No cuts with God

"Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure nineteen pounds nineteen and six, result happiness. Annual income twenty pounds, annual expenditure twenty pounds ought and six, result misery.” So said Mr Micawber, a character in Charles Dickens’ novel, David Copperfield (it is rather sad, and perhaps a little ironic, that Mr Micawber ended up in a debtor's prison!) It has become apparent over recent years that Britain, and many countries around the world, have fallen foul of the “Micawber principle”, and have racked up a mountain of debt.

Whichever party had formed the government following this year's general election, they would have had to face the task of dealing with the huge deficit. This week, chancellor George Osborne announced spending cuts which are likely to affect every person in the UK to a greater or lesser degree (Sue and I seem to have both born a year too late to avoid being caught by the rise in the pension age from 2020!) Although there have been many arguments about where cuts should be made, there are very few, if any, who argue that there should be no cuts of any kind. The basic truth is, financial (and other) resources are not without limit.

Faced with future uncertainty of this kind, how wonderful it is to know that there is no lack of supply where God is concerned! His gifts of love, grace, mercy, peace, forgiveness etc. are given in abundance to all who will receive. St Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is particularly eloquent on this topic:

‘All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.’ (chapter 1 v 3)

‘In him we have ... forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God's grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.’ (chapter 1 v7&8)

‘Though I am the least deserving of all God’s people, he graciously gave me the privilege of telling the Gentiles about the endless treasures available to them in Christ.’ (chapter 3 v 8)

‘So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus.’ (chapter 2 v7)

It was recently reported that forty US billionaires have signed up to pledge at least half of their fortunes to charity under a philanthropic campaign kicked off by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates. Yet even such riches are dwarfed by the riches of God, and the good news is that God loves to give - he even gave his only Son for us!

From darkness to light

Worldwide media attention has been focussed over recent hours on the San Jose mine in Chile. 33 miners had been trapped some 2000 feet below ground since early August. Over the long days and weeks since a major rockfall prevented their return to the surface, anxious families and friends have been hoping and praying that rescue attempts would ultimately prove successful.

From the early hours of this morning, dramatic pictures have been beamed around the world as, one by one, the miners were, at long last, winched to safety in a metal capsule measuring just 24 inches in diameter. Church bells throughout the country were rung as the first miner reached the surface; great rejoicing and celebration has been taking place. The rescue procedure, however, is slow, and at the time of writing there are still some miners who have not yet been brought to the surface. Their loved ones wait in hope and expectation. Isn't it great to have a good news story such as this as an antidote to our usual news menu?

I have been thinking how closely this story parallels the heart of the Christian gospel. The theme of the journey "from darkness to light" runs throughout Scripture. Just as the once trapped miners have been given what could be described as a new beginning, so that is just what we are offered by Jesus. St Paul writes of how through faith in Jesus Christ we become, as it were “a new creation”, and Jesus himself speaks of the need to be “born again”. It is perhaps best summed up in the first verse and chorus of a hymn written by Charles H Gabriel:

In loving kindness Jesus came,
My soul in mercy to reclaim,
And from the depths of sin and shame
Through grace He lifted me.

Refrain
From sinking sand, He lifted me,
With tender hand, He lifted me,
From shades of night to planes of light,
O praise His name, He lifted me!

Just as the Chilean miners had the choice of whether or not to step into the capsule, so each one of us us given the choice whether or not to accept the offer of new life in Christ. The right choice is obvious, isn't it?

UPDATE: since publishing this blog yesterday, I have received an e-mail quoting the Chilean President's chaplain, Revd Alfredo Cooper. He says that it is clear that faith has been a big part of this whole drama, with many miners "finding God": "They're all wanting to testify to the Lord Jesus Christ. All 33 of them are saying that they found God in the mine. Five or six were already Christians and held services down in the mine. Many went down with no faith at all but they all say this: 'We were not 33 we were 34 because Jesus Christ was with us down there.'"

Frustration and patience - the game of golf (life)

Golf fans from Europe and the USA were gripped this week by the goings-on at Celtic Manor, the Welsh home of this year's dramatic Ryder Cup match. Due to the heavy rain of the first couple of days, the match was carried over to an unprecedented fourth day, and what a day it proved to be! The final match saw Europe's Graeme McDowell up against the USA's Hunter Mahan. The overall match score was tied at 13.5 points each. McDowell needed to win his match to reclaim the Ryder Cup, which the USA had won two years ago. As the tension mounted, the nerves began to tell on Hunter Mahan, and McDowell claimed victory on the 17th green, much to the jubilation of the majority of the massed crowd of spectators.

I didn't see much of the match on TV. Unfortunately, as with an increasing number of sporting events, it was shown live on Sky TV, and so those of us without Sky had to either listen to the radio or watch the highlights on terrestrial TV later in the day (I could get on my hobby horse about this, but perhaps not today!) I happened to be paying a hospital visit when the match came to its climax, and I must admit to sitting in my car in the hospital car park for a few extra minutes as the drama unfolded. I'm not a big golf fan, but it was exciting to listen to.

I do own a set of golf clubs, but they rarely see the light of day. I have long since come to the conclusion that golf is probably the most frustrating sport to play. I have a friend from church, Denis, who is a member of a golf club and plays regularly. A little while ago he kindly (bravely?) invited me to a round of golf with him. I managed to eke out a spare few hours in the diary, and off we went. The reason I find golf so frustrating is that on some occasions I hit a fairly good shot and on other occasions I am embarrassed by my efforts! I did miraculously manage on one hole to get down in less shots than Denis. However, my inconsistency was show when I managed to get down in 5 shots on a par 4 hole (very good for a novice like me), but then on the very next hole took about 10 shots for a par 3!!

I was extremely grateful for Denis' patience with me. All the way round he offered encouragement and advice, without being overbearing. He commended my good shots and didn't criticise the poor ones. He was a good mentor and encourager, and I thoroughly enjoyed the day, even though I did suffer my fair share of frustration with my many wayward shots.

As I reflect on the experience, it seems to me that the way Denis guided and encouraged me in the game of golf is a good example to follow in the Christian way of life. The Christian life is a journey, but it is not one which we are called to walk on our own. When we commit ourselves to Jesus, we become part of his family, the church. It is his desire that we should be there to support, encourage and guide one another. Though I do get frustrated at times with church and some church people, I thank God for his church, and for the many brilliant friends who have helped, supported and guided me on my on the Christian journey. I pray that God will enable me to offer that same kind of help and support to others.

"Brother, sister, let me serve you..."