What are you building with?

One of my better subjects at school (there weren't many!) was English Literature. I still enjoy reading, mainly biographies, but also a bit of fiction as well when I have time. I recently read Watership Down for the first time, despite it having been first published in the late 70s. I enjoyed it greatly, and have bought the dvd to watch!

Over the years I have toyed with the idea of writing a book myself. In fact, I did start one sometime in the 1990s. One of the reasons the project never came to fruition was the fact that I used my pc to write it, and backed up what I had written on disks which soon became out of date and unreadable by more modern pcs. I suppose there would have been a way round the problem, but somehow it never got done. I seem to think that I wrote about 3 chapters, but though they will never see the light of day, maybe it did me some good to write them.

I had decided to write a book based on part of the 3rd chapter of St Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth (v10-15). I find that passage extremely challenging. Paul uses the illustration of a builder to get his point over, and asks us to think about what we are "building" with our lives (or, specifically, what kind of materials we are using). He points out than when our life's work is tested by the "fire", the lesser materials will be destroyed, whilst the better materials will stand the test.

I was reminded about this recently when I was doing a bit of sorting out in my study at home. I came across my diaries for each of the years since we arrived here in Doncaster (they are simply desk diaries, not a personal record of my thoughts, so I'm not sure why I kept them!) As I looked back over the past 11 and a half years, and thought about all the things written in the diaries, and all the different experiences and activities they represent, it led me to ask the question, "What have I been building with?" "Will it survive the test of the fire?"

Ultimately, we are not to judge, but I believe that it's good to ask the question. After all, human history is littered with examples of what can go wrong when shoddy building materials are used!

The truth about love

Today being Valentine's Day, my thoughts naturally turn to the subject of love. Apparently there were 14 St Valentines, all of whom were martyred for their faith. The link with the modern remembrance of Valentine's Day seems to be somewhat unclear, to say the least, and is shrouded in traditions which cannot really be substantiated. However, the fact the St Valentine (whichever one is 'THE' one!) died for his faith in Christ is certainly not without significance. After all, Jesus said that the greatest love one person can have for another is to be willing to lay down his/her life for them (John's gospel, chapter 15 verse 13).

I guess that when most people think about love, they think about romantic love, the love a person has when they 'fall in love'. When I interview couple who wish to be married in church, and I ask them why they want to get married, they often talk about the love which they have for each other. The feeling of being in love can be overwhelming; when you are in love, you long to be with the one you love. What some couples fail to realise, however, is the fact that this intense feeling of love does not last, and it alone cannot sustain a lifelong partnership between husband and wife.

That's not to say, of course, that love itself doesn't last, it's just that it changes. I don't feel in love with Sue in exactly the same way as I did in our courting days. But I am sure that the love I have for her today is of a far deeper quality and strength than it was in our early married lives - I've got to love her for putting up with me all these years! (I admit that I still get things wrong, and don't always act in a loving way, but I haven't yet perfected the role of being a husband!)

We can express love in many different ways, but most important of all is that we express love through our actions. True love is practical, and shows itself in the way in which we live our lives and respond to the people around us. Love can be hard, and it runs the risk of being rejected and hurt. But love truly is what makes the world go around. If we know God's love in our hearts and lives, then he expects us to let that love flow out to others. I don't think that there has ever been a better description of true (Godly) love than we find in St Paul's first letter to the church in Corinth. It still stands as a great challenge to us all:

'Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails ... And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.'

The lost son

One evening this week I travelled with a friend to the K.C. Stadium in Hull to watch the Hull City v Doncaster Rovers football match. Being a lifelong Hull City fan, and also the chaplain to Doncaster Rovers, I found myself sitting uncomfortably on the fence! Both sides were in need of the points on offer, City to boost their chances of reaching the end of season play-offs, and Rovers to help avoid possible relegation. Despite the very cold temperature, the match was quite enjoyable, even though we didn't see any goals. City had more of the balance of play, but couldn't get the ball in the net. Probably the Rovers' manager was more satisfied with the point earned.

As my friend and I walked towards the stadium for the match, my friend was handed a leaflet. I imagined that it would be an invitation to a night club or similar venue. In fact it was a leaflet giving information about a young man who had gone missing in Hull city centre on the evening of 28 January. As we walked on, we noticed other (mainly young) people handing out similar leaflets. We then approached the entrance to the park in which the stadium is situated, and a middle aged gentleman offered us a leaflet. When we said that we already had one, he said of the man pictured on the leaflet, "he's my boy". I sensed a real feeling of sadness and anxiety in the man. He looked so alone and concerned. I wish now that I had taken time to stop and chat with him. I have certainly been praying for him, his family and friends, and his lost son.

As I have been thinking and praying about that family, the words of Jesus have come to me often. He said, "I have come to seek and save the lost". He told a story about a lost son, and how the father desperately longed for his son's return. When the son eventually did return, the father threw a party to celebrate! When Jesus spoke about the lost, he was talking about those people who have never experienced in a personal way the love of God their heavenly Father. God the Father longs that all people might know and experience his great love for them.

Last Tuesday, many family and friends of the lost young man were out on a very cold night, handing out leaflets which they hoped would turn up some information. They cared so much that they didn't mind getting cold. I wonder sometimes whether those of us in the Church have such a concern for those who are 'lost'.