The blessings of a faithful friend

One of my favourite TV programmes is BBC's Bargain Hunt. Over recent years I have come to appreciate what might be called antiques or collectables; not so much for the monetary value as for what the article represents in terms of its history. Last weekend Sue and I were in Scarborough, and I went along to the local auction house. I managed to win one lot. It included an old Victorian photograph album (how I wish people had written on the back of old photographs the names of the people concerned!), an old Bible (from around 1860), and a loose pile of old photographs and postcards.

I haven't had time yet to thoroughly examine my purchase, but I did notice that the pile of old postcards included three which featured a dog. On the back of one postcard is written, in copperplate handwriting, "My Dear Old Pal Billy, Died 15 March 1913." Obviously Billy had been a much loved pet and family friend. When our own much loved family pet, Suki, died a few years ago, we all shed tears. In fact I remember preaching a sermon not long afterwards which took lessons from the faithfulness of our dog.

There is no doubt that owning a pet can have many benefits, not least on one's stress levels. You can read some of thebenefits on the About.com website. There is no doubt also, that in human relationships, true friends are worth their weight in gold. Fr. Jerome Cummings is quoted as saying, "A friend is one who knows us, but loves us anyway". Walter Winchell made this comment: "A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out."

I spoke on the blessings of friendship at a couple of our mid-week groups this week. The three points I made were: (i) Value your friends, and let them know how much they mean to you; (ii) Make sure that you ARE a good friend to others - don't walk away when the going gets tough; (iii) Remember that in Jesus we have the best Friend of all - he will never let us down. To listen to a Welsh choir singing Joseph Scriven's great hymn, click here

Why suffering?

I was tremendously blessed this week to take part in a service of thanksgiving for the life of a church member called Agnes. Agnes was aged 87 when she died, but the crematorium was packed out. There was, quite literally, standing room only, as many came to give thanks for and celebrate Agnes’ life. One aspect of her life which was revealed was that her Christian faith developed considerably through attending an Alpha course. Alpha is a course which helps people look at aspects of Christian faith, and is used in many parts of the world.

One of the key elements of Alpha is the opportunity to ask questions. A book, called “Searching Issues” has been published which addresses 7 of the most commonly asked questions on Alpha course. Perhaps not surprisingly, the first chapter deals with the whole subject of suffering. Basically put, the question often goes something like this: “If there is a loving God, who is all-powerful, why does he allow suffering in the world?” This is not a new question, it’s been around for thousands of years (try reading the Old Testament book of Job, or some of the Psalms, for example). I guess that the recent horrific events in Haiti will have raised the question of suffering in many minds. So how can Christians begin to address the question?

I have taken the plunge and decided that I will preach on the issue of suffering this coming Sunday! Obviously I can’t relate everything I am going to say on Sunday here in this blog entry, but perhaps a few initial observations.

Firstly, a reminder of what Paul says in his first letter to the church in Corinth: ‘We don't yet see things clearly. We're squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won't be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We'll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us.’ In other words, big questions like suffering will never be fully answered in this life.

Secondly, there is a danger of hypocrisy in our condemnation of God’s apparent inaction. I have read one estimate that the number of deaths in the Haitian earthquake may be as high as 200,000. Compare that, then with a UN report produced in 2003 which estimated that around 25,000 people die each day through starvation. Or the startling fact that some 5,000 children die each day because of diseases caused by unclean water and poor sanitation. If we are to start wagging our fingers at God, complaining about suffering caused by the Haitian earthquake, God might with good cause ask us how we are responding to the terrible suffering already taking place in the world.

The third point I would want to make arises out my personal experience of life as a Methodist minister over some 20 years. This is not a hard and fast rule, but rather a general observation. And that is that often the “why suffering” question is more to the forefront in the minds of those who observe suffering than in the minds of those who experience it. I have come across some amazing people over the years who have suffered greatly in many ways, not least physically, but whose lives and faith have been radiant. I remember, for example, a lady called Elsie, whose body was racked with pain, yet who never ceased to thank God for his continued blessings; a visit to Elsie always lifted my spirits!.

There are no easy answers to big questions like that of suffering. But I believe that there are some things we can say. The rest will have to wait until Sunday!

To snow or not to snow

We British traditionally love to talk about the weather, and there's certainly been plenty of weather to talk about these last few days! We certainly don't cope at all well with snow - a few inches and the whole country grinds to a halt. Personally, I quite enjoy snow: a good covering of the stuff transforms any landscape. When there's snow about it seems to change people's outlook somehow, and it can lifts people's spirits.

Of course there can be drawbacks. Broken limbs, accidents, closed schools, major traffic jams and, worst of all, postponed football matches! The snow we've had these past few days has provoked comparison with severe winters of years gone by. One particularly bad winter which has been mentioned was in 1963, and I remember it well. I was then 8 years old, living with my family in the small East Yorkshire village of Keyingham. We were cut off from the outside world for a few days, and it was great fun! The snow drifts went well above my height.

One of the benefits of the recent snow has been the great reduction in road traffic. Many people have chosen to either stay at home, walk, or use public transport. It's been so much quieter. One day this week I walked into town. My route took me across town fields, a lovely area of grassed open space nearby. It is a regular route into town, and usually there is a well-worn track caused by the regular pressure of steps. Not so this week, for the area was covered with snow.

By the time I walked across, it was clear that many people had already been on town fields. The one normally clear track was not to be seen; instead, there were very many tracks going in all sorts of directions. As I stood and looked at the scene (see pic - I had my camera with me!) I thought about the many different choices we face in life. There are so many voices out there telling us which way to go, which life choices to make.

When Jesus called his first disciples, he simply said 'follow me'. My prayer is that as I walk through this year, face choices, hear conflicting voices, and see all the possible tracks ahead, I will be able to hear clearly the voice of Jesus, walk in his way, and make choices which honour him. In a sometimes frightening world, the safest place to be is hand-in-hand with Jesus.

Glass half full or glass half empty?

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Or will it be? What do you feel as you look toward all that lies ahead in 2010?

I didn't manage to stay up to see the new year in this year (too tired!) One of my favourite new years was a few years ago when we were spending two or three days at our flat in Scarborough. On new year's eve the snow started to fall heavily, and by the time midnight arrived, the ground outside was covered with a few inches of snow. It was beautiful to step outside and walk crunchily to the Scarborough Esplanade as the snow flakes continued to descend. Images from that event will long remain in my memory.

I dropped into a deep sleep soon after my head hit the pillow last night. I was still sound asleep when the phone started ringing; the time on my bedside clock was around 2am. I don't know about you, but I'm not used to having phone calls at 2am in the morning! All sorts of things go through your mind, especially if you're still half asleep. A phone call at 2am in the morning is unlikely to be a "normal" sort of call, and into one's mind rushes the thought that the phone call will bring bad news. And we'd already had our fair share of that this Christmas!

Not only had Sue's mother, who was staying with us over Christmas, had to go into hospital for an operation on her broken arm, but our son Chris and his wife Megan were involved in a car accident whilst travelling up to us earlier this week. Their car was a write-off, and Megan was taken to hospital in an ambulance, but thank God they are both OK. They did manage to spend a few days with us, and travelled home yesterday. One of the thoughts which came into my head as I began to awake was the possibility that they had had another accident on the journey home.

I picked up the phone with a mixture of curiosity, drowsiness and anxiety. Who was it? One of our friends had decided to send a "Happy New Year" text message to our landline!! With friends like that, who needs enemies? On reflection, I value the sentiment, but I didn't value it very much at 2am this morning. What's more, it took me ages to get back to sleep! At least it wasn't the kind of bad news which it could have been, for which I am thankful.

All this has got me to thinking about how we view the future. Do we look forward with hope, optimism and faith, or with fear, anxiety and dread? The truth is, we don't know what the future will bring. We don't know exactly what 2010 has in store for us. But if we put our hand into the One who holds the future, we can walk with confidence, knowing that he will never leave us. God says to us in the Bible, "For I know the plans I have for you. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." (Jeremiah 29.11). With a promise like that, we can be glass half full people!