Fairy tale Endings

Last night when we got home, Nicola and I sat and watched a rerun of a "chick flick", Pretty Woman. Nicola loves these sorts of movies while I am more an action and adventure type, but its always good to sit and spend a little time together :-)

Anyway, one of the phrases that came up when Vivian (Julia Roberts) was asked what she wanted by Edward (Richard Gere), "The whole fairy tale". He was offering a nice place to live, money, clothes and a car, for her to be there when he wanted. For her it was not enough, she wanted a different kind of dream and so turned him down, "I want the whole fairy tale" she told him.

If you have watched the film you will know that it all works out and the fairy tale comes true.

For many there is no fairy tale ending in life. I was coming home last night from something our church has started as a place to include folks who feel excluded, marginalised or just plain lonely. People who often feel the church has no place or time for them. We call it "Hope Cafe". Our friends come from the homeless in the town, some are recently off of the streets, then there are those who are alone or feel lonely, others who are looking for something they have not found as yet. For them there is no fairy tale ending. But at Hope Cafe we offer a listening ear, friendship and a chance to find out about Jesus.

Was the cross a fairy tale ending for Jesus, or for his disciples or for us?

There was no fairy tale in sight for Jesus, no one came to rescue him and take him away from all of that. It had to be done and it had to be completed, he was the only one who could do it.

For the disciples it must have felt like the worst of disasters, their leader, their teacher, the one they gave up everything to follow was dead!

Fortunately for them and for us, God's plan did not stop on Good Friday with Jesus' death. On the third day he rose again, death could not contain him. The real hope comes from the fact that Jesus rose from the dead and through him we are offered a chance to get right with God. The resurrection is the triumph of the saviour, Jesus, over death, over the cost of human sin (wrong doing). Not that I am saying that is a fairy tale ending, because in my experience fairy tale endings don't happen. Knowing Jesus as our saviour does not mean we will have all of our problems solved, all of our dreams come true and live happily ever after. It does mean that no matter what we experience in life, he is with us, he can be relied upon to walk with us in it.


Our friends at Hope Cafe don't get fairy tale endings but with help from many agencies some of the homeless ones have found homes, jobs and a chance, with support, to start again. The lonely are finding listening ears, the excluded and marginalised are finding a place that wants them there. Some have found or are looking into the saviour who loves them.

A Fire in my Heart

A while ago I started listening to a group "The Rend Collective", I had heard one of their songs and it inspired me enough to listen to more and buy CD's (yes I am old fashioned and like hardware!).

One track that I have been reflecting on is "Burn like a star". One line is "Burn like a star, light a fire in my heart".Matthew tells us in the words of John the Baptist, of one who will light a fire in us.  Jesus "will ignite the kingdom life within you, a fire within you". The fire of his Holy Spirit, purifying, making whole, empowering and encouraging us.

One of the prophets, Jeremiah said this "his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot".

I don't know what the lyrics were written to mean but I think they speak to how I have felt since Jesus first came into my life and how I still feel today. A fire was lit in my heart on that day that sometimes seems to burnsa little less and at other times burns with an intensity that is overwhelming. A fire calling me to dare dream of all that Christ can do, if I will let him, with me. Even in the times when I have struggled with people, with systems, with church or with life, that fire has not gone out and seems to encourage me in all of those times. It calls me to tell others, to want to see lives changed and hearts touched for Christ.



How often have I tried to rely on my own abilities? Far too often. But always I am reminded of whose I am and who has set the fire in me that sustains and nourishes my life in him, Christ. But unlike the words of a well known "Queen" song "Its better to burn out than to fade away", we are not meant to burn out with our own efforts, but to rely on God's power. Yes we will fade one day, but Christ is the one to whom the glory for all that we do must go and our prize is awaiting us in heaven.

If you are struggling or facing difficult times, if you are seeing great things as Christ works through you or if your are wondering if he could ever do anything with or through you; then I encourage you, look again for that fire that burns deep within, the fire of the Holy Spirit that all who believe in Jesus have been given. Dare to believe that there are greater things still to come as you serve the one who loves you.

We were born for greater things
We were born to chase Your dreams
Come my Lord, awaken holy fire

We are turning from our sin
We are praying once again
Come my Lord, awaken holy fire

We are aching for the real thing
Hearts are open wide

A Taboo subject?

Few things are not open to discussion these days, and yet there are some, that when raised cause raised eyebrows, huffing and puffing and shouts of that's personal or discrimination.

I wonder, if you stop for a moment what subjects, if raised in conversation, would raise your hackles? Abortion or the right to choose? Murder in the name of religion (whichever religion)? Immigration? Poverty? Sexual orientation? Marriage or what it means? State controls over our lives? Tax cuts or increases? NHS Reforms? Lives endangered by radicals? Government snoopy our communications? Freedom of speech? I could produce quite a list but hopefully you get the picture.

Jesus, as we read, in the gospels, seems not to have had such taboo's - challenging the things that were not right in society in 1st Century Palestine. For example Jesus points out that observing outwards signs of religion makes no difference if a persons heart is not tuned to God. If our hearts are not in the right place in terms of understanding, compassion and faith, then what we think, do and talk about - our actions, will not be in tune with God. Jesus challenged wrong attitudes and thinking throughout his earthly ministry. The problem for us is that one persons wrong attitude seems to be another person idea of right.

If I take just one issue in the UK at present, the lack of funds for the NHS, many want the latest and often high cost treatments to extend life. We expect medical miracles as a matter of course, daily. But if anyone were to suggest that we pay 10% more in tax to pay for improvements, I suspect there would be an outcry. Money is often at the bottom of our basic reason for reacting to something, how does it affect my wealth or finances?

The same often happens related to church. Does money act as an enabler or disabler? One piece I read the other day suggested that perhaps in churches we can be so focused on the churches money and protecting how little it often has to work with, that we might miss the point that all that we have is God's and so our income, homes, cars ... are all God's and therefore are all part of the resources of His Church. Of course there is the other perspective that the church does not need our money etc. does it, because it has lots of its own? . Where our treasure is ... . How ready are we to hold that lightly to what we have here on Earth and invest it into God's Kingdom and treasure that is eternal?

Toys and tinsel

Christmas is close upon us again, only a matter of days before the big event. The big supermarkets are vying for best Christmas advert for 2014. I would guess that in the UK Monty the penguin has certainly drawn a lot of attention. A child's toy that becomes real in the child's mind and searches for love and the child's realisation that the penguin needs a partner. The child's present for the penguin, another toy penguin. Touching and fun. Love amidst the promotion of products and the toys and tinsel.

Celebrating is a big thing at this time of year, for Christians and for many who don't believe, we like to celebrate and be happy and to make others happy, or at least many of us do. The toys and tinsel bring a sense of excitement as children wait expectantly to be able to open the presents containing the toys and gifts that they hope for and the tinsel and lights that deck out our homes help set the scene.

"Look to the skies there's a celebration", is a modern Advent / Christmas song which we sing in church. It reminds us that Christmas is a time of celebration and excitement, it reminds us that on that first Christmas the waiting was over, God's gift, God's saviour, Jesus, had come and nothing would be the same again. Not a toy or any tinsel in sight at the time, an animals feed trough for a bed, a draughty stable for a room, the one who changed the world arrived in a simple setting.

And yet ... simple it may have been, lacking in the toys and tinsel that our modern celebrations include, the light of the world arrived, to shine on humanity and call us back to God. A light to all, a light to help us see through our misunderstandings about God. A "light" that says come to me.


Amidst the toys and tinsel this Christmas find a few moments to consider what Christmas means to you, Christian or not, is it only the toys and tinsel, the parties and food, the family gatherings that make it Christmas? Or maybe its about love, God's love for us, defined in the arrival of that small baby on that first Christmas, that would change the world and offer us hope, peace, love, joy ...

A cause to celebrate indeed. Have a great time celebrating Christmas.

Patience

In this busy life that we lead, patience is something that is not usually in the forefront of our thinking. For example yesterday I was conducting a funeral and while the hearse and limousines were parked outside the church, the road was blocked for a little while. One person could not wait, and they may have had good reason, but in breaking a parked cars mirror, they ended up spending a lot more time there than they intended. Another was so impatient to get out of a parking place that they could not wait for the limo to move up the street a little to let them out.

Our world seems driven by last minute panic, communication, sat-navs, the internet all help to make everything seem instant. Yet with all of this and with our diaries in our phones, we still rush from place to place, often late, often without time to think or prepare, patience is almost a dirty word.

A song of the 60's reminds me that 50 years ago the same seemed to be the case as well. "Slow down, you move too fast, you got to make the morning last". Perhaps no matter what labour and time saving gadgets we come up, we will have the same problem, we use all the time end up trying to do too much and so rush from thing to thing. As we rush we become less patient, more intent on the next thing or place to be.

A recurring theme in scripture is being still. God's words to the Israelites as they seemed to be staring certain annihilation in the face, was "be still, I will fight for you". Hard to do when you just want to run like the wind . Its a theme in a number of Psalms, finding that place to be still, waiting upon God. Stillness helps us calm down, helps us re-focus and de-stress. The panic of the disciples in a boat in a storm was calmed along with the storm when Jesus simple said "Quiet, be still".

I don't think it's the gadgets that make us impatient but its our inability to give ourselves enough time for each event or activity, trying to cram too much into our time. Taking time to be at peace, to be still, for me usually means a walk in the country and a stop as I reflect and look. Find your place and time to be still, to learn to be patient, more gets down well that way, in my experience and it usually gets done better.