I see you- being seen.

Thought for this day… 19^th Jan

In today’s Bible in One Year readings shared by Nicky Gumbel (yes, I’m doing that, yes, I’ve done it before, no, I’m not still working through it from 4yrs ago), I read Psalm 11.7 which speaks of seeing God. At this time, during lockdown with 3 kids at home, I am seeing my immediate family, and I’m seeing people via Zoom, but I’m not seeing many other people. So, how do I go about seeing God at this time? Well, for starters, this passage isn’t actually about meeting God face to face in the street, but is about how those who seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly (to quote one of my favourite passage in Micah) will see God’s face… It seems to be more about being in the presence of God for eternity- heaven, if you like, than being in the presence of God during a time of prayer and worship here. Now, I love worship and have been known to say a few prayers and want to encourage folks to have them as part of your life, but I think this verse is about our whole life… our seeking justice through our shopping choices- even online; about loving mercy- to ourselves and our households as well as colleagues and neighbours; and about walking humbly…whatever that means when we’re meant to be staying at home…

And in terms of seeing God now, is it about seeing His work- in the beauty of creation as shoots begin to work up through the soil, in the compassion of strangers as communities support foodbanks and those in need, in the faithfulness of workers who care for others to the very limits of their strength…

And sometimes, we realise that this isn’t about us- it’s not about what I see or perceive or notice or value. It’s about being seen by God- being faithful, merciful, humble, just and more in the privacy of my mind and the solitude of my screen.

Today, Lord, may I see you, and be seen by you. Help me to be upright, and when I stumble, lift me back onto my feet. Amen.

A poem by Mother Teresa

Although she didn’t write the original poem, her version of is it the more beautiful, and it seems very timely to me at the moment…

People are often unreasonable, irrational, and self-centered.  Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives.  Be kind anyway.

If you are successful, you will win some unfaithful friends and some genuine enemies.  Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and sincere people may deceive you.  Be honest and sincere anyway.

What you spend years creating, others could destroy overnight.  Create anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness, some may be jealous.  Be happy anyway.

The good you do today, will often be forgotten.  Do good anyway.

Give the best you have, and it will never be enough.  Give your best anyway.

In the final analysis, it is between you and God.  It was never between you and them anyway.

Hopefully in the New Year there’s going to be a bit more activity here, with a few more voices speaking wisdom into the room- I haven’t quite worked out how to get rid of the ‘baldvicar’ bit from the blog without losing everything or spending copious amounts of time and money… bear with us here, but the other voices aren’t nearly as bald…

This is the text of a speech just given in the House of Lords. I dropped material covered already by others (I was the ninth speaker and there was a speech limit of six minutes). For the wider context, and to see why I focused as I did, see Hansard when published. Lord Harris of […]

via Debate in public life — Nick Baines’s Blog

Thoughts that I’ve been mulling over for some time now, but put much more clearly by the Bishop of Leeds

 

Spontaneous Resurrection- An Easter reflection

Easter started early in our household this year, and it started well- 5am we woke up and for the first time the whole family made it to our sunrise worship on the top of a hill near our house. We joined around 30 others and a pack of dogs for a time of worship, prayer and breaking of bread. The sunrise was glorious. A great start to the celebrations.

Down the hill for breakfast, and the news of the horrific attacks in Sri Lanka- each time I returned to the headlines the death toll had grown. And yet, somehow these two things are alongside one another. Murder and death are held in the same moment as resurrection and life.

On arriving at Church for the main service in Newport, I was asked to preach, fortunately I had something prepared for the later service in Bishop’s Tawton, and so something came together in time. Below you can read the text of the sermon I thought I was going to give… and if you want to hear what it turned into you can listen to the podcast version on the website here. As it turned out, the off-the-cuff version was, I thought, much better than the planned version, and I ended up changing things for the later service too. A bit of a surprise, an unexpected twist- even a spontaneous resurrection… not necessarily what I thought would happen; but better for it.

Anyhow, here’s the notes-

What is dead but comes alive? Depending on who you ask and when you ask it you might hear…

Seeds and bulbs, a zombie, Jesus, starfish (or a sponge), phoenix, hope

This week in the news we heard of the medical research team in the US who managed to partially revive the brains of pigs 10hrs after decapitation (grim but true- and to clarify, the word ‘partially’ means they were absorbing oxygen and medication, but with no other indicators of life or awareness), and of the near death of the Cathedral of Notre Dame in the city of Paris. The fire that raged and the images from inside the building taken the next morning were terrifying, fascinating and somehow beautiful. One, in particular, spoke to me of all that we Christians remember at Easter. It showed the devastation of the burned building, with the glimmer of a distant cross in the background… but in between, the early light of dawn shines into the darkness, while the dust of ashes floats down from the ruined roof. Out of the ashes…

‘Their words seemed like nonsense’- foolishness and wisdom… the resurrection is foolishness until we have faith to believe. From our perspective the resurrection is possible- because we have heard that it happened. Until you know something can be done, it is almost impossible to imagine that it will ever be done.

While a catastrophe is happening it is impossible to see beyond it- we are simply struggling to hold on. On the day of Jesus’ death his disciples were utterly bereft and paralysed. They could not conceive of how they might move forwards. Every direction led to failure and disaster, because their Lord and Rabbi had been taken and killed. On the sabbath, the day of rest, the thought of rest would have been far from their minds, but yet they were trapped in a place of pain, suffering, denial and confusion. Maybe thoughts of Jesus’ teaching came to mind, but every thought of his wisdom and the miracles he’d performed, of the promises he’d made, would come crashing down…he was dead. And yet they waited. The came to the grave on the third day to honour their teacher, to prepare his body…

What truly defines a catastrophe is how we respond afterwards. Grenfell Tower, the Twin Towers, Notre Dame… The crucifixion.

In Greek mythology the Phoenix rises to life from the ashes of its death- after bush fires in Australia and other dry climates plants spring into life- some protected from the fire by their thick bark, other seeds germinating only in the intense heat of the fire, but all growing from death into life after an apparent catastrophe. As we look back today at the recent past, we may wonder how governments might have responded differently to the tragedy of 9/11, how our own government moves forward from the tragedy of Grenfell Tower, how the people of Northern Ireland move on from the Troubles… even this week there are varied voices speaking into the silence that followed the fire in Notre Dame.

On that morning, on the third day since Jesus had been killed, when Mary returned from the empty tomb, her words seemed like nonsense because they were being heard in the echo of the crucifixion. Jesus is dead and the tomb is empty. There is no good news in that. Only further tragedy piling upon the catastrophe of their situation. But. If Jesus is alive. If the empty tomb is not a sign of death but of hope…

Alleluia! He is risen!

If Jesus is indeed risen from the dead, then his claims to be the Son of God are true, his promises of forgiveness of sins are on firm ground, his call to all who believed in him- those who saw him and those, like us, who do not see him with our eyes… all of those claims, promises and calls are good news.

Surprises- yes. Unexpected- for sure. Challenging- absolutely. But good news. An opportunity- the start of the kingdom of God, the firstfruits of the resurrection…

So- how do we respond today… the catastrophe of Christ’s death is behind us, the unexpected surprise of his resurrection is before us… If we have doubts or are uncertain, we keep company with the saints. We may have our questions, we may not feel confident in our faith, we may feel that we don’t have the answers, we may be afraid of being laughed at or rejected.

However we feel we must decide whether to move forward with hope in it’s truth, or with dismay and grief in it’s falseness.  Is the resurrection nonsense and foolishness, or the greatest hope for all humanity and the expression of God’s power over all things. While we may choose to acknowledge and accept some of his teachings the same is not possible today- there is no partial crucifixion, no half resurrection…

May today be a day of celebration, a day of hope, a day of new possibilities and of moving forward. This last night, this last week, this last year, this last decade… you may have had some hard times. How will you respond after those things? Today, as we remember and celebrate the resurrection of Jesus, may that resurrection bring new life into your heart too.

After all of the kerfuffle and the early start, it was good to get back home at the end of the morning. But of course, the news of the events in Sri Lanka would not fade, the sorrow and fear, the pain of loss and injury would not go away just because I’d finished work… But neither would the hope of resurrection, of love that conquered death.

 

A short note…

But I can’t stop for long because I still have the washing up from yesterday to do…

Mothering Sunday in our house involved attempting (with at least some success) to persuade resident mum and visiting grandma to let the kids and husbands loose in the kitchen. Well, nothing was broken and everyone was still talking to each other by the end of it. And no, this isn’t what breakfast looked like…

Here’s a version of my notes from one of our services, based around the parable of the lost sheep. If you want to hear what my colleague Cathy said around the parable of the prodigal son (and why are there no prodigal daughters…?), then head over to our website for the podcast.

Here you go-

Mothering Sunday vs Mother’s Day… the old British traditional name vs the American card manufacturing name… does it really matter? In one sense- not at all. Today is a day when we, for possibly the only day of the year, remember to say thank you to Mums, and it doesn’t matter which name you choose. But… Mothering Sunday (aside from also being a day when apprentices and those in service in bigger houses were given a day off to go back home) allows us to remember and say thank you to anyone and everyone who has been like a mother to us… Another way of thinking would be to say that on Mother’s Day we ought to remember mothers in the Bible- Mary, the mother of Jesus, and Eunice, the mother of Timothy, Rebecca the mother of Joseph and Sarah the mother of Isaac, but on Mothering Sunday we can include all those who have shown a mother’s care- and so the parable of the Lost Sheep… The shepherd isn’t the mother of the sheep, but the care shown is like that of a mother… can’t sleep, won’t leave well alone… remind of 2-3 points from the story.– God’s love is like that of a mother…

We can celebrate today our mothers, for sure, but we can also celebrate and remember those who have cared for us like a mother, who’ve nurtured us and encouraged us, helped us in tough times and celebrated with us.

For some of us today is difficult because those people are not with us anymore, and so we, in the same moment that we celebrate someone, are also grieving that they’re not here with us. For some of us who’ve struggled in relationships either with our own mother or our own children this day is hard. For some of us who’re not mothers but might wish to be, again it’s not easy to be faced by a barrage of flowers and love… but if we can hold onto the idea that today we are celebrating and giving thanks for the unconditional love, the never giving-up encouragement, the fierce protective heart that we call ‘motherly’, that we see in the character of God as much as in any person who we’ve known in our lives… today, we can all, I hope, celebrate ‘mothering’.

Identity part 3- I am part of us, and together we are community

Following on from the last two weeks (coming frighteningly close to a theme/series here…) I was speaking last Sunday about how vision and identity are part of who we are corporately. I was speaking about our church, but was impacted in my preparation by things in the news. Although I live in the UK I deliberately stayed away from Brexit and our politics on this occasion (well, for the most part- the off-script bits about Brexit are of course recorded and available on the website.

So here’s what I said- some of it is unashamedly based around our specific church, so apologies if it is irrelevant to you in your context. Our Bible passages for the morning were Isaiah chapter 55, verses 1-9, and a passage from the first chapter of John’s Gospel, verses 35-42.

Last week I spoke about how Jesus faced opposition to his plans- the very real threat of physical violence that was directed against him.  And I spoke just two days after the attacks in Christchurch on members of the Muslim community where 50 people were killed. Now, I don’t want to repeat that sermon, but it has been interesting to see a couple of things that have emerged in the last 7 days. The first has been the response of the New Zealand government- there are, I’m sure, aspects I’m unaware of and things that haven’t been perfect but one thing that has amazed me has been the speed with which the government there has acted to ban semi-automatic weapons. 6 days. Before the attack it wasn’t on the cards, and less than a week later its in the legislation. In comparison, in the US it has taken over a year for the law making ‘bump-stocks’ (which turn a semi-automatic gun into a machine gun) illegal to be passed… Putting aside differences of governmental structure, the power of lobbyists and the nature of the constitutions, it strikes me that this highlights a difference of understanding about the purpose of government… about the vision of those who govern. As I talked about how Jesus responded to the threats that faced him, I spoke about his vision- his plans, his commitment to ‘keeping the main thing as the main thing’- how his ministry was leading to the cross and the empty tomb.

Today’s reading in Isaiah reminds us, in beautiful poetry, what the main thing is- ‘Come, all who are thirsty… you who have no money come buy wine and milk without cost…’ it is an invitation to all those who are in need both spiritually and materially, that in God we can find satisfaction- fulfilment, hope and more. ‘eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare’- this is much more than just survival… But it was written for a people in exile- for political refugees, hostages and those displaced by conflict. Isaiah’s listeners were in great need of hope, of being reminded that God was with them, but they did not see that as they looked around them. Remembering Jesus words in John 10.10 ‘I have come that you may have life and have it to the full’- the word translated ‘full’ can also mean abundance. And this is not an invitation just for a few- nations you do not know will come- this offer, this invitation, this hope, this life to the full is for those who we don’t yet know, just as Isaiah heard that it was for beyond the people of Israel, so today those words are for beyond the church as well as for within.

As I concluded last week I mentioned briefly our vision here, and I want this morning to go a little further into that area. We are a church, and therefore the main thing is Jesus- that’s an absolute 100% non-negotiable flat out truth. But what does that look like here, how do we understand and express Jesus here in North Devon in 2019? The answer to that depends on what it means for us to be disciples- followers of Jesus… When John called Jesus ‘the Lamb of God’ his listeners knew it meant saviour, messiah, sacrifice and Andrew responded by choosing to follow Jesus. The first calling of the disciples was to follow Jesus themselves, to come to know him, to spend time with him. For us here today that is the first step of our calling- that’s what it means for us to ‘make Jesus known among ourselves’. If we are to make progress as a church, this is the first priority that needs to be attended to. We cannot pray if we don’t know how to, we cannot share our faith if we don’t know what we’re sharing, we cannot use our resources as God calls us if we don’t know how to seek God’s will and we cannot worship with all of our hearts if we have no idea of who God is. So the first and most essential step in how we make Jesus known is our own personal discipleship. That includes homegroups and other Bible study groups- spending time with others looking intentionally at how to apply the Bible to our lives; it includes conferences, church weekends/days away; it includes all those times when we share food and drink together- eating together was and is a big part of discipleship. It does include our own personal devotional life- quiet times and prayers, but only as part of the bigger whole, since our faith is worked out in our relationships with God and others- we need others around us. The big question for us is how can we as a church help each other to live our daily lives as disciples?

The other 3 priorities that we have are on a more equal footing, and try to provide partial answers to that question- we will each naturally tend towards one or another depending on our character and experiences. Worship- whether musical or not, is the second way for us to make Christ known in ourselves- what we sing, how we lead and respond in our gathered times. Over this last year we have begun to make ‘Time to Share’ a feature of all of our Sunday services, because we are recognising that the more our worship as a gathered church stems out of our individual lives as the dispersed church (those of us who heard Jon Curtis at our away day may remember- the dots in one corner and spread out…), the more our worship will help us to live as Christians throughout the week- the Mission Shed conference on April 6- Thank God it’s Monday! Is themed around this.

Outreach- making Christ known in our community- As a church we speak of and show Christ to those around us. In Schools, in Mini Music, in Cake Club, in Early Bird…

Resources- In some ways this is the most obvious and yet the hardest to grapple with. The way we have set up and use our buildings and our finances really impacts how we can make Christ known in ourselves and in our community, and is also an example of what working together to achieve this looks like. No one person can look after the hall and church buildings completely- we rely on different people cleaning, unlocking, maintaining, moving furniture, arranging flowers, ordering coffee, making cakes, setting up sound and so on… and all of these are really important to how we are able to develop other aspects of our vision. For those who don’t yet attend any of our organised church services or engage with the faith part of our outreach, our resources, our buildings, are our voice- this is one of the most comfortable, warm and welcoming church buildings in North Devon, as I’ve been told countless times by visitors. Alongside the buildings are the finances, an area where I trust you realise we are struggling. The simple truth is that we spend more than we receive- that we need to recognise that our church’s outreach, our worship, our building and how we express our vision, is limited by our own generosity- our own response to God that is expressed in how we give our money- it is limited by our own maturity as disciples…

All of this guides our thinking and our action- it is how we as a church make those decisions of what to do in crisis and with space to think- it is what being disciples together means here and how we live out those words of Isaiah- we are the thirsty who have come to the water, and we want to share that gift of life with others around us.

I am who I am, and I do what I do

Following on from last week, this is part two of a series on vision and identity- Based around a passage in chapter 13 of Luke’s Gospel, verses 31-35 describe a meeting between Jesus and some Pharisees where he is warned of a plot against him… Here’s what I meant to say, if you want to play spot the difference, the audio is on the website here as usual.

The Pharisees warn Jesus- what’s going on here? Are they concerned for Jesus? Maybe, maybe not- this passage fits within the wider context of Jesus teaching and ministry in Galilee, making his way towards Jerusalem, but at this stage he’s still talking to the Pharisees- he’s sharing food with sinners and Pharisees, they’ve not yet begun to plot his arrest and murder. But equally, they’re not his disciples or his best friends- he has already warned his disciples of their hypocrisy… On balance, it seems as though this is a threat by them, concealed as a warning… Herod has already arrested and killed John the Baptist… the Pharisees could tell Herod where Jesus is and give plenty of reasons why he could arrest Jesus… but they don’t want to overplay their hand… ‘a wise man might do well to turn around and leave…’

Now, whether it’s Herod or the Pharisees making the threat, either way, Jesus is being threatened. Last week we listened to the account of his temptations in the wilderness, and how that was an attack on his identity as the son of God; now we hear of this threat to him- an attack on his actions- if last week was an attack on his personhood, this is an attack on his plans. Central to both of these is an attempt to divert Jesus away from his vision- his understanding of who he is and what he is doing.

How can this help us to respond to things that threaten us? Let’s look at how Jesus responds…

• Jesus is not intimidated- I have a plan and you will not stop it. When we begin to make plans as a church, and when we begin to take steps to turn those plans into action, that will have repercussions… if an attack on our personhood is to say ‘you are stupid or deluded’, than an attack on our plans might be ‘your ideas are stupid’… the old ‘that will never work’- we may be guilty of it ourselves ‘we tried that 25yrs ago…’ Sometimes those words may be right, but just because it hasn’t worked, doesn’t mean it won’t. Imagine if Neil Armstrong, Edmund Hillary or Rosa Parks had listened to that advice…
• He acknowledges the risks- Jesus knows that he will die in this. He understands that the road to Easter, to resurrection, eternal life and salvation leads past the cross, through the tomb… We may not face death, or threats of death as individual Christians or as a church, but there is a distinct chance that we will be threatened in some way. Following Jesus is not a comfortable choice, it is not the easy option. Very few important things are.
• Jesus keeps focussed- the main thing is the main thing… despite the threat and the risks being real, Jesus knows that there is more than this… for people being ill/stressed/messing up (me included…)- this helps us to look at the longer perspective, to know where we’re heading rather than becoming overly focussed or worried on the problem that is in front of us- for Jesus the threat posed by Herod, as delivered by the Pharisees, is of little significance when put alongside his long term goal…

So, what is our vision- ‘to work together to proclaim Christ’s love in ourselves and in our community’. It’s on our weekly notice sheet, and next Sunday as we have our annual meeting immediately after church we’ll be reflecting on how our church life in 2018 has born out that vision. Over the last 10yrs we’ve been working this vision out in practice in our worship, our outreach, our support of one another, and our stewardship of resources, and we continue to do this… We haven’t got it sussed yet, and there are things that get in the way… we’ve had the floor collapse, the saga of the west window restoration, we’re still struggling with our finances amongst other things. We’re about to elect several new members onto the Parochial Church Council next week but are in desparate need of a new secretary and a second warden alongside Sandra… but none of these responsibilities are our vision. We’re not about the membership of the PCC, nor are we a building conservation group, but when we get these things working well, with a team willing to work together, it makes these responsibilities seem lighter- many hands not only make light work, but also make it easier to do more. And so, the extent to which we’re able to engage in outreach to our local schools, to support our church members in their workplaces and where we live, to offer relevant and accessible opportunities for the folk who come to our midweek activities is really impacted by how well we work together in all that we do…

In the final few verses of this passage we see Jesus compassion for Jerusalem- in the same way as we elsewhere see him weep with those who mourn, feed the hungry and heal the sick, and ultimately ask God to forgive those who crucify him, here he wants to comfort and love this city. We are called to that same compassion and love for our community. It doesn’t matter whether our vision as a church is for a big place- I know of churches who’s vision is to see their entire city changed, or for the streets around this building- in some parts of London a parish is a quarter the size of Newport, but our compassion, our vision of God’s hope shown in us to the world, is risky, yes; threatening to some, but available to all.

I am myself, I will be no one else

Ok, so it’s a while since I’ve posted- about 9 months… apologies for that. Life’s been busy with things. If you know me IRL then you know what’s been going on, and if you don’t then I won’t bore you- nothing majorly traumatic, but just, y’know, the kind of stuff that keeps you busy.

Anyway, I’m trying to prioritise a few things, and some other stuff has begun to settle down, so I’ll be aiming to post my sermon notes and the odd thing here and there… There are a few things I’m trying to work out in writing so I’m posting this from a few weeks ago, and will be posting more recent sermons over the next few days to catch up, and then over the summer I will have some more time to write creatively- more on that soon…

Here’s some of what I preached a few weeks ago, based on a passage in Luke 4- known as the Temptations of Christ… it’s the bit where Jesus goes into the wilderness for 40 days and is tempted in a number of ways by Satan. Many churches use it at some point in Lent, and here’s what I said… Of course, as always, this is what I planned to say, and the real thing is different- it can be accessed via our website at: johnthebaptist.org.uk

The other reading that I was reflecting on comes from Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians- Romans 10, verses 8-13.

Here you are:

Integrity is an important part of discipleship. Relationships of love and trust are built upon it, our faith in God is based upon it. Ultimately when the great storms of life come, my trust in God- my assumption that God is not fickle but has integrity, that, as Paul says quoting Isaiah ‘anyone who trusts in him will not be put to shame’… that is what helps me to maintain my faith when things are falling apart around me.

The experiences we’re reading of in these two passages are intended help us in our daily lives.

Luke’s description of the temptations that Jesus faced may seem super holy, deeply mysterious, or just beyond our understanding, but at the heart of this passage lies the challenge to Jesus- who has authority over you, who are you serving? And that challenge, in different ways, faces all of us. Reflecting back on just this last week- in terms of Fairtrade… when I choose to spend less money on a product, knowing that I am choosing to keep those who produce it in poverty… my decision there is to value money over people. When I make that decision, knowing what Jesus did, I’m choosing whether he has authority over me, or whether my desire for money (ultimately my greed) has authority over me. This week I’ve been talking with friends about alcoholism, depression, parenting, mental health… the way that we respond to these real problems is hugely impacted by our fundamental trust in God- whether we believe God has integrity or not, and whether our faith has integrity. Do I believe that God cares about these things?

In Paul’s letter to the Roman Christians we read of the connection between our heart and our words- our integrity. If we believe and confess, we will be saved… our faith, our belief and our confession of Christ, will not stop me from facing the problems of life, but it might give me resilience to keep going…

Understanding the key to generosity

Last Sunday we began to celebrate our patron saint- we’re called St John the Baptist Church, so we celebrate the birth of St John- from the Gospels we understand he was around 6months older than Jesus, so it takes place at the end of June each year… Here’s what I meant to say on the day… of course the actual version is here

I’ve been asked to speak about how money- about how the way we handle our finances, is part of our Christian discipleship. It seems that today, on the first part of our celebration of the birth of John the Baptist, is a good time to do this. John knew that his life was a miracle, that he had been blessed by God, and lived his life out of that understanding- I want us to think today about what it means for us to bring that same understanding to our handling of finance.  Those of us who heard our treasurer speak at our AGM a few months ago will know that in the last year our church accounts stood at a deficit. If you’ve been around a few years you’ll know that, as a church, this is not unusual for us- fundraising for particular project, a generous legacy or a grant for work are what keeps us afloat. You’ll also know that the gap has been shrinking these last few years, due to the hard work of many of us to keep costs down, to find grant funding, and to increase income from the hall- and everything I say starts with ‘thank you for what you already give, in terms of time, skills and finance’. Without your giving, collectively we can achieve very little, and there is so much that we want to do. People in churches across the county already give over £1million to charity each year, along with hundreds of thousands of hours of voluntary service- aside from what they give to their own local churches.

Last year the gap between the church’s income and expense was just £1 per person each month… so in some ways I’m talking about small change… probably most of us could find £1 a week extra, let alone £1 a month, and that difference would enable our church to plan further ahead than paying our next bill. Today’s service is, as well as part of our patronal celebrations, a giving Sunday- a chance for us to prayerfully reflect on our giving and make a gift towards the ministry of this church. Over the next few years the leadership of our church are hoping to continue the upgrades to the hall- to develop the facility we offer to the local community, we’re hoping to further develop our work with young people and families through appointing a trainee, and alongside this the running costs of a growing church… There are giving envelopes in the back of your seats and we’d invite you to take them home and prayerfully consider your gift into the future ministry of our church.

However, fundamentally, that isn’t what a Christian approach to money means. It is much more than just whether the church accounts are in the red or not and what our church’s future plans are.

Some may question whether Christians should talk about money- it’s a material, grubby thing, not something for us to concern ourselves about. The reality is that if we don’t- if my faith and my church doesn’t help me with my approach to money (my own and others), then I’m reliant on other voices to help me… and the voices I hear around me speak loudly about gambling, grabbing money, about how money and the things it buys will bring me happiness and make my life better.

Some may question whether God cares about this- but as we read the Gospels and the whole of the Bible, we see that God, Jesus, and the early church spoke a lot about money… the passages we’ve heard today are just two out of many. In the passage from Luke we hear Jesus speaking about how giving is proportional- there is no set membership fee for those who follow God, but what Jesus praises in this woman’s behaviour is the sacrificial nature of her giving. She gave generously out of the little she had- There’s no clever parable here, no imagery: rich people giving a large amount that they barely notice; while a poor person gives a small amount that has an impact on their life… Jesus notices it and praises her sacrificial generosity. The manner in which we give is as important as the amount… we recognise that God has given us everything, so when we give to God, how generous are we?

In the Old Testament we read of the tithe- the 1/10^th of the crop or the income that every family gave to God; but we also read of the wave offering, the thanks offering and the feast offerings… and the amounts given at these were varied and open ended… but they were indications of generous hearts. There is no real reason why we, today, cannot do the same- the difficulty we have is that our attitudes have, over the years, become accustomed to think that all I have is mine, and I begrudgingly hand over my bills, tax, rent etc, pay for my food, maybe something in the savings and a bit for me to have fun, and then look at what is left… and I’ll give some of that to God, and some to charity, because I want to help others and to express my gratitude to God. If, instead, we recognise that all we have is a gift from God- for it is only by grace that I am blessed with the job, home, family and health that I have, that I was born here… and so if my initial response to all I have is one of thanksgiving; and my desire is to help others and express that gratitude to God, then my first priority will be to give.

I was challenged to consider tithing many years ago by a friend- we didn’t look at whether it was before or after tax or any other deductions; the simple principle was ‘give 1/10^th to the work of God in the church you’re part of’… anything else you want to give on top of that, to anything else you want to support- that is an act of generosity, but 1/10^th? That’s the start point. What made this easier for my friend and I was that we were both young and single- we didn’t have 40yrs of ‘financial planning’ or a family that questioned what we were talking about. For St Paul it is part of Christian discipleship- as he wrote to the church in Corinth, we can give with joy and generosity out of poverty as well as riches- if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable to God based on what we have. And my experience is that this is true: the more generously I gave of myself and my finances, the more joy, the more purpose in life, the more freedom I have had. As I step into the freedom that comes from following Christ, my understanding of grace, of my identity in him, of how I handle my money, of what it means to be saved for this life and all eternity, all of these become less a case of the tick-list and more about my acceptance of God’s love for me- all that I am and have changes in the light of that.

John the Baptist, who’s birth we’re celebrating this week and next, knew that his life was a gift from God, and he used it to serve God- as we are inspired by him to share God’s grace and the Good News of the gospel with those around us, so let us be equally inspired to recognise that our lives are a gift from God, and to respond to that gift.

The Kingdom of God… not quite what you were expecting

‘Ere we go, ere we go, ere we go!!’ No, not England’s performance against Tunisia in the football world cup, rather it’s another posting on my blog- yes, that is two in the last month…  And another baptism too, which brings us up to double figures for the year so far, just before we reach St John the Baptist day, our patron saint’s day.

Here’s what I said last Sunday, responding to the passage in Mark 3 where Jesus tells the parables of the sower and the mustard seed… as always, available on the website here if you want to here exactly what was said, but here’s the text:

Have you ever tried to describe or explain something to someone, who has very little knowledge of what you’re talking about… the words, they know the words you’re using, but when you put them together… they just don’t fit…

How do you explain colours to a blind person? Or the sea to someone who’s lived their life in a desert?

‘Its like…’ and you find yourself reaching for something they will understand… explaining to a blind person that colours are what the eye perceives when light is reflected at different wavelengths may be true, but it’s not helpful… you need to find something that they can understand… but you also have to realise it will have its limits- Imagine the biggest oasis of water you’ve ever seen, but make it so big that you can’t see the other side or walk around it… but you’ve not touched on the tide, the waves, the smell or the feel of water…

Jesus, in the passage we just heard from the Gospel of Mark, has been trying to describe the kingdom of God… For us, today, we’re like the blind man or the desert dweller… we don’t really have a clue what this means. For Jesus’ first listeners it was possibly even more confusing, because they thought they did know… the kingdom of God was surely their country, because they were the chosen people and their kings had been the chosen leaders… they were the ones who God had saved from Egypt so many years before. God had given them the 10 commandments, had brought them through the sea and the wilderness… they knew the kingdom of God. Or they thought they did.

Jesus used simple picture stories- we call them parables, to nudge and knock at their ideas- to gradually challenge them. He used images they understood, that were all around them- plants growing in the field… but in a way that challenged their ideas- the kingdom of God is not quite what you think.

Things in life are often not quite what you think… take children for example… before you have your first, you’ve got an idea of what its like… and then folk take great delight in watching you discover that, it’s not quite what you think. And then you have another, a second delightful child… and guess what? They’re not a clone of the first… or they have some similarities, but not where you were expecting them… and then a third… and well, what if she’s a girl after two boys? Well, it won’t be quite what you think… the only way to find out what it is like, is to live through it, and in 20yrs time you’ll know.

The kingdom of God is not quite what you think. The Christian faith is not quite what you think. Baptism, God, the church and the Bible- not quite what you think… but you only really find out what they are like as you go along.

So what did Jesus mean when he said ‘The kingdom of God is like a man scattering seed’ and yet also ‘like a mustard seed’…

The kingdom of God grows… not when and how we wish it- we do not control it, but we do play a part… just like we don’t control everything when we’re trying to grow plants from seed, but we are important-

We- choose the soil, we prepare the soil, we plant the seed, we clear weeds, we water the seed

We don’t- make it sprout, control the weather, control the way this particular plant grows…

Which brings me to the mustard seed… If we use the picture of a seed about to sprout to describe something, in our mind we think of something small, that is going to grow and become huge… and we can easily fall into the trap of thinking like this when we hear these words of Jesus… but- If Jesus wanted to talk about the Kingdom of God as something huge and strong and tall… he’d have said it was like a cypress tree- they’re massive. But a mustard plant? It’s not small, but neither is it huge… sure, the seed is tiny, but frankly, if you’re trying to impress someone with size and strength, the mustard plant isn’t a great choice. And it’s not exactly a looker- a straggly bush type plant that you could just about call a tree if you felt generous. It’s a tough thing though, growing in hot and dry conditions. So what is going on? If we remember the passage, it says that the mustard plant provides shade and perches for the birds of the air… it’s a place of safety, protection and shelter, it’s tough and it can survive and grow in all kinds of places. That’s the kingdom of God.

It grows in each of us when we respond to the invitation to acknowledge the claim that God is the creator who loves every one of us. It grows in us when we make that step of turning away from the bad practices (or sins) of our own lives and turning towards Jesus as the model of how to live, as the guide, the door keeper and yes, the way to reach God. It grows in us as a community of people when we choose to practice love towards one another, to become more hospitable, to learn kindness to strangers, to feed the hungry and care for those in need.

At times we might wish for this to grow in us faster, or more easily… but our role isn’t to control how fast a plant grows, nor how quickly God’s kingdom grows in us… we encourage growth but we can’t make it happen. Sometimes we need to be patient, to wait; to have faith… sometimes things that look dead (our clematis) just need to need to wait for the right time (the Titan Arum or corpse flower at the Eden project).

In baptism of a child we plant a seed of faith… when we come to church and hear the words of the songs and the words from the front, seeds are being scattered among us…what happens next is in part up to us, and in part up to God… There is an invitation for us all- to grow, to find peace, to shelter… it is up to us, each one of us to make our own response.