Thoughts on Abigail and Barney

I was slightly amused (and bemused) to discover that a decision has been taken to give names to significant storms which appear from time to time in the UK.  Apparently the names have been chosen following a public vote; the intention is to help raise awareness of severe weather when storms are due, and to encourage people to act to protect themselves.  The storms will be named in alphabetical order as they arrive; personally, I am anticipating 'Steve'! 

Though the first two named storms, 'Abigail' and 'Barney', have hardly compared in scale and ferocity with the hurricanes and storms which have been experienced in some parts of the world, they have nevertheless caused damage and disruption, and significant numbers of householders found themselves temporarily without power.  My daughter and son-in-law woke this morning to discover that their greenhouse was in next door's garden, thanks to Barney!

This has put me in mind of the hymn "Rock of Ages", written in 1763 by the wonderfully named Augustus Montague Toplady.  Tradition has it that the hymn was inspired by an incident in the gorge of Burrington Combe in the Mendip Hills.  The story goes that Toplady was travelling along the gorge when he was caught in an (unnamed!) violent storm.  He found shelter in a gap in the gorge, and thus came the first words of the hymn: "Rock of ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee" (referring to security found in God).

The events of the past week, with horrific and deathly terrorist attacks in both Beirut and Paris, have reminded us (if such was needed) of the violent and uncertain times in which we live.  Many have called for an immediate and strong response, though I really do wonder whether responding with yet more bombs etc. will only add further to the ongoing cycle of violence and bloodshed, in which so many innocent people get caught.

For many people, life is filled with fear, uncertainty and anxiety.  It appears as though we are caught in a vicious storm, and we wonder where we can run to safety.  It seems to me that Augustus Toplady's hymn, though written over 250 years ago and in somewhat antiquated language, nevertheless has a message of real hope.  True and lasting security can be found in God alone.  Toplady died at the relatively young age of 38.  By all accounts his last hours, as he lay on his deathbed, were filled with an amazing assurance of God's presence, and faith that he (Toplady) was safe eternally in God's hands.

As St Paul wrote in his letter to Christians in Rome, who were experiencing times of great persecution, 'There is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God which is ours through Christ Jesus our Lord.'  That's what I call real security!

Learning the lessons of history

In 1996 the tradition of holding an Act of Remembrance on 11 November each year (as well as on Remembrance Sunday) was reinstated in the village of Glenfield, where I live.  This takes place at the War Memorial which is situated in the grounds of the local Parish Church of St Peter’s.  The Rector of St Peter’s retired a few months ago, and as the church is still awaiting the arrival of a new Rector, I was asked to lead the service.

One of the difficulties associated with observing the two minutes’ silence is in trying to arrange the service so that the silence falls at the correct time of 11am.  It was especially important at St Peter’s, as the church clock strikes on the hour.  I was hugely relieved, therefore, when within a couple of seconds of the bugler finishing his rendition of the "Last Post", the clock began to strike 11.  It was a poignant moment.

Research undertaken by the Royal British Legion suggests that there are still considerable numbers, particularly of younger people, who do not realise the significance of Armistice Day; that it was on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 that the guns of Europe fell silent.  After four years of bitter fighting, The Great War was finally over.  The following year King George V issued a proclamation which called for a two minute silence at 11am on 11th November, and Acts of Remembrance were conducted throughout Britain and the Commonwealth.  It came to symbolise the end of the war and provide an opportunity to remember all those who had died

In cities, towns and villages up and down the country, memorials such as the one at St Peter’s were created to commemorate the sacrifice of those local people who lost their lives.  Such memorials usually have inscribed upon them a list of the names of those who died.  To some, the memorials may appear simply that: a list of names.  In reality, each name represents a family torn apart, a precious life lost, hopes and dreams brought to a premature end.

There are some who say that human beings have no need of God and that we can manage perfectly well on our own.  It seems to me that one only has to look around the world today and see what horrors we continue to inflict on one another to see how false that idea is.  Wars still go on; men and women still engage in untold violence; injustice and oppression continue.  It is right to give thanks for those who gave their lives for others, but we must not let their sacrifice be in vain.  Let us learn the lessons of history.

On Remembrance Sunday I put a verse from the Old Testament prophecy of Isaiah on my Facebook page:

'He will judge between the nations
and will settle disputes for many peoples.
They will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war any more.' Isaiah 2:4

A friend commented: “May it be soon.”  To that I say: Amen!

Completing the circle

Two totally different thoughts have been going round in my mind recently and, perhaps surprisingly, connecting.  The first relates to the AntiVirus programme which I use on my laptop, AVG.  AVG offer a free version of their AntiVirus programme which can easily be downloaded.  It's probably not the most effective AntiVirus software available, but it rates fairly well in comparisons with other similar software, and what's more, it's free!

I recently updated my Antivirus and as I was waiting for the process to be completed I noted that on the screen of my laptop there was an AVG diagram with the headline "An Incomplete Circle."  Its purpose was to remind me that although AVG Free does offer a good level of protection, it is only if I upgraded to the full version (which, of course, involved a cost), that I would be fully protected!

The other subject of my reflections is a book which I have recently begun to read.  The author is Phillip Keller, and the title of the book is "A Shepherd Looks At Psalm 23."  Keller worked at one time as a shepherd, and although I haven't yet got all that far into the book, already I have found some of his insights into the life of the shepherd and the relationship between shepherd and sheep extremely interesting.

Jesus said of himself, 'I am the Good Shepherd,' and Keller teases out some of the depths of meaning in that saying.  Of course, one of the main responsibilities of the shepherd is to take care of and protect the sheep under his care (can you see where this is leading?)  Also, and very significantly, Jesus stated, 'I am the the gate for the sheep.'  Jesus' first listeners would know exactly what he meant.  At night time the shepherd would lead the sheep into a pen, perhaps made up of rocks piled on top of one another.  There would be no gate, so the shepherd would himself lay across the entrance to the pen, thus providing all the protection the sheep required from wild animals etc.  In other words, he would complete the circle.

If we have put our lives into the hands of Jesus, the Good Shepherd, then we can rest assured that we are safe in his keeping.  And that's so good to know.

Legacy

Two or three weeks ago I received an "Amazon Local" offer which included entry for two people to Barnsdale Gardens, together with afternoon tea, at a very reasonable rate.  My mind immediately went back to the days when the BBC programme Gardeners' World, presented by the late Geoff Hamilton, came from Barnsdale.  I hadn't realised that Barnsdale was not for from the town of Oakham, which is itself only around 25 miles from where we live.  Last Friday Sue and I travelled across to Barnsdale and thoroughly enjoyed both our walk rounds the gardens and our delicious afternoon tea!

Geoff Hamilton presented Gardeners' World for many years, until his untimely death in 1996.  He was much loved by the many who enjoyed his friendly and informative style of presentation, which was down-to-earth, honest and spiced with humour.  He was an early advocate of the organic approach to gardening long before it became more fashionable.  I must confess that I watched Gardeners' World much more often during the days of Geoff Hamilton, though I'm not sure how much I learnt even then!

It was a real treat to actually visit Barnsdale, with its 38 individual gardens on an eight-acre site.  Many of the gardens were originally devised and created by Geoff Hamilton himself.  I has a real sense, as we wandered around the site, that Geoff Hamilton's legacy was clear to see.  The organic techniques and principles which he used have been continued at Barnsdale.  DVDs of many of his TV programmes, along with his books, are still available for sale; a DVD was playing in the shop and it seemed rather strange to hear his gentle voice after all these years!  Geoff Hamilton's passion was to encourage and help others to experience the joy in gardening which he knew.  A foundation has been set up in his memory to assist students at his former Agricultural College.  Though he died some 19 years ago, his legacy lives on.

One element of my role as a church leader is to take funeral services.  A question which often crops up when thinking about a person who has died is, "what was their legacy?"  I find it a very challenging question, and I sometimes wonder what my own legacy will be.  In other words, what difference will the fact that I lived on planet earth make, both during my own lifetime and into the future?  Many years ago I started to write a book, based on some words of St Paul to the church in Corinth.  Paul uses the illustration of a builder; each person builds something with his life, and one day what we have built will be tested:

'No one can ever lay any other real foundation than that one we already have - Jesus Christ. But there are various kinds of materials that can be used to build on that foundation. Some use gold and silver and jewels; and some build with sticks and hay or even straw! There is going to come a time of testing at Christ’s Judgement Day to see what kind of material each builder has used. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire so that all can see whether or not it keeps its value, and what was really accomplished.' (1 Corinthians 3:11-13)

I never did get very far with that book, but the challenge remains!

Art is not what you see, but what you make others see

From time to time I am asked to speak at school assemblies, and this morning I was at the local Hall School here in Glenfield.  It is always a pleasure to visit the school; the pupils are attentive and responsive to questions.  Each week the school have a theme, and assemblies are designed to fit in with the theme.  This week's theme was "Art", along with a quote from the famous artist, Degas: "Art is not what you see, but what you make others see."

That quote certainly got me thinking, as I tried to tease out what Degas might have been saying.  The reality is that a piece of art can 'speak' in different ways to different people.  Over the years Sue and I have bought too many paintings and pictures, and we certainly don't have sufficient wall space on which to hang them all.  I came across one which we bought very cheaply at a car boot sale some years ago, and decided to take it to school for the assembly.

I think that we bought it because we found it rather thought-provoking.  The scene is a fracture clinic, and features various members of the public as well as medical staff.  It seems to be one of those images where the longer you look at it the more you get out of it.  I find the expression of the person in the foreground particularly fascinating!

After ascertaining the children's responses to the painting, I then went on to develop the theme by telling the old story of Jumbo the elephant, which dates back to the mid-nineteenth century.  I don't have space to relate how Jumbo fits into the theme, but I ended my talk by pointing out that, just as the artist signed their name on the painting, so God, as it were, signs his name on our lives.  The Bible makes it clear that in every human being there is something of the imprint of our Creator, and that makes each one special.

In one sense, we could say that each person's life is a bit like a painting; all their friends, family and associates see an element of the picture, but no-one (other than God himself) sees the whole.  It's an interesting thought to ponder what others see when they look at the picture of our lives; more importantly, what does God see?

The power of words

One of my neighbours is very much into family history research, and since retirement has been undertaking family history research on behalf of others as a hobby.  Of course, family history has become a significant interest for many people; the popularity of programmes such as "Who Do You Think You Are?" is perhaps evidence of this phenomenon.  In consultation with my sisters and brother I decided to ask my neighbour to undertake some research into our family tree (hopefully there won't be too many skeletons in the family cupboard!)

I will be fascinated to see what the research comes up with.  If I could travel back to visit my ancestors from, say, 200 years ago, and manage to bring them forward to the year 2015, they would witness things totally beyond their comprehension.  I should imagine that modern day society would seem to be a different world from what they were used to.  The changes during those 200 years have been vast.  In many ways, the 21st Century is probably a far better period in which to live.  Yet at the same time there are ways in which we humans behave as badly as ever.  Just look at the news on any day and there will be countless examples of the dreadful ways in which we human beings behave towards one another.

One element of this which has been on my mind recently has been the way in which the level of personal abuse flying around seems to have risen enormously.  This is often seen on social media; for some reason, many people seem to think that it's OK to verbally abuse others, sometimes in the most revolting and vile language.  We so often hear people in the public eye offering destructive and judgemental words to others; the world of politics is one area where this can be very apparent.  Sadly, the Church is not always innocent in this respect.  Yet the Bible makes it abundantly clear that the words which Christians speak should never be destructive.  Here are a few examples:

'Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen'  Ephesians 4:29
'Let your conversation be always full of grace.'  Colossians 4:6
'Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless.'  James 1:26
'Kind words are like honey - sweet to the taste and good for your health.'  Proverbs 16:24

I like this Mnemonic:

Before you speak, THINK…
T - is it True?
H - is it Helpful?
I - is it Inspiring?
N - is it Necessary?
K - is it Kind?

How much better our world would be if we took time to THINK before we spoke.  I confess that I don't always manage it, but I know I should.  Words have power to heal or to hurt; we should use them wisely.

A priceless story

Some years ago I developed an interest in and love for old books.  One of the things which I enjoy whenever I get the opportunity is browsing a second hand or antiquarian bookshop. Often, when I hold a second-hand book in my hand, especially if it is 100 or more years old, I wonder about the story it could tell if a book could talk about its previous owners and its journey through the years.  If I happen to discover a particularly interesting book at a reasonable price I find myself sorely tempted.  My wife Sue would say that I have given in to temptation far too often (and she has a point).

I recently came across an online auction which listed as one of the lots for sale an English language Bible dating back to 1537.  Considering the fact that the first complete Bible in the English language was not published until 1535, the 1537 Bible was of real historical significance.  (Incidentally, the history of the English Bible is a fascinating, if at times very disturbing, tale - if you are interested, see HERE).

The auction estimate for the Bible was £200-£300, which although in one sense was a lot of money, for a Bible of such rarity and significance it was perhaps not unreasonable.  I was able to follow the auction online, and was astonished to see the price continue to rise until the winning bid was announced as £29,500.  Quite an expensive Bible!

The truth is that the Bible is far more precious than monetary value can measure.  Through the pages of the Bible we learn about God's plan and purpose for human life.  The Bible has been described as a love story, in which God continually seeks to drawn to himself in love a wayward people.  Time and again God offers his grace and forgiveness, and ultimately sends his Son, Jesus Christ, to make a way through which our relationship with our Creator can be restored.  

As the Holy Spirit brings to life the pages of the Bible, the Bible can transform lives.  I have heard a number of people give testimony, over the years, of how it was through reading the Bible they came to faith in Jesus, and experienced the new and full life which he offers.  Now that really is priceless!