I must become less ...

Achievement, being recognised, being famous, being someone who is noticed and acclaimed are goals that many today aim at. Whatever our profession, walk in life or vocation, it is all too easy to seek recognition and acclaim. Most professions have annual awards given to those who have achieved or contributed in a big or useful way. Most notable are the awards in the film and theatre professions. These goals can become traps that hold us as we seek them and yet feel we have not made it, driving us harder and more urgently and for some pushing them over the edge.


Many achieve amazing things in this life but will never be noticed, will never have a wikipedia entry about them, never receive an award or public acclaim, and actually that is no bad thing. Sometimes, possibly more often than we might like to admit, seeking acclaim can take over. I am reminded of Sheldon in "The Big Bang Theory" and his obsession with a Nobel prize for science. Then of course there is the argument among Jesus' disciples about who would be the greatest and who could sit with Jesus in heaven.

In the Christian world the same forces are in play, famous names attract big audiences and book sales, well known musicians get good media sales. Of course it should  all be about serving Jesus but fame and success can throw even the best off course.

Am I being a little cynical? No just questioning. Recently I was reading John the Baptists' reply when questioned about him and Jesus. "I must become less" or "slip into the sidelines" was John's response. For him it was not about glory or honour or fame. It was about doing well what he was called to do and then fading as Jesus' ministry flourished. His reward would be an eternal one.

The real joy and fulfilment comes, at least for me, in knowing that I have done the best I can for my saviour. Serving him is a joy and a wonder which no fame or acclaim can ever equal or come close to. I am sure the same is true for many, I hope it is so for you. Fame and fortune are fierce-some task masters, but Jesus' tells us to take up his yolk, which is light and easy to carry. In our ordinary everyday lives, the light of Christ will shine through, great things will be achieved. I salute the many who will never seek to be noticed and never will be and yet will do great things for God, the glory will be Christ's - we must be less and Christ must become greater.

Rest and Restore

I was thinking a little the other day about when and how we rest from the busyness of living. With shops open all hours, many places of work turning over to 24/7 operation and the government looking at extending Sunday trading for shops, there will be even less time for folks to spend relaxing. It would be easy to judge all of this by our more recent history, with Sunday being a "day of rest".

Historically of course most people did not have a day of rest as such in this country and in spite of God's instructions to his people as they journeyed to the promised land, Israel seems to have an ongoing problem with this as well. Certainly those who were slaves in the early church would have had a problem with finding a day of rest.

But then God is serious about us humans needing time off and time not to be busy doing something else but time to reflect, to spend in prayer or worship (and be refreshed and strengthened in God's presence) but also in allowing our bodies to recover from the pressures of life. The old adage "a change is a good as a rest" does not allow that, simply working hard at sport or exercise does not let our bodies rest and recover.

As the summer comes upon us, many will be trying to get the most out of holidays, hopefully finding time to rest as well as trying to experience different things. Finding time to let our bodies recover and be restored is important and needs to happen, IMO, more frequently than just on our summer holidays. It needs to be something we intentionally do, regularly.

What do I do? Sometimes go and watch birds or find a beach and watch the waves,
other times relax in the garden or read a book. Sometimes just find somewhere to be quiet or walk a bit and stop in the countryside. Whatever it is it includes time doing nothing, allowing my mind and body to rest and recover. I hope you have or will find those places, times to do the same.

It's still a wonderful world

It would be easy to listen to the depressing news stories and be overcome with the horrors that are show to us. Wars which leave large numbers of people migrating in fear, migrants drowning in attempts to reach safer places, groups fighting for some misguided belief that allows them to murder others, people being abducted, famine, disasters. It could seem that the world is a pretty unsafe, dismal place to be.

And yet ...

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

Creation, however we think it happened, is amazing. The diversity of life on this planet is astounding and the harmony that God created across it is mind blowing. Bringing order from chaos. Yet amid that diversity, wonder and order also lurks a darkness - we cannot control nature and often our activities cause nature to redress what we get wrong - global warming, sink holes where large scale mining or mineral excavation has taken place to name but a couple.

We were meant to live in harmony with God's creation and with each other, to enjoy but not destroy, to look after and not abuse. 

Now that might sound a bit dark, but the real point is that if we take a little time to look, if we take a little time to be still amidst God's creation we can gain something of the beauty of it all. The majesty and wonder, for me, is often almost overwhelming.

This week my wife and I had one of our Grand-Children for a few days, the wonder of watching a child grow up and find out about the world is something else, the joy she expresses when she sees something different or exciting is infectious. We spent a morning at a bird sanctuary and were all fascinated at the diversity and beauty of that small piece of God's creation. Water birds of many types including baby Swans, Kingfishers, a Heron and Kestrels.

We live in a wonderful world, (have a listen) a world that can and should be shared fairly with all regardless of their origins, a world that could and should be safe for all to grow and be nurtured in. A world where all have time to stop and be amazed at the beauty of this wonderful world that God has created and is good, very good.

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 ...