Today we came to the 3rd Commandment (8th in our series): 'Do not take the name of the Lord your God in vain'. Most people hardly think twice about using the name of our awesome God, Creator and Saviour, as an exclamation or swear word. But I still feel uncomfortable when people do because they are showing disrespect to my loving loving heavenly Father. Our curate Linda was preaching and she encouraged us to think about sensitive ways to say to people that we would rather they did not misuse God's name in our presence. It's hard sometimes, but our Muslim friends get much more upset if the name and reputation of their prophet Mohammed is called into question.
Here's a practical idea given by one of our Readers who preached at our earlier service: if you strike your thumb, for example, while hammering in a nail and find yourself saying, "Jesus," then complete the sentence with "...Christ is Lord."
Somehow, The Daily Telegraph has got hold of the story behind the Just 10 series, though the paper has tried to present it as a 'revision' of the Commandments. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/religion/9123866/Churches-adopt-new-Ten-Commandments.html
Even more of a mystery - the paper quotes me on the series. I've even had an email from Texas about it. God moves in mysterious ways!
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Saturday, 18 February 2012
Miracles and Wisdom
Since Baroness Warsi recently re-ignited the debate about religion in public life, I've been following some of the correspondence in The Independent, and listening to speakers such as AC Grayling going head to head with Christina Rees (Chair of the House of Laity of the General Synod).
One of the current lines of argument of the secularists is to draw from a tradition of secular scepticism going back to the Greeks. They argue that there is 'nothing new under the sun', and indeed claim that very phrase from Greek philosophy as predating the same in Ecclesiastes in the Bible.
It strikes me that St Paul had something to say about this nearly 2000 years ago when he wrote to the Corinthian church: 'Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.' 'Irrational religion' and 'irreligious rationalism' - they are both mistaken answers to the world's needs in Paul's view. Rather, the answer is to be found in 'Christ crucified, a stumbling'block to Jews and folly to the Greeks'.
Yes, the AC Graylings of the world would claim 'Christ crucified' to be folly, just as followers of Greek philosophy in the 1st century did. I believe this is the time for the church to be confident in preaching the same gospel as Paul: 'Christ crucified - Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God' because that way - the way of sacrifice and love, of death and resurrection - is where we can find power to change our lives.
One of the current lines of argument of the secularists is to draw from a tradition of secular scepticism going back to the Greeks. They argue that there is 'nothing new under the sun', and indeed claim that very phrase from Greek philosophy as predating the same in Ecclesiastes in the Bible.
It strikes me that St Paul had something to say about this nearly 2000 years ago when he wrote to the Corinthian church: 'Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.' 'Irrational religion' and 'irreligious rationalism' - they are both mistaken answers to the world's needs in Paul's view. Rather, the answer is to be found in 'Christ crucified, a stumbling'block to Jews and folly to the Greeks'.
Yes, the AC Graylings of the world would claim 'Christ crucified' to be folly, just as followers of Greek philosophy in the 1st century did. I believe this is the time for the church to be confident in preaching the same gospel as Paul: 'Christ crucified - Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God' because that way - the way of sacrifice and love, of death and resurrection - is where we can find power to change our lives.
Monday, 6 February 2012
Just 10: You shall not steal
Yesterday, with reduced numbers because of the snow, we looked at the 8th Commandment - 'You shall not steal'. The reasons for not stealing are fairly obvious: to steal is dishonest, to steal spoils society by creating suspicion and fear, to steal robs us of better things - for example not paying taxes robs society of basic services, and to steal devalues honest work - "Why work if I can steal it?"
The story of Zacchaeus in Luke's Gospel shows how a life of cheating and stealing can be transformed. What made an impact on me as I prepared to speak on such a familiary story what the meaning of his name: 'Zacchaeus' is from the Hebrew meaning 'Pure'. I imagined Zacchaeus' parents choosing a name for him before he was born. There was a belief that a child's name would describe his character when he grew up; so what happened to Zacchaeus to make him so corrupt? Somewhere he broke the 10th Commandment - he began to covet, then the 8th - he began to steal by taking more in tax than was legal. But the good news is that when he encountered Jesus his life was transformed.
The people muttered that Jesus was going to eat in the house of a 'sinner'. But Zacchaeus wasn't just a sinner. Somewhere between being up the tree and coming down he became a sinner who was forgiven and saved, and his life was changed. And there is no more real change than paying back four times what you have stolen.
'You shall not steal': it's not just about burglary, but deception and fraud, office theft in the form of taking a 'sicky', tax evasion, robbing the future generation of natural resources by our profligate use of them now, robbing the poor of a fair price and wage for the goods we buy so cheaply. We might alol be complicit in these practices, just as Zacchaeus was in his day, but we can change just as he did.
The story of Zacchaeus in Luke's Gospel shows how a life of cheating and stealing can be transformed. What made an impact on me as I prepared to speak on such a familiary story what the meaning of his name: 'Zacchaeus' is from the Hebrew meaning 'Pure'. I imagined Zacchaeus' parents choosing a name for him before he was born. There was a belief that a child's name would describe his character when he grew up; so what happened to Zacchaeus to make him so corrupt? Somewhere he broke the 10th Commandment - he began to covet, then the 8th - he began to steal by taking more in tax than was legal. But the good news is that when he encountered Jesus his life was transformed.
The people muttered that Jesus was going to eat in the house of a 'sinner'. But Zacchaeus wasn't just a sinner. Somewhere between being up the tree and coming down he became a sinner who was forgiven and saved, and his life was changed. And there is no more real change than paying back four times what you have stolen.
'You shall not steal': it's not just about burglary, but deception and fraud, office theft in the form of taking a 'sicky', tax evasion, robbing the future generation of natural resources by our profligate use of them now, robbing the poor of a fair price and wage for the goods we buy so cheaply. We might alol be complicit in these practices, just as Zacchaeus was in his day, but we can change just as he did.
Thursday, 26 January 2012
Forgetting our Maker's Instructions
Last Sunday we started our series 'Just 10' on the Ten Commandments. And as if proof were needed that we as a nation need to remind ourselves of them, here is a news article from yesterday's BBC news
Britons are less honest than they were a decade ago, research by academics at the University of Essex suggests. The survey of more than 2,000 adults found that people were apparently more tolerant of lying and extramarital affairs than they were in 2000.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16714872
I am particularly interested in what the author of the report says about the effect on society:
If social capital is low and people are suspicious and don't work together, those communities have worse health, worse educational performance, they are less happy and they are less economically developed and entrepreneurial. It really does have a profound effect. If integrity continues to decline in the future, then it will be very difficult to mobilise volunteers to support the Big Society initiative."
It just goes to show that 'false testimony', which hurts people and destroys reputations, harms society. The Ten Commandments were given for the good of society. and for inidivuduals within society.
I was glad that at least one member of our congregation picked up the point last Sunday that coveting robs us of contentment. True contentment is something that we find in God, not in goods.
Britons are less honest than they were a decade ago, research by academics at the University of Essex suggests. The survey of more than 2,000 adults found that people were apparently more tolerant of lying and extramarital affairs than they were in 2000.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-16714872
I am particularly interested in what the author of the report says about the effect on society:
If social capital is low and people are suspicious and don't work together, those communities have worse health, worse educational performance, they are less happy and they are less economically developed and entrepreneurial. It really does have a profound effect. If integrity continues to decline in the future, then it will be very difficult to mobilise volunteers to support the Big Society initiative."
It just goes to show that 'false testimony', which hurts people and destroys reputations, harms society. The Ten Commandments were given for the good of society. and for inidivuduals within society.
I was glad that at least one member of our congregation picked up the point last Sunday that coveting robs us of contentment. True contentment is something that we find in God, not in goods.
Tuesday, 17 January 2012
Just 10
In a little over 300 words God gave his people - and us - a good way to live; in fact the best way to live. We are preparing at St John's to preach on all 10 Commandments, and will be following J John's outline in his series 'Just 10'.
It's rather like taking yourself through a whole body, mind and spirit MOT. I'm excited by the prospect of preaching the series, but at the same time a little nervous as to what it might expose in my own life that needs dealing with. But the good news is that this won't be a test that we might fail. Rather, it's one that will encourage where we can do better and where we need help.
I hope that anyone who reads this blog will comment - especially if you've heard our sermons or seen the DVD on Wednesday evenings. You can find out more of the details on the church website: www.coulsdon.net/stjohns
Wednesday, 28 September 2011
'Build my house'
I haven’t had much time for blogging lately due to family circumstances. I call my blog ‘The Restless Rector’, but recently I’ve been more a ‘Rector in need of a rest’, but things are beginning to calm down and I can begin to look outside my immediate concerns.
When I was a curate near High Wycombe my vicar, John Olhausen, liked to talk about the bible as ‘the pasture-lands of God’. He taught me to expect to hear God’s voice speaking through scripture each day, and I have tried to follow that example ever since. So when we read the set readings at Morning Prayer I listen out for something that God wants me to hear for the day or the week ahead.
Recently we read through the prophet Haggai – one of those prophets I still have some difficulty locating in my bible! God’s words through the prophet seemed particularly appropriate in these days when the church appears to be in decline in so many areas, and our church in Old Coulsdon faces the added pressure of needing to spend a lot of money on our buildings, and to restore our finances to a deficit-free state.
Haggai’s message was a simple one about the Temple in Jerusalem: ‘Build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honoured.’ He was speaking at a time when the Jews had begun to return from exile in Babylon and were settling back in Jerusalem. They were rebuilding their own houses and spending their money on their own needs, but God’s house – the Temple – was still in ruins. As a consequence they were finding that their money didn’t go very far – it was as if it was kept in a bag full of holes; it just drained away.
“Make my house your priority,” is what God was saying to his people. Much later, St Paul described the church as the temple of God – a sacred temple where God dwelt. Not a building now, but collectively the people of God. If that is the case, it means that we should treat the church – as the body of Christ, and as the dwelling place of God – with the same respect that the Jews treated the temple in Jerusalem. Today, though, the church is often relegated to the level of a ‘leisure activity’, or a ‘therapy session’ to get you through the week ahead.
Perhaps those of us who are in the church ought to heed the words Haggai spoke out and take the church more seriously, and pay it more attention in terms of what we give – our time, effort and money. The point of the Temple in Jerusalem was that it was a physical place where people could meet with God; the point of the church is exactly the same – a community in which people may encounter the risen Christ and through faith in him meet with God. This is what keeps me going when the media are so negative about the church, and the statistics tempt us to give up. In spite of its shortcomings, this is what St Paul said about the church: ‘God’s intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms…’ So not only do we have an earthly mission, but, in a way I don’t fully understand, we have a cosmic mission as well. There’s food for thought.
When I was a curate near High Wycombe my vicar, John Olhausen, liked to talk about the bible as ‘the pasture-lands of God’. He taught me to expect to hear God’s voice speaking through scripture each day, and I have tried to follow that example ever since. So when we read the set readings at Morning Prayer I listen out for something that God wants me to hear for the day or the week ahead.
Recently we read through the prophet Haggai – one of those prophets I still have some difficulty locating in my bible! God’s words through the prophet seemed particularly appropriate in these days when the church appears to be in decline in so many areas, and our church in Old Coulsdon faces the added pressure of needing to spend a lot of money on our buildings, and to restore our finances to a deficit-free state.
Haggai’s message was a simple one about the Temple in Jerusalem: ‘Build the house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honoured.’ He was speaking at a time when the Jews had begun to return from exile in Babylon and were settling back in Jerusalem. They were rebuilding their own houses and spending their money on their own needs, but God’s house – the Temple – was still in ruins. As a consequence they were finding that their money didn’t go very far – it was as if it was kept in a bag full of holes; it just drained away.
“Make my house your priority,” is what God was saying to his people. Much later, St Paul described the church as the temple of God – a sacred temple where God dwelt. Not a building now, but collectively the people of God. If that is the case, it means that we should treat the church – as the body of Christ, and as the dwelling place of God – with the same respect that the Jews treated the temple in Jerusalem. Today, though, the church is often relegated to the level of a ‘leisure activity’, or a ‘therapy session’ to get you through the week ahead.
Perhaps those of us who are in the church ought to heed the words Haggai spoke out and take the church more seriously, and pay it more attention in terms of what we give – our time, effort and money. The point of the Temple in Jerusalem was that it was a physical place where people could meet with God; the point of the church is exactly the same – a community in which people may encounter the risen Christ and through faith in him meet with God. This is what keeps me going when the media are so negative about the church, and the statistics tempt us to give up. In spite of its shortcomings, this is what St Paul said about the church: ‘God’s intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms…’ So not only do we have an earthly mission, but, in a way I don’t fully understand, we have a cosmic mission as well. There’s food for thought.
Thursday, 18 August 2011
'Out of the heart...'
A recurring comment on the recent riots was the surprise that apparently 'respectable' young people were taking part - university students, 'decent' middle-class people. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/8696977/London-riots-Straight-A-student-Laura-Johnson-faces-being-thrown-out-of-university.html
What it all goes to show is that whether you wear a suit or a hoodie makes no difference because that's only what is on the outside. Jesus said, "Out of the heart come...evil thoughts...theft..." etc. It's the heart that drives a person's actions, not their clothes or level of wealth. Like in 'Lord of the Flies' the riots show what happens when the human heart has no constraints of law or social order. Very soon there is anarchy and violence.
It's very easy to pontificate from the sidelines of relatively quiet Coulsdon, but perhaps we have to ask searching questions of ourselves. What is it in the heart that can lead to such lawlessness? Is it the same thing that leads respectable MPs (and others, I'm sure) to fiddle their expenses? "Everyone does it," is the cry. So what's the difference between stealing from the tax payer and stealing trainers from a shop? The riots resulted in criminal damage to property - and there is no excuse for that - but the MPs expenses scandal resulted in damage to the reputation of parliament. Which is easier to rebuild? I tend to think that buildings are easier than reputations.
The economic liberalism of the 1980s, encouraged by the government of the time, lies, I believe, behind many of the problems we see today. 25 or 30 years ago we were encouraged to get what we could, to abandon restraint, to get rich quick: sell off national assets, remove limitations. And many people did get very rich and could retire at 55. But now their children generation, brought up with those same values, face a much more bleak economic outlook. Naturally, they share their parents' values but their aspirations to material wealth are blocked. Who is to blame? I suppose we all are to some extent, by active involvement or collusion.
What is the answer? In today's psalm at Morning Prayer the psalmist writes: 'Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart'. I also have a verse on my window ledge that says, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' The good news is that God can change hearts. In Ezekiel it says that he can exchange hearts of flesh for hearts of stone. In Jeremiah God says he will put his Spirit within us so we will know the right thing to do without being told. "Search me, O God, and know my heart..." says the psalmist.
It is claimed by J John, the evangelist, that there are over 32 million laws in existence; but have they improved on the 10 Commandments? Perhaps this is the time to return to the good life that God set out so simply. We've seen recently what happens when there are no boundaries of law and order. It's not a good life. God's good life has simple boundaries that we forget at our peril.
What it all goes to show is that whether you wear a suit or a hoodie makes no difference because that's only what is on the outside. Jesus said, "Out of the heart come...evil thoughts...theft..." etc. It's the heart that drives a person's actions, not their clothes or level of wealth. Like in 'Lord of the Flies' the riots show what happens when the human heart has no constraints of law or social order. Very soon there is anarchy and violence.
It's very easy to pontificate from the sidelines of relatively quiet Coulsdon, but perhaps we have to ask searching questions of ourselves. What is it in the heart that can lead to such lawlessness? Is it the same thing that leads respectable MPs (and others, I'm sure) to fiddle their expenses? "Everyone does it," is the cry. So what's the difference between stealing from the tax payer and stealing trainers from a shop? The riots resulted in criminal damage to property - and there is no excuse for that - but the MPs expenses scandal resulted in damage to the reputation of parliament. Which is easier to rebuild? I tend to think that buildings are easier than reputations.
The economic liberalism of the 1980s, encouraged by the government of the time, lies, I believe, behind many of the problems we see today. 25 or 30 years ago we were encouraged to get what we could, to abandon restraint, to get rich quick: sell off national assets, remove limitations. And many people did get very rich and could retire at 55. But now their children generation, brought up with those same values, face a much more bleak economic outlook. Naturally, they share their parents' values but their aspirations to material wealth are blocked. Who is to blame? I suppose we all are to some extent, by active involvement or collusion.
What is the answer? In today's psalm at Morning Prayer the psalmist writes: 'Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart'. I also have a verse on my window ledge that says, 'Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.' The good news is that God can change hearts. In Ezekiel it says that he can exchange hearts of flesh for hearts of stone. In Jeremiah God says he will put his Spirit within us so we will know the right thing to do without being told. "Search me, O God, and know my heart..." says the psalmist.
It is claimed by J John, the evangelist, that there are over 32 million laws in existence; but have they improved on the 10 Commandments? Perhaps this is the time to return to the good life that God set out so simply. We've seen recently what happens when there are no boundaries of law and order. It's not a good life. God's good life has simple boundaries that we forget at our peril.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
