1 divided by 3 = 1?

The following is an article from the June 2011 issue Parish News for the villages of Clay Coton, Elkington, Lilbourne and Yelvertoft.

The month of June contains two religious festivals that often cause confusion.  The first of these on June 12^th is Pentecost (also called Whit Sunday).  The second is Trinity Sunday on June 19^th.  If the concept of the Trinity is confusing to you, know that you are not alone.  The reason for this is the uniqueness of God.  We have nothing that we can compare to God, and the idea of three persons that are essentially one is bound to be confusing.

Once when Jesus was talking with his disciples he spoke of “the Father”.  Understanding God in this way was not new.  There are a couple of Old Testament references to God as Father.  Also Jesus had taught them how to pray to their “Father in Heaven”.  But on this occasion one of his disciples said what a wonderful thing it would be to see the Father.  To this Jesus replied that if anyone knew him [Jesus] then they knew the Father, for they were one.  He then went on to tell them that although he would be leaving them another (similar) person would be with them – the Holy Spirit.

In other words the presence of the Holy Spirit would be just the same as having the physical presence of Jesus with them, and knowing what Jesus was like was like meeting the Father. 

Confused still?  Not surprising.  The only real way to understand this is to experience a relationship with God.  After Jesus had died, risen again and 40 days later ascended to be his Father, the promised gift of the Holy Spirit was received by 120 disciples (men and women) who had gathered in an upper room in Jerusalem.  They were ecstatic with joy and found a new boldness to share their faith with others.  Now the wonder of knowing the presence of Jesus with them had become an even more wonderful intimate personal experience.

When a crowd was attracted by the noise of the believers praising God and revelling in their experience they listened as Peter explained who Jesus really is and what they had experienced.  The crowd asked what they should do and were told they should turn from sin and be baptised.  This would then enable them to receive the same promised gift of the Holy Spirit.  The promise, they were told, was for all throughout the future who would repent and believe.

I don’t drink alcohol but I guess that to really understand the flavour and the effect of a good wine you would have to drink it.  As the Scots say, “Some things are better felt than telt!”  The Holy Spirit is the person of God through whom all God’s blessings come into our lives.  We might never fully understand it here on earth but we can certainly enjoy experiencing it.  And that is not limited to one or two days a year. 

I know just how you feel!

I thought it might be interesting to some if I post my monthly letter in the Yelvertoft Parish Magazine.  Here is the latest; I'll look through some of the past ones where the content might not be dated.


I think that one of the most annoying things that can be said to anyone going through a tough time is, “I know just how you feel”, when you know very well they have absolutely no idea.  What’s worse is when they proceed to list all their troubles!

Usually when people go through tough times they pray – even if they’re not sure they believe in God.  It might not be in church, and it probably won’t be on their knees, but at some time or other they are likely to utter, “Oh God, help me”.  Of course if we had a God who had no idea what it was like to lose a loved one, to be badly let down by people you thought were your friends, to be in fear of death, to feel at life’s extremity, to know extreme temptation, to be in financial difficulty, to be the victim of slander and lies, to suffer exhaustion or hunger – if we had a God like that how could he truly empathise with us in our hour of need.

But because God stepped into this world, bringing his divine nature into union with our human nature in the extraordinary person of Jesus, he does know what all of those conditions (and more) are like.  Not only that, but he spent his ministry responding with compassion to people on the margins of society.  Some suffered from dreadful illnesses, some had just been bereaved, and some were considered socially unacceptable for a range of reasons.  All experienced the wonder that this very special person cared about them and, because his love is matched by his power, their lives were transformed by that contact with him.

No other religion can offer anything approaching such a God.  Last month we thought afresh about the arms of Jesus stretched out upon a cross.  I want you to imagine those arms now stretched out to welcome you – if you will turn to him and come to him.  He promised never to turn anyone away who comes to him.  And if you do that you will also come to know those same arms lovingly wrapped around you – holding you safely through the toughest times of this life.

The King James Version Anniversary

I find myself with mixed feeling (or as they say in the States "conflicted") regarding the growing hype over the 400th anniversary of the publication of the King James version or Authorised Version of the Bible.  I do feel that this is an occasion that should be marked but I wonder whether some of the things that have already been said and written by Christian leaders might actually be shooting ourselves in the foot.

So far all that I have heard has been exalting it as a piece of literature - howbeit a special piece of literature.  Could this be actually doing two negative things.

For many people Christianity is already seen as anachronistic and out of touch with today's society.  Others are put off by the "wordy" nature of Christianity with its Bible, hymns and sermons.   Thrusting a 400 year old version of God's word at them might just be reinforcing that negativity.

God's word is not confined to the text that codifies it.  The Bible is a vital and unique collection of Scripture through which God is revealed and can be understood and discovered in a personal relationship.  It is not enough to know that he is holy, almighty, merciful, just, etc; what is needed is to engage with those qualities - to come to know him.

Bible translations that communicate this revelation can help or hinder (though God will graciously use the most inept tool at times).  Surely what we need to do is to use this anniversary occasion when a translation of significance was published to encourage people to read the Bible today in a version that uses the vernacular, which was one of the purposes 400 years ago.

I am occasionally asked which version of the Bible is the "best one for today".  The problem with such a question is that I then want to ask what do you want to use it for?  Some translations are the product of a scholarly committee.  These tend to be very correct but can also use language that is less engaging.   Some translations are the work of an individual scholar or a team taking different books of the Bible between them.  These tend to be more engaging but personal prejudice might creep in.  For serious study one translation might be better than others, while for personal reflection another might be more suitable.  My default response to the question, "Which translation of the Bible is the best?" is to say that you should be reading a version through which God is speaking into your life today.

If God's word is hindered by the language or style of a translation then it is not serving his purposes.

For anyone who might be interested in thinking about how this anniversary can be used to advance the kingdom of God then I recommend you read the article at http://ruralevangelism.net/resources/Biblefresh+ideas.pdf.  Other ideas might well appear on this website in coming weeks.

It remains my personal view that to simply extol the virtue of the KJV as a piece of literature could be to fall short of the mark.  Some will revel in its language and some may hear God speak to them as they do so.  For many more it would be more helpful to read or hear God's word in their own language.

Pope Benedict and all that

So this morning history was made with the Pope giving the "Thought for the Day" on Radio 4 after which John Humphries quizzed a leading English Catholic, Archbishop Bernard Longley,  with an emphasis on the issue of "change".  It was, of course, inevitable that if a Christian speaks out then there is likely to be some criticism following.  But i think it is worth reflecting a little on what was said, and I do this from my own theological understanding.

A few months ago the Pope visited the UK.  While I respect the view of the Roman Catholic Church regarding priestly ministry and the authority of the Pope it is not an opinion that I hold.  Indeed I hold one that is strongly opposed to both concepts, but one aspect of my ministry is to engage in dialogue with the RC church (and other traditions) and I do so expecting that dialogue to lead to change where change is needed (in me and my tradition as well as theirs).

One aspect that most - possibly all - reading this blog will not know is that ahead of the Pope's visit we received an exhortation from his office stating that when he came to the UK he hoped to share something of the message of the gospel and hoped that other Churches would be ready to exploit any interest that might be stirred through his visit.  This message was conveyed to me personally at an ecumenical meeting concerned for the evangelization of the people of the UK.

For me the outstanding feature of the Pope's visit was the biblical content of his talks and his encouragement that all people should seek a relationship with God in Christ.  Social and political issues he touched on were never divorced from that central message.  By contrast an other Christian leader made hardly any reference to scripture or the gospel beyond his comments on social issues in which there was no overt connection with the gospel.

This seamed to me to set out the Pope's position as one who clearly placed biblical authority above his own.  Again, for me, this was an interesting and encouraging revelation.

In today's "Thought for the Day" the Pope again asserted the biblical record of what Christmas is about and why Christ came into this world - it was for us and our salvation.  Since he had proclaimed the old traditional message of Christianity it was not surprising that in the interview that followed John Humphries brought up the opinion that the Catholic Church needed to change with regard to such matters as homosexuality, contraception and women in the priesthood.

In response Bernard Longley asserted that the Catholic Church had changed and was changing, citing two examples.  He firstly spoke of the Catholic Church's ecumenical dialogue and attitude to other traditions.  As one who has had a small part to play in that I can confirm that this has been interesting.  For example when at a meeting of Churches together in Britain and Ireland I was called on to present the case for "Lay Presidency at the Eucharist" at ecumenical gatherings (the Congregational view that anyone authorised by the local church can preside at a Communion Service) a Roman Catholic Archbishop was first to his feet supporting what I had said.  The second to his feet in support was a senior Orthodox cleric.   Ecumenical dialogue does produce change - or at least moderates attitudes.

The second defence that Bernard Longley drew upon was the Beatification of John Henry Newman.  He pointed out that (a) Newman sought to develop theology within the social context of his day, and (b) that Newman believed in hearing the voice of the laity. Here there are two interesting parallel's with my own tradition as a Congregationalist.

The first of these relates to a developing theology rather than one that is set in stone.  On the departure of the Pilgrim Fathers, Pastor John Robinson commented that "God has yet more light and truth to break forth from his holy word".  Some significant early influences in my Christian life held a more fundamentalist and fixed view but I am grateful that my own journey has brought me to an experience of developing theology.  The journey has been exciting and has made me more passionate about scripture, and delighted by those moments of the breaking of light and truth previously unrealised by me.  It has also made me unhappy to be identified by any label other than Christian (i.e. I do not want to be labelled as "conservative", or "liberal", or "charismatic" etc).

As to the second point relating to John Henry Newman since I do not recognise priesthood other than that of all believers and especially that of Jesus Christ in heaven, I believe strongly that all Christians are part of the laos (the Greek word meaning people) and play a part in the mediation of the understanding of truth.  But this is not the same thing as political democracy nor is it saying that what the Church should believe and stand for should be determined by the whims of secular society.  The abandonment of an understanding of the importance of scripture is a recipe for anarchy.

As Christians we have a duty to be careful about declaring what we hold to be true.  For me the scripture (OT and NT) has the important place but truth has to be exgeted (drawn out) from it.  Inevitably, we will do this from our various cultural and historical contexts and this will result in different opinions and understandings, each of which should always be considered alongside our own.  After all truth is something far greater than my mind can completely comprehend right now.

While there are some aspects of Roman Catholic teaching with which I wholly dissociate myself, I find myself not uncomfortable with people who wish to assert the central message of the gospel, that Christ came to save us and reconcile us to God, and who do not believe we should be blown about by every wind of opinion of unregenerate minds.

I welcome your comments.

The Weekly News

For a quiet week it has been very interesting.


Last weekend focused on events to support the work in Malawi of Torch Trust for the Blind, for which Doreen works as a volunteer two mornings a week.  The YP fund raising event on Saturday was amazing and we had a fairly full chapel on the Sunday afternoon and a very happy time of fellowship.


On Tuesday I was single handed at the prison for our final choir practice.  It went well.  On Wednesday the prison faith Centre was full with visitors and inmates plus governor and staff.  This was the annual Christmas Concert with Kettering Salvation Army Band and Songsters, traditional readings, carols etc.  My group of prisoners put on a playlet and a carol (sung to an old Roger Whittiker tune).  The lads were superb and afterwards I was inundated by people singing the praises of our choir.  I kept referring them on to the lads - many of who were glowing!


On Friday we managed to do carol singing around Theddingworth - well it's a small village.


To finish off the week I have been sending out my Christmas cards (not quite at the deadline) and running off copies of the new CD of "Treasured Gospel Songs".  These are mainly golden oldies.  If you don't get one in the post and would like one please let me know.  I will add a few more of these to the website at http://www.soundclick.com/bands/page_music.cfm?bandID=1126380 as this will give you some idea of what is on the CD.


A friend tweeted me this week.  No one ever did that before!  Later the same friend sent a tweet with a link to a marvelous video on Youtube.  It really is great and I commend it to you shamelessly! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tgtnNc1Zplc


This Sunday I am at Yelvertoft in the morning and singing at Theddingworth in the evening.  On Monday I will be a well known fictional character giving out presents at a local school.  I hope the beard doesn't scratch as much this year.  The burning question is, "Will any of the children know it is me?"


Then final preparation for the weekend and a few days of rest.


Happy Christmas!


Barry

Sign or Story?

As someone who has been active in rural ministry and mission all my life I am well aware that many rural Christians – including clergy – find engaging in evangelism within their village challenging.  Time and again I hear people saying things like, “Our lives are a witness” or “People know what we stand for”.  I have even heard a conference speaker state that the silent witness of church buildings is sufficient evangelism.  While our lives and possibly the buildings where we meet might well be an important sign of our faith, sign without story is never enough.

In Luke 2: 8-20 we read the story of the shepherds hearing about the birth of Jesus.  It begins with the shepherds getting on with what shepherds do at night in the fields.  They then see the angel of the Lord who tells them a story about a saviour and gives them information about a sign that will support the story he has told them.  Then comes the choir of angels with words about blessing that comes through God showing grace or favour.

They immediately determine to check it out for themselves, and find it exactly as they had been told. (You can forget about them taking sheep with them or offering lambs; sheep would have slowed them down and they were in a hurry.)

Three things then follow:

Firstly, they went and told others the story as they had been told it, causing many people to be amazed.

Secondly, what they told Mary got her thinking too.  I guess it confirmed all she had been told previously.

Thirdly, they went on their way (apparently back to the sheep) thrilled and praising God for what “they had been told”.

When Francis of Assisi said "preach the gospel always, use words if necessary" it was an exhortation to ensure that our lives provide adequate proof of the good news about Jesus.  But there are many people of faith – or even of no faith – whose lives are every bit as good as any Christian.  So sign will never be enough unless people also hear the story from our lips.

Please ponder the story of the Shepherds this Christmas and see how it relates to our lives today.  They heard a story and believed – saw the sign – and passed on the story with such enthusiasm that they too became a sign.  We have good news to share – God’s story that he wants your friends and family to hear.  Please share the story; live the sign.

Condemning burning the Koran

Some 47 year ago as God broke into my life I was happy to define myself as “evangelical”.  Now, though my core beliefs have not changed it is not a label I feel comfortable with.  Among the factors that have caused that change is people who are bigoted, like Terry Jones, the pastor of a small church in the USA whose offensive attitude has won him a spotlight over the last few days.

I have no hesitation in condemning what he proposes to do on September 11^th and stating that, in my view, he presents a distorted understanding of Christianity as set out within the Scriptures.  And that is the irony for by defining himself and his local church as “evangelical” he takes a position that affirms that the Bible is authoritative, and the guide for what he believes and how he behaves.  It makes me wonder whether he has read it carefully recently.  A further irony is that what he seeks to condemn by burning copies of the Koran is to condemn what most Islamic scholars would define as actions informed by a distorted understanding of the content of the Koran.

An Anglican bishop I knew once said that if the Carpenter of Nazareth would seem strangely out of place in the midst of all you plan to do, then all you plan to do has got nothing to do with God. 

Towards the end of the eighties Doreen and I made my first journey to Turkey.  This was my first engagement with Muslims.  I found them kind, generous, and very open.  From the start and over the passing years I have engaged in conversations about the Christian faith, often at their initiative.  I have even been invited into a mosque by the Imam to talk with children about Jesus Christ.  One school I had visited to assist with English lessons once asked me to provide an example of a Christian song we used in worship.  The following year as I walked through the gates of the school scholars greeted me by singing that song!

Our contemporary culture has benefited historically from Islam, as many Islamic countries have benefited from some aspects of Christianity.  In the UK today almost all of us enjoy good relationships and can engage in a healthy dialogue without compromising our beliefs in any way.  Throughout the Muslim world (most of which is moderate) there are indigenous Christians and indigenous Christian churches.  A few years ago in one such country Christians were invited onto a TV programme to talk about their faith.  That day an American website stupidly, wrongly and offensively put an image of that country’s flag with the Islamic crescent changed to a Christian cross.  That one act seriously set back the gospel and impacted on the lives of thousands of Christians.  My fear is that Terry Jones is seriously undoing years of patient progress in his blind ignorance.

I hope that Terry might discover – or rediscover – the Jesus of Scripture and become a true disciple.  If he does he will renounce his intentions.