I've just got back from the ordination of two bishops for our Diocese - Woolwich and Croydon. These services are a curious mixture of ancient and modern, legal and liturgical, state and church. The Royal Mandate was read by the Provincial Registrar, resplendent in robes and wig, instructing 'our loyal and trusty friend Rowan Douglas' to ordain Jonathan Clark and Michael Ipgrave bishops. Andrew Nunn, the Dean of Southwark Cathedral, made us laugh by reminiding us, on this day when we commemorate Thomas Cranmer, that Archbishop Cranmer and his wife used to get out of London for a break in peaceful Croydon where he had his summer palace. More seriously, he reminded us that the church must be 'inclusive' and 'affirming' - both words loaded with extra meaning in the Church of England these days.
We discovered that the Archbishop of Canterbury, who presided, has a pleasant light baritone voice as he intoned the prayers. This will probably be his last visit to Southwark before he moves to his next job in Cambridge. I'm sure he will be breathing a large sigh of relief to leave behind the problems and divisions that have beset the C of E and the wider Anglican communion during the last decade. Who would want his job?
Our two new bishops are appointed to be shepherds of God's flock, the church. We promised to pray for them and I will try to keep that promise. It's too easy to criticize those in authority over us, whether in the secular or the religious sphere. To be a bishop in the church is a noble calling and one that is only possible if God has called you. I may question what our bishops say and do, but I hope it is with respect and in a spirit of charity. May God bless Bishop Jonathan and Bishop Michael.
Wednesday, 21 March 2012
Saturday, 17 March 2012
"The Holy Spirit is saying..." Is he really?
I was just about to put digit to keyboard (it would have been pen to paper years ago) to reflect on the modern propensity for claiming to be prophetic and allowing the Holy Spirit to speak through our own personal agendas, when I read Gary Jenkins' excellent blog on the same subject. http://redhillthoughts.blogspot.co.uk/ We were both at the Southwark Diocesan Synod last week, and both spoke in favour of adopting the Anglican Covenant, and both found ourselves on the losing side. We both heard a number of people claiming that the Covenant would 'limit the prophetic voice of the church'.
Reflecting on the number of times I have heard that or a similar phrase it seems to me that the word 'prophetic' is used nowadays to give authority to any innovation that flies in the face of tradition, reason or scripture. Whereas at one time it was charismatic evangelicals that would speak about prophecy more easily, now it is liberals who claim to be speaking prophetically when they speak in favour of, for instance, same-sex marriage.
Likewise, the voice of Holy Spirit is claimed to give weight to similar innovations. Reading the Acts of the Apostles it is clear that the Holy Spirit did move the church in a radically new direction when it was agreed that the Gentiles were also included in God's covenant along with the Jews, and that full church membership should be accorded Gentiles without them having to be circumcised. But today's claims that the Holy Spirit may be speaking through the church to embrace the personal agendas of our liberal brothers and sisters seems to be verging on a breaking of the 3rd Commandment: 'You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.'
We must all be careful not to claim the Holy Spirit's authority for our own agendas, and not to treat prophecy lightly. It seems to me, reading acts, that the Holy Spirit spoke to the church when Christians were together in prayer, and often in fasting. he seemed to speak more about mission than anything else. Let's listen and learn.
Reflecting on the number of times I have heard that or a similar phrase it seems to me that the word 'prophetic' is used nowadays to give authority to any innovation that flies in the face of tradition, reason or scripture. Whereas at one time it was charismatic evangelicals that would speak about prophecy more easily, now it is liberals who claim to be speaking prophetically when they speak in favour of, for instance, same-sex marriage.
Likewise, the voice of Holy Spirit is claimed to give weight to similar innovations. Reading the Acts of the Apostles it is clear that the Holy Spirit did move the church in a radically new direction when it was agreed that the Gentiles were also included in God's covenant along with the Jews, and that full church membership should be accorded Gentiles without them having to be circumcised. But today's claims that the Holy Spirit may be speaking through the church to embrace the personal agendas of our liberal brothers and sisters seems to be verging on a breaking of the 3rd Commandment: 'You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God.'
We must all be careful not to claim the Holy Spirit's authority for our own agendas, and not to treat prophecy lightly. It seems to me, reading acts, that the Holy Spirit spoke to the church when Christians were together in prayer, and often in fasting. he seemed to speak more about mission than anything else. Let's listen and learn.
Sunday, 11 March 2012
Just 10 - Just 2 more to go
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!
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!
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
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