Song of the Nightingale

“Sometimes I cannot believe that this is my life – these four metal walls, all of us corralled like cattle, the pain, the hunger, the fear.  All because of my belief in a God who is risen, who charges me to share my faith with those who do not yet know him.  A God who I am forbidden to worship.  I think back to a question I have been asked many times over my months in prison: ‘Is your faith worth this, Helen?’  As the guards continue on their rounds, I whisper the answer: ‘Yes’”  [Helen Berhane]

For some years Sue and I have supported Open Doors, an organisation which seeks to support and resource Christians around the world who are persecuted for their faith.  It can be difficult for those of us who live in the ‘free’ West to grasp how much persecution and suffering is experienced by Christians in many parts of the world.  Some years ago Open Doors highlighted the case of an Eritrean gospel singer, Helen Berhane.  Helen was a member of the Rema church, one of several minority Evangelical Christian churches not officially recognised by the state of Eritrea and heavily persecuted. She was arrested in 2004, shortly after she released an album of Christian music, after refusing to sign a document pledging to end all participation in evangelical activities, which included her music. She was detained at a military camp, with no possibility of contact with her family, and was denied legal representation or medical care.

I remember praying for Helen at the time.  I was delighted to discover recently that, subsequent to her eventual release, Helen had written a book detailing her experiences, ‘Song of the Nightingale.’  In some ways the book makes rather grim reading, and it is clear that Helen suffered terribly at the hands of her captors.  She and the other prisoners were incarcerated in metal containers, with very little light or air; the temperatures rose dramatically during the day and dropped just as dramatically at night.

Time after time Helen would be hauled before her captors and urged to sign a document promising that she would no longer tell others about her Christian faith.  The promise was given that if she signed the document she would go free and her suffering would be over.  It must have been a very great temptation, yet each time she refused, despite knowing that her refusal would lead to yet another severe beating.  When she was eventually released from prison into medical care she was almost on the point of death.  She was subsequently granted asylum in Denmark.

The book title, ‘Song of the Nightingale’ builds on the image of a nightingale which continues to sing even though it is caged; so Helen continued to sing songs of praise to God in her metal prison.  She encouraged others, and continued to share her faith.  The book is so inspiring and challenging, and as I read it I wondered how I would have responded in such a situation.  I am humbled by the strong faith of people like Helen Berhane, and pray that I may have the courage to live out my faith in every situation.

As a footnote, I was saddened to learn that in 2010, Helen Berhane was refused an entry visa to the UK, even though she had been invited to speak of her experiences of persecution in Eritrea at a series of meetings in Great Britain.  An early day motion expressing regret about this decision was supported by only 41 MPs.

The ginger influence

It’s a reality of life as a preacher that quite often a relatively minor experience can trigger in one’s mind the thought “there’s a sermon illustration!”  Just such an occurrence happened on Sunday morning.

One of the images of church which can be found in the New Testament is that of ‘family.’  When a family is functioning as it should do, it is natural that family members enjoy spending time in each other’s company.  I have found it quite sad on those occasions when, not long after a church service has ended, the building has emptied; clearly the people seem to have been more eager to get home to their Sunday roast than to spend time with their church family!  Thankfully, that is a fairly rare occurrence these days.

Quite a number of churches serve tea & coffee at the end of services.  It helps to encourage people to stay and chat, and gives an opportunity to build relationships.  It can also be a useful way to make visitors feel welcome.  Last Sunday after the morning service I went through for a coffee.  I noticed with some surprise that the ginger biscuits were kept in a separate container from all the other biscuits.  The importance of this is made clear by a large notice on the container: “Ginger biscuits only, keep separate.”

I was informed that the reason the ginger biscuits are kept separate is that if they are put in the same container as all the other biscuits, they will flavour the others with their noticeable ginger flavour.  Sermon illustration alert!!

Whether we like it or not, our lives do have in influence on those around us (negatively or positively).  We all know the saying, “one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch.”  It was probably long before the term ‘bad apple’ came into common use that the apostle Paul warned, ‘Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character”’ (1 Corinthians 15:33).

I thought that the anti-smoking advert from a few years ago, which majored on the theme of parental influence, was rather clever.

But of course we can be an influence for good.  Albert Schweitzer is quoted as saying, ‘Example is not the main thing in influencing others. It is the only thing.’  I think that Paul was very brave when he wrote to the Christians at Corinth, ‘Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.’ (1 Corinthians 11:1)  As a parent and as a church leader I have been very conscious of my calling to try and set a good example and to be a positive influence.  It’s an awesome responsibility, and one which I haven’t always fulfilled as I would have liked.

I’m not too fond of ginger biscuits myself, but I am thankful for the reminder they have given me to think about the influence I have on others.

Thoughts from Sunday lunch

Offering hospitality is something which the Bible encourages.  The apostle Paul urges Christians to ‘practice hospitality.’  Peter writes, ‘Show hospitality to one another.’  Hospitality was a very important part of life in the ancient world, when travellers would rely on acquaintances, friends and relatives to provide overnight lodging (in general, inns were unsafe and uncomfortable).  But the call to offer hospitality in the New Testament encompasses not only friends and relatives.  The writer to the Hebrews encourages, ‘Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.’  

It is interesting to note in the gospels how many times we find Jesus responding to the offer of hospitality.  Sharing a meal with people can be a great way to build relationships.  Sue and I benefited recently from the gift of hospitality when we were invited to a couple's home for Sunday lunch.  It was a real blessing for us to be able to share both good food and interesting conversation in a relaxed setting with very attentive hosts.

It so happened that the couple who offered us hospitality are both very gifted in using their hands.  Several pieces of furniture in the house were hand-crafted by the husband, including the dining table, dining chairs and coffee tables (I know that envy isn’t a good thing, but I couldn’t help being a little regretful that I seem to have been at the end of the line when God was handing out d-i-y skills!)  The wife of the couple is clearly immensely gifted in craft work of various kinds, and there were examples of her creative gift on display around the house; again, a great deal to be admired.

It was clear as they talked about their handiwork, that they were quite rightly very proud of their creations.  It must be wonderful for someone with a creative gift to be able to enjoy the fruits of their labour in that way.  The experience of spending time with this couple came back to me during last Sunday evening’s church service.  We were looking at some encouraging words from the Old Testament book of Isaiah, chapter 43.  God spoke through the prophet to encourage his people.

The chapter begins with these words, ‘But now, this is what the Lord says – he who created you, .. he who formed you..’  Later in the passage, God says, ‘you are precious and honoured in my sight, and … I love you.’  I am reminded of the words of the Psalmist, ‘For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.’  As I was sharing some thoughts on the Isaiah 43 passage, into my mind came the connection between the passage and our experience of hospitality.  The couple clearly delighted in their creations.  In a similar way, God himself delights in what he has created, and that includes you and me!

Whatever we may think of ourselves, the wonderful truth is that our Creator God delights in us; in his eyes we are precious and honoured.  I can’t think of anything more amazing than that!

One other thought which has just come to me.  Perhaps it's not surprising that Jesus himself seems to have taken on the role of carpenter; he was expressing something of the creative gift of Father God.

Let your light shine

I always feel a bit sad when the time comes to take down the Christmas decorations.  Not only does the house look very bare, but the act of taking the decorations down marks the end of a season of the year which I particularly enjoy.   

Not long after Christmas 2011, Sue and I happened to be in a garden centre which was having a sale of Christmas items, with greatly reduced prices.  Sue is always keen to sniff out a bargain, and we managed to pick up a set of solar powered external lights.  In the run-up to Christmas 2012, Sue came across the lights (which is a minor miracle in itself, as we still have many unpacked boxes following our summer move!)  About 3 weeks ago I took the lights into the front garden and wrapped them round a small conifer.  I set the solar panel to catch the sun (ha ha).

Disappointingly, even though Christmas has now come and gone, we are still waiting for any sign of life from the lights!  I’m not sure whether the lights are faulty, but the fact that we have had hardly any sunshine over the past 3 weeks can’t have helped.  I still live in hope that one day a light will twinkle in our front garden!  As I was thinking about our inactive solar powered lights, my mind turned to the Old Testament character of Moses.

The Bible tells us that Moses had such a close and intimate relationship with God that ‘the LORD would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend.’  One of the results of that intimate relationship which Moses enjoyed with God is that after each meeting, Moses’ face shone!  Interestingly, we are also told that over time, the light shining from Moses’ face would begin to fade.

Jesus revealed himself as ‘The Light of the World.’  He also said to his disciples, ‘let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.’  That is a real challenge to all of us who claim to follow Jesus.  I have feeling that our solar powered lights are not working because the solar panel has not yet received sufficient direct sunlight.  In the same way, we ought not to expect that our lives will shine with the light of Jesus if we don’t consciously spend time in his presence.

We live in a society which seems pretty dark at times.  The light of the love of Jesus is needed now as much as ever.  Food for thought at the beginning of a new year.