Leadership Matters

David Cameron has put the cat among the pigeons! Suddenly, the dreary election campaign (about which I wrote yesterday!) has taken on a new flavour.

I wonder how things will develop in the next few days and weeks.

Last Friday, I was meeting the leader of a local church in Banbury. He was telling me that he was planning to run some sessions for some of his church members, on the topic of leadership. I wondered whether he had seen the excellent 'Growing Leaders' course that has been so helpful to many Woking churches.

In the evening, I was at a very different event, and again our discussion turned to leadership within churches. 

My reflection is that the whole Bible can be seen as a training guide for those aspiring to be leaders.

As usual, Jesus shows us what is required.  "So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mark 10.42-45)

We know that Jesus practiced what he preached, and was willing to lay down his life for our sake. That is our motivation for wanting to change the world, in his way, and not in the way of the world.

As we approach Holy Week, and the retelling of the story of Jesus' betrayal, arrest, trials, scourging, and crucifixion, we will do well to pray that we may be shaped by Jesus into his pattern. Then we will lead more like Jesus, so that we lead more people to Jesus.

Best wishes,

Richard

How will it end?

Have you ever read the last pages of a gripping thriller before you should have? Like many, I like to know how it will end, and I don't like too many shocks.

As Saturday approached, there was much excitement among fans of the Six Nations Rugby tournament to know how it all might end. As it turned out, it was much more exciting that any might have predicted. 

As we face the relentless approach of the General Election, there are many possible outcomes, which keeps the chattering classes chattering, while normal human beings are driven to despair! But we will discover the outcome one day!

This has been a tough week for many, and many of us have wept more than we thought was possible. 

Brain Colleer was a remarkable man, so full of gentle strength and generous love to a wide range of people. His love for his family and friends was obvious, and his influence stretched far and wide. His deep awareness of Jesus holding him, whatever might happen, was wonderful to see and know. So the events of last Wednesday, and their consequences have been deeply shocking. But my question - 'How will it end?' - stays with me.

The last chapter of the Bible - which we are allowed to read! - tells the wonderful story of how it will end.

'For the throne of God and of the Lamb will be there, and his servants will worship him. And they will see his face, and his name will be written on their foreheads. And there will be no night there—no need for lamps or sun—for the Lord God will shine on them. And they will reign forever and ever.' (Revelation 22.3-5) I can picture Brian enjoying this new and final experience already!

We were made to enjoy the presence of God, and to be fully alive. Just as the sun brings us warmth and life, so God will bring us such life that, in the present, we can only dream about. Because of Jesus, crucified and raised, as the Lamb of God, who has been through death, and who is now the source of our life, we can know with total confidence that our own death, and the death of those we love, need not be the last word.

St. Paul's glorious mountain top words in the middle of his letter to his friends in Rome say this so well. 'Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us.
And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.' (Romans 8.35-39)

These words bring me hope, while the tears continue to flood my eyes, and while my heart is broken by the pain of parting.

Best wishes,

Richard

The Secret of Happiness!

Red Nose Day was another great success. Huge fun was enjoyed by many people, and enormous sums of money was given away to good causes. It looks like a win-win situation.

But this is not surprising. 

The New Testament records St. Paul passing on a famous saying of Jesus. 'You should remember the words of the Lord Jesus: ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’” (Acts 20.35)

We know that Jesus was someone who practiced what he preached. He taught his followers that greed wasn't the way to live. Throughout the Sermon on the Mount, for instance, he relentlessly showed a different way to live. 

'God blesses those who are humble,
    for they will inherit the whole earth.
God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice,
    for they will be satisfied.
God blesses those who are merciful,
    for they will be shown mercy.' (Matthew 5.5-7)

For most of human history, it appears that it is the greedy who grab the earth - and then destroy it. The merciful find themselves at the bottom of the pile, and it is the ruthless and violent who win the battles, while 'justice' is something that the rich buy whenever they want to get their way.

But Jesus sees beyond the appearance to the deeper reality. Later, he speaks of a profound paradox, which is secret of happiness. 'If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul?' (Mark 8.35-36)

The lesson here is that every day can be a 'Red Nose Day' for those following Jesus. Generous people are happy people. 

Best wishes,

Richard

"Show me!"

These are challenging times. 

Politicians are challenged to show that they will be able, in the future, to deliver on promises made in the past or the present. And of course, they cannot.

In our normal lives, we often face a challenge to show that we can deliver on some matter or another. 'Show me that you can do it!', whatever the 'it' may be. Or 'You said you loved me. Now show me!' And such challenges have their built-in self-destruction feature, because the evidence required may change with the weather. And then everyone is left ruined by the broken trust, and we are inclined to withdraw to lick the wound of our disappointed dreams. 

We see this happening at many levels - cynicism about politics, and broken relationships scattered across the land.

Is there hope to be had from any source?

As St. Paul traveled round the north east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, meeting people from many cultures and backgrounds, he was fearless in presenting the story of what God had done in Jesus, to meet our human desires for hope and security. The Roman Empire promised Pax Romana, which was peace of a sort, so long as you were ready to acknowledge the supreme authority and lordship of Caesar. Paul had a different story to tell.

'When we were utterly helpless, Christ came at just the right time and died for us sinners. Now, most people would not be willing to die for an upright person, though someone might perhaps be willing to die for a person who is especially good. But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.' (Romans 5.6-8)

Paul is able to speak of the evidence of God's saving love, because it had already been shown in the sacrificing death of Jesus. What looked like abject failure and destroyed hopes showed itself to be conquering love. And, from our side, we need to keep our eyes focused on this great love for us that God has shown for us. Then we can say with confidence, 'God is good all of the time. All of the time, God is good!'

Every blessing,

Richard

Motivation Matters

Lurking beneath the questions about the supposed radicalisation of young Muslims is the deeper question about what motivates people to change their behaviour patterns in such a brutal and destructive manner. 

We know that many young people are looking for a cause that is worth living for, and James Dean was not the only teenager who was a 'Rebel without a Cause'. But we all need to explore the roots of our motivation to be the people that we are called to be.

St. Paul, in writing to his friends in Corinth, sets out a double reason for us to be motivated to be fully devoted followers of Jesus. Jesus loves us and He was willing to die for us.

'Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them.' (2 Corinthians 5.14-15)

Paul points to the radical change that Jesus brings to those who take up his challenge. Motivated by his love for us, Jesus willingly laid down his life, in order that we might be thoroughly transformed - not living for self, but for Jesus. 

This may look like sacrifice to the outsider. But for those who choose it, this turns out to be the route to true freedom. Set free from a self-indulgent obsession with ourselves, we discover that we are able to serve those around us, following the pattern and example of Jesus.

I find that I regularly need to review my own motivation for living. Too easily, I become bogged down in the daily business of living, and too easily lose my sense of call to be under the controlling love of Jesus. Today is a good day to reset my course, walking with Jesus.

Best wishes,

Richard

Refreshed and Restored

Last month, my laptop was misbehaving. I was at my wits end to know what to do.

It is only one year old, so hadn't reached the 'terrible twos' experienced by many parents. But nothing I did, that usually sorted out its misbehaviour, seemed to work.

So I followed instructions from Windows Help and first attempted a 'refresh' process, and that made some improvements. I was then driven to restore it, by going back to a 'restore point' from the day before. I have never had to do that before. I was nervous, and wondered what might happen.

The results have been wonderful. All the junk has been cleared out, and behaviour is much improved. I now know what to do the next time it starts to misbehave.

It struck me that this was very much what can happen to us during the season of Lent. I know that my life needs to be refreshed and restored, and wonderfully, that is exactly what Jesus wants to do for us.

In the middle of his ministry, Jesus offered a most amazing series of invitations to the people around him. 'Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.” (Matthew 11.28-30)

Many people I encounter are weary and worn out by the pressures and problems that they face. We take on responsibilities, and then find ourselves stretched to breaking point, and wonder how to survive. It is to people like us that Jesus speaks. He promises to come alongside us, and to share the burden, by being our yoke-partner, just like a pair of oxen pulling a plough. To know that every burden I bear is shared with Jesus makes all the difference. 

For my part, I must be willing to be taught, led and directed by Jesus, so that he is carrying what is too much for me, and I am discovering the deep rest that he alone can bring. Then, like my laptop, I will be refreshed and restored. 

Why not try it for yourself?

Best wishes,

Richard

"Who am I?" - a question of identity

The media are full of information and speculation about what has happened in the life of Mohammad Emwazi to transform him from a student in West London to a notorious killer in IS. 

While many of us have been through crises of identity, as teenagers or later, we are intrigued how this young man has turned out the way he has. The same questions arise whenever there is a terrible mass killing somewhere in the world.

The Bible tells many stories of people who struggle to know their own identity. 

In several stories, names are changed, as people grow into their new God-transformed identity. So Abram becomes Abraham and Jacob become Israel, Simon become Peter and Saul become Paul.

During Lent, we recall that Jesus was tempted for 40 days in the wilderness, and Luke & Matthew tell of the challenges he faced from the devil.'During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”
But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say,
‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4.3-4)

The key challenge that comes from the devil are the words,  “If you are the Son of God.' This is a direct attack on Jesus' identity.
As we know, this time in the wilderness came immediately after Jesus had been baptised by his cousin, John, in the Jordan river.

' After his baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” (Matthew 3.16-17)

At the very start of his public ministry, Jesus is reminded most powerfully that he is dearly loved by his heavenly Father, and that he is equipped to live out his calling by the Spirit's presence. Secure in that identity, he was able to face all the challenges that the devil could throw at him. Eventually, his calling would take him to Gethsemane and Calvary, where he willingly laid down his life. But he was secure in his identity, and therefore able to trust his Father's call on his life.

All of Jesus' followers can know the same security that Jesus enjoyed, if we will focus on these facts - 'God loves me and God is with me!' This sets us free to lay down our lives, for the sake of others.

Then, unlike Mohammad Emwazi, who seems to be trying to find himself in his killing of others, we will be able to bring life to those around us, after the pattern of Jesus. What a privilege!

Best wishes,

Richard