You Give It All But I Want More

Prayer has been a hot topic recently. Since the collapse of Fabrice Muamba in the midst of the Tottenham-Bolton FA Cup match last Saturday, the usually "earthly" world of football has been full of people declaring that they are praying for Muamba, and imploring the rest of us to do the same. Jermain Defoe, Stuart Holden, Kyle Walker and even Wayne Rooney have taken to twitter to announce that they are praying for him ... I wonder if the Almighty has a Twitter account?

Its got me thinking about prayer, and my prayer in particular. Praying for others, the sick, the poor, the oppressed is something we are all called to do, along with doing whatever we can to help them of course. But how often are our prayers little more than shopping lists of things that make our life easier - trivial things, like being able to find a parking space when we go shopping, or not getting held up in a traffic jam on my way home for work.... are these really the things that we should be praying about?

After all, this its the Almighty, All-powerful creator God we are talking to when pray. The God who, even in creating us, has given us more than we deserve. The God who, while we were sinners, sent his only son to die on a cross for us, the God who, in a very real way has given us everything we have, everything he has even.... and yet we still want more from him. We still bother him with our trivial requests, we still bombard him with our shopping lists, we still talk at him, and often don't give time for him to speak back... is this really what God wants from our prayers?

And yet, perhaps he does. After all, at least in these prayers we are acknowledging him, we are recognising that he is the one that does provide all good things for us, his children. If its a choice between listening to our requests and demands for more, more, more, and silence on our part, I wonder if he'd prefer to hear those demands, particularly if we are open to hearing him reply, to acknowledging him when he does respond, even if that response isn't necessarily the one we want.

I will watch the outcome of the Muamba situation with interest. Obviously it is my hope and prayer that he will recover. But equally, if he does, I'll be interested to see who gets the credit. Along with the inevitable, and no doubt well deserved plaudits for doctors, paramedics and medical staff, will we see Defoe, Holden, Rooney et al. give the glory to Almighty God for answering their prayers? 

We Get to Carry Each Other...

NOTE: THIS BLOG WAS WRITTEN BEFORE THE NEWS OF HIS RETIREMENT WAS PUBLISHED - IN FACT, IT WAS AS I WENT TO LOOK FOR A PICTURE TO ILLUSTRATE IT THAT I SPOTTED THE NEWS... I HAVE LEFT WHAT WAS WRITTEN UNCHANGED.   

I have to admit, I haven't always been the biggest fan of Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams. I don't agree with some of the things he says, and I have a number of issues with various parts of the church of which he is the head. I'm sure that doesn't bother him greatly... and I'm sure if I ever got the chance he'd happily debate those issues with me and explain why he thinks I'm wrong, probably with a lot more grace and humility than I would manage in explaining my position to him.

The thing is, even though I do disagree with him on some issues, there is one thing at least in which I agree wholeheartedly with him, which is the need for the church, and for individuals within the church to recognise their many faults and failings, to recognise that, as they get things wrong, it is God who puts things right again, and above all to work together for His greater purposes. I came across this quote which says it much better than I can:-

"The church is holy not because it is a gathering of the good and the well-behaved, but because it speaks of the triumph of grace in the coming together of strangers and sinners who, miraculously, trust one another enough to join in common repentance and common praise—to express a deep and elusive unity in Jesus Christ, who is our righteousness and sanctification. Humanly speaking, holiness is always like this: God’s endurance in the middle of our refusal of him, his capacity to meet every refusal with the gift of himself."

Its not that I think differences in doctrine, in belief, in church practice don't matter - I think these things are very important. But in comparison to the truth the we are all sinners, who all need the redeeming power of God's love and grace, all the time, in everything we do, then these things pale into insignificance.

We have our differences, and will continue to do so. Those differences may be large scale differences between "denominations", or on a much smaller scale, differences of opinion within an individual congregation (no doubt many people have heard the "joke" that if you've got 3 Baptists in a room, you'll have at least 4 different opinions on any issue...) But thats OK - there's nothing wrong with differences of opinion, until those differences become divisions.

As long as we are able to put those things aside, to come together to worship and listen to the God who made each and everyone of us in his image, and to love, cherish and help each other in the difficult times, then those differences can actually make us stronger, as we grow and learn and change together.

I think Archbishop Williams would agree - and I respect him for that, even as I disagree on other issues. 

The Wire Is Stretched In Between our Two Towers

There are times when the Christian life feels very much like walking a tightrope. I'm sure it comes about in any number of different ways, but there is one tightrope in particular that I'm currently trying to negotiate...

On one hand, I know that as Christians we are told very strongly not to judge others (because if we do, we come under God's judgement ourselves), and we are told not to worry about the specks in someone else's eye and instead to worry about the log in our own. We know that we are all sinners, everyone of us, and that all sins are the same in God's eyes, and therefore we have no right, no place to judge other people.

But then, as God's people, and particularly as the community of his believers that is the Church, we are called to be holy, to live according to his ways, not to conform to the ways of the world, to try even as we know we will fail, to live up to the sinless life of Jesus who is our role-model. And part of that has to be for the community to stand together and say that actually, this action or that action is wrong, even if society as a whole is trying to tell us that its okay, to make it clear that God's way, God's perfect plan, is different to the worldly way and we want to live it.

The tightrope then to walk is the fine balance in the middle - being able to stand up and say, and say it clearly, that there is an absolute standard of right and wrong in this world, and actually, none of us live up to it. But at the same time, because none of us can live up to it, we need to recognise those that are trying, despite their sinfulness. We need to accept them, to welcome them, to love them, as the precious children of God that they are, even if there are aspects of their life that we just can't agree with - because actually, even if we don't like it, there are aspects of my life that God wouldn't agree with, and it doesn't matter what the respective items are, they're all the same to Him.

I don't want a church which ignores peoples' sin, a church which refuses to stand up and say that something is wrong, and actually, I don't think we do anyone any favours if we pretend that everything is alright and that actually anything goes. But equally, I don't want a church you can only be a member of once you've got your life in order, sorted everything out and have no issues left - it would be a pretty small church and I know I wouldn't be allowed in!

Above all, we need to recognise that God deals with us as individuals, he leads us on in our Christian journey and deals with sin in the way that is best for us, not for people around us. Our place is to stand alongside our brothers and sisters and help them as God gently leads them on, to love them, sinners just like us, even as we hate their sins, remembering all the while that next time, it might just us that needs their love.

I came across this quote from Adrian Plass the other day which sums the tightrope walk up in a way I could never manage...

"For those engaged on the journey of life there are three options. On one side are the impassable rocks and mountains of the law. No good taking that route. It's too difficult and you won't, can't make it. On the other side is the swamp of licence. It looks okay on the surface, but try going that way and you'll sink down and suffocate and die.

Right down the middle runs the narrow path of grace, a way that springs from the undeserved kindness of God, and is individually designed for each persion who needs it.... Grace is creative, relational, constructive, surprising and redemptive, and each of us is responsible for offering it to the people we encounter."

I Have Run, I Have Walked

Well, we've had a good weekend.... although in one way it has been a sad weekend. Good because Sarah and I have had enjoyed a lovely weekend of walking, with great weather, fabulous terrain and a really relaxing time, but sad because I've had to say farewell to a pair of faithful friends...

Yes, after 12 years and an unknown number of miles, on Saturday, 6 miles through our 11 mile walk, just as we approached the hostelry chosen for our lunch, the sole of my left boot decided to come away from the rest... and started flapping around and catching on the floor with every step taken.  What should we do, we wondered? After all, we were about as far from the start and end point as we were going to be, and whilst we had completed the relaxing stroll along the river we had planned to get ourselves going, we still had the more challenging trip back, over the hills to go -- and we were looking forward to the change of scenery. 

A bandaged boot...

A Steak and Onion baguette was beckoning, so we decided to worry about the boot after lunch. The barman informed us (wrongly as it turns out) that there were no buses on Saturday from there, so we had to choose either to fix the boot somehow, or spend a large amount of money on a taxi back to Ross on Wye, abandoning the second half of the walk and somewhat reducing the success of our walking weekend.

After some discussion, we decided to see what we could manage with the bandage from the first aid kit.... so after a little bit of trial and error from Sarah, the boot was "fixed", and we set off again, albeit with the taxi company phone number stored in the phone and a contingency route decided on to get us back to the road if things got worse. 

On we went, and actually, apart from a slightly hairy moment when the reduced grip made walking down hill on a concrete path a little slippery, I was doing okay. I actually started to think we would make it.... and then, the sole of my right boot started to flap, this time coming away from the rear... 

As we were on a footpath, midway between somewhere tiny and somewhere even smaller, we had no choice but to keep going, all the while looking out for a way back to the road, but wanting to keep on going, not to have to give up. There was no more bandages, and no way to fix the second boot, so I had to keep going with the flapping sole making walking a little uncomfortable. 

The further we went, the worse the flapping got, but the more I wanted to keep going... I decided I really didn't want to be beaten. Finally we came the point of no return. Two and a half miles from the end, we could either follow the road the rest of the way back, or complete the walk with the "big" hill that was at the end. The sensible option would be to stick to the road, but would I really be satisfied with that. Sarah was very good and left the choice to me, but eventually I decided that I wasn't going to beaten, so up and over we went...

It was hard, hard on my legs, hard on the bandage still holding the left boot (which started all these problems) together and hard on my increasingly dilapidated right boot. So hard in fact that somewhere halfway up the hill, the entire sole came off, and I found myself walking with little more than a piece of cardboard between my foot and the path!

and a sole-less one....

But little more could be done, and we walked on, down the other side of the hill and back into the town, where a walking shop (in fact the same one where the now destroyed and useless boots were purchased) enabled me to buy a new pair, so that we could actually continue our walking weekend properly. And so, not wanting to carry a useless pair of boots any further than we had to, my trusty old boots ended their life in a public bin, just outside the shop from which they were first bought, 12 years later...

The new boots were great, and although I probably walked a little too far in new boots today (and have the blisters to prove it), I was pleased with them. But even more so, I was pleased we had kept going, not given in and turned back, or taken the easy option, because the reward, and in particular the satisfaction of having completed the planned walk, despite the obstacles, made the pain and difficulty worthwhile. 

Paul commonly describes the Christian life as a race, but I like to think a cross country walk is as good an analogy, particularly one like this one with its many obstacles and difficulties. Like in Paul's race, we have to keep pressing forward, our eyes on the goal. The prize is not just the satisfaction of getting to the end, but instead those words of praise from our heavenly master "Well done, good and faithful servant!" a reward worth far more to me than any pain or difficulty along the way - and a much more worthwhile end than being unceremoniously dumped in the public bin!

Get On Your Boots!

I'm looking forward to this weekend. For the first time in a long, possibly even since our six-year-old was born, Sarah and I are getting out into the countryside, just the two of us, with walking boots on, for a proper walk.

A chance to refresh, to recharge batteries after the long slog from Christmas, which has been more than a little bit busy, what with annual accounts, settling a second minister, as well as the numerous little bits of "real world", such as my day job, which inconveniently intrude into my time! But most of all, a chance to marvel in the wonder of creation and to see the brilliance of God's handiwork up close.

Now, I know the theological world can't agree on whether the natural world is an advertisment for God's existence, or whether we see God's hand at work in the natural world because he has revealed himself to us. I'm sure this is of huge importance to theologians, and no doubt Keith Neville will delight at some point in explaining to me why this is!

But for me, going into this weekend, the important thing is that God is there, in the beauty of his world, and that I am going to have the opportunity to experience it for myself. For once, even the rational, logical thinking machine that is me is looking forward just to experiencing things, without necessarily needing to understand, to taking pleasure in the good things of the world without worrying about the implications for the future, and perhaps above all, just to relaxing.

Of course, normal service will be resumed next week (with a presentation to Church Meeting, with terms and conditions of appointment to sort, and a whole host of other things brewing in the wings), so this is a much needed break for us both, at just the right time... and who knows, perhaps it will lead to new insights and some new blog postings? Maybe when I get back the theology of it all will interest me (well, it might!), But for now, I'm going to be content to enjoy my break, and celebrate the greatness of My God...

---

Oh Lord my God! When I in awesome wonder
Consider all the works thy hand hath made,
I see the stars, I hear the mighty thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed;

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!

When through the woods and forest glades I wander
and hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees;
when I look down from lofty mountain grandeur,
and hear the brook, and feel he gentle breeze;

And when I think that God his son not sparing,
Sent him to die - I scarce can take it in,
That on the cross my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin:

When Christ shall come with shout of acclamation
And take me home- what joy shall fill my heart!
Then I shall bow in humble adoration
And there proclaim, my God, how great thou art!

Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art!
Then sings my soul, my Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, how great Thou art! 

Where You Live Should Not Decide Whether You Live Or Whether You Die

I've left it a bit late to comment, but its currently Fairtrade Fortnight, so I thought it was worthwhile taking the time to encourage people to "Take a Step for Fairtrade" this year.

The campaign is trying to encourage everyone - people and organisations - to make at least one small change in their shopping habits, and / or to do something to encourage everyone to get involved in Fairtrade in some way...

I think its actually a great campaign idea. The idea that lots of people, doing one small thing, can change the world is a positive one, and its not to difficult to find something we can all do to help. At the end of the day, the few extra pennies for the Fairtrade bananas, or the fairtrade coffee actually makes a huge difference to peoples lives.

For me, doing the right thing on this is an important part of my faith. Trying (as much as is possible in our western "civilisation") to live my life in a way which doesn't create or exacerbate poverty and misery for others is a vital part of "acting justly and loving mercy" - and accepting that there is a price to pay for that, that the lives of others are more important than a few extra pennies in my pocket is an important part of "walking humbly with your God".

The good thing is, Fairtrade is a big thing now. The days where buying Fairtrade coffee meant you were going to get a sub-standard cup are thankfully over (in fact, my favourite espresso coffee, from a company called "Grumpy Mule" is a fairly traded, organically farmed, coffee from the Highlands of Sumatra... and its really nice!) More and more fairly traded chocolate products are available, and fruit juices, sugar, baked goods... the list is nearly endless. And the instead of only being available direct from the manufacturers, from stalls in churches and from niche health food stores are also over - now fairly traded produce can be purchased from all major supermarkets - in fact Sainsburys now only stock Fairly traded bananas - which is a huge step forward (if you must eat that poisonous fruit!)

So, this is me, taking a step, encouraging you all to take a step - try something new Fairtrade this week and be part, in a small way, of making the world a better place! 

The Crumbs from Your Table

I'm not a great one for liturgy. Its probably a remnant of my early days in the Methodist church, where the use of liturgy for significant services, and particularly Communion meant that, too often, these special sacramental God moments, these spaces where we should be able to open ourselves to God moving in our lives become lost in the repetitive reading of words so well known that they are said without thinking.

Its not that liturgy is without its place, and please don't hear me wrong - I'm sure some people find liturgy and structured services a great blessing and a real aid to worship. Its just, usually, it doesn't really help me.

But one thing has stuck with me from my Methodist Days, a prayer from the Communion service which really speaks to me everytime I hear the words.... a prayer which has its origins back in the 16th Century Book of Common Prayer - the prayer known as the "Prayer of Humble Access", which reads (in contemporary English!)

"We do not presume to come to your table, merciful Lord, trusting in our own goodness, but in your all-embracing love and mercy. We are not worthy even to gather up the crumbs under your table, but it is your nature always to have mercy. So feed us with the body and blood of Jesus Christ, your Son, that we may forever live in him and he in us. Amen."

I can;t help but read this prayer (or say it) and see myself, being picked up from the dust and dirt under the table, and given a seat at the table - taking part in the feast, even though I really don't deserve to be there. I've always loved this is a way of seeing just how much we are offered by him, because of his mercy, love and grace.

But there's more to it than just a picture of how God treats me. This prayer contains a picture of God's character - all-embracing love and mercy. And if thats how he is, then as we, as individuals and as churches wrestle with the messyness of real life, and the messyness of our society, we need to remember always that we should be the reflection of God's character here on earth... we should people who, having received his love, mercy and grace let that flow through us to the world.

A Place that Has to Believed To Be Seen

It has been a good week. A long, busy, stressful, exciting, busy, difficult, fun, amazing, busy, interesting, incredible, busy week. And did I mention, its been quite busy too! But most importantly, its been a week in which we have seen God move, seen his power at work in amazing ways, and caught just a tiny glimpse of the plans he has for the community that is Queens Road Baptist Church.... wow!

For those of you who don't know, the church has been embarked on a search for a second minister, a search which has lasted, (on and off) for over two years, but which, finally, and with much thankfulness, we concluded this week, with an overwhelming majority agreeing with the proposal of the diaconate to issue a call, and the acceptance of that call by our new second minister. 

As you can probably imagine, the process has been difficult. Anyone who is, or has been involved in the leadership of a Baptist church (and in most Baptist churches, that's most people!) will no doubt have their own memories of the so-called "settlement" (or is that "un-settlement") process - not a straightforward process in any sense, but in this case, things were made more even more difficult by the fact that, after a couple of false starts, the candidate who looked most promising, who eventually accepted the call this week, was coming from outside the process... leading to much pulling of hair, gnashing of teeth and wailing.

From the outset, we knew this wasn't going to be an easy trip - but we were encouraged to keep going, because at every step of the journey, the fact that this was the right person, God's person, for the job was clear, and the thing that gave us hope was that, at each step, more and more people were seeing this, more and more people were catching the vision, more and more people were becoming open to the fact that yes, this was what God was looking to do, here and now. And so, when the votes were counted, an amazing 89% in favour, that was when all the time, effort and energy that had gone into getting things this far became worthwhile.

But this isn't about me.... its not about how busy I've been, not really. This is about people being open to God, genuinely listening to him, putting aside their own feelings and choosing to do what he wants. Its about listening to the people who have been called to leadership roles - not blindly following them, but trusting that they are listening to God and seeking to do the right things. Its about people genuinely wanting to see God doing a great thing here in Coventry, and wanting, longing, for our community to be a part of it. Its about the church family coming together, moving forward, accepting that God's ways are higher, greater, more mysterious than ours, and that the things he calls us to do are not always safe but recognising that, above all, he is good, and the things he calls us to are good. 

If people weren't willing to believe that, this would have been a very different blog entry, so now we are standing, not at the end of a difficult settlement process, but at the start of something new - and its going to be an exciting place to be!