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Power

Well as far as Sam, our dog is concerned today has been very exciting. The mailman had to drop something off so Sam got a chance to greet him, John came to clean the windows, another chance for a greeting, and the gas man came to switch out our old electricity and gas meters for new ones which are called smart meters. Apparently we should be able to monitor our power usage better and thus be able to save electricity and gas so as to be more ecological and also save a wee bit of money.
It got me thinking about our own power for living which made me think of 1 Corinthians 1:18, ” For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” As we get closer to Easter and think more and more about the sacrifice of Christ upon the cross so we get more excited as we look forward in eager anticipation to hear those great stories again of Jesus love for us that took him to the cross and then the wonderful demonstration of God’s power and the truth of Jesus claims on Easter Sunday morning. They really are a source of power for us as we remember and as we claim the victory over sin and death through Jesus.
If you had a smart meter on your spiritual life, how much power would it show? Have you claimed the victory through Jesus Christ and asked for the Holy Spirit to bless you in your journey of faith? Are you living by faith, reliant on the power of God or by sight, relying on your own strength alone? As Easter approaches turn to God afresh, rely on his majesty and love and experience the power which is salvation anew.

Uncertainty

Some years ago someone had the idea that instead of throwing confetti at a wedding you could make little things that looked like rose buds but then if you flicked them, the petals would unfold releasing the contents of the bud, which was usually birdseed. It made a change from confetti, was disposed of naturally as the birds ate the seed and it all seemed like a good idea. That was until one certain bride and groom got into their car to leave the reception and the door was held open while a number of the men flicked these things into the car. The seed went everywhere and no birds ever got in the car so that when the car was sold some years later they were still picking seeds out of crevasses! I feel that like the seeds we are going to be picking up the pieces of the political decisions of the last year or so for years to come. There is going to be immense change and the uncertainty it brings has everyone on edge.
Even in the church there is uncertainty as we try to understand how to be the church in a secular age, an age none of us has experienced and none of us were trained as to how to be a minister in these circumstances. It causes immense tension in the church as older members are crying out for the old familiar hymns, something to cling on to for comfort, while younger members are looking for something fresh and new.
In this world of uncertainty I want to simply remind you of this verse from Hebrews. Hebrews 13:8 says this: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever.” Our God does not change. Our God’s love for you does not change. Our God’s desire to have a meaningful and close relationship with you does not change. Even if the mountains crumble into the sea our God does not change, he reigns and he lives. There are still some things that are certain and sure. Comfort one another with these thoughts.

Can you please be a priest?

Last week I attended a very good conference in Glasgow about the church in a secular age. How does our mission and work change as a result of the increasing secularisation around us? The keynote speaker, Stefan Paas made some excellent points in his keynote talks. One of the most fascinating points he made was concerning that wonderful reformed concept of the priesthood of all believers. Priests are, by definition, in the minority, as we are. Their main tasks are to represent God to the people and the people to God. That we can do. We are the hands and feet of God in our communities, doing the work of God in our communities, being salt and light to those around us. More than that we have a particular priestly task in that we are to intercede for our community, our parish and our city. One of the main roles of any priest is an intercessory one. We need to find the stories of grief, anger and joy in the community and present them to God.
The priestly church will be characterised by worship and praise, it will be deeply communal as it cares for its community in practical ways, it will take seriously its role of representing God to the community and will be actively pursuing the fullness of Christ in individuals.
Stefan Paas suggested that we need individuals to become Christians, not just to fill the pews and keep the church going but to ensure that we have people everywhere representing God to the people and the people to God, that no-one is without someone interceding on their behalf. Is there anyone you know who you are not praying for? Are there persons on your street for whom not one person is praying? Imagine if someone you knew died without anyone ever praying for them? We have a priestly task ad as we start praying for people we will become more and more interested in them, our love will increase and that witness will change everything. Start praying for your neighbours, your street, your community. We are called to the priesthood of all believers, make a start today on realising the implications of that calling.

Mardi Gras

Well it is Mardi Gras or in English, Fat Tuesday. In my case this is to go along with Fat Monday, Fat Wednesday, Fat…..You get the picture. Over the last few years I have slowly put on weight, exacerbated by a bicycle crash a few years ago which left me in a lot of pain in my right shoulder which meant that I got out of a cycling routine and despite that having been corrected with a couple of surgeries I am still not cycling as much as I should. Maybe 40 days of fasting through lent is what I really need, together with a better exercise routine.
But is that all that lent is about? Doing without food? Of course not, the original idea was that it was a time of introspection, self-examination, repentance and confession in order to prepare yourself spiritually for Easter and its great celebration. You spend the time you would usually spend in preparing, eating and clearing up after the meal in prayer. It is not so much the taking away of food but the addition of prayer time, reflection and seeking God’s presence.
I was talking to one of my colleagues recently who has put a different spin on lent. His congregation is being encouraged to do something positive for each day. I like that idea. It might be to visit someone who is lonely, buy someone else a cup of coffee, offer to give someone a lift to the supermarket.
I don’t think the two are exclusive. When Nehemiah heard of the state of Jerusalem, he fasted, wept and prayed for many days. He prayed for God to tell him what he could do for the beloved city. I want to encourage you to do the same this lent. Spend time in prayer, even fast if you can and pray for God to reveal to you little acts of kindness that you can do each day for your city, town or village. Your city may not be in quite as much as a shambles as Jerusalem was in the days of Nehemiah but I can assure you, there are drug addicts, homeless people, people living below the poverty line. There are those who are lonely, even suicidal. Ask God to reveal to you what you can do each day even if it is just a friendly phone call or to volunteer at a shelter or food bank. Make this lent, not just a time for introspection but also for service, serving God and humanity. Let’s make a difference during these forty days.

A Good Day Off

Yesterday I had a good day off. it was a busy day, at times even a little hectic. it was not without stress, but it was good. In the morning I was able to pursue one of my hobbies and work on a small demonstration model railway layout. About 90 percent of the layout is now operational and it was incredibly satisfying to see my little locomotive trundling along very smoothly and slowly at shunting speed.
The afternoon was very different. It was a chance to pursue another interest, of a more practical nature. It was an afternoon for cooking. I really enjoy cooking, either following a recipe or making things up as I go along. I am quite happy to stand at the counter chopping, grinding and mixing, getting everything ready and then moving to the stove. By the time I get to the stove everything is measured out and ready so that with minimum distraction I can focus on the actual cooking process. Then of course you get to that final stage. Out comes a teaspoon from the drawer and I taste it. Did I get the seasoning right? Did I toast the spices just right for maximum flavour? I taste and see if the food is good.
Many centuries ago the psalmist wrote, taste and see that the Lord is good. This is a wonderful invitation. It is full of warmth and love. The psalmist is saying, just try this, take a little sip, have a little bite, experience what God’s love is like because I know you will like it. Just as I said to my son, you need to try this curry, it is one of my best attempts at it yet, I know you will like it, so we are invited to try God. Take that first step of following God and you will discover that he is good and kind. As you continue to trust him and taste his goodness you will find that the things that satisfied you in the past no longer taste so good and you will discover a palate for the more wonderful aspects of life.

The Perfect Bond

No, this is not another debate about who should be the next James Bond. Neither, for my model railway friends, is it a blog about the best glue to use for various applications. This is about the best bond in life. What is the thing which holds life together better than anything else? According to Paul, in his letter to the Colossians there is only one perfect bond and that is love. It binds everything together in perfect unity( Col 3: 14).
Love is what holds a church together even through times of disagreement, love is what holds families together even when times are rough and love is what can hold a person together when everything around them seems to be falling apart. It is the love of family, friends, other church members and colleagues. Love, the sacrificial Christian love that is agape is what can hold all things together when external evidence suggests they should be blowing apart.
Being Valentine’s Day we will hear and read a great deal about love and for the most part it will be fairly superficial romantic love which bears little relation to the actual love shown by the real St. Valentine whose love for his Christian brothers and sisters led to his own torture and death. So while it is a good thing to celebrate the romantic aspect of St. Valentine’s Day and I would encourage you to do so, let us not forget the deeper love, the sacrificial love, that was the love of Valentine and that is more necessary than ever in order to bind our lives together at this time.

Being Weird

Those of you who know me will understand why I had to buy a book titled, Being weird, because normal isn’t working. It is a great book by Craig Groeschel that points out that if the way of Jesus is the narrow way then maybe the church should not be just going with the crowds. That if we are to be salt and light we have to be a little different from the society around us so that we can add a little flavour and illuminate those places in society that are dark and dangerous. It is a difficult book to read in many ways. After all in the Western World it has long been assumed that being a good citizen and being a good Christian were interchangeable. To then read in a book that says that we should not just be going along with the crowd, that we are supposed to be an alternative community of peace, love and grace that maybe does not quite fit in with the norms of the world around us is actually quite difficult.
But do we have any choice? The Kingdom of God is still growing, thanks to the growth of the church in other parts of the world outstripping the loses in the first world but there is obviously something that is wrong here. We have become too comfortable. We have tried to fit in with society and with the current values it supports instead of the Biblical virtues that, unlike values, do not change. In an attempt to bolster church numbers we have made the church so shallow that there is no depth of commitment. We need to realise that it is OK to be a little weird, that we are not the in-crowd, that our lives in Jesus Christ will be different from the lives of non-believers around us. Being normal is quite clearly not working, the precipitous fall in membership over the last forty to fifty years shows us that. Maybe it is time to be a little weird, to say we should stick out because of our love, peace and grace. Let’s all be a little weird this week.

Alternative Truth

What is truth? that was the question that Pontius Pilate is reported to have asked Jesus two thousand years ago when Jesus had been arrested and the religious leaders in Jerusalem wanted him put to death. What is truth? I would imagine that if Pilate was alive today he would be tearing his hair out given the whole truth/alternative truth debate that is currently raging. With the internet and the ability to research it should be easier than ever to find out the truth about events, what people said and what people did. However it is also easier than ever to promote agendas, spread disinformation and even downright lies and often it is very hard to find what is the truth behind the headlines.
While for some this has been a shocking development in society, for others this is nothing new. It was as far back as 1993 that the book entitled No place for truth was published. David Wells went on to publish two more books in the 90’s along the same vein with Losing our virtue and God in the wasteland.
In the church there is no alternative truth because we follow and serve the one who is the Truth. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life.” He didn’t say he was a way, or point to the truth, he said he was the way and the truth. If the church sounds an uncertain note on this then it will surely die. We have to be clear. We have to be resolute. Yes, we have even to be a bit weird. But then as Craig Groeschal’s book states, we have to be weird, because normal isn’t working!

Manse Musings – Steering a straight course.

Back when I was a teenager I got the chance to be at the helm of a very large ship. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. However part of the reason that I was on board the ship in the first place was that there had been a severe fire in the engine room some weeks before and it had knocked the ship’s schedule out and caused all sorts of confusion which meant that my father had to spend a day on board since he was a director of the company that owned the ship.
However as a result of the fire although one engine was still delivering full power the other was not. That meant that without constant steering corrections the ship would simply go round in circles. So all the time I was at the helm I was pushing against this force. After a while it was tiring and I was quite glad when someone else took over.
I think all of us have experienced this in some way in our own lives. When we try to change our inclinations, our habits, our way of doing things, in our own strength it is like battling against that turning force. We may succeed for a while, but sooner or later we tire and it becomes too much effort. How many of you have already given up your New Year’s resolution to lose weight and get fit at the gym and could not now find your gym membership card if your life depended on it? In order to change direction we have to change our mind and our heart. The Bible calls this repentance and it is a radical change of mind and direction that is a radical life change. God calls us to a radical change of mind and direction in life so that we will know his peace and his happiness, his blessedness for then you can steer a sure and straight course through this life.

Arise and Shine

Arise and shine, I don’t know how many times I heard those words from my parents as a child as they got me up for school or whatever the day had in store. Arise and shine. It was a phrase I really did not think about. It was just something my folks said. Of course it is biblical, arise and shine for your light has come, it is from Isaiah 60 and describes the coming of Jesus, the light of the world. For me as a child however it simply was a call to get up and do well at school, work hard, shine out among my classmates. However it is much more than that, it is about letting the light of Christ shine through your words and actions. It is about bringing shalom in a world that sorely lacks the peace that only Christ can bring.
The days are lengthening, the light of the sun is remaining with us longer through the day, as it does so, let us make a concerted effort also to shine brighter and longer in the world. Rise and shine sleepyhead. for the kingdom of God is nearer now than when we first believed.

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