Nehemiah 2:1-10 Responding to God's Call

How do you respond to a crisis? When you are faced by a big challenge what do you do? Now place yourself in the shoes of Nehemiah and imagine how he felt.

Nehemiah was facing a desperate situation, Jerusalem, that once great and mighty city was lying in ruins. The walls of the city had been destroyed, and Jerusalem lay open to attack. The Temple, the spiritual home of the people of Israel, the tabernacle of God was desecrated and ruined. Nehemiah felt that God was calling him to a special task of rebuilding the city of Jerusalem, and restoring Temple worship and bringing spiritual renewal to the land of Israel. But many things stood in his way. There was a prohibition on building activities in Jerusalem (Ezra 4:23). Nehemiah's position amongst the Jewish people would have been difficult. He was a member of the laity, a Jewish exile living in Susa, working in the court of the king of Persia as a cupbearer, a position of responsibility. He was probably also a eunuch, because men in the service of the king who came into contact with the harem were almost predominately eunuchs.

In chapter 2 verses 1 to 10, the story continues. I am going to look at five ways that Nehemiah responded to the crisis that was facing Jerusalem and the way God placed a burden upon his heart. There is patience, passion, prayer, preparation (or planning) and purpose.

Do we have Patience

Four months passed between the events recorded in chapter one of Nehemiah and chapter two. Nehemiah first received news of Jerusalem in the month of Kislev (1:1), November or December in our calendar. Yet it is not until the month of Nisan, March of April that he approaches the king. During this time Jerusalem continued to languish. What took place during this period, had he forgotten about the plight of Jerusalem? The answer is no. Nehemiah felt passionate about returning to the city of his forefathers. Nehemiah waited for the time when God would give him the opportunity to return to Jerusalem. It would have been so easy for Nehemiah to have spoken to the king about going to Jerusalem straight away, but it would not have been when God wanted it.

Often we act hastily, it could be something we say or do. I don't know about you, but I have often said or done things in the heat of the moment, only to regret it later. Patience is a virtue, one Nehemiah exhibited. There is a Chinese proverb which says 'One moment of patience may ward off great disaster, one moment of impatience may ruin a whole life.' If Nehemiah had not the patience to wait for God to open up a door way to him, then he would have started off on the wrong path by in effect saying God I am going to do things my way, and in my time, you take too long, Jerusalem is lying in ruins while we speak. But isn't it often the case that it our own lives this is what we say to God. I know it is true of my life. Like Nehemiah we must exhibit patience and steadfastness, waiting for God to guide us, and to allow God to work out his plan for us.

Do we have Passion

Whilst Nehemiah waited for God to provide the opportunity for him to return to Jerusalem, his passion, his concern for that city remained constant. We first saw how passionately Nehemiah felt about Jerusalem and the land of Israel in chapter one, when on hearing the news of its plight, he fell down weeping and mourning. It was this passion, this concern, that moved Nehemiah first to prayer, and waiting upon God, and then onto action. It remained a burden on his heart, up to the time when it was right for him to speak to the King. His love of Jerusalem, and his God burned deep within him, so much so that it showed through his behaviour and actions. The King could see in Nehemiah's face that he was sad, and that something was troubling him (v. 2). Notice Nehemiah's response in verse two 'I was very much afraid.' Persian subjects were expected to be happy in front of the King, and by registering sadness or depression he faced severe penalties. Yet such was Nehemiah's concern for Jerusalem that he could not longer hide his feelings.

Last week Dani spoke about the situation facing the church in this country. The sharp decline in the numbers of people attending church, of the warning from the Archbishop of Canterbury that the Church in certain sectors of Western Europe is bleeding to death. Do we have the same sort of passion for God's church in this land, that Nehemiah had for Jerusalem. Are we prepared to commit ourselves to prayer and fasting like Nehemiah? Are we willing to go where God leads? Do we feel passionate for the people of this land, enough to do something about it? John Wesley's once said, I want the whole Christ for my Saviour, the whole Bible for my book, the whole church for my fellowship, and the whole world for my mission field. Wouldn't it be great if we can feel this with the passion that Wesley did.

Are we committed to Prayer

One of the most striking things of the first two chapters of Nehemiah is his commitment to prayer. His priority was always to his God, and to prayer. For instance in chapter one we saw that Nehemiah's first action when he heard the news of Jerusalem was to fast and pray. And during the four months as Nehemiah waited for God to open a doorway he continued to pray and fast. He did not waste the time on idol day dreaming.

When Nehemiah's opportunity to speak to the king arises and the king asks in verse 2 'Why does your face look so sad when you are not ill?' Nehemiah before answering the king prays. Nehemiah prayer this time was immediate, as soon as the need arose he sent an arrow prayer to God. This was the moment to which Nehemiah had been preparing for over the last four months, and his first recourse is to God. Nehemiah was fully convinced that in every step he took the Lord was guiding his way.

John Hyde was born in Illinois in 1865 but he felt called to serve God in India. John Hyde exhibited many of the characteristics of Nehemiah of prayer and patience. John Hyde committed himself to a ministry of intercession. Like Nehemiah, waiting for God to answer his prayer and to show him where he was to go. Over the next twenty years he became known as the 'man who never sleeps' by the natives, because of his devotion to prayer. He was also known as the Apostle of Prayer and Praying Hyde. He was known to spend 30 days and nights in prayer, and would often pray for 36 hours at a time. And like Nehemiah, because of his patience and prayer God richly blessed his ministry. During his twenty years of ministry he led four to ten people a DAY to Jesus Christ. I do not suggest that we will spend that much time to prayer in our own lives, but I wonder how much of a priority it is for us. For Nehemiah recognised his dependence upon God, and God heard his prayers and Artaxerxes responded favourably to Nehemiah's request.

Are we Prepared

We have already seen that during the four months between first hearing of the news in Jerusalem and speaking to the king Nehemiah continued to pray. But he also used the time to carefully plan and prepare all that was required for his journey to Jerusalem and what was needed- for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. We see this in verses 7 onwards, when the king asks how long the journey will take, Nehemiah has already planned what he would need. If he had come across as vague or uncertain at this crucial moment then this would have proved to the king that this was just a dream or sudden impulse that Nehemiah had, but not something serious. Instead he asked for three things, a) the Kings permission v. 5,6, b) the King's protection v. 7 and c) the King's provision.

A general who sends an army into battle without the right equipment, without the a battle plan, without the right weapons would be dangerously foolish. When we are facing that great challenge, that task especially appointed for us by God we need to be prepared, spiritually, emotionally and physically, like Nehemiah. It is often difficult being in Wycliffe being trained for ministry, there are times when we wish we were out in the parishes working. But let us use this time and value it, because it is part of our preparation for all that God has planned for us.

Do we know God's Purpose

Finally, we turn to purpose, the last of the five things I want to speak on today. And I hope something that will encourage all of us here. There was much that could have caused much worry and concern. Much was against him, but he knew that God's hand was upon him. God has chosen him for a special task, just in the same way that God has chosen each one of us for a special ministry. Nehemiah realised that neither he nor Artaxerxes, neither fate nor fortune, neither an idol nor any false god, was the sole determiner of the events to follow. He gives the credit to God alone. He knew that God was acting favourably to Jerusalem, and had heard the prayers of Nehemiah. He gave him protection from the wrath that he might have received from the king, he gave him prudence in his approach to the monarch, and he provided for all Nehemiah's material needs. In the same way, if we remain faithful and obedient to God he will honour us.

Finally, let me ask you again four questions. Do you have patience, to allow God to do things in his own time? Do you have a passion to do God's work, and for his people? Are you committed to a life of prayer? Are you making the best opportunities to prepare for the ministry that lies ahead of you?

My prayer today is that we may be like Nehemiah, people who surrender completely to the will of God. Amen.

Did Jesus really rise from the dead?

The following article is taken from part of the first session of the Alpha Course (www.alpha.org) entitled 'Who is Jesus', which is based on Nicky Gumbel's book 'Questions of Life'.

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The physical resurrection from the dead of Jesus Christ is the cornerstone of Christianity. But what is the evidence that it really happened? I want to summarise the evidence under four main headings.

1. His absence from the tomb

Many theories have been put forward to explain the fact that Jesus’ body was absent from the tomb on the first Easter Day, but none of them is very convincing.

First, it has been suggested that Jesus did not die on the cross. It has been claimed that Jesus was still alive when he was taken from the cross and that he later recovered.

Jesus had undergone a Roman flogging, under which many died. He had been nailed to a cross for six hours. Could a man in this condition push away a stone weighing probably a ton and a half? The soldiers were clearly convinced that he was dead or they would not have taken his body down. If they had allowed a prisoner to escape, they would have been liable to the death penalty.

Furthermore, when the soldiers discovered that Jesus was already dead, ‘one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water’ (John 19:34). This appears to be the separation of clot and serum which we know today is strong medical evidence that Jesus was dead. John did not write it for that reason; he would not have possessed that knowledge, which makes it even more powerful evidence that Jesus was indeed dead.

Secondly, it has been argued that the disciples stole the body. Some have suggested that the disciples stole the body and began a rumour that Jesus had risen from the dead. Leaving aside the fact that the tomb was guarded, this theory is psychologically improbable. The disciples were depressed and disillusioned at the time of Jesus’ death. It would have needed something extraordinary to transform the apostle Peter into the man who preached at Pentecost when 3,000 people were converted.

In addition, when one considers how much they had to suffer for what they believed (floggings, torture, and for some even death), it seems inconceivable that they would be prepared to endure all that for something they knew to be untrue.

Thirdly, some have said that the authorities stole the body. This seems the least probable theory of all. If the authorities had stolen the body, why did they not produce it when they were trying to quash the rumour that Jesus had risen from the dead?

2. His appearances to the disciples

Were these hallucinations? The Concise Oxford Dictionary describes a hallucination as an ‘apparent perception of an external object not actually present’. Hallucinations normally occur in highly strung, highly imaginative and very nervous people, or in people who are sick or on drugs. The disciples do not fit into any of these categories. Burly fishermen, tax collectors and sceptics like Thomas are unlikely to hallucinate. People who hallucinate would be unlikely suddenly to stop doing so. Jesus appeared to his disciples on eleven different occasions over a period of six weeks. The number of occasions and the sudden cessation make the hallucination theory highly improbable.

Furthermore, over 500 people saw the risen Jesus. It is possible for one person to hallucinate. Maybe it is possible for two or three people to share the same hallucination. But is it likely that 500 people would all share the same hallucination?

Finally, hallucinations are subjective. There is no objective reality – it is like seeing a ghost. Jesus could be touched, he ate a piece of broiled fish (Luke 24:42-43) and on one occasion he cooked breakfast for the disciples (John 21:1-14). Peter says, ‘[They] ate and drank with him after he rose from the dead’ (Acts 10:41). He held long conversations with them, teaching them many things about the kingdom of God (Acts 1:3).

3. The immediate effect

The fact of Jesus rising from the dead, as one would expect, had a dramatic impact on the world. The church was born and grew at a tremendous rate. As Michael Green, writer of many popular and scholarly works, puts it:

[The] church . . .grew… because Christians were able to say to inquirers: ‘Jesus did not only die for you. He is alive! You can meet him and discover for yourself the reality we are talking about!’ They did, and joined the church and the church, born from that Easter grave, spread everywhere. 18

4. Christian experience

Countless millions of people down the ages have experienced the risen Jesus Christ. They consist of people of every colour, race, tribe, continent and nationality. They come from different economic, social and intellectual backgrounds. Yet they all unite in a common experience of the risen Jesus Christ.

Millions of Christians all over the world today are experiencing a relationship with the risen Jesus Christ. I too have found in my experience that Jesus Christ is alive today. I have experienced his love, his power and the reality of a relationship which convinces me that he really is alive.

The evidence that Jesus rose from the dead is very extensive. A former Chief Justice of England, Lord Darling, said, ‘In its favour as living truth there exists such overwhelming evidence, positive and negative, factual and circumstantial, that no intelligent jury in the world could fail to bring in a verdict that the resurrection story is true.’

Noise

Yesterday I took myself up to Cannock Chase for a walk. What struck me as I walked on the Chase, was how difficult it is to find complete silence in our modern world. Wherever I walked I was aware of the distant hum of traffic, or of a plane flying overhead, or the works of the quarry. Even in the Lake District, when high up on the fells, you can often hear the noise of human activity not far away. Reflecting on this, it made me think about how much noise there is within our lives. When it comes to noise I'm terrible, as soon as I get up in the morning I switch on the radio or the TV, and there are very few occasions when I sit in complete silence. Why is this? Is it because I'm uncomfortable with silence, or don't know how to be still? Psalm 46:10 says, 'Be still, and know that I am God', and in 1 Kings 19 we're told that God did not appear to Elijah in the powerful wind, or the earthquake, or the fire, but in the gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:12). I believe that one of the reasons we don't often feel as though we hear from God is because we're not listening to him. There is too much noise in our lives - worries, anxieties, stress, etc., that we get distracted and fail to hear God's gentle whisper. Learning to be still takes time and effort, it doesn't come naturally to most of us (certainly not me). One of the things that I value so much about Taize worship (www.taize.fr) is the ten minutes of silence that takes place during each service. At the start of the week in Taize, ten minutes seems like an awfully long time, by after a few days those ten minutes of complete silence become an oasis of peace in what is an otherwise noisy world. We only have to turn on the TV, open a newspaper or listen to the radio to realise what a state the world is in, and in part this is due to the fact that people don't listen to one another. What a difference it would make if we learnt the art of listening not only to one another, but also to God.

Welcome, Wordpress v Blogger

I started blogging back in August 2006, the purpose of the blog was to share with people some of my reflections on what it means to be a Christian in the modern world, and to share with you some of my own daily journey with God. I set up a blog on Wordpress.com (www.bickers.wordpress.com) but thought I'd give Blogger a go as well, to see which is the easiest to use, and which gets the most hits. I must admit that at the moment, I can see both good things and bad things in both Wordpress and Blogger. Submitting enteries on Blogger is much quicker and easier, as is uploading pictures. I'm going to keep both blogs going, and make a decision about which one I'll ultimately stick with. Does anyone else have any comments/reflections about Wordpress v Blogger?

Lake District

Beata, myself, the boys, and our friend Magda have just returned from a week in the Lake District. Friends in Bowness very kindly allowed us to use their beautiful log cabin which is situated in the Langdale Valley (thank you Ann and Rod). During the week that we were away, we experienced real Cumbrian weather, with days of torrential rain, although this didn’t manage to dampen our spirits as the primary reason for going to the Lakes was to visit friends.
Every time I head back to Cumbria I feel as though I’ve arrived back home, it’s a part of the world where I feel I belong. I moved to Cumbria when I was a small child, and so all my childhood memories are of this beautiful part of the world. The trouble is that when you live in a location such as the Lake District, you tend to take the lakes and fells for granted, and it is only when you move away that you realise just how much you miss the place. Beata and I do enjoy living in Walsall, and love being part of St Martin’s, but I miss the countryside and space that you find in the north of England. Every time we go back to the Lake District it seems to get even more beautiful.

Most of the week was spent visiting friends in Bowness, and on Sunday we were able to go to our former church of St Martin’s in Bowness (http://www.stmartin.org.uk/). It was a strange experience being back there, because on one hand it didn’t particularly feel as though we’d left (everything is still so familiar), yet on the other hand it did feel different - I think we’ve got so used to the people and style of worship at St Martin’s in Walsall
(www.walsallstmartins.2day.ws) that we realise how much we now feel part of this community, and how much we value it. One of the strangest things about being back in Bowness was to see someone else living in our old house (the new Curate and his family), which I suppose made us realise more than ever before that Bowness is no longer our home. Although for Beata these feelings are not so strong because she lived in Bowness for a shorter time than I did, and the way I feel about Cumbria is the way that Beata feels about her home city of Torun in Poland. Just as I imagine that Cumbria will always be ‘home’ for me, even if I never live there again, so Torun for Beata is ‘home’ for her.

9/11 Five years on

September 11th 2001 is a date that sticks in everyone’s minds. On that particular day I was whale watching in the Bay of Fundy off the coast of Canada with a group of friends. Several days earlier we had been in New York, and I had taken the opportunity to visit the World Trade Centre. The view from the top of the WTC was simply breathtaking, the size of the two towers were immense, and yet within less than a week of my visit both towers had been destroyed. When I first heard about the WTC being attacked and destroyed I simply could not believe it. Ironically whilst standing on the top of the WTC a week earlier, I thought about the attempt in 1993 by Al Qaeda to destroy the towers by setting off a car bomb in the underground carpark of one of the towers. I remember thinking to myself that even if someone attacked these buildings, they would never succeed in destroying them because of there sheer size - I wish I had been right.

The world changed for ever on 9/11, with war being declared on terrorism, which led swiftly to the invasion or Afghanistan and then Iraq. Unfortunately, the world today appears to be even less safe than five years ago, especially after the disastrous invasion of Iraq. I’m not sad that Saddam Hussein and his evil regime has been toppled from power, but the situation in Iraq appears if anything to be even more unstable, and the invasion has only served to create more extremists. The July 7th bombings in London, and the recently foiled plot to blow up transatlantic planes shows that the terrorist threat is as great today as it has ever been. Unfortunately I feel that the actions of the American and British governments in the Middle East has only served to make the problem of terrorism worse.

I don’t believe that the problem of terrorism can be solved through force alone, we need to consider why people feel drawn to terrorism. For example, the July 7th bombers were born and raised here in Britain, how can such young men be so easily radicalised, and be prepared to kill innocent men, women and children in the name of ‘God the merciful’?. Why is it that many young British muslims feel so alienated from society, and what can we do to address this? I don’t believe that there is an easy answer to these problems, but they are questions that we need to ask if we are to tackle this world wide problem.

I do hope that five years from now, when we commemorate the tenth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, the world will be a safer and more peaceful place to live.

James 2:1-10, 14-17 It’s what’s on the inside that matters

Love your neighbour as yourself

These days image counts for a lot. Politicians have spin doctors to create the perfect photo opportunity whenever possible. Celebrities and stars have lifestyle gurus, and even we can’t escape from this pressure, with TV programmes and magazine articles devoted to how we should dress, and so forth. We live in a world where appearance matters. But as Christians we believe something different. We believe that what matters is not our outward appearance but what is our hearts that matters. The trouble is we all at one time or another, make judgements (and assumptions) about people, because of the way they dress, or speak, the colour of their skin, their age, their sex, etc.. This is what James accuses the church of doing in his letter. He accuses people of favouritism, of favouring the well dressed over the ragged, those who look good over those who smell bad.

I imagine that we would say we’re not like that. But I wonder, are there people within our community who we are inclined to ignore? When you go into town, and see a homeless person sitting on the street, what is your immediate reaction? Or when you see a gang of youths hanging around on a street corner, what’s your first thought. Are there people on the world stage we’re inclined to push aside or forget? James suggests in his letter than as Christians we are measured and judged by how we treat other people. My dear brothers and sisters… never think some people are more important than others… “Love your neighbour as you love yourself.” If you obey this law, you are doing right. But if you treat one person as being more important than another, you are sinning. You are guilty of breaking God’s law. How do we achieve this? Love starts at home, it starts with those people who we see day by day. Mother Teresa, when asked how she could help the poor and destitute of Calcutta said this, she said, “Each one of them is Jesus in disguise.” And if we begin to see Jesus is each person, it will help us to see them as God sees them, and to love them. Because every person is made in the image of God, and that gives them a dignity and respect, that no one can take from them. Mother Teresa also said that. If you judge people, if you show favouritism, then you have no time to love them. What I have sometimes found helpful is to consider WWJD, (What Would Jesus Do?), how would he treat this person, what would he say, what would he do in this situation, to show that person that they are of infinite worth? If we are committed to doing this as Christians, it will change the way we treat others, because we’ll start to see Jesus in each person.

Ephesians 5:20 Give Thanks Always

Always give thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:20

Two men were walking through a field one day when they spotted an enraged bull. Instantly they darted toward the nearest fence. The storming bull followed in hot pursuit, and it was soon apparent they wouldn’t make it. Terrified, the one shouted to the other, “John, quickly say a prayer!” John answered, “I can’t. I’ve never made a public prayer in my life.” “But you must!” implored his companion. “The bull is catching up to us.” ”All right,” panted John, “I’ll say the only prayer I know, the one my father used to repeat at the table: ‘O Lord, for what we are about to receive, make us truly thankful.’” In our reading from Ephesians Paul talks about always giving thanks to God the Father for everything. It’s this theme of thankfulness that I want to focus on. Why is developing an attitude of continual thankfulness so important for us as Christians and how do we develop this attitude, and what are the blocks that prevent us from being thankful?

Blocks to Thankfulness

To be thankful in all circumstances, we need a proper perspective of our circumstances and of our God. Only then we will be able to give thanks to the Lord always.

There are at least three attitudes that steal away our gratitude. Three things that keep us from being thankful.

1) One is our pride. This is the attitude that says, “Nobody ever gave me anything, I worked hard for everything I have”. For years you studied hard and now it is finally paying off. With this kind of attitude, we feel that we have no one to thank but ourselves, we fail to recognise what God has done for us.
2) Another attitude that keeps us from being thankful is a critical spirit or constant complaining. Instead of being grateful, this person will always find something to complain about.
3) A third attitude that keeps us from being grateful is carelessness, we take for granted what we have, and what God has given us. During the Exodus, the Israelites grumbled because they had no food so God miraculously sent manna to cover the ground each day except the Sabbath day. Then they started to grumble because it was the same thing every day. They had a miracle - straight from God every day but were no longer satisfied.If we allow pride, carelessness or a critical spirit to rule in our hearts, then we will never be truly thankful for all that God has given us.

Why is a thankful attitude so important?

In his letters Paul often speaks about the importance of giving thanks. In 1 Thes. 5:16-18 he writes, “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” As Christians we are meant to be people who are full of joy and hope, people whose gratitude to God should be self evident. If we adopt an attitude of thanksgiving it transforms our lives. Recently, in my own prayer time in church during the week, I’ve started this time by spending time worshipping God in prayer and in song. And I have found that this has transformed my prayer time with God. If I feel anxious about a situation, by spending time worshipping and praising God I find helps lift my spirit, because it focuses my attention away from my worries, onto God, where the fear and doubt is replaced by a sense of joy and renewed hope.God wants our thanksgiving. It lifts Him up and it glorifies Him, and it draws us closer. If we are not grateful, if we do not express our thanksgiving, then it can have the opposite affect. In Rom. 1:21 Paul says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” This passage seems to imply that people who are ungrateful to God will soon fall away - their hearts will become hardened.

Developing a Thankful Heart

So how do we develop a thankful heart? Firstly we need to recognise what God has already done for us.Look at Ephesians chapter 1. Here Paul highlights just a few of the things that God has done for us. 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 1:4 For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy andblameless in his sight. 1:5 We have been adopted into his family. 1:6 God’s grace has been freely given to us 1:7 In him (Jesus) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins. 1:11 We did not choose God, but he chose us. And in Ephesians 2:8-9 Paul reminds us that it is “by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” When we fully appreciate what God has done for us, and what he continues to do for us, our attitude becomes one of thanksgiving. There are so many things we can give thanks to God for. The Blessings of Life. As we reflect on our own lives, we realise just what blessings we have received. I came across a quote the other day which says, humans are slower to recognise blessings than evils. And this is often true, if we actually sit down and consider the blessings that we have, we come to realise just how much we need to be thankful for. When the Israelites focused on what they didn’t have, they failed to see ALL that they DID have. The Burdens of Life In 1 Thessaloninans 5:18 Paul writes, Give thanks in ALL circumstances.” And Eph. 5:20 says, “always giving thanks.” So we are to give thanks not only in the good times, but also when life is difficult and hard. What does Paul mean by this? Does this mean that we should praise God when our marriages fail, we loose our jobs, or when someone we love suffers terribly? Is this how we are to understand Paul’s words? The answer is no. Paul isn’t saying that we have to be thankful for our problems but rather - in them.” And being thankful; in them allows God to use them for His greater good. Paul himself is an example of how we should live. The letter to the Ephesians which is full of praise and thanksgiving, was written by Paul whilst in prison. In his own life Paul had been beaten, whipped, imprisoned, betrayed by friends, naked, cold, hungry shipwrecked, and stoned because of his faith. Yet, Paul never stopped giving thanks.Paul said several things that really show he had the proper perspective of the burdens of life…”I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us…” Rm 8:18 “That is why for Christ’s sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecution, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong…” 2 Cor 12:10 “Now I want you to know brothers that what has happened to me has really served to advance the Gospel…” Phil 1:12When we like Paul have the proper perspective we to can give thanks in all circumstances. Last year inIndonesia three Sunday School teachers were jailed for three years, for allowing Muslim children to attend a holiday club that they had run. Last week there was an article about these women in the Church of England Newspaper, which said that the atmosphere in the prison where these three women are being held has improved greatly since their arrival. One visitor to the prison said “The women exude so much joy.” Ratna, one of the women imprisoned talks about how much encouragement her father has been to her. She said, “His message to me was that this is the greatest thing God is doing in my life and he said ‘don’t expect to get out of the prison too soon: finish what the Lord assigned you to do. Keep on preaching the Gospel… It is an honour to suffer for Christ. And God never makes mistakes in our life – never.” In our weakness God can make us strong. When we are struggling God is able to work in our lives. He helps us through times that we could have never faced on our own, and he can use us when these difficult times come along to draw others to himself by our example, such as he is doing with these three Christian ladies in Indonesia.

Our Thanksgiving is Expected

Paul says we are to “give thanks in all circumstances because this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” This is God’s will for us. And he knows, if we will do it, that our lives will be changed.Henry Frost served for many years as a missionary toChina. In his journal he wrote of a very difficult time in his life. He says, I had received sad news from home, and deep shadows had covered my soul. I prayed BUT the darkness did not vanish. I summoned myself to endure, BUT the darkness only deepened. Then I went to an inland station and saw on the wall of the mission home these words: Try Thanksgiving. I did, and in a moment every shadow was gone, not to return.

Why Forgiveness Matters

There have been occassions when planning services for church when I have thought of omitting the confession. But as I reflected upon this today (thinking about next Sunday’s service), I realise that for me at least, the confession is such an important part of the service. I am aware of how often I fail God by my thoughts, words and actions, and how much I am in need of God’s mercy and forgiveness. Every time I come to worship him, it is like standing before a bright light that shows up all the stains in my life, and I become so aware of how much I need God’s cleansing (we cannot hide anything from God - he knows all the secrets of our heart). Paul in Romans 3:23 writes that “All of us have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.” It is so easy to go our own way in life, rather than God’s, often this isn’t a great act of rebellion, it is just that we ignore him. I think that sometimes people assume that because I am ordained, I somehow struggle less with sin, or temptation than other people - how often I wish this was true, but it is not. The need to be forgiven is our greatest need, whether we recognise it or not.

The good news is that even when we turn away from God, God doesn’t stop loving us, and we can turn to him again and again. The apostle John writes, “If we confess our sins, he (God) is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” And in Lamentations 3:22-23 we read, “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” I am so grateful that God is a God of second, third, fourth… etc., chances. That each day we can start afresh with him, that through the cross he has dealt with our sin, and given us the chance of new life. Of course, it is important we try to put a stop to that sinful behaviour, we need to heed Jesus’ words spoken to the women caught committing adultery, ”Sin no more.” Simply asking God to forgive me for my wrong behaviour, but having no intention to do anything to change it is not an option. But it is not easy, we need God’s help, and the support of our fellow Christians. Accountability is very important, one thing that I have greatly valued is the support of Christian friends, who I know I can be open and honest with, and who will not judge or condemn me, but support and pray for me.

We do fail, and make mistakes, but God is always there for us, waiting to pick us up and help us to start again. I for one, am so grateful for God’s forgiveness.

Loneliness

Today I had a long conversation with someone about the subject of loneliness. Loneliness can be an absolutely terrible thing to have to live with, and it can very easily lead on to depression, and further withdrawing into one’s self. There have been two occasions in my life when loneliness has been a real problem. The first time was when I was 21, and had just arrived in New Zealand. I had always wanted to visit NZ, and it was a dream come true to be able to go there for twelve months to work for an organisation called Mission to Seafarers, but what I hadn’t planned for was the struggle of adjusting to being so far from family and friends. I’d already spent three years at college, and so was used to being away from home, but I remember so clearly when arriving in Auckland, suddenly realising that all my friends and family were thousands of miles away, and that I wouldn’t be seeing them for a whole year. My first few weeks in NZ were spent living in the seafarers home which happened to be above the centre where I was to work. It was clear as soon as I arrived there that most of the residents of this home had led hard lives, and many of them seemed to spend their days drinking and smoking. The rooms were poorly sound insulated, so you could hear everything that was going on, and I had the misfortune of being next door to a man who kept his TV on all night at full volume, so I managed to get very little sleep. The view from my room looked straight onto the dark and for-boding car-park, which also happened to be the heart of the red light district. That first night in Auckland, I wondered what on earth I had done going there. Fortunately I didn’t have to spend too long in the seafarers home (which I was immensely relieved about), I eventually managed to find accommodation in a part of the city called Mount Albert, and ended up sharing this house with a group of other Christians. But despite the relief of getting out of the seafarers home, the loneliness only seemed to get worse. I remember phoning home, after being in Auckland for about three weeks, and choking back the tears because I was so homesick. If someone had come along and offered to pay for my air fare home I think I would have taken it.
The turning point for me, came after two months in NZ, I started attending the local Anglican church (St Luke’s) near to where I was living. From day one I was made to feel so much at home in that congregation, and quickly got involved in the life of the church, making some good friends (some of whom I’m still in touch with eight years on). I also got involved with walking club and canoe club, and along with my involvement with church started to really enjoy my time in NZ. In fact, when it was time for me to return home I didn’t want to leave!
The second time I have had to deal with loneliness was when I moved from college in Oxford to Bowness on Windermere. My two years at Wycliffe Hall, where I trained for the ministry, were a very happy time. I lived in a large house in north Oxford with twelve other people, and it felt as though we were one large extended family, constantly popping in and out of one another’s rooms. I made many really good friends in Oxford, two of whom I considered as close as brothers, so when it came to leaving Oxford I went through a process of bereavement. I had been so used to having people around, and all of a sudden I found myself in this large house all on my own. It took almost a whole year for me to work through this loneliness, which at times was crippling. Most weekends I would escape to my parents who at that time lived in West Cumbria, because I craved company, and I would regularly phone or visit friends. The major turning point for me came in January 2002 when I visited Beata in Poland, and as I got to make friends in the local area.

I am not a person that copes well with being on their own for prolonged periods of time, and these two periods of loneliness were for me amongst the hardest periods of my life, even though good things were happening at the time. But looking back on these times I am grateful that I experienced them, because it has given me an insight into what it can be like to feel lonely, and sadly there are many people in this world for whom loneliness is something they have to deal with day in, day out. My loneliness led onto depression, fortunately short lived, but that sense of despair that came with that depression is not something I would like to repeat. Looking back on these periods in my life, I can see how important for me the church was, and having the support of Christian friends. I do not know what I would have done, had I not had the church.

Home Alone

I’ve been abandoned, Beata has taken the two boys off to Poland to see her family, and left me for three weeks on my own. It is a very strange experience being in the house on my own, even when I’m busy working (which seems to be most of the time), it’s nice to know that my family are there. Now that they are not here, it’s almost as though the heart has been taken out of the house. Fortunately I’m still able to keep in touch with them via the phone, although Tomek, who normally loves talking on the phone didn’t want to speak to his dad yesterday because he was more interested in playing with grandpa! The church have been really supportive, and several people have invited me out for meals, and so I’ve been deeply touched by the love and kindness that I’ve been shown. But I have a suspicion that some people wonder how on earth I’ll manage being on my own for such a long time. What they don’t realise is that I did spend two years living on my own before I got married, and that I’m pretty good at most things, although I refuse to do ironing. In actual fact, until very recently I did the majority of the cooking at home.

Having the family away makes me realise just how important they are to me, and how I need to ensure that I spend more time with them when they are hear. The nature of my work is such that there is always something that needs to be done, there is no end to the work, I’m constantly working to one deadline after another, there are always people he need to be visited, and it’s very easy to work every single hour of the day (which is what a lot of clergy do). It’s not uncommon for clergy to work 60-70 hour weeks, although this is not good for them or for their families. I think working from home does not make the situation any easier, because your home is your office. There have been many times when I’ve wished that I could do a normal 9-5 job, so that when I get home in the evening I can switch off from work. Having said all this, the work I do is very diverse and interesting, and you never know what to expect, and it can be immensley rewarding work, helping people in need, being able to share your faith, and talk to people about God. For example, looking back at this week, I’ve been into two schools to do assemblies, which I always love doing, I’ve spent quite a lot of time preparing for Sunday, I had to help a chap who’s fallen on hard times, I’ve visited a parishoners husband who has terminal cancer, etc., etc. Each day is different, and that is what makes being in ministry so interesting and rewarding, all I wish is that my family where back from Poland (or that I could be with them)

Luke 2:22-40 Waiting on God

Do you ever feel that it is difficult to hear God speaking? I know I do.
There are so many distractions around us. TVs, Radios, telephone, email, things calling on our time and attention. As well as the different competing voices telling us what to do, we are constantly bombarded with advertising which tells us how to spend our money, where we should go, what we should do, how we can live longer, be happier, be more successful, achieve our goals. With so many distractions around us, is it not surprising that sometimes we find it hard to hear God’s voice in all that is going on.

I actually think that sometimes we feel more comfortable with this noise, and that we are not very good when it comes to being still and silent. Have you noticed just how difficult it is to escape from the sound of human activity? Standing in the middle of Cannock Chase, you can hear the distant rumble of traffic or the sound of a plane flying overhead.

Too much noise can be bad for us. Excessive noise can damage our hearing. A report at the start of January revealed concerns that the ipod generation are storing up problems for themselves because of damage caused by ‘white noise’, the noise of the headphones which causes damage to the hearing. Excess noise can also lead to sleeplessness and stress.

But it is not just audible noise that is a problem. Our lives can often be filled up with noise, worries, doubts, fears, pressures of work, family life, church life. All these things can act as noisy distractions. I imagine all of us at one time or another, had those experiences of lying awake on our beds at night with thoughts rushing through our mind, making it difficult for us to switch off and sleep. This noise, which can affect our lives can so often prevent us from hearing God.

The other day as I was walking down Sutton Road, there was a brief pause in the traffic, and in those few short moments, I suddenly became aware of the sound of birds singing. They had been singing away all this time, but I had not heard them because of the sound of the traffic. Is the fact that we sometimes feel as though God is not speaking to us, not because he’s stopped speaking, but that we’re not listening?

The word ‘Listen’ appears 332 times in the Bible. Clearly this is something which is important for us to do. A lot of people are very poor when it comes to listening, myself included! The story is told of Franklin Roosevelt, who often endured long receiving lines at the White House. He complained that no one really paid any attention to what was said. One day, during a reception, he decided to try an experiment. To each person who passed down the line and shook his hand, he murmured, “I murdered my grandmother this morning.” The guests responded with phrases like, “Marvelous! Keep up the good work. We are proud of you. God bless you, sir.” It was not till the end of the line, while greeting the ambassador from Bolivia, that his words were actually heard. Nonplussed, the ambassador leaned over and whispered, “I’m sure she had it coming.”

Good listening is like tuning into a radio station. For good results, you can listen to only one station at a time. If I try to listen to Beata whilst also listening to the radio station, is like trying to receive two radio stations at the same time. I end up with distortion and frustration. Listening requires a choice of where I place my attention. If I’m talking to Beata, I need to put away all that will divide my attention. That might mean laying down the newspaper, moving away from the dishes in the sink, putting down the book I’m reading, setting aside my projects, or switching off the TV or radio. The same is true when it comes to God. We need to set aside time to be with him. The trouble is that I find I’m not very good at doing this. It takes time, and effort. One of the essential elements of Taize Worship is the 10 minutes of silence in the middle of the prayer. At first it takes a lot of getting used to, because there can be so many distractions, not least the noise of thoughts whirling around in your head. But after a while you begin to appreciate the space and stillness, and you start to hear God’s voice speaking. It is about creating space for God in our lives.

Why is it though, that we find being still so difficult? I think part of the problem is that we live in a world where everything is expected to happen quickly. The world has been transformed by global communications, it is no longer a surprise when we hear about a disaster the other side of the world within minutes of something happening.

We have similar expectations in our own lives. Britain is a country in debt, consumer debt in 2004 topped one trillion pounds. In the past people used to purchase good and products after they have saved up money. Now people buy now and hope to pay later. People are borrowing money on their credit cards, and finding that they are getting more and more in debt. In the first two weeks of January the National Debtline received 12000 calls from period worried about debt, and the average caller owed between 5 and 15 thousand pounds. This is all symtematic of a culture where we expect everything to be done instantly, the buy now pay later culture. It can be a problem in our Christian life as well. When we pray we expect to get instant answers. But God doesn’t act like this. In our reading this evening, we heard about Simeon, who had been promised by God that he would live to see the Lord’s Christ. How long did Simeon have to wait for this promise to be fulfilled? The Bible doesn’t say, but it may have been an extremely long time. In 1999 I remember clearly praying to God about my desire to marry Beata. I had to wait over four years for that prayer to be answered, and a lot happened in between.

Bill Hybels in the book ‘Too Busy Not to Pray’ says that:
• If the request is wrong, God says ‘No’
• If the timing in wrong, God says ‘Slow’
• If you are wrong, God says, ‘Grow’
But if the request is right, the timing is right and you are right, God says, ‘Go!’

I get the impression that Simeon must have been someone who learnt how to be still. He was someone who learnt how to listen to God. But also, he was someone who was prepared to wait on God. He knew that he would see the Christ one day, he didn’t know when, but he trusted God. Maybe one of the things God wants to teach us is to learn to be still. To learn to switch off from the other noises and distractions we have in our lives, and to tune into him, and learn to be still. The Psalmist writes: Wait for the LORD; be strong and take heart and wait for the LORD. I have to confess I often struggle to create the proper time for God in my life. It is all to easy to fill up our lives with things which do not matter, and neglect those things that really do matter.

It has been estimated that in a lifetime the average person will spend: Six months sitting at traffic lights, Eight months opening junk mail One year looking for misplaced objects 2 years unsuccessfully returning phone calls 4 years doing housework 5 years waiting in line 6 years eating I wonder how much time God gets from us?

The Psalmist writes, Be Still and Know that I am God. The well known Quaker George Fox used to say ‘Carry some quiet around inside yourself, be still in your own mind & spirit, from you own thoughts, and then you will be able to hear God.’ It is important to find time, during the day just to be still, to take a sabbatical moment, even if that is for only a few minutes every few hours. It helps us feel refreshed, and focus’ our direction back onto God.

The Net

Back in May 2005 at St Martin’s we started The Net. The Net is a monthly event (third Sunday of the month) which takes place between 4pm and 5pm, and is a fun packed hour, designed to appeal to families. We’ve had four gatherings of The Net, and although the numbers attending have not been large, everyone has had a really enjoyable time together. Each month the theme is different, so far we’ve look at New Beginnings, Creation, Recreation & today King David. The activities on offer revolve around the particular theme being explored. The strap line for The Net is ‘Church with a difference’ and this is very much what we hope it is. We hope that The Net will shatter some of the sterotypes people have of church - that it can be dull, boring & irrelevant, and instead we hope that people will discover that church is fun and relevant for modern life. The next installment of The Net is October 15th, and everyone is warmly invited (further information can be found at http://walsallstmartins.2day.ws/walsallstmartins/section/TheNet/)

Tough Questions

One of the reasons for setting up this blog, was to give people an opportunity to explore questions relating to faith and belief. To deal with those tough questions that we all consider at one time or another. For example, does God allow suffering? What happens when we die? What about other religions? Does God answer prayer? I hope over time, to address some of these questions, but what I’d like most is to here from you, and find out what your questions are, what issues do you struggle with. I’m not claiming to have the answers (no one can claim that), but I hope that through dialogue we can explore together these issues. So please get in touch by leaving a comment on this block.

The Pope and Islam

The news this week has been dominated by the reaction to an academic lecture Pope Benedict gave in Germany, in which he quoted a 14th century Christian emperor who said that the Prophet Muhammad brought the world only evil and inhuman things. It was an unfortunate choice of quote for the Pope to use, and he should have realised the potential for this quote to be read out of context. What the Pope was attempting to say is that violence in the name of religion is totally unacceptable, whether that be by Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus, etc (his exact words were violence was “incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul”.) Unfortunately people have focused on this one quote, and there have been angry scenes in a number of Muslim countries. The damage caused to Muslim and Christian relationships by this poor choice of quote (although not the Pope’s personal views) is extremely regrettable, especially in the current climate of fear and mistrust over the issue of terrorism and the Iraq war.

The trouble is that there are some radical Muslims (maybe only a minority, but they are there), in this country and abroad, who give Islam a very bad name. For example on the news tonight a small but vocal group of Muslims were shown protesting outside Westminster Cathedral, holding placards which were extremely offensive to Christians, their leader was quoted as saying anyone who insulted Mohamed and the Muslim faith became a legitimate target for reprisals. It was also reported that a number of churches in the Middle East have been attacked and burnt down, and that a nun in Somalia was shot dead (although it’s not clear if this is connected to the Pope’s comments). Violence in the name of religion (whatever that religion may be) is totally unacceptable, although sadly religion will always be susceptible to being hijacked by extremists to justify their own causes. Jesus taught, treat others the way you would like others to treat you, I hope that in time we will begin to see more of this put into practice. So that the rights and freedoms of all religious groups, wherever they are in the world will be respected and upheld, and that we can have healthy and intelligent debate, rather than having these angry protests on our streets, which does not do anything to promote religious understanding.

Mark 8:31-38 What does it mean to be a Christian?

The Choices we make

Every day of our lives we make choices. When you got up this morning, you made a choice about what you would wear today, you made a choice about what to eat for breakfast, and you made a choice to come to church. Some of the choices we make are very small. The decision to wear white socks instead of black socks, is not likely to change your life! But we also make very important decisions in life. Decisions about relationships, marriage, children, where to live, what we want to do with our lives. Every moment we are faced with choices. Some of the choices we make may determine the what happens over the next 24 hours of our life, some may determine the next 40 or 50 years of our lives. There is only one choice however, which we all must make, which will determine what happens to us, not only in this life, but in the life to come. This is the decision about whether we choose to give our lives to God, or reject him. William James said, “When you have to make a choice and don’t make it, that is in itself a choice.” Many people choose to reject God, without even being aware of it, because they live their lives as if God does not exist. They may say they believe in God, but that is quite often as far as it gets. What does it mean to be a Christian? I have heard a variety of explanations of what it means to be a Christian over the years. Sometimes people have said to be a Christian means to be a nice person. But based on this description most people could be described as Christians. I can think of lots of nice people who I know, who are not Christians. Some people believe that because you are born in a Christian country that makes you a Christian. But it doeesn’t, anymore than being born in a MacDonalds makes you a hamburger. Others say, I believe I God, does that make me a Christian. But the answer is No. The Bible tells us that even the Devil believes in God. Others might say, a Christian is someone who goes to church. But the answer to this is that going to church in itself does not make you a Christian. I go into school regularly, but it doesn’t make me a teacher. A Christian is someone who follows Jesus Christ, and who has a relationship with God through Jesus.
In our Gospel reading Jesus said that “If you want to follow me, you must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow me.” There are two things Jesus tells us that we need to do:

1) Deny ourselves
2) Take up our cross

But what does this actually mean?

Denying Ourselves

By denying ourselves, Jesus is saying we need to renounce self. In other words, we need to put God, and not ourselves at the centre of our lives. It is about letting God be the one who is in charge of our lives. It is about putting God in the number one spot, rather than ourselves.
What Jesus asks of us, is in actual fact incredibly counter cultural. As a rock star Alice Cooper, is very famous. What is probably less well known, is that he recently became a Christian. And in an interview about becoming a Christian this is what he said. “People think it’s ironic that Alice Cooper, this rock ‘n’ roll rebel, is a Christian. But it’s the most rebellious thing I’ve ever done. Drinking beer is easy. Trashing our hotel room is easy. But being a Christian – that’s a tough call. That’s real rebellion.”

To put God first in our lives is not easy, especially living in Britain today. Martin Luther said “Here is what Christian living entails: wishing in all things whatever God wishes; desiring his glory, seeking nothing for oneself, either now or in the hereafter.” Many people find this difficult. This is why many people find it easier to live their lives their way rather than God’s. C.K Chesterton said “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it’s been found difficult and not tried.” Being a Christian is not easy, in fact it can be quite tough at times, but the rewards are even greater. There is a hunger deep within the human heart. Jesus said, ‘I am the bread of life’ (John 6:35). In other words, ‘If you want your hunger satisfied, come to me.’ Many people are walking in darkness, depression, disillusionment, and despair. They are looking for direction. Jesus said, ‘I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life’ (John 8:12). Many are fearful of death. Jesus said, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die’ (John 11:25-26). So many are burdened by worries, anxieties, fears and guilt. Jesus said, ‘Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest’ (Matthew 11:28). They are not sure how to run their lives or who they should follow. Jesus said, ‘Follow me’ (Mark 1:17).

Take up your cross

The other instruction Jesus gives is to ‘Take up your cross’. Mark was writing this gospel for Christians living in Rome, who were undergoing persecution. It would have been a familiar site to see a condemned man carrying his cross to the place of execution. This theme of having to suffer for your faith would have been very relevant for the Christians in Rome. And today many Christians around the world face real persecution for their faith. But living in this country, we do not have to face the same hardships. So what does Jesus actually mean by ‘taking up our cross’? It means being prepared to surrender everything to God, giving our whole life over to him, submitting our lives to him. Just as Jesus submitted himself to the will of his Father. There is actually a great paradox in what Jesus is saying, because it is when we surrender our lives to God, that we discover true freedom.

The challenge facing the Christians in Rome was that facing persecution they had two choices. They could deny Jesus, and save their lives, or confess their faith in Jesus, and face the consequences of such an action. They had a choice that we all have, to either reject or accept Jesus. But the choice we make will have eternal consequences. Jesus warns “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.” CS Lewis put it like this. “When the author walks onto the stage, the play is over. God is going to invade; but what is the good of saying you are on His side then, when you see the whole natural universe melting away like a dream and something else comes crashing in? This time it will be God without disguise; something so overwhelming that it will strike either irresistible love or irresistible horror into every creature. It will be too late then to choose your side. That will not be the time for choosing; It will be the time when we discover which side we really have chosen, whether we realized it before or not. Now, today, this moment, is our chance to choose the right side.” We all have a choice to make, we either choose to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus. Or we choose to reject him. Which will it be?

Does anyone have the RIGHT to die?

Today the BBC have reported that assisted suicide could be offered to Britons who are chronically depressed rather than terminally according to illLudwig Minelli from the controversial Swiss organisation, Dignitas. I’m personally against euthanasia, and this story highlights one of the reasons why. Mr Minelli is quoted as saying: “The question for politicians in Britain today is why do you force your citizens, people in the most terrible circumstances who are determined to end their suffering in a way of their own choosing, to leave their country and travel to Switzerland to exercise their free will. Where’s the humanity in this?” But I would ask a different question, why is it that people in terrible circumstances are not getting the care and treatment they need to minimise their suffering. If someone is chronically depressed, what they need is help and support to deal with the courses of this depression (I am aware of how crippling depression can be for the person who suffers from it, and their family), and not the means to kill themselves, does this realistically help that person? Real humanity is caring for people who have these needs in a dignified and loving manner, so that they can live life to the full, rather than killing them. Where do we draw the line? How depressed would you need to be, to justify ending your life?

One of the greatest dangers with legalising euthanasia, is that how do we protect the most vulnerable people in society, when does someone’s right to die, become someone else’s obligation to die? Supporters of euthanasia would argue that there are safeguards in place to prevent this from happening, but there is good evidence to suggest that in Holland, where euthanasia is legal, that there have been a number of cases of involuntary euthanasia. What happens when someone grows old, and needs to go into nursuing care which would cost them hundreds of pounds a week, there surely would be the pressure on some people (from outside, or from within themselves) to hasten their death because they do not want to be a financial burden on their families. But is that the right way to treat people? Is that the way we show respect for life, that we say ’when you get to a certain age, or your health fails, you life is therefore somehow of less value?’ How do we protect the rights of the most vulnerable, the elderly, and those with learning disabilities?

The original word euthanasia meant ‘good death’, but never had in mind the idea of causing or speeding up death. It meant dying with dignity. What many people fear about death, is unnecessary suffering, and research has shown that people who would have requested euthanasia, withdraw their requests as soon as their pain is brought under control. We should be investing more money into the hospice movement, and similar organisations, so that people can die with real dignity, and so that we can show proper respect for life.

Ministry in the Work Place

It is interesting how often we tend to think of Christian ministry in terms of the activities we do in ‘church’. For instance being a home group leader, or running Sunday school, or cleaning the church building, or being a warden. There is nothing wrong with this, these are forms of Christian service, but how many of us think of what we do Monday to Friday at work as part of our Christian service and ministry? Mark Greene has written extensively of mission in the work place, and in his book ‘Thank God it’s Monday’ he quotes one person who said the following: “I’ve been working for seventeen years and it’s only in the last year or so that I’ve recognized my workplace as a ministry. How many Christians die without ever realizing the ministry God had for them?” We only have to look at the opening chapters of the Bible to see how important work is in God’s scheme of things. First of all we see that God is a God who works. The Bible describes creation as the work of God. For six days God works, and on the seventh he rests from all the work he has done. God is a worker and it is something he chooses to do- it is part of his plan. And we see that God takes pleasure in his work. We’re told that when God finished creating the heavens and the earth he said that it was ‘very good’. Work was part of God’s gift to humanity in creation; it was part of his original plan. God has created us for work, and this work is given to us as a blessing. We see this in Genesis 1:28, God blessed them and said to them. ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” And from Genesis 2:15 we read: “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” And as we see from this verse, we have a responsibility in work to care for the environment, and to care for others. There is a moral responsibility which is connected to the work we do. Elsewhere in the Bible it talks about the importance of working in order to support those in need. Working in order to improve the life of the community as a whole. God always intended us to be people who work, and God intended work to be a source of satisfaction and pleasure. And in the New Testament Paul calls upon Christians to do their work for God. Paul writes to the Colossians 3:17, “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Work is one of the ways in which we serve God.

In 1945 the Church of England produced a book called ‘Towards the Conversion of England’. In it are written these words. “We are convinced that England will never be converted until the laity use the opportunities daily afforded by their various professions, crafts and occupations.” As Christians God has called all of us to be his witnesses in the world. The greatest mission field in the world today is right on our doorstep amongst our friend’s neighbours and work colleagues.

Britain today is a largely post-Christian society. Fewer and fewer people are attending churches; the level of Christian knowledge in our society is at an all time low. This is why being an effective witness in the workplace is so important. Because it is the place where we spend much of our time, maybe up to 40 or 50 hours a week. In the workplace Christians and non-Christians are able to meet and are subject to the same work cultures, and the same pressures. The work place is one of the few places where a non-Christian can actually see the difference that knowing Christ can make to a life, week in, week out. And through the workplace we will know many people, and have many friends, and we will be in contact with people at important points in their lives. For instance when face divorce, illness, or bereavement. So we see the wonderful opportunities that we have as Christians to minister to those we work with. As Emil Brunner said, what the Christian community needs to do is to regain the lost sense of work as a divine calling.

We only need to consider the issues facing workers today, to realize what opportunities we have as Christians to bring something positive into the work place.

British workers work longer hours than any other nation in the European Union. And increasingly people are suffering from increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression and less job satisfaction. And people are being forced to work these longer hours, because they fear that if they don’t, their employers will find someone who will. For most people, job security is a thing of the past. Also consider the values that shape the work place, and the desperate need for a positive Christian witness. For example, most contemporary workplaces assume that God does not exist, and that there are in no way accountable to him, and that he does not intervene in the affairs of business. The challenge for us as Christians is how do we remind people that we are accountable to God for our actions. What assumptions and attitudes exist in your workplace, and how do they compare to the values and attitudes that God has, such as truth, honesty, justice, and fairness. And what are the values that we bring to the work place? Do we allow our Christian faith to have an impact upon what we do at work? A further challenge is that increasingly people are seen in terms of what functions they perform in the business, rather than being treated as human beings. And as we work longer hours, people tend to see their work as a measure of their identity and worth. Yet the Bible reminds us that we are created in God’s image, and this attaches a special worth and dignity to each individual person, irrespective of what we do. How can we ensure that this message is heard in the workplace? So we can see both the challenges, but also the opportunities that we have as Christians in the world of work. So what is a Christian vision for the work place? Our work matters to God The first thing we need to be reminded of is that our work matters to God. God is deeply concerned about the work we do, he is concerned about every part of our lives, and not just what we get up to on a Sunday morning. The work that I do as a priest in God’s eyes is no greater or more important than the work you are involved in. We tend to talk about the priesthood as a vocation, a calling, but secular employment can be just as much a vocation. Think about how important it is for us to have Christian teachers, doctors, nurses, accountants, cleaners, etc. In fact we need Christians in every walk of life.

If we look at the Bible we see that many of the great biblical heroes were people who had what we would term secular jobs. For example, Joseph who became the chancellor in Egypt, Daniel the imperial adviser to Nebuchadnezzar, or Nehemiah who was the cupbearer to king Artaxerxes. Our primary calling is to be a servant of Jesus Christ Secondly we need to remember that our primary calling is to be servants of Jesus Christ. A man standing on the platform waiting for the train to take him to work was asked, Who are you? He replied… I am a Christian thinly disguised as an accountant. If we begin to see our workplace as the context for mission and evangelism, it will change our whole attitude to those we work amongst. For example do we pray for those people we work for? When you go into work do you ask God for opportunities to share your faith with those you work with? And do you meet up with other Christians who work at the same business as you to pray and study the Bible & support one another? Jesus said, Open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. The harvest is ripe, we should ask God to preparing and using us to share his love. The important point is that it is not about getting people into church, it is about telling them about the love God has for them. Being an effective witness in the workplace doesn’t require a degree in theology, just openness to God as the following example demonstrates. Emily, a small Chinese lady, works at the United Nations. One day one of her co-workers wasn’t feeling well. ‘Can I get you a cup of tea?’ Emily enquired. ‘No’ the other replied rather shortly. ‘I don’t like the tea here. I only drink camomile.’ Emily left her, quietly slipped on her coat, took the lift down several floors and went down the street to a nearby shop. She returned with a box of camomile tea and gave it to this lady, who immediately enveloped her in a huge hug, exclaiming, ‘Emily, I love you’. Emily replied, rather muffled from the epicentre of the massive hug, ‘I love you too.’ Emily’s story illustrates a number of important points:

We need to be ministry minded- Emily could have just smiled and gone on her way. Instead, because she was ministry minded, because she listened, because she saw the other person’s need and desire, she took an initiative that totally transformed that person’s mood and day.
Time is on our side- the opportunities will come. We don’t have to create situations in which we can minister- they will happen by themselves. We simply need to pray and be alert.
Ministry is to individual people- Clearly camomile tea wouldn’t have been a good idea for everybody, but it helped this one woman. We need to care for people and love them as individuals.

Ministry doesn’t demand- it gives- Emily asked for nothing, not even the money for the tea. She gave expecting nothing in return. Our expressions of love for others shouldn’t have any strings attached. We need to be sensitive and distinguish between the opportunities to serve and the opportunities to communicate the gospel verbally. The Revd. Tim Montgomery from St Thomas’ Kendal wrote in the Westmorland Gazette. ‘My greatest pleasure comes not from singing hymns, in long prayers, in dressing up in funny robes, in bowing or kneeling, in lighting candles or taking up an offering (or any other number of things people tell me church is all about!) It comes from seeing just one person meet with God, draw close to Him and pick up a new life with real hope and a future.’ I totally agree with him, seeing someone come to faith is the greatest privilege on earth, and it is my sincere hope and prayer that all of us will take seriously the call to be God’s witnesses in the world today.

Has the world gone mad?

I read today that 1.54 billion pounds is spent EVERY DAY on buying weapons around the world. Is it just me, or do others find this obscene? More is being spent on weapons now than at the peak of the Cold War, and it is 15 times more than what is spent on international aid. Just think what a difference we could make, is that money was spent on tackling problems such as poverty or AIDS, or investing it into education, or health care. When will people wake up, and see the madness of it all?!

Acts 2:1-21 Who is the Holy Spirit?

Pentecost Sunday is one of the most important festivals in the church’s calendar. It is an essential part of the Easter story, as Christ continues his work by sending the Holy Spirit onto his church. The reading from Acts, about the coming of the Holy Spirit is a familiar one. Just before Jesus was taken up to heaven, he told his disciples to return toJerusalem and wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit. And this is what they did. They returned toJerusalem, and met together every day, praying and fasting. And one day whilst they were all gathered together, God’s Holy Spirit descended upon them, in the most extraordinary and powerful way. And the Holy Spirit that manifested itself so incredibly on that first Pentecost, is the same Holy Spirit that is at work in the church today. In this sermon I want to focus on what the Holy Spirit did on that day of Pentecost, and what the Holy Spirit is doing in the church today.

The Transforming Spirit

First of all, the Holy Spirit is a transforming spirit. He has the power to convert and change people in the most extraordinary ways. We see this in the disciples. Only weeks before receiving the gift of the Holy Spirit, the disciples had abandoned Jesus when he was arrested in thegarden ofGethsemane. They were men fearful and scared, afraid that they too would suffer the same fate as Jesus. And yet on the day of Pentecost, when they were filled with God’s Holy Spirit they were changed from meek timid men, into men filled with an incredible boldness and courage. Probably the greatest transformation was in Peter. Peter was the disciple who always seemed to be getting into trouble, saying and doing the wrong things, even denying Jesus. Yet on the day of Pentecost, it was a completely different Peter who stepped forward and spoke the large crowd that had gathered. He spoke eloquently, with power and conviction, but also with humility. He was a completely transformed person, from how he was before receiving the Holy Spirit. And this is what the Holy Spirit does today. He changes and transforms people and structures. He literally turns lives around. I remember listening to one mans testimony of how his life was completely turned around when he experienced God’s Holy Spirit in his life for the first time. Put bluntly his life was a mess, he was an alcoholic, he was aggressive and abusive, subsequently his relationship with his wife and family was in tatters. But one day he encountered God’s Holy Spirit, and he was transformed. So radical and so amazing was this transformation that his family hardly recognized him. He was a new man. Through God’s Holy Spirit he was healed off his addictions, and he was transformed. So much so, that his family hardly recognized him, because he had been made new by God’s Holy Spirit. And this is how God’s Holy Spirit often works. He has the power to change our hearts and minds. He can bring about a change in attitudes. God’s Holy Spirit also has the power to individuals, whole churches, and even whole communities. It is the power of God given to the church, and given to us as Christians. The whole book of Acts demonstrates the amazing power of God’s spirit, with many amazing transformations taking place, people being healed, and even the dead raised to life. And it is the same Holy Spirit that is at work in the world today.

The Equipping Spirit

The Holy Spirit is also an equipping spirit. One of Jesus’ last commands to his disciples was for them to continue his ministry, and to go out into all the world proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. But first of all they had to wait to be equipped for this task. And so when God sent his Holy Spirit, they were given the gift of tongues, the ability to talk in many different languages. We see that not only does God equip us for the tasks he may have for us, but he also gives us these gifts at the appropriate time. The commission he had given the disciples was to make disciples of all nations. But the disciples had to wait for the promised Holy Spirit. When it did arrive, it was the festival of Pentecost, a major Jewish festival. And Jerusalem was filled with pilgrims from all over the known world. And the Christians gathered inJerusalem were given the gift of languages, so that they could communicate to everyone there. So we see that through God’s Holy Spirit we are equipped for the tasks he gives us. And Paul in 1 Corinthians tells us that there are many gifts that God gives us. Some we may describe as being supernatural gifts, for example the gift of tongues, the gift of prophecy, the gift of healing. Some times these gifts may appear more ordinary. For instance the gift of wisdom, the gift of faith, or the gift of love. But whatever gifts they may be God gives us each of these gifts for a purpose. As Paul writes, There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. God has a task for his church, and for each one of us. And he equips us to fulfill that task.

The Enabling Spirit

This leads me onto my third point. God’s spirit is an enabling spirit. It is no good God giving us a particular gift, if he does not also enable us to use it. After all what good would giving the gift be? A while ago I purchased some publishing software for my computer, I thought I was getting a great deal, because it was so cheap. But the reason it was cheap was because there was no instruction book with it. So consequently I’ve never been able to use it properly. But if God gives us a gift, he’ll help us to use it. There was no point in God giving the gift of languages to the disciples, unless he also enabled them to use them. And so as well as being given the gift of communication the disciples also received the gift of boldness, and confidence to stand up and proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to everyone that was assembled in Jerusalem. I have experienced this myself on a number of occasions. I was once asked at very short notice to give a talk whilst on mission. I had no time to prepare, and felt completely daunted by the prospect. And yet when I was there I felt God’s presence with me, and he gave me the words to say. This is why Paul in 1 Corinthians writes, when I am weak, then am I strong. Because it is in those times that we rely upon God’s strength and wisdom. It is through the Holy Spirit that God enables the church. It is the Holy Spirit that is the driving force within the church, the motor that drives it forward.

The Life Giving Spirit

Finally, the Holy Spirit is a life giving spirit. It gives life, and it brings life. Pentecost was a Jewish celebration of the wheat harvest, when Jews particularly recalled the renewal of the covenant made with Noah and Moses. It was one this day, the day when people celebrated the harvest, that God sent his Holy Spirit to bring in a new harvest. To bring life to his church. On that first Pentecost there were only 120 Christians inJerusalem. By the end of the day there were over three thousand. That is the power of the Holy Spirit. And it is the Holy Spirit that breathes life into our churches. Without it, churches stagnate and die, but with it churches are transformed and better equipped to hear and respond to God’s call. It is the Holy Spirit gives life to us as Christians. Through it God works out his plan for each one of us. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we go as Christians, and we see more of the fruits of the spirit in our own lives. Joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.So we see that the Holy Spirit is a transforming spirit, an equipping and enabling spirit and a life giving spirit. My own experience of God has been transformed by the power of God’s Spirit. Through an encounter of God’s Spirit, Jesus has become much more personal for me. I have encountered him in the most extraordinary way, I’ve felt his power and presence in my life. I’ve felt cleansed and washed clean, in a way I never thought possible. And it’s enriched my life more than anything else has, or ever can. And I’m convinced the more we are open to God’s holy spirit the more we will see remarkably things happening. In our own lives, in our churches, in our communities, and in our world.