Whatever the Weather

At the moment, the sun is shining and the sky is blue and dotted with fluffy clouds. How lovely! 

But it won't last!
We are due another soaking later today, and then assorted weather in the days that follow.

Many of us are hoping that our activities this weekend will not be affected - tomorrow's Funday on Lakeview from 1 to 4pm, and our Outdoor Church on Sunday morning, followed by our Church Barbecue.

Facing this weekend, some people might say 'fingers crossed' or 'touch wood', to indicate some desire to affect the weather.That is of course just godless superstition. So what can we say about the weather?

Jesus faced people who were much like us in our cares and worries. He knew that there were plenty of worriers in his audience, and he first reminded them that our Heavenly Father cares about people like us. ' “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are? (Matthew 6.25-26) 

We often worry about the details of our lives, precisely because we think the Lord has forgotten about us. But Jesus tells us that we are valuable to our Father. That is good!

But then he reminds us that our thoughts need to be in line with his desires for us. ' “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.' Matthew 6.31-33)

Again, notice that Jesus draws a distinction between what we may want - particular food, clothes or drink - while our Father knows what we need! If our desires are for His glory and the growth of His Kingdom, then He will give us everything we need. 

And of course, this a remedy for our worries, Whatever the Weather. Living wholly committed to His Glory takes the pressure off our worries. We can trust our Father to work through us and in us, so that He gets the praise.

So let us trust the Lord for tomorrow and Sunday, and ask that he is glorified in what we do and how we do it.

Best wishes,

Richard

Silver Lining

In this wet summer, is there a silver lining to be discovered?

Yes! Cherries galore this year! Nationally, this wet weather has encouraged a good harvest of plump juicy cherries - according to the Waitrose weekly newspaper. Our own cherry tree, which has hardly ever produced more than a handful of cherries, because it is never watered enough, has this year done much better! And the blueberries are the best yet - because they like wet conditions! And our loganberries are also ripening as large plump fruits, much better than when I have tried to water them enough in drier summers. So, a fruit-laden silver lining to this cloud-laden summer.

The brother of Jesus, the Church leader and apostle, James, had some startling things to say about the silver lining which we may discover when things don't work out the way we want them to.  ' Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing. ' (James 1.2-4)

Most of us are naturally allergic to thinking like this. 

Our culture and our lifestyle habits teach us to get what we want, and to moan and be dissatisfied if we don't get it when we want it. Our greed and impatience, which has deep roots in all of us, doesn't want to hear what James says. 

The truth is that God's deep work in our lives can only happen when we are forced into places of discomfort. That is when we learn that we are not the answer to our problems, but that God alone can rescue and deliver us. It is not surprising that it takes time in tough circumstances if we want to see our  endurance fully developed.

So let us look for God's silver lining in the present difficulties we may well be facing these days.

Best wishes,

Richard

Good for Growth

Looking ahead on assorted weather forecast websites, the predominant feature for Woking's weather in the next few weeks is 'rain showers'. Occasionally, there are images of a shining sun, but this is slug and duck delight time!. 

And at last, our very own hosepipe ban is lifted. Apologies for mistakenly announcing this some weeks ago!

The clever people have been able to tell us that this is all because the high altitude jetstream is not in its normal summer position, so we get low pressure over us, and that means rain!

The world of the Bible is used to much drier conditions. So farmers in the ancient Middle East looked forward eagerly to summer rain! It provided sufficient water to grow good crops. And behind the daily events of the growing seasons, the faithful people saw the good gifts of God.

' You take care of the earth and water it, making it rich and fertile.
The river of God has plenty of water; it provides a bountiful harvest of grain, for you have ordered it so.
¹⁰ You drench the ploughed ground with rain, melting the clods and leveling the ridges.
You soften the earth with showers and bless its abundant crops. (Psalm 65.9-11)

While we would all prefer some warm and dry weather, I believe that we do well to focus on the good gifts of God that we do enjoy, rather than our wet summer. All of us can grow deeper in our daily trust in the Lord, as we see what He to grow in us, whatever the weather!

Best wishes,

Richard

Mis-selling

Mis-selling seems to be catching.

The banks have all been paying enormous fines for mis-selling some of their products - Payment Protection insurance, I think.

GlaxoSmithKline have been caught doing the same thing, and are paying a $3billion fine in the US. But most pharmaceutical companies send out dodgy details about the effects of their new drugs - check out the interview on Radio 4's Today programme. The famous film, The Fugitive, with Harrison Ford, tells the story of one such dodgy company!

But while others are doing it, I wonder whether Christians sometimes mis-sell the Good News of Jesus.

When the Gospel is presented as 'Come to Jesus and everything will be fine!', or 'Trust in Jesus and you will get a better job and bigger house and car', that is blatant mis-selling. So what did Jesus say?

Then, calling the crowd to join his disciples, he said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. 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? Is anything worth more than your soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when he returns in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”  (Mark 8.34-38)

That is pretty clear, and should leave us in no doubt as to what to expect. 

Jesus himself paid the price for his uncompromising stand against human wickedness, and we too will find we are called to bear mocking, and much pain and trouble, as we seek to bring this ONLY message of hope to people around us.

But let's not make the mistake of those whose over-enthusiastic marketing mean they end up mis-selling.

Best wishes,

Richard

Payback Time

First Barclays is found to be cheating. Today, of course all eyes will be on Bob Diamond's appearance before the Common Select Committee. Where is this story going to end?

Now, another great British company, GlaxoSmithKline, the pharmaceutical giant, has been fined $3billion in the US, for cheating in the sales in their costly drugs.

And there were times when we thought bankers were honest and decent, and that doctors and others committed to helping us recover from sickness were to be trusted. 

But greed has done for both - and they have been caught out too!

Both companies will no doubt claim that 'everybody is doing it', which may be shown to be true. But that doesn't make it OK.

St. Paul had some sharp words to his friends in the early Christian communities in Galatia. 'Don’t be misled—you cannot mock the justice of God. You will always harvest what you plant. Those who live only to satisfy their own sinful nature will harvest decay and death from that sinful nature. But those who live to please the Spirit will harvest everlasting life from the Spirit. So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.' (Galatians 6.7-10)

Those whose job it is to monitor and investigate the behaviour of large companies have a difficult job. The processes which they use may or may not reveal the truth behind corporate cover-ups. But Paul reminds us that we cannot mock the justice of God.

While we may watch in astonishment to the charges against these large companies, we must also take care with our own lives. Paul helpfully sets out what we must do to be sure of reaping a great harvest, that glorifies God and is good for those around us.

Today, all of us can set out to live to please the Spirit - which involves us keeping on doing simple acts of goodness, whenever we have the opportunity. Then we can trust God with a good Payback Time.

Best wishes,

Richard

Mind Stretching

Whenever as a family, we used go on a long car journey, we would aim to stop for a break after 90 minutes or so. Someone say they needed 'a leg stretch', which has caused amusement for some in the family! Of course, our legs don't stretch, but they do get stiff and enjoy being able to move more easily.

But how often do we take the trouble to stretch our minds? 

Much of modern life, with its relentless busyness, encourages us to be passive absorbers of entertainment, and we too easily allow ourselves to become rigid and limited in our thinking. 

I have to ask myself when was the last time that I explored a new subject area from my usual diet or discovered a new avenue of thinking. As the Psalmist confessed, we are 'fearfully and wonderfully made', and our loving Creator God has given us the capacity for enquiry and curiosity. These are what drive our desire to learn and think. 

In his struggles with his suffering, Job is confronted by God, who asks him some startling questions. 

' “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
    Tell me, if you know so much.Who determined its dimensions
    and stretched out the surveying line?What supports its foundations,
    and who laid its cornerstoneas the morning stars sang together
    and all the angels shouted for joy?' (Job 38.4-7)

Job was challenged to approach the world of nature in humble adoration of the One who made it all. But it is also assumed that a man like Job has been inquisitive and curious about the whole world of nature. 

In his own way, Job must have been a bit like an ancient version of David Attenborough, as the chapters sets out a wonderful description of the ancient natural world. 

“Can you shout to the clouds
    and make it rain?
³⁵ Can you make lightning appear
    and cause it to strike as you direct?
³⁶ Who gives intuition to the heart
    and instinct to the mind?
³⁷ Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?
    Who can tilt the water jars of heaven
³⁸ when the parched ground is dry
    and the soil has hardened into clods?

³⁹ “Can you stalk prey for a lioness
    and satisfy the young lions’ appetites
⁴⁰ as they lie in their dens
    or crouch in the thicket?
⁴¹ Who provides food for the ravens
    when their young cry out to God
    and wander about in hunger? (Job 38.34-41)

This evening, upstairs in Church, we will have a chance to have a 'Mind Stretcher' as we consider issues of Science and Faith - are they Friends of enemies? Do come along, at 8pm, if you can.

Every blessing,

Richard

On the Margins

At Guildford Cathedral yesterday, a large congregation of friends and supporters witnessed the ordination of thirteen deacons, sent to serve in assorted parishes in the Diocese. I was there, to support Daniel Natnael, who starts work with us on Goldsworth Park today.

The preacher, Andy Wheeler, from St. Saviour's, Guildford, and with long experience in ministry in Africa, spoke of the way in which those ordained, and the Christian community in the West, are at the margins of the growth and expansion of the global Church. While exciting growth and expansion happens in Asia, Africa and South America, we are often struggling. But the Bible has encouragement for us.

One of the texts for his sermon came from Luke's account of the first African convert to Christ. ' As for Philip, an angel of the Lord said to him, “Go south down the desert road that runs from Jerusalem to Gaza.” So he started out, and he met the treasurer of Ethiopia, a eunuch of great authority under the Kandake, the queen of Ethiopia. The eunuch had gone to Jerusalem to worship, and he was now returning. Seated in his carriage, he was reading aloud from the book of the prophet Isaiah.(Acts 8.26-28)

Philip's obedient action led him to a man on the margins, in whose heart God had been working. At first sight, a single man in a carriage in the desert did not look a likely place to share the Good News of Jesus. But Philip asked a question - 'Do you understand what you are reading? - and had a chance to explain about Jesus, and the man was baptised, and went on his way rejoicing. 

All of us will meet people today, who may be at the margins of faith. Just as Jesus commissioned his first followers, ' Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves.' (Luke 10.3) - so he commissions us. 

If we learn to respond in obedience to the nudge of the Lord, we too will find ourselves on the margins, with those in whom the Lord is already working. Then, we too will have the joy of seeing the Lord at work, as lives are turned round. 

Please remember to pray for Daniel and his family at this exciting time.

Best wishes,

Richard