Animal Pairs

Have you ever played that game of turning over cards, to find pairs of the same species of animal?

Jesus was not playing this game, when he linked two very diverse pairs of animals, as he sought to teach his followers about how to live in a difficult world.

“Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.' (Matthew 10.16)

In an environment where we face threats to our own survival (no one needs to ask what happens to sheep among wolves), we have to be careful how we behave.

Of course, the threats to our survival come in many different shapes and sizes. 

Most of the ones I seem to face come from my own self-inflicted issues of insecurity and my desire to be liked. I hear the words of Jesus about the need to be courageous and trusting, and wonder if I can make the grade. In his mercy, I have found that he does give courage that isn't mine by nature, for which I am thankful.

But it is the balance between the snakes and doves which intrigue me.

A snake knows it is vulnerable, and it doesn't put itself in a place where predators could easily attack. It spends a lot of time in safe places, in order to be able to feed, live and multiply. It doesn't pick fights that it doesn't believe it can win, and it uses the resources it has when they can be most effective.
All of these qualities could help us to be more effective in our living for Jesus.

And then the harmless doves - not the words I would use for those pigeons that spatter our car with their signatures. To Jesus, the doves didn't get in anyone's way, and merely went about their business without interfering and causing a nuisance. As far as humans were concerned, doves showed purity and innocence.

This balance of prudence and purity, from the snakes and the doves, would be great hallmarks for us to develop in our own mission & ministry.

Best wishes,

Richard

Eye Test

I went for an eye test yesterday.

As I am basically short sighted, I wear hard contact lenses for most of each day, but had recently dropped and lost the lenses from both eyes, in separate incidents. But as I have several older pairs (that didn't get lost), I have been able to wear these older lenses that are pretty much OK. 

This story was somewhat shocking to the fellow testing my eyes. But in the 2 years since my last test (and I was reminded that I should have come last year!), both my eyes have changed somewhat. 

As an outcome, they have ordered me a replacement set of the lenses prescribed 2 years ago, and we will see how they help me to see.

St. James describes our experience of reading or hearing the Bible as a bit like an eye test.

'But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.' (James 1.22-25)

It would be great to see ourselves as God sees us. In that way, the Lord, who wants the best for us, is helping to choose to change, so that we are increasingly being made more like Jesus.

But as James points out, we cannot join Him in this activity if we rush through life, and forget what He has been pointing out to us. Time for reflection and possibly discussion with trusted friends will help us in the process.

Getting good contact lenses will be a great help for me. It will correct my steadily deteriorating eyes, and help me to live better.

So, as we cooperate with the Lord will he help us to live more freely, for our blessing, the good of others and His glory.

Worth taking this eye test!

Best wishes,

Richard

Giving up everything

As some will know, I have started to have a clear out from my study. There are books in bags, awaiting their next destination - which might be someone else's bookshelves or a recycling place.

I also started clearing out some clothes that never get worn. But there is much more to do.

Jesus made a startling challenge when talking to large crowds of potential followers.

'So you cannot become my disciple without giving up everything you own.' (Luke 14.33)

This sounds an impossible challenge.

Often, as I reflect on my life, I see that something I own has taken a grip on my life. Instead of my receiving everything as a gift from the Lord, to be enjoyed and appreciated, I notice that all too often the things I own start owning me. I become the slave of what I have - whether it is this laptop, my mobile phone, or the newest (or in my case, oldest) shirt or shoes. Things seem to get a grip on my life - as well as dreams and hopes, longings and ambitions. 

Jesus is calling me (and maybe you) to change the way we see the stuff of our lives - good servants but bad masters. In that way, we are able to live for Jesus freely, rather than trapped by the details of our lives. 

So, as well as continuing the clear out of books and clothes, I will address the challenge from Jesus - giving up everything you own.

Best wishes,

Richard

Spoilt for Choice

So many things I could write about today! Which one shall I choose? I am spoilt for choice. 

The truth is that we are all spoilt by the choices we make.

Take the assorted food scandals and panics, for instance.

A few weeks ago, the news emerged that we throw away a huge proportion of decent food, because we have bought too much, or 'sell by dates' have duped us into thinking we might be poisoned. 

In more recent days, we discover that our obsession with cheap and convenient food has allowed some suppliers to be "economical with the truth" about what we may be eating. 

Has anyone become ill from this practice? No one seems to have been poisoned, but many seem to be enjoying their righteous indignation. As we know, bad news sells papers, and gives the media plenty to make them seem important.

But lurking below the surface, I believe, is our relentless obsession with all things food related. The top selling books are all about food, and many of the most watched TV programmes are on the same subject. Maybe an idea for our Lenten fast could be to avoid all such stuff.

In the Old Testament, the people of Israel, emerging from years of slavery in Egypt, travel through the wilderness, and find their diet limited to daily manna and water from assorted rocks. They grumble and are greedy for something better. They cried out for more and different food, and the Lord hears their grumbles, and send them quails by the thousand. The Psalmist reflects on what happened next. 'In the wilderness their desires ran wild, testing God’s patience in that dry wasteland.
¹⁵ So he gave them what they asked for, but he sent a plague along with it.' (Psalm 106.14-15)

They were spoilt for choice, and the Lord gave them what they asked for - and with it the consequences of their own greed. Now that is a lesson for all of us.

St. Paul observes the same situation amongst the culture of the ancient world. 'For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour.' (Philippians 3.18-20)

The choices we make have consequences, and while the Lord loves us, He will not deliver us from our own folly and obsessions.

So let us, with the Lord's help, seek to be Christ-focused and food-obsessed during these days of Lent.

I shall find that a real challenge. But thinking clearly about what influences our behaviour will help us to be able to resist the temptations all around us.

Best wishes,

Richard

The King is dead! Long live the King!

The retirement of Pope Benedict was a news story  for which the media was not prepared. 

It remains to be seen whether the Roman Catholic Church is prepared for this change.

But there have been many surprises in the 2000 year history of the Christian story, and people have grown used to moving on.

The old saying, when a monarch dies, in this country, 'The King is dead. Long live the King' indicates that we hope for a seamless change from one regime to the next.

But how about other major changes in our lives? 

How can we cope when all around our particular world is changing? 

Barclays bank is losing 3,700 jobs, and there continue to be job losses elsewhere in the economy. 

How might we respond to these upsets?

The Psalmist was used to major world-changing events, and often sought refuge in the Lord.

'God is our refuge and strength,
    always ready to help in times of trouble.
² So we will not fear when earthquakes come
    and the mountains crumble into the sea.
³ Let the oceans roar and foam.
    Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge! (Psalm 46.1-3)

All of us, whatever our situation today, can choose to place ourselves in the hands of the Lord, who will hold us and keep us safe. Such a choice from our side may not change our outward situation and circumstances, but we will find ourselves enfolded in the 'love the will not let me go', as the old hymn says.

Best wishes,

Richard

Fox Attack

News of the fox attack on the baby in south east London has alarmed me. 

The reason is that there are foxes living underneath our garden shed. With advice from the pest control experts sent by Woking Borough Council, I have attempted to discourage their presence, but I don't know whether I have succeeded. It is difficult to tell whether they are still in residence, though another heavy snowfall would reveal their presence from their footprints. But if they are still there, I must get rid of them.

The story of the attack on the baby tells me that I must succeed in evicting the foxes. It is too serious to 'let them be'.

The lesson I learn, for my Christian living, is that I must similarly be decisive and effective in evicting bad habits of thinking, acting and speaking from my life. 

St. Paul was very clear in his teaching to his friends in Thessalonica. 'For you are all children of the light and of the day; we don’t belong to darkness and night. So be on your guard, not asleep like the others. Stay alert and be clear-headed. Night is the time when people sleep and drinkers get drunk. But let us who live in the light be clear-headed, protected by the armour of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation. For God chose to save us through our Lord Jesus Christ, not to pour out his anger on us.' (1 Thessalonians 5.5-9)

Instead of treating the temptations towards evil which we all encounter as cuddly and friendly pets, to be pampered and fed, we must treat them as wild animals which may look appealing on the outside, but they have the capacity to bring damage and death to our spiritual lives. 

With Lent approaching, we are reminded that we should be being tough on sin and the causes of sin in our own lives. We need to take action because the glory of God and the health of our own spiritual lives is at stake. 

Some questions come to mind. Do I watch the stuff on DVD or on television which is not healthy? Am I hooked by online porn? Do I fantasise about people? And so on!!

Best wishes,

Richard

Helping Teacher

In my school days, I do not recall often being of much help to my teachers. There were some I liked, and several of whom I had a low opinion. My own learning was often determined by whether or not I liked the teacher. But enough of reminiscences.

In the fourth Gospel, we read of an interesting young boy. he is willing and able to help Jesus. 'Jesus soon saw a huge crowd of people coming to look for him. Turning to Philip, he asked,“Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” He was testing Philip, for he already knew what he was going to do. Philip replied, “Even if we worked for months, we wouldn’t have enough money to feed them!” Then Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up. “There’s a young boy here with five barley loaves and two fish. But what good is that with this huge crowd?” (John 6.5-9)

What then follows is the feeding of the 5000, with the disciples playing an important part in passing out the multiplying food. The gospels all focus on the lessons that the disciples learned (or didn't learn) from the incident. But there is no mention made of the young boy, whose sacrifice made the miracle possible.

I often reflect that each day we may encounter a situation in which Jesus wants both to teach us something and to provide miraculous help for someone in need. He has the power to help people without our willing partnership, but he chooses to involve us. Will we make available to him, today, the equivalent of the five barley loaves and two fish? 

Often it is our time which he needs, or our availability to be kind and gracious, or some practical resources. 

I pray that I may be able to help the Teacher today. 

Will you?
Best wishes,

Richard

Moving Home

It is widely acknowledged that it is highly stressful to move to a new home. 

Several people will be experiencing that stress-filed change in the next few days and weeks.

At the same time, many of us are deeply moved and in grief at the death of loved family members or friends.

St. Paul used the image of moving home as a description of what happens for Christians at death. 'We know that when this earthly tent we live in is taken down (that is, when we die and leave this earthly body), we will have a house in heaven, an eternal body made for us by God himself and not by human hands.' (2 Corinthians 5.1)

Jesus spoke to his disciples of our heavenly home, which he was going to prepare for us, by his own death and resurrection. 

St. Paul goes on to makes it clear that moving to our new heavenly home is going to be much, much better than our present life of struggle and suffering. 'We grow weary in our present bodies, and we long to put on our heavenly bodies like new clothing.  For we will put on heavenly bodies; we will not be spirits without bodies. While we live in these earthly bodies, we groan and sigh, but it’s not that we want to die and get rid of these bodies that clothe us. Rather, we want to put on our new bodies so that these dying bodies will be swallowed up by life. God himself has prepared us for this, and as a guarantee he has given us his Holy Spirit.' (2 Corinthians 5.2-5)

These words of course challenge the widely held view that after death we are merely disembodied spirits, floating around somewhere. What we have to look forward to, after death, is a wonderfully re-bodied existence, in which everything works properly. In our present lives, nothing works quite as well as it should. But, in the new heaven and new earth to which we are travelling, in our journey of faith in Christ, we will enjoy the perfection for which we were originally created. That makes such a difference, as we all face our own death and the death fo those whom we love. This brings us solid hope of lasting pleasures, in place of blighted hopes and painful disappointments. As we fix our eyes on these certainties, we can support one another in the present. Let us do that.

Best wishes,

Richard