Thursday 16 December 2010

He cares for you!


Just bought the new album from Lou Fellingham which I heartily recommend, and wanted to share the lyrics from one of the songs which I found particularly moving.


My God cares

Lifeʼs not always as it seems
A different route from A to B
And the plans youʼve made come tumbling down
When youʼre questioning the why
And itʼs hard to see the light
And youʼre praying for the wind to change

And though the pain is strong
And itʼs hard to carry on
I know that this is true
My God cares for you
All hope has disappeared
And youʼre running out of tears
I can tell you He is near
For my God cares for you
Yes He cares for you

When no answers can be found
As the waves come crashing round
And you find youʼre driven to your knees
When youʼre overwhelmed with fear
And it feels like itʼs been years
Youʼve been asking God please rescue me

Donʼt you know that His arms are strong enough to carry you
Lift you up in the safety of his love
Just hold on, He will come, the Lord our God will comfort you
Give you strength enough to see you through the storm

Lou and Nathan Fellingham and Gary Sadler
Copyright © 2009 Thankyou Music & Paintbrush Music/

Wednesday 15 December 2010

Is our God safe?

I came across this passage somewhere when I was writing a sermon, and it's worth thinking about:


There is a scene in C. S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe where the children, learning that Aslan is not a man but a lion are not only startled but down right alarmed. 
"Is he – quite safe?" Susan asks. "I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion." 
"That you will, dearie, and no mistake," replies Mrs. Beaver, "if there's anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they're either braver than most or else silly." 
"Then he isn't safe?" Lucy asks, to which Mr. Beaver responds, "Safe? Don't you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? Course he isn't safe. But he's good. He's the King, I tell you."


"Course he isn’t safe." says Mr Beaver.
 
Is our God safe? 

An odd word, and maybe I ought to say ‘Is our God predictable? Can he be taken for granted? Can we ignore him and hope we won’t be noticed?  You can’t do that with a Lion, I’m not sure you can with God either!

“Therefore keep watch,” says Jesus. “Because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.”

Wednesday 8 December 2010

Mark's View


Started writing a new Bible study this week,  on Mark's Gospel. In a sense it's an odd one to begin in Advent because Mark doesn't give us the nativity narrative! 

However,  all the elements are there to show who Jesus is. There might not be lists of ancestors that Matthew gives us to prove Jesus' Royal lineage, or angels appearing to Mary and the Shepherds, but from the opening words we see that this is going to be the story of the Son of God. 

Not only this but we find that John the Baptist is already looking for the One who is to come, as prophecised in the Scriptures. And John's message is at the heart of Jesus' own words - that humankind needs to understand the need for repentance, a change of heart and mind and to be reconciled to God.

Within the first few paragraphs we see more evidence for the Sonship of Jesus when he enters the Jordan in a symbolic offering for baptism - and both Spirit and Father appear to him, confirming what Mark has already revealed.

And all this within the first twelve verses!

Mark doesn't hang about - he's got a story to tell. It's a story that began a long time ago in the mind of God, spoken through the prophets, identified in the message of John and finally revealed in the person of Jesus!

Thursday 2 December 2010

When Earth's last picture is painted


 
Came across this very evocotive poem by Kipling the other day and wanted to share it:
 
When Earth's last picture is painted
And the tubes are twisted and dried
When the oldest colors have faded
And the youngest critic has died
We shall rest, and faith, we shall need it
Lie down for an aeon or two
'Till the Master of all good workmen
Shall put us to work anew

And those that were good shall be happy
They'll sit in a golden chair
They'll splash at a ten league canvas
With brushes of comet's hair
They'll find real saints to draw from
Magdalene, Peter, and Paul
They'll work for an age at a sitting
And never be tired at all.

And only the Master shall praise us.
And only the Master shall blame.
And no one will work for the money.
No one will work for the fame.
But each for the joy of the working,
And each, in his separate star,
Will draw the thing as he sees it.
For the God of things as they are!

Tuesday 23 November 2010

Painting with Fire!


 You know, most times I think God paints with pastel colours because they are calming, peaceful and harmonious tones. Having lived almost 25 years in Wales, both north and south, and dabbled a little in painting and photography I have developed a real love of the variety of colour in the everyday scenes that I come across. How many shades of green are there in the Artist's pallette? Drive around the hills in south-west Wales through the year and try counting them!

But God is a God of surprises and sometimes he paints with a more vivid pallette of colours - This morning he was painting with fire as I wandered alongside the canal with the dog, and it was wonderful to see the dark waters of the canal start to sparkle with the reflected fire of the rising sun!


In the fading of the summer sun,
the shortening of days, cooling breeze,
swallows' flight and moonlight rays
we see the creator's hand
 
In the browning of leaves once green,
morning mists, autumn chill,
fruit that falls, frost's first kiss
we see the creator's hand

Creator God, forgive our moments of ingratitude,
the spiritual blindness that prevents us
from appreciating the wonder that is this world,
the endless cycle of nature,
of life and death and rebirth.
Forgive us for taking without giving
reaping without sowing.
Open our eyes to see
our lips to praise
our hands to share
and may our feet tread lightly on the path we travel.





Thursday 18 November 2010

The Prodigal and Dad


One of the great truths of the Bible is that humankind can never be all that they could be as long as they are away from God. It’s all there in the Scriptures from Genesis through to Revelation. That’s precisely the reason that Jesus walked this earth as the Good Shepherd, to bring humankind back into a relationship with God.

One of the privileges of parenthood, and it can be both a joy and a cause of sadness, is letting go when a child grows up and reaches that stage when they leave home and start to find their way in the world. But fortunately, for most of us it’s not (as with the prodigal son) a case of ‘Give me my inheritance, I’m off!’ but more likely the arrangement of a standing order to keep them solvent while they go off to university. I’d like to think it stopped there, but experience tells me that for some children the expense just keeps on going years after they leave home!

Part of leaving home is the experience of learning the hard way that things don’t happen automatically, money doesn’t grow on trees, things have to be earned and paid for. Letting go can be difficult for both parent and child!

This story of the prodigal son must be one of the most well known stories in the Bible, so what can it tell us that we don’t know already? 

Well, first off who is the story really about? Is it a story about a son who runs away from home with his inheritance burning a hole in his pocket, hits hard times and goes back home with his tail tucked between his legs? Or is it a story about a loving father who allows his son the freedom to go, weeps when he hears how low he has fallen and then accepts him back into his arms again, despite what he’s done?

After all, what does it tell us about that father? Would he just have let the son go and not tried to keep tabs on him? Chances are that he would have known just what sort of life his son had sunk into. He must have been hoping against hope that at some point in time his son would realise how low he had sunk and realise that he would still be accepted back home because his father loved him.

The story is very much about the forgiveness of God, of course, and as such it’s right that Luke places it together with the other stories about the Shepherd and the woman and her lost coin. It tells that that God allows humankind freedom, to walk with him or go their own way. It’s a learning process and many of us have been on it, gone our own way just to see what the scenery is like, and having found that it’s not very nice at all, have been welcomed back. 

When the son walked back over the hill and down toward his home, there was no recrimination, no ‘told you so!’ No punishment, simply forgiveness and rejoicing at a relationship restored. Just like the shepherd and the lost sheep!

That’s how God treats us, and again, it is counter-intuitive.  

So we learn that the love and forgiveness of God extends beyond the foolishness of humankind, beyond the tempting voices of the world and even the reckless rebellion of the young!

 

Thursday 4 November 2010

Looking at Leaves Falling



So many shades of gold
Autumn
Another miracle we take for granted
Another expression of the artist's vision
The blending of the autumn hues
with the setting sun
Warm
Comforting
Perfect
Thank you for autumn, Lord



Tuesday 26 October 2010

Wherever I might go



 We have been exploring a new part of the country this week, staying with family near Eastbourne. We've seen a glorious sunset, the awesome chalk cliffs of East Sussex, the rolling downlands, ancient villages and towns of this area and experienced slightly drier conditions than we're used to in Wales!

It is different, certainly busier and definitely wealthier. But we have learned over the years that wherever we go, be it somewhere exotic or within the UK there are always things of wonder to gaze at, countryside to stand within and feel at peace, monuments created by human hands that cause us to praise the skills of ancient craftsmen.

This is a wonderful world to walk upon on our journey through life!


Yours, Lord is the Glory
in everything I see;
a country scene,
mountain stream,
sunrise, sunset, rain and snow.
Yours, Lord is the Glory
wherever I might go

Yours, Lord is the Glory
in everything I hear;
a roaring sea,
bumblebee,
laughter, loving, a tender poem.
Yours, Lord is the Glory
wherever I might go

Yours, Lord is the Glory
in everything I feel;
a special place,
warm embrace,
accepted, helped to become whole

Thursday 21 October 2010

Autumn Leaves


I was enjoying a walk through the grounds of a country house at the weekend, which at this end of the year means walking over a carpet of fallen leaves of all shapes and colours (you can play 'spot the tree' above with the photograph I took!)

One of the wonders of nature is the way that deciduous trees shed their golden brown leaves in Autumn (or Fall), to be replaced in Spring by the vibrant green of new growth. In a very real sense, something has to die in order that new life can follow. But not only die, of course, for the leaves that fall will break down in the soil and provide nutrients for the tree to feed on through the year to come. 

It's all part of the rich cycle of life.

It's a short jump in logic from thinking about trees to considering God and ourselves. On the Cross Jesus shouted 'It is finished!' before dying. Like the leaves that fall to the ground his task was completed. He had nourished those who were his followers, provided food for those who were in need of sustenance, and given the authorities much to chew over. Now he was to die, and rise again that all might know new life in the Springtime of his Kingdom.

And for ourselves? We live our three score years and ten (plus a few hopefully!) and leave this world with whatever impact we have had on it, for better or worse. For Christians hopefully this has involved the feeding of others, the sharing of love and truth, things that will live on and nourish another generation. 

It's all part of the rich cycle of spiritual life!

And of course, leaves that grow old take on a beauty all of their own :¬)


Saturday 16 October 2010

A prayer for this night



Through the dark hours of this night
protect and surround us
Father, Son and Spirit, Three

Forgive the ill that we have done
Forgive the pride that we have shown
Forgive the words that have caused harm
that we might sleep peaceably
and rise refreshed to do your will

Through the dark hours of this night
protect and surround us
Father, Son and Spirit, Three

Wednesday 13 October 2010

A Morning Sunrise Moment



I arise to-day :
might of Heaven
brightness of Sun
whiteness of Snow
splendour of Fire
speed of Light
swiftness of Wind
depth of Sea
stability of Earth
firmness of Rock. 

I arise to-day :
Might of God
Power of God
Wisdom of God
Eye of God
Ear of God
Word of God
Hand of God
Path of God
Shield of God
Host of God

(from The Book of Cerne, 9th C)





Sunday 10 October 2010

Harvesting Thoughts

Took a harvest service this morning which was themed on 'God's Abundance', and used resources provided by the Methodist Relief and Development Fund (MRDF), particularly relating to Cambodia.

What came across were two main points, I hope! Firstly that God provides for our needs, but also provides that we might share, not hoard (nb Israelites and the Manna in the desert). Secondly, that it doesn't take a lot to make a difference. Just as a small amount of yeast can make a loaf rise, so a small gift can be multiplied.

6 chickens given to a Cambodian farmer can be grown, bred, eggs sold, seed bought, crops grown and the initial gift passed on to someone else such that a whole community can benefit.
It doesn't cost a lot to make a difference!

Saturday 9 October 2010

Bit Choppy Today!


Although today was beautiful, with warm sun filtering through misty cloud and wind blowing out to sea, the incoming tide in Pembrokeshire was awesome. I guess it was scenes like this that attracted the early Christian saints such as David to establish themselves and their followers at this end of God's world - they were continually reminded of the power of the Creator in the countryside within which they eked out a living from the land, served their God and spread the Word.

Today we seem to have lost a sense of awe about the world we inhabit. We have also become ignorant about it. Our knowledge of science can sometimes blind us to the spiritual, and we fail to see God’s hand in the natural laws that govern this world. J Wallace Hamilton, writing in ‘Who Goes there? What and where is God?’ says ‘An amazing thing has happened in our way of thinking. In a world that could not for one moment exist without the activity of God, we have conditioned our minds to a way of thinking that leaves no room for him. So many of our wants are provided by what seem to be natural and impersonal forces that we have lost sight of the great provider in the midst of providence… if you ask a child where milk comes from, he won’t  think of saying “From a cow.” He will say “From a container.”’

Early Christian monks in Ireland had no such problems and were still well connected to the God who provided for all their needs. They were quite taken with stories of the Desert Fathers (who found a spiritual solitude in often remote and harsh countryside) and looked for a similar wilderness where they could give themselves over to God. A lack of real desert did not put them off. Certain boggy areas were set aside for prayer (some place names still have the element 'disert' in them), and they turned to the one wilderness that they had in abundance – the Atlantic Ocean – and set off in flimsy leather and wickerwork boats in search of ‘the desert in the ocean’

They were looking for land where they could settle; land which could supply them with water and food; land where they could be alone with their God, and hundreds of monks set out on the potentially perilous journey across the ocean trusting not in navigational skills but God to keep them safe.

I watched a man in a kayak ride the waves today and thought.........'Rather you than me, mate!'

Some quotes here from a Bible Study I wrote a while ago called 'ConneXions' which has a Celtic theme running through it...




Friday 8 October 2010

The Rhythm of Life

Today was apparently the second highest tide of the century here at Kidwelly. I went down to the quay hoping that there would be a stiff breeze giving a great picture, only to find that it was as calm as.... calm can be, which truth be told is actually good. A high tide and high wind is bad news for a lot of people living close to the valley which feeds into the estuary here.

But it did remind me of the natural rhythms of nature and life in general - the tides, the seasons, the migration of birds, night and day, our own body's rhythms - they are at the centre of what we are and the world we live in.

Christine Sine, in her new book (Click Here)  'Light for the Journey - Morning and Evening Prayers for Living into God’s World' reminds us that rhythm should also be at the centre of our spiritual life as we commit ourselves to regularly spending time in prayer, Bible study, meditation and listening to God. This is a habit that has got lost amidst the rush of everyday life, but that was appreciated by the early Christians in our land.


Thursday 7 October 2010

The Patience of Love

I've been revisiting that lovely passage from 1 Corinthians 13, and stayed awhile on verse 4 
'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.'
The Greek word used for 'patience' in the New Testament refers to people rather than to circumstances. It describes someone who maybe has it within them to be angry and want some form of revenge against someone who has wronged them, but yet will not do it. 

It is used of God's relationship with humankind, so that must be our model - we must have the same degree of patience with people as God does with us.

Ouch!

But what that also tells us is that it is not a sign of weakness to refuse to be provoked, but rather a sign of strength that shows love victorious over that which challenges it. 

Love is patient, it endures, it loves, it triumphs.

Friday 1 October 2010

It troubles me....... Creation Science

This is an attempt by scientists, mainly in the US, to redefine scientific thinking by stating that creation as depicted in Genesis is an accurate scientific model. It troubles me not only because I believe that Genesis is not science, but because it is divisive – driving Christians to different poles of opinion, and also driving seekers away from the church because they can see neither sense nor reason in such an approach.

I just want to make a couple of observations, because there's plenty of learned discussion on the web. Let me start by quoting the ancient writer Origen, an early Christian scholar and theologian, and one of the most distinguished writers of the early Christian Church. He said this of the Creation story in Genesis,

“What man of intelligence, I ask, will consider that the first and second and the third day, in which there are said to be both morning and evening, existed without sun and moon and stars, while the first day was even without a heaven?  And who could be found so silly as to believe that God, after the manner of a farmer 'planted trees in a paradise eastward in Eden' ... I do not think anyone will doubt that these are figurative expressions which indicate certain mysteries through a semblance of history.” 

Origen, writing at the end of the first century suggests the pictures within the creation story are not to be read as straightforward history but as symbolic stories which express 'mysteries through a semblance of history'. Great thinkers such as Augustine, Calvin and Galileo are united in seeing the main purpose of the creation story in Genesis 1:1-2:4a as theological, not scientific.
 

Its main purpose was to set out the Hebrew understanding of creation over against the ideas that were prevalent in the cultures among whom the Hebrews lived. It was a picture that the ordinary man or woman in the street could relate to, and one that reflected a monotheistic culture.

 In the ancient word there were many creation stories, and the prevalent culture in the region was one of polytheism, or many gods, and their creation stories tend to begin with the origin of the gods, one of whom brings the universe into being.

In Genesis there is one God, creator of all that exists. The existence of God is assumed. Genesis is essentially about purpose rather than science. An understanding of God’s purpose in creating the world and its creatures.  An understanding of the purpose of humankind in the mind of God and their place in the bigger picture.


To treat the creation story as science is confusing and unhelpful. It also assumes that you accept the universe to exist as in the picture above, which would have been the understanding of the writer of Genesis. I'm guessing that not many creation science folk hold to that view?!