According to the popular Christmas pantomime when Aladdin rubbed his magic lamp out popped a genie who could grant him three wishes. For many who claim to be Christians this is the way they view God and prayer - summoning God when it is convienient (i.e. when they're in a crisis) with a wish list - success in a job interview, healing, that there will be a free parking space ... God is interested in all these things but prayer is much more than a wish list, and God so much more than a pantomime genie. And whist these things are important - they are not the most important things.
When Paul prays for the Christians in Ephesus (Ephesians 1:15-23) he prays 4 things for them. 1) That they would know God better. 2) That they would know the hope to which God has called them. 3) That they would know that they are a part of God's inheritance. 4) And that they would know God's great power at work in them.
If God were to grant you three wishes what would you ask for? I wonder how many people would 'waste' one of their wishes on 'knowing God better'! Yet for Paul there was nothing more important (e.g. Philippians 3:10). But as a Christian I should be doing all I can to know God better.
Many might ask for the power of God - wouldn't it be great to go round healing people with just a touch, turn water into wine, raise the dead... But I wonder whether my ego could cope with that kind of power. Would I use it or abuse it? Yet this power is available to us. But why don't we see it more? Maybe God protects us from ourselves. Maybe there is a reason that this is at the end of the list. Maybe other things need to come first: faith in Jesus and love for all God's people (v15); a deeper knowledge of God (17); a life that brings hope to those around through acts of kindness which point to the possiblity of new creation; and the joy and inner confidence in knowing who we are in Christ, that comes from seeing yourself as a part of God's inheritance (18).
Monday, 21 April 2008
Monday, 14 April 2008
One, Two, Three
Have you ever got on a bus and thought how miserable most people look? And then wondered whether you look just as miserable as everyone else? But it’s the beginning of the working week, the weather is wet and cold, there are worries about bills, health, house prices and the bad news that fills the papers - no wonder we look miserable!
The apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter of Ephesians. He was an enemy of the state. He had refused to acknowledge that Caesar was Lord – and has gone around preaching that Jesus is Lord. If he didn’t know, he must have suspected, that the death penalty probably awaited at some point in the future. And there in prison, what is it that Paul writes? That as Christians we are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
The blessings that Paul is talking about have nothing to do with our material, physical, financial situations. Remember he was writing from prison. The blessings that Paul is talking about are blessings like what it means to know that we have been chosen by God, knowing forgiveness and a fresh start, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Read through the first 14 verses of Ephesians and count your blessings.
The apostle Paul was in prison when he wrote the letter of Ephesians. He was an enemy of the state. He had refused to acknowledge that Caesar was Lord – and has gone around preaching that Jesus is Lord. If he didn’t know, he must have suspected, that the death penalty probably awaited at some point in the future. And there in prison, what is it that Paul writes? That as Christians we are blessed in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3).
The blessings that Paul is talking about have nothing to do with our material, physical, financial situations. Remember he was writing from prison. The blessings that Paul is talking about are blessings like what it means to know that we have been chosen by God, knowing forgiveness and a fresh start, the gift of the Holy Spirit. Read through the first 14 verses of Ephesians and count your blessings.
Monday, 7 April 2008
Sat-Nav will turn your brain to mush
There was a story in last week's papers about a taxi-driver who picked up a customer near Northampton to take her 75 miles south to Stamford Bridge (the home of Chelsea football club) so that she could watch a football match between Chelsea and Arsenal. Unfortunately when they arrived at Stamford Bridge, courtesy of the taxi's Sat-Nav, they had travelled 146 miles north to the village of Stamford Bridge in Yorkshire. To be fair to the driver he apparently asked confirmation from his controller when he was told to head north - and he was told by the controller that the electronic voice was right.
This is not the first time such stories involving sat-nav systems have made the news. Some people rely on them to such an extent that even their common sense is silenced. But surely on a 146 mile journey north the passenger in the taxi would have noticed from the road signs on the motorway that they were not headed towards London. If there had been an element of doubt in the taxi driver's mind a simple question to his passenger about their destination would have saved a wasted journey and the match would not have been missed.
But sometimes on our journey through life we just carry on regardless and never stop to ask ourselves where we're going and why. We may have nagging questions and doubts but for whatever reason we just allow ourselves to carry on going - even though we may be going in totally the wrong direction.
When I was a student I used to have a holiday job making bee hives. One of the things that the boss said to me right at the beginning was that if you're not totally sure about what you're supposed to be doing, stop and ask. It's better to waste a few minutes checking than it is to carry on and then find out at the end of the day that you've made a mistake that could cost the company thousands of pounds.
But how often in our churches do we stop and ask, 'what are we doing?' and 'why do we do it that way?' We live in a rapidly changing world, filled with people whose fundamental needs are the same as they've always been. And therefore as we seek to be the people of God in a changing world we need to make sure that stops are built into our journey so that we continue to meet people where they are rather than try to meet them where their parents or grandparents were.
This is not the first time such stories involving sat-nav systems have made the news. Some people rely on them to such an extent that even their common sense is silenced. But surely on a 146 mile journey north the passenger in the taxi would have noticed from the road signs on the motorway that they were not headed towards London. If there had been an element of doubt in the taxi driver's mind a simple question to his passenger about their destination would have saved a wasted journey and the match would not have been missed.
But sometimes on our journey through life we just carry on regardless and never stop to ask ourselves where we're going and why. We may have nagging questions and doubts but for whatever reason we just allow ourselves to carry on going - even though we may be going in totally the wrong direction.
When I was a student I used to have a holiday job making bee hives. One of the things that the boss said to me right at the beginning was that if you're not totally sure about what you're supposed to be doing, stop and ask. It's better to waste a few minutes checking than it is to carry on and then find out at the end of the day that you've made a mistake that could cost the company thousands of pounds.
But how often in our churches do we stop and ask, 'what are we doing?' and 'why do we do it that way?' We live in a rapidly changing world, filled with people whose fundamental needs are the same as they've always been. And therefore as we seek to be the people of God in a changing world we need to make sure that stops are built into our journey so that we continue to meet people where they are rather than try to meet them where their parents or grandparents were.
Monday, 31 March 2008
Seeing is Believing
A lot can happen in a week. Last week we were celebrating the resurrection of Jesus. A week on and Thomas still doesn't believe what the other disciples have been telling him (John 20:24-29). We're not told why Thomas wasn't with the other disciples on that Resurrection Sunday - maybe he wanted time on his own following the death of Jesus; maybe he had gone back to the day job; maybe he was simply out buying bread - all we know is that he wasn't there to see the risen Jesus. And even though the other disciples try and persuade him he says that he won't believe unless he sees for himself. And so he unfairly gets the title of 'Doubting Thomas'. Unfair because the others doubted too. None of them believed and understood what Jesus had said. The women only believed when Jesus appeared to them - and the disciples didn't believe them when they told what they had seen. None of them believed until they had seen with their own eyes.
Many people today still want to see before they believe. Seeing is believing. Unless something can be seen, held, measured... we are suspicious and disbelieving. But how will people believe Jesus if they can't see him? For although he is alive, he ascended back into heaven. Although he will come back, he isn't here now. When Jesus left he gave his Spirit - and as the Spirit works in us he is changing us into people who are more like Jesus. And so people will hopefully see Jesus in us. People will believe when they see Jesus working in us.
But people also want to belong before they'll believe - and yet all to often churches today insist that people believe (what we believe) and behave (as we behave) before we'll allow them to belong. Thomas in his dis-belief felt he could still meet with the other ten disciples. Thomas with his dis-belief was welcomed by the other ten disciples. And in spite of their differences, or may be because they were meeting together even though they were at different places on their journey, Jesus comes and meets with them.
How welcoming are we to those who don't yet believe? Not just welcoming in the sense of a warm handshake at the door and a cup of tea afterwards - but welcoming in the sense that those who don't believe can actually feel a part of what we do. How much of what we do is geared up for those who believe? Do we do anything with those who don't believe in mind?
Even those who have believed for a long time have doubts and questions. And sometimes church is the last place we feel we can express those doubts and questions - because everyone else seems so sure, and "how will they deal with me in my unbelief?" But if that's how we feel then isn't there something wrong with 'church'? Thomas was still accepted in spite of his unbelief. We're all on a journey of faith. Some are further on than others. Some are currently moving quicker than others. But we're on this journey together. And so when we have doubts and questions we need to be honest about that, knowing that those I'm travelling with will love me just the same as we wrestle with the questions together, waiting for Jesus to come alongside and say, 'Peace be with you'.
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Many people today still want to see before they believe. Seeing is believing. Unless something can be seen, held, measured... we are suspicious and disbelieving. But how will people believe Jesus if they can't see him? For although he is alive, he ascended back into heaven. Although he will come back, he isn't here now. When Jesus left he gave his Spirit - and as the Spirit works in us he is changing us into people who are more like Jesus. And so people will hopefully see Jesus in us. People will believe when they see Jesus working in us.
But people also want to belong before they'll believe - and yet all to often churches today insist that people believe (what we believe) and behave (as we behave) before we'll allow them to belong. Thomas in his dis-belief felt he could still meet with the other ten disciples. Thomas with his dis-belief was welcomed by the other ten disciples. And in spite of their differences, or may be because they were meeting together even though they were at different places on their journey, Jesus comes and meets with them.
How welcoming are we to those who don't yet believe? Not just welcoming in the sense of a warm handshake at the door and a cup of tea afterwards - but welcoming in the sense that those who don't believe can actually feel a part of what we do. How much of what we do is geared up for those who believe? Do we do anything with those who don't believe in mind?
Even those who have believed for a long time have doubts and questions. And sometimes church is the last place we feel we can express those doubts and questions - because everyone else seems so sure, and "how will they deal with me in my unbelief?" But if that's how we feel then isn't there something wrong with 'church'? Thomas was still accepted in spite of his unbelief. We're all on a journey of faith. Some are further on than others. Some are currently moving quicker than others. But we're on this journey together. And so when we have doubts and questions we need to be honest about that, knowing that those I'm travelling with will love me just the same as we wrestle with the questions together, waiting for Jesus to come alongside and say, 'Peace be with you'.
Click here to listen to this message
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