God is not English!

Last Sunday Sue and I were in the fascinating New Zealand city of Rotorua, during our visit to the country to see members of our family who live in Auckland.  Rororua is known for its geothermal activity, and features geysers and hot mud pools.  It was amazing to be able to walk around parts of the city and see steam rising from holes containing bubbling water and mud!

During our time in Roturua we had the privilege of attending a service at St Faith's Anglican Church, which is perhaps the most well know Maori Christian church in the country.  If you look carefully at the image below you should be able to see steam rising from the water near the church!

I understand that there are moves afoot to make St Faith's the first Maori cathedral in New Zealand.  In common with the majority of buildings in New Zealand, it is built of wood.  One of its most well known features is a window with an etched image of Christ wearing a Maori cloak as he appears (when looked at from a certain angle - unlike the image below) to walk on the waters of Lake Rotorua.

We very greatly appreciated the opportunity to be part of the Sunday morning service at St Faith's.  The vicar switched with amazing ease between the Maori and English languages.  The four hymns were in the Maori language, but were sung at a pace which made it possible to join in, even though we didn't understand the words.  I did, however, recognise one tune, "When I survey", and it was lovely to hear it sung in the Maori language.

The service included the baptism of a young boy, and again it was a real privilege to be there as a Maori family brought their son to be welcomed into the family of the church.

This was just one of many memorable experiences during our time in New Zealand.  Apart from anything else, it was a reminder that God is God of ALL the world, and that being part of his family, the church of Jesus Christ, is to be part of a family which encompasses people of all nations and languages.  What a privilege!

And now for something completely different...

To be honest, I wasn't a massive Monty Python fan, but the programme's familiar catchphrase seems appropriate for this blog entry.  That is because today is the first day of my three month sabbatical.  Methodist ministers are encouraged to take a three month sabbatical every seven years, a time away from the regular routine of ministry for refreshment and renewal.  It is not intended as a three month holiday!  Rather, it is expected that during a sabbatical ministers will do something different which will inform and re-enthuse them in their ministry (recharge the batteries!)

The Methodist Church believes that sabbaticals are of such importance that some years ago they made them compulsory for ministers.  Yet I remember that when I experienced my first sabbatical, it took me quite some time before I was able to persuade myself that I didn’t need to feel guilty about actually having a sabbatical! 

There is a well-known saying, “The devil finds work for idle hands”, which could appear to imply that there is something wrong with taking time off.  When we look closely at the Scriptures, however, it becomes clear that God’s original intention was that human life should have a certain rhythm to it, one which includes BOTH work and rest.  The creation account in the book of Genesis tells us that on the seventh day God himself rested.  One of the Ten Commandments given by God relates to observing the Sabbath: one day in seven given over as a time to rest and a time to focus on our relationship with God

There is a passage in Mark’s gospel when, during a particularly demanding time for Jesus and his disciples, he said to them, ‘let's go to a place where we can be alone to rest for a while.’  Though he was so much in demand, Jesus regularly took time out.  I really like the old Mars bar advert which encouraged us to “work, rest and play”.  If we fail to get the correct balance between those different elements of life, then ultimately we will suffer, because we are not keeping the life rhythm which God intended for us.

I am excited that during my sabbatical Sue and I will have opportunity to visit my brother Phil and his family in New Zealand for the first time.  Apart from that, one of my main areas of focus during my sabbatical will be to reflect on the message of a book written by Bill Johnson called “Hosting The Presence”.  As the title suggests, the book examines how we can be people who literally host the presence of God through a daily and moment-by-moment walk with his Spirit.  I have read the book once, but my plan is that during my sabbatical I will have opportunity for some deeper thinking on this vital area of Christian experience.  I firmly believe that it is from the depth and quality of our relationship with God that all else flows. 

It is a few years since I began writing my weekly blog.  I think it unlikely that during my sabbatical I will have opportunity to maintain a weekly blog, but I hope to update the blog from time to time.  I am really looking forward to three months of doing "something completely different", and to developing my own walk with God.