Friday

Members Only Please

One Sunday last year I took an empty envelope, sealed it, then placed my signature across the back of it. I then handed it to our churchwarden just at the beginning of the service and asked him to tape it at the steps leading to the pulpit. I did it at a time when most everyone had been seated to ensure there were many people watching. I told no one, including the churchwarden, that the envelope was empty. In fact, I told the churchwarden nothing about why I was asking him to tape an envelope on the steps.

During our service, I noticed from time to time that people would glance at the envelope. My guess was that they assumed I would be using it during the homily. But that wasn’t my intention. After the service, as I greeted people leaving, several asked me what was in the envelope. All I said was that it was ‘something personal to me.’ As we were about to depart the churchwarden asked me what was in the envelope. My response was the same – ‘something personal to me.’

At coffee afterwards I heard several people whispering to one another, asking what was in the envelope. During the week I saw numerous parishioners in town. I wasn’t surprised to hear one lady say that she had asked the churchwarden what was in the envelope and he told her that he ‘wasn’t at liberty to say.’

The following Sunday I collected the envelope during the service. I held it up and commented that I had hoped no one had given away what was in the envelope. I’m sure it was my own perception, but several people looked as if they were deer caught in the headlights of a car. I tore the envelope open to reveal that it was empty.

Humans have an almost insatiable urge to possess knowledge which is not available to others. It may involve joining esoteric secret societies or in its simplest form a preoccupation with gossip. Knowing something that other people don't can give a sense of power or security.

But secrecy does not sit well with the Christian faith. And yet in the Gospels we find that Jesus seems to suggest He uses parables so that his listeners won't understand. When He was asked to explain parables He quoted from Isaiah that His audiences will, ‘listen but never understand ... see but never perceive.’ And then He went on to say the disciples had been blessed with the ability to grasp what He was talking about.

It was this sense of secret knowledge that led to a Christian heresy called Gnosticism, which taught the theory that you required a ‘special knowledge’ to find salvation. It was attractive because it offered a sense of security for those on the inside - who had the knowledge. Mainstream teaching held that God's truth was available to all who would listen.

It would be wrong to suggest that Jesus spoke in a way that was purposely obscure. The truth is that He was a creative conversationalist whose flowing oratory could invoke graphic images of a spiritual life. He spoke in a way that His words could reach people on many levels. Sadly, it’s a gift that some ministers don’t understand.

Our world is splintering into more and more groups of exclusivity, whether it’s in religions, communities, or social lives. Bear in mind that the root of ‘exclusivity’ is to ‘exclude.’

If we were to invest as much in learning about others as we do in promoting ourselves, perhaps we could begin to shore up the foundations of our severely fractured world.


God of truth, help us to listen more patiently and to speak more honestly so that we can grow in trust and understanding with all we meet today. Amen


The disciples came to him and asked, ‘Why do you speak to the people in parables?’ He replied, ‘The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of Heaven has been given to you, but not to them. Whoever has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. This is why I speak to them in parables: ‘Though seeing, they do not see; though hearing, they do not hear or understand.’ Matthew 13:10-17

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Wednesday

Is This Growth?

Alexander Fleming would have been quite proud of me! Having been away from home for a few days I had completely forgotten what was in the fridge. Nestled far in the back corner was a small dish. And as I removed the foil cover all I could utter was ‘Eureka!’

One of the more eyebrow raising discoveries we can make at home is an ageing leftover. I had put so much effort into creating something to satiate the palate, only to find it had become a thriving community that was in the process of forming its own government. The entire effort was wasted.

How much of our personal and professional striving and labour falls into that same category - great efforts which lead to nothing? Jesus warns us that our labours should be more towards that which enhances us spiritually rather than materially. It might make you feel more ‘in’ having dropped a packet for that posh handbag or mobile phone, so that others may envy you, but what has it done to help you in your personal and spiritual growth? Nada!

‘Is this growth?’ That’s an excellent question to ask yourself in most anything you do. Are you considering a job change? Is it growth, or is it merely a lateral change? ‘Will what I’m doing today make a difference in my future?’ ‘Are we compatible or are too many danger signs being ignored?’

They’re simple questions, but they can have powerful implications in our lives. And there are even times when we deceive ourselves. We can take the easy route and override the truthful answer because it’s just more convenient. Or to quote what someone once said to me ‘It’s easier to continue on being unhappy than face the pain that comes from those first steps to correct what needs to be corrected.’ Any way you slice it, it’s not healthy!

As you start your day, be faithful and honest with yourself. And be faithful and honest with God in your life. He’ll always be with you even when the going gets rough.

And in time, as you look back on all you’ve grown you’ll have riches far beyond your imagination.


Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed His seal of approval. John 6:27

Saturday

We're Accountable To Our Children

Here in Britain our prime minister has donned his finest marketing hat and is tossing about highly emotive, family-focused sound bytes, assured to energise the public over Labour’s promise to inject millions into our educational system and social care for young people. Their goal being to help revitalise the ever-important ‘family unit.’

Recently, in America, seven children were ‘discovered’ living among animal faeces and bin liners of trash. This is despite the fact that state officials had previously cautioned the parents. The report claims, amidst the parent’s ongoing court appearances over a number of domestic violence matters, they simply ‘forgot’ about their children.

And yesterday, in the state of Tennessee, a mother of three children has been charged with first-degree murder. She allegedly shot her husband, who was the minister of a popular local church. Apparently, their three children witnessed the shooting. And already there are whispers of appalling domestic abuse being made.

How can we expect children who have never known a loving relationship to enter into one when they grow up? How can children become responsible parents when they have had no role models to emulate? And furthermore, today, how are we defining the ‘family unit?’ That’s a hot potato in itself!

I’m not being cynical, but we seem to be focusing more on incidental matters more than core matters. This isn’t to discount those who are fighting wars over oil, or national interests, or whatever personal banner you may carry. But when you look at what one bomb costs, both in money and in all the physical and familial destruction it can cause, and then look at what we invest in the family unit, it’s difficult not to see that something has gone dreadfully awry!

If everyone becomes wrapped in cynicism it merely becomes a blueprint for failure. Such pessimism is also an absence in faith – faith that we can make a difference and faith in humanity as the image God has of us. If we can succeed in saving a rainforest, or the world from a country’s fabricated global threat, or even a baby seal in Canada, then certainly we can save the family.

Success in anything we do requires looking forward and having an understanding of what our core values represent. We can’t profess from a pulpit the importance of family values, when it’s those very leaders who erode the definition.

In many ways the Church is in its infancy, in other ways, it is the culmination of centuries of values and commitment, based upon the Scriptures. We are laying foundations today. Our foundations must include our children. And we can’t simply rewrite the Scriptures to accommodate for our own convenience, weaknesses, or failures.

During our prayers for enlightenment, and unity, and world peace, perhaps we need to include recognising our responsibility to uphold the family as the crucible of all our values.
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In the near future our children will hold us to account for the values we instilled in them today.

And I wonder whether we'll be able to look them in the face?


Almighty God, you have blessed us with the joy and care of our children. Grant us wisdom as we raise them, that we may be symbols of what is right and good. Give us strength that our own values may always be in the example of our Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen
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And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord: and great shall be the peace of thy children. Isaiah: 54:13


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Tuesday

Look Into My Eyes

‘I hope you’re not planning on travelling too far abroad with that?’ It was more of a polite comment than an admonition from one of Her Majesty’s Customs officers in Calais the other day. I knew exactly what he was saying. The cover of my passport looks as if José Greco has done the flamenco on it and my photo is so blistered I was considering rubbing it with preparation H.

‘You need to get it replaced, but at least you’ll receive one of the new biometric passports.’ Gee thanks, I can find lots of other ways to spend fifty pounds!

Within the European Union all new passports are to contain a microchip that holds certain unique biometric information about us, such as fingerprints and measurements from our eyes. And if approved within the European Union, it may soon carry our medical records. But for now, the first step will be on the ability to read our eyes.

It’s no surprise that our eyes can offer a valuable insight as to who we are. When our Prime Minister turned 50, he may or may not have been pleased when he was reminded of President Bush’s comment about him, ‘I have looked into his eyes and seen a man of character and courage.’ Many of us believe that if we look into someone’s eyes we’ll be able to see who they are – like a window on the soul. Personnel managers claim it’s a quick check on approachability and honesty.

But there are other aspects to eyes. They can be great seducers. I don’t mean sexually, but they can be used to draw people out of their own comfort zones and into areas where they may not wish to go.

They can be a veil over wickedness. Countless stories exist of people who have said how imploring and honest someone’s eyes were only later to be found saying ‘ I can’t believe he did such a thing.’

The reverse is also true that eyes can misrepresent the fine qualities of an individual. Someone may be nervous, or overawed and so be less eye-to-eye. Some people who are of the finest character are blind and are incapable of communicating who they are in any reliable way through their eyes, either through transmitting or receiving eye messages.

Jesus taught us to attend to the way we see. He warned us about the morally blind eye, the lustful eye – ‘You have eyes but don’t see’ – ‘if your eye is evil, your body will be full of darkness.’ There is a real moral and spiritual battle reflected in these sayings. Just as our iris is unique, so is the way we see people, how we look at the world around us, our prejudice and greed, our love and compassion.

And no matter what your age or profession you can still make mistakes. When those mistakes occur it can make you feel more distant from God. No wonder it can be a struggle.


Lord in Heaven, we pray that you open our eyes so that we may see Your love, just as we feel Your love. As we open our hearts to You, our eyes will see You more clearly. We pray this in Your Son’s name. Amen


Blessed are the pure in heart for they will see God. Isiah 33:17

Monday

Till Death Do Us Part

One of the most beautiful life experiences I enjoy is the celebration of a wedding.

Standing before God they proffer their vows; in sickness and in health, for better or for worse, for the rest of our lives, until death do us part. Amen

They have dreams of their future and plans for how they will live out their lives, growing old together. But they receive no guarantee of what may be around the corner, or exactly what ‘for better or worse’ may mean as the weeks and months melt into years and decades. Yet they celebrate their ‘yes’ with joyful hearts.

For those who have been married for many years, you may feel it’s their sheer youthful ignorance or lack of life experiences that let them make such a commitment. You could be partly right. But in most cases there is something much more.

It’s the conviction that the one thing that makes our lives real and worth living is that pure committed love never counts the cost. Real love says ‘we’ll take the risk and pay the price, whatever it may be, because we want a real life and not just a performance or show.’

Nowhere are the consequences of a simple ‘Yes’ spoken long ago more visible than in Jesus’ mother, Mary, who said ‘Yes’ to God while still a teenager and then stood in silence at the foot of her son’s Cross. And even then her answer to God was still ‘Yes.’

Almost all of us have spoken our key ‘yesses’ to God at the time of marriage, or ordination, or at the birth of a child, and at many other times as well. And now most of us stand somewhere in the middle of living out our ‘yesses.’

Doing so can at times be painful, distressing, or just simply boring, and our ‘Yes’ can grow faint. That's when we need to remember exactly why we spoke our ‘Yes’ in the first place: because we loved and we knew that love alone can bring us life.

Mary’s love for Jesus and confidence in God’s love for her kept Mary from despair and carried her to Easter morning. Easter will come for every one of us, as long as we allow God to love us through the darkness.
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Tuesday

It's OK To Ask For Directions

Thanks to the miracles of modern transport we can now travel from London to Paris, by train, in less than three hours! You can even drive to Paris by taking your car on the train beneath the English Channel.

That’s great, except for the fact that once I’m in Paris, I usually become hopelessly lost! Of course, I’m the typical male-too stubborn…or ‘thick’ (depending who’s sitting beside me) to ask for directions. I must have driven through L'Arc de Triomphe five times before I finally found the small B&B we had booked in central Paris. Oh, had I only stopped to ask for guidance.

Happily, Thomas was an apostle who asked the right questions and wasn’t afraid to ask. Jesus had just announced that He was leaving them to return to His Father in Heaven. Thomas wants to know how to get to Heaven.

It is a vital question too few of us ask. We hope we are good enough for God. We’re good at reasoning with ourselves. We’ve gone to church regularly and we believe that we will all meet again ‘somewhere.’ But that isn’t what Jesus taught!

‘I have come that they might have life, and life in all its fullness’ was His claim. Or again ‘I am the way, the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’

I hope you are not, as I have been sometimes, refusing to stop and ask the right way. It is a vital question. Have you asked it? Have you found the answer or are you still searching?



God of love, we thank You for showing us the way. Help us to walk in Your light always. We pray this in Jesus’ name. Amen


Jesus answered, I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

Sunday

Life Is A Cabaret

It doesn't matter how old you are or how physically well tuned your body is, there are times when you can feel overcome with weariness. It's not a weariness from having over exerted yourself, that's something you can pretty well fix with a bit of kip. Instead, it's a weariness that reaches to the depth of your soul.

Sadly, the experience is often misconstrued. People blame it on the repetitiveness of their relationships, or work, or a growing anxiety because they feel their life is not moving in the direction they want, There’s no doubt, when this happens, it is a real danger sign!

But before you toss in the towel on your marriage or career, consider that those feelings can be messages from God, warning us that we have lost our way and are indeed wasting our time. Sometimes it’s a message from God that we’ve forgotten some of the good reasons why we need such continuity in our lives.

Today, let God renew your spirit. He’s there waiting for you, ready to help you put a smile on your face and a new step in your pace. With Him, you will always have a wonderful destination to head towards. He wants to teach us ‘the words of a new song,’ and give us a hopeful vision of what our present can mean and what our future can be.

If you have the ‘blahs,’ throw them away. As the song goes, ‘life is a cabaret,’ Try spending the day looking through His eyes.

You won’t be disappointed!




Behold, I will create new heavens and a new earth. The former things will not be remembered, nor will they come to mind. Isaiah 65:17

Tuesday

He's Waiting For You

Take a walk through any fine art gallery and you’ll certainly come across one of the great paintings portraying the artist’s impression of God. Over the centuries those depictions have altered, with many of today’s images being quite contemporary in their style.


Throughout the Bible we’re reminded that we’re created ‘in the image or likeness of God.’ But somehow many of us seem to have changed and begun to create God in our own image. Some use His name as a tool of intimidation or threat, others use it as a form of condemnation, others use it with little regard and within the context of denigrating others. Whatever the fashion, it certainly isn’t nice.


Discounting God or minimising His power, or misrepresenting His love is an act that has gone on for centuries. Why else would Jesus have had to reassure those who listened to Him that He had come not to condemn us, but to save– us, each and every one of us!


God never rejects anyone. Even in our darkest days He still calls us by name and holds out His hand to us. It's not God who turns away, it's we who reject His hand and close our ears to His voice. And in doing so, we deny ourselves the true source of life and joy.


Please don't do that. Not even for a second. Reach out, take His hand. He’s there, waiting for you. Always.


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I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. Psalm 121:1

Sunday

The Cost Of Debt

Are you one of those people who took advantage of a special offer many credit card companies touted during Christmas? ‘Put it on the card now! Pay nothing until April?’ Guilty! The bill arrived this weekend. But the offer gave me the ‘opportunity’ to buy more gifts for those I love.


Merchants promote sales to draw us out to spend again, sometimes intentionally creating offers that are below their actual cost. This is because they know that the real profit is in selling credit to those who aren’t disciplined or able to pay their card balances in full.


Under those circumstances, ‘credit’ becomes a rather misleading word. It suggests that you can get something for free. Through psychological marketing strategies, we are massaged into believing we are deserving of the item and without it our lives will not feel complete.


We could say no, but that would require exercising restraint. Instead we are encouraged to reward ourselves. It’s all so painless; just sign today and you’ll have instant gratification. Never mind about tomorrow. It’s right now…this second that really matters.


Of course, under these circumstances, credit is actually the opposite of what it purports to be. Its underside is debt. We choose not to see that.


Our little flexible friends are precious to us because they narrow the gap between desire and possession. We go on spending because we can, or so we think. But today's choice is tomorrow's crisis, because being in debt is not about the never-never. It's about having to pay back, and for some that's an ever-tightening nightmare that can end in the terror of loan sharks and bailiffs.


Debt has become one of society’s addictions, and everyone's laboured by it; even heads of government, who run up staggering debts on our behalf. Even virtuous debts, such as mortgages on property, can tie us up for years. It's likely that university students will soon be carrying the cost of their courses, along with their mortgages, deep into middle age. They'll have to find jobs that pay them enough to pay it all back. And all the while they’ll be longing for that momentary panacea that instant gratification brings. The cycle will continue.


Whatever dreams they may have had, of doing something profound, or imaginative or risky with their lives are buried in decades of debt. There are so many people in today’s society who feel the allure of a vocation that they simply cannot afford to pursue.


It may be to enter a fulfilling but low-paid profession, or to risk being an artist or a poet, or to go abroad as a volunteer, or to enter the ministry. What holds them back is not selfishness or doubt, but the mortgage, the credit card bills, the need to maintain a steady income, which pays off what they owe. We are slaves to our salaries, which brings us, not freedom, but a form of bondage, which can burden the heart, destroy marriages, and most of all shatter dreams.


Perhaps it is not surprising that in the Bible debt is the deepest form of slavery. It takes away our essential freedom to serve God with all our heart and soul, and mind, and strength, and thus to find our true selves. Sometimes I wonder whether the angers and addictions of our society are not a symptom that we are rubbing against these chains.


Surrendering the ever-increasing desire to go shopping, or keeping up with the Joneses can actually create a freedom you've never before experienced! How many of us have selected clothes, or shoes, or cars because it makes you feel better about yourself because you want to be part of that society!


The famous hymnist, Charles Wesley, knew, that release from debt is a metaphor for salvation: 'My chains fell off , my heart was free, I rose, went forth, and followed thee.'


No credit card can ever buy that kind of freedom!


Lord in Heaven, we long to see thee more clearly. Guide us in your light, help us to release the chains we adorne ourselves with each day. Lead us, strengthen us, protect us, forgive us.

The rich ruleth over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender Proverbs: 22:7

Saturday

Heading In The Right Direction

I'm constantly hopping on the train up to London. Personally, I love London and all it has to offer. For many, however, the idea of leaving the idyllic and picturesque villages of the English coastline, to enter a city so vast can be daunting, if not terrifying. Many people say it's the prospect of losing their way in such an immense city that frightens them the most.


We can lose the way too on our journey through life, and that's a much more serious business than finding the right street in a town or city. It's particularly frightening when we're not sure what our final destination is, because then we don't even know where to start. But Jesus said, 'I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. Anyone who follows Me will have eternal life.'

That is, in fact, where we're heading, but the way is not always clear to our limited human minds and hearts. So we're called to trust in the Lord and follow Him wherever He asks us to go, whatever challenges He asks us to face, whatever sufferings He asks us to endure.

And if we do go astray, we know that He will never abandon us, because as He told us,

'it is never the will of your Father in Heaven that one of these little ones should be lost.'


Friday

Turn It Off Now !

Don’t you feel there are days when you just flip a switch and put yourself in ‘automatic’ mode? Your days are filled with routines that are so well travelled that you hardly think about them; get up, make tea, get the kids to school, go to work, go to the supermarket, come home. It all works quite well. ‘Automatic’ mode keeps us moving at a well-oiled and efficient pace.


There are so many times in our lives when we feel we’re operating with precision. But ‘automatic’ mode can make itself known at other levels as well; in our relationships, in our thought processes, even in our spiritual and political decisions. We pretend to think and pretend to reason, and then we make a blind leap and defend our ‘decisions’ and ‘choices’ to the death.

For too much of our lives, we just go through the motions, with all the action on the outside and nothing on the inside, which is where informed choice is supposed to come from.

Our relationship with Christ is challenging us to do much more than just simply go through the motions. ‘Automatic’ prevents us from being in touch with others, as well as with ourselves. Just think back to the last time you saw a homeless person or knew of someone whose life was in crisis. It’s easier to block it from your mind, isn’t it? Getting involved denies you the safety of running in ‘automatic.’


First, removing yourself from this mechanical mode requires that you make a commitment to love your neighbour as yourself. Opening up will bring more clarity to your life and in your relationship with God.


And focusing on the journey, rather than just the destination, will take you places you’ve never dreamed.

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