Stretched

Traditionally, summer is (at least in our memories) a time for a slower pace of life. That might have something to do with school holidays. The minute I type that last sentence, the stark truth is that many Grandparents step up, not down in school holidays! So maybe it's a mere myth! Yet I suspect that because we were all young once, we have this instinct that summer days should therefore be slower, more restful and have a more gentle pace of life. And that I think is just not reality. My observation is that many are finding that they are having to work harder, longer and be more productive. And the recovery time is taking longer for some, if not all. In short, there are numerous people, even in our own church family who are stretched more than any other time before. When you are stretched, it can be hard to cope with the ordinary, daily requirements of life. We are all familiar, I'm sure, with the balancing of the mundane aspects of our lives. The cleaning, tidying, washing, dusting (where does it come from), repairing, sweeping, hoovering, admin, financial admin and so forth - absolutely never goes away. It makes me remember Jesus at the home of Mary and Martha in Luke 10: 38-42 and Jesus arrives. You remember it well, I'm sure: Martha is annoyed as her sister, Mary, had left her to do the housework, so that Mary could sit at Jesus' feet. Martha wants Jesus to tell Mary off, and get on and do some house work. So Jesus comes to their house, and it's in chaos and you know what - he doesn't care! Tremendously reassuring. Can I widen it for a moment? He comes to your life, and it's in chaos, and you know what - he doesn't care! So Mary gets the "sister-prize" and just sits at Jesus' feet. Fascinating isn't it? Draw your own conclusions.

We had our holiday for the 3rd year in a row out of school holiday time, and it was delightful, and less expensive, but I found himself suddenly aware of those around us being generally older, and wasn't sure what I felt about that. "Has it come to this?" I heard myself say! But then I went back to reading my book, so it all became okay after that!

The stark truth is that since we came back from a very relaxing holiday, that the same fast pace of life has more than resumed. Which is far from ideal, but I guess not unexpected. 

I've been keeping my eye on local social media, and by that I mean the local facebook community sites I belong to, and off of the back of the local Police Sergeant's appeal for residents to not "name and blame" but report to him, I am increasingly seeing a growing tension on numerous issues. This had made me reflect on several things which I think we need to be aware of and pray into: 1) The means of peace making, mercy and reconcilliation are no longer known or used tools by the current generations. We take these for granted in the church. We may not be very good at them, but we know what should happen. That means that our communities no longer have the skills to reconcile, heal, forgive or be merciful. 2) The process that is becoming common is to now sweep out your camera phone and start filming and then immediately share publicly - "shame" so that public support in the form of "likes" can basically dishonour a person from within the locality. [irony] How clever we are and astute that this new basic form of "going for your phone" allows the truth to be be known. Except that in the brave tidal wave of AI now sweeping into our worlds, be very careful indeed, because the camera now pretty much always lies. What these observations and points say to me is that our "salt has lost its saltiness" in the community. Many simply do not have these key Kingdom values on how to live, forgive, reconcile and restore. And this is not somewhere else in some inner-city, it's right here on our doorsteps and in our community. Just like it's in other communities too. What are we going to do about it?

Pastor Sam

Wisdom is the deepest yearning

Sparked by watching the extraordinary speech to the USA Congress by His Majesty King Charles, I began to reflect on how we find wisdom. 

I read an article yesterday, probably in The Daily Telegraph, (I think it may have been - I read around 5 newspapers each day and rarely remember what was where) on how that speech would have been formulated and prepared, and who was responsible for it, and how long it took to create and edit. The article was fascinating, and yet in some respects it wasn't surprising. 

As someone who's regular task is to prepare talks, aka Sermons, the process interested me. Most Preachers in a local church rarely get the opportunity to hone and fine-polish a talk in the way that this speech would have been, and - according to the article, The King spent hours in his private garden and on the flight to the USA, and on the journey from Andrews AFB to Washington, still smoothing it through and learning it's required nuances. The process spoke to me, and rang echoes in my own small act of sermon-prep, of how a really good talk is gradually sharpened until you can do no more.

And some words of defense for the local church Minister who faithfully preaches each week: when Church friends tell you they went to hear a wonderful visiting speaker at an event nearby and how brilliant they were, remember - that speaker got to prep, hone and shine that talk with plenty of time, lots of funny lines and gags and quotes, and now they're off again to give it somewhere else. We, the regular preachers who do it each week, and move on to another text the following week, have no such luxury of time.

Back to the King: then I wondered, as indeed journalists around the world have done, as to just how much POTUS would have actually heard and understood. Congress seemed to love it, but Trump wasn't there, and the careful diplomacy hid the many highly significant points that the speech sought to make. Would someone have had to have told him or explained it to him? Or is POTUS merely surrounded by "Yes" people?

One of my regular prayers is "Lord, please give me wisdom." As I intercede and pray for people and situations, I finally begin to wrap up, which is when I pray for myself. And the continual prayer in 38 years has largely been that - "Lord, give me wisdom!"

I feel so often out of my depth in numerous situations that are complex. These are pastoral and leadership situations, none of them straightforward, and they are more often than not, of such a nature where I cannot essentially go to someone and say "What should I do?" These come with the territory of being a Minister of the Gospel. I feel the weight of them and they often exhaust me mentally and physically and I would observe that as a Minister, it is what we carry and continue to carry, which most drains us. There is a picture that I have hung above my desk which shows a robed Priest sat on his own, and the moonlight is shining through the church window upon him, with his head in his hands. For me, this perfectly sums up the call in ministry to carry!

That also got me thinking about ordinary, everyday wisdom and listening. And it struck me for all of us, when we need wisdom or advice, that "listening to what we want to hear is easy!" 

Just think about that for a moment. All of us can play a pretend game of wisdom-searching wherein if we want to have affirmed what we already think or have determined is right, then we go to those who we know will merely affirm that same script and say "of course you're right!" How often we do that with those around us. But listening to something different, to something alternative, to a different perspective - can I put it like this - "listening to what we do not (or may not) want to hear" - is very hard indeed!

It seems to me that real wisdom isn't necessarily found in what we want to hear and may have been pre-determined in our minds. Yet often, that's precisely what we do. Might I suggest that this is "shallow-listening?" And as for whether it's wisdom - well, you tell me what you think!?

That's why I wonder actually, if in truth,  wisdom and listening go together. If we're not good listeners, then we are, it seems to me, less likely to show wisdom or even be thirsty for it. If we're more prone to talking and always having an opinion, then maybe, the lack of listening might indicate a dearth of wisdom - maybe!

When Solomon asks for wisdom in 1 Kings 3, did God give him the ability to listen well too? Returning to the POTUS matter, I'm struck that this is potentially an obvious deficiency. It is a high-risk area for many leaders. When self-focus becomes your daily aim, how on earth are you able to listen?

In the book of James, wisdom is portrayed as a practical, heavenly gift and not an intellectual one. This, according to James, requires godly living, relational harmony and endurance during trials. It manifests through righteous behaviour, peaceability and humility and distinguishes itself from earthly wisdom rooted in selfish ambition and disorder. (3:13-18)

So let wisdom be something we work hard at and aim to listen well in. And, like the good fruit of the Spirit, work ourselves towards.

The shock of summer

So we bravely move into British Summer Time! One day you're in shorts, and the next day you're back in Jeans and a jumper! Such is the summary of our day-to-day lives - some days are great, and others perhaps less so. I am, however, struck by how we are into the 2nd quarter of this year, and life seems to not lack pace. If we merely cruise along, we will have let this year float away. I am determined to not reach Autumn without having made something of this year, even when some opportunities are already escaping me. And that makes me annoyed!

I am distinctly aware of just how many in the church are having to manage and cope with elderly parents and the required management of their lives. We are not on our own! In fact, the chatter over coffee after the service can, for some, be a moment to touch base over the week's challenges. It is "very" not easy to be in this place of having to deal with finances, health, carers, medications, power of attorney paper work, house clearances or "matters technical" such as the right button to press on the remote control or what's now gone wrong on the mobile, heating, online banking, spam emails, phishing scam phone calls, paperwork, or trying to explain what an app is, let alone how to use one. To have such loved ones nearby locally is one thing, to have them live further afield is taxing indeed. For most, these seasons creep up upon us when we were least expecting them, and rarely do we fit them into our existing fast-moving realities. Sometimes you can laugh at it all, and others find yourself weeping or angry or in despair, These are real emotions and are okay. Don't feel guilty. The honest reflection, I think, first seen in The Diary of Adrian Mole, is akin to being parents to your own children, whilst finding yourself parenting your own parents! The expression in The Secret Diary escapes me for a moment [answers on a postcard, please]. And having to cope with all of this, particularly when an emergency comes along, is very, very not easy! And that's being polite. The stress, worry and the sense of being pulled in all directions, whilst finding part of you is sublimanally grieving underneath, either by what's happened, or even by what's not happened yet, its all so very difficult. Perhaps we should form a club of like-minded WBC individuals who can share their woes and tribulations?

The Easter period for us in WBC was a truly joyful and amazing one. Many have provided very positive feedback of the United Good Friday Worship, and to celebrate on Easter Sunday with a Baptism was very thrilling. I observed just how many churches across the SW peninsula were actively involved in Baptismal services. So much so that it was reported and remarked upon by local media. God is clearly doing something new in the UK. To try to label precisely what that is, seems to be a potentially clumsy action at this point. Calling it a "Quiet Revival" may well make us feel warm and fluffy inside, but its premature to give what is happening a title or to analyse it. It seems best for us to engage prayerfully and with all our energies in this current wave and see where it goes.

Going back to how good Easter was, let me put a different personal perspective: it crept up on me, and that's not happened before. What got me this time around was the late breaking up of schools - essentially into Holy Week, or was it simply that Easter was early? Whichever it was, being asked to do Easter assemblies in Holy Week completely threw me, when normally I am doing my best to keep my head above water in Easter preparations. I have this problem at Christmas too and have now inked out those traps in that season. Clearly I am going to have to do the same now for Easter! Even after all these years, I am still mastering my diary so that there are no surprises. Know that feeling?

We have introduced a new channel to our Joyned communication called "Creative" - all of you are creative in numerous ways. Join Joyned Creative channel and share your creations!

I meant to say (and remembered on our dog walk) that Pope Leo is having a top quality run at the moment as he engages prophetically with the challenge of North American war engagement. He is saying publicaly what so many of us in reality think and feel. The contrast is great wherein previously the North American church seemingly acted with prophetic utterance in some areas, now that is gone and lost. If ever they needed to stand up and be counted, this is the time!

Into all of your day-to-day diary and care challenges, and just survival and coping of life, I pray God's peace and blessing.

Pastor Sam

Tank or donkey?

What would your choice be: a tank (if you can afford the diesel) or a donkey? Both are available, and the former says “power” or potentially “destruction” all over it, whilst the latter is largely harmless, and is so counter to our modern culture that it's highly likely to be mocked and screamed at from across our streets.

Inevitably, our thoughts right now are full of worry, apprehension and concern about the war taking place in the Middle East, and within Iran. This week hopes have been raised when POTUS stated that peace talks had in fact been initiated and in his own hapless way expressed the hope that they lead to something otherwise, “we’ll just keep bombing our little hearts out.” Seemingly a choice between the way of aggression and domination, and the way of peace. The former is about power, and the latter seemingly worthy of mockery.

We are presented with two choices in the biblical account of Easter, which is so up to date for our struggles, challenges and choices for our lives today. In the days before the Passover supper, arrest of Jesus, his stitched up trial and crucifixion, Judas hopes that Jesus will arrive in Jerusalem in power and authority (assuming legions of Angels) and deal with the Romans and their abusive military power and dominance. Jesus confounds Judas’ hopes by arriving on a donkey instead, thus showing a very different kind of Kingdom which has nothing to do with the abuse or display of human power.

Palm Sunday, Holy week, Good Friday, Easter Sunday provides us with a distinctly different choice on how we live our lives. Not for Jesus, the way of the tank, but that of the peaceful donkey. As Pope Leo recently stated, “God does not go to war!”

I love this Methodist prayer: “Come to us as you came to Jerusalem, not wrapped in dominance, but clothed in humility. Teach us to recognise your presence in the ordinary, vulnerable and overlooked. Open our hearts to peace that confronts violence, to justice that repairs harm, our voices to praise that become action. Through Christ, who comes gently and truthfully, we pray.”

Is public prayer wrong? (the right wing object to public prayer)

In today's national papers there are articles about whether "Public Prayer is un-British"(Telegraph) and brought to prominence by an Islamic gathering for prayer in Trafalgar Square of 3000 Muslims. Lest you immediately conclude that this is something that is typical of the Telegraph (The CofE newspaper), then you'd need to read more widely and see it's been picked up across the board. Actually, look a bit more closely at today's papers and you will find a number of Islamic stories running today, and the sharp will realise that this is in all probability to do with Ramadam, which Muslims are engaged in at the moment.

The right wing traditionalists are up in horror at such a spectacle happening so publicly and are arguing that in a Christian country, such public worship and prayer shouldn't be happening, and should be confined to Mosques. They are seeking to put the blame for this event at the feet of the Mayor of London.

It's fascinating that my preparation for my Sunday preach (at YBC) is Acts 17: 16-34 where Paul visits Athens and in particular the Aereopagus and comments on the many stone idols they have, and the one to the unknown God. Interestingly, the best translation (RSV) of vs 16 isn't that he's angry, it's that he's provoked! It's worth noting that.

For sure we now live in a post-Christian country, and whilst the state church does its bit, it's hardly what you'd call prophetic or dynamic, but the UK is now very much like the Athenian supermarket of faith: there are numerous religious experiences, some mere stone monuments, others sincere, but what above all else is true, is that Christians no longer have a closed-shop on public prayer or worship. Why should we? The right wing are so behind the curve on this that it's a tad embarrassing.  And any argument that other faiths shouldn't be permitted somewhat stinks of hypocrisy. Christians will in just 2 weeks carry the cross through the streets and declare the death and resurrection of the one true Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ - Jesus is Lord, Christ is risen! The Gospel via the resurrection, stands on its own - fact! Paul in Athens doesn't tell the Greeks off for their stone monuments, he is provoked to passionate Gospel proclamation - "the one true God."

Then again, there is a sense here in which those who object are yet to catch up with power of the Gospel and how we should not be ashamed of it. Merely trying to object to JWs or New Age shops in the High Street seems archaic, unless you are arguing about how it reflects on the Christians of the town. Don't get me started about the embarrassing actions of anti-Harry-Potter-ites from 25 years ago either (feel free to google that one)! I'm more likely to object to the embarrassing Christian street preacher who makes me cringe and not want to be at all aligned with them - but that may just be me. Somehow even they seem not really Gospel-rooted, just noise!

So we should be careful to remember Paul when faced with the stone gods, doesn't tear them down, he merely is secure and passionate in the Gospel and the true God of the Scriptures.

Welcome to the brave missional opportunistic world!

When you run out of words

 Well, I can't speak for you, but at the moment, I've run out of words. 'Thank goodness', you say. 'At last, some peace and quiet!' What am I thinking about? The Iran war ofcourse. And again, I'll make no assumptions about your views, "Dearest Gentle Reader", but I am aghast at how this could be happening, and how we now seem to be in world freefall. The only view I have is, I guess, one that essentially is a Christian one, which leans towards a "war is wrong" view. I wouldn't say I was a pacifist, but I hate the thought of war, and the wilful destruction of innocent lives and institutions that are bystanders to the abuse of political power by unstable, unqualified, out-of-control world leaders.

In my previous church, we had a weird moment where we were all invited to the local USAF military base, to the firing range, to try out some guns. The officer in charge was part of our church, and remains a friend, but I hated the feel of the gun in my hand and its potential for violence, and even when we had our son's paintball party, I struggled at the whole thought of hurting anyone.

18 months ago I wrote in the wbc church magazine that in my view, sadly, it seemed inevitable that globally we were headed for some kind of conflict. Well, conflict is what we have right now. There are arguments that attempt to justify the rightness of the war, to do with the threat of nuclear bombs, and I guess they need to be heard, but how we have ended up in this mess is beyond me. Even as I type, I have shaken my head in disbelief. War does not seem to be an answer, nor should it be an inevitability, and if this is all a cover for other American political issues, then I can only pray that sooner rather than later, the necessary accountability of the American voters, and the two representative Houses of Government will step in.

It's so difficult to pray about all of this. And when you read (as I do) the regular news feeds and live reports, one ends up feeling almost stunned into silence. But pray about it we must. The consequences and ramifications of all of this are so far reaching, and very scary indeed. Hanging on to the Lord in all of this is vital.

Thats enough of that for now!

Holy Week and Easter will soon be upon us, and I can't believe how fast time is moving. And herein lies some important foundations. Stopping and slowing down to truly reflect on the awfulness of Holy Week, and the awfulness of the victorious cross is necessary. In a world where our lives spin ever faster, we have no hope of fully understanding the depth of love of our Saviour, unless we stop and look at the cross ourselves. Then and only then can Easter Sunday and its joy be fully embraced.

Can I ask you to pray please about the two Easter school assemblies I have in a week's time? It's so difficult to communicate the death of Jesus to a secularised scholastic culture.

Finally, I crave your prayers, please. I wouldn't normally bother mentioning this, but I'm in pain, and I'm hating it. I don't know what's happening, but my right knee is agony at the moment, and I've had enough of it. At the start of the year it was my left leg, now it's my right one! It's affecting me in the daytime and I've no idea what's happening now to cause it, and I can't get a Doctor's appointment, as there are none. I'm sure your situation is worse than mine, but I'm a wimp when it comes to pain.

God bless you this Easter!

Pastor Sam

Mid week musings

 I was saddened and taken-a-back this morning by the photo in The Times marking the anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine. Of course my reaction was illogical (there are thousands more, and on both sides), but the shock I felt stopped me quite suddenly. This is on a par with the great World Wars. The article I read recorded that where once Ukrainians were calling for revenge, that all they want now is peace.

I was musing this morning upon how when I trained for the Ministry at Spurgeons, that all of the "how to do .." ministry books suggested good answer machines, phones by the bed for night pastoral care, and in one case a Minister friend used to have a ring-code for his family so that he would know when to answer (they would phone and let it ring twice, then put the phone down, then re-dial and he knew to pick up), and I distinctly remember the then Baptist icon Steve Chalke who was one of my fellow students, turning up with a black brick phone, which made us all mavel at how high-tek he was. Now Smartphones have completely turned most of our lives upside down (and the job of Ministry too), and landlines are almost dead. We no longer blink at instantly dialling or messaging. So for me getting through my day off yesterday and attempting to ignore most of my church based coms was a massive challenge. The trouble with the tiniest of ministry coms is that it sparks a forest of thoughts. Having a "day clear for the recovery and restoration" - a sabbath, is impossible, particularly when the mobile goes a buzzing!

The lighter and brighter days are hopefully beginning to have a positive effect on everyone, and whilst today is set to be a heat wave and the week pretty dry, we haven't thrown it all off yet. After all, "April Showers" is still well written into British-psyche. And so we start to awaken and feel the need to do new things. I haven't yet heard the first lawnmower though. People start cleaning, writing lists, making plans.

I have started making a list too and my love-hate relationship with them always surfaces: writing a list feels somehow carthatic, until that is, the list becomes too big, or even too detailed. The trouble is that writing it down solves little, until the task is completed, and its in the ticking-off that it feels very satisfying. For me, the world of list-writing is full of uncertainties: too much on the list and I feel defeated.  And where has that bit of paper actually now gone, which was such a brilliant list? Writing the list feels fine, but then other stuff often invades, and the help of using a list seems to wither away rapidly. Lists make me feel somewhat driven, when often I find myself more here and there and everywhere! Lists can make me feel satisfied that I have achieved something, and in the next breath defeated by my lack of achievement. I have an electronc list I haven't looked at in ages - that drives me too much, but at least I don't lose it. The most useful tool I have in my mind is to "elephant task" jobs, and by doing that it feels far more productive and satisfying. If you don't know what that is - please feel free to ask!

I posted on Baptst Ministers FB page last week at how I had had a conversation with a fellow church leader in the town as to why on earth the "Week of Prayer for Christian Unity" is always held at the worst time of year: when its dark and wet and no one comes out! The question I posed was who decides what this date is, and apparently its "The World Council of Churches" and usually in a EST climate. The sub question I posted was whether any other towns do their own thing and hold it at different times of year, more conducive to attendance and unity? The responses poured in: most definitely - Pentecost, Summer Time, and "do whatever suits you". It seems that the way ahead is obvious.

As a Baptist flavoured Christian pastoring a Baptist Church, I often reflect upon how our ecclesiology is different to other tribes. We absolutely believe in the gathered church. This means that when we come together we are the church, wherever that is. When we don't, we stop being the church. That means that in a Baptist Church, you cannot be a Church Member if you stop attending worship. There is no membership card or lifetime membership. It's possible to be away for a short few weeks, but intentionally staying away isn't an option, in the same way that if you start attending somewhere else, that the expectation is that you have cleaved to that church and left your former church. It's important that the integrity of this doctrine is honoured and personal integrity with it too.