When there are stories in the Bible about people like Daniel and Joseph I don't understand how people can think that politics and faith don't mix. I guess part of it comes from the (false) idea that our faith is a private thing, something that is essentially only about me and God, about going to heaven when I die.
Sometimes as Christians we moan that we are being marginalised within a secular society. But part of the problem is that we have removed ourselves from local decision making bodies, so when decisions are being made there is no Christian voice or perspective. And then after decisions are taken we are heard to moan and complain and whinge.
But surely if we believe that our faith has something to do with being a part of the answer to the prayer '...your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven...' then surely we should seek opportunities to get involved locally. Not just in terms of politics in the sense of becoming a local councillor or MP, but also by becoming a parent governor or joining the PTA at your child's school, being on the Student Union at college, becoming a union rep at work, being on the staff committee, being a Neighbourhood Watch co-ordinator... Which are the bodies that make local decisions? Get involved. Isn't part of the good news about the Kingdom of God the truth that things work better when we walk in line with God's ways. As we seek to bring God's values into situations then surely that will be better for everyone.
Wednesday 30 March 2011
Tuesday 29 March 2011
Be the best you can be
Last September I started running again after a 'few' years off - a few years off exercise all together - not just running. The Olympic games are coming to London next year, and many of the athletes have had their eyes on that target for a number of years now. Now I know that I am never going to set any world records at any distance. I have my first race for 7 years this weekend, there are 700 competitors and I won't win. But that hasn't stopped me training specifically for the event for the last 12 weeks. I won't win but I still have a target time, a personal best that I'm aiming for. I won't be the best runner there, but I certainly want to run the best race that I can.
Daniel was the best at what he did - the king wanted to promote him to the top job in the land. Daniel was also known to honest and trustworthy, neither corrupt or negligent (Daniel 6:4).
What kind of reputation to you and I enjoy? Where do we spend most of our week - at work, school, college, home...? How do others view us? Are we seen as honest, trustworthy, fair, hardworking, kind, patient... Do we work just as hard unsupervised as when someone is looking over our shoulder? Would the boss trust us with the keys to the company safe, and the company credit card?
Our faith should make a difference, and we should be people who strive to be the best that we can be. Maybe we won't stand out in terms of hard nosed performance figures but we should shine in terms of character and personality.
Daniel was the best at what he did - the king wanted to promote him to the top job in the land. Daniel was also known to honest and trustworthy, neither corrupt or negligent (Daniel 6:4).
What kind of reputation to you and I enjoy? Where do we spend most of our week - at work, school, college, home...? How do others view us? Are we seen as honest, trustworthy, fair, hardworking, kind, patient... Do we work just as hard unsupervised as when someone is looking over our shoulder? Would the boss trust us with the keys to the company safe, and the company credit card?
Our faith should make a difference, and we should be people who strive to be the best that we can be. Maybe we won't stand out in terms of hard nosed performance figures but we should shine in terms of character and personality.
Monday 28 March 2011
Is it an issue or not?
This Sunday we looked at one of the best known stories in the Bible - Daniel in the Lion's Den, which is found in the Old Testament book of Daniel.
Daniel, three of his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and hundreds of other Jews were taken prisoner and exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in about 605 BC. Daniel and his friends were soon picked out for special training and later entered into royal service.
We know the story of how Daniel continued to pray and had to survive a night with the lions as a result. There is the story of how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow to a statue of the king and were thrown into the fiery furnace - and survived to tell the tale. But there are other areas where these four men seemed happy to compromise and not make an issue of things that they may have found offensive. They were given Babylonian names; they learned the magic arts of the enchanters and magi; they learned about Babylonian gods and goddesses; and although they had some say in their diet they still ate non kosher vegetables - as they were prepared by Gentiles... They fitted in well to Babylonian life and became a part of the system.
It is not that they were afraid to stand up and be counted - it is more that in their wisdom they saw a bigger picture. They could have disobeyed the king on day one - and been executed there and then, but then we would never had heard about them, and they would not have risen to the positions of influence that they did.
So when do we take a stand and when do we keep our heads down? Daniel and his three friends were known as men who prayed - and therefore they were in touch with God - they had godly wisdom. But there were two areas in which they were not prepared to compromise:
1) Being told to worship someone/something other than God (chapter 3)
2) Being told they could not worship their God (chapter 6).
When we are faced with issues that are built on values that are not in line with our faith we need real wisdom, to know whether to make it an issue, or just let it go - for the sake of a bigger picture.
Daniel, three of his friends, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego, and hundreds of other Jews were taken prisoner and exiled to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar in about 605 BC. Daniel and his friends were soon picked out for special training and later entered into royal service.
We know the story of how Daniel continued to pray and had to survive a night with the lions as a result. There is the story of how Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused to bow to a statue of the king and were thrown into the fiery furnace - and survived to tell the tale. But there are other areas where these four men seemed happy to compromise and not make an issue of things that they may have found offensive. They were given Babylonian names; they learned the magic arts of the enchanters and magi; they learned about Babylonian gods and goddesses; and although they had some say in their diet they still ate non kosher vegetables - as they were prepared by Gentiles... They fitted in well to Babylonian life and became a part of the system.
It is not that they were afraid to stand up and be counted - it is more that in their wisdom they saw a bigger picture. They could have disobeyed the king on day one - and been executed there and then, but then we would never had heard about them, and they would not have risen to the positions of influence that they did.
So when do we take a stand and when do we keep our heads down? Daniel and his three friends were known as men who prayed - and therefore they were in touch with God - they had godly wisdom. But there were two areas in which they were not prepared to compromise:
1) Being told to worship someone/something other than God (chapter 3)
2) Being told they could not worship their God (chapter 6).
When we are faced with issues that are built on values that are not in line with our faith we need real wisdom, to know whether to make it an issue, or just let it go - for the sake of a bigger picture.
Esther
For those of you who were at church yesterday, click here for the notes I promised on Esther.
Tuesday 22 March 2011
Adultery, Murder and the Forgiveness of God
I guess there are lots of big questions that people ask about God, and if everyone who read this page was to post a question or two I'm sure we'd have an interesting and varied selection. But among those questions, 'Is there a god?', 'What's this god like?' and 'How do I make sure I'm on the right side of this god?' are questions that have challenged and shaped people and societies throughout history.
Left to our own devices our experience often shapes the way we think about god. This is true for those who have been brought up with an understanding of the God that we read about in the Bible. Because of the language of the Bible and the culture of the church our understanding of God and our relationship with God is often shaped by our relationship to key male characters - our father, a head master etc. These earthly relationships can then have a very positive or negative impact on the way we see God.
Am I acceptable to God? What about when I mess up? How far can I go before God will give up on me? Have I already gone too far? Surely God can't love me after all I have done?
Over the last two Sundays we have been looking at the story of King David and how he seriously messed up. He committed adultery with a woman called Bathsheba, abusing his position and authority as king - and then in an attempt to keep things quiet he had her husband Uriah murdered. The story is told in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. But God saw it all and did not like what he saw - and he sent the prophet Nathan to challenge David.
David's immediate response was to acknowledge his wrong doing and to confess his sin. Unlike king Saul before him he did not try to justify his actions or make excuses or deny it was him. And it was in the light of this experience that David wrote Psalm 51.
David messed up big time, but he also experienced the forgiveness of God. We can know that too.
David relied on God's love, mercy, and compassion - not on his own ability, worthiness or goodness. The Bible is full of statements about the character of God and the promises of God. Have a look at Lamentations 3:22-23, Ephesians 2:4-9 and 1 John 1:9 as a starter.
David confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness. Jesus' death on the cross means that we can know our sin forgiven and a new start.
David's response to the love and mercy of God was a desire to live God's way - create in me a pure heart. Our motivation to do things God's way is not a sense of duty, it is not fear of punishment, it is love for all that God has done for us.
Left to our own devices our experience often shapes the way we think about god. This is true for those who have been brought up with an understanding of the God that we read about in the Bible. Because of the language of the Bible and the culture of the church our understanding of God and our relationship with God is often shaped by our relationship to key male characters - our father, a head master etc. These earthly relationships can then have a very positive or negative impact on the way we see God.
Am I acceptable to God? What about when I mess up? How far can I go before God will give up on me? Have I already gone too far? Surely God can't love me after all I have done?
Over the last two Sundays we have been looking at the story of King David and how he seriously messed up. He committed adultery with a woman called Bathsheba, abusing his position and authority as king - and then in an attempt to keep things quiet he had her husband Uriah murdered. The story is told in 2 Samuel 11 and 12. But God saw it all and did not like what he saw - and he sent the prophet Nathan to challenge David.
David's immediate response was to acknowledge his wrong doing and to confess his sin. Unlike king Saul before him he did not try to justify his actions or make excuses or deny it was him. And it was in the light of this experience that David wrote Psalm 51.
David messed up big time, but he also experienced the forgiveness of God. We can know that too.
David relied on God's love, mercy, and compassion - not on his own ability, worthiness or goodness. The Bible is full of statements about the character of God and the promises of God. Have a look at Lamentations 3:22-23, Ephesians 2:4-9 and 1 John 1:9 as a starter.
David confessed his sin and asked for forgiveness. Jesus' death on the cross means that we can know our sin forgiven and a new start.
David's response to the love and mercy of God was a desire to live God's way - create in me a pure heart. Our motivation to do things God's way is not a sense of duty, it is not fear of punishment, it is love for all that God has done for us.
Monday 14 March 2011
Love Wins
Later on this evening in New York, Rob Bell is speaking to launch his new book, 'Love wins: A book about heaven, hell and the fate of every person who ever lived'.Obviously I have not read the book yet, but I have read reviews and blogs by people who have and quite a few by people who haven't. Being a bit of a Rob Bell fan, and having found two of his previous books challenging and rewarding I am looking forward to this new offering.
What seems of have got so many people hot under the collar is what Rob Bell actually says about hell. The main charge appears to be that in this book Rob Bell has become a universalist - teaching that everyone will go to heaven whatever they believe about Jesus - because fundamentally God is love.
As I say, I haven't read the book - so what am I blogging about it for?
What is of more concern to me at the moment is not so much what Bell says or not - but it is how those who call themselves Christians respond to those they don't agree with.
Jesus said things like, 'love one another...by this everyone will know that you are my disciples' (John 13:34-35), and 'love your enemies' (Matthew 5:44).
USA Today reports that the run up to this book's release has 'provoked weeks of fierce infighting among pastors, theologians and anyone else who scans the Christian blogosphere where critics rage that he's a hipster heretic'. Fierce infighting - strong language.
Rob Bell is no stranger to criticism, and I am sure that there are those among his critics who see this as the final nail in the Rob Bell coffin, hence the Tweet - 'Goodbye Rob Bell'. This is the final proof that Rob Bell is indeed a heretic and that any right minded Christian should have nothing to do with him.
In an address to his church yesterday morning Rob Bell said that his starting point for this book is the belief that God is love.
Whatever we might disagree about, God is love, and God calls us to be loving. If I have learnt anything over the last few years it's lessons about God's grace, about seeing the best in people, about giving people the benefit of the doubt. When I come to read this book (and it won't be right away) I may either agree or disagree with all or parts of Rob Bell's argument - but there is a sense in which that doesn't matter. Whatever his argument I am sure it will be a challenging and thought provoking read.
But Jesus didn't tell us that we will be known as his disciples because we've won the argument - but because of our love for each other. Even if I disagree with the whole book Rob Bell will always be welcome at my house for dinner - if he's ever in the neighbourhood!
Friday 11 March 2011
What is Lent all about?
This week I have been asked what resources we have for children to do with Lent, I have been asked what I have given up for Lent, and I have done a Shrove Tuesday assembly at a local primary school. I was also talking with an Anglican vicar who had just come from his kitchen where he was busy turning palm crosses to ash in his oven.
If you want to find out about Lent, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, pancakes etc. don't go looking in your Bible. These are traditions that have grown up around the church and have been affected by culture and society - which could also be said of a lot of other things we do, by the way. And this is partly the reason why different parts of the church do things differently - and why some churches may do nothing at all. Also churches in different parts of the world may have a different view on Lent depending on their culture. For example, churches in parts of the world where Ramadan is a prominent feature in the annual calendar may be much more likely to see Lent as a time of fasting than churches in other parts of the world.
But what most, if not all, of the customs will have in common is that they see Lent as a time of preparation and reflection in the lead up to Easter. The forty days, comes from the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and being tempted.
Lent (in the western church) begins on Ash Wednesday (which was 9 March this year) and runs for 40 days (not including Sundays - which are days of celebrating the resurrection) up to and including Easter Saturday.
Many people will use Lent as an opportunity to fail again at their new year's resolutions by giving up chocolate, television or Facebook. But many churches promote the time as a time of learning and preparation - not through giving something up (although that may be beneficial) but through taking additional time to read and reflect on parts of the Bible.
One online resource, and part of the Bible Fresh initiative (as is E100 which we are already following as a church) is called the Big Read. It encourages us to read Matthew's gospel together (either as groups who actually meet together, or by making use of groups on the internet with chat rooms, forums and blogs etc.)
I know we're already three days into Lent, but maybe this is something you might want to get involved in.
To find out more click here
If you want to find out about Lent, Shrove Tuesday, Ash Wednesday, pancakes etc. don't go looking in your Bible. These are traditions that have grown up around the church and have been affected by culture and society - which could also be said of a lot of other things we do, by the way. And this is partly the reason why different parts of the church do things differently - and why some churches may do nothing at all. Also churches in different parts of the world may have a different view on Lent depending on their culture. For example, churches in parts of the world where Ramadan is a prominent feature in the annual calendar may be much more likely to see Lent as a time of fasting than churches in other parts of the world.
But what most, if not all, of the customs will have in common is that they see Lent as a time of preparation and reflection in the lead up to Easter. The forty days, comes from the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, fasting and being tempted.
Lent (in the western church) begins on Ash Wednesday (which was 9 March this year) and runs for 40 days (not including Sundays - which are days of celebrating the resurrection) up to and including Easter Saturday.
Many people will use Lent as an opportunity to fail again at their new year's resolutions by giving up chocolate, television or Facebook. But many churches promote the time as a time of learning and preparation - not through giving something up (although that may be beneficial) but through taking additional time to read and reflect on parts of the Bible.
One online resource, and part of the Bible Fresh initiative (as is E100 which we are already following as a church) is called the Big Read. It encourages us to read Matthew's gospel together (either as groups who actually meet together, or by making use of groups on the internet with chat rooms, forums and blogs etc.)
I know we're already three days into Lent, but maybe this is something you might want to get involved in.
To find out more click here
Thursday 10 March 2011
Virtue Reborn Chapter Two
Almost a month since I told you I had finished chapter one of Tom Wright's Virtue Reborn I have now finished chapter two. (To read that previous post click here.) I can't decide the best way to read Tom Wright. Generally I read in small sections, but then I loose sight of the big picture. If I try and read in big sections my head explodes.
In this chapter Tom Wright starts to develop the argument that what Christians are supposed to be involved in between believing and death is the transformation of character, rather than learning a set of rules to live by. It isn't that rules don't matter - but character matters more. And this process of transformation of character is not automatic or easy - it's like learning a musical instrument or a new language, we practise and practise until, one day, we find that doing the right thing has become second nature.
When we choose to act a particular way in a given situation, it seems as if our brains learn that response, and it is then easier (and more likely) to do the same thing in that situation next time around. This obviously works both ways - I can, for example, develop a character where I habitually tell the truth, or where I habitually lie.
Tom Wright also talks in this chapter about anticipating the Christian goal, in the sense that I do something now in the light of what I expect in the future. [If I anticipate it will rain later then I will take my umbrella to work.] Therefore the time between believing and dying is not about 'good works' in the sense of keeping the rules, but about 'good works' in the sense of doing things which bring God's wisdom and glory to birth in the world - of course you get the good moral living thrown in as well.
My brain is hurting - I'll be back in a few weeks with chapter 3...
In this chapter Tom Wright starts to develop the argument that what Christians are supposed to be involved in between believing and death is the transformation of character, rather than learning a set of rules to live by. It isn't that rules don't matter - but character matters more. And this process of transformation of character is not automatic or easy - it's like learning a musical instrument or a new language, we practise and practise until, one day, we find that doing the right thing has become second nature.
When we choose to act a particular way in a given situation, it seems as if our brains learn that response, and it is then easier (and more likely) to do the same thing in that situation next time around. This obviously works both ways - I can, for example, develop a character where I habitually tell the truth, or where I habitually lie.
Tom Wright also talks in this chapter about anticipating the Christian goal, in the sense that I do something now in the light of what I expect in the future. [If I anticipate it will rain later then I will take my umbrella to work.] Therefore the time between believing and dying is not about 'good works' in the sense of keeping the rules, but about 'good works' in the sense of doing things which bring God's wisdom and glory to birth in the world - of course you get the good moral living thrown in as well.
My brain is hurting - I'll be back in a few weeks with chapter 3...
Saturday 5 March 2011
The Real Easter Egg - Putting Jesus back into Easter
Lent starts on Wednesday and it's seven weeks to Easter and the shops are already stocking up on Easter eggs.If you've read my posts in the last few days you will know that this is Fairtrade Fortnight, and there are several options when it comes to Fairtrade Easter eggs.
But when it comes to Fairtrade eggs that tell you on the box that Easter is not about eggs, but about the death and resurrection of Jesus you only have one option.
And that is the Real Easter Egg.
Four UK supermarkets have agreed to stock this - as a trial, to see the kind of demand there will be. They are Morrisons, Waitrose, Co-op and Booths. We were pleased to discover that our local Morrisons does.
So if you are buying Easter eggs this year why not buy the Real Easter Egg; if possible from your local supermarket. Supermarkets only stock what we buy! If your local supermarket doesn't stock it - ask the manager why not. And if you find that the Queensbury Morrisons is out of stock - ask them when they're getting more in.
If your local is a Tesco or a Sainsbury's - bad luck. The good news is you can buy them online. To order or to find out a whole load more information visit their website by clicking here.
Friday 4 March 2011
76 years old
This week we are celebrating our 76th anniversary as a church - although none of the current members have been a part of the church for the whole 76 years! As we look back over just the last year, let alone the past 76 years, there are many things that we give God thanks for. God has promised to be with us through the hard times as well as through the good times. He is a faithful God.
And whilst we do not know what the future holds we know that the God who has led us this far has promised that he will lead us into that future. If we let him, he will lead us all the way.
And whilst we do not know what the future holds we know that the God who has led us this far has promised that he will lead us into that future. If we let him, he will lead us all the way.
Thursday 3 March 2011
World Book Day
Happy 'World Book Day 2011' - what are you reading to celebrate?We sent two daughters off this morning dressed as Little Red Riding Hood and Alison Wonderland (sic), and the playground at school was full of various Disney Princesses and superheros.
Although an event aimed at children and (new for this year) teenagers - what are you reading to celebrate world book day?
One of the aims of this blog is to encourage interaction with the Bible, which is the world's best selling book of all time - and it is also the most shoplifted book - not sure what happens when someone gets to Exodus 20:15 in a shoplifted Bible!
There are many resources available today to help us interact with our Bibles every day - there are traditional Bible notes (printed on paper using ink), as well as pod casts, and daily downloads to your mobile phone.
Two good websites to start exploring are Scripture Union's 'Wordlive' and the Bible Society's 'You've Got the Time'.
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