Pilgrims in Culture

Christians have for centuries tried to understand their relationship with the world around them. From the early church period when Roman believers grappled with whether they should attend the Colisium; to twentieth century Christians deciding if they should go to the cinema. From third world disciples of Jesus working through the implications of ancestral worship to technological savvy believers deciding how to use Facebook and Twitter

Jesus said that we are not 'of' the world even as he is not of the world, (John 17:16) the Message translation puts it like this: 'they are no more defined by the world then I am defined by the world.' There seems to be two extreme reactions taken by Christians to this question; firstly to become so involved in culture that there is no discernable difference to the world around. The other extreme would to become so seperate from others that there would be no realistic hope of connection to those around

Christians can be seen to be embedded in the world but pilgrims in culture. We live lives that are fully human; with the same needs of food, water, shelter, relationships, etc as everyone else. However we are not just believers in Jesus but those who have 'Christ in you the hope of glory.' (Colossians 1:27) We are the same as everyone else but also different, we are ordinary but also extraordinary

Perhaps Jesus made it clear for us in how do decide to be in the world but not of the world. He said the following, 'As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.' (John 17:14-18) Living in the world as missionary agents will give us a very different perspective than believing that we are to simply to 'hold the fort for I am coming' to quote the hymn writer. One sees the role of the Christian as those who have a kingdom mission to transform lives, families, communities, nations and all of creation. The other views our role as simply to hang on in the midst of the battle until Jesus returns to take us to heaven

I know which I would rather pursue

The Rest of My Life

What do I want to give myself to for the rest of my life? I have a finite time, not an unlimited period, but an unknown number of years, months, days, hours and seconds. What will I do, where will I go, how will I spend my money, will I use my time wisely? What is the over arching purpose of my life that will give clarity to all the other questions?

Matthew 6:33 says Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness 

Sounds easy!

The Cobra Effect and Unintended Consequences for the Church

The term 'cobra effect' stems from an anecdote set at the time of British rule of colonial India. The British government was concerned about the number of venomous cobra snakes in Delhi. The government therefore offered a bounty for every dead cobra. Initially this was a successful strategy as large numbers of snakes were killed for the reward. Eventually, however, enterprising persons began to breed cobras for the income. When the government became aware of this, the reward program was scrapped, causing the cobra breeders to set the now-worthless snakes free. As a result, the wild cobra population further increased. The apparent solution for the problem made the situation even worse.

In the social sciences, unintended consequences are outcomes that are not the ones foreseen and intended by a particular action. Some of the unintended consequences should have and could have been anticipated but were missed due to lack of foresight, incompetence, wilful neglect or undue haste

Perhaps the likely consequences that result from a particular action have changed; we cannot presume that because consequences could sometimes be easily predicted in the past, that it will always be the same. Results that have been obvious and predictable for many years start to lead to totally different outcomes, this can be very difficult to deal with

This issue could help us to ask important questions about the church:

Could the consequences of building chapels all over Wales be that the church's approach to mission  has become static and fixed rather than mobile and outward looking?

Could the focus on church meetings as the way to preach the gospel lead to a church that expects people to come to them rather than to 'Go and make disciples of all nations'?

Could the desire to have equiped ministers actually end up with disempowered congregations?

Could the consequences of only allowing trained ministers to baptise and to take communion lead to the congregation never trying to obey the great commission?

The big question that follows is 'what can I do about it?'

Permanence and Change

On a train ride to Manchester earlier in the year I saw a huge warehouse, probable built in the nineteenth century, that had a huge sign 'Railway Warehouse' built in white brick as part of the wall. Clearly the builders, architects and those who commissioned the building never anticipated that it may one day be used for a different purpose. The way the name was built into the wall was perhaps meant to symbolise permanence, however with its change of use now stood as a reminder that 'the times they are a changing.'

As I looked around Manchester City centre, with all its large, modern buildings, it was clear that today's builders had a different idea. A good example is the newly built Co-operative head office, a huge building with a tiny sign above the entrance to the reception area. Everything about the building is big, from its large reception area to the huge, open sight of all the offices from the inner atrium. However the sign outside could be changed by two workers with a couple of step ladders and two screw drivers. Slight exaggeration I know, but you get my point! 

How do we guarantee permanence, is it possible. Is it right to even try? There is value in the consistency of some things; the beauty of a the view of Worms Head from high above Rhossili that can be enjoyed today more or less as it was one hundred years ago. The love between two octogenarians that remains the same over many decades. However there are other things that we are grateful of the change; who still wants to go to an outside loo in the middle of a cold winter's night? My trip to Manchester took four hours by train rather than three days by horse a hundred and fifty years ago

One of the challenges for the church today is to answer the question, 'what do we keep and what do we get rid of?' It is actually a question that each generation has had to consider in the light of their understanding of Scripture and the times in which they lived. 

I Want..

I want to be part of a people:

Made in his image

Displaying his character

Ruling the earth

And enjoying his presence for ever

God is Good

Stephen Fry caused great controversy when he recently said, "Why should I respect a capricious, mean-minded, stupid God who creates a world which is so full of injustice and pain?” The Bible dosen't run away from questions over the character of God. King David, the 'man after God's heart,' cried out to God:

How long, Lord? Will you forget me forever?

How long will you hide your face from me?

Psalm 13:1

How did David respond to his feeling that God had forgotten him, that God had deliberately withdrawn his face from him?

But I trust in your unfailing love;

my heart rejoices in your salvation.

I will sing the Lord’s praise,

for he has been good to me.

Psalm 13:5,6

Even as David cried out to God wondering what was going on he knew that he would find his trust in God. David knew God, not just knew facts about him but new him intimately. He had lived his life in relationship to God. David could find a song of praise because he knew that God had been good to him. Whatever the circumstances in my life, I want to do the same. To believe that:

Every fibre of his being 

Every beat of his heart

Every word from his mouth

Every thought from his mind

Every step that he takes

Every action of his nature

Every look of his eye

Is good

God has never considered an action that is not good

He has never acted in a way that is not completely and utterly good

God could not improve on anything that he has done, he could not respond more quickly, could not ensure a better outcome, could not do things differently

All he has done

is doing 

and will do

is good

Law Breaker

I used to break the law, I knew what I was doing and I seemed to be happy to continue to do it. I made excuses, justified in my own mind that I wasn't really that bad, but I still broke the law almost every day of my adult life. About six months ago the penny dropped, after listening to a podcast I was convinced that I needed to change, I needed to start obeying the law, I decided to stop speeding!

I never drove very fast, I tried to stick to the thirty limits in towns and cities, but I was happy to go up to eighty on dual carriageways and motorways. I have driven high mileage for most of the past twenty or more years and considered myself a good driver. I had a clean licence and only once was caught for speeding and that was over fifteen years ago, but I still ignored the law of the land

My plan was to use my cruise control and set it at 30, 40, 50, etc to ensure that I did not go over the limit. I made a decision to try to obey the limit at all time with no opt outs, excuses or flexibility. I would try to obey the speed laws at all times. It has not proven easy and I sometimes forget and find myself going over the limit, but in the main I have followed the rules

One unexpected consequence was the insight that this process has given me in seeking to follow Christ. I have found issues arising as I have tried to keep within the speed limits that have revealed strengths and weaknesses in my character. Here are some examples:

1. I have tried to justify my own breaking of the rules by saying that I am not as bad as others

2. Obeying the law makes me feel a bit of a fool as I wonder what other people think of me

3. Sticking to the speed limit has set me free from the worry of police cars or speed cameras

4. Driving more slowly means that it takes me longer to get where I am going, I sometimes get frustrated and consider dropping my self-imposed speed limits

5. Some speed limits seem foolish, expecting drivers to drive at an unreasonably slow rate. Surely I know better!

6. Sticking to the speed limit whilst other people are speeding past can fuel my feelings of self-righteousness, not a very attractive attribute!

What has been the result of this? I have just received a speeding ticket for doing thirty-six in a thirty zone, as Homer Simpson would say "Doh!"

To Bear Fruit

Go and bear fruit John 15:16

To bear fruit

To make a difference

To leave a mark

To breathe a breath

To lay down your life

To step out in faith

To scream a prayer

To speak a word

To forgive a scar

To open a door

To achieve a goal

To touch a person

To lose with grace

To set your face

To secure freedom

To stand alongside

To make a friend

To heal a hurt

To love an enemy

To affect an outcome

To give a gift

To change the world

Sacred Normality

Earlier this month, six of us met on Sunday morning, we sang one hymn, prayed one prayer, read one passage of scripture and shared a little about if for a few minutes. We all stood round in a circle for the whole time trying to keep warm and bumbled our way through our gathering. We had a number of questions and comments about the passage, not all of them really relevant to the topic as raised in Acts1. Our prayer at the end was whilst we held hands in a circle and asked God to reveal himself to us and help us share with others. We prayed that God would surprise us this year with his blessing

The gathering was not polished, we were not conscious of any great presence, we would not have impressed any visitors, nothing out of the ordinary happened. Except six people gathered in the name of Jesus and he was in our midst. Holy ordinariness, every day incarnation, sacred normality. And I loved it!