I wonder though if my move towards a 'greener' lifestyle, which promises harmony, love and world peace ;-), is having a knock on effect on the world's poor ('we drive, they starve'). Maybe not my individual choices (yet), but government policy influenced in part by my opinions. As the powerful exert their will the weak and powerless are at their mercy. The quest for a carbon neutral world means the poor pay the price, including rising food costs. It makes me wonder if I should stay we’ll clear of biofuels.
It has been argued that the gospel is primarily a message for the poor, that the Bible should be read and experienced from their perspective. I don’t really agree with that argument; the gospel is a message for all (All need to be saved; All can be saved; All can know they are saved, and All can be saved completely). But the gospel, and a heart of love, has implications for the poor. Take Deuteronomy 15 v 7-8:
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers…, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother. 8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.
I wonder if governments are being tightfisted for the ‘sake of the planet’. I just don’t like the long term argument, ‘you’ll thank us in 30 years when world temperature hasn’t raised 30 degrees – in the meantime you’ll need to learn to cope.’ Aren’t governments ignoring real needs now for a ‘possible’ future. Whatever my opinion, as always, the poor get the raw end of the deal. I can tighten my belt, take a few less holidays, or get the bus. I wonder, for those who have nothing, not even a belt, what hope is left when global markets force up the price of basic foodstuffs? 0 comments »
“Oh, kiss me beneath the milky twilight Lead me, out on the moonlit floor Lift your open hand, Strike up the band and make the fireflies dance Silver moon’s sparkling, So kiss me.”
I’ve never been kissed beneath the milky twilight, that is not why I bring this song up. It’s not because I spent many a Saturday morning watching Dawson’s Creek and therefore heard the vocal stylings of Leigh Nash play in the background as Joey and Pacey embraced on screen; the reason I bring this song up is because of the singer/songwriter and the chosen name of her band.
For all of you still in the dark the lyrics are from the song ‘Kiss me’ by sixpence-none-the-richer. Strange name for a band that? It’s a name that hails from the following passage in Mere Christianity:
“Then comes another discovery. Every faculty you have, your power of thinking or of moving your limbs from moment to moment, is given you by God. If you devoted every moment of your whole life exclusively to His service you could not give Him anything that was not in a sense His own already. So that when we talk of a man doing anything for God or giving anything to God, I will tell you what it is really like. It is like a small child going to its father and saying, ‘Daddy, give me sixpence to buy you a birthday present.’ Of course, the father does, and he is pleased with the child’s present. It is all very nice and proper, but only an idiot would think that the father is sixpence to the good on the transaction. When a man has made these two discoveries God can really get to work. It is after this that real life begins.”
In using or talents to glorify God we are not really giving Him anything which isn’t already His, the miracle of Gods’ love is that even though He gains nothing, He is pleased with our efforts. This is the foundation on which all Christian servitude should be built – if we start off thinking that our gifts and talent are our possession, then we’ve lost out before we have even started. The truth is we can only give to God the life that He has given us.
All of this is by way of introduction; Gareth has asked me to share my experiences of training to be a local preacher and I couldn’t begin without laying this foundation. From this first step I will try to take you with me on the journey of my training and preaching, hopefully in the retelling you will be inspired and maybe even consider becoming a lay preacher also.
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It has become very fashionable recently to consider the environment: research in to renewable energy is costing tax payers a lot of money, industry in the U.K. is being put through carbon audits and now it is up to you: to use bio-active fuel in your car; to buy low-energy light bulbs that can't actually light a room; to start a hydroponic farm in your utility room; to collect rain water to wash yourself and while your at it sink a ground source heat pump in the back garden that'll heat your house albeit not as effectively as burning oil. The list goes on...
But perhaps we shouldn't be to hasty, have we forgotten our proverbial pinch of salt? Now I have heard some Christians say that this is a matter of incalculable importance, that going green isn't just a great idea but that there is a biblical mandate for caring for the world. Some groups in America have even taken to asking the question: What would Jesus drive? Of course the answer is obvious: Jesus wouldn't drive he would take the bus...
So in the muggy haze of carbon offsetting and energy audits what is the correct response as a Christian? I'm not entirely sure, but there is an argument that doesn't get voiced that often and it goes something like this:
This world wasn't meant to last forever, like a vapour in the wind it is dissipating, running down like a tired clock. It is therefore futile to try and make the world a home forever. The suspicion is that underneath the guise of renewable energy, there is a longing for eternal energy sources, there aren't any: the sun will one day cease to burn, the winds will fade and the earth's tides will be still. That day we will all see, that no matter how hard we have tried to sustain the environment; the environment was never going to be eternal...
But what do you think? Please feel free to comment below.
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It crossed my mind recently that a large number of people from Glengormley Methodist are taking trips to far off lands. We had Martin and Albert heading to Personally I intend to avoid any green controversy by only having one holiday this year. As a good Methodist I'll head to Castlewellan holiday week in August. I'll make my way there by bicycle, sleep in a tent and only eat the finest locally produced food – this isn’t just
Joking aside, perhaps it's time for the church to consider a bit of carbon offsetting? Perhaps plant a tree or two? Put solar panels on the roof of the church? Invest in a carbon offsetting scheme? Try to promote car sharing or encourage people to walk to church? (It would take me a long time to walk from Ballyclare though).
Am I doing my bit? Do I even care or think it’s an issue? I'm not sure how much my lifestyle has changed. I’m not sure how much Glengormley Methodist has changed. Perhaps I still think it's not an issue worth considering. Time will tell...
Sleigh bells ring! Are you listening? Those sleigh bells are a death knell for the meaning behind Christmas. Have we lost Christ amongst our consumerism? I know what some people might say when they read this, "Bah-humbug! Stop with your scrooge-esque little rant and lighten up!"
So is there a problem? The people over at advent conspiracy seem to think so!
"Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by worshipping Jesus through compassion, not consumption.
Christ tends to get overlooked at Christmas. Let’s be honest. December comes and you think, “OK, this is the year.” This time you’ll swear you’ll slow down and take it all in. Make the most with family. Help the needy. Zero in on what it really means to be a Christ follower during this holy season.
What if you could inspire your church, your family and yourself to avoid being consumed by commercialism this Christmas?"
I'd like to know what you think about the advent conspiracy...
Feel free to post below! 2 comments »
Now you may, at this point, be expecting a rerun of the preachers favorite Christmas-has-become-so-materialistic-but-we-must-consider-the-baby-Jesus
Alas, I am not going to tread down that
However, Belfast City centre with its very own, albeit, temporary 'eye', the market, and all the lights and decorations lifts the spirit of Christmas with ease.
A variety of sweet and savory smells waft from the stalls, tempting the passer-by to look inside.
It's worth a visit. It may be time to have another round on the 'eye' to see Belfast pimped for Christmas.
The old straw man approach, the ad hominem attack, is a favourite in the arsenal of modern man. Just turn on the TV and watch various talking heads deride their opponents, avoiding an honest assessment of the opposing arguments. (Of course, as most of us would admit, it is fun sometimes.) As a good friend of mine once said, tongue-in-cheek, "I prefer to go through life bashing anything I don’t understand." I guess there is a certain confidence that comes from knowing that you are "prepared" for whatever confusion you may encounter.
Nonetheless, becoming a default cynic will not make you a person for all seasons. Rather, it will make you a person incapable of enjoying any of them. We all know that some things in life are not what they seem. But that doesn’t mean that nothing will deliver. There are sources of joy that don’t disappoint, namely those rooted in Christ. The gifts He passes down are lasting and authentic: spiritual rebirth, life change and foremost of all, Himself. We trivialize such a God, and such gifts, at our peril. Sneer at the shocking joy of Jesus’ presence (Psalm 16), and the joke’s on you. Laugh at His devastating ability to cleanse hearts, and you walk away full of spiritual rubbish.
Sceptics, deconstructionists and dry thinkers may chalk up a lot of verbal points, but they are often bankrupt in the joy category. As Darwin wrote for his children, near the end of his life:
Up to the age of 30 or beyond it, poetry of many kinds … gave me great pleasure … formerly pictures gave me considerable, and music very great, delight. But now for many years I cannot endure a line of poetry … I have also lost any taste for pictures or music … My mind seems to have become a kind of machine for grinding general laws out of large collections of facts, but why this should have caused the atrophy of that part of the brain alone, on which the higher tastes depend, I cannot conceive… The loss of these tastes is a loss of happiness …
This is a sad reduction of life. But scientists aren’t the only ones susceptible to this trap. Today, a cynical approach to life may have the same results, stripping God-given pleasures (like the created order) of their intended joy. Our minds may also "atrophy," reducing a potentially vibrant relationship with Jesus to empty god-talk. And consider this: Unlike many people today, Darwin did not pursue cynicism for its own sake, neither as a trend or a medication. What are our chances at a fulfilling life if we willingly pick it up "for laughs?" A been-there-done-that persona has a way of killing gratitude, novelty and wonder.
So exert cynicism wisely. Apply it when necessary, as a safeguard, not as a modus operandi. Some assertions may as well be believed, or at least entertained, until proven false. There’s an old adage, based roughly on Paul’s words (1 Corinthians 13:7) that seems fitting here: Believe the best. Don’t take this superficially. Instead, look carefully for the highest promises revealed in life. I call upon the much over quoted C.S. Lewis to frame this reality, Miracles are a retelling in small letters of the very same story which is written across the whole world in letters too large for some of us to see. Cynics find it hard to swallow miracles, and perhaps it’s because their vision is set too low to comprehend God’s amazing grace. Don’t let a cynical nature hold you back: sometimes the best things in life are also true.
A day like Monday made me have second thoughts about cycling to work. There are few days that I drive to work. This was almost one of them. I prefer to cycle. Even in the worst weather. It keeps me fit, it helps me wake up, it relieves the stress of the day, I save money on fuel, I don't need to pay for public transport and, what with all the noise about global warming, it helps do my bit for the environment.
Gordon Brown announced recently that a green hotline will be made available to advise people on an eco-friendly lifestyle. Images flood the mind of a 'Batphone', in green rather than the usual red, placed prominently in some secret Climate Change Task Force HQ, maned by biliously uniformed henchmen purposefully waiting to provide you with a 'home energy audit'. (I am sure the call will be recorded. No, it will not be used to train the auditeers. Don't be silly. The government will store a profile of every 'Batphone' caller.)
Of course, with Brown's love of mottos, HQ is sure to have "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" in full view to inspire the auditeers to hard work.
What a waste of tax payers money. Well, he does have it to spend as the Government believes the most expedient way to meet EU emissions targets is to place a greater tax burden on the public. You and I are deemed enviro-villains that must be punished by increased taxes on fuel, decreased bin collections, fines if you have the wrong rubbish in the wrong container and any number of other charges that they can dream up.
What about rewards? Current government education policy suggests that a child should be continually rewarded for doing ... well, anything that is normal and positive, like saying please and thank you. So a little consistency from the government would be appreciated. I would welcome a tax break for my use of a bicycle. I reckon I have accrued green credit, like those petrol points that could be exchanged for a torch or mug. If Brown does more than billow warm words, why not provide incentives, rather than treating the public as villain number one.
I am disappointed to read that our police service is to wear flak jackets and carry rifles in some areas. This revision of their security response follows the recent murder attempts on two officers. Sinn Fein has repeatedly called on its voters to support the police. Has this call fallen on deaf ears?
This will test their commitment to sharing a police service. It has been difficult for both communities to build a lasting peace. Some have felt that justice has too often been sacrificed.
Is this, however, the price of forgiveness? Does the parable of the Prodigal Son challenge us to seek restoration even in spite of justice? Or is forgiveness only given following repentance? One thing is for sure forgiveness is a difficult business.
The Hebrew word (hazon) for ‘vision’ refers to the prophets’ inspired revelation of wisdom. When a revelation through an inspired prophet is ignored, the people perish (yippara). Commentators suggest, yippara more accurately means ‘to fall into anarchy’ or to become ‘demoralised’ leading to riotous behaviour.
The rest of the verse provides a contrast that helps clarify what the author of the proverb means. This contrast is between the nation and the individual. A nation may be demoralised by poor leadership and descend into anarchy but an individual can still find happiness by heeding inspired wisdom. The Torah is in mind here. One can surmount adversity by wisdom. The verse could then be better understood as; “Without a revelation a people becomes ungovernable, but happy is he that keeps the law.”
Exodus 32:25 shows how the people of Israel lost sight of God by worshipping a god of their own making. They fell into anarchy.
The verse warns the church that it should not lose sight of God and trust in things of it’s own making. Seizing his Word into our hearts inspires vision and the wisdom to apply it, both in our relationships with one another and with the wider community.
Almost paradoxically, the verse provides comfort and encouragement to our church as well. This culture ignores, even rejects, a single vision concerning the truth. Everything is relative. The Word of God has been silenced by many of our institutions so that it no longer comments on the local situation. In fact Scripture is considered by many as simply irrelevant.
But when people possess the word of God, listen to it and act on it will they become truly happy, content and at peace. Clearing our vision is about reminding ourselves of the responsibility that comes with worshipping God. Worship is how we demonstrate the glory of God in the everyday things. Our community's window to see God is our church. These six weeks of hard work are preparation for helping Christian and non-Christian alike see the nature of God more clearly. Such a vision is truly transforming.
Having a profile on a social network, such as Facebook or Bebo, isn’t necessarily about intimate friendships. A virtual friendship does not always develop into a real friendship. The following definition, though not necessarily a ‘Christian’ one, is useful nonetheless:
Today’s online social networks are congeries of mostly weak ties—no one who lists thousands of “friends” on MySpace thinks of those people in the same way as he does his flesh-and-blood acquaintances, for example. It is surely no coincidence, then, that the activities social networking sites promote are precisely the ones weak ties foster, like rumor-mongering, gossip, finding people, and tracking the ever-shifting movements of popular culture and fad.
Social networking is excellent for promoting weak ties, not close friendships. Close friends can develop on Facebook or Bebo. But close friends contact each other by email, phone or in person. The social network, specifically a profile, gives a ‘virtual connection’. Until a user takes a further step and contacts a ‘virtual’ friend individually they are not, in the true sense of the word, a ‘friend’.
Anyone who regularly attends church will know that there are many weak ties in the church body. People aren’t close friends with everyone, but they join together with one common purpose, to serve Jesus. And this common purpose means that the body grows and functions as they serve each other in love. The weak are cared for, the forgotten remembered and the lost shown the way. And when meeting new people these weak ties can become strong as the gospel is lived and shared.
Online ‘weak ties’ present an opportunity and challenge to the church. Christians can show love to people who would never come through the church door. A weak tie can be formed for any reason, because of an interest in the same type of music, sport or other social group. Is it possible for social networks to provide an opportunity for the church to ‘go into all the world and preach the gospel to every people?’ When Jesus called the first disciples or spoke to the woman at the well he did not have a close relationship with them. But he gave them the choice to develop a close relationship with him. Does this mean that the entire church should join a social network and start to spread the good news? Maybe not a bad idea, but Christians should be careful how they act online.
In the run up to the next American election the presidential candidates have jumped on the social networking bandwagon:
Senator Hillary Clinton has official pages on social networking sites MySpace, Flickr, LiveJournal, Facebook, Friendster, and Orkut. As of July 1, 2007, she had a mere 52,472 friends on MySpace; her Democratic rival Senator Barack Obama had an impressive 128,859.
Presidential candidates create official pages for one reason, to try and help them win the next election by improving their status or profile. Companies and bands create pages in the desire to increase their status so that their sales will increase. And the temptation for anyone who joins a social network can be to raise their status:
The impulse to collect as many “friends” as possible on a MySpace page is not an expression of the human need for companionship, but of a different need no less profound and pressing: the need for status…
Is the call of the Christian to increase their status? Fame and popularity are not what this life is about. Christians are called to be servants, especially online. Having 1000 ‘friends’ will not make a person happier. It should not be the goal of the Christian. Instead, needs will be met in close relationship with Jesus, and close relationships with our friends. Our aim should be to increase the ‘status’ of Jesus through love:
1 Corinthians 13v4: (online) Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Gossip, envy, boasting and so forth don’t have a place in the online life of a Christian. Instead they should be known for holding back from evil, loving and protecting others:
James 1v26: If you think you are being religious, but can’t control your (online) tongue, you are fooling yourself, and everything you do is useless. 27Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil.
James 3v8: But our (online) tongues get out of control. They are restless and evil, and always spreading deadly poison.
Christians should be honest online, but they should be careful what they share. If profiles are weak ties, why share intimate or personal details with virtual friends? Sharing only develops as trust develops.
Finally, is it possible that social networks should be used in moderation, and that real life contact is preferable?
I feel…if I’m not online or constantly texting or posting, then I’m missing something,…This is where I find the generational impact the greatest—not the use of the technology, but the overuse of the technology….It is unclear how the regular use of these sites will affect behavior over the long run—especially the behavior of children and young adults who are growing up with these tools….heavy users “feel less socially involved with the community around them.”
It is interesting to note that increased use of social networking can possibly make users feel less socially involved. Perhaps it’s too easy to become isolated. Perhaps the social network allows too much control over image, so instead of real life ‘warts and all’ contact, we let people see what we want them to see. It’s much easier to tailor image, words and thoughts online. Of course we shouldn’t take this to an extreme and ‘let it all hang out’. But as we grow in trust in honest relationships we have the opportunity to become more fully human, more fully who God intended us to be. Social networks, like most things, should probably be used in moderation.
Are weak ties a bad idea? Should we avoid social networks? Building closer ties and friendships will require more than a profile on Facebook. But the social network provides new opportunities to spread God’s love. What begins as a casual connection could develop into a closer relationship. And that will in all likelihood move beyond the social network.