Reflecting

Something I try to find time for, but often cut short, is reflection. That is taking time to look back over what has been happening in my life and especially what God has been about with me, what I am learning, being encouraged with and perhaps is changing.When I do find time, its always time well spent, but like many its time that is always hard to find.

Reflecting helps me to put things into a different perspective, lets me see just a little of God's bigger picture and nearly always, encourages me in ways I had not expected. You know what is is like, when we do things because we know we should, but have a sort of begrudging attitude as there are plenty of "more useful" things that could be done in the time.

Recently I put together a list of the outreach / evangelistic activities that our church is doing to help someone studying these things. I found myself reflecting on what we have been seeing as a church through these. Its hard to do that when you are helping to run them, organising them and such. So trying to put some key things about each down, and then thinking a little about the reason we do them, the impact they have and what God has been doing through them is really helpful, for me.

I recalled the story I was told a while back now of the caterpillar and the butterfly. The caterpillar crawling across a carpet, saw some colours and the change of them, but was fixed on moving slowly across it. Later as a butterfly it flew over the carpet and saw that it was a lovely Persian rug, with intricate patterns and colours and was all in harmony with itself.

Often when we are engaged with the detail, we don't see the bigger picture or the whole story of what God is doing, we see the issues, the things to overcome, the ups and downs or downs and ups, but the big picture is illusive amongst the details.

Looking over all of our churches efforts, there are folks who now come to church who didn't and possibly wouldn't have, if they had not come to our toddler group or coffee club of Cafe style outreach. There are families who have become connected with the church through our kidz Klub activities and our youth work. There are young people growing in faith through both of these. And then as I reflected over even more things, I could see God's hand, through helping others, visiting, encouraging,  watching their journey grow with him. And then there are the people who needed to know that they are loved even when they find it hard to love themselves. I felt blessed and in awe of all that God is doing ...

I encourage you, in your busy lives, take a little time to reflect and see the bigger picture of what God is doing.

A crown of thorns

An Easter Reflection

Mat 27:27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him.

Mat 27:28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,

Mat 27:29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. "Hail, king of the Jews!" they said.

Mat 27:30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

Mat 27:31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

And the King took it all ...

Why didn't he save himself from this?

Why didn't he speak up?

Why did he just stand there and take it all?

Jesus, God incarnate, totally human, totally divine. In the hands of people who wanted him dead. His message of a new kingdom rejected because it spoke too plainly about the ways in which the priests and authorities were getting it wrong.

To make their point, their joke, even more harsh to this man they despised and rejected, they made him a mock king in their eyes, draping a cloak over him, making a crown of thorns. Pressing that crown onto his head, the thorns, cutting into his flesh and creating rivulets of blood.

And the King took it all ...

Isa 53:3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

Isa 53:4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

Jesus, should have been honoured and glorified, should have been revered not beaten, abused, insulted and ridiculed.

"He is a king, lets dress him like one, lets play with him, lets hurt him as we prepare him. How can he be a king, the son of God? Look at him, he can't save himself, there is no power, no might, just a deluded, broken man."

And the King took it all ...

He took it all for me, for me who truly deserves just punishment for my sin. He took it and did it all for me, not because I deserve it what he has done, but because he loves me ...

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?