Return of the tick and tock

For many years I nursed an unfulfilled desire to own a grandfather clock.  Grandfather clocks always seemed to me to be rather stately pieces of furniture.  The hope of one day having one in my home and enjoying its regular melodic chiming was something which I carried in my heart.  Having said that, I couldn't see how the hope would ever be fulfilled, especially bearing in mind how much grandfather clocks can cost!

A few years ago Sue and I were in Scarborough, and we happened to call in at the local auction house.  Standing proudly along one wall was a grandfather clock.  It was just a fairly modern version, but I was drawn to it.  Having received permission from my other half, I bid for the clock and managed to be successful in obtaining it for a very reasonable price.  We managed to carefully transport it back to Doncaster, and after some minor attention from a clock repairer it served us well for several years.  I loved to hear the Westminster chimes (though my children didn't share my appreciation and whenever they visited our house they tended to switch the clock to silent mode!)

Of course, clocks can be delicate instruments, especially large grandfather clocks.  When the time came to leave Doncaster and move down to Leicester I was a little concerned about how the clock would react.  When the removal men delivered the clock and set it in place on our new home it looked to be in good shape.  However, since the day it arrived I have never been able to get it working properly!  Whenever I have tried, it has ticked and tocked a few times and then lapsed into silence.  It has still been an attractive piece of furniture but without fulfilling its intended purpose.

Earlier this week some friends came round, one of whom happened to have an interest in old clocks. I took the opportunity to ask him if he would have a look at our non-functioning grandfather clock.  It took him just a couple of minutes to work out what the problem was.  The clock was not level; the slight slope meant that the pendulum could not swing evenly, and this prevented the clock from working as it should.  A couple of coasters positioned underneath one side of the clock soon put it back on the level, and off it merrily ticked and tocked!   I was even able to listen to those wonderful chimes for the first time since our arrival in Leicester in 2012 (mind you, we have our elder daughter staying with us at the moment so I have had to turn them off for a time!)

When my friend was explaining the problem to me, he asked if I had a spirit-level so that we could check whether the clock was now in a true level.  I was reminded of the passage in the Old Testament book of the prophet Amos where Amos has a vision of the LORD standing with a plumbline in his hand.  God says to Amos of the plumbline, 'I am using it to show that my people are like a wall that is out of line.'   

God had looked at the lives of his people and seen that they were not on a firm foundation; they were on the lean, like a wall that is out of line (or like my grandfather clock).  Just as my grandfather clock could not function when it was not on the level, so we human beings cannot live the kind of lives for which we were created unless our lives are in line with God's plans and purposes for us.  I had tried several times to get the clock working, but had failed to notice that it was off the level.  It can be difficult for us to see when our own lives are out of line.  Just as I relied on my friend to point out the problem, so we need to see our lives through God's eyes to see the true picture.  So how do our lives line up when they stand against God's plumbline?

Even more important than football ...

Sue and I have been married for over 36 years, hard as it seems to believe.  Although we have had our ups and downs, and have experienced some rocky patches in our relationship, on the whole we have got along pretty well, and our partnership has grown and developed through the years.  I guess that both of us have had some sharp edges knocked off our characters and have become more rounded personalities who fit together fairly well.  We have grown in understanding and acceptance of each other's foibles, and have come to a common understanding in many areas of life.  There is one subject, however, on which, barring a miracle, we will never see eye-to-eye: football!

From as early as I remember I have loved the game of football, and especially my home town team, Hull City.  I cherish some very precious memories of a time in my young adulthood when I was a Hull City season ticket holder at their old Boothferry Park ground, along with my brother, my dad, and two uncles.  Maybe I look back through rose tinted spectacles, but those were wonderful times (even if the standard of football was often pretty rubbish!)  One memory which stands out from those days was when we played Manchester United in the Watney Cup, and the crowd cheered loudly whenever a City player got near enough to George Best to make a tackle!

Then in later years my daughter Steph and I were season ticket holders together for a few years as the club bade a tearful farewell to the much loved but sadly neglected Boothferry Park and moved to a brand new stadium.  From near oblivion the club began a remarkable rise through the leagues until we finally made it to the summit and the Premiership for the first time in the club's history.  Memories of a trip to Wembley to see City triumph in a dramatic Championship Play-off Final will stay with me forever (made even more special by the fact that I had also been at Wembley the previous day to see Doncaster Rovers, the team for which I was then chaplain, triumph in the League 1 Play-off Final!)  Remarkable years, great memories.

All our three children are football supporters (though, sadly, Caz and Chris have chosen to support Port Vale and Norwich respectively, rather than Hull City).  For more than 36 years I have tried to encourage Sue to take an interest in the game, with an utter lack of success.  I think it was in our courting days that I took her to a game at Elland Road, Leeds, at a time when Leeds were in their pomp.  When Leeds scored, the whole ground erupted.  Apart, that is, from Sue, who remained oblivious to events, and continued to sit on her seat concentrating on her knitting! I've come to accept, I think, that football is an interest which Sue and I will never share (I am just thankful that here are lots of other interests which we can share and enjoy together).

The current season promises to be the greatest ever in Hull City's 108 year history.  Not only does it look like the club have earned another year in the Premiership, but yesterday they beat Sheffield United in a dramatic game at Wembley to reach the F.A. Cup Final for the first time ever.  

I was not able to be at Wembley yesterday (as it turns out, perhaps my sabbatical ended a week too early, as yesterday I had church services to lead!)  Having said that, it was great to be back with the folk in my three churches yesterday, so I wasn't sad at missing the semi-final.  Looking ahead, I won't be able to attend the F.A. Cup Final either, as I am due to attend a Church Leaders' Away-Day.  In some ways I would have loved to have been there (there's every likelihood that this will be my first and only chance to see my team in an F.A. Cup Final)  And yet I know that there are some things in life which are a lot more important than football.

Even if I was given a free choice about how to spend the day on 17 May, I would chose to be part of the Away-Day.  I love my team, but I love my work much more, and ultimately I know that the work I do in God's service is of far greater significance than attending a football match, even the F.A. Cup Final.  And I have faith that the Tigers can beat the mighty Arsenal even without my support!

Coming and going: sabbatical reflections

I am approaching the final evening of my 3-month sabbatical.  The idea of sabbaticals is to provide a period away from regular work-related activity for refreshment and renewal.  As I look back over the last 3 months I am filled with gratitude for all that I have experienced.  Our trip to Singapore and New Zealand towards the beginning of my sabbatical gave us memories which will last a lifetime.  The sabbatical has allowed me time to read books which have envisioned and encouraged me, and given me a hunger to continue to discover more of the things of God.  Sue and I have spent time away on retreat, travelled to a few different places, and we have been able to spend valued time with various family members.  I have also spent periods away on my own, seeking time and space to focus on my personal relationship with God.

Indeed, at the heart of my aims for the sabbatical was desire to grow deeper in my relationship with God through his Holy Spirit.  As mentioned earlier, one of the ways in which I have sought to grow in understanding is though reading about the experiences of others.  I made some notes from my reading, and even re-reading my own notes causes excitement to rise in my heart!

Reflecting on what I have read and learnt over the last few months, one particular Bible verse stands out as being of particular significance:

Mark 3:14, 'Jesus appointed twelve that they might be with him and that he might send them out to preach.'

In that short verse lies the heart of what it is to be a follower of Jesus.  Firstly, he called the disciples to him.  He invites us into a relationship of love and trust.  God created us to know him!  The call of Jesus is to put our whole lives into his hands: 'follow me' is his challenge.  So the first step in Christian discipleship is to answer Jesus' call to come to him.  When we respond in faith to his call he fills us with his Spirit.  The Holy Spirit lives in us and helps us to grow in the things of God.  But that is not the end of the story...

The Christian life is not some lovey-dovey warm fuzzy feeling!  Jesus called the disciples to him, but then he gave them authority and sent them out to proclaim and demonstrate the good news of God's kingdom.  We make a big mistake if we think that the Christian life is focussed on what we do in a church building.  Yes, the Christian life begins with our response to Jesus and our growing in relationship with him, but from that growing relationship we are given his authority and sent out into the world, in the love and power of God's Holy Spirit.  We carry with us the very presence of God.  We are called to make a real difference in the world because God lives in us.

We cannot expect to accomplish God's purposes for our lives unless we dedicate ourselves to spending time in his presence and seeking to grow in our relationship with him (the Christian life is at heart very simple: stay close to Jesus, listen to what he ways, then do it!)  But equally, unless we carry the fruit of that relationship with God out into our everyday lives we will never become the agents for transformation which is God's desire for us.

I have been a follower of Jesus for more than 50 years, but I know that I am very much still a learner.  My sabbatical has certainly increased my desire to learn much more, and to put my learning into practice!

Sin: an old fashioned term?

It’s not often that a Methodist minister makes headline news, but Rev Paul Flowers managed just that a few months ago.  Flowers was for a time chairman of the troubled Co-operative Bank.  He relinquished that role last year amidst both the Bank’s ongoing troubles and certain allegations which were made against him.

I was interested to watch a recent Newsnight interview of Paul Flowers by Jeremy Paxman (for whatever reason, Paxman seemed to be very gentle during the interview and not at all the dogged interrogator which we have come to expect!)  At one point in the interview Paxman posed the following question: “Given your religious background, do you think you have sinned?”

In his response Paul Flowers commented: “Of course I have sinned, in that old fashioned term which I would rarely use, I have to say.  I’m like everyone else, I’m frail.”  Is sin really an “old fashioned term?”  I’m not so sure.  Perhaps the term is not used as much today as it once was (though rugby supporters are very used to the term “sin bin” where a player is sent from the pitch for violating a rule!)  The word sin does seem to be still in common usage (e.g. in the phrase “for my sins”)

So what is sin?  In simple terms, the Bible describes sin as anything in a person’s life which is not in alignment with God’s will and purpose.  One thing is clear, it’s often far easier to see sin in another person’s life than in our own!  A few days ago Sue and I watched a dvd of “How Green Was My Valley” a film which tells the story of a 19^th century Welsh mining family.  There is one scene where the elders of the local chapel publicly denounce a young unmarried mother.  The Pharisaic vindictiveness of the church elders made me shudder.

In the same scene in the film another woman stands against the elders and reminds them of the story of Jesus and the woman caught in adultery.  A remarkable story, not least in the challenge which Jesus issues to those waiting to stone the woman for her actions: ‘Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.’  He forced them to look into their own hearts and see that none of them were without blame.  Jesus did not condemn the woman, but he did say to her, ‘Go now and leave your life of sin.’  (I have no desire to comment specifically on the Paul Flowers situation, as I have no knowledge of the facts.  I do wonder, however, how those who have been quick to vociferously condemn him would react in circumstances similar to the story of the woman caught in adultery!)

The Bible makes it clear that sin causes a separation between us human beings and God (‘the wages of sin is death’, says the Apostle Paul).  Of course, none of us likes to be thought of as a sinner.  Yet Paul Flowers is absolutely right when he says that ALL of us are frail, ALL of us have said and done things which we bitterly regret.  But the good news of the gospel is that Jesus on the cross took on himself the penalty for our sin, so that through faith in him we might be forgiven and reconciled to God.  Yes, ‘the wages of sin is death’, but Paul also goes on to state, ‘but God's free gift is eternal life in union with Christ Jesus our Lord.’  Sin is just as real and just as big a problem in the world as ever it was.  But the remedy is just as affective!

Life-changing encounters

As I write this blog entry I have just two weeks left of my three month sabbatical.  I can look back with real gratitude for the rich and varied experiences which I have encountered during my sabbatical thus far.  In some ways it is difficult to put unto words the blessings of the past two-and-a-half months.  I have benefited in so many ways.

One of my aims at the beginning of my sabbatical was to experience different forms of Sunday worship.  With that in mind I have visited a number of different churches over the period.  Worship styles have ranged from high Anglican "bells and smells" type to what could be called "wild and wacky" charismatic style worship.  Although some of the worship styles I encountered were not the type I would choose as my weekly worship diet, I have to say that in all the different styles I encountered God's presence.  God is certainly not confined to churches with particular worship styles.  More important, I think, is the attitude of the worshipper.  When our hearts are open, and our desire is to give our best to God, he responds.

Yesterday Sue and I attended Holy Trinity, which is an Anglican church in the centre of Leicester.  The church holds some special memories for us because our son Chris married his wife, Megan, there.  Having said that, we had never previously attended a Sunday service at the church.  It so happened that during yesterday's morning service five adults were baptised by "full immersion".  A baptismal pool had been set up at the front of church.  I always find that this form of baptism (where the person being baptised goes right under the water) is a powerful symbol of how we die to the old way of life and rise to new life in Christ Jesus.

Each of the five people being baptised were invited to share something of their story, relating how they met with God and came to the point of being baptised.  I found their testimonies both tremendously encouraging and extremely inspiring.  We live in an age of social media, so I thought that I'd Facebook my immediate response.  This is what I wrote:

Baptism testimonies: not religion but relationship; transformed lives; excitement; amazing God-encounters; every story different, but each discovered the life-changing love of Jesus. Wow!

It was wonderful to hear how the lives of five very different people, from very different backgrounds, had been impacted by the touch of God.  One spoke of having been through a time of terrible depression, another of a period when he was hooked onto drugs and alcohol.  A third spoke of how he was brought up in a Christian family but his view of Christianity was all about rules and regulations, until he discovered that the heart of Christianity is not religion but a relationship with the living God through Jesus Christ.

The baptisms were a public statement by the five people of the transforming love of Jesus which they had experienced.  It was an important step on their faith journey.  I am so pleased that I was there to witness their baptisms and I pray for God's blessing to be with them into the future.  It was a wonderful reminder of how God is at work in so many different ways in people's lives, and how he treats each person as a unique individual.  Meeting with Jesus is truly life-changing!

So much more

It's strange how a recurring phrase or thought can jump into one's mind at odd moments over the course of time.  A phrase which has come to me on a number of occasions over the years is, "so much more."

My sabbatical has given me lots of opportunity for reflection, and I recently found myself looking back to an event which changed my life when I was just 5 years of age.  I was tremendously shy as a child, and although I did ok at school there was certainly nothing about me to make me stand out from the crowd.  In fact my parents once went to a school parents' evening and some of my teachers didn't know who I was - I was one of those quiet pupils who hid at the back of the class!  Yet for some reason, God had his eye on me and at the tender age of 5, I committed my life to following Jesus.

Although I didn't suddenly become an extrovert or develop great confidence overnight, I knew that Jesus was my constant companion, and he has been the solid rock on which my life has been built.  I've made plenty of mistakes over the years, and still find myself doing and saying things which I regret.  Yet God has been so gracious, and I can look back in amazement at what has happened in my life, not least that God called me to be a church leader.  He has given me the courage and abilities I needed to accomplish what I couldn't do in my own strength.

And yet, that phrase "so much more" has kept dropping into my mind.  What I believe it means is that whatever I have so far experienced of God's love, grace and power in my life, and even though I have grown so much in my personal relationship with God, there is "so much more" yet to be experienced.

I was reminded of this recently as I re-read a book I bought some years ago.  It was written by Argentinian evangelist and pastor, Claudio Freidzon, entitled "Holy Spirit, I am Hungry For You."  The book was written during the great spiritual revival in Argentina in the 1990s.  In the book he writes,

'Imagine for a moment that you approach the ocean nearest your home and that with a little cup you pick up a small amount of water.  Such is the distance that exists between what we know of God and what he himself is.  A small amount in a great ocean.' 

I find that thought both tremendously challenging and enormously exciting.  I do feel that I have grown so much in my relationship with and understanding of God, and I have experienced his love, grace and power over the years in many different situations.  And yet I know that I have barely scratched the surface!  The big question I must ask is, am I really hungry for more of God?  Am I truly committed to discovering more of the untapped riches of God?

Whoever we are, whether we have known and walked with God for many years, or whether we hardly know him at all, the phrase "so much more" calls out as a challenge to all of us.  And we have the encouragement of Jesus' words,

'Keep on asking and it will be given you; keep on seeking and you will find; keep on knocking and the door will be opened to you.  For everyone who keeps on asking receives; and he who keeps on seeking finds; and to him who keeps on knocking, the door will be opened.'

I don't know about you, but I long to experience the "so much more" of God.

All Through The Night

Sue and I spent a few days in Scarborough recently.  Not far from our flat is a small art gallery and antique shop.  In order to attract some custom, the proprietor puts a trolley outside the shop, with a tray containing small, inexpensive items.  I imagine that the idea is to draw people's attention so that they will want to enter the shop to explore further.

As we walked past the shop a few days ago, the tray of goodies attracted my attention and I paused to examine the various items.  One item took my particular attention.  It was a horse brass, at the centre of which was what appears to be a miner's lamp, and engraved on it were the words, ARHYD-Y-NOS.  I soon discovered from our daughter, Caz (who lives in Wales), that the English translation of those words is "All Through The Night".

The image of the lamp giving light throughout the night is clear, but my mind soon led me to thinking about a spiritual application.

Nighttime and darkness can be, for some, a difficult period, bringing fear and anxiety.  It is regularly said by those experiencing times of illness or bereavement that nighttime can be a very tough time for all sorts of reasons, not least because the darkness can seem to emphasise one's feeling of isolation.  Some who find sleep difficult to come by often feel that nighttime appears to pass extremely slowly.

I have recently come across a song by Don Moen, entitled, "God is good all the time", which contains the phrase, 'God is good all the time, through the darkest night his light will shine.'  Now of course there is always a danger of such statements being made in a rather trite and superficial manner, but I believe that Moen's words are based in a wonderful truth.

Generally over the course of my life I have enjoyed good health, and I have rarely had trouble sleeping (in fact there have been occasions when sleep has overtaken me at rather inopportune moments!)  However, there have been times when I have experience periods of illness, and occasions when sleep hasn't come easily, and I admit that I have sometimes struggled on those occasions.   Indeed, I woke up in the early hours of this morning and found myself lying awake for a long time before eventually dropping off to sleep.  What I try to focus on when that happens is the presence of God with me (I am not alone!) I find it such a comfort to know that he is with me in these situations, and if I can make my thoughts "God-thoughts", it can make a real difference.  God promises in the Bible: 'I will never leave you, I will never forsake you.'  He is God of the day AND of the night!

God never promised that life will always be easy.  Sometimes our lives might be really tough, and we may feel that nighttime and darkness seem never-ending.  But we can always look to Jesus, who is himself 'The Light of the World.'  Even if we cannot always see it or feel it, we can know that the light of his loving presence is with us All Through The Night.

I decided to buy the horse brass (a bargain at £1).  I think I'll go and put it up on the wall in my bedroom to remind me of God's promise!