A uniquely authoritative voice on the EU

Richard Hay is an Anglican priest who has a unique understanding of how the European Union works.  For many years he held the office of the senior civil servant in the European Commission.  At the same time he was a Church Warden of church in Brussels where a friend of mine, now a partner in rural ministry and mission, was priest.  Knowing of his uniquely authoritative voice within the discussion the following statement was passed on to me.  It is published here in the hope that in the midst of all the prejudiced comments it might bring some light rather than heat.

Now that the referendum date is known, we are writing to everyone on our address list.  Two years ago we were challenged to do this if a referendum was called.  

We think it matters how the UK votes.  The media debate is often ill-informed (or worse).  So here are comments that try to explain why we think the UK should stay in the EU.  They are meant to contribute to your thinking: each of us needs to come to our own conclusion, and we won’t all follow the same reasons.  Thank God for difference!  (Background: we lived in Brussels for 19 years and Richard worked for the European Commission for 18.)

On cost, we hear of ‘huge sums of cash’ going from the UK to the EU – or other conveniently vague terms hiding the fact that it’s only a very small part (1 – 2%) of UK public spending.

Migration is a problem.  But the big issue is not migrants from the EU - it’s those who come from non-EU countries, where we already have full control.  Our experience shows that it’s very difficult to manage.  But it’s a problem we share with other developed countries.  Surely we face it better together than alone.  And we must avoid being fearful of migrants (as some would wish us to be).  

Violence is in the hearts of a few of every faith; the vast majority of people of every faith are peaceful.  (We also have to confess to a bias: our local general hospital is only kept going by a very large number of devoted staff of many faiths from all around the world.  We give thanks for them, tinged with shame because we know that in their own countries healthcare is far below the standards of Western Europe.)  Compared to this, migration from within the EU is a side-show; mostly it brings us younger people to work and pay UK taxes, while just about as many UK citizens go and live in other EU countries, often in retirement.

But we really shout at the radio about sovereignty (‘being ruled by unelected bureaucrats’):  

• very few of our UK laws are ‘made in Brussels’.  Over the past 20 years, only 1.4% of main Acts of Parliament, and 11.8% of secondary laws, even mention the EU (says the House of Commons library).  We have sovereignty for the vast majority of issues

• all EU legislation is decided by the European Parliament (elected directly), and Council of Ministers (who are elected to national parliaments).  The (unelected) Commission can only propose legislation, and if so decided administer it.  As in the US, the power to propose law is separated from the power to decide.  (And now the European Parliament has to approve the Commission and its President)

• having formal power doesn’t necessarily give control.  Some of us remember the 1960s, when the UK government did everything it could to avoid devaluing the pound (‘in your pocket’); in the end they were overwhelmed.  Control can be found only by the right framework of government for the issue, and in some areas we have to work with others to have real impact

• the emotive claim that ‘we’ need to be in charge goes deeper than effectiveness.  We all cling to our independence.  But we (like every part of creation) cannot live fully on our own.  Despite Donald Trump’s assertions, we don’t live in a ‘zero-sum’ world (well said, the Pope, urging bridges, not walls).  Our flourishing depends on working together, on taking account of others’ needs, on accepting that better things can and are done together.

The EU is a framework in which to do together what is needed to sustain peace based on democracy, still a challenge in Europe (as Russia, the Middle East and migration remind us).  Within, we have weight to shape this process, and also to share in choosing directions for the environment and much scientific research, as well as some economic sectors.  Of course, the EU has many faults.  But we should work from the inside to adapt and strengthen the EU with the many others who also see need for change, rather than petulantly asking for a ‘special deal’ and testing the patience of our friends.

Many of us pray regularly for God’s Kingdom to come.  Government is a human need, but the Bible, and history more generally, is full of examples of abuse by the power-hungry.  Sovereignty is about means, not ends.  God’s Kingdom is concerned instead with values and results in public policy and private life of generous self-giving, forgiving, respect and acceptance of difference.  The only power in God’s Kingdom is love.  Being in the EU seems a bit nearer love for our neighbour than leaving ‘to do our own thing’.

Some thoughts – we have others, but we’ll stop there!  They come with warm best wishes from us both and our prayer for wisdom for you as you explore the issue and in God’s grace decide how you will vote.

Is the Holy Spirit Male or Female?

There are a number of websites, some academic, where this issue is discussed.  What I write here is not intended to be a thorough theological discourse but rather my own personal reflection.

Like many Christians my age I was brought up to think of God as male.  I have a Trinitarian understanding of God as essentially one but expressed in three persons.  The Trinity, like many other aspects of God is a mystery.  God is unique and no attempt to describe God is ever going to be adequate. Two of those persons present as essentially male: Father and Son.

I have therefore grown older talking with my heavenly Father.  The concept of God as Father is reflected in Hebrew scripture, is expressed in the words of Jesus in many places including the model prayer he gave to his disciples and in his own prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane.

Coming to know Jesus, growing in that relationship and discovering all I have come to know of Jesus has been by the presence of the Holy Spirit.  However the idea of attaching gender to the Holy Spirit is something that never crossed my mind for most of my long Christian life.  That began to change somewhere around 1991.  Although I had undertaken Old and New Testament studies and other education and training when I joined an evangelistic mission in 1963, none of this was certified and in order to be admitted onto the Roll of Ministries of the Congregational Federation (I had become a part-time minister of a Congregational Church) I had to undergo a thorough training programme.  By then I had accumulated some 28 years of ministry experience but the Congregational Federation was not minded to cut corners!

As part of those studies, which I greatly enjoyed, I was introduced into ways of doing theology that varied from and challenged my own practise.  This included both Liberation Theology and Feminist Theology.  Neither presented any major problem to me and I can honestly say that I "got it".  It was the latter that started me thinking more about the nature of God, and of the Holy Spirit in particular. It was not so much that this was a new exercise, just that I had not given much thought to articulate it before.

I was familiar with Genesis 1:27 which tells us that God created humankind in the image of God: both male and female.  I have never considered any anthropomorphic reference to suggest that God actually looks either like a man or a woman or a mixture of both.  rather I have always understood it as referring to characteristics rather than form. That is (if I may speak plainly) I have never imagined God with either a penis or vagina.  Come to that I never imagined God as necessarily having hands or feet etc.  I always understood this a figurative rather than literal.

It follows naturally that if both men and women are created in the image of God, then the best of both gender characteristics would give us some idea as to what God is like.  I had both a loving mother and father and value both.  I have a sister and brother - both very different - and I vale both.  Some characteristics that are typically male I also see in traces within those who are female and vice versa.

I began reflecting further on passages of scripture that attribute feminine characteristics to God.  Hosea speaks of God acting like a mother bear.  The scriptures speak of God giving birth to the nation of Israel.  Isaiah speaks of God as a comforting mother, and as a woman in child birth.  Both Matthew and Luke speak of God being like a mother hen.  Most would be very happy seeing God like a caring shepherd seeking a lost sheep or as a father longing for the return of a wayward son.  But should we not equally be comfortable with God in the image of a woman looking for a lost coin?

The Old Testament or Hebrew Scriptures were written in Hebrew.  Unlike English Hebrew nouns carry gender.  Some will be familiar with this if they have studied other languages.  I learned in Frech that "La plume (feminine) de ma tante (feminine) est sur le bureau (masculine) de mon oncle (masculine).  The pen of my aunt is on the bureau of my uncle.  The Hebrew word for Spirit, ruach, is feminine.

It is probable that much of Jesus' ministry was spoken in Aramaic in which the word for spirit is also feminine.

The New Testament comes to us in Greek which was the common or universal language of those times.  Reference to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament uses the word pneuma.  Greek nouns may be masculine, feminine or neuter (that is neither male nor female).  Pneuma is a neuter noun.

I have some friends who would be horrified to have God referred to as 'mother' but for others it would mean a great deal.  As far as I am concerned it does't bother me as I do not have a concept of God as either male or female but from whom the best qualities of maleness and femaleness are derived.  In public prayers I try to refer to God without having to use 'father' or 'Mother'.  If I have to do so I would probably only speak of God as Father, but then the term 'Mother God' has no biblical precedent.

For anyone who had a caring mother but a violent or abusive father there will be difficulty in thinking of God as father.  The opposite is also true.  All of us bring to the task of doing theology our own background, insights and experiences.  They become the prejudice or filter through which we try to grasp truth.

Back in 1991 on a training weekend one of the tutors deliberately chose a hymn for part of an act of worship.  The hymn addressed God solely as Mother.  Most students and tutors struggled and many of us could not bring ourselves to sing the words.  The next day, at a review of the weekend's activities the tutor who had chosen the controversial hymn asked if anyone wished to comment on it. There was a long silence until another tutor commented, "It had a nice tune!"

I found the words of the hymn thought provoking but I did not feel comfortable to use them as an act of worship.  I love my heavenly Father.  I love God the Son.  I delight in the presence of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit reveals the things of Jesus to me and this is so very precious.  That might very well be a feminine characteristic but does it really matter so long as we feel fathered and mothered by God?

Thank God for women! From where did they derive those intriguing and wonderful natures thgat have made my life so enjoyable?

Insight into the Trinity

Originally published in April 2012

When I was planning the recent Church Leaders Conference where the theme was partnership, I discussed with others the term perichoresis.

Perichoresis is a theological term used to describe an aspect of the relationship of the three persons of the Trinity. The word contains two Greek words: peri (around) and choresis (contain). Some wrongly think that the second Greek word is Chorus which means 'dance'. The term is used to describe how each retains separate complete identity yet are inter-related with the others. The exciting aspect (if you haven't already started to jump up and down) is that just as they share an inter-relational existence, we too are called by God into the same inter-relational existence. Here's a great illustration.

One Saturday a man named C Baxter Kruger was sitting sorting through papers when his six tear old son and a friend the man had never met before entered the room. They had been playing soldiers and were dressed up in camouflage with face paint and toy weapons. Before he knew it the man's son had jumped on him in a pretend attack, and the two of them fell to the floor in a friendly wrestling match. As they were playing around the other boy who was observing the fun decided to join in too. As the farther fooled around pretending to fight off his two young assailants, he felt that God told him that he needed to reflect on what had just happened.

His son, who had a confident relationship with his father, had involved his dad in some play. The son's friend who had never met the dad before felt drawn into this fun relationship and confidently acted as if he too were the man's son. The man then reflected on what might have happened if the other boy had walked into the room alone. This is what he later wrote.

"Within himself, that little boy had no freedom to have a relationship with me. We were strangers. He had no right to that kind of familiarity and fellowship. But my son knows me. My son knows that I love him and that I accept him and that he’s the apple of my eye. So in the knowledge of my love and affection, he did the most natural thing in the world. He dove into my lap. The miracle that happened was that my son’s knowledge of my acceptance and delight, and my son’s freedom for fellowship with me, rubbed off on that other little boy. He got to experience it. That other little boy got to taste and feel and know my son’s relationship with me. He participated in my son’s life and communion with me." 

There is no relationship more wonderful than that enjoyed between the persons of the Trinity and by adoption we are drawn into this relationship. Just as Jesus said "I am in the Father and the Father is in me" so he also said "On that day [the coming of the Holy Spirit] you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you." John 14:20.

While I enjoy reflecting on this wonderful act of grace I also wonder whether the quality of this relationship I enjoy is so obviously and visibly wonderful that people who know me want to join in as well, much as the son's friend did.

Barry Osborne
30 May 2015

A smashable brand

The following is the text from a talk given at a Service celebrating Christian Unity held at Rugby School for churches in Rugby and surrounding area.  The talk was given by the school chaplain who has kindly given me permission to pass it on.  You may do so also but please ensure that you give appropriate credit.  Thank you.

Rugby Churches United Service, 22/1/12

 Three words that have the same meaning in almost every language in the world are “Amen”, “Alleluia” and “Coca-Cola”.  Amen means “Let it be so”.  Alleluia means “Praise God”.  Coca-cola is a carbonated soft drink.  Now let me tell you something you didn’t know.

Coca-Cola was invented in 1886, and for its first thirty years the company grew slowly.  It wasn’t until 1915 that it began the boom in popularity which continues to this day.  What happened in 1915?  Well, that was the year when they commissioned the new bottle.  They wanted a bottle that would be instantly recognisable, and not just as it stood on the shelf.  It must be made so that you could throw it against the wall and smash it into a hundred pieces, then pick up any one piece and still recognise it as part of a coca-cola bottle. 

We all realise just how brilliantly that goal was achieved.  If you were digging in your garden and you turned up a small piece of glass, you’d know immediately if it came from a coke bottle.  You wouldn’t need to excavate the entire bottle; just the fragment in your hand would tell you what you had.  Each piece is a different shape, but a small part stands for the whole; any portion of a broken coke bottle indicates the bottle in its entirety.

That was the first example of what came to be known in the advertising world as a smashable brand.  Just as a coke bottle can be broken up and any part of it evokes the whole thing; so a strong smashable brand means that any part of your product, your company, your organisation or your project points beyond itself to the whole.  Coke was the archetype of a smashable brand, but you can think of many others – whether it’s Guinness, Ferrari, IKEA or the Girl Guides.  The supreme example, of course, is Apple.  Take any one of Apple’s products, their services or their people; and evident in that one thing you will see the design, philosophy, values and ethos of an entire organisation. 

To do its job in the world, the Church of Jesus Christ must be a smashable brand.  In other words, you have to be able to break it into a hundred pieces and yet see, in each piece, the characteristics that tell you it’s part of a whole.  Why is that so important?  Because the Church of Christ IS broken into a hundred pieces.  Many more than a hundred.  According to the Revive website, there are 64 pieces in the Rugby area alone. 

64 churches and Christian organisations.  Just give a little cheer if I mention yours.  We have the Congregational Church, the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church, the New Testament Church of God. The Quakers – you don’t have to cheer, just give a little wave.  We have the Roman Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, the Rugby Christian Fellowship, the Evangelical Free Church, the International Fellowship Church, St Andrew’s Church, M2O, the Grapevine Christian Fellowship, the Harvest Fellowship.  If I haven’t mentioned your church, give a little cheer now. 

I used to serve in an Anglican Church before I came here.  Did you know that you can tell which church you’re in just by walking into the vestry?  In a Roman Catholic vestry they often have a picture of Jesus and his Sacred Heart.  In a Methodist vestry they have Jesus the worker.  In the vestry of a Baptist Church, it’s Jesus the teacher.  In our Anglican vestries, we have a full length mirror.

Anyway.  64 church communities in Rugby alone.  Can this huge diversity of Christian expression be a strength and not a weakness; an attraction and not a barrier to the people around us whom we serve in Christ’s name, who we call to repent and turn to him?  In other words, can we be a smashable brand, so that every single one of our broken pieces points beyond itself to the whole, and so that someone who encounters any part of Christ’s Church, encounters Christ himself?

Well, hear the word of the Lord.  The Bible passage that was read tonight is his message to each one of us, whether we have come here from the Basilica of St Pious the Pompous or from the Full Gospel Hallelujah Triple Blessing Church of the Latter Rains.  Let me read it again, and you hear again what it is that unites us all, the characteristics that identify us as the people of Christ:

In order that our service may not be brought into discredit, we avoid giving offence in anything.  As God’s servants we try to commend ourselves in all circumstances by our steadfast endurance: in distress, hardships and dire straits; flogged, imprisoned, mobbed; overworked, sleepless, starving.  (That sounds like your Minister. . . .)

We commend ourselves by the innocence of our behaviour, our grasp of truth, our patience and kindliness; (That sounds like your Minister’s wife . . . .)

by gifts of the Holy Spirit, by sincere love. We declare the truth, by the power of God.  We wield the weapons of righteousness in the right hand and the left. 

Now, see who this next bit sounds like:

Honour and dishonour, praise and blame are alike our lot; we are the impostors who speak the truth, the unknown men whom all men know; dying we still live on; disciplined by suffering, we are not done to death; in our sorrows we have always cause for joy; poor ourselves, we bring wealth to many; penniless, we own the world.   *

Does it remind you of anyone?  Yes of course it does, it reminds you of the Lord Jesus himself.  And this is what we are called to be, for we are being made like him. 

Dear Christian brothers and sisters in Rugby, smashed into many pieces as we are, with our weakness, incompleteness and sin, with our widely different styles of worship and models of ministry, we are a smashable brand. 

People may point at our diversity and say, “How can you expect me to believe in God when you Christians can’t even agree among yourselves?”  Well, you know, we don’t have to beat ourselves up about that.  It is not our job to be like one another; it is our job to be like Jesus; dying, yet living on, poor himself and bringing wealth to many, penniless, yet owning the world. 

We sing different songs in our churches, and we accompany them with different instruments, yet we sing them to the same Lord; we have different names for that table at the front of the church, but it is redemption through Jesus’s broken body and shed blood that we all celebrate there; we have different ways of using water and different ideas about who it should be used upon, yet it is the Holy Spirit’s cleansing of our hearts that is his free gift to each one of us.  One Lord, one faith, one baptism.  Even in 64 pieces we are the church, a smashable brand in which each part stands for the whole; Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Yes, people may call us frauds and deceivers, but let us confound them by the innocence of our behaviour and by patience and kindliness.   They accuse us of hypocrisy, and they may well be right, but we are the impostors who speak the truth. 

Honour and dishonour, praise and blame alike will be our lot in this world.  But we know of an even better world to come where Jesus will take the broken fragments of his faithful community in his gentle hands, and restore them like shattered fragments of glass being re-formed into a sparkling bottle, one church to sing his praise for ever.  But of that day no-one knows, not the angels in heaven nor even the Son, but only the Father himself.  So let us joyously live each day that he gives, commending ourselves as God’s servants by steadfast endurance as we await the glorious coming of Christ our Saviour. 

If you agree, say “Amen”. 

And if that sounds good to you, say “Alleluia”. 

And if you want your church’s life and your own life to show forth Jesus to the world, say “Coca-Cola”.

Richard Horner, Rugby School, 22/1/12

*(2 Cor 6:1-10)

Godly Riot?

The recent dramatic events in Syria will have gripped most if not all who read this.  We will have seen the enormous crowds that gathered on the streets of Cairo and Alexandria.  We will have seen the response of the President and those who have supported him.  We will have then seen the intervention of the army and the steps that have followed.  We may have formed an opinion as to whether what has happened is right or wrong.  I have been trying to reflect on whether scripture casts light upon the situation.

There are a number of questions to consider.

• Does democracy have a theological basis as the preferred form of government?

• What does the Bible have to say about submission to secular authorities?

• If there is bad government are there any constraints on the actions of those who would protest?

There is no single expression of democracy.  Even countries that have had this form of government for centuries vary in the way it is practised.  In my opinion there is something disturbing where majority Christian countries with democracy so associate the two together that they then perceive democracy as the only right way to govern.  But there has been a trend to seek to impose democracy onto other nations replacing other historic forms of government.  It always seems to be an exercise that produces pain and bloodshed.

Both history and scripture reveal that there are other forms of government that could be benign or malignant.  Before Israel insisted on appointing a king to rule over them they appear to be constituted federally and from time to time appropriate leadership would emerge from among them.  Behind this, at the best of times, there was a sense of theocracy - an acknowledgement that God is ultimately head of state.

God's hand is seen in the appointment of some national leaders such as Moses, the Judges, King Saul and King David.  Clearly, later kings usually presumed a 'divine right' to rule in the place of their father.  But this is not prescribed in scripture. Nations prospered or failed often because of the moral character of their king.  Most kings seem to be autocratic in their leadership style, though they may have had advisers.

Perhaps we could draw lessons from how various kings and leaders understood their roles.  Some clearly were despotic and sought power for what it could do for them.  Others, saw it as a responsibility, a duty of care for others.  These are sometimes described as 'shepherd kings'; those who exercised authority for the good of others.  Scripture declares God's approbation of those who led the nation of Israel in good and godly ways, but that is not the same as approving the form of government.

There is, therefore, no pattern for secular government beyond the importance of it being righteous and for the common good.  But the kingdom of God stands in marked contrast with this.

Jesus called [his disciples]together and said, 

‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials 

exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become 

great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first 

must be your slave – just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, 

but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’ (Matthew 20: 25-28)

I would like to think that those who are Christians followed this guidance within their church life and within Christian organisations.  But how would it work within a secular context?  I know of |a restaurant set up by a Christian businessman as a service to his local community and as a place where people could make contact with the Christian faith through literature that he made available.  After a few months of chaos he had to appoint a non-Christian manager to introduce greater authority over the work of the staff.  Only then did it succeed!

Good secular leaders should always provide a good example and govern for the good of others, but there is no prescribed style or framework authorised by scripture.

The Christian/secular boundary is addressed in scripture.  Matthew 17:27 and Matthew 22:15-22 tell us about the attitude of Jesus regarding taxation.  Jesus does not challenge the authority of Herod and Pilate when he is being judged by them.  Paul writes to the church at Rome "Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. ".  To Titus looking after the church in Crete he writes, "Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,".  Peter also comments on this, "Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.".

But all the passages from the epistles are about how Christians are to conduct themselves in the world and there is a presumption of good governance.  Early Christians chose to disobey the authority of Caesar where this was in conflict with their faith in Christ.  Many of them paid for this with their lives.  But this was passive resistance.  In the Old Testament Elijah stands as one who confronted and challenged the authority of the king on the grounds that he was acting contrary to God's will for God's people.  David, before he was enthroned but after he had been anointed, refused to raise his hand against the person of King Saul but was prepared to defend himself.

In England we trace our journey to democracy back to 1215 and the Magna Carta.  King John was not believed to be good.  He may have murdered another possible candidate to the throne.  He was in a serious argument with the Church and had lost significant land to the kingdom.  The Magna Carta limited the kings authority and to some extent made him accountable to a committee of barons. John's later rejection of the Magna Carta led to a civil war.  

The relation between King and Parliament was often uncomfortable and ultimately led to the English Civil War (1642 - 1651) and the execution of King Charles I.  The Civil War was a national uprising and the conflict between the Royalists and the Parliamentarians cost many lives.

Against this background I am not sure that we are in a position to judge what has been happening in the Arab nations, and especially in Egypt at this time.  While we might look back to the 17th Century and disapprove of some of the things done by Christian men who pertained to be acting for the common good, we treasure our democracy and long that others under despotic regimes might enjoy the same.

It is my hope that what has happened in Egypt that has led to overthrowing their first elected President may prove to be growing pains as the nation seeks to create a just society with good and fair government. Only time will tell.

Do You "Service" Your Minister?

In February 2012 I wrote this article which appeared in The Congregationalist magazine.

When did you last service your minister?

Before reading this article any further please take a moment to consider what you get serviced or maintained regularly.  If you own a car it is probable that to ensure it continues to function efficiently you will get it serviced at least annually.  If you own a house you probably get the outside painted periodically and invest money on the interior so that it continues to provide you with a warm and comfortable environment and does not fall apart.  Of course, such programmes of maintenance make sense.  After all, you will have probably invested quite a lot of money on such assets.

Now take a moment to think about your minister.  He or she is probably the greatest asset your church has.  Considerable money has probably been spent in training him or her so that you can benefit from his or her ministry.  Churches need to regularly review how well they are looking after this asset.  Are there any signs of stress?  Is the stipend sufficient or could something be done about that.  I have known some churches where ministers are expected to work for less than the official minimum wage, yet they have church members enjoying much higher incomes.

What about time for themselves and their families?  Do they have regular time off just for recreation?  Do you ensure that they are able to have at least one decent holiday each year?

Finally, what do you do to encourage your minister in further professional development?  When did you last send your minister to an educational conference or on a course?  In almost every profession such in-service training is expected to ensure competence.  If it has been more than three years since you invested in your minister in this way it has been far too long in my opinion.  If you want to bless the one who seeks to bless you please consider these things.

I have been immensely privileged at my churches to be treated admirably without having to ask.  Most ministers are reluctant to make financial claims.  Indeed some go to conferences at their own expense because they know that they need some regular input but dare not raise this at a Deacons Meeting or Church Meeting!  Occasionally I hear stories of outstanding care of ministers, but more often I am aware that this is not the case.

So please, if you value your assets please ensure they are all kept in good working order.  Is it time to service your minister?

You don’t have to be alone to be lonely (May 2013)

Article from Yelvertoft Parish Magazine

It is possible to be surrounded by others with lots of activities taking place and still feel lonely.  It is precisely in such situations that some people feel loneliness most acutely.  Walking down a busy street, seeing others engaged in animated conversations or holding hands might bring a smile to some but it can be like a dagger in the heart.

Loneliness is a major health problem. It has become recognised as a contributory factor in a number of illnesses, and even a cause of premature death.  Those suffering from loneliness can be closer to us than we think, but completely unrecognised.  While some do combat loneliness in various ways, those who suffer acutely rarely share this fact with others – not even their doctors or church ministers.  On the other hand some folk relish solitude.

It isn't just the elderly who become victims to loneliness, but it is often brought on following loss of loved ones and their companionship.  Some keep busy through the day but dread the evenings and night times.  One way of avoiding loneliness is to develop a good social network in the real world and not just the internet.  Rural communities have their fair share of lonely people and we would do well to ensure that people on their own are not deprived of the opportunity to enjoy social interaction.  A phone call might help a lonely evening.  An invitation to join others in a trip out (even shopping) can become the highlight in someone’s day.

Jesus was aware of the benefits of solitude but also the pain of loneliness.  Even as he hung on the cross he felt abandoned.  As he approached the end of his time on earth he told his disciples that they would not be left alone.  Some versions of the Bible use the term ‘left as orphans’. He promised his presence in a new but similar way – through the real presence of the Holy Spirit.  During May we celebrate the gift of this new Companion, and the promise “I will be with you always, to the end of the age.” 

I commend getting to know God in this way, as a friend and companion, and will gladly help anyone to discover this. But the same God once said, “It is not good for man to be alone”, so let’s ensure we are all here for one another, but do so sensitively and without unnecessarily intruding.  

Barry Osborne 16/04/2013

An unusual funeral

In over 40 years of ministry I had never conducted an open air funeral service before but it was to prove an inspiring event.  Christopher was 49 when he died in a tragic accident in the village where he had lived since his marriage as a young man.  He was, by all accounts, a bright but unambitious child.  He seemed able to excel at almost anything he turned his hand to.  At the age of eleven he had been recognised as ideal for the British Olympic Gymnastics Team.  He declined the invitation, declaring that he only did gymnastics for fun.

In his teens his younger brother had joined a local brass band, playing French horn.  Chris thought he would give it a try but opted to learn the cornet.  In just two weeks he showed exceptional competence, going on to play in various brass and silver bands.

As a man who loved the outdoors (he had worked for much of his shortened life as a fisheries officer in a superb rural setting) conducting his funeral service in a natural amphitheatre in the village pocket park seemed an excellent idea of his mother’s.  For years he had delighted local people with both his musical and dramatic talents adding to the poignancy of conducting a final performance in a theatre setting.

Village funerals tend to draw good numbers and this was no exception.  A crowd of friends joined his family, sitting on the grass terraces that wrapped around one half of the grass stage, and looking beyond to the lake that Chris had helped design, build and stock.  The sun shone.  It was idyllic.

Chris had helped establish a local Morris Dance Side so, as the coffin was brought from the village hall car park down the grassy pathway into the pocket park, the procession was led by Andy, one of the local Morris Men, his smart dark suit and white shirt offset by a bright neckerchief and wearing a top hat decorated with pheasant feathers.  Together we walked and assembled to the tunes, The Cuckoo’s Nest and Princess Royal[1] played on Andy’s diatonic accordion (also known as an English Melodeon).  Waiting for us was an eight piece silver band whose role was to accompany the two hymns, ‘Abide with Me’ and ‘The Day Thou Gavest’ to the tunes, sung to Eventide and St Clement respectively. 

The service opened with a welcome, some verses of scripture and a short prayer.  We then sang Abide with Me.  This was followed by my reading a reflection celebrating Chris’ life, after which I encouraged the congregation to silently hold their own recollections while listening to Chris’ favourite accordion piece, Planxty Irwin.  We then sang the second hymn, and I invited the band to play an extra verse while we stood and listened.  The service drew to a close with a prayer.

As I thanked the members of the band and our accordionist, the congregation burst into spontaneous applause.  We processed back to the village hall car park once again led by Andy, this time playing Bambury Bill and Country Gardens.  Here I declared the words of the committal and pronounced the benediction as his wicker coffin was gently eased into the rear of the hearse.

The funeral director, who had grown up with Chris and who had been the one who introduced them to brass band music, led the way from the car park on Chris’ final journey leaving us listening once more to Andy, this time playing Bonny Green Garters and Headington.  It had been an occasion, in every sense, in tune with the personality of Chris, and reflecting that creativity that has its origins in God.

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[1] The morris dance tunes played at this service have links with various Oxfordshire villages with strong ties to the tradition of morris dancing.  

My Personal Pentecost

In 1963 I had a profound experience related to the gospel message.  I had been brought up in a Christian home, attended Sunday School and other church based activities every week until the age of twelve.  During this time I had studied scripture, even memorising passages.  I had also met men and women who served God on foreign mission fields and read stories of others.  Then in my teens I deliberately abandoned church and lived an ungodly life.  Not until I was almost seventeen did I want to acknowledge God and any claim he had on my life.  But even then my faith was largely about mental assent and an intellectual acknowledgement that Jesus Christ was my Saviour.

On Easter Sunday I and some friends were to be baptised by immersion in front of a large congregation in the church where I had grown up and where my father was a (lay) deacon.  The night before I attended a meeting on Hastings Pier where a lady evangelist was speaking.  She had been advertised as working in London among strippers and prostitutes and as she told of her work I was fascinated, though my interest might not have been entirely holy!  Then she slipped seamlessly into talking about the cross.  During her talk she spoke movingly about every person who played a part in the crucifixion story, the one who betrayed him, the one who denied him, those who forsook him, those who manipulated and those who allowed themselves to be manipulated, and those who hammered the nails through his hands and feet.  In each I saw something of my own character but heard echoing down the centuries into my own heart words of mercy and forgiveness from the man hanging on that cross.

By the end of that meeting the gospel had claimed new ground.  It had not left my mind but now it had my heart, and with it my whole life in total surrender.  Witnessing through baptism the next day to my determination to walk with Jesus added to the event.  This was an Easter I will never forget.  Of course there was still much wrong in my life, but I was determined with God's help to live a life of obedience to him.  I soaked up scripture, grasped opportunities for Christian fellowship, and engaged in personal evangelism at every opportunity.  Along the way two things happened around the same time.  One of these was to meet up with Operation Mobilisation a primarily youth orientated programme of evangelism.  Within the OM philosophy was a strong emphasis on the importance of love as a motivating force behind all we are and all we do.  The other big event was a gradual realisation that God was calling me to be an evangelist.

Although I had been a Christian of some kind for much of my life it was only over the last year that God had begun to work powerfully in my life.  I was still only seventeen and the conviction of God's call in my life combined with a passion for reaching those who did not know Jesus amazed me.  Everything seemed to be moving very quickly.  Already I had been given opportunities to speak and to share the gospel.  As a result others had come to faith and I appeared to have a recognisable leadership role among my peers.  Things came to a head with an opportunity to join an evangelistic mission, first as a trainee and ultimately as a full time evangelist.

The mission I joined worked across Free Church denominations including Pentecostal churches.  The founder of the mission and other key people also came from a Pentecostal tradition.  This was before the charismatic movement had taken hold in the UK.  I was excited by what I saw and heard.  There was a dynamic in the lives of the Christians who testified to having been baptised in the Holy Spirit.  Prayers were answered, God spoke into gatherings through prophecy, miracles of healing took place before my eyes.  By now I had also studied the history of revivals and longed and prayed for revival in my own church and across the land.

In those days special prayer meetings called tarrying meetings were periodically held.  At these meetings people wanting the baptism of the Holy Spirit would meet with those who had already received this gift.  The intention was to wait before God until he poured out his Spirit as was promised in scripture.  One after another I saw my friends filled with the Holy Spirit, but I came away from the meetings disappointed.  Various reasons were mentioned in books and in such meetings as to why some might not receive this baptism, but none of them seemed to apply to me.  I was seeking to live a holy life in obedience to God.  I sought to live by the law of love.  Usually when people received this baptism they would be ecstatic in praise, speaking in tongues, and appearing drunk in the Spirit of God.  It happened to them but not me.  Why wasn't God keeping his promise?

To make matters worse the mission team occasionally took meetings for Pentecostal churches.  Sometimes there were saintly men and women who would grasp my hand and ask me whether 'I had received'.  Each time I had to say no.  It was embarrassing.  I used to pray that God would make me sick on such occasions so I would not need to go and be humiliated.  He always answered no.  Then one day we were booked to take the morning and evening services for an Assemblies of God church in the village of Ash, Kent.  The morning meeting was super but some anxiety began to build as the principal of the mission team passed me a note of the Bible reading I was to take that evening.

Immediately I knew what his message would be.  I had heard it more than once before.  His text, from Acts 20:20 would be "I have not shunned to declare unto you the whole counsel of God".  There were four points: Jesus is the Saviour, the Healer, the Baptiser in the Holy Spirit and the Coming King.  I had no doubt that everyone else on the team and in the congregation that evening were already baptised in the Holy Spirit.  That part of the sermon that evening was going to be preached at me.

As the sermon began I 'amened' through the first and second point.  As the topic of the gift of the Holy Spirit came round I reacted badly.  I was sure this was a pointed sermon preached at me.  In silence as I sat in a pew on one side of the church I informed God just how hypocritical the preacher was.  Indeed I knew him to be very unloving.  He had a bad temper and a viscous tongue.  Many times I had heard him demoralise others and I had been a victim on several occasions.  He might be a powerful preacher and had other notable abilities, but who was this unloving man to preach to me who only and always sought to live by the law of love!

Then a sudden and dramatic experience took place.  It was as sudden and dramatic as if the light had suddenly gone out in a dark room, or as if the light and warmth of the sun had been replaced with darkness and cold.  It seemed to me that God had left me in that moment, and I knew why.  Had you asked me whether I was actually aware of God's presence prior to that moment I would have had to say 'no'.  But now I knew that such was my state of heart he no longer felt at home there.  Perhaps I was not openly like the man in the pulpit, but I was committing exactly the same faults in the privacy of my own heart.

In that moment I prayed silently to God.  "O Lord, take away this bitterness, and baptise me in your love".  I did not ask for the Holy Spirit but what I received there and then was such a sense of God's presence it was overwhelming.  At the same time it felt as if a fountain of blessing was bursting upwards from the depths of my physical being.  "Praise the Lord" I murmured quietly, only to find that multiple fountains were erupting within me causing me to praise him more.  And the more I praised him the more the fountains erupted.

I spent the remainder of that sermon lost in my own world with God.  Then the preacher began to make an appeal.  Were there any who wanted to know Jesus as their Saviour?  As their Healer? And then, finally, as their Baptiser in the Holy Spirit.  Up went my hand but there was no response.  I waved it anxious to catch his attention.  Finally, the preacher acknowledged my hand.  A few moments later we were singing the final hymn but I could not rise.  My legs had turned to jelly and my whole being was revelling in this outpouring of love and joy.

Afterwards I was the victim of a group of well meaning Christians who took me into a side room, laid hands on me urging me to speak in tongues.  It was a worthless exercise.  But on the homeward journey I received my own evidence of what God had wrought.  The juior members of the team sat or lay along the benches in the rear of the minibus as it made its way south.  Senior members sat in the front and the man who had preached that night was verbally attacking a fellow senior team member who apparently was not as perfect as himself.  It was appalling behaviour but, strangely, I felt nothing but sadness and brotherly love towards him.  I was loving the unlovable, and I knew that was not a personal virtue.  It was God's love shed into my heart by the Holy Spirit.

A few weeks later, while praying in my bedroom at home I found myself praying in a language I had never learnt or even heard before.  It made no sense to my intellect but a deep sense of communication with God took place in which I knew his presence.  Other spiritual gifts have also occasionally been in my experience.  But it not any gift, nor even the momentary gift or baptism of the Holy Spirit that I value most;  it is the thrill of knowing his continuing presence - a treasure in an earthen vessel.  I would not want to preach or pray or lead worship or counsel another person, or tell someone the story of Jesus without consciously asking the Holy Spirit to come afresh upon me.  Of course I am not perfect.  I must sometimes grieve God.  I am not always filled with the Holy Spirit and not all my words and actions are inspired by his presence.  But I know my need and that counts for a lot.

Why did God make me wait.  I am sure that he did so.  All my longing at that time related to what I wanted to be for God.  But even the best I can be is worth nothing compared to what God can make me when I recognise my utter dependence upon him.  In 2014 it will be 50 years since I sat in that little chapel in Kent and met with the living God.  I treasure those days.  The charismatic movement has resulted in the work of the Holy Spirit becoming more commonly understood and accepted.  But I yearn for the days when there seemed a greater earnestness for God, a humble holiness, a passion for Christ and to win men and women for him, and a sense of his presence in meetings that left you filled with awe.  God save us all from accepting second best or worse.

Paul writing to the church at Ephesus urged them to be continually being filled with the Holy Spirit.  It is my prayer for you who read these words, as it is also my prayer for myself.

The Purpose of Pentecost

Once a year, seven weeks after Easter, churches around the world celebrate Pentecost.  But, tragically, there seems enormous ignorance about the person of the Holy Spirit and what Pentecost is all about.  I have often been dismayed to find churches celebrating Pentecost as the birthday of the Church, which it certainly is not.  In the process they seem to move the focus from the Holy Spirit to the Church.

There probably will not be sufficient room in this blog to be as through as I might like but I hope that what is written here will be of help.

One important distinction about Pentecost is that it isn't something locked into history in the same way as Christmas, Easter and Ascension.  Each of these annual celebrations recalls a specific once only moment in history.  Pentecost isn't the same.  While there certainly was an event that took place in Jerusalem at a specific moment in history, the book of Acts in the New Testament records several other occasions when the Holy Spirit came upon believers.  Furthermore, history records a vast number of occasions right up to today when men and women have experienced for themselves a personal Pentecost.

It is therefore vital that when we celebrate Pentecost Sunday we liberate it from being a one-time event in history to become marking the first of a continuing experience that has relevance for all Christians today and in days yet to come.

Another common mistake that disturbs me is to hear people stating that the Holy Spirit 'was released into the world'.  I have heard this erroneous concept developed into the idea that the Holy Spirit is present around us like the air we breathe and all we need to do is to breath the Holy Spirit in.  Certainly the Holy Spirit is present in the world, but not in that way.

Who is the Holy Spirit?
The answer to this question goes to the heart of how we understand God as trinity.  We have nothing in our experience to which we can liken God in any way.  We glean from scripture that God is essentially one. Yet we also see God as three persons, each distinct yet remaining essentially one.  God is also Spirit (John 4:24).  Jesus is called the Son of God, which is a New Testament concept.  Scripture tells us that he is one with the Father, and that he existed from 'the beginning'.  John's opening chapter sets out the divine nature of Jesus (the Word).

When the Word became flesh for us and our salvation he took on a new nature.  By his submission, his atoning death and resurrection he has been received back into glory.  But while he was on earth he revealed the character and purposes of God.  The things that he did he declared to be 'the works of his Father' (John 5:36 and 10:32).  In John 14 Jesus talks about his relationship with the Father, stating "I am in the Father and the Father is in me" (verse 11).  When Jesus talks about the fact that he was going to the Father, Philip said "Show us the Father and that will be enough for us" (verse 8) to which Jesus says that if anyone has seen him he has seen the Father (verse 9).

In John 14:16 Jesus says that after he leaves them the Father would give them another advocate.  The Greek word paracletos is better understood as an advocate than a comforter (AV).  However the old English understanding of comfort as strengthening is acceptable.  The one that comes will be there to strengthen but also as the advocate - not to plead on our behalf (for that is the high priestly ministry of Jesus in heaven) but to argue God's will in our lives.  It is God's cause that the Holy Spirit teaches and defends.

I put another in italics because the Greek work used in the scriptures here means another that is similar rather than one or something entirely different, for which there is a different Greek word.  Furthermore Jesus says that the disciples will know him for he has been with them.  In other words just as they knew the effect of the presence of Jesus they would recognise the presence of the one yet to come.  Both Jesus and the Holy Spirit share the same inseparable nature of God.  But when this other advocate came he would not just be with them but in them (John 14:17).

Another common error is to speak of the Holy Spirit as an agent of God.  he is God.  Just as Jesus Christ is God with us to do that which was necessary for our salvation, so the Holy Spirit is God with us to enable that salvation to become actual in our experience.

So what was the Day of Pentecost?
Jesus had told his disciples that they would become his witnesses (i.e. those who testify of him).  But they were to wait in Jerusalem until the Holy Spirit came upon them (Acts 1:1-8).  Here he speaks of being baptised (the Greek word means immersed or enveloped) with the Holy Spirit.  We know that there were at least 120 believers at that time (Acts 1:15) and the author of Acts does not tell us whether the instructions to wait for the gift of the Holy Spirit was just to the eleven continuing disciples or to all.  It would seem unlikely that a room sufficient to accommodate 120 would have been available, but we cannot be sure.

When the Day of Pentecost (a Jewish festival) had fully come and they were all together in one place, the promise long before promised by the Father and repeated by the Son came to pass.  They heard a sound like wind and saw something like flames, they experienced being filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in languages they had not learned.  What they were saying was about the glory of God.

Attracted by the noise (here I am inclined to think it might well have been more than twelve in the room) a crowd gathered.  The twelve stepped forward and Peter spoke to the crowd.  Please note that there is no suggestion that the gospel was preached in different languages (yet another common myth).  He explained that what had happened was the fulfilment of a prophecy in Joel 2:28-32).  He went on to preach salvation in Jesus the Messiah to them, urging them to repent.  The evidence of the Messiahship of Jesus, Peter asserts, is the outpouring of the promise of the Father.

Peter further promised that to those who would repent and be baptised trusting Jesus for forgiveness of sins, would also receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  He stated that the promise [of the Father] is not only for them but also for their children and to those who are yet to be born in ages to come who would be among those that God would call.  About 3000 responded to his message, repenting and being baptised.  That these new believers also received the Holy Spirit in a similar way to the first is undoubtedly true because if Peter's words about the gift of the Holy Spirit were found false then the whole message would have been undermined.

But this was merely the first of several such experiences.  We read about it happening in Ephesus (Acts 19), Samaria (Acts 8), and in the household of Cornelius (Acts 10, specifically described by Peter as identical to that first Pentecost Day experience).  The promise was to all who would believe and it would seem that the experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit was the normal Christian experience.  It is also clear that this experience is obviously recognisable when it takes place.

I do not intend to address the gift of speaking in tongues here but it can be found on another post within this blog.


The best way to celebrate Pentecost Sunday
Since what began on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem was the beginning of empowerment of Christians so that they could effectively witness to Jesus Christ throughout the world, and that this is a continuing need and a promise to be experienced personally, we would best honour God by urging men and women of faith in Christ to seek earnestly to be baptised in the Holy Spirit.

Let's put away the balloons and party flags and have a serious celebration that focuses on what God has made possible and what the world needs today.  How about you?  Have you received this experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit and so empowered to be Jesus' witness?  If not are you willing to receive the life changing promise?  If the answer to that is "Yes" then please start seeking today.

The Last Rolo and the Good Samaritan

Some years ago an advertising campaign suggesting that giving someone your last Rolo (a tasty chocolate and toffee sweet) was the ultimate act of love was voted the second most romantic TV advert ever.  It was a clever idea linking the concept of genuine love with a sacrificial act. Sometimes I have publicly commented a man who truly loves his wife allows her to have the TV remote control!  Real love is always seen through actions.

Most people know about the parable Jesus told about a Good Samaritan but most probably do not know just how much the Good Samaritan did for the man he found beaten up by robbers.  Firstly, he risked his own safety by stopping to help.  Then he used his own resources to stop the bleeding and prevent infection.  Then he transported the injured man to a local inn (no hospital in those days) where he stayed up all night looking after him.  In the morning he gave the inn keeper enough money for the man to be looked after for around two months, and followed this by telling the innkeeper that if caring for the man cost more he would pay the difference on his next visit.  The irony is that normally Jews and Samaritans did not get on!

The story was told to illustrate genuine love for our ‘neighbour’, and reminds us of the amazing love God has for each of us. In a all too often selfish world in which parting with a last Rolo (or the remote) is a challenge, we could do with more loving deeds.  I imagine that the injured man would want to know the name and shake the hand of his generous benefactor.  Perhaps we too should find a way to express our gratitude for the act of love for us God the Son demonstrated on the cross.

Barry's Sponsored Walk

In 2010 I took part in a sponsored walk to raise funds for a Christian Aid linked project in the Dominican Republic.  This year on 28th April a one-day sponsored walk of around 13 miles is scheduled.  This time it will raise monies as part of the Congregational Federation's commitment to support important work in Nicaragua.

If you are able to sponsor me I would be very grateful.  You can use the form below and sponsor me on a mileage basis, for doing the entire walk or just for doing my very best on the day.  Sponsored will be notified how I get on and will be advised how to get sponsorship funds to me or sent direct to our office in Nottingham.

You will also be able to follow the journey via Twitter.  It's a good cause and if you can spare even just a little it will soon mount up.

Thank you.

Isaac - Genesis 26

The Bible does not tell us a great deal about Isaac, the son of Abraham.  Most of what we are told is in chapter 26 of Genesis, yet most Christians know one item from when he was a young man and one item from when he was an old man - neither from chapter 26.


The chapter begins by telling us that because of a famine Isaac had travelled to the more fertile area close to what we now know as Gaza.  Here he settled for a while among the Philistines who were ruled by King Abimelech.  This could be the grandson of the king of the same name that Abraham had met years before.  It is while Isaac is here in the city of Gerar that we have the first record of God speaking to him.  There is no evidence at this point in time that there is any faith in his life.  God tells Isaac three things:


(a)  Firstly, he is not to carry on his intended journey.  He had proposed to go to Egypt but that is not the right way.


(b)  Then God tells Isaac that he is going to bless him and fulfil through him the promises he gave to his father, Abraham.


(c) Finally God tells him that he will do this because of the faith of Abraham and its resultant obedience.


Isaac was the son of a believer.  Sometimes that's not an easy place to be in.  One grows up with a life style that is often restricted.  It makes us different from some of our friends.  They do not have to do some of the things we have to do.  Some of the things they do we are not allowed to do.  Take, for example, Sundays.  Our friends might be out playing while we have to go to church, and if we do not have the same faith as our parents that might be uncomfortable.  If you stop to think about it I guess Isaac found the consequences of his father's faith less than welcome from his point of view on an altar!


We do not know how old Isaac is by now other than he is older than forty, the age at which he married.  But Isaac is to be a beneficiary because of his father's faith.  Often it is as we get older that we suddenly realise the value of trust in God.  Also this often starts with God warning us not to continue life's journey on the road we have been travelling.  At least this was so in my life.  I was living an ungodly life running drunken parties for my friends at the age of sixteen.  Then one day I had taken a friend to the casualty department when a drunken man was brought in severely bleeding.  He was so drunk he didn't realise how bad his injury was and started to assault the nurses trying to care for him.  His friends told the nursing sister (nurse in charge) that they had been having a good time at a pub when this man's wife objected to the way in which her husband was fondling a young woman.  She had smashed a half pint glass in his face.  As I looked and listened to this scene I heard God speak for the first time in my life: "That is how you will end up if you do not change your ways."


Isaac wisely follows God's advice and starts to reap the benefits.  Like Isaac I too followed God's advice and my life was turned around.  But this was not the result of any self reformation.  I tried that and failed.  It came about for me by handing my life over to God, recognising that the death of Jesus on the cross was sufficient to cancel the debt of my sin, and inviting Christ into my life.


The next episode in Isaac's life relates to a lie he told.  Fearing that the local Philistines might kill him and take Rebekah if they realised she was his wife he told everyone she was his sister.  How tragic that he was repeating the same mistake that Abraham had made years before.  It is easy for us today with our knowledge of the Bible and years of Christian history to see that Isaac could and should have trusted God in this situation rather than using his own methods.  But Abraham's and Isaac's knowledge of God and his ways was limited.  In my early days as a Christian, anxious to keep friends and fearful of how they might judge me I found it easy to avoid coming into the open about my relationship to Jesus.l  Sometimes it was easier to admit that I attended church rather than say that Jesus was my saviour and Lord.  And i know that I'm not the only one who has done that.


Fortunately King Abimelech sees through Isaac's story and comes to the rescue. But it's not long before God's blessing on Isaac creates jealousy among the Philistines and some opposition.  Isaac is told to leave the city and moves out into the valley nearby.  But opposition and conflict follow him.


Water is vital for life.  By now Isaac is a successful farmer and has flocks and herds to water as well as his own and his servants' needs.  But old wells originally dug by Abraham have been filled up by the locals.  These wells and the supply of fresh life giving water remind me of the conversation that Jesus had once with a Samaritan woman at a well.  "If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water", he told her.  On another occasion Jesus declared that if anyone was thirsty they should come to him and drink and from their innermost beings would flow rivers of living water.


Isaac now finds that he is no longer welcome in Gerar and is told to leave.  Millions of Christians have experienced this.  It is not always understandable.  It is possible that nothing has been done that deserves hostility but it can come.  Sometimes within our families, among our friends, at school or at work.  Is it, I wonder, that those who do not acknowledge God find our presence threatening, when we only want to bless them?  Isaac does not fight against this but meekly goes.  I am reminded that Jesus "came to his own but his own received him not".


His need for life-giving water is frustrated because the wells that Abraham dug have been filled up.  This makes me think back to times of great blessing in my life and in the churches.  Have the wells that once brought refreshment and revival been filled up.  What rubbish is getting in the way of the blessing flowing again?  Is there digging out to be done?


Isaac also runs into problems of a different kind.  Twice he digs an effective well but the local herdsmen claim the rights to the water.  In the UK we enjoy lots of benefits that are the result of Christian mission in the past.  This includes employment rights, access to education and medical services, and more.  Today there are many atheists and secularists who want the benefits from the well dug but do not want the Christian influence.


The Isaac arrives at a place where he finds water and no opposition.  He calls it Rehoboth declaring that here God has made room for him.  This is the first recorded time that Isaac acknowledges God's blessing.  Driven by the search for water he has found more than that.  Are we driven by spiritual thirst?  Do we press ever forward looking for that refreshment that only God can supply?


The final scene is the relatively short journey to Beersheba.  In this place Abraham had dug a well and made an agreement with an earlier Philistine king.  Now this scene seems to be repeated as Abimelech comes to him acknowledging Isaac's God and seeking a treaty with Isaac.  As one is made I find myself noting that many generations later a descendent of Isaac will note that when a man's ways please the Lord he makes even his enemies to be at peace with him (Proverbs 16:7).


God's blessing has come to Isaac because of his obedience and his driven desire to find water.  Now he is brought to a place where he can also bless his neighbours.  And here yet another source of refreshing water is found.

Divine Guidance?

One of the lessons preachers have to learn is that God often tests us on what we teach others.  Sadly, we don't always pass those tests!

On Sunday 27th November 2011 I took the subject of divine guidance as the theme for a meeting at Theddingworth Congregational Church.  It was a precious time of fellowship and we explored the subject in several ways.

We sang hymns and songs on the theme.
We shared in a dramatised and fun version of the time Gideon used a fleece to explore God's guidance.
We shared some of our own experiences of guidance.
We discussed why, when and how God guides us
And we did a quick Bible study of the story of Philip and the Ethiopian official.

When discussing why, when and how God guides we reflected that sometimes God intervenes and guides us when there is something he wants us to do for him.  As to how God guides we covered a lot of ground and concluded that God speaks in many ways to us.

The following day I travelled by train to London for a meeting.  Before leaving I put £30 in my wallet for emergencies and I had a few coins in my pocket.  On arrival I had just a few minutes to get something to eat so I visited Macdonalds near St Pancras Station and bought a cheeseburger using one of the £5 notes.

After the meeting I made my way back to St Pancras Station and was walking briskly along the upper concourse and caught up with a man using his mobile phone.  "Hi" he said to the person on the other end and then went on to ask if he could possibly lend him £25 as he was short of cash and needed to get to Sheffield to visit his mother who had been taken ill.  From the part of the conversation I was able to hear it sounded as if his enquiry was unfruitful.

Now the £25 in my wallet seemed a trifle heavy.  But was this genuine or was I being conned?  I checked out my own train time and then discreetly looked for the man.  The area was crowded but I found him alone, looking worried and toying with his mobile phone.  I prayed and watched him some more. He seemed genuine.  After a few minutes I approached him and asked him outright if he lived locally and if so where.  He seemed surprised but gave me the information I sought.  I then told him that if he had anything on him with his address I would give him £25.  Now he looked shocked.

He immediately produced a business card which I exchanged for one of mine and the £25 that emptied my wallet.  He immediately emailed me a receipt from his mobile and I noticed a few minutes later that I had received the email.  I now had his address, mobile phone number and email address.  It looked genuine.

Seeing from my card that I was ordained he said he thought all reverends wore dog collars, so I put him right on that.  My train was about to depart so I wished him well and left him on the concourse.

I can't afford to give away £25 but I had to make a decision as to whether overhearing that conversation was guidance from God who wanted me to share with this man what was not really mine - but his.

What do you think?  Was it a con?  Was he genuine?  Today I will email Chris (his name) and ask after his mother.  Whether he managed to get enough money to get to Sheffield I don't know.  I had thought of the £25 as a loan but afterwards decided I should think of it as a gift.

No doubt you know the story of the Good Samaritan (No, I know I'm not in the same league!).  Have you ever noticed that Jesus speaks of those that came across the man who had fallen among thieves as being there 'by chance'?  Yet the implication is that the priest and the Levite should have acted compassionately.  Have you ever reflected on all that the Samaritan did?  He put himself at risk, he took on a responsibility voluntarily.  He probably stayed up much of the night with them man he helped.  He gave the landlord enough money for the man to stay two months and on top of that offered to pay any extra costs!  Obviously, Jesus was using exaggeration to make the point.

I remember a simple Sunday School lesson on this story in which the man who fell among thieves thought "What's mine is mine and I'm going to keep it".  The thieves thought, "What's yours is mine and I'm going to take it".  But the Samaritan thought, "What's mine is really God's and he would want me to share it with you".

I guess that God will not mind if I gave away £25 of his resources if I was being conned.  On the other hand I wonder if God is also speaking to a London glass blower who had fallen on hard times and found himself in a crisis.  Sometimes it is better to act on how we believe God is guiding us, risking getting it wrong, rather than passing by on the other side.