flourishing of future generations and the diversity of life on earth. This is the responsibility of every Church and every believer.”
This statement sums up what Christian theology about creation is. That we are God’s custodians, his stewards, created by him to care for his planet.
The Methodist hymn writer Fred Pratt Green wrote these words:
Earth is the Lord's: it is ours to enjoy it,
Ours, as God's stewards, to farm and defend.
From its pollution, misuse, and destruction,
good Lord deliver us, world without end!
Whether or not you are a person of faith, and merely a person of science, all of us have a duty to care for our planet and be concerned about what seems to be happening to the climate. And it seems to me that even if the climate isn't changing, taking steps to ensure that people minimise our impact on our hom,e has to be a priority regardless.
Tuesday, 14 August 2012
Why bother qualifying to teach?
On 31st July I sent an email to Michael Gove the Education minister:
Dear Mr. Gove,
I have seen reports in several newspapers over the weekend stating that you are planning to allow academies to employ unqualified teachers. As a chair of governors at an academy I find this move concerning.
Over the last 20 or so years moves have been made by Conservative and Labour governments to raise the standards of the teaching profession. And rightly so. The consequence is that now the vast majority of teachers at the school I am involved with (and I suspect most other schools too) are professionals seeking to encourage young people to learn and develop the skills they need for an increasingly uncertain world.
Your latest initiative sends a clear message to qualified teachers “They are not good enough” and their qualification is worthless. Moreover, this idea of yours further knocks the confidence of an already demoralised profession.
Of course why stop at teaching? I have a degree in law (though did not take the professional exams needed to qualify as a lawyer) But why shouldn’t I now be able to appear in court? Is Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke proposing to do the same as you? No of course he isn’t because the professions need properly trained professionals. So why should teaching be treated differently?
Please drop this silly idea.
Today I've received a reply from one of his minnions:
Dear Rev'd Gray
Thank you for your email of 31 July addressed to the Secretary of State regarding your concerns about the employment of unqualified teachers in academies. I hope you are able to appreciate that the Secretary of State for Education receives a vast amount of correspondence and is unable to reply to each one personally. It is for this reason I have been asked to reply.
It was announced on 27 July that academies can employ teaching staff who they believe to be suitably qualified without the requirement for them to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The Government remains committed to the importance of QTS as a benchmark for teacher quality and the vast majority of teachers will continue to have QTS which remains the highly respected professional status for teachers. We know that we have the best generation of teachers ever, while the quality of people training to teach and meet the QTS standards is rising each year.
The new freedom recognises that academy headteachers are best placed to make appointment decisions, including on occasions where, in their judgement, a suitably qualified teacher without QTS is the best person to employ. It will enable academies to employ professionals, such as scientists, engineers, musicians, trainers or experienced teachers from other sectors, who are well qualified and excellent teachers but do not have QTS. The highest quality of teaching is paramount to the success of each school and we trust headteachers to employ staff they believe to be well qualified for the job. All schools will remain accountable for the quality of teaching and the publication of school performance data.
Once again, thank you for writing.
Yours sincerely
David Chapman
Public Communications Unit
www.education.gov.uk
The message is very clear, Gove doesn't value teachers as he thinks anyone can teach.
I have two degrees; one in law and one in theology. They indicate that, at the time I was awarded them anyway, I knew something about the respective subjects. But that doesn't mean to say that I was capable of teaching the subject. Teaching isn't just about passing on knowledge. It is about encouraging, enabling, mentoring and communicating. Skills that someone who posseses knowledge doesn't necessarily have.
Dear Mr. Gove,
I have seen reports in several newspapers over the weekend stating that you are planning to allow academies to employ unqualified teachers. As a chair of governors at an academy I find this move concerning.
Over the last 20 or so years moves have been made by Conservative and Labour governments to raise the standards of the teaching profession. And rightly so. The consequence is that now the vast majority of teachers at the school I am involved with (and I suspect most other schools too) are professionals seeking to encourage young people to learn and develop the skills they need for an increasingly uncertain world.
Your latest initiative sends a clear message to qualified teachers “They are not good enough” and their qualification is worthless. Moreover, this idea of yours further knocks the confidence of an already demoralised profession.
Of course why stop at teaching? I have a degree in law (though did not take the professional exams needed to qualify as a lawyer) But why shouldn’t I now be able to appear in court? Is Rt Hon Kenneth Clarke proposing to do the same as you? No of course he isn’t because the professions need properly trained professionals. So why should teaching be treated differently?
Please drop this silly idea.
Today I've received a reply from one of his minnions:
Dear Rev'd Gray
Thank you for your email of 31 July addressed to the Secretary of State regarding your concerns about the employment of unqualified teachers in academies. I hope you are able to appreciate that the Secretary of State for Education receives a vast amount of correspondence and is unable to reply to each one personally. It is for this reason I have been asked to reply.
It was announced on 27 July that academies can employ teaching staff who they believe to be suitably qualified without the requirement for them to have Qualified Teacher Status (QTS). The Government remains committed to the importance of QTS as a benchmark for teacher quality and the vast majority of teachers will continue to have QTS which remains the highly respected professional status for teachers. We know that we have the best generation of teachers ever, while the quality of people training to teach and meet the QTS standards is rising each year.
The new freedom recognises that academy headteachers are best placed to make appointment decisions, including on occasions where, in their judgement, a suitably qualified teacher without QTS is the best person to employ. It will enable academies to employ professionals, such as scientists, engineers, musicians, trainers or experienced teachers from other sectors, who are well qualified and excellent teachers but do not have QTS. The highest quality of teaching is paramount to the success of each school and we trust headteachers to employ staff they believe to be well qualified for the job. All schools will remain accountable for the quality of teaching and the publication of school performance data.
Once again, thank you for writing.
Yours sincerely
David Chapman
Public Communications Unit
www.education.gov.uk
The message is very clear, Gove doesn't value teachers as he thinks anyone can teach.
I have two degrees; one in law and one in theology. They indicate that, at the time I was awarded them anyway, I knew something about the respective subjects. But that doesn't mean to say that I was capable of teaching the subject. Teaching isn't just about passing on knowledge. It is about encouraging, enabling, mentoring and communicating. Skills that someone who posseses knowledge doesn't necessarily have.
Sunday, 20 May 2012
The story of a wounded knee
The Bible’s Society is running the Diamond Geezer campaign. Jubilee was a special year when wrongs were forgiven and debts written off. So in this very special Jubilee year, Bible Society is asking Christians across the country: ‘who are you indebted to?’
It could be an old school teacher, a midwife who delivered a baby or someone who prayed steadfastly for you – just someone to whom you feel ‘indebted’ because of their kindness and help.
http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/what-we-do-in-england-and-wales/diamond-jubilee/
But equally we can feel “indebted” to someone because we have done them wrong and need their forgiveness to set free from a weight of guilt.
For over 30 years I carried round a sense of guilt for something I did to a friend at school. Or rather something I didn’t do.
My friend Shaun had a serious accident in the sports hall at school. He was running whilst playing basketball and crashed into a wall. It sounds funny but Shaun broke his knee and was in plaster for several months. It was just before the summer holidays and I promised him I’d visit.
And one day I set out to the next village where he lived. But on the way I met a girl I had a crush on and the hormones kicked in and instead of visiting Shaun I spent the afternoon chatting up the girl.
Back in school during the next term I felt really bad about not visiting my friend. And although he said he didn’t mind, boys will be boys after all, I was reminded of the incident every time we used the sports hall as there were skid marks from Shaun’s trainers on the gym floor!
This seemingly small incident niggled away in the back of my mind for some time until last year Shaun and I got back in touch on Facebook and I sent him an email apologising and he said he forgave me. It meant a lot.
Now as someone who has trained as a counsellor I know that many people feel weighed down by a sense of guilt for things they ought to do or should do. “I really ought to visit my elderly aunty” “I should go home and get dinner ready for the family rather than talking to my friend.” And these shoulds and oughts can become heavy chains for some people.
At the time of Jesus many people felt weighed down by the many hundreds of rules the Jewish faith imposed upon them. In fact this was commonly described as being “Yoked to the Torah”. The Torah being the Jewish law.
In Matthew 11: 28 – 29 Jesus says
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke[a] I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.
What Jesus meant was belief in him isn’t an invitation to an easy life but a life of being set free from the artificial burdens people impose on one anther whether through religious rules or the “Oughts” and the “Shoulds”.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, all of us from time to time carry around the weight of guilt whether for the bad things we have done, the good things we have not done, the things we have said or the things we did not say.
We are sorry and ask, that by knowing you forgive us, the burden of guilt may be taken from us.
Amen.
It could be an old school teacher, a midwife who delivered a baby or someone who prayed steadfastly for you – just someone to whom you feel ‘indebted’ because of their kindness and help.
http://www.biblesociety.org.uk/about-bible-society/what-we-do-in-england-and-wales/diamond-jubilee/
But equally we can feel “indebted” to someone because we have done them wrong and need their forgiveness to set free from a weight of guilt.
For over 30 years I carried round a sense of guilt for something I did to a friend at school. Or rather something I didn’t do.
My friend Shaun had a serious accident in the sports hall at school. He was running whilst playing basketball and crashed into a wall. It sounds funny but Shaun broke his knee and was in plaster for several months. It was just before the summer holidays and I promised him I’d visit.
And one day I set out to the next village where he lived. But on the way I met a girl I had a crush on and the hormones kicked in and instead of visiting Shaun I spent the afternoon chatting up the girl.
Back in school during the next term I felt really bad about not visiting my friend. And although he said he didn’t mind, boys will be boys after all, I was reminded of the incident every time we used the sports hall as there were skid marks from Shaun’s trainers on the gym floor!
This seemingly small incident niggled away in the back of my mind for some time until last year Shaun and I got back in touch on Facebook and I sent him an email apologising and he said he forgave me. It meant a lot.
Now as someone who has trained as a counsellor I know that many people feel weighed down by a sense of guilt for things they ought to do or should do. “I really ought to visit my elderly aunty” “I should go home and get dinner ready for the family rather than talking to my friend.” And these shoulds and oughts can become heavy chains for some people.
At the time of Jesus many people felt weighed down by the many hundreds of rules the Jewish faith imposed upon them. In fact this was commonly described as being “Yoked to the Torah”. The Torah being the Jewish law.
In Matthew 11: 28 – 29 Jesus says
28 If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest. 29 Take the yoke[a] I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.
What Jesus meant was belief in him isn’t an invitation to an easy life but a life of being set free from the artificial burdens people impose on one anther whether through religious rules or the “Oughts” and the “Shoulds”.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, all of us from time to time carry around the weight of guilt whether for the bad things we have done, the good things we have not done, the things we have said or the things we did not say.
We are sorry and ask, that by knowing you forgive us, the burden of guilt may be taken from us.
Amen.
Wednesday, 25 April 2012
Breaking bread with Trevor
For me the story of Jesus’ appearance to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus is the loveliest of the resurrection stories. And it is certainly the most developed story. Its plot revolves around the failure of the two disciples to recognise their fellow traveller. The suspense builds until the moment when the two recognise the risen Lord and then he disappears from their presence. It is a wonderful story and I think most of us can picture it clearly in our minds.
As drama it has everything – sorrow, suspense, puzzlement, gradual dawning of light and then unexpected actions, astonished recognition, a flurry of excitement and activity. It is both a wonderful, unique spell binding tale and also a model for what being a Christian, from that day to this, is all about.
The origins of the story are debated and difficult to reconstruct. In fact some scholars – such as Dominic Crossan - argue that it probably didn’t happen and is included as a parable involving Jesus rather than a parable told by Jesus. We think nowadays that Luke’s gospel draws on Mark’s gospel and in Mark 16: 12 – 13 we are told:
12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
And it could be that Luke constructed his story of the road to Emmaus from these two verses in Mark. But do you know what? I don’t think it matters. I’m happy to accept it did happen as Luke describes but even if it is as Dominic Crossan says a parable involving Jesus, it still holds a huge truth.
Anyway, let’s look at the story for a moment. Over the years it has proved difficult to identify exactly where Emmaus is. There are several possibilities. The most likely place is mentioned in an ancient document that describes it as being 60 stadia from Jerusalem. A stadium was a Roman measurement of 600 feet, so 60 stadia or 36,000 feet equates to about 7 ½ miles. Other manuscripts place Emmaus as being about 160 stadia from Jerusalem or 19 ½ miles.
The opening of the story tells us it is the evening of Easter day. And we find two followers of Jesus going to Emmaus. We don’t know why. Are they going home? Are they going on business? Are they just running away from Jerusalem because they are afraid they may be arrested? We don’t know.
Initially we don’t know their names – though later we learn that one is Cleopas. (It is often said that the other one may have been Cleopas’ wife.)
And of course as we know so well from the story, when Jesus appears to them they do not recognise him. Or rather:
16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
Something, someone, (God perhaps?) kept them from recognising Jesus.
Those of us reading the story are told that the two are meeting the risen Jesus. But they do not know themselves.
Jesus starts a conversation with them by asking what they are talking about.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
Or as the NRSV puts it:
“Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”
Of course the irony is that Cleopas thinks the stranger is the only person who doesn’t know about the events of the last few days. Whereas in fact it is the stranger Jesus who is the only one who does know the full meaning of all that has happened.
The two disciples assume they know much more about what has happened than the stranger who has joined them and Jesus plays along with it
19 “What things?” he asked.
And then the disciples tell the story no doubt tumbling over each other to fill in bits of information. And after having listened to them Jesus says to them:
25 ….. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ[b] have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Despite this they still do not recognise Jesus. But even so, when they arrive at the village and the stranger Jesus is about to walk off they urge him to stay with them.
And for me this is where this wonderful story suddenly takes on great significance. This is the turning point in the story for us.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther.
Or as the NRSV puts it “he walked ahead as if he were going on”
In the custom of the time of Jesus, a guest was obliged to turn down an invitation to dine until it was vigorously repeated. So it could be said that Jesus is complying with the custom. However, there is deeper meaning to what Jesus does. Jesus’ action demonstrates that he never forces himself upon others. Jesus’ action shows that faith must always be spontaneous. Faith must be a voluntary response to God’s grace.
There is also meaning in “ … as if he were going farther.” “ … as if he were going on”. In Luke’s Gospel there is always a sense of Jesus journeying. He was journeying round Galilee and from the end of chapter 9 to the end of chapter 19 Jesus is journeying on the way to Jerusalem. For Luke then Jesus was always going further.
Once indoors, the scene shifts to the table for the evening meal.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
There is something about this that suggests other meals we know of involving Jesus such as the feeding of the five thousand and of course the Last Supper. The guest become the host and Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to the two disciples.
As Alan Culpepper puts it in his commentary on Luke “The four verbs are Jesus’ signature in which the disciples (and readers) recognise Jesus”.
Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to the two disciples.
We can tend to think of the meal at Emmaus as being like communion as if it was a special meal. Or a sacred act. It was these things but also it wasn’t either of these things. This was Jesus enjoying table fellowship with two friends and showing that such fellowship can become sacred.
Cleopas and his companion discovered at the table that their travelling companion was the Lord Jesus himself. And when they laid out the table and prepared the meal they did not prepare it as if it was going to be a sacred meal. It was a meal at which two companions invited a guest to dine with them. But in the act of sharing their bread with a stranger, they recognised the risen Lord in the stranger.
I mentioned Dominic Crossan earlier. In an interview he gave for the "Living the Questions" DVD discussion series, he says that whether we take the Emmaus story as an account of what actually happened, or merely as a parable involving Jesus, the truth remains the same. The real meaning of the story is that we find Jesus not through studying the scriptures – though that is preparatory and important – but by taking the stranger in. Not to eat your food but because if you believe everything is from God then the food you are sharing is God’s food.
When we sit with someone over coffee on at a church coffee morning or talk to some having a bowl of soup at a lunch club (or elsewhere)we are sharing communion. In that moment Jesus is with us.
An American pastor Wheaton Webb tells about a time when a stranger approached him and asked, "You couldn't let a man have a dollar for a meal?" A group of people was about to eat a potluck supper, so the pastor invited the man, who had the look of one who hadn't had a good meal for some time, to join them; they sat down at the end of one of the tables by themselves. "How long have you been on the road?" asked Webb. "A long time, a very long time," came the answer. "And it never occurred to you to settle down and take some steady work?" "No," the man replied, "I used to be a carpenter. But I'm one of those who has to be on his way. I'd never be happy settled in just one place." Webb comments: "It was odd the way he said it - like the wayfarer who visited Emmaus and who made as if he would have gone further until Cleopas and his companion (in the earlier episode) invited him to stay for supper." Webb asked him his name and he answered, "Mr. Immanuel."
As we know, Immanuel means "God-with-us."
Wheaton Webb concludes the story this way: "Presently he said his thanks and was off on his lonely journey that has no ending. And I thought: He still goes on his way, the hungry man, Mr. God-with-us, in his shabby coat, and always a look in his eyes as if he would go further. But when he had gone, my heart began to burn within me, and I had no doubt that Cleopas and his companion, in that silence that suddenly fell over their table, would have understood."
So would the eleven on the occasion when Jesus asked for something to eat, and so do we when the Lord occasionally appears in others who come to our tables hungry and lonely.
Much of this blog was the basis of a sermon I preached last Sunday 22nd April. After the service a young man who comes to the church occasionally - I'll call him Jason - came and spoke to me. "What you've preached on has just helped me make sense of something that happened to me a couple of weeks ago. And Jason told me his story.
Jason had been driving back home from the north of England. He stopped at a motorway service station for something to eat. The cafe was crowded and Jason was soon joined at his table by another traveller. In a very un British way they started to chat. And the other traveller said he was called Trevor and was a lorry driver. Jason said they talked for the best part of an hour and then Trevor left.
Jason told me he was left with a sense of something he couldn't put his finger on. But after hearing the idea of encountering Jesus through breaking bread with a stranger it all seemed to make sense.
Acknowledgements
Dominic Crossan interview from Living the questions 2. Study 12 "Practising resurrection" 2007 livingthequestions.com
Alan Culpepper - The New Interpreters Bible commentary Vol IX Luke
Wheaton Webb story via esermons.com
And of course thanks to Jason and Trevor.
As drama it has everything – sorrow, suspense, puzzlement, gradual dawning of light and then unexpected actions, astonished recognition, a flurry of excitement and activity. It is both a wonderful, unique spell binding tale and also a model for what being a Christian, from that day to this, is all about.
The origins of the story are debated and difficult to reconstruct. In fact some scholars – such as Dominic Crossan - argue that it probably didn’t happen and is included as a parable involving Jesus rather than a parable told by Jesus. We think nowadays that Luke’s gospel draws on Mark’s gospel and in Mark 16: 12 – 13 we are told:
12 Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country. 13 These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.
And it could be that Luke constructed his story of the road to Emmaus from these two verses in Mark. But do you know what? I don’t think it matters. I’m happy to accept it did happen as Luke describes but even if it is as Dominic Crossan says a parable involving Jesus, it still holds a huge truth.
Anyway, let’s look at the story for a moment. Over the years it has proved difficult to identify exactly where Emmaus is. There are several possibilities. The most likely place is mentioned in an ancient document that describes it as being 60 stadia from Jerusalem. A stadium was a Roman measurement of 600 feet, so 60 stadia or 36,000 feet equates to about 7 ½ miles. Other manuscripts place Emmaus as being about 160 stadia from Jerusalem or 19 ½ miles.
The opening of the story tells us it is the evening of Easter day. And we find two followers of Jesus going to Emmaus. We don’t know why. Are they going home? Are they going on business? Are they just running away from Jerusalem because they are afraid they may be arrested? We don’t know.
Initially we don’t know their names – though later we learn that one is Cleopas. (It is often said that the other one may have been Cleopas’ wife.)
And of course as we know so well from the story, when Jesus appears to them they do not recognise him. Or rather:
16 but they were kept from recognizing him.
Something, someone, (God perhaps?) kept them from recognising Jesus.
Those of us reading the story are told that the two are meeting the risen Jesus. But they do not know themselves.
Jesus starts a conversation with them by asking what they are talking about.
18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?”
Or as the NRSV puts it:
“Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?”
Of course the irony is that Cleopas thinks the stranger is the only person who doesn’t know about the events of the last few days. Whereas in fact it is the stranger Jesus who is the only one who does know the full meaning of all that has happened.
The two disciples assume they know much more about what has happened than the stranger who has joined them and Jesus plays along with it
19 “What things?” he asked.
And then the disciples tell the story no doubt tumbling over each other to fill in bits of information. And after having listened to them Jesus says to them:
25 ….. “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Christ[b] have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.
Despite this they still do not recognise Jesus. But even so, when they arrive at the village and the stranger Jesus is about to walk off they urge him to stay with them.
And for me this is where this wonderful story suddenly takes on great significance. This is the turning point in the story for us.
28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther.
Or as the NRSV puts it “he walked ahead as if he were going on”
In the custom of the time of Jesus, a guest was obliged to turn down an invitation to dine until it was vigorously repeated. So it could be said that Jesus is complying with the custom. However, there is deeper meaning to what Jesus does. Jesus’ action demonstrates that he never forces himself upon others. Jesus’ action shows that faith must always be spontaneous. Faith must be a voluntary response to God’s grace.
There is also meaning in “ … as if he were going farther.” “ … as if he were going on”. In Luke’s Gospel there is always a sense of Jesus journeying. He was journeying round Galilee and from the end of chapter 9 to the end of chapter 19 Jesus is journeying on the way to Jerusalem. For Luke then Jesus was always going further.
Once indoors, the scene shifts to the table for the evening meal.
30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them.
There is something about this that suggests other meals we know of involving Jesus such as the feeding of the five thousand and of course the Last Supper. The guest become the host and Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to the two disciples.
As Alan Culpepper puts it in his commentary on Luke “The four verbs are Jesus’ signature in which the disciples (and readers) recognise Jesus”.
Jesus takes bread, blesses it, breaks it and gives it to the two disciples.
We can tend to think of the meal at Emmaus as being like communion as if it was a special meal. Or a sacred act. It was these things but also it wasn’t either of these things. This was Jesus enjoying table fellowship with two friends and showing that such fellowship can become sacred.
Cleopas and his companion discovered at the table that their travelling companion was the Lord Jesus himself. And when they laid out the table and prepared the meal they did not prepare it as if it was going to be a sacred meal. It was a meal at which two companions invited a guest to dine with them. But in the act of sharing their bread with a stranger, they recognised the risen Lord in the stranger.
I mentioned Dominic Crossan earlier. In an interview he gave for the "Living the Questions" DVD discussion series, he says that whether we take the Emmaus story as an account of what actually happened, or merely as a parable involving Jesus, the truth remains the same. The real meaning of the story is that we find Jesus not through studying the scriptures – though that is preparatory and important – but by taking the stranger in. Not to eat your food but because if you believe everything is from God then the food you are sharing is God’s food.
When we sit with someone over coffee on at a church coffee morning or talk to some having a bowl of soup at a lunch club (or elsewhere)we are sharing communion. In that moment Jesus is with us.
An American pastor Wheaton Webb tells about a time when a stranger approached him and asked, "You couldn't let a man have a dollar for a meal?" A group of people was about to eat a potluck supper, so the pastor invited the man, who had the look of one who hadn't had a good meal for some time, to join them; they sat down at the end of one of the tables by themselves. "How long have you been on the road?" asked Webb. "A long time, a very long time," came the answer. "And it never occurred to you to settle down and take some steady work?" "No," the man replied, "I used to be a carpenter. But I'm one of those who has to be on his way. I'd never be happy settled in just one place." Webb comments: "It was odd the way he said it - like the wayfarer who visited Emmaus and who made as if he would have gone further until Cleopas and his companion (in the earlier episode) invited him to stay for supper." Webb asked him his name and he answered, "Mr. Immanuel."
As we know, Immanuel means "God-with-us."
Wheaton Webb concludes the story this way: "Presently he said his thanks and was off on his lonely journey that has no ending. And I thought: He still goes on his way, the hungry man, Mr. God-with-us, in his shabby coat, and always a look in his eyes as if he would go further. But when he had gone, my heart began to burn within me, and I had no doubt that Cleopas and his companion, in that silence that suddenly fell over their table, would have understood."
So would the eleven on the occasion when Jesus asked for something to eat, and so do we when the Lord occasionally appears in others who come to our tables hungry and lonely.
Much of this blog was the basis of a sermon I preached last Sunday 22nd April. After the service a young man who comes to the church occasionally - I'll call him Jason - came and spoke to me. "What you've preached on has just helped me make sense of something that happened to me a couple of weeks ago. And Jason told me his story.
Jason had been driving back home from the north of England. He stopped at a motorway service station for something to eat. The cafe was crowded and Jason was soon joined at his table by another traveller. In a very un British way they started to chat. And the other traveller said he was called Trevor and was a lorry driver. Jason said they talked for the best part of an hour and then Trevor left.
Jason told me he was left with a sense of something he couldn't put his finger on. But after hearing the idea of encountering Jesus through breaking bread with a stranger it all seemed to make sense.
Acknowledgements
Dominic Crossan interview from Living the questions 2. Study 12 "Practising resurrection" 2007 livingthequestions.com
Alan Culpepper - The New Interpreters Bible commentary Vol IX Luke
Wheaton Webb story via esermons.com
And of course thanks to Jason and Trevor.
Sunday, 25 March 2012
Have a heart
We are living in interesting times to be a follower of Jesus aren’t we? It seems as if over the last few months every week there has been a news story suggesting that in this country anyway Christianity is on the wane and is under attack by secularists and atheists.
In February we had several such news items. The Court of Appeal found that Christian hotel owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull from Cornwall acted unlawfully in banning a homosexual couple from the hotel they run. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15811223
We also had the court ruling that said it was illegal for Bideford Town Council to have prayers before meetings. An action brought by an atheist.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-17060065
Then Richard Dawkins’ “Foundation for Science and Reason”, published the result of a survey that found that Britain is not as Christian as is claimed in census information.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9081215/Christians-dont-want-religion-to-influence-public-life.html
Then Trevor Phillips Chair of the Equality Commission said that Christians who want to be exempt from equality legislation are like Muslims trying to impose sharia on Britain. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9087775/Christians-arent-above-the-law-says-equalities-chief-Trevor-Phillips.html
Then earlier this month The Sunday Telegraph published a story that said the Government will fight a case at the European Court of Human Rights in which two British women are seeking to establish their right to wear a cross at work.
A document seen by The Sunday Telegraph disclosed that ministers will argue that because it is not a “requirement” of the Christian faith, employers can ban the wearing of the cross and sack workers who insist on doing so. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9136191/Christians-have-no-right-to-wear-cross-at-work-says-Government.html
We also have the issue of gay marriage. And although the proposals seem to suggest that churches will not be obliged to marry gay couples, some Christians have spoken out against this saying that it undermines traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, said the "grotesque" plans would "shame the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world" if implemented. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/04/catholic-leader-government-gay-marriage
And last week leaders of Muslims and Sikhs in the UK also expressed opposition.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9154043/Muslims-and-Sikhs-attack-Camerons-gay-marriage-plan.html
On Wednesday just gone Academics Dr Sarah Johnsen and Dr Adam published Research into the involvement of faith groups in social and charity work has highlighted “inaccurate and out-of-date assumptions” still blighting their work. Basically, the research found that government money was still difficult to access, with civil servants wrongly assuming a faith organisation will put pressure on people they help to convert. The research also found some charities operate in the same way too.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9156381/Faith-groups-prevented-from-doing-vital-community-work-by-anti-religious-prejudice.html
Then finally we have the news that in a bid to boost the economy, Sunday trading hours will be relaxed for two months during the Olympics a move also opposed by many Christians. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17419351
So the last month / six weeks has seen plenty in the newspapers for Christians to get their teeth into. And all in all it can seem as if our faith is being attacked on a number of fronts.
But then among the gloom and doom came the stories surrounding Fabrice Muamba – the Bolton footballer who collapsed following a heart attack during a match against Tottenham Hotspur. Fabrice Muamba dropped on the pitch as if dead. The next thing that happened, after the paramedics reached him, was a member of the opposing team dropped on his knees to pray. No one jeered. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2012/mar/19/fabrice-muamba-football-prayer-natural
Since then there has been an outpouring of prayer requests on his behalf since then.
According to a report in The Guardian newspaper Fabrice Muamba's fiancée has called for fans to pray for the Bolton Wanderers midfielder, who remains in a critical condition after a heart attack on the pitch against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Shauna Muamba, told fans on Twitter: "God is in control. Please keep Fabrice in your prayers ... Please keep praying for Fabrice, it's really helping, I can feel it xx."
And the Chelsea player Gary Cahill lifted his shirt after scoring a goal last Monday to reveal a T shirt underneath with the message “Pray 4 Muamba”
So what’s going on?
On the one hand we seem to have a plethora of stories suggesting the rise of secularism. But then we have the public calls for prayer for Fabrice Muamba. What’s going on?
Let’s leave 21st century Britain for a while and go back 600 years before Jesus was born. There we find the people of Judah under threat. They are under threat from the neighbouring super powers of Assyria, Egypt and Babylon. And in the end Babylon prevails taking control of Judah and taking many of its people into exile in Babylon. But for now Jeremiah – truly a prophet of doom – warns the people of Judah and its Kings – of impending danger.
And Jeremiah emphasises in his prophecy that God is going to allow these things to happen because the people of Judah have broken their side of the covenant made with God via Moses. A covenant symbolised more than anything else by the tablets of stone on which the 10 Commandments were written.
During the exile the people of the Judah begin to question God. Their world had collapsed. They had been taken from their land – promised to them by God don’t forget. So did this mean that God had forgotten his chose people? Was God powerless compared to the apparently more powerful Babylonian gods who had won the war? How could the community survive the disaster that befell them? Did they have a future? And if so what did it look like? If they were able to return to their homeland and if they did who would rule them?
All these are issues that come out in the Book of Jeremiah and in the Book of Isaiah.
But one thing underlying all these is the big question. Had God really turned away from them because they had broken the covenant?
No he had not. Eventually God restores them to their land. And more than that
31 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
Jeremiah 31:31
So why was a new Covenant needed? What had changed? Well nothing on God’s side of the agreement. He continued to love his people. But they had failed in their love for him. And so in a way of showing his people how much he loved them and cared for them God promised a new covenant. A new covenant established through his son Jesus to show what God’s love looks like. And to show what a world that was based wholly on God’s love would look like.
So if Jesus was the new covenant what of the old covenant? The covenant made through Noah and Moses and so on? Did that cease to exist with Jesus?
Sometimes preachers do put that interpretation on it. That the old covenant was only made between God and the Jewish people. So with Jesus and his Good News for everyone the old covenant is abolished.
That is certainly a valid way of thinking of it. But in a way I think we shouldn’t be thinking in terms of a new covenant but rather a revised covenant. An improved covenant. For all the new covenant does is build upon what was in the original covenant. Love.
And that is the key difference. The original covenant was founded on love and proper relationships. But it became too legalistic and prescriptive. The new covenant is not based on things written on tablets of stone.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
Instead God will:
“ … put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.”
In other words we will know in our minds what God expects of us but more importantly our hearts will ensure that the response to the new covenant is founded on love.
I say our because in Jesus the new covenant was established for all people. That is the most important thing perhaps about the new covenant. God’s love as represented by the new covenant is for all.
So what has any of this got to do with the situation we find ourselves in today?
It seems to me that during the exile of the people of Judah there were people who kept the faith alive. People who kept saying God is faithful. There is no other God. People like in Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
And if you read the Book of Ezra contained in there are lists of people in exile who were descended from priestly lines who kept the message alive during exile.
They kept the faith alive. They kept telling the stories. They reminded the exiles of God.
One of the points of dispute with the Richard Dawkins survey published last month was the number of people calling them Christians. The 2001 census – the last available data – found 70% of the population called themselves Christians. Whereas Dawkins argument is that far fewer than that attend church. To be a Christian you need to attend church so therefore the real number of Christians must be lower.
And the survey conducted by Swindon Church Together last year about what Christians contribute to this town found that only 4% of the population attend church regularly. As opposed to 10% nationally. http://www.swindonchurches.org/index.php?module=pagesmith&uop=view_page&id=89
SO maybe Dawkins has a fair point.
But how does that explain the outpourings of prayer for Fabrice Muamba? Such people may not be church goers but they seem to have some faith.
It seems to me that in a sense we are those people in the exile of secular Britain today. We are the story keepers. We are the ones to keep telling the Good News. Charged with keeping the flame of Jesus alive.
What the Fabrice Muamba story tells us I feel is that in the hearts of many many people God’s love is still written. They may now know it. They may not know the saving love of Jesus. But deep inside God’s love is beating.
God speaking through Jeremiah said that a time would come when:
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbour,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
Meaning I suppose that a time would come when all people would know God and his love. And there would be no need to teach them of it. We are not in that time and there has never been such a time.
I just want to briefly comment on the Gospel. And one verse:
34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ[f] will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
John 12:34
The crowd were made up of people who had not heard of Jesus and his Gospel. They knew that a Messiah – the Christ - was going to come. But they did not know who Jesus was. And they did not understand that through his crucifixion – his lifting up and his glorification – he was going to save them.
And many people then and now still do not get it. They still do not understand the wonderful saving love of Jesus. But many do have God’s love written on their hearts. And it is for us to show them what this means. It is for us to say yes pray for Fabrice Muamba. And then explain to them why they are praying and what that prayer means.
Do you remember the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. But in that story Philip is prompted to go to the Ethiopian official who was reading the Book of Isaiah. And Philip says to him “Do you understand what you are reading?” And the Ethiopian replies “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” Acts 8:31
"How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?"
That is the challenge that faces us. For how will the people of this country who have God’s love in their heart understand what it means unless we – the keepers of Gospel – explain it to them?
In February we had several such news items. The Court of Appeal found that Christian hotel owners Peter and Hazelmary Bull from Cornwall acted unlawfully in banning a homosexual couple from the hotel they run. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-15811223
We also had the court ruling that said it was illegal for Bideford Town Council to have prayers before meetings. An action brought by an atheist.http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-devon-17060065
Then Richard Dawkins’ “Foundation for Science and Reason”, published the result of a survey that found that Britain is not as Christian as is claimed in census information.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9081215/Christians-dont-want-religion-to-influence-public-life.html
Then Trevor Phillips Chair of the Equality Commission said that Christians who want to be exempt from equality legislation are like Muslims trying to impose sharia on Britain. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9087775/Christians-arent-above-the-law-says-equalities-chief-Trevor-Phillips.html
Then earlier this month The Sunday Telegraph published a story that said the Government will fight a case at the European Court of Human Rights in which two British women are seeking to establish their right to wear a cross at work.
A document seen by The Sunday Telegraph disclosed that ministers will argue that because it is not a “requirement” of the Christian faith, employers can ban the wearing of the cross and sack workers who insist on doing so. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9136191/Christians-have-no-right-to-wear-cross-at-work-says-Government.html
We also have the issue of gay marriage. And although the proposals seem to suggest that churches will not be obliged to marry gay couples, some Christians have spoken out against this saying that it undermines traditional marriage between a man and a woman. Cardinal Keith O'Brien, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland, said the "grotesque" plans would "shame the United Kingdom in the eyes of the world" if implemented. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/mar/04/catholic-leader-government-gay-marriage
And last week leaders of Muslims and Sikhs in the UK also expressed opposition.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/9154043/Muslims-and-Sikhs-attack-Camerons-gay-marriage-plan.html
On Wednesday just gone Academics Dr Sarah Johnsen and Dr Adam published Research into the involvement of faith groups in social and charity work has highlighted “inaccurate and out-of-date assumptions” still blighting their work. Basically, the research found that government money was still difficult to access, with civil servants wrongly assuming a faith organisation will put pressure on people they help to convert. The research also found some charities operate in the same way too.http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9156381/Faith-groups-prevented-from-doing-vital-community-work-by-anti-religious-prejudice.html
Then finally we have the news that in a bid to boost the economy, Sunday trading hours will be relaxed for two months during the Olympics a move also opposed by many Christians. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-17419351
So the last month / six weeks has seen plenty in the newspapers for Christians to get their teeth into. And all in all it can seem as if our faith is being attacked on a number of fronts.
But then among the gloom and doom came the stories surrounding Fabrice Muamba – the Bolton footballer who collapsed following a heart attack during a match against Tottenham Hotspur. Fabrice Muamba dropped on the pitch as if dead. The next thing that happened, after the paramedics reached him, was a member of the opposing team dropped on his knees to pray. No one jeered. http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/andrewbrown/2012/mar/19/fabrice-muamba-football-prayer-natural
Since then there has been an outpouring of prayer requests on his behalf since then.
According to a report in The Guardian newspaper Fabrice Muamba's fiancée has called for fans to pray for the Bolton Wanderers midfielder, who remains in a critical condition after a heart attack on the pitch against Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday.
Shauna Muamba, told fans on Twitter: "God is in control. Please keep Fabrice in your prayers ... Please keep praying for Fabrice, it's really helping, I can feel it xx."
And the Chelsea player Gary Cahill lifted his shirt after scoring a goal last Monday to reveal a T shirt underneath with the message “Pray 4 Muamba”
So what’s going on?
On the one hand we seem to have a plethora of stories suggesting the rise of secularism. But then we have the public calls for prayer for Fabrice Muamba. What’s going on?
Let’s leave 21st century Britain for a while and go back 600 years before Jesus was born. There we find the people of Judah under threat. They are under threat from the neighbouring super powers of Assyria, Egypt and Babylon. And in the end Babylon prevails taking control of Judah and taking many of its people into exile in Babylon. But for now Jeremiah – truly a prophet of doom – warns the people of Judah and its Kings – of impending danger.
And Jeremiah emphasises in his prophecy that God is going to allow these things to happen because the people of Judah have broken their side of the covenant made with God via Moses. A covenant symbolised more than anything else by the tablets of stone on which the 10 Commandments were written.
During the exile the people of the Judah begin to question God. Their world had collapsed. They had been taken from their land – promised to them by God don’t forget. So did this mean that God had forgotten his chose people? Was God powerless compared to the apparently more powerful Babylonian gods who had won the war? How could the community survive the disaster that befell them? Did they have a future? And if so what did it look like? If they were able to return to their homeland and if they did who would rule them?
All these are issues that come out in the Book of Jeremiah and in the Book of Isaiah.
But one thing underlying all these is the big question. Had God really turned away from them because they had broken the covenant?
No he had not. Eventually God restores them to their land. And more than that
31 “The time is coming,” declares the LORD,
“when I will make a new covenant
with the house of Israel
and with the house of Judah.
Jeremiah 31:31
So why was a new Covenant needed? What had changed? Well nothing on God’s side of the agreement. He continued to love his people. But they had failed in their love for him. And so in a way of showing his people how much he loved them and cared for them God promised a new covenant. A new covenant established through his son Jesus to show what God’s love looks like. And to show what a world that was based wholly on God’s love would look like.
So if Jesus was the new covenant what of the old covenant? The covenant made through Noah and Moses and so on? Did that cease to exist with Jesus?
Sometimes preachers do put that interpretation on it. That the old covenant was only made between God and the Jewish people. So with Jesus and his Good News for everyone the old covenant is abolished.
That is certainly a valid way of thinking of it. But in a way I think we shouldn’t be thinking in terms of a new covenant but rather a revised covenant. An improved covenant. For all the new covenant does is build upon what was in the original covenant. Love.
And that is the key difference. The original covenant was founded on love and proper relationships. But it became too legalistic and prescriptive. The new covenant is not based on things written on tablets of stone.
32 It will not be like the covenant
I made with their forefathers
when I took them by the hand
to lead them out of Egypt,
Instead God will:
“ … put my law in their minds
and write it on their hearts.”
In other words we will know in our minds what God expects of us but more importantly our hearts will ensure that the response to the new covenant is founded on love.
I say our because in Jesus the new covenant was established for all people. That is the most important thing perhaps about the new covenant. God’s love as represented by the new covenant is for all.
So what has any of this got to do with the situation we find ourselves in today?
It seems to me that during the exile of the people of Judah there were people who kept the faith alive. People who kept saying God is faithful. There is no other God. People like in Psalm 137
1 By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
And if you read the Book of Ezra contained in there are lists of people in exile who were descended from priestly lines who kept the message alive during exile.
They kept the faith alive. They kept telling the stories. They reminded the exiles of God.
One of the points of dispute with the Richard Dawkins survey published last month was the number of people calling them Christians. The 2001 census – the last available data – found 70% of the population called themselves Christians. Whereas Dawkins argument is that far fewer than that attend church. To be a Christian you need to attend church so therefore the real number of Christians must be lower.
And the survey conducted by Swindon Church Together last year about what Christians contribute to this town found that only 4% of the population attend church regularly. As opposed to 10% nationally. http://www.swindonchurches.org/index.php?module=pagesmith&uop=view_page&id=89
SO maybe Dawkins has a fair point.
But how does that explain the outpourings of prayer for Fabrice Muamba? Such people may not be church goers but they seem to have some faith.
It seems to me that in a sense we are those people in the exile of secular Britain today. We are the story keepers. We are the ones to keep telling the Good News. Charged with keeping the flame of Jesus alive.
What the Fabrice Muamba story tells us I feel is that in the hearts of many many people God’s love is still written. They may now know it. They may not know the saving love of Jesus. But deep inside God’s love is beating.
God speaking through Jeremiah said that a time would come when:
34 No longer will a man teach his neighbour,
or a man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’
because they will all know me,
from the least of them to the greatest,”
Meaning I suppose that a time would come when all people would know God and his love. And there would be no need to teach them of it. We are not in that time and there has never been such a time.
I just want to briefly comment on the Gospel. And one verse:
34 The crowd spoke up, “We have heard from the Law that the Christ[f] will remain forever, so how can you say, ‘The Son of Man must be lifted up’? Who is this ‘Son of Man’?”
John 12:34
The crowd were made up of people who had not heard of Jesus and his Gospel. They knew that a Messiah – the Christ - was going to come. But they did not know who Jesus was. And they did not understand that through his crucifixion – his lifting up and his glorification – he was going to save them.
And many people then and now still do not get it. They still do not understand the wonderful saving love of Jesus. But many do have God’s love written on their hearts. And it is for us to show them what this means. It is for us to say yes pray for Fabrice Muamba. And then explain to them why they are praying and what that prayer means.
Do you remember the story of Philip and the Ethiopian eunuch in Acts 8. But in that story Philip is prompted to go to the Ethiopian official who was reading the Book of Isaiah. And Philip says to him “Do you understand what you are reading?” And the Ethiopian replies “How can I unless someone explains it to me?” Acts 8:31
"How can I understand unless someone explains it to me?"
That is the challenge that faces us. For how will the people of this country who have God’s love in their heart understand what it means unless we – the keepers of Gospel – explain it to them?
Wednesday, 29 February 2012
Blitz the benefit cheats AND the tax dodgers
Apparently Rupert Murdoch's The Sun has today started a campaign to Blitz benefit cheats http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/politics/4161400/Blitz-the-12bn-fiddlers.html.
I've got no problem with that at all. As someone who managed a Benefit Fraud Investigation team prior to ministry, I've seen how much benefit cheats cost UK taxpayers each year. According to The Sun the fiddlers cost £1.2bn each year. SO well don The Sun for campaigning on this.
But wait a minute. Why stop there. How about starting a campaign for the government to Blitz people who fiddle their taxes. You know like Barclays Bank who avoided £500m of tax http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17181213 (For Sun readers and those not good at maths that's just under half of the amount swindled by benefit cheats each year.)
Or how about Vodafone who owed £8bn in tax (though thanks to some wheeler dealing only paid £1.25bn)? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-hit-out-at-vodafone-tax-letoff-6258782.html
I wonder why The Sun didn't campaign about those? Or is it because the last thing The Sun wants to do is run a campaign looking at the questionable tax repayment of big business. After all that may mean the spotlight being turned on Rupert Murdoch and NewsCorp. He has got a track record in this after all http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/302366.stm
I for one am thoroughly fed up with this government and its cronies having one rule for the poor, the disadvantaged and the public sector, whilst letting large companies get away with it. And yes David Cameron I suppose in this respect I am being anti business.
I've got no problem with that at all. As someone who managed a Benefit Fraud Investigation team prior to ministry, I've seen how much benefit cheats cost UK taxpayers each year. According to The Sun the fiddlers cost £1.2bn each year. SO well don The Sun for campaigning on this.
But wait a minute. Why stop there. How about starting a campaign for the government to Blitz people who fiddle their taxes. You know like Barclays Bank who avoided £500m of tax http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-17181213 (For Sun readers and those not good at maths that's just under half of the amount swindled by benefit cheats each year.)
Or how about Vodafone who owed £8bn in tax (though thanks to some wheeler dealing only paid £1.25bn)? http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/mps-hit-out-at-vodafone-tax-letoff-6258782.html
I wonder why The Sun didn't campaign about those? Or is it because the last thing The Sun wants to do is run a campaign looking at the questionable tax repayment of big business. After all that may mean the spotlight being turned on Rupert Murdoch and NewsCorp. He has got a track record in this after all http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/special_report/1999/02/99/e-cyclopedia/302366.stm
I for one am thoroughly fed up with this government and its cronies having one rule for the poor, the disadvantaged and the public sector, whilst letting large companies get away with it. And yes David Cameron I suppose in this respect I am being anti business.
Wednesday, 15 February 2012
The greatest love of all
"In spring a young man's fancy turns to thoughts of love"
Alfred Lord Tennyson
I’m not sure I can be called a young man now but my thoughts have turned to love. And love was in the air yesterday as it was Valentine’s day. The celebrations of St. Valentine's Day are steeped in legend and mystery; indeed the motives behind the day's creation and even St. Valentine himself have been shrouded in controversy and doubt.
The first official Saint Valentine's Day was declared on 14th of February by Pope Galasius in 496, in memory of a 3rd century martyred priest in Rome. It is not known for sure whether Pope Galasius was honouring this 3rd century priest or whether it was one of two other martyred priests associated with the 14th of February. One was Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) and the other apparently suffered in Africa along with a number of companions. Nothing further is known about these two Saint Valentines and it is the priest in Rome that has become the most widely acclaimed of the three.
It is believed that the young priest rose to distinction after betraying Emperor Claudius in 270 AD by conducting illegitimate wedding ceremonies in the capital. Emperor Claudius claimed that married men made poor soldiers and consequently decreed that all marriages of younger citizens would be outlawed. Bishop Valentine, however, maintained that marriage was part of God's plan and purpose for the world. He continued to conduct marriages in secret between young people, sometimes as young as twelve, in the name of love.
His success gained him unwelcome notoriety, which became Bishop Valentine's downfall. He was jailed and ultimately beheaded, but not before he fell in love with the jailer's daughter. It is thought that on the evening of his execution the bishop passed her a note which read "from your Valentine". This story has blossomed into the defining tradition of Valentine's Day. An estimated one billion cards sent each year, making it the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.
But it’s not just Valentine’s Day that has got me thinking about love. In the early hours of Sunday (our time) the singer Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room in Los Angeles. I wouldn’t claim that I was a big fan of her music. Though she did have a wonderful voice.
What struck me though hearing a number of her songs played on the radio of the last couple of days was that in many of them she sang about love.
“You give good love” “Saving all my love for you” “How will I know (if he really loves me)?” all have love in the title. And then three of them are about when a love affair goes wrong or a relationship ends:
“Didn’t we almost have it all?” “Where do broken hearts go” and “I will always love you”
Given that the singer had a very troubled marriage herself these seem to have a special meaning. She didn’t write any of the songs herself but you can’t help but wonder whether she picked them because she related to them.
Reading an article about her I was struck by the titles of two more of songs she recorded.“The greatest love of all” and “Love will save the day”. Intrigued I looked up the words of the songs.
“Love will save the day” starts with the words:
Sometimes life can make you crazy
It can really put your body to the test
You try so hard to make sure everything goes right
And you find you've only wound up with a mess
It's a common situation
“The greatest love of all” is quite a sad song. The words suggest someone full of regrets. And although the song starts with a sense of optimism:
I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
The rest of the song suggests someone with an emptiness inside:
Everybody's searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me
I am often struck by the fact that very often we can find theology in the most unlikely places. In other words we can find ways of thinking about God in unlikely places. TV programmes, novels and yes in pop and rock music. And on reflecting on these pop songs I found myself doing exactly that. Looking at the theology they contain.
All the songs I’ve mentioned speak of love. And immediately when love is mentioned we can reflect on how love is such a common theme in our faith.
What IS love? There are FOUR words in the Greek language for love but only ONE word for love in English.
When we talk of love in our society, we can mean the love of a mate, parent or child; we can mean a deep friendship or "liking" for a person or thing; or we can mean sexual love. Love in the Greek language is expressed by four different words. Only three of these words are used in the Bible.
What are the Greek Words of Love?
1. Eros, which is sexual or romantic love.
2. Phileo, which is a brotherly love toward someone we really like.
3. Agape, which is the deepest love, which is based on doing good things for another person.
4. Storge, which is the love of one's relatives. It is a relatively unknown word that is used only twice in scripture and only as a compound word.
We can think of love as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13 the agape love God shows us. The self-giving love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ which is the motivating power and pattern for Christian living.
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is the greatest love of all.
How unlike the words in the song:
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
The words of the sog suggest that the greatest love of all is our love of ourselves. I suppose a psychologist would have plenty to say about the need to love ourselves. But isn’t that narcissism?
So I disagree. The greatest love of all is not learning to love ourselves. The greatest love of all is God’s love for us demonstrated through Jesus.
And going back to the song
Everybody's searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me
Surely if we are looking for someone to look up to; someone who fulfils our needs and who gives us the love that enables us to feel good about ourselves we have Jesus?
Acknowledgements:
Bible text talen from New International Version 1984
Song lyrics from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/whitneyhouston/iwillalwaysloveyou.html
Alfred Lord Tennyson
I’m not sure I can be called a young man now but my thoughts have turned to love. And love was in the air yesterday as it was Valentine’s day. The celebrations of St. Valentine's Day are steeped in legend and mystery; indeed the motives behind the day's creation and even St. Valentine himself have been shrouded in controversy and doubt.
The first official Saint Valentine's Day was declared on 14th of February by Pope Galasius in 496, in memory of a 3rd century martyred priest in Rome. It is not known for sure whether Pope Galasius was honouring this 3rd century priest or whether it was one of two other martyred priests associated with the 14th of February. One was Bishop of Interamna (modern Terni) and the other apparently suffered in Africa along with a number of companions. Nothing further is known about these two Saint Valentines and it is the priest in Rome that has become the most widely acclaimed of the three.
It is believed that the young priest rose to distinction after betraying Emperor Claudius in 270 AD by conducting illegitimate wedding ceremonies in the capital. Emperor Claudius claimed that married men made poor soldiers and consequently decreed that all marriages of younger citizens would be outlawed. Bishop Valentine, however, maintained that marriage was part of God's plan and purpose for the world. He continued to conduct marriages in secret between young people, sometimes as young as twelve, in the name of love.
His success gained him unwelcome notoriety, which became Bishop Valentine's downfall. He was jailed and ultimately beheaded, but not before he fell in love with the jailer's daughter. It is thought that on the evening of his execution the bishop passed her a note which read "from your Valentine". This story has blossomed into the defining tradition of Valentine's Day. An estimated one billion cards sent each year, making it the second largest card-sending holiday of the year behind Christmas.
But it’s not just Valentine’s Day that has got me thinking about love. In the early hours of Sunday (our time) the singer Whitney Houston was found dead in her hotel room in Los Angeles. I wouldn’t claim that I was a big fan of her music. Though she did have a wonderful voice.
What struck me though hearing a number of her songs played on the radio of the last couple of days was that in many of them she sang about love.
“You give good love” “Saving all my love for you” “How will I know (if he really loves me)?” all have love in the title. And then three of them are about when a love affair goes wrong or a relationship ends:
“Didn’t we almost have it all?” “Where do broken hearts go” and “I will always love you”
Given that the singer had a very troubled marriage herself these seem to have a special meaning. She didn’t write any of the songs herself but you can’t help but wonder whether she picked them because she related to them.
Reading an article about her I was struck by the titles of two more of songs she recorded.“The greatest love of all” and “Love will save the day”. Intrigued I looked up the words of the songs.
“Love will save the day” starts with the words:
Sometimes life can make you crazy
It can really put your body to the test
You try so hard to make sure everything goes right
And you find you've only wound up with a mess
It's a common situation
“The greatest love of all” is quite a sad song. The words suggest someone full of regrets. And although the song starts with a sense of optimism:
I believe the children are our future
Teach them well and let them lead the way
Show them all the beauty they possess inside
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be
The rest of the song suggests someone with an emptiness inside:
Everybody's searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me
I am often struck by the fact that very often we can find theology in the most unlikely places. In other words we can find ways of thinking about God in unlikely places. TV programmes, novels and yes in pop and rock music. And on reflecting on these pop songs I found myself doing exactly that. Looking at the theology they contain.
All the songs I’ve mentioned speak of love. And immediately when love is mentioned we can reflect on how love is such a common theme in our faith.
What IS love? There are FOUR words in the Greek language for love but only ONE word for love in English.
When we talk of love in our society, we can mean the love of a mate, parent or child; we can mean a deep friendship or "liking" for a person or thing; or we can mean sexual love. Love in the Greek language is expressed by four different words. Only three of these words are used in the Bible.
What are the Greek Words of Love?
1. Eros, which is sexual or romantic love.
2. Phileo, which is a brotherly love toward someone we really like.
3. Agape, which is the deepest love, which is based on doing good things for another person.
4. Storge, which is the love of one's relatives. It is a relatively unknown word that is used only twice in scripture and only as a compound word.
We can think of love as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13 the agape love God shows us. The self-giving love of God as revealed in Jesus Christ which is the motivating power and pattern for Christian living.
John 3:16
16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
This is the greatest love of all.
How unlike the words in the song:
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadows
If I fail, if I succeed
At least I'll live as I believe
No matter what they take from me
They can't take away my dignity
Because the greatest love of all
Is happening to me
I found the greatest love of all
Inside of me
The greatest love of all
Is easy to achieve
Learning to love yourself
It is the greatest love of all
The words of the sog suggest that the greatest love of all is our love of ourselves. I suppose a psychologist would have plenty to say about the need to love ourselves. But isn’t that narcissism?
So I disagree. The greatest love of all is not learning to love ourselves. The greatest love of all is God’s love for us demonstrated through Jesus.
And going back to the song
Everybody's searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me
Surely if we are looking for someone to look up to; someone who fulfils our needs and who gives us the love that enables us to feel good about ourselves we have Jesus?
Acknowledgements:
Bible text talen from New International Version 1984
Song lyrics from http://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/whitneyhouston/iwillalwaysloveyou.html
Saturday, 21 January 2012
Pawn challenges bishop?
According to news reports this morning http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-16669850 Ian Duncan Smith is criticising bishops who are opposing welfare reforms in the House of Lords.
He says:
"The question I'd ask these bishops is, over all these years, why have they sat back and watched people being placed in houses they cannot afford? It's not a kindness.
I would love them to ask about the poor people on low incomes who are working hard, whose families share rooms, who are doing the right thing”
He goes on:
"I would like to see their concerns about ordinary people, who are working hard, paying their tax and commuting long hours, who don't have as much money as they would otherwise because they're paying tax for all of this. Where is the bishops' concern for them?"
Mr Duncan Smith I'd like YOU and your millionaire colleagues to ask the likes of Vodafone, Sir Philip Green and mega rich bankers, what they have to say to the poorest in society and " ... the ordinary people who are working hard, paying their tax" what they are contributing to this society. And why they aren't paying their way.
I'm bishops, like all Christian leaders try to be concerned with justice and the values of the Kingdom for ALL in society. That means that the poorest are not disadvantaged. It also means that the richest are paying their taxes too.
I'm not sure how familiar Mr Duncan Smith is with Jesus' teachings. I think I vaguely remember him claiming to be a Christian during his brief time as opposition leader. If he is a Christian then he should be familiar with this passage from the Bible:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”[a]
Luke 4:18 - 19
As someone who worked for a time before entering ministry as a manager of a benefit fraud investigation team, I am only too aware of that there are "scroungers" out there. But equally I am aware of those who are not on benefits out of choice but because of their health for example cannot do so.
I am pleased that the bishops and people of good conscience such as Dame Tammi Gray - Thompson are speaking out against this injustice. As is said in the Book of Proverbs, Christians and in particualr Christian leaders are to:
Proverbs 31:8-9
8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
He says:
"The question I'd ask these bishops is, over all these years, why have they sat back and watched people being placed in houses they cannot afford? It's not a kindness.
I would love them to ask about the poor people on low incomes who are working hard, whose families share rooms, who are doing the right thing”
He goes on:
"I would like to see their concerns about ordinary people, who are working hard, paying their tax and commuting long hours, who don't have as much money as they would otherwise because they're paying tax for all of this. Where is the bishops' concern for them?"
Mr Duncan Smith I'd like YOU and your millionaire colleagues to ask the likes of Vodafone, Sir Philip Green and mega rich bankers, what they have to say to the poorest in society and " ... the ordinary people who are working hard, paying their tax" what they are contributing to this society. And why they aren't paying their way.
I'm bishops, like all Christian leaders try to be concerned with justice and the values of the Kingdom for ALL in society. That means that the poorest are not disadvantaged. It also means that the richest are paying their taxes too.
I'm not sure how familiar Mr Duncan Smith is with Jesus' teachings. I think I vaguely remember him claiming to be a Christian during his brief time as opposition leader. If he is a Christian then he should be familiar with this passage from the Bible:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to preach good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to release the oppressed,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favour.”[a]
Luke 4:18 - 19
As someone who worked for a time before entering ministry as a manager of a benefit fraud investigation team, I am only too aware of that there are "scroungers" out there. But equally I am aware of those who are not on benefits out of choice but because of their health for example cannot do so.
I am pleased that the bishops and people of good conscience such as Dame Tammi Gray - Thompson are speaking out against this injustice. As is said in the Book of Proverbs, Christians and in particualr Christian leaders are to:
Proverbs 31:8-9
8 “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
9 Speak up and judge fairly;
defend the rights of the poor and needy.”
Wednesday, 18 January 2012
Swindon? Can anything good come from there?
Last Monday I went to a prayer meeting at Stratton Green Baptist Church. It had been called by two Baptist pastors in Swindon. There were several other church leaders at the meeting. My two Baptist friends felt that God wants church leaders in this town to be meeting together for prayer and praying for Swindon. Church leaders do meet for a prayer breakfast once every month or so. But to be honest not all churches leaders make it.
The prospect of setting out to pray at 8am on a dark January morning didn’t fill me with joy I can tell you. But I went along. And boy am I glad I did. Because I came away feeling blessed by the time of prayer and God gave me a messag.
Our prayer was focused purely on Swindon. And during the time of prayer someone said something like “Swindon is not the most significant of towns but Father it is precious to you and you care for its people.” And that comment was for me a word from God of the need for this town to become focused on Jesus. Given the number of churches and chapels in Stratton over the years let alone in Swindon, I have to assume that at one time Jesus was better known in Swindon than he is now. So as I say I felt God was saying at that prayer meeting he wants Swindon to become reacquainted with Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
“Swindon is not the most significant of towns but Father it is precious to you and you care for its people.”
During the prayer time I called back to mind a passage of scripture from Micah 5:2
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins[c] are from of old,
from ancient times.[d]”
Or as The Message puts it:
2-4But you, Bethlehem, David's country,
the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He'll be no upstart, no pretender.
His family tree is ancient and distinguished
This prophecy by Micah pointed to Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. And because of Jesus’ birth, Bethlehem is today a very sacred place. But we are probably not aware of fact that at the time of Jesus’ birth, and indeed for centuries before, Bethlehem was regarded as a nowhere town.
The town had been the home of important people in Israel’s history such as David, but it was no more than a market town at the time of Jesus.
So why would God use such a place for his son to be born?
None of us, not even Jesus can have any say in where we were born. My son who is a fervent supporter of the Welsh rugby team and is a fervent Welshman can’t get away from the fact that he was not born in Wales. He was born in the old PMH! I did offer to drive his mother over the Severn Bridge but she didn’t want to know.
But our birth place doesn’t always matter. And let’s face it we can usually overcome any unfortunate birth place by where we grow up. But unfortunately, where Jesus grew up – Nazareth - was even worse. You may remember in John’s Gospel we have the account of how Philip called Nathanael as a disciple of Jesus John 1: 45 - 46
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
In Jesus’ time Nazareth was little more than a village. And it only had one spring to supply its inhabitants. According to the Holman Bible Dictionary Nazareth’s bad reputation came about because ” … its people spoke in an unpolished dialect, it had a lack of culture and quite possibly because it was irreligious and had a certain moral laxity.”
Given this it’s hardly surprising that the early church received scorn as being a Nazarene sect. We’re told in Acts how Paul was brought before the high priest Ananias and Paul’s accusers said:
5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect”
Given Jesus’ birth in a back water town and his upbringing in a village with a dodgy reputation how on earth are we talking about him 2,000 years later? We are talking about him because Jesus is God. We are talking about him because Jesus’ message is a message of love. We are talking about him because Jesus’ message is truth.
But what links Nazareth and Bethlehem to Swindon? Well going back to that prayer meeting I mentioned earlier, I feel God put this word into my heart because God knows that he can use the most unlikely people and most unlikely places for his glory.
I came away from that prayer meeting with a real feeling that God wants his people in Swindon to be praying together. God wants his people in Swindon to be working together. I came away with a real sense that God wants this town to know him.
When I looked up Nazareth in the Holman Bible Dictionary I smiled when I read the reference:
” … its people spoke in an unpolished dialect, it had a lack of culture and quite possibly because it was irreligious and had a certain moral laxity.”
Because let’s be honest that definition could apply to Swindon.
” … its people spoke in an unpolished dialect, it had a lack of culture and quite possibly because it was irreligious and had a certain moral laxity.”
And let’s face it, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to think of someone saying today:
“Swindon! Can anything good come from there?”
But remember, what is Philip’s reply to Nathaniel when Nathaniel scoffs at Jesus coming from Nazareth?
“Come and see,”
Wouldn’t it be good if instead of people mocking our town it was more the case of “Come and see” “Come and see”? And I’m talking about the reason for saying to people “Come and see” being that we through the Holy Spirit have together made Swindon a town which is a vibrant and healthy part of God’s kingdom.
And the thing is, God is already at work through we his people in Swindon.
From talking to colleagues from various churches in the town it seems as if many churches saw an influx of people into church during the Christmas period. I’m not saying this is revival – thought wouldn’t that be a nice problem to have. But clearly God prompted people to come to church.
Last MOnday (16th January) saw the public launch of the Churches Together in Swindon survey that has found that Swindon Christians contribute the equivalent of £6 million each year to the local economy through the way we volunteer, support others and so on.
“Swindon! Can anything good come from there?”
“Come and see,”
The Street Pastors have made a real difference to the town centre. I’ve been told that by police officers without prompting.
Organisations such as Filling Station, Foodbank and Swindon Night Shelter are all run by Christians.
“Swindon! Can anything good come from there?”
“Come and see,”
God is faithful to us his people. And it seems to me that when we his people are working together, worshipping together and praying together then God prospers us and blesses us. And we in turn are then able to prosper and bless this part of God’s kingdom.
The prospect of setting out to pray at 8am on a dark January morning didn’t fill me with joy I can tell you. But I went along. And boy am I glad I did. Because I came away feeling blessed by the time of prayer and God gave me a messag.
Our prayer was focused purely on Swindon. And during the time of prayer someone said something like “Swindon is not the most significant of towns but Father it is precious to you and you care for its people.” And that comment was for me a word from God of the need for this town to become focused on Jesus. Given the number of churches and chapels in Stratton over the years let alone in Swindon, I have to assume that at one time Jesus was better known in Swindon than he is now. So as I say I felt God was saying at that prayer meeting he wants Swindon to become reacquainted with Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
“Swindon is not the most significant of towns but Father it is precious to you and you care for its people.”
During the prayer time I called back to mind a passage of scripture from Micah 5:2
2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
though you are small among the clans[b] of Judah,
out of you will come for me
one who will be ruler over Israel,
whose origins[c] are from of old,
from ancient times.[d]”
Or as The Message puts it:
2-4But you, Bethlehem, David's country,
the runt of the litter—
From you will come the leader
who will shepherd-rule Israel.
He'll be no upstart, no pretender.
His family tree is ancient and distinguished
This prophecy by Micah pointed to Jesus’ birth in Bethlehem. And because of Jesus’ birth, Bethlehem is today a very sacred place. But we are probably not aware of fact that at the time of Jesus’ birth, and indeed for centuries before, Bethlehem was regarded as a nowhere town.
The town had been the home of important people in Israel’s history such as David, but it was no more than a market town at the time of Jesus.
So why would God use such a place for his son to be born?
None of us, not even Jesus can have any say in where we were born. My son who is a fervent supporter of the Welsh rugby team and is a fervent Welshman can’t get away from the fact that he was not born in Wales. He was born in the old PMH! I did offer to drive his mother over the Severn Bridge but she didn’t want to know.
But our birth place doesn’t always matter. And let’s face it we can usually overcome any unfortunate birth place by where we grow up. But unfortunately, where Jesus grew up – Nazareth - was even worse. You may remember in John’s Gospel we have the account of how Philip called Nathanael as a disciple of Jesus John 1: 45 - 46
45 Philip found Nathanael and told him, “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.”
46 “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked.
In Jesus’ time Nazareth was little more than a village. And it only had one spring to supply its inhabitants. According to the Holman Bible Dictionary Nazareth’s bad reputation came about because ” … its people spoke in an unpolished dialect, it had a lack of culture and quite possibly because it was irreligious and had a certain moral laxity.”
Given this it’s hardly surprising that the early church received scorn as being a Nazarene sect. We’re told in Acts how Paul was brought before the high priest Ananias and Paul’s accusers said:
5 “We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect”
Given Jesus’ birth in a back water town and his upbringing in a village with a dodgy reputation how on earth are we talking about him 2,000 years later? We are talking about him because Jesus is God. We are talking about him because Jesus’ message is a message of love. We are talking about him because Jesus’ message is truth.
But what links Nazareth and Bethlehem to Swindon? Well going back to that prayer meeting I mentioned earlier, I feel God put this word into my heart because God knows that he can use the most unlikely people and most unlikely places for his glory.
I came away from that prayer meeting with a real feeling that God wants his people in Swindon to be praying together. God wants his people in Swindon to be working together. I came away with a real sense that God wants this town to know him.
When I looked up Nazareth in the Holman Bible Dictionary I smiled when I read the reference:
” … its people spoke in an unpolished dialect, it had a lack of culture and quite possibly because it was irreligious and had a certain moral laxity.”
Because let’s be honest that definition could apply to Swindon.
” … its people spoke in an unpolished dialect, it had a lack of culture and quite possibly because it was irreligious and had a certain moral laxity.”
And let’s face it, it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to think of someone saying today:
“Swindon! Can anything good come from there?”
But remember, what is Philip’s reply to Nathaniel when Nathaniel scoffs at Jesus coming from Nazareth?
“Come and see,”
Wouldn’t it be good if instead of people mocking our town it was more the case of “Come and see” “Come and see”? And I’m talking about the reason for saying to people “Come and see” being that we through the Holy Spirit have together made Swindon a town which is a vibrant and healthy part of God’s kingdom.
And the thing is, God is already at work through we his people in Swindon.
From talking to colleagues from various churches in the town it seems as if many churches saw an influx of people into church during the Christmas period. I’m not saying this is revival – thought wouldn’t that be a nice problem to have. But clearly God prompted people to come to church.
Last MOnday (16th January) saw the public launch of the Churches Together in Swindon survey that has found that Swindon Christians contribute the equivalent of £6 million each year to the local economy through the way we volunteer, support others and so on.
“Swindon! Can anything good come from there?”
“Come and see,”
The Street Pastors have made a real difference to the town centre. I’ve been told that by police officers without prompting.
Organisations such as Filling Station, Foodbank and Swindon Night Shelter are all run by Christians.
“Swindon! Can anything good come from there?”
“Come and see,”
God is faithful to us his people. And it seems to me that when we his people are working together, worshipping together and praying together then God prospers us and blesses us. And we in turn are then able to prosper and bless this part of God’s kingdom.
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