kairos : kisses

Becoming Christ-like

2012-01-27T09:37:00.001-08:00

Discipleship is about becoming likeJesus. This involves learning to do the things that Jesus did: that iswhy he sent out his disciples with power and authority to proclaim the kingdomof heaven, and to illustrate it by healing the sick, driving out demons, andeven raising the dead. But it alsoinvolves learning to live in the way Jesus did: concerned with being, not simply doing. Indeed, this isextremely important, partly because doingflows out of being, and if our being is conflicted or compromised, whatwe do will be conflicted orcompromised; and partly because there will be times when we are simply not ableto do – times when we are laid low bylong-term illness, for example, or where we find ourselves in a faithlesscontext (even Jesus himself could doalmost nothing in Nazareth, so why should it be any different for us?) – and onlyby attending to being will we knowthat our identity is not diminished by such constraints.

So, how did Jesus live life? Here is a man who asked God to forgive thosewho had had him flayed and nailed to a scaffold to die. Here is a man whom we see repeatedlydisappointed and frustrated at his followers and those who opposed him alikefailing to see what was so clear to him...and yet he was not misshaped bydisappointment or frustration. The onlypossible explanation is that he chose to look on followers and opponents alikewith uncompromising love, and ruthless forgiveness.

It is inevitable that as we hold out that for which Christ has takenhold of us, as we look to freely give what we have been freely given, as weseek to see God’s transforming kingdom break-in to our present experience, thatwe will also experience the disappointment and frustration of those who areopen to us and those who set themselves against us alike failing to see what isso clear to us. And if we see them ‘horizontally’we will turn it into a battle of wills which will only serve to further tie-upboth them and ourselves. But if we seethem ‘vertically,’ with uncompromising love and ruthless forgiveness, we willengage in a battle which will serve to further free both them and ourselves(who, however clearly we might see, still only see as in the reflection ofhighly-polished bronze).

Timothy And Titus

2012-01-26T12:14:00.000-08:00

Today is the lesser festival of Timothy and Titus,Companions of Paul.

Today I am giving thanks for older Christians whohave invited me into their lives, invested in me as a partner in theirmissional journeys, and released me into my own.

Thank you. You know who you are.

Through my experiences, and most likely buildingon my own ‘relator’ and ‘belief’ preferences, I have been ‘hard-wired’ for communitas – that particular quality ofrelationship between people that is forged by engaging in a common task in thecontext of the difficulty that exists outside stability, such as is forgedbetween soldiers, or rescue workers, or Paul and Timothy and Titus: marked by adeep love, trust, respect; by a deep sharing of life. And like soldiers who struggle to re-entercivilian life, so I miss communitaswhen I am surrounded by people who have not experienced it, who know only of community – that particular quality ofrelationship that is forged by engaging in our own parallel tasks in thecontext of the luxury that exists within stability.

The vast majority of clergy in the Church ofEngland work hard, but our shared understanding of ministry is ‘hard-wired’ forworking in isolation: to preparesermons on our own, to visit the housebound on our own. More recently, and for largely pragmaticreasons, we have put clergy into ‘teams’ – but without addressing theunderlying paradigm. As a result, ‘teams’tend to be individuals still working in isolation but now interfering in oneanother’s work, to the frustration of everyone. The feedback I hear time and again from people working in such ‘team’ministry is of how frustrating it is, reinforcing the default to isolation asthe most effective way of working.

For me, not only is isolation not my preference,it also goes against my fundamental belief that we should work in real teams,bringing our different gifts to bear. Yes,I believe those teams should include the whole church, the laity as well as theclergy; but that they should include the laity does not mean that they shouldexclude the clergy working together,not simply in the same place. And yet, at the present time, I amconstrained. Communitas takes time to forge, and that only after you havepersuaded others to leave the safety of the known world behind, to follow youon a quest on the doubtful success of which the ongoing existence of thatfamiliar community (ironically) lies.

And so I am learning – slowly, painfully, still farfrom ‘I have learned’ – that God works through us even when we areconstrained. For while I am not in aliteral cell, as Paul was – and as other Christians have been much more recently,and even are today – I find myself in a cell without walls. But God is not constrained by walls –physical or otherwise – and neither is his working through us. Itdoesn’t look like what we might hope for or choose; but if we only lived as wehoped for or chose we would miss out on so very much of who God is and what helongs for us. He is enough, and thatis more than enough. Which doesn’t makeit easy – I am no saint. But it doesmean that despair has no place, nor self-pity, nor what we see from an earthlyperspective. As so often, what looks,from that perspective, complex and/oreasy (“if my circumstances were xrather than y, everything would bemuch better; but they aren’t”) is in fact simplebut hard (holding on to the truth that God is enough).

Our God-given preferences matter – I do believeGod wants to release us to fulfil their potential – but how they are best putto use is not necessarily how we might believe them best released. Difficulty is, after all, the necessarycontext for communitas...and though Iam constrained, I am not left alone inthe world. Though at times the lureof community is tempting, in times such as those we live in, it would be a poorexchange.

Which brings me back to celebrating the lesserfestival of Timothy and Titus, Companions of Paul; praying that I, too, may bea ‘Paul,’ who pours my life out into other men and women, investing in theircall to partner with God in his mission.

Heavenly Father, who sent your apostle Paul topreach the gospel, and gave him Timothy and Titus to be his companions infaith: grant that our fellowship in the Holy Spirit may bear witness to thename of Jesus, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of the HolySpirit, one God, now and for ever.

(Collect for the lesser festival of Timothy and Titus, Companions ofPaul: Common Worship)

The Problem As I See It

2012-01-23T09:18:00.000-08:00

When I look at the church – both the localchurches in which I am located, and the wider institutional Church to whichthey belong – I see the problems. My sentences in conversation, my posts on myblog, often – very often – begin, “The problem is...”

Thisis not because I am a negative person.

This is because I am wired as a change-agent; and withthe following StrengthsFinder strengths:

Strategic– spotting relevant patterns and issues, and creating alternative ways toproceed.

Intellection– intellectual activity, introspection and intellectual discussion.

Relator– enjoying close relationships and finding deep satisfaction in working hardwith friends to achieve a goal.

Belief– unchanging core values, out of which emerges a defined purpose for my life.

Ideation– fascination with ideas, and the ability to find connections between seeminglydisparate phenomena.

I see things that need to be addressed, and lookto nurture close relationships with others to forge a team to play the gametogether. And where I am free to be me,and to serve the church primarily by playing to my strengths, and relating tothe complementary strengths of others, it is a joyful thing, albeit a fight:like a sports team who belong to one another, win, draw or lose.

The problem is, at the moment I am not free toplay to my strengths...

The problem is, the longer such conditionscontinue, the harder it is to not slip into negative mindsets, where theproblems cease to be exciting challenges...

Betterexplore some alternative ways forward!

Authority : Destruction : Disturbance

2012-01-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

Some further reflections on Mark 1:21-28

[1] Jesus teaches with the authority that comes from sharing experienced- and lived-out wisdom; from revealing something ofyourself (being vulnerable), as opposed to showing how much knowledge you have acquired (beinginvulnerable). This is the authority ofa woman whose husband has been killed by terrorists, or a father whoseschoolboy son has been stabbed to death by teenagers, speaking aboutforgiveness. What they say does not comecheap, but, through costly trial and testing, has been proven: and just as theywant to pass on what they have learnt, so others want to hear.

[UPDATE: If we compare Mark's account with that of Luke - Luke 4:31-37, in the context of Luke 4:14-30 - we see that when the demon addresses him as Jesus of Nazareth - from where he has come from a recent rejection by the synagogue congregation - it is a taunt, challenging the validity of his authority. Jesus does not back down from the challenge. We, too, will face mocking whispers seeking to undermine, hoping to cause us to retreat. Like Jesus, we will need to stand our ground.]

[2] Jesus exercises his freedom to bring freedomto others, through the destructionof that which holds them captive (whether the demonic, as in this passage, orwhatever form the manifestation of captivity takes; see 1 John 3:8b “The reasonthe Son of God appeared was to destroythe devil’s work.”). Again, this is anexample of exercising authority, and of the passing-on of authority: for Jesus drivesout demons, and then sends out his disciples with authority to do likewise, onthe grounds that they have seen and been involved in Jesus doing this verything. Jesus’ mission – taken fromIsaiah 61:1-3 – is to set people free.

[3]Jesus’ activity of setting people free creates a degree of inevitable disturbance. The order of the synagogue is disrupted bythis encounter. When we gather together,appropriate order is important; but the need for order does not override Jesus’agenda to set people free. When Jesusbinds up the broken hearted, or proclaims freedom for people held captive, orreleases prisoners from darkness; when he declares and carries out God’svengeance against the spiritual enemies of his people; when he exchanges beautyfor ashes, gladness for mourning, and praise for despair; it can be a messyaffair! Does that offend us? Do we demand order over setting people free?

Embracing Freedom, Extending Freedom

2012-01-21T07:19:00.000-08:00

Next weekend, a couple of days after HolocaustMemorial Day [I prefer the Jewish term Shoa,or calamity, to the Greek term Holocaust, or burnt offering to a god; for even if we accept that these eventswere offered to false, pagan gods, calamity is the deeper reality, not only forthe Jewish people but for humanity as a whole], I am due to preach on Jesus inthe synagogue (Mark 1:21-28; 3:1-6).

The thing that impresses itself on me in thisaccount is the collision of two approaches to faith: concern to avoid sinning;and concern to embrace freedom, and to use that freedom responsibly, to bringfreedom to others. (Both theseapproaches to faith are alive and well, in the Jewish and the Christiancommunities today.)

Let us consider a scenario that relates to theHolocaust, or Shoa. There wereChristians who sheltered Jews from the Nazis. The Jewish community honours them as Righteous Gentiles, and you canwalk – as I have done – along the Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles at Yad Vashem, the national Shoa memorialin Jerusalem. One fateful day, Gestapoofficers arrive at the door, and ask: “Are you sheltering Jews?”

The person who is concerned to avoid sinning iscompelled, however regretfully, to answer “Yes.” They cannot bring themselves to break theCommand “You shall not bear false witness” by intentional deceit – even if it costthem their own life; even if other men will choose not to obey the Command “Youshall not kill” (that is, surely, between them and their Creator).

The person who is concerned to embrace freedom iscompelled to answer “No.” They willfulfil the Command “You shall not bear false witness” by refusing to hand overlives into the grasping hand of death. Intentional deceit is absolutely necessary for their witness to be trueand not false. If found out, death willtake them, too, by force: but they will embrace the freedom to lay down theirlife. Knowing what will be done, toabdicate responsibility for the deaths of others would be to be complicit inthat murder. (Indeed, some werecompelled to conclude that they must take responsibility for killing Hitler, notout of expediency and pragmatism but deep Christian conviction: deliberatelyowning a rejection of a shallow interpretation of the letter of the Law inorder to act according to the spirit of the Law – God himself does this – andtrusting themselves to God’s judgement and mercy.)

Of course, this seems to us to be an extremeexample, a clear exception to the rule: in our own lives, things are not soblack-and-white, and claiming exceptions to the rule is surely just an attemptto justify our own failure or refusal to live as God sets out for us? No: such a response reveals deep-seated concernto avoid sinning rather than concern to embrace freedom. Things are never black-and-white for the person in the midst of them. Our response flows out of our motivation,which is often conflicted, requiring of us that we test it again and againagainst the person of Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith.

This is why a simplistic call to return to the TenCommandments, as is made from time to time by British politicians, is utterlyinadequate.

Concern to avoid sinning inevitably results incalamity: because unless we step out knowing that we will fall short of whatought to be done and trespass onto what ought not to be done, but that we canknow forgiveness and experience reconciliation, we will never step out – neverspeak up, never take a stand against evil – at all.

Concern to embrace freedom inevitably lands usright in the middle of calamity, with Jesus, whose death and resurrection life ultimatelyconsumes its flames. It is thecostliest, and most alive, place to be.

In a society caught up in economic crisis andpolitical turmoil, where shrill voices draw attention to immigrant scapegoats,and honeyed voices argue the financial need to sacrifice the least productiveand most vulnerable members of our communities – in a society touched bycalamity – these issues are absolutely pertinent. We need to ask:

Where are we being called to embrace freedom today? To whom will we take responsibility to extendfreedom today? Whom must weshelter? Whom must we speak out for?

The Christian Life

2012-01-20T15:25:00.000-08:00

The Christian life is not concerned to avoid sinning;but to embrace freedom, and use it responsibly, to bring freedom toothers. It is not a negative outlook on life (Do Not Touch) but a positive outlook in a world that longs to be transformed (Touch,and in touching, heal). This is not playingwith words: the life that seeks to avoidsinning and the life that seeks to embracefreedom are fundamentally opposed to one another, lead in oppositedirections, and to opposing consequences.

This is clearly seen in the encounters Jesus hasin the synagogue. We must not view hiscritics as insincere in their faith: they are devout in their pursuit of a life that seeks to avoid sinning. From such an outlook, one must unavoidably cometo the conclusion that to interpret scripture boldly, personally, without thesafeguard of appealing to the wisdom of experts, would place you at (too greata) risk of sinning; and likewise that to heal the broken body or drive out demonicparasites places you at risk of sinning by breaking the command to rest fromwork on the Sabbath, or indeed causes you to have actually sinned.

Jesus, however, is not concerned to avoid sinning,but to embrace freedom, and use it responsibly, to help others embrace thatsame responsible freedom. From such anoutlook, one must unavoidably come to the conclusion that to interpretscripture timidly, impersonally, relying on appealing to the wisdom of experts,would be to shrink back from the freedom God intends for his children;* and likewisethat to pass by the opportunity to embrace that freedom by using it to bringfreedom to someone else – held from freedom by a constricting physicalcondition or demonic oppression** – would be to shrink back from freedom: toshrink back from life, and so incur wrath. His interpretation of scripture, and response, is of a wholly otherparadigm.

Jesus is not bound by the fear that he might even inadvertentlyoffend God. He already knows that love covers a multitude of sins and thatthe sin that separates us from God and neighbour can be forgiven andrelationships reconciled. Indeed, hewould live and die by that belief: daring (as his cousin had recognised and hisfollowers came to realise) to carry the sin of the world, and that for years beforehis crucifixion. Indeed, Jesus is notconcerned to avoid sinning, because such an attempt tragically misses thepoint. The irony is that the life lived seeking to avoid sinning mustso withdraw from the world that it is found guilty of the sin of having neverlived, having never embraced the freedom God intended. And one who has never lived cannot die toself; and so can have no share in Christ. Truly, the Christian life cannot be walked on this legalistic path. Rather, it is run – heart pounding, lungs bursting– on the path of freedom, in the footsteps of Jesus, who is just ahead of us,joyfully leading the way...

*By this I do not mean that any interpretationgoes – it must be an expression of responsible freedom, in keeping with havingbeen given freedom and being held responsible for how we use that freedom – butthat there is no value in reciting the teaching of your favourite Bible teacherunless you have discovered the freedom of which they speak and takenresponsibility to exercise that freedom for yourself, in your own life. Moreover, boldness in embracing freedom oughtnot to be equated with bravado or machismo: which are mere masks with which tohide our fear, our deep lack of true love of our true self and therefore inabilityto love our neighbour as ourselves.

**Bythis I do not mean that all healing, or all freedom, will take place in thislife; but that we must make use of our freedom to set others free – whatever thatmight look like in any given circumstance, under the prompting of the HolySpirit – if our freedom is to be freedom at all.

Real Men

2012-01-19T15:53:00.000-08:00

Mark Sayers regularly offers a reallyinteresting perspective from Australia, and this reflection on the wholemale-crisis-in-the-church thing is no exception...

UPDATE: And read Mark's follow-on reflections here.

On The Idolatry Of Success

2012-01-19T15:19:00.000-08:00

“In a world where success is the measure andjustification of all things the figure of Him who was sentenced and crucifiedremains a stranger and is at best the object of pity...The figure of theCrucified invalidates all thoughts which take success for its standard.”

Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Pitfalls Of Survival

2012-01-19T11:16:00.000-08:00

I want to write more posts about my own presentchurch context. That is potentiallyrisky; but it will help me to process things, and to engage with others insimilar contexts, which may be useful for them too.

St Peter’s is a parish church that hasn’t had avicar for some eleven years and counting. Since then, and until a year ago, there was a house-for-duty priest (a postusually geared for keeping things turning over). Over time, the church has retreated frombeing a community that was quite experimental and even pioneering, to being acommunity focused on survival – which, ironically and counter-intuitively,offers the best chance of extinction. Weare there for only two years, and I do not have the mandate or authority of apriest-in-charge. Having spent sixmonths in observation and (attempting some) reflection and (initial)discussion, our role over the next eighteen months will not be to lead thechurch into the future (as, I think, many are hoping) but to help the churchmake the shift from being passively shaped by and for survival to being intentionallypositioned to be able to follow wherever God may lead.

Jo and I have been drawn to these verses inHebrews:

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such agreat cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sinthat so easily entangles. And let us runwith perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, thepioneer and perfecter of faith.” (Hebrews 12:1, 2a, TNIV)

The writer distinguishes between two things thatprevent us from being able to run after Jesus. There is sin, from which we need to be disentangled; but the implicationis that there are many things that hinder us that are not,in-and-of-themselves, sinful, but which nonetheless need to be thrown off. Churches are much better at starting thingsthan stopping things, than intentionally throwing off things that were and evenare good but which are hindering us.

Some of the key survival-paradigm baggagehindering us – and many other churches – includes:

Investing(people) in our resources over investing (our resources) in people

By this I mean where the structures of ‘greater’ involvementor oversight responsibility – often piece-meal, often unconnected – focus onservicing what currently exists (e.g. services, buildings, cells), rather thanon helping people identify the part theyare called to play and investing in them to do so well, in creative collaborationwith others. One consequence of thisis that individuals find their own disconnected ways to run with projects that,while not necessarily bad projects, are neither owned by (in the participatory,not proprietary, sense) the church as a whole nor integrated as parts of abigger picture...and this, in turn, generates more and more that needs to bemaintained and greater complexity to somehow manage. Another consequence is turn-over in roles,rather than handing-on of roles; a regular starting-from-scratch (or endless referringback to the ‘expert’) rather than raising-up successors who, building on whatwe have done, can go beyond us.

Short-termover long-term

In most churches you will find a few verycommitted people who do a lot, faithfully, to keep things turning over. Some of these things need doing. But the survival paradigm always reverts towhat appears to be the most efficient(short-term) use of energy, rather than the most strategic (long-term): in this case, to do a job yourself insteadof train someone up to take it on – which, in turn, over time, blinds us to whoelse might do the job. Our mostcommitted people get tied-up doing things that do not necessarily require theirattention, or are missed opportunities to invest in others.

Willingnessover gifting

In survival-mode, where unfilled roles have beenidentified as needed, these have a tendency to be filled – whether by approved appointmentor assumed self-appointment – on the basis of willingness, without reference togifting. Willingness is not a bad thingin itself: but it can be cheerful, or pressed-into-service; can be self-serving,or other-serving; can release us into our created-for role, or allow us to bediverted into the wrong role. By ‘gifting,’I mean both God-given passion (you are a gift from God), and learnt skills that are submitted to God’straining and deployment. The default towillingness happens where those with the appropriate passion and skills arealready over-committed; or over-looked; or fear being further sucked-into agrinding survival-focus. Almostinevitably in this paradigm, where no-one from within the church is found totake on key roles these have been given to people who are not part of thechurch, usually to a friend of a friend as the need is passed on by word ofmouth: lovely people, willing people; not necessarily possessing the relevantpassion or skills, or the necessary support; and not sharing the values of thechurch – except to the extent that those values are not distinctively fixed-on andrunning-after Jesus, as will increasingly be the case in a survival mode. I want to see those outside of the churchdrawn in to the life of the church as we serve the wider community; but notgiven key roles where they do not choose to identify themselves with the church,beyond the role in question.

Pastover future

This is where we continue to serve the widercommunity in ways which met needs and contributed something distinctive in thepast, but which either no longer meet needs or are significantly duplicatedelsewhere today. Having finite resources(people, building, finance, etc.), present out-dated priorities mean that wehave limited capacity to participate, as servant members, in the widercommunity as it is now, and as it is becoming. While there is, inevitably, emotional attachment to long-established andappreciated activities, there is verylikely also fresh vision for today and tomorrow, which needs to be released. Some of the things that need to be thrown-offwill cost us: simply throwing-off things no one values anymore will notsuffice.

Focuson lack over provision

This is where, in a number of areas of ourcorporate life, we struggle to identify people who can take ownership. This isnot because the people aren’t there – which often results in those who ‘carrymore than their fair share’ resenting those who ‘don’t pull their weight,’ aswe focus on the lack rather than the people God has provided. This raises the question: is that because this area - ‘a’ – is one of the thingsthat hinder, that we need to throw off; or is it because people need to bereleased from other things in thelife of the church – ‘x,’ ‘y,’ or ‘z’ – that need to be thrown off? It also highlights the importance ofre-structuring for identifying, investing in, releasing and supporting leaders.

Thismay seem like a lot of areas that need addressing in our churches! But my conviction is that they are aspects ofone thing that needs to be addressed(and symptoms of one thing that has been neglected): discipleship. By committingto help one another fix our eyes on Jesus, discerning and running withperseverance the race marked out for us – both at the macro- and themicro-level; as the body of Christ in our neighbourhood and as differentiatedmember-parts of that one body – I believe that communities trapped in survivalmode can be released to rediscover their true calling.

Wolves In Sheep's Clothing

2012-01-17T08:21:00.000-08:00

When an ambitious and charismatic leaderconsistently champions the brave unchallengeable Superman over against ‘weak’men; insists on barring a whole group of persons from positions of authority ongrounds of their birth; and creates and lampoons scapegoats to account for thewoes facing the constituency to which he is appealing; it is disturbing to hearfriends say, “I don’t agree with his views on XX, but I approve of how hestands up for us against the ungodly, and as for his extremism perhaps he willmellow with time.”

Confessions Of A British Preacher

2012-01-15T07:36:00.000-08:00

This morning I put on my cassock (a dress, if youwill – though the cut is far from flattering) and surplice, in preparation topreach. I’ll be honest: it wouldn’t bemy first choice. It offends my sense ofrelevance. But then again, it reminds methat I am not the Authority on relevance; and, indeed, that relevance has its blind-spotsand limitations anyway. It reminds methat I stand there in continuity with faithful preachers of God’s word throughmany generations. It helps thoselistening, in particular the older members of the congregation, to hear what Ibring: I would not want my clothes to so offend that the messenger was astumbling-block to the message. Andthose layers have their plus side, in the cold snap that finally arrived thisweekend.

So I put on my dress and preached to acongregation of grandmas. And granddads;middle-aged folk; younger adults...Mostly older than myself, I grant you. A group of people who feel like they havebeen sheep without a shepherd for a long time; who are harassed andhelpless. A group of people who sensenew life. A group of people whose numberis being added to.

I preached that our neighbours’ lives will not betransformed if they might only come into our beautiful building (though I believeGod can speak through it); or even if they might get to know us, our caringcommunity (though, again, I do believe God reveals himself through that care);but that what we and our neighbours needis to see Jesus and to respond to him. (After all, revelation thatdemands a response is what an epiphany is; and if we don’t take theopportunity of the Season of Epiphany to learn how to see and respond, we missa gift.) I preached that God wants toreveal himself to us, and looks for a response; but that it doesn’t happen byaccident: we need to learn how to see him, and how to respond. And so we looked together at an account ofJesus’ first disciples (John 1:35-51) and I spoke about how our lives, which goabout our day-to-day business chronologically, are interrupted by a completely otherquality of time – wonderful times, and sad times; difficult times, andsignificant times – and that it is in these interruptions that epiphanies occur. Drawing on the passage from John, I unpackedhow together we see Jesus, causing a change of perspective; and how together wefollow Jesus in intentional response. Ispoke about the need to help one another see Jesus in the interruptions of ourlives; to reflect on what we have seen; to do that in discussion. I spoke about the need to prepare, or plan(albeit provisionally) how we will follow, not least drawing others with us; tobe accountable together, for the distance; if our following is to be anenduring act.

And then I asked anyone present, who wasexperiencing one of those interruptions, and who was wanting to see Jesus inthat interruption, to stand, so that we could pray for them. Which is not the way in which things havebeen done. And of course, at first noone stood up. Preaching for a specificresponse, and responding, both take courage. But as I started to pray for us as a church, people stood, and we prayedfor them too. It wasn’t hyped, ormanipulated: but it was as if people had been longing for an opportunity torespond to God in a bodily way.

Afterwards, a lot of people gave, in their own wayand their own words, testimony of seeing Jesus; or expressed thanks for havingbeen equipped to see and to respond to Jesus, in a way they hadn’t experiencedbefore.

That’s the way in which I intend to preach. To help us see Jesus and respond: to come to Jesus,entering into covenant relationship;and to be sent by him, entering into kingdombreakthrough. There will be occasions, Iam sure, when I bottle it. There havebeen in the past; just as there have also been times when, I have been told bypeople whose judgement I value, that my faltering words have been powerfullyanointed.

And yes, there is a part of me that would like tobe a celebrated preacher. But – while Iwill always seek to prepare for a few as I would for a multitude – to behonest, the extent to which I crave recognition is the extent to which my lifeis not submitted to God, to which I have not embraced discipline and healing.

So there you have it. I wear a ‘dress’ and preach to grandmas. I am not known by millions around the world. Like Jesus’ first disciples – like Peter, onwhom he chose to build his Church – I have moments of cowardice, though I don’tthink that would be a fair summary statement, because I seek to speak the truthof our need to see and respond to Jesus – the truth as I understand it,recognising with confidence and humility that, with future epiphanies, I will discoverthat my hunch about Jesus is affirmed but that my present understanding of who Jesusis is (at any given time) incomplete.

And I am not alone in these things. There are others like me. Reports of the death of the British preacherare misinformed.

Asyou were.

A Feast For Epiphany

2012-01-06T06:42:00.000-08:00

The mind-blowing thing about the incarnation isnot that Jesus looks like God. (Afterall, Jesus is fully-human, and human beings are created in the image of God.) The mind-blowing thing about the incarnationis that God looks like Jesus. (After all, Jesus is also, uniquely,fully-God and the full revelation of God).

Jesus reveals what God is like, fully, in how helived. That means that the incarnationreveals to us that God, who could know everything and do anything without help,chooses to empty himself of these things; chooses to come to us, to learn withus, even to learn from us. That the One who created you wants to know, atthe very least, “what is it like being you;what is your experience of life, ofthe world, of time and space (of being part of something infinitely greaterthan you that would be infinitely diminished were you not part of it)?”

That God, who could know everything, chooses notto (and so opens himself to the delight of discovery) is, surely, what holdsdivine sovereignty and human free-will in creative paradox.

And if God, who is by nature omniscient, choosesnot to be, then we, who are finite – whose knowledge is by nature partial andprovisional – ought not to go about in the world as if we Know. Isn’t this the temptation of human pride;that those who speak of God are, perhaps more than anyone, caught out by, subtlyensnared by?

Aswe carry the good news that Jesus has been revealed in the world, as rightful Kingover all creation, we ought to go with confidence in the good news but not withpressing, un-listening, insistence: for that is not how he came. We are sent as ambassadors not conquistadors. We look for the ‘person of peace,’ who welcomesus in, who opens their life to us, who ministers to us. We come enquiring...and from that place go proclaimingwhat we have seen and heard; not the other way around. That way, rather than imparting information, we participatein transformation. It is, by far,the riskier path; the path that does not commend itself to us. It is the heaven-led path of Epiphany; thepath that Jesus (having been shown it by the Magi) walks and bids us, “Come,follow me.”

Epiphany

2012-01-05T04:56:00.000-08:00

Advent is the invitation to hopeful waiting forJesus to come...

Christmas is the invitation to joyful celebration,in the face of suffering brought about by his coming into the world, as lightexposes the works of darkness...

Epiphany is the invitation to step out into theworld, searching for clues to where Jesus may be found...

To search him out, in community with fellow seekers,looking not with earth-bound eyes but from the perspective of the heavens,leaving behind the comfort of our familiar world, where we are Somebody, tojourney to the edge of our understanding and then to be led another step beyond,to find him where we would least expect to find him, in the midst of ordinarylives caught up in events far beyond their control, to give our resources tothose he has entrusted himself to, to have our trust abused by those moved bydark self-interest, to inadvertently cause pain even great pain to the innocentand yet to trust that the One who has led us to this place will not turn hisback on the hurting and confused.

Epiphany is the invitation to step out, in thiscase into 2012, into the unknown but foreboding days that lie ahead, with eyesopen and hearts on fire, and ask, “Where is the one born to be king, born toliberate his people, born to usher-in the kingdom of life?” Where is he here, coming alongside, his manifest Body – the local church, as atangible alternative to ungodly structures of power – releasing and affirming lifewithin the wider community?

Epiphany is the key that unlocks the treasure-chestof our life, enabling us to bring out old treasures and to add newly-discoveredtreasures, to be brought out in their turn, to teach and to train for life as ambassadorsof the kingdom of heaven.

Thefour-week Season of Epiphany begins tomorrow, with the Feast. How will we engage with this gift? What old treasures will we rediscoveranew? What new treasure will we find?

Collect For The Feast Of John : 27 December

2011-12-27T10:33:00.000-08:00

Merciful Lord, castyour bright beams of light upon the Church: that, being enlightened by theteaching of your blessed apostle and evangelist Saint John, we may so walk inthe light of your truth that we may at last attain to the light of everlastinglife; through Jesus Christ your incarnate Son our Lord, who is alive and reignswith you, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

(Common Worship: Festivals)

Collect For The Feast Of Stephen : 26 December

2011-12-26T10:30:00.000-08:00

Gracious Father, whogave the first martyr Stephen grace to pray for those who took up stonesagainst him: grant that in all our sufferings for the truth we may learn tolove even our enemies and to seek forgiveness for those who desire our hurt,looking up to heaven to him who was crucified for us, Jesus Christ, ourmediator and advocate, who is alive and reigns with you, in the unity of theHoly Spirit, one God, now and for ever.

(Common Worship: Festivals)

Advent 2011 : Day 28

2011-12-24T06:09:00.000-08:00

The planets orbit thesun in an elipse, sometimes coming close, sometimes moving further away. Some say that time, too, is elliptical. And so it is: there are times when we drawnear to Christ’s birth – two thousand years on, but not far from the eventitself – and times when we move away from it. We call these times, this moving along the elliptical orbit, (Church)seasons. And there are times when Jesus’return – which may be millennia away – draws near to us. Near enough to see, with the naked eye offaith.

AtJesus’ first coming, the heavens aligned in such a way as to create theimpression of a star, brighter than any other. Orbits are an integral part of this Story. Our orbit is about to reach its closest pass,and then journey on. At this very point,his orbit will coincide with ours. Tonight, light will shine in the darkness. And we have a share in the necessaryalignment.

Advent 2011 : Day 27

2011-12-23T06:32:00.000-08:00

An earthquake may beexperienced at great distance from its epicentre, but the epicentre itself is aprecise point. The baby lying in amanger is the epicentre of the universe. At the furthest reaches, he is Lord of All Things. Somewhere on the way – in every direction:the earliest prophecies, and later deliberations of the Church – he is Saviourof All Peoples. But not at theepicentre. The epicentre is a precisepoint, and at this precise point – as the prophecies/responses closest to hisbirth indicate – the baby is born as king of the Jewish people, who comes intothe world to liberate a reconstituted remnant of Israel from the RomanEmpire. All else will flow fromthis. But here is where it begins:confronting Herod’s false claim as king of the Jews, and Augustus’ false claimto be the son of god who bestows peace on earth and goodwill to all who receivehim.

Jesus’birth is not one particular example of a universal but unspecified longing forpeace. It is God’s particularaffirmation of, and specific response to, that longing. If we are to receive him, he must firsttriumph over the Augustus desire of our heart to be king of our own life, theHerodian desperate self-deceit that we already are. And he does so through vulnerable love,asking us to be the manger in which he is presented to the world.

Advent 2011 : Day 26

2011-12-22T00:05:00.000-08:00

If it is right thatthe universe is expanding, in time and space, from an explosive moment to whichit will one day return, then it is clear that that moment does not lie at theearliest chronological moment. Rather,the earliest chronological moment is simply the furthest point from theepicentre in a direction opposite to where we find ourselves.

Iwould suggest that the moment at the centre of the universe is the event of Godstepping into his creation as part of creation: the incarnation. Everything ripples out from this moment, fromour limited perspective ‘before’ and ‘since’...but also outward in everydirection, in every dimension, as Christ fills all in all in him, to whom allwill one day return...

Advent 2011 : Day 25

2011-12-21T12:33:00.000-08:00

Of course, we are notthe only ones who wait, hopefully, for Jesus’ return. God, too – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – waits;and the angels (and the demons, though not hopefully) with them. And how do they wait? Informed by their experience of waiting. That God should come into the world as a baby– knowing almost nothing, and almost entirely unable to communicate even that –demonstrates a commitment to being human, to being formed through waiting. And in Jesus, God still waits as a fully-human,as well as fully-divine, being. That Godshould come into the world as a baby – knowing almost nothing, and almostentirely unable to communicate even that – demonstrates a commitment to waitingwith humans, to being formed through their waiting. A commitment to covenant relationship, whichsays what is mine is yours and what is yours is mine; a commitment to needingto call upon what is ours to give to him; a commitment to viewing us as equals –for the Church is described as Christ’s bride, and even the very body of Christ– not because the created has a right to call itself equal to the creator butbecause the creative Word has a right to be uttered into created flesh.

Itis in asking us to wait, and entering into committed hopeful activecontemplative waiting with us, that God honours us – not only ‘us’ humans but,by extension and by intimate connection, ‘us’ all of creation – more than weknow or can imagine. Because ourwaiting, with his, creates the very condition that is bringing about the new daywe wait for.

Advent 2011 : Day 24

2011-12-20T04:33:00.000-08:00

And so we wait, indifferent ways, in order to be formed, in order to play our part in the formingof the world to come. But though we waitin different ways, we wait together. Ourshared waitings inform our personal waiting, as we come together, as weencourage one another, as we pray prayers and sing carols that have been passeddown from generation to generation of patient, hopeful waiters, as we listen tofamiliar/over-familiar/forgotten accounts and try to enter in to the story ofGod entering in to our world.

Injust a few more days, our intentional waiting will come to an end, as we firstcelebrate Christmas (the Light coming into the world) and then Epiphany (‘kairos’encounters with the Light) and on...And our ability to enter into Christmas,and Epiphany, and what lies beyond will to some degree be limited by the extentto which we have wrestled with God in the waiting, in the night. Like Jacob, we too will emerge into the daywith a lasting limp – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachersmore aware of our own frailty, (conversely) more aware of our own strength,more aware that we have met with God and that he has allowed us to meet withhim as an equal because he has stooped down in order to lift us up, more awarethat we have a story to tell, more aware of those around us from whom we havebeen estranged and to whom God is committed that we should be reconciled.

Advent 2011 : Day 23

2011-12-19T03:17:00.000-08:00

I have beenreflecting on the different ways in which we engage with waiting, as apostles,prophets, evangelists, pastors, and today as teachers. Apostles must wait for God’s timing, inpreparation to bring to birth the new thing; prophets must wait in solitude,but not in isolation, in preparation to foretell the imminent arriving; evangelistsmust wait as they search out the good news, in preparation to proclaim thenow-arrived; pastors must wait in order to defeat their demons, in preparationto nurture the new; and teachers must wait in patient study and costly response,in preparation to foster growing wisdom.

We don’t know exactlywhere the Magi came from. They may havecome from what is today Iran; the ancient records of Chinese court astrologersshow that the most senior astrologer went missing – Absent without Leave – for aperiod of two-three years at around the right time. We can’t know for sure, but these scholarssought out the place where received wisdom met current affairs, in order toread the signs of the times in which they lived and to know how to respond. Then, they made plans, to go on an open-endedjourney of discovery; a journey with provisional stops and re-calibrations oftheir own understanding; a journey not only to invest in their own development,but to share their treasures with another. Their choice of gifts to share is, I believe, significant: showing theinfant, who had emptied himself of all divine omniscience, what it means, whatit looks and feels like, to be human. Gold speaks of our material needs, for food and shelter. Incense, symbolic of prayer, speaks of ourspiritual needs, to forgive and be forgiven. Myrrh, used to embalm the dead, speaks of our emotional needs, of loveand loss. The gifts play their part inJesus’ own journey, as he grew in wisdom and in favour with God and his fellowmen and women.

The Magi offer a rolemodel for teachers in waiting. Theirstudy is corporate, a group activity – and one which drew on the work of otherswho had gone before them. It is notconfined to the court – to the place acknowledged as the location of learningin all ancient societies (and not much has changed) – but results in movingoutward, away from privilege, to the margins, to the domestic scene, to thepeasant home. What they have been given –the fruit of their learning, their treasure – is invested in their journey(what would such a lengthy journey with such a large retinue cost?), and freelyshared at the journey’s goal.

Teachersmust wait, in order to discover that their knowledge (the interpretation ofinformation) and their wisdom (the application of knowledge) is for passingon...

Advent 2011 : Day 22

2011-12-18T01:22:00.000-08:00

Any communityrequires structures and agreed procedures in order to run smoothly. Within any community – a school, or healthservice, or business, or neighbourhood, for example – pastors are those who actas guarantors that, in the necessary pursuit of the greater good, the needs ofany given person are not ignored. Without the humanising role of pastors, it is impossible to sustainhealthy communities over any length of time.

Of course, as withapostles, prophets, evangelists and teachers, pastors too have theirweaknesses, those opportunities for potential attacks. For many pastors, their biggest battles liein a natural desire to be liked (that is, natural to pastors, though not necessarilyto other types); and in the false belief that they are indispensible, thatwithout them everything will fall apart. These weaknesses often result in unhealthy patterns of people-pleasingand taking on unsustainable workloads. For the pastor, waiting involves the discipline of taking mastery overthese tendencies.

Joseph provides uswith a working study of a pastor at waiting. Here is the man God has entrusted with enfolding Mary and Jesus in hisprotective embrace. And so he must facehis demons as he waits. The demon ofpeople-pleasing is faced down as he is asked by God to take on a part whichwill bring him into disrepute: in the eyes of his neighbours, is it pride orstupidity that motivates this righteous man to take on a woman abandoned, toraise as his own another man’s child? The demon of indispensability is faced down as he accepts that he has nopart whatsoever in the conception – he is, in a very acute way, absolutelydispensed of; in this instance God does not need the pastors involvement tofulfil his plan...and there will be other such instances, albeit less dramatic.

Josephstands his ground in faith, and faces down and defeats his demons. Throughout, he is attuned to God’s speakinginto his life, in his case in particular through dreams; and is responsive indecisive ways that honour both God and others, especially Mary. For pastors, waiting is a time of testing andof victories that will equip you for the tasks that lie ahead...

Advent 2011 : Day 21

2011-12-17T04:56:00.000-08:00

Evangelists carrygood news. The primary focus of theirmessage is not what could or even will be, but what is both new andnews-worthy. So an evangelist mightspread the word of a new cafe that has opened up in the neighbourhood...

For an evangelist,waiting is particularly active in nature. It involves searching out the good news they will then carry to others. In this way, their news remains new, does notgo stale.

In Luke’s nativityaccount, the shepherds have to search for the new-born Saviour before they findhim and then spread the news. Contraryto popular misconception, Jesus was undoubtedly born in a home. As homes were shared with animals, a mangeris commonplace...though that Jesus was placed in a manger was a specific cluethe angel gave the shepherds to help them verify that they had found him. One might wonder how many doors they knockedon before finding the child they were looking for, just as easily as wonderinghow many doors they knocked on after finding him.

I think of a friendwho is an evangelist. Because they loveJesus, they search out stories of how Jesus is transforming people’s lives inthe neighbourhood where he lives, and shares those stories with others. But he is also an ornithologist; and becausehe is an evangelist, he travels in search of rare bird sightings, and thentells others where to go to see what he has seen. He is created an evangelist: it is not simplya function, a speaking of Jesus; rather, it shapes what and how he speaks ofJesus – and any other interesting and good news.

Ifyou are an evangelist, your waiting will be characterised by searching out thenew thing God is up to where you live, paying particular attention to theeasily-overlooked things others might not notice...

Advent 2011 : Day 20

2011-12-16T03:23:00.000-08:00

Prophets both see thepresent world from a different perspective and see a world that differs fromthe one in which we live at present. They are often concerned with social justice; often involved in thecreative arts; and may bring these two strands together as a way of fosteringthe imagination of others.

Few prophets areable, on their own, to galvanise a community for the change they envisage:their role needs to combine with that of evangelists, who will carry theirmessage, and apostles, who are better equipped to make concrete the steps acommunity needs to take from where we currently are into the new ordering ofour lives. It was prophetic imaginationthat sowed the seeds of a community post-segregation and post-apartheid, but ittook the involvement of others to work that process through.

Thisprophetic inability to galvanise a community plays out in the particularpotential pitfalls of both not waiting and waiting. Where the prophet fails to wait, they arelikely to end up merely grinding their own axe, rather than proclaiming God’shopes and dreams for our experience of life; and resenting the lack of uptake. But for many of us who are created primarilyas prophets – that is, as a share in Jesus, who was the only human to holdapostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher in perfect harmony in one life– we need far more time waiting than others: we are wired for it, drawn to it,refreshed in it. The key lesson is tolearn the distinction between solitude and isolation. Solitude is space alone with God, on the edgeof community; isolation is dislocation from community. The inability to galvanise community can beexploited by the accuser to foster a false sense of isolation, along with thetemptation to actually withdraw into genuine isolation. And so the prophet must wait in a particularway: seeking the balance between hours of solitude and searching out apostlesand evangelists in particular in the community to which the prophet is sent, inorder to invest in those relationships.

Advent 2011 : Day 19

2011-12-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

While there are anincredibly diverse combination of personalities, gifting and experience, Ibelieve that at heart everyone is anapostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor or a teacher, and that when wesurrender our lives to Jesus’ rule, he gives us as gifts to his Church to servein particular roles within the life and witness of the community of faith.

And even taking intoaccount the diversity of personality, gifting and experience, these fivefundamental types will engage with waiting in different ways – and need to,especially where they find waiting hardest, in order to be more fully formed.

Apostles are thosecharged with the role of birthing the new thing that God is doing in a givenplace, among a particular community. Assuch, apostles are motivated by the urgency of the immanent coming of thekingdom, just as Mary would have been very aware of the impending arrival ofJesus, just as expectant parents feel the pressure to get everything ready andthe excitement of not-being-able-to-wait to see this new life that is cominginto the world. And yet, wait they must –and realise that they simply won’t have everything ready, or at least, thingsare unlikely to go to their neatly made plan. The birth will take place in God’s timing, God in partnership with thebaby as much if not more so than with the mother. All those Old Wives’ Tales for bringing-onlabour are simply that: Old Wives’ Tales. Premature birth brings with it major complications, and long-termdisadvantages.

Apostlesplay their crucial role in the process, but must embrace the limitations ofthat role. And so apostles wait, oftenin discomfort and impatience...

Advent 2011 : Day 18

2011-12-14T04:23:00.000-08:00

The attentive waitingof Advent is the practice of entering into the Story, and as we contemplatethose who entered into Jesus’ first coming, so we discover our role in enteringinto Jesus’ coming return. This processtakes time – potentially, years – and the Season of Advent is an annual gift tous, to this end.

Do you identify withMary, who took on an apostolic role: birthing the new thing God was bringing-aboutin her context; and guarding the integrity of the new, in transformedcontinuity with the old, by treasuring in her heart the things God wasunfolding?

Do you identify withMary’s relative, Elizabeth, and Jesus’ as-yet unborn cousin John, who took on aprophetic role: testifying to what God was about to do, pointing to the newthing as-yet just beyond the horizon; helping ground the apostolic urgency inthe bigger picture?

Do you identify withthe shepherds, who took on an evangelistic role: spreading the good news of thebirth of the Saviour through the streets like a virus, infecting theneighbourhood with glad tidings of peace and joy?

Do you identify withJoseph, who took on a pastoral role: enfolding Mary and Jesus in his protectivecare; nurturing the Word-become-Flesh through patient apprenticeship?

Do you identify withthe Magi, who took on a teaching role: bearing gifts to help inform the One whohad emptied himself of all knowledge of what it means to be human: gold, whichreveals that to be human is to have physical needs, of food and shelter; incense,which reveals that to be human is to have spiritual needs, to forgive and knowforgiveness; myrrh, which reveals that to be human is to have emotional needs,experiencing love and loss...needs each met by the Father’s provision?

Whatis your role, as you attentively wait? To bring to birth? To foretell theimminent arriving? To proclaim the now-arrived? To nurture the new? To foster growing wisdom?

Advent 2011 : Day 17

2011-12-13T02:01:00.000-08:00

Nativity plays ought not to be stories with amoral (e.g. It is better to give than to receive; or, Don’t forget to observeJesus’ birthday). Rightly understood,they are invitations to enter into the Story: which character do you identifywith?

Advent 2011 : Day 16

2011-12-12T04:12:00.000-08:00

The incarnation is the central event in history. Easter restores what was lost; but Christmasis not merely a means to that end: rather, it inaugurates a future that is farmore glorious than what was ever lost...

Advent 2011 : Day 15

2011-12-11T06:36:00.001-08:00

Hope compromises itsposition. This may surprise you, if youbelieve that for hope to be worth having it must be uncompromising. Hope does not compromise on the grounds thatdoing so is the quickest way to secure a place we are happy to settle for,accepting a lesser evil that gives our conscience room to wriggle, if somewhatuncomfortably. Rather, hope is happy tocompromise its position because the one who hopes recognises that we do nothave a monopoly on the best vision for the best future. Hope recognises that we need to listen to oneanother, to our different hopes, and fears; and that we need to lay down ourlife for the lives of others. Thattogether, as we lay down our lives for the other, a future is negotiated into being which is moreglorious than any given contributor could imagine. The one who truly hopes is secure enough tonot be defensive, not demand their rights be upheld.

This is why Godlistens to humans, and is willing to change his plans in order to work withours.

Indeed, thiscompromising hope is why God became human: and in so choosing, took on achanged nature, not temporarily but for eternity. Not because he had to, not because he had nochoice; nor even simply to restore what was lost: but because the transformativereconciliation of God and humanity centred in Jesus negotiates into being acompletion that is more glorious than the beginning ever was.

Andthis is also why the entrenched debates within the Church at the present time,regarding women and authority, and regarding human sexuality, are so tragic:polarised, without hope-full compromise...for now. As John the Baptist calls out to each one of us, Undergo a change ofheart and mind, for the arrival of the King is drawing close...

Advent 2011 : Day 14

2011-12-10T07:51:00.001-08:00

Hope tears holes in the darkness, and gives themflight.

Advent 2011 : Day 13

2011-12-09T11:48:00.001-08:00

Hope takes the time to celebrate small victories,and unsung heroes.

Advent 2011 : Day 12

2011-12-08T02:55:00.001-08:00

And so hope brings usback to the sweetness of anticipation. The event we wait for – whether the arrival of a loved one at a railwaystation, or the birth of a child, or the dawn of a more just society – is notan end but a new beginning. Hope is notnaive: it does not assume that They Lived Happily Ever After; it knows thatthere will be an ongoing working-out to be engaged with.

Emotionally, theevent we wait for is as a stone thrown into a pond, sending out ripples nearerto us and further from us, before and beyond. But whereas despair sees those ripples as threatening to swamp us, hopesees them as radiating out in peaks,and troughs; light, and dark; song, and silence; reaching out to us.

Hopesees both what will be and what is, and just as love drives out fear so hopeoverturns despair. And so we wait, withanticipation; and as we wait, we prepare ourselves to welcome – the loved one,the child, the just society – and to live within the new reality, to have ourstory-line recorded in the new chapter.

Advent 2011 : Day 11

2011-12-07T00:05:00.000-08:00

Hope embraces thefuture while that future is still unwanted, distrusted, generally seen as athreat that will contaminate our way of life. While embracing the future is as yet a costly thing to do.

Hope is a propheticaction.

It refuses to bow tosegregation. It takes its part in theongoing reconciling of all things to one another and to God, which is beingbrought about with and in and by and for Christ Jesus.

Hope is thesubversive work of love in the world.

And we are called tobe hope-full...

...Howwill hope flow into me, through me, from me, here, today?

Advent 2011 : Day 10

2011-12-06T03:45:00.001-08:00

Hope is the temporaloffspring of eternal love. It is birthedbecause the world is not as it should be...and it will one day surrender itslife knowing that the world is, at last, as it was first hoped.

Hope is inherent toevery human heart. We hope because weare created to bear the likeness of the Three-in-One who hoped first. And hope will not end until its role is done.

But hope can besuppressed. It can be crushed. It can flicker and splutter, but not be putout.

Hopeneeds to be cherished. It grows boldwith use; grows confident with growing competence. Hope calls others to rally to her cry, tojoin hope with hope. Hope is a communalexercise, of a community that reaches out and welcomes in.

Advent 2011 : Day 9

2011-12-05T08:49:00.001-08:00

In the beginning,hope is the womb of justice, and mercy, and peace.

But then, hope mustbecome their nursery, their school-room.

Mother, nurse,governess.

Behind every greatdeed stands hope.

In the beginning,hope – of what was not, coming into being – gave birth to our world.

And,fully consistent with the nature of hope, the Word of Hope – Let there be light! Let there be life! – entered the womb,the nursery, the school-room...Hope took on flesh, took on human form, humanexpression, human activity in the world in partnership with God’s activity,growing...

Advent 2011 : Day 8

2011-12-04T00:05:00.000-08:00

“Now faith isbeing sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Hebrews 11:1

“I consider that our present sufferingsare not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation forthe children of God to be revealed. Forthe creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by thewill of the one who subjected it, in hope thatthe creation itself will beliberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory ofthe children of God. We know that thewhole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to thepresent time. Not only so, but weourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we waiteagerly for our adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For inthis hope we were saved. But hope thatis seen is no hope at all. Who hopes forwhat they already have? But if wehope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.” Romans 8:18-25 [emphasis mine]

“And now thesethree remain: faith, hope and love. Butthe greatest of these is love.” 1Corinthians 13:13

Faith, hope and love:

Faith and hope aretemporary. They are given for while wewait. Indeed, they exist because we wait. Their existence is dependent on the absenceof Jesus, of God-with-us. For where wesee Jesus we no longer have need for faith or hope. Where Jesus breaks into the present – made manifestin his Body, the local church, empowered by the same Spirit that raised himfrom the dead – we see fulfilments of hope, received through faith. And when we see Jesus face-to-face, inperson, we will be truly faith-less and hope-less, because both will becompletely fulfilled in him. Faith andhope remain for now; but love is greater, because love alone is eternal, willnever be fulfilled, but experienced for ever.

Faith exists in thevery situations which would appear to deny faith. Hope exists in the very situations whichwould appear to be hopeless. Thecreative kingdom which is brought about by the paradox that God, in Jesus, is both with us and absent – paradox: neither truth denying or even qualifying theother, but complementing one anotherin mystery that confounds human reasoning – is the very means by which the goalof faith and hope – their con-summation within love – will be brought about.

Andthat is why Advent is all about expectant waiting, hopeful anticipation and cheerful preparation...

Advent 2011 : Day 7

2011-12-03T00:05:00.000-08:00

Paulwrites to the waiting church in Corinth:

“Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I always thank my God for you because of hisgrace given you in Christ Jesus. For inhim you have been enriched in every way – with all kinds of speech and with allknowledge – God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. Thereforeyou do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord JesusChrist to be revealed. He will alsokeep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our LordJesus Christ. God is faithful, who hascalled you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.”

1Corinthians 1:3-9 [emphasis mine].

Notyou (singular) and you (singular) and you (singular) have each been given everyspiritual gift you need; but, you (plural) have together been given everyspiritual gift that you need.

And we, who have beenwaiting for two-thousand years, have been given every spiritual gift that weneed. Including each other, ministeringin enriched speech and knowledge: the one whose hope has slowly died, who feelsa hypocrite, needs the one who has only just begun to wait, in hopefulexpectation; the one who is first starting to experience the deferment of thefulfilment of their hope needs the one who has navigated those waters beforeand come out the other side.

Only when we embracethe discipline of waiting are we able to notice those around us, who wait: thefamilies of service men and women, who wait for a knock on the door that theyhope will never come...the child of a parent gripped by dementia, who feelsguilty that they continue to live and who will feel no less guilty when theyfinally die...the dreamer who imagines a more just world than we live in...

Onlywhen we embrace the multi-faceted experience of waiting are we able to begin tolearn, together, from one another, how to live – not merely exist – in the now,in the light of the absence of the One we long for...

Advent 2011 : Day 6

2011-12-02T00:05:00.000-08:00

But then again, youhave done nothing wrong. It was not youthat disappointed. You are, you suppose,no longer waiting; though by now you have been here so long you have becomepart of the furniture, along with the cafe tables, bronze statue, and the manpushing his bucket and mop who cleans the public toilets. This is your railway station, and therereally isn’t anywhere else you might as well be, now...Do you ever recall thehopefulness of anticipation? Do you feelguilty to have lost it, by degrees? Doyou feel for those arriving at the station, as you once did? Envy? Pity? Contempt? Do you notice them at all?

Imagine. Savour the bitterness of waiting.

Advent 2011 : Day 5

2011-12-01T00:05:00.000-08:00

No, if something hadhappened, they would have texted to let you know. And if there had been some accident, newswould have filtered through to you somehow. Perhaps they have not come, not because they have been prevented, but –of course – because they did not want to. Here you are, waiting for someone who will not come; who is not, inturn, actively waiting to be with you, carried on a train, the miles betweenyou falling away into the past...How foolish, to have thought otherwise. How blind love – familial, friendly, orromantic – is, to whether it is requited or not. How foolish you must look, to those walkingby, standing there on your own, with no reason to be here at all. An imposter, among those being met.

Imagine. Savour the insecurity of waiting.

Advent 2011 : Day 4

2011-11-30T07:20:00.001-08:00

You stand alone. Around you, others have met, been met, movedon. Disappointment flushes through you,and drains out again through the soles of your shoes. Rational thought steps up: they missed theirconnection; they’ll be on the next train. You’ll wait, get another coffee, make the most of an unwantedsituation. Time passes. A train pulls in. Again, they are not on it. Another emotion floods your lungs, stealingyour breath: has something happened to them, something bad? How will you know? What can you do? Rational thought is overwhelmed; luridscenarios flicker across the screen of your mind...

Imagine. Savour the anxiety of waiting.

Advent 2011 : Day 3

2011-11-29T06:42:00.001-08:00

From where you aresat, you can also see the Departures and Arrivals Boards, turning over andover: a thousand passenger stories told in a form that makes 140 characters looksuperfluous. At last – does it seem likean age? – the train you have been waiting for pulls in. You fold your paper; tip the paper cup andpeer through the mouth-hole to check, again, that you drank all yourcoffee. A human swarm builds up behindthe gate; their footsteps raise a droning noise; stretches into single-file,bursts through and fans out again. Youlook, attentive for one form among the crowd. They are not there. Perhaps theyare somewhere in the middle of the press of others also pushing through? But no, the tail-end has passed on now. Perhaps they were held-up, getting off thetrain: a bag to pull down from the overhead rack; they’ll appear any moment, slightlyflustered, apologising profusely for having kept you? The moments pass. They are not there.

Imagine. Savour the prolonging of waiting.

Advent 2011 : Day 2

2011-11-28T09:30:00.001-08:00

You’re in plenty oftime, so you purchase a coffee and a paper, and settle yourself in a seatacross the concourse from the barrier between you and the platforms. From here, you can keep half an eye oncomings and goings: those arriving off trains, stepping through the gates,pausing to find their bearings before plunging on towards their finaldestination. Some are met, by those whocame here for the same reason you did: you smile to note this but, ultimately,you care as little about their meeting as they have any awareness ofyours. You unfold the paper, turn to thesports pages, wonder at the rise and fall of fortunes, glance at your watch, searchyour pockets for a pen and tackle the crossword or Sudoku.

Imagine. Savour the distraction of waiting...

Advent 2011 : Day 1

2011-11-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

Imagine that you areat a railway station, waiting for someone who is important to you: your mum ordad, perhaps; or your best friend; or your husband or wife. Their train isn’t due in for a while – you havegot there in good time, so as not to miss them, not to keep them waiting. Your heart is filled with anticipation – you’vebeen looking-forward to this moment for, well, it feels like a long time. You imagine the moment, when you will seethem for the first time: how will the meeting go? Who will speak first, or will you both speakat the same moment, stop mid-sentence, laugh...and plunge back in at the samemoment?

Imagine. Savour the sweetness of waiting...

Advent : Absent

2011-11-23T13:15:00.001-08:00

Advent begins this weekend. Advent, Christmas and Epiphany make up myfavourite time of the liturgical calendar, and each year for the past several Ihave posted a daily Advent calendar. Iintend to do so again this year, though it might not turn out to be daily.

Those of us who hold Jesus to be King over allcreation are able to speak of the experience of relationship with him, throughthe presence of the Holy Spirit with us. But we must also speak of the experience of Jesus’ absence, for he isnot here: he is seated at the right hand of the Father in glory, from where hewill one day return. Having chosen totake on our humanity, even though his humanity has been brought out of death bythe Holy Spirit, Jesus is not omnipresent. Instead, he sent the Holy Spirit, to be our comforter and our counsellorin his absence.

The purpose of Advent is to help us to live withthe absence of the One in whose presence we long to be. We live immersed in a culture of instantgratification, and must train ourselves in order to be counter-cultural. Advent is given as a gift, by which we mustfirst own our experience of absence – the sweet tension of anticipation, ofhope; or the insecurity that whispers, will he come back for you?; or theabandoning of dreams; or...Only once we have owned our experience of absencecan we occupy ourselves rightly while we wait.

Andso this year I will start out exploring Absence, and we shall see where we gofrom there...

Children In Need Day

2011-11-18T11:36:00.001-08:00

The Goal Of Remembering Is Re-Membering

2011-11-11T01:56:00.001-08:00

Bonfire Night

2011-11-05T20:00:00.000-07:00

Does God Have A Bias To The Poor?

2011-11-01T12:45:00.000-07:00

One of the cherished mantras of Liverpool Dioceseis former Bishop David Sheppard’s contention that God has a bias to the poor. But this is too incomplete a claim.

God has a bias to his creation, and a bias to theplace of humanity within his creation. God has a bias to justice, not simply because God has a bias to the poorbut because God knows what injustice does to both the rich and the poor, thepowerful and the powerless.

Consider Jesus’ encounter with a young man of privilegeand influence, traditionally known as the rich young ruler. Here is a man who loves God, who desires tolive for God; who is aware of his need for God. And Jesus, we are told, looks into this man, and loves him. Not loves what his released resources coulddo for others: loves him. Jesus does nothave a particular bias to the poor. Butthe thing Jesus knows is holding this man back from fully living the life Godhopes for him is his attachment to his wealth and his own control of how it isdeployed. As it turns out, this is asacrifice too great, and Jesus and the young man part, both saddened by theencounter.

Consider also the woman who pours expensiveperfume over Jesus’ feet, scandalising those who watch, who protest that theperfume could have been sold and the money used to minister to the needs of thepoor. While ulterior motive plays itpart, we would be harsh to judge that there was no concern for the poor. Indeed, Jesus takes for granted that thereshould be, in responding that the poor will always be with us, for us todraw-into a more inclusive society. But,just as it is possible to use concern for the poor as cover for embezzlement – orindeed to set out with genuine concern for the poor and succumb to temptation –so it is possible to have genuine concern for the poor without concern for God’sconcerns: such a position might be expressed through genuine hatred of the rich(erthan me).

Godhas a bias to the men and women of privilege and influence working in the LondonStock Exchange, and a bias to the men and women camping outside St Paul’sCathedral. It is both a bias of invitationand a bias of challenge: of inclusion and of judgement. Jesus compels us to look at each one withlove, seeing great potential: extending the invitation to be embraced by love;and the challenge to be transformed by love.

All Saints' Day

2011-11-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Jesus And The London Stock Exchange

2011-11-01T11:33:00.000-07:00

Jesus told a parable about three men who were eachentrusted with an enormous amount of someone else’s money: two-hundred timesthe average annual wage, one-hundred times the average annual wage, and twentytimes the average annual wage. The man entrustedwith two-hundred times the annual average wage speculated, doubling the amount,and for this he was richly rewarded. Theman entrusted with one-hundred times the annual average wage also speculated, alsodoubling the amount, and for this he also was richly rewarded. The man entrusted with twenty times theannual average wage buried the treasure in the ground, where it would be safe:and on presenting his master with his original capital investment, was punishedfor not having even placed the money with the bank, to earn a small amount ofinterest.

Would Jesus protest the London Stock Exchange,and, if so, what exactly would he protest about?

Firstly, he would not protest against the activityof the Stock Exchange, the high-risk high-reward approach to putting otherpeople’s money to work and taking a significant share of the potential reward.

Rather, his protest would be on the grounds thatthe speculators and those whose money they invest fail to acknowledge that allthat they have to speculate with comes from God, and that we will be heldaccountable by God for what we have done with his investment.

As a nation, we are among the wealthiest people onearth: if your annual salary is £25,000 you are in the top 1% richest people inthe world. And yet we have chosen tolive beyond our means, running up an unbearable debt burden while failing toaddress global inequality, beyond the level of engagement necessary to salveour conscience.

Those things Jesus would protest the London StockExchange over, he would protest the Occupy London protesters over too. We are all in this together.

Everyonewants to co-opt Jesus for their cause; Jesus wants to co-opt everyone for hiscause.

Jesus Does Not Take Sides

2011-10-28T13:11:00.000-07:00

Jesus doesn’t take sides, he takes over. Contrary to popular belief, Jesus does nottake the side of the poor against the rich: he invites both to respond to him,and challenges each that to do so will require a change of perspective and wayof living. In the last week there hasbeen much public discussion in the UK as to what Jesus would say about theOccupy the London Stock Exchange campaign, and the decision of the Chapter at StPaul’s Cathedral to close their doors and then to initiate legal action againstthe campers, and off the Canon Chancellor to resign his post.

Jesus would not take the side of theprotesters. Not because he would takethe side of the Cathedral, or of the Stock Exchange, but because he does nottake sides.

In defence of the protesters, it has been notedthat Jesus violently overturned the camp of the money-changers and sellers –the ultimate anti-capitalist act. Butthat is poor exegesis. Those who came tothe temple had to present a sacrifice. As it was not practical for pilgrims to bring animals with them, theycould buy animals at the temple. Butpilgrims would have Roman coins, and those were considered defiling, and sothey must first change them for temple coins. It is often said that pilgrims were ripped-off, both in the exchangerate and in the price of animals. But wehave no evidence of this taking place. Wedo have written and archaeological evidence of the system running, perfectlyacceptably, immediately outside of the temple, up to the time of thedestruction of the temple in AD70. Sowhy was Jesus so angry? According to theGospel accounts, he found this mechanism operating inside the temple, in theCourt of the Gentiles, the provision for those of any and every nation to comeinto God’s house. The ‘robbers’ were notfinancial robbers, but were robbing people of the opportunity to come into God’shouse to worship, by occupying the space. So Jesus evicts them, with violence.

For anyone who asks the question, What Would Jesus Do?, in relation to theprotesters surrounding St Paul’s Cathedral in such a way that, while they arenot doing anything wrong in-and-of itself, people cannot come in, I think thattrack-record suggests Jesus would evict them with violence.

Thatis not to say that Jesus would endorse the Cathedral Chapter, or the StockExchange. Jesus does not take sides. He would confront them, too, but in differentways. In the case of the stock exchange hemight tell a parable that exposes their greed and folly, and reminds us thatGod will bring all to account. In thecase of the Cathedral he might point out its grandeur, the very stones thattourists flock to see, observing that one day they will fall, and if they donot receive him that day might come sooner than they think. Because Jesus does not come to take sides,but to take over.

Approved

2011-10-27T11:58:00.000-07:00

I get to listen to a lot of people, and the thingthey most often want from me is reassurance of God’s approval.

Regularly, when I meet with a family to plan thefuneral of a loved one, they want to know that God approves of the deceased, eventhough – they are clear – the deceased wasn’t one for church or religion, andneither are they. Regularly, when I meetwith a family requesting the baptism of their baby, the parents and god-parentsspeak openly in terms of hedging bets, which is another way of saying, if Godexists I want his approval for my child. And regularly, when I listen to regular church goers, they express theirdisapproval of those who come only on occasions, of long-standing members whodon’t measure up to their standards, and even of those who have recently cometo faith, on the grounds that their own long-term commitment must count forgreater approval on God’s part...

Why would you want the approval of someone youhave so little to do with? Or why wouldyou want approval over and against someone else?

The primary image of God that comes out in whatpeople volunteer to me in conversation is that God is judge. The particular approval sought is not theapproval of a loved one, but an impersonal legal vindication, on the basis ofhaving lived a good life or having secured the right paperwork or having servedtime. The primary image of life beyonddeath is not one of spending eternity with God, but one in which God merely decidesthe destination: ‘heaven’ and ‘hell’ are equally devoid of God’s presence, asindeed is this life. God is Death, notLife.

In the beginning we see God creating humanity, toshare in his reign as King of the Universe. In the beginning, we see God walk in the garden, seeking-out hisfriends. We see humanity abdicate rule,and hide from God, and we see God looking for us...In the fullness of time, wesee Jesus: God and humanity walking together in harmony; King and king, whorestores us as kings and queens and calls us friends once more; who sends hisSpirit to walk with us, to counsel us, as we exercise rule within his kingdom. We see adventure, and battle, and sacrifice, inthe service of Christ. We see presentdarkness, but know that the dawn is coming, that the rising of the sun and thereturn of the King are inevitable. Andyes: Christ will come again to judge the living and the dead – but it goes on:and his kingdom shall have no end.

The focus of God as judge is not us, but theperson of Jesus; and the role of Christ as judge takes its place within abigger vision of Jesus, a vision that fills everythingwith wholeness.

Itis not God’s approval of us that is at stake – he has already spoken that outinto the world – but our approval of God-with-us in Christ Jesus.

CanI reassure you of God’s approval? Yes, Ican. But unless you approve of hischoice to make Jesus King; unless you are willing to offer everything you areand have to him, in exchange for everything he is and has, shared with you; then what is his approval worth, and why would youwant it?

Reading Romans

2011-10-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

Paul’s letter to the church in Rome has long beenread as a work of abstract theology, which of course skews how we understandit. In fact, like all Paul’s letters, itis written in and to a particular context, addressing particular issues ofconcern. In the case of Romans, the key matter Paul addresses isthis:

Given that the Jewish nation has rejected Jesus astheir Messiah, or one sent by God to deliver them from their enemies;

and given that God has made Jesus not only the(rejected) Messiah but also the Gentile Christ, or one who delivers them;

and given the imminent destruction facing theJewish nation (which has rejected Jesus as Messiah) at the hands of the armiesof Rome (the city where the Christians to whom Paul is writing happen to live,in case you hadn’t noticed);

has God given up on his ancient people, andreplaced them?

Paul’s answer is, no, God has not given up on hisancient people. God’s intention wasalways bigger; God has been at work through the history of his ancient peopleto bless all peoples; the Gentiles are included in God’s plan – but just as thearrogance of the Jews has resulted in judgement, so the Gentile believers oughtnot to boast and thus incur God’s judgement on themselves; and though for nowGod’s ancient people are under judgement they will be brought back into the fullnessof God’s plans for them.

Why does this matter? It matters because today the Church is askingthe same question:

Given that the Christendom nations have rejectedJesus as Christ;

and given that God has made Jesus not only the(rejected) Christ but also the King of all;

and given the present judgement inflicted on theinherited churches of the Western nations, whereby their ongoing existence isunder real threat from a wider society which is indifferent and hostile byturns;

has God given up on the inherited Churches, and replaced them?

This question is asked both by church leaders ofinherited church traditions in other parts of the world (for example, some of the Anglican bishops of theGlobal South), and by pioneer missionaries and church planters in thepost-modern West (for example, someexponents of emerging or missional church).

Theanswer is, read Romans: no, God hasnot given up on, has not written off, is not seeking to replace, the inheritedChurch. Yes, God is doing several newthings – that is what God does, in extending and extending the scope of hisKingdom – but he has not given up on the older things. So beware of gloating over the demise of somepart of the Church you don’t like, or boasting of how much better your part inthe Story is. Be who you are called tobe, where you are called to be, but have a vision that is bigger, and pray thatGod will bring all things – the whole Church yes, but that is just the start –together.

Simon : Peter

2011-10-18T12:45:00.000-07:00

Names are important. Our names are a key element in ouridentity. We may be called other things –respect titles, or terms of abusive – perhaps even on a regular basis. But our name is spoken day after day. Our name, and the other words that getattached to it, shape us. In thecompeting claims of the thief who comes to kill and steal and destroy, and theGood Shepherd who comes that we might know life in its fullness, will wegrow-into our God-given identity, or have it stunted or stolen from us? Because our name is such a key part of thatidentity, its meaning is, I believe, one of the key battle-grounds for ouridentity.

It struck me afresh today that Jesus chose to ‘buildhis church’ on a disciple who had two names – Simon Peter – and that this beingso, it might have something significant to say about the identity of the Churchhe planned to build.

‘Simon’ has to do with hearing and listening. We see this being contested in Simon’s identity:will he be the one who insists on being heard, or the one who will listen –truly listen – to God’s voice, and so have something to say worth hearing, proclaimingJesus’ story with authority?

‘Peter’ has to do with a rock. We see this being contested in Peter’sidentity: will he stand firm, or crumble under pressure? Will he try to resist the wind of the Spirit,which smooths a rock over time, or embrace the patterns that wind may carve,turning weaker seams into beautiful features?

These may be valid questions to ask of the Church,too: perhaps too often we insist on being heard, to bolster our own ego, butcrumble when it comes to standing-up for justice. But there is something more. In redeeming Simon’s name, and in adding toit the name Peter, Jesus extends a share in two particular attributes of God’sidentity: the One who is unchanging in his faithfulness (the Rock); and the Onewho hears the cry of his people, and whose unfolding response changes.

As the Church, we are invited and challenged to beunchanging in faithfulness, and attentive and responsive to the cry of theoppressed. And, from time to time and ona regular basis, our remaining faithful will depend on our outwardly-changingattitude. Like Peter – like Jesus – we willneed to turn away from things our tribe has held essential to faithfulness, inorder to be faithful. We can onlydiscern what is unchanging and what must unfold as we attend to the difficult, sometimesslow and gradual, sometimes sudden and unexpected - and for both these reasonsoften painful – process of listening to one another and listening together tothe Holy Spirit. We cannot do that onour own, or within our own particular tribe alone; for ‘Simon’ and ‘Peter’ are massivelycontested identities. We cannot rush; wecannot presume an end to this process – for that would be the end of our inhabitingour identity. We must not hold our own viewsas non-negotiable – to do so is to close ourselves to God and neighbour, anddeeper self-knowledge and acceptance – and we must truly hear and be moved to respondto the cry of those whose views differ from our own.

Ourhope must lie in the knowledge that Jesus, who has given us this foundation, isstill at work to redeem our identity. However much it is contested, however far we are pushed to twist the earand to turn the stone, Jesus is committed to leading us into the fullness oflife he intends for us.

Christ In All

2011-10-14T09:01:00.000-07:00

If the Gospel is not Christ-centric – drawing usto participate in the identity and mission of Jesus – then it is not the Gospelat all.

This is true not only for humanity, but for all creation. When “the heavens declare the glory of God,” itis the glory of the Son they participate in. Thus the Son is described as the Sun of Righteousness, the BrightMorning Star, the Rose of Sharon, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb of God, the Rockof Ages (and within Anglican tradition relating to the use of the Lord’sPrayer, as our Saviour tortoise...). TheSon can be described in such ways because creation participates in his identityand mission, and thus reveals him, as it finds its reconciliation in andthrough and for him.

So thewider creation, as well as humanity, reflects Jesus as apostle, as the sun andmoon journey across the sky, and in so doing secure days and seasons from onegeneration to another; as prophet, in global warming; as evangelist, in waterin a dry land; as pastor, in food and medicine hidden in plants; and as teacher,in the antelope, the ostrich, the ant, the hyrax, the gecko, the birds of theair and the lilies of the field...

Christ-centric Identity And Mission

2011-10-14T08:24:00.000-07:00

Why is it that when Christians read a listuniquely described as the fruit of the Spirit – love, joy, peace, patience,kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22,23) – they tend not to argue that this is a representative sample, or that someof the fruit no longer apply today...but that when they read a list uniquelydescribed as the gifts of Christ – apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors andteachers (Ephesians 4:7-16) – they so often argue both these things?

A Christ-centric gospel of reconciliation framesus as sharing in Christ’s identity and mission, both personally and corporately.

To each person God has created, a facet of, ashare in, Jesus’ identity has been given. He is the one who is sent, carrying, protecting and extending thekingdom; he is the one who confronts false kings; he is the one who embodiesgood news of reconciliation; he is the one who stands between his people andtheir predators, and who, having defeated the predators, binds up the woundedand nurtures them to health; he is the one who seeks out and passes on the wisdomthat leads to life. As communities offaith, as the Body of Christ, we are called to make manifest eachdimension. As the warrior-bride ofChrist, we are called to partner with him. As persons given to one another for the fulfilling of this purpose, weeach have a particular part to play, connected to the others.

Fora more extended exploration of our Christ-centric identity and mission, see mydissertation.

Gospel Truth

2011-10-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

The Gospel:

“If you believe in God (or, specifically, inJesus), you will go to heaven; if you don’t, you will go to hell: God wants theformer for you, but it is your choice. (If you never heard this message, God’s mercy will accept you / God’sjudgement will reject you. [delete as doctrinally appropriate])”

Or:

“The Creator of the universe has appointed Jesusas King over all creation; and is reconciling all things in Christ and throughChrist and for Christ. Will you enter-intoand continue in that Christ-centric reconciliation, living within his life-affirmingkingdom rule, participating in his identity and his mission?”

Differentemphases of the same account? Orincompatible stories – one with ‘me’ at the centre, the other with Jesus at thecentre – with divergent out-workings?

Soterian Gospel : Part 2

2011-10-14T06:33:00.000-07:00

In the soterian gospel, the role of Jesus’disciples is to be witnesses to the uniqueness of Jesus. Their testimony is passed on until recordedin the Gospels – traditionally viewing Matthew and John as eye-witnessaccounts, Mark as recording Peter’s account, and Luke as recording that of Maryand other witnesses – at which point their function is fulfilled. They are disconnected from those who camebefore and after them, who did not see Jesus. In contrast, the Story gospel views Jesus’ disciples as faithfulcommunity, in continuity with those faithful communities which came before andafter them.

In the soterian gospel, the role of Scripture isthe raw ingredient from which doctrine is to be distilled – a task Paul isviewed as having begun; a task taken-on by later theologians, with theReformation being a significant return-to-form and systematic theology beingthe pinnacle. That is, Scripture is initself inadequate. Having distilleddoctrine from it, we then interpret Scripture according to doctrine – that is,we read back into the text what we have distilled from it, so reinforcing ourdoctrinal position (double-distillation). Soterian preachers regularly find Jesus’ parables difficult tounderstand, because they ‘know’ the doctrine (of hell, for example) the parablemust support (if Jesus did, in fact, preach the gospel) and struggle becauseparables by their nature subvert distillation into doctrine (Jesus did notpreach the gospel, if by gospel we mean soterian gospel). And ultimately, we discard of Scriptureitself, in the same way that, having distilled wiskey, we discard the mash.

Therefore, in the soterian gospel paradigm, Jesus’commission to make disciples who make disciples who do everything his first disciplesdid is re-cast as persuading others to give intellectual (or emotional) assentto the benefits Jesus has won for them, through the articulation of technical doctrinalargument (if taking the emotional route, vividly painted).

The fruit of the soterian gospel is Christians whodo not know with any confidence the story we have been invited into – having beenleft with abstract and complex doctrine, they leave to the experts – and haveno understanding of the challenge to live out that story in the world.

Indeed, so culture-defining has the soterian ‘gospel’become, my starting-point position is that those within the church – let alonethose without – do not know the gospel. Not that I do, and am here to impart it; but, that we have lost it, and togethermust recover it.

Weneed to rediscover the Story, and enter-into it...

Soterian Gospel

2011-10-13T15:05:00.000-07:00

My posts tend to generate discussion in othercontexts. A friend took the time torespond to my previous post by noting that he and his wife each received Christfor different reasons. I think I want tosay that there are many reasons why we receive Christ - in my case, I grew upin a home where Jesus was as real as mummy and daddy, and I know of no timewhen I did not know him - and that, of course, it makes no point claiming somereasons are more valid than others. Butwhat does matter, I think, is who we receive Jesus as - again, there is a list,but I’m not sure the soterian gospel Jesus presents him well. The version I come across most often isholding out to extremely vulnerable people the benefit-focused ‘gospel’ “receiveJesus and he will take all your problems away, and your life will be wonderful”...

Butmy friend also made another observation: that “the Gospel has many facets, and asculture changes the Gospel can rotate a fresh facet to confound that culture...” I think this is an important insight. I think we need what is being called theStory gospel at this time to confound the soterian gospel, because the soteriangospel has shaped church culture in a way that distorts the gospel. But I have no doubt that the Story gospel,while recovering much, will itself distort the gospel in its own ways; willitself create a new culture; and will itself need to be confounded, as themany-faceted Gospel rotates afresh.

Soterians

2011-10-13T10:37:00.000-07:00

No, not an alien race from a Dr Who script, but – according to a current debate withinevangelical circles – arguably an alien race within the Church. The likes of Scot McKnight and NT Wright areproposing that the tradition commonly referred to as evangelical wouldcurrently be better described as soterian; and that the soterian gospel is an aberration.

Scot McKnight writes:

‘Now I want to press this harder: the fundamentalorientation of the soterian gospel is about the benefits “I” get if I respond.The fundamental orientation of the Story gospel is not about “my” benefits butabout Jesus. Embracing the Story gospel brings benefits, to be sure, but weembrace this Story because we embrace Jesus, not because we get something. Theentire soterian approach is shaped by benefits.

‘I press harder: the God of the soterian gospel isformed around two features about God: God is judge, and God is wrathful (andwill send folks to hell). Or, in some forms, the soterian gospel is framedabout this: God is judge, but God loves us and wants a better life for us butGod will judge if we don’t respond aright. The operating idea then is “How canI escape God’s wrath or God’s judgment against me?”

‘The God of the Story gospel is formed aroundthese: God is creator, God is director of history, God is incarnate in Jesus,and God calls humans to live in God’s ordered kingdom world by living underJesus. The operating idea here is “Who rules the world and do I live under thatrule?” The Gods of these two “gospels” are framed differently.’

The soterian gospel is the message of the cross, or,more accurately, the cross viewed through a Calvinist or Reformed lens. In other words, everything we see in theGospels prior to the cross is not the gospel, but merely points to the gospel. And so Jesus’ earthly ministry, and themission he draws his disciples into, is not the gospel; and as our concern isthe gospel, the things that Jesus inaugurates then are not our concern today.

The fruit of the soterian gospel is not disciples but what have been describedas ‘Christian atheists’: that is, people who believe in the existence of God, butfor whom that belief has little if any consequence for how they live. Such a term might describe the 65%-70% of theBritish population who identify themselves as Christian...

Ihave not yet read McKnight’s latest book (though I am keeping an eye on theunfolding debate), but I think he – and NT Wright and others – are right intheir assessment, and that the conversation they are opening is one we need toengage with if we are to make disciples. The soterian gospel must be rejected as animposter, whatever it may cost us in personal reputation.

Choosing What To Wear

2011-10-08T07:42:00.000-07:00

Lectionary readings Isaiah 25:1-9 and Matthew22:1-14.

To be human is to tell stories: stories by whichwe re-write the past, in order to know ourselves in the present, and soresource ourselves to step into the future. Not all stories are equal; and every story is contested. The best reflection on 9/11 I have read is bythe Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks. Sacksgrounds that event in the fall of the USSR. In the West, that moment was re-told as the triumph of free-market capitalismand liberal democracy over communism. But there was another group of people who re-told that moment as the defeatof one of the two world super-powers by dragging it into asymmetric war inAfghanistan: and if you could bring down one that way, why not the other? Ten years on, Western leaders and theirallies are just admitting failure. Butat the time, President Bush told America to go back to shopping. The story we tell determines the lives welive. The West failed to re-evaluate itsstory in the light of rival claims.

Isaiah presents us with a story, a story thattells us that God will silence ruthless nations. This story was first told in the time betweenthe fall of Israel to the Assyrians and the fall of Judah to the Babylonians. Ruthless nations rise, but God will humblethem. Ruthless nations, including God’sown people. When Solomon succeeded hisfather David as king, he asked God for wisdom. God granted him wisdom, and gave with it those gifts that would test andrefine wisdom: wealth and power. Solomonhad wisdom, but did not necessarily use it wisely. He amassed chariots, like Pharaoh haddone. He conscripted God’s people intobuilding projects on a grand scale, like Pharaoh had done. He became ruthless. And when his son succeeded him, the peopleasked that he be less ruthless: but he replied, my little finger is as thick asmy father’s thigh: that is, you ain’t seen nothing yet, kid. So ten of the tribes rebelled, forming thenorthern kingdom of Israel. Every one oftheir kings did evil in the sight of the Lord, until his patience ran out, andAssyria swept in. Two tribes remainedloyal – the king may be a fool, but he is God’s appointed fool – forming the southernkingdom of Judah. While most of theirkings did what was evil in God’s sight, a few led revivals, enough to stave offjudgement some generations longer.

Assyria defeats Israel, but falls to Babylon. Babylon defeats Judah, but falls toPersia. Persia and Egypt fall to Greece. Greece falls to Rome. And Rome will fall to the Germanic tribes,and so on and so on. Ruthless nationswill be silenced.

But there is more to the story that Isaiahtells. God is preparing a banquet forall peoples. God is preparing to destroythe shroud of death that covers all nations. God is at work to humble the ruthless, because only those who have beenhumbled can see that God is good, that God is working salvation for us all. Only those whose story has been demonstratedto be wanting will exchange it for a greater one.

Some seven hundred years, and several ruthlessempires, later, Jesus picks up Isaiah’s story with one of his own: a storyabout a king who prepares a banquet – this one is in honour of his son – and whodestroys a city of ruthless people, people who are so busy ruthlessly pursuingtheir own agenda, writing their own stories, that they ignore his invitation; astory in which an open invitation is extended to all – both the good and thebad. A story in which there is adress-code; a story which will in turn be taken up by Paul writing to the Galatianchurch of being clothed with Christ. Astory in which the shroud of death that Isaiah told us would be destroyed isreplaced with a robe of celebration and reconciliation; and a story where,because the shroud is not yet destroyed, we are presented with choosing whichwe shall wear. Will we exchange oneidentity for another, or not?

What, then, does this story have to do withus? What has this story to do with ournation? It is a story against which tomeasure our own. Are you listening tothe stories we are being told right now? The story of how we will emerge, slowly perhaps but surely, from theeconomic crises threatening to drag us down? And perhaps we will; but not indefinitely. Historians, historians who do not necessarilybelieve in God, tell us that the Wesleyan Revival was a key factor in our nothaving a bloody revolution like they had in France. On that platform, we had a different kind ofrevolution: industrialisation; this time engaged by Christian-led socialreform. On that platform, we built anEmpire, the largest the world has ever seen; and in that context, the modernmission movement was birthed. On theplatform of Empire, we won two World Wars; though the winning cost us ourempire. And today, we are a ruthlessnation whose day is passing. It mighttake a little longer, but – despite the story any of our politicians tells us –that passing is inevitable. Nationsrise, and fall, and having fallen they rarely rise again, and certainly not forhundreds of years. God’s story tells usthis: and history proves God to be true to his word. As a nation, we will fall, and probablysooner rather than later.

Andif the story we tell about being English, or British, in the world is foundwanting, what are we to say? As God’speople, chosen to be part of this nation at this moment in history, tounderstand the times and know what to do, what is the good news we have to holdout? It is this: God’s alternative story,a story of celebration, of reconciliation between the peoples; a story in whichJesus, the Son, plays a central part; and a story of the world post the rising-and-fallingEras of the Age of Death. It is a storyof humbling which opens our eyes to a story of hope. It is a story that counters misplacedpatriotism, and frees us to affirm what is good without making an idol ofit. It is a story that counters despair,and xenophobia, and frees us to point beyond the work of death to the work ofrestoration. It is a good story. It is our story. Learn it. Live it. Share it.

Constipation

2011-09-30T10:06:00.000-07:00

Or, my working out a sermon based on this Sunday’sLectionary readings: Philippians 3:4b-14 and Matthew 21:33-46.

I want to live a life which God would describe asfruitful; to be part of a community whose corporate life God would describe asfruitful. But I’m not sure that is myexperience at the moment.

Jesus says that the end of fruitlessness is destruction, but that fruitfulness itself requires a painfulbreaking process (Matthew 21:43, 44).

Paul describes for us the process that leads tofruitfulness. First he lists thosethings which God has given him, as pure gift, unearned, undeserved, simply outof unconditional love. Until we discoverthat God loves us unconditionally, we will always try to earn his love, andwhile we strive for that we cannot be fruitful. We will be hard on ourselves, and even harder on others, for neither wenor they can match the standards we set. Even if we ‘know’ God loves us unconditionally, we forget; we don’texperience his love.

DoI know that God loves me unconditionally? What evidence can I cite when I am tempted to forget? In what ways do I see the fruit of knowingthat God loves me unconditionally in how I relate to others [thisfruit is the first-fruits of a fruitful harvest]? Scottish rugbyinternational, Olympic gold-medal winner and missionary to China, Eric Liddellis attributed with saying, “When I run, Ifeel God’s pleasure.” Note: when I run,not, when I win. When, and under whatcircumstances, did I last feel God’s pleasure?

Next Paul adds to the list those things he hasachieved. We are created not only toknow God’s love, but to do things through which God is glorified. We will not be fruitful until we discover andown the things God has created us for. And here, as the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. Eighteenth-century Rabbi Zusja is attributedwith saying, ‘In the world to come Ishall not be asked, “Why were you not Moses?” I shall be asked, “Why were you not Zusja?”’ In the world to come, I shall not be askedwhy I was not St Paul, but why I was not me: why I shrank back from all that Godcreated me to be and to do.

From a worldly perspective, success is what makesyou fruitful: the more successful you are, the more fruitful you are. This is the view shared by those evildoersPaul is warning the church in Philippi against. Owning our success is a necessary stage in the process of fruitfulness –there is nothing godly about false modesty, which merely seeks to cover ourshrinking-back – but Paul will take us further.

Whyam I not me? Do I play the comparison game? What success have I experienced; have weexperienced? Can we name it and givethanks for it?

Paul encounters Jesus, and as a consequence heloses his community, his standing within that community. But as he reflects on meeting Jesus, hisperspective shifts from an earthly one to a heavenly one. He does not say, as prudish Englishtranslations suggest, that what went before was rubbish: he does not say, ineffect, “I can’t believe that I wasted so many years in those ways!” Paul says, I consider those things – theunearned gifts of God, the achievement he has experienced – as excrement. We need to ask, what is excrement? Excrement is the end of good, nutritiousfood. Paul says, these are the waysin which God has nurtured and nourished me – but they were never an end inthemselves. They are now put into theirrightful heavenly perspective. They are released;given back to God; for to hold on to them is to kill the future God hopes forus...and so, ultimately, to bring about our own end (eaten by worms, we toobecome excrement). Only when we seeGod’s gifts and our achievements in response to God’s gifts not as ends inthemselves but as part of something bigger can we experience freedom from thecomparison game. Only then can we movefrom success to significance, to lasting legacy. To living fruitful lives. But this necessary shift is birthed throughpain and loss. We see this time andagain in Scripture, in the lives of those who respond to God’s call.

Here is another waste-product illustration, from afriend of mine, Paul Maconochie. Godgives us breath, as gift. That breathallows us to live and move, to be and to do. But we must breathe out – expelling water vapour and carbon dioxide – inorder to receive our next breath. That utilisingand then releasing what we were given is necessary, if we are to keep receivingfrom God.

This is true at both a personal and a corporatelevel. Those things by which God hasnurtured and nourished us come to their natural end: what was good food becomesexcrement. Excrement needs to be dealtwith; and fresh food needs to be taken in. To hold on to past food – to make it an end in itself; to turn an icon into an idol – is to become spiritually constipated, passing throughbloated discomfort to the death that results from the internal build-up oftoxins. We naturally and rightly mournthe passing of what was good: but at times that mourning blinds us to the hopethat God who has always been faithful will always be faithful, and keeps usfrom pressing on to take hold of that for which Christ has taken hold of us. We have not yet obtained all this. We must forget what is behind, keep movingforward, towards the goal, to win the prize for which God has called usheavenward in Christ Jesus.

Arewe willing to pay the cost? Have wegiven up? Do we need to reclaim thatheavenly perspective? What do we need to purge from our corporatelife? What fresh food do we need toeat? How can we encourage one another topress on?

In a nutshell:

Receive God’s love : the invitation to covenantrelationship : from UP(God) to IN (our lives)

Respond to God’s love : the challenge to kingdomresponsibility : from IN to OUT (impact on the world)

Release,or return, God’s love : completing the cycle of grace : from OUT to UP

Harry Potter-esque

2011-09-30T09:56:00.000-07:00

Jo spotted a Dementor just outside our boundary,looking in. So far, it has not moved...

Australia

2011-09-23T12:38:00.000-07:00

Film-maker Baz Luhrmann is a greatstory-teller. His 2008 epic Australia is a beautiful exploration of love and hatred both within and across tribes,both native and colonial. Like thenarrator, a young boy with an Aboriginal mother and a European father, who feelshe is neither black nor white – that is, does not belong to either community – thereare no black and white categories here. Human relationships are far more complex than that.

The backdrop of the War allows us to further explorerace attitudes. The British/Australianbelief that blackness could be bred out of mixed-race children, to theirbetterment, is the polar opposite of the contemporary German belief thatblackness pollutes whiteness and must be wiped-out. But there is no moral superiority here: theseare opposing sides of the coin, and the currency itself is morally bankrupt.

In the end, there is only one race, the humanrace: composed of tribes, which form alliances and enmities; composed offamilies, constructed and reconfigured by unpredicted events; composed ofcomplex, flawed, changing, redeemable persons.

Thereare no black and white categories; but there are all the essential types, for this is – as all the beststories are – a fairytale. So we havethe villain, a thoroughly nasty piece of work who meets a (necessary andsatisfying) sticky end; the princess, who discovers that princesses have lot tolearn about the world; the true king among men, who hides his heart, and mustlearn to share it; the failure, who is given the means of redemption at thevery end of his life and so dies in peace; the wise sage, who guides andprotects an innocent hero; the loyal friend, who lays down his life; thepower-hungry over-lord, who must be thwarted before he ruins the land...In somany ways (not least the length) this is TheLord of the Rings set in our world – just as, in so many ways, The Lord of the Rings was the 1930s/40sset in another world.

Feed My Cat

2011-09-22T10:37:00.000-07:00

My five-year-old son has just taken onresponsibility for feeding our kitten. This involves pouring dry cat-food from a fairly large bag into a fairlysmall bowl. For the time being, it also involvesquite a lot of cat-food being spilled over the floor.

Jesus took his disciples from unconscious incompetence (I do not know that God can work throughme), through conscious incompetence (Ilack confidence that God can work through me) and conscious competence (I am growing in confidence that God can workthrough me), to unconscious competence (Iam confident that God can work through me).

In the initial stages, delegating responsibilityfor something we can do perfectly well ourselves always means additional workfor us. Perhaps that is why so manyover-stretched church leaders don’t hand responsibility on: they can’t face anadditional short-term increase in demand on them, in order to secure alonger-term win – a re-defining of their role, and a releasing of others intonew roles. And if we come to see raisingpeople up as our primary responsibility, then what this demands of us will notbe additional work, but simply our work. We may discover that other things we do are additional, and unnecessaryor at least less important than we thought, and give them less of our time.

What am I doing that someone else could do –perhaps better than me, given time?

What am I doing that I can train someone else inand give away?

Whyaren’t I?

The Great Divorce

2011-09-22T08:06:00.000-07:00

In the Gospels, we see that Jesus has very clearexpectations concerning the consequence of faithful living:

fruitfulness – expressed as healing for the sick, deliverancefor those afflicted by the demonic, and restoration into community for themarginalised;

and opposition, up to and including persecution.

Moreover, these predictive assumptions are seen tohave been borne out in the life of the early church, as communities of faithstruggled to live faithfully (and let us not pretend that it was not astruggle).

Inthe UK church today, we have largely divorced faithfulness from anyconsequence. This is not to say thatfaith does not give birth to events – it clearly does, in many churches acrossthe nation who are engaging with the wider communities in which they are set –but that it is possible, and indeed commonplace, to imagine a faithfulnesswhich does not. We believe faithfulnessto exist as a thing unto itself. Assuch, the measure of faithfulness is not empirical, but defined by our ownbelief that we are faithful Christians. If our lives do not bear fruit, that is because we live in a societythat is apathetic towards the gospel. Ifour lives do not attract opposition and persecution, that is because we live ina society that is apathetic towards the gospel. And this may be true: but then, if apathy is the only response to the gospel,we must question the gospel being presented. And if we are faithful Christians – and I am sure that we are faithfulChristians – we must ask the question of ourselves: is our faithfulness thekind of faithfulness Jesus expects, or not?

Feast Of Saint Matthew

2011-09-21T11:39:00.000-07:00

Today is the Feast of St Matthew. We read about the day Jesus called thisdisciple to follow him, in Matthew 9:9-13. Matthew was a tax collector, who served Herod Antipas, the tetrarch ofGalilee (Herod’s father, Herod the Great, had been installed as client kingover Judea; but after his death his territory was divided between his heirs,none of whom were granted the title king). Herod’s tax centre was Capernaum, and therefore there were a communityof tax collectors based there.

Jesus comes to Matthew and calls him to stopserving a false king, and instead enter into the service of the true king. We know that Matthew sees Jesus as suchbecause the Gospel that bears his name begins with a genealogy tracing Jesus asa descendent of King David, a rightful heir to his throne.

The devout observers knew very well that HerodAntipas was not a true, Davidic, king. He was an imposter; and those who served him were unworthy. The irony was that, as those who knew Herodwas a false king, they failed to recognise the true king standing in theirmidst. He did not match theirexpectation of a true king, befriending those who served a false king insteadof condemning them, loving his enemies. Their own king was also false...in that theyplaced too great a weight on their incomplete image of God. God is Invisible. Yes, but now Revealed. God is Set Apart. Yes, but also moves in close, in Compassion. It wasn’t that they were wrong so much asthey were sure that their partial understanding was greater than it was, and assuch they weren’t open to it being expanded by paradox. Devout people haven’t changed. Rejoice in what you have been given, but don’tfall into the trap of turning gift into an idol.

There is a cost, to leaving behind and followingafter.

No-one gets to see God’s face and live. So God told Moses, whom he hid in a cleft inthe rock, covering his eyes with a divine hand until he had passed by, allowinga glimpse of his back as he moved on his way. Why? Not because our body couldnot take it – we were made for this;Matthew and his companions did - but becausethose who have not seen God’s face cannot bear the glory reflected in the faceof one who has. Jesus came among us,revealing the Unseen; and tradition tells us that every one of his firstdisciples were put to death. No-one getsto see God’s face and live. And sopeople will go to extraordinary lengths to not see God’s face, in a desperatebid to continue existing for as long as possible...

This quote seems appropriate for today:

“We will have to take risks, to chance failure, tobe willing to walk away from the familiar paths that have brought us to thispoint. It is clear that simply optingfor more of the same is not going to resolve our problems. We must be willing to dream again, toinnovate, and to risk rejection of peers who think that the status quo issufficient to the task.” (Frost andHirsch, Faith of Leap)

What false king do I need to leave behind today?

Am I willing to pay the price?

Who, in my community, am I bringing along with me?

Whosedisapproval has my decision won? (Ifno-one speaks ill of me, have I seen God’s face at all?)

Tell : Hear Again

2011-09-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

Mark 9:30-37

Jesus has drawn his disciples deeper into thestory of what it means to be fully human: to know that we are children of ourloving heavenly Father, with everything that is his at our disposal; and toreign as kings and queens exercising power and authority delegated to us by theKing of the Universe. He has taught themto use that power and authority to drive out unclean spirits, bringing freedomto the demonised, and sent them out (Mark 6:7) to do so. And they have. And then they come across a demon who defiesthem: not just a pair of them (Jesus sent his disciples out in pairs), but thecombined presence of nine of them. It isa moment of very public failure. Jesustakes them away from the public glare, and brings them back, once again, to thestory: they need to dig in to prayer, into intimacy with their Father; and theyneed to dig in to fasting, into exercising rule over, starting with their ownappetites.

But no sooner have they been brought back to thestory than they go forgetting it. Hot onthe heels of public failure, they get caught arguing over which of them is thegreatest. And yet again, Jesus bringsthem back to the story: they are not chosen, are not special, because of whatthey have done, but because they are God’s beloved children; they have not beengiven power and authority to be served, but to serve – not to add to theslavery that burdens those around them, but to set people free.

Jesus takes a child and stands with him in themiddle of the circle, calling them to repent and believe. To come back to the story, and live it out.

OnSunday I will be conducting a baptism: immersing a child into our story, thatthey might come to know and love the God who knows and loves them, and fightvaliantly as a faithful soldier of Christ against everything that opposesheaven’s life-giving reign throughout all their days. The readings will be from Psalm 145:1-8,which reminds us that it is our duty and our joy to pass the story of what Godhas done and his purposes for his creation on to the next generation; and Mark 9:30-37, which reminds us that we easily forget our story – are regularlytempted to exchange it for a lesser story, and so find ourselves enslaved, byfear or greed – and need those to whom we pass it on to remind us of it. Together, they describe a beautifulinter-dependent relationship, the heart of family as God hopes and dreams forit to be.

Dawkins Misses The Point, Again

2011-09-15T11:19:00.000-07:00

Richard Dawkins is publishing a book for children,to help debunk ignorant creation myths and replace them with the far grandertruth of science.

Yet again, Dawkins’ argument is breathtaking inits lack of self- and other-awareness.

For a start, Genesis chapter 1 is not a creation myth; it is a redemption myth, or story that transcendsthe time-and-place context in which it was first told. Obviously, from Dawkins’ perspective, perpetuatinga redemption myth is as stupid and ignorant as perpetuating a creation myth;but nonetheless he demonstrates his own lack of awareness of what he is lookingat, as much as the lack of awareness demonstrated by many of his critics.

True fundamentalist that he is, Dawkins also failsto accept that we all pass on to ourchildren the stories by which we find our identity, the identity in which wefind our security, the security which allows us to live confidently in a bigand wonderful and at times deeply troubling and uncontrollable world. The stories of science are also myths (storiesthat transcend the time-and-place context in which they were first told). Of course Dawkins believes that his myth isthe true myth, just as passionately as I believe that the myth I believe is thetrue myth. But this passion does not initself make either of us right. Nor ishis myth any less self-referential. For Dawkins,“You don’t believe that, do you?” isan adequate response to questioning: the self-evident measure of truth beingwhether or not we believe something to be true. At any rate, arguments about the truth of myths also miss the point, inthat all myths are selective in their concern. For example, the writers of the Bible take it as a given that Godcreated the heavens and the earth, but are not concerned with how he did so,and in this sense the biblical myth has no interest in the things that scienceaddresses. Likewise, the myth of sciencedoes not concern itself with a great many matters, which neither invalidatesthose things, nor invalidate science.

Dawkins is entitled to his myth, and I am entitledto mine. As they are the stories bywhich we navigate life, it would be both irresponsible and in fact impossiblefor us not to pass the story we inhabit on to our children. They are, in a very real sense, immersed inthose stories from birth, from before they can take them in. And children do not take anything in unquestioningly, but ask the most profound questions ofany myth – questions far moreprofound than any adult ever asks – and in this way they challenge us to takehold of our myth more fully, or loosen our grip on it on the way to searchingout a new story. Adults, religious or atheist,do not brainwash children; each, as much as the other, passes on what we believe,and in turn has what we believe renewed by our children’s response.

So Dawkinswill go on telling his story, and I will go on telling mine. We cannot do otherwise: it is what makes us, byincredible chance or incredible divine purpose, human.

Getting OUT More

2011-09-15T08:17:00.000-07:00

Local churches regularly look for ways to servethe wider community in which they are set. In my experience, the question they ask is, “What can we run that will meet a need?” The answer might be a cafe for the elderly,or a playgroup for preschoolers, or a debt advice centre, or any manner ofworthy things. Each of which come withexpenses: in volunteer hours, in plant (a building to maintain, a commercialkitchen to install), in running costs...expenses which are, in many cases, notviable...

At the same time, there are a great many communityprojects, some delivering frontline support services to the most vulnerablepeople in our communities, which depend on volunteers and are struggling todeliver because they cannot fill the necessary volunteer hours. If you live in the UK, you can findopportunities local to you here (with thanks to my wife for finding this site).

Why don’t churches ask the question, “What community service can we adopt, orpartner with?” more often? I thinkthere are a number of factors.

Firstly, I honestly believe that many of us havesomehow come to believe that if we don’t do the work in our name, it can’t bedone in God’s name. Perhaps, even, if wedon’t get the glory, God won’t get the glory. That we are patrons, rather than servants; that we are at the centre,rather than the margins; the powerful, rather than those who call the powerfulto use their influence for justice and not injustice.

Secondly, I think there is a genuine fear that ifwe don’t operate in our own name, we won’t be allowed to speak of Jesus, or wewill be on the receiving end of disciplinary action if we do. Such fear needs unpacking. There is the disciplinary action whichresults from prejudice in the name of Jesus, and it may be that God is perfectlycapable of using the law of the land to discipline (train, correct) his ownchildren. Then there is prejudiceagainst Christianity, which quite frankly needs to be stood up to: who are we,as sons and daughters of the King, to avoid a bully, when the perfect love ofour heavenly Father drives out fear? Wemay need to learn to serve others because in so doing we are serving Jesus, andtrusting God to give us opportunity to speak of him when asked by a Person ofPeace. We also need to learn to beserved by a Person of Peace, in whom we see – if we have eyes to see – Jesus servingus, as opposed to thinking that we have the monopoly on servant-hearted witnessto the heart of God the Father as revealed by Jesus.

Thirdly, many of us have buildings the existenceof which cannot be justified by worship services alone. We want our buildings to be used through theweek – and that may well be appropriate. Sometimes we can meet a genuine need that way. Sometimes we could offer our premises as abase for someone else to operate from, in partnership with us. And yes, several churches have run intodifficulty in this area (in particular where church halls have been opened tocommunity management in such a way that has led to the congregation being excludedfrom use of their own building; though this is likely the result of poor legaladvice at the outset), which should give rise to wisdom, but not a retreat intounilateralism.

Where we have small congregations burdened withthe repair of old edifices, we might do better to sell the building. Where, at present, our volunteer hours areconsumed by the church – in hope of drawing people in – we might considerlooking outward to the community, as a way of releasing transformation in alight-weight and low-maintenance and therefore sustainable way. Where, at present, individual members of thechurch might give external volunteer hours in isolation, we might considercommitting to a particular project as a group big enough to make a difference.

Doesthis resonate at all? Does anyone havestories to share of how the OUT-ward dimension of their faith community’s lifehas found expression by becoming more fully members of the wider community inwhich God has placed you?

Put In My Place

2011-09-14T06:03:00.000-07:00

The Chief Rabbi On Prayer

2011-09-14T04:05:00.000-07:00

On holiday in August, I read two wonderfulbooks. One was Jo Saxton’s book Influential. The other was ‘Understanding Jewish Prayer’ byChief Rabbi Sir Jonathan Sacks (in TheAuthorised Daily Prayer Book of the United Hebrew Congregations of theCommonwealth). Here are someexcerpts from Sacks:

‘In prayer we speak to a presence vaster than theunfathomable universe, yet closer to us than we are to ourselves: the GODbeyond who is also the Voice within. Though language must fail when we try to describe a Being beyond allparameters of speech, language is all we have, and it is enough. For GOD who made the world with creativewords, and who revealed His will through holy words, listens to our prayerfulwords. Language is the bridge joining usto Infinity.’

‘Through Torah, GOD speaks to us. Praying, we speak. Studying, we listen.’

‘Faith lives in these two acts of listening: oursto the call of GOD, GOD’s to the cry of humankind.’

‘...why pray? The classic Jewish answer is simple but profound. Without a vessel to contain a blessing, therecan be no blessing. If we have no receptacleto catch the rain, the rain may fall, but we will have none to drink. If we have no radio receiver, the sound waveswill flow, but we will be unable to convert them into sound. GOD’s blessings flow continuously, but unlesswe make ourselves into a vessel for them, they will flow elsewhere. Prayeris the act of turning ourselves into a vehicle for the Divine.’

‘Prayerchanges the world because it changes us. At its height, it is a profoundly transformative experience. If we have truly prayed, we come in thecourse of time to know that the world was made, and we were made, for a purpose;that GOD, though immeasurably vast, is also intensely close; that “though myfather and mother may reject me, GOD will gather me in”; that GOD is with us inour efforts, and that we do not labour in vain. We know too that we are part of the community of faith, and with us arefour thousand years of history, and the prayers and hopes of those who camebefore us. However far we feel from GOD,He is there behind us, and all we have to do is turn to face Him. Faith is born and lives in prayer, and faithis the antidote to fear: “The LORD is the stronghold of my life – of whom shallI be afraid?”

It makes a difference to be brushed by the wingsof eternity. Regular thrice-daily prayerworks on us in ways not immediately apparent. As the sea smoothes the stone, as the repeated hammer-blows of thesculptor shape the marble, so prayer – cyclical, tracking the rhythms of timeitself – gradually wears away the jagged edges of our character, turning itinto a work of devotional art. We beginto see beauty in the created world. Welocate ourselves as part of the story of our people. Slowly, we come to think less of the “I”,more of the “We”; less of what we lack than of what we have; less of what weneed from the world, more of what the world needs from us. Prayer is less about getting what we wantthan about learning what to want. Ourpriorities change; we become less angular; we learn the deep happiness thatcomes from learning to give praise and thanks. The world we build tomorrow is born in the prayers we say today.’

JonathanSacks has also written one of the most insightful reflections on 9/11, here.

Restlessness

2011-09-14T03:58:00.000-07:00

The greatest moral failing of church leaders inthe UK is their refusal to rest. Are wereally more indispensible than God? Theproblem is endemic. If it were thoughtto be endemic that church leaders were shagging their neighbour’s wife/husband,or embezzling the collection, there would be an insistence, by both clergy andlaity, that things needed to be addressed. But the endemic state of restlessness is accepted as a given; and even (andespecially by bishops) held up as a virtue.

Cart Before Horse?

2011-09-14T03:57:00.000-07:00

Don’t wait until you have gathered a criticalmass of people who will follow before turning to raising up leaders. Critical masses will be, well, critical. Those equipped to be leaders will go lookingfor followers.

The Good News

2011-09-13T11:10:00.000-07:00

This is the good news: you were created to knowthat you are a son or daughter of your heavenly Father; and to exerciselife-affirming rule as a king or queen in this world, delegated to you by theKing of the Universe.

If you don’t recognise that, if that is not yourexperience, you need to be set free. Perhaps you have never known freedom; or perhaps you have known freedomin the past, but somewhere along the line you have been taken captive – by fear,or hurt, or jealousy, or the false promises of wealth or importance – and haveforgotten who you were created to be, what you were created for. To a greater or lesser degree, every one ofus needs to be set free, again and again: this is not an in/out divide.

Again and again the Bible records how God comes toset people free – from slavery in Egypt, from idolatry in Israel, from exile inBabylon, from impending destruction by Rome (that Prophet was thrown out of the city and killed) – and restorethem to their rightful place in his vision for the world. And the ultimate expression of this comingand setting people free, to set others free, is found in the person of Jesus.

This is our story:the story in which we find our identity:the identity in which we find security,in an uncertain world: the security which enables us to live confidently, in uncertain times.

You may have heard other accounts. That the Gospel is about forgiveness,perhaps. The Gospel includes forgiveness (it is a key by which we are set free, bywhich we set others free); but a Gospel offorgiveness is at best incomplete – we are not only set free from slavery, but set free for sonship and kingship – and at worsta gospel of sin-management rather than transformation. Or perhaps you were told that the Gospel isan invitation into heaven. And it is,but not as an other-worldly other-timely promise: it is the invitation andchallenge to step-into the kingdom of heaven – the sphere of God’s reign – in thisworld today, and to extend it, driving back all rival claims, andinviting/challenging others to do the same.

Itis about time we rediscovered the Good News.

Fairytales

2011-09-13T05:20:00.000-07:00

Fairytales are the highest form of allegory of theChristian life to emerge within Christendom.* I wonder what the highest form of allegory of the Christian life toemerge within post-Christendom will be?

*Consider Rapunzel, as an allegory of Christ and humanity. A beautiful princess is held captive by awicked witch, who tricked her parents into handing her over. A prince comes to rescue her; and woos herfor her love. But the witch pushes himfrom the tower window; he falls to the ground, where his eyes are blinded bythe thorns. He then re-climbs the tower,and his sight is healed when the princess’ tears fall on his face. The witch is over-thrown, and the prince andprincess go off together. And here, fairytalestraditionally gloss a premature Ending, with the phrase “And they lived happilyever after.” Of course, what follows isnot an empty life of leisure (and perhaps it was such a life modelled byprinces and princesses which gave rise to the gloss), but the day-to-day lifeof ruling over the kingdom in such a way that goodness continues to triumphover evil. Because the princess is setfree to be a princess: one who shares in reigning.

Consider Beauty & the Beast, as an allegory ofChrist and humanity. A handsome princeis held captive by a curse which mars his nature, until such time as someonefreely falls in love with him as he has become. Despite his own efforts to hide from the world, a vulnerable girl meetshim and, at great cost to herself – for in choosing him she will lose the lifeshe has always known – comes to love him. Her kiss breaks the spell; his true nature and identity is revealed; hereturns to claim his rightful throne, and she shares the rule of the kingdomwith him.

ConsiderCinderella or Sleeping Beauty or – just go consider the fairytale; the highestform of allegory of the Christian life to emerge within Christendom. We were created to rule; and Christ came toset us free to take up the rule which had been taken from us.

Going For Growth

2011-09-13T04:17:00.000-07:00

My bishop has asked the churches he has oversightof to address three questions, one of which is “How can we grow numerically?” He has also given a clue to where they mightlook, that this question is one of leadership.

I have no doubt that we need to look at the formand content of our corporate worship services; to ask whether they might bemore accessible; to ensure that they acknowledge a range of personalities (thediversity with which God has created us), and spiritualities (the diversitywith which God has shared insights into his nature among his people) – while alsorecognising that no one local church can or should attempt to reflect thesediversities too fully. I have no doubtthat we must continually negotiate the balance between upholding tradition (theantidote to the arrogance which thinks we supersede what has gone before) andletting-go of tradition (the antidote to the arrogance which thinks we havealready arrived at perfection); and in this way live in the creative tension of imbalance within necessary parameters, bywhich life can give birth to life. Butthese things in themselves will not result in numerical growth.

We need to raise up leaders, equip people toinvite others to follow them. We need tomake disciples, who can make disciples, who can make disciples. We need to teach people to do the thingsJesus did – ushering-in the kingdom ofGod, breaking-out against the kingdom of the usurper-prince of this world –for the reasons Jesus did those things – toset the sons and daughters of our Father in Heaven free to take up theirvocation to be kings and queens of this world under the King of the Universe,to his eternal glory, in which we get to share.

Howdo we do that? It will help to havesimple tools, and for me the best simple tools I know are those found in “Building A Discipling Culture” (which is newly available in eBook formats). But in part how we do that will depend on ourown role, on whether we are an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor or ateacher. So for me personally, it beginswith confronting our assumptions as to what it means to be Christian, andpainting an alternative future to be stepped-into...

Vocational Crisis

2011-09-11T15:27:00.000-07:00

The other day I attended an event aimed at helpingpeople – in particular, though not exclusively, those at school – explore theirChristian vocation; an event which confirmed for me my belief that we arecoming up with creative new answers to old questions, when in fact we need tocome up with new questions.

At this event, several theological colleges wererepresented, from across the theological spectrum, and offering an increasingmix of modes of training. Alsorepresented were several para-church Christian organisations and missionsocieties, all of which are looking to recruit the next generation. There was opportunity to find out about waysin which you could be trained and licensed for lay ministry within the church;or explore spiritual direction; or become a third order Religious. Or you might pick up a copy of the Church ofEngland magazine ‘VOCATIONS: is God calling you into ordained ministry? Information for young people thinking aboutbecoming a priest in the Church of England.’

There were, as I noted above, a diverse set ofanswers to an old question, answers which have been adapted (more, or less,successfully) for a new context. The questionis, in essence: how do we validate vocation, and create ways for it to beexpressed? But behind the question liesan assumption: the assumption that vocation refers to a particular type of calling, a calling to servewithin particular roles – the clergy, the missionary, the church worker – acalling that applies to the few. And onthe basis of that assumption, we deny (whether we intend to or not) the callingof everyone else, and we compete for the Chosen, and we push anyone whoexpresses a seriousness about following Christ into a very narrow mould whichremoves them from the places where those who most need them live out theirlives. We might even suggest that theyserve a gap-year – national service for the kingdom of heaven – before (orafter – after all, we’re being creative) getting on with a career.

What we need are new questions, based on adifferent assumption: on the assumption that everyone has a vocation – that each one of us has been made by God tobe a unique someone and to do particular things as well as things common toothers. That we are all called, and need to learn to discern our calling in theworld.

As I see it, my calling is to a large degree tohelp other people to discover and grow in their calling.

So, here are some questions that we might ask:

What subjects do you enjoy engaging with? What are you naturally good at? Which teachers engaged and inspired you (werea Person of Peace to you)?

God does ask us to do things we don’t want to do,in order to help us grow to maturity; in order that we do not end up spoiltbrats, lacking the strength of character to stand up to hardship. But God does not go looking in the recessesof your mind to find the thing you most fear he might ask you to do, the thingthat goes against how he made you, and decide to make you do that. God is not a monster. But if that is what you believe, please do mea favour: please don’t talk to anyone about God. Ever.

And then, within any calling, there are differentways of expressing that calling, different ways of contributing, according tohow God has created us. So:

Do you come alive at the thought of pioneeringinto as-yet uncharted territory for your discipline, pushing back boundaries orexpanding into new places? Do youimagine going beyond where others have gone? (You might be an apostle.)

Do you come alive at the thought that your chosenwork environment or community or world might be a more just, fairer, or morecreative place; might encompass a broader and deeper and fuller imagination andexperience of the kingdom of God? Do youdream of challenging the status quo? (You mightbe a prophet.)

Do you come alive at the thought of recruitingothers to your cause or spreading the word regarding good news, whatever thatmight be in your sphere of interest? (You mightbe an evangelist.)

Do you come alive at the thought of humanisingwhatever field you find yourself drawn to, so that the person is not lost sightof in the pursuit of principles or the demands of tasks? (You might be a pastor.)

Do you come alive at the thought of trainingothers, of passing-on the on-going learning of those who have gone before, andof raising-up the next generation who will take your place? (You might be a teacher.)

Every sphere of endeavour humanity has turned ourhands to – the arts and the sciences, the theoretical and the practical – inthe fulfilment of our being created in the image of a creator God needs thecontributions of all five of these different types of people. (Including that very peculiar calling to beordained within the Church of England: can you guess what type of person I am?)

Youngpeople need to help to navigate their vocation. Plenty of other people will give them grounds to do so: potential fameor wealth or power spring to mind. Thechurch can help us discover what God has planned for us. Or we can abdicate that responsibility, andconcern ourselves only with securing our own future...which would be a sure-fireway of consigning our future to hell by degrees...

Christian Remembering

2011-09-11T06:37:00.000-07:00

Christian remembering is a two-fold action: involvingsomething we choose to do; and something we allow to be done to us, because wecannot do it for ourselves. It finds itsultimate symbolic expression in the Eucharist* where:

(i) we recall Jesus’ death, and so bring the pastinto the present; and

(ii) Jesus re-membershis broken body (and so brings the future into the present), a body broken notonly by the sin that separates us but also by such things as geographical andtemporal and cultural distance, which are not at all sinister in themselves butwhich potentially create room in which sin can be nurtured.

This is the patternfor all Christian remembering: we chooseto bring the past into the present, not in order to keep old wounds fresh, butin order that broken or divided communities may be put together – in order thatreconciliation can take place and healing can flow – and in this task we need towelcome a mediator, a minister of reconciliation.

There is no point inrecalling the events of 9/11 – or any of the global events that have takenplace since – unless we are also willing to embrace reconciliation. But we must also be honest enough torecognise that reconciliation is hard – how, for example, might the wife and themistress of a man who died on 9/11 be reconciled to one another in theirshared, albeit complex, loss? – and that we need someone else to help us...justas we, in turn, might have to be the minister of reconciliation for someoneelse.

At the tenthanniversary of 9/11 we ought to ask, how long must we go on rememberingsomething so awful? The Christian answeris not “Forever: we must never forget!” (for such a memory resists its healing)but “Until the last person divided from their neighbour by this event has beenrestored to the human family.” That willtake a long time, but it should not take forever.

*Eucharistderives from the Greek for ‘to give thanks’ and anchors the act of remembrance inJesus’ choice, in the face of death, to give thanks for God’s provision of thedaily ‘stuff’ of life, and to honour it with the gift of pointing to life thatovercomes death.