Kicking the Habit

I’m fairly certain that you’ve never thought of Paul’s letter to the Galatians in the context of a mis-delivered pint of beer! 

A couple of years ago I thought I’d overcome my anxiety about the regular flow of work (being self-employed, time without work is time without income), and learned to trust in God to provide. Then I realised the other day that, such good resolutions notwithstanding, I’m still measuring whether or not I’ve had a good week by the likely income at the end of it, rather than whether it has been one of worthy service to others, or has brought me closer to God.  This idea of clinging to old habits led to the strange juxtaposition noted above.

Some of the most bizarre stories are also the funniest, and the ones that seem to stick in my mind.  I remembered this one concerning a man who suffered with a deformed neck, the consequence of which was that his head was off-centre compared to his body.  One day in his local, he met a physiotherapist who was holidaying in the area.  The man observed his condition, and with one swift manipulation cured his deformity.  Drinks were ordered to celebrate; our hero said “Cheers!” ... and promptly tossed his pint over his shoulder!

When we invite Jesus to be Lord of our life, we may take some time – perhaps a number of years! – to appreciate fully the extent to which He has changed us.  St Paul wrote to the Galatians, “... don’t let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. ... You who are trying to be justified by the law have been alienated from Christ. ... You were running a good race.  Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth? ... You ... were called to be free.” (Galatians 5:1,4,7,13)

Like the readers of Paul’s letter, we may have drifted back to, or have never left, habits in our life that are really only relics of the past: aspects of behaviour, or reactions to other people that are totally out of kilter with our new life in Christ.  They were so much part of our old life, and so normal for us then, that we don’t realise that the arrival of God’s Holy Spirit has made them redundant or defeated.  Or maybe we do realise this, but somehow seem powerless to overcome them.

Do you – like me – have something like that in your life that needs overturning, rejecting and clearing out? Maybe you have a close friend who would pray with you about it.  After all, ‘a problem shared is a problem halved,’ they say.  And if it’s a problem shared with Jesus, that proportion has to be infinitely smaller!

Bronze Beauty

(with apologies to Anna Sewell)

I am first used – After I was minted I was taken, along with hundreds of my friends, to a big bank.  All of us were packed into bags, and although we were all in the dark, inside a big canvas sack, none of us was frightened, because we were all together.  Then one day two sacksful of us were taken to a supermarket where, after a short while laying on a shelf, we were emptied into a noisy cash drawer.  Here we were forced to make friends with other, older pennies that had been all over the world, it seemed – oh the stories they told!

Given in change – One day, I was snatched up, along with one of those older pennies, and handed over to a little old woman.  She grumbled as she took us, “Not a lot of good giving me these – you can’t get anything with twopence these days!”  Still muttering as she walked along, she stuffed us into a tiny pocket in her jacket.  Later we felt quite air-sick, as we were swung in the air and jerked to and fro. There was a metallic ‘chink’ and the movement stopped; a click, and all was even darker than before.

Life in a pocket – Apart from the darkness, the two things I chiefly remember about the next month or so were the strong smell of mothballs, and the stony silence.  Everywhere I’d been up to then there had been background noise, chattering voices, things being moved around, and so on.  Here there was nothing – it was as if life itself was suspended.

I am found – There were occasions when there was a click, and light burst briefly into our isolation; there was a rustling, and then all was darkness again.  Then one day in one of these bright intervals, came that same swinging in the air that we had experienced before.  There was gentle, regular movement; the jacket was being worn again.

Tossed away – It was clear we had entered a large building, for every sound we heard was echoing around us; there was talking, music and singing.  All at once we were flying through the air, and with a crash we landed on a big metal plate, amongst lots more money.  Then we were left in peace and were, for the first time it seemed, in bright daylight.  It was quite dazzling.

The voice – From somewhere I thought I heard a voice, but the bright light had made me a bit light-headed; maybe it was just in my mind.  It said, “This poor widow has put in more than all of them.” (St. Luke 21:3.)

You may think yourself unimportant, or of little value to anyone, but just remember how appreciated you are by God!

Close Season

In an earlier article, I revealed my interest in football, particularly that section of the game known as ‘Non-League’.   I’m pleased this year to note that two teams from my native Norfolk have earned promotion to Step 4.  Although this is a significant achievement, it’s still four leagues below N-Power League Two, and even further away from Norwich City in the Barclays Premiership!  There is a complete pyramidal structure of these lower leagues, and I’m fascinated at the end of the season to follow the many play-off sequences, and see which teams will move up through the various levels.  Some teams, however, don’t move the way that their final positions would indicate.  Maybe their ground isn’t up to the required standard, or perhaps their economic situation won’t stand the financial pressures in a higher league.

St Paul knew about sport; in his first letter to the infant church in Corinth he wrote about runners competing in a race, and encouraged his readers to “Run in such a way as to get the prize.”  He also described his own practice, “I don’t run like a man running aimlessly,” he wrote, “I don’t fight like a man beating the air.” (I Cor. 9:24,26.)  Paul emphasised the need to do things positively; with gusto, we might say.  He was anxious that these new believers should not succumb to the many temptations that could overwhelm their fragile faith.  He compared their situation to that of the Israelites wandering in the desert in the time of Moses.  He used the example of those who died there to warn the Corinthians to be strong in their faith, to recognise the dangers and turn aside from tempting distractions before it was too late.

Jesus, too, was tempted.  The story is in St Luke’s Gospel, and at the end of it we can return to the football analogy for, in the King James’ version we read, “... and when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.” (Luke 4:13.)  This wasn’t a football season, of course; nor was it summer, autumn or winter.  The NIV translation explains it: “until an opportune time.”  Such an opportune time might have been the occasion in the Garden of Gethsemane, when Jesus asked, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me” (Luke 22:42.)   The words that follow reveal His strength, “Yet not my will but yours be done.”

Ecclesiastes, the Preacher of the Old Testament, wrote, “There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven” (Eccl. 3:1.) The succeeding verses have been made into a popular song, and indicate a variety of activities for which there is an appropriate time or season.  A season is thus an identifiable unit in the great pattern of life.  

One of my favourite hymns is ‘Just as I am, without one plea’;  a phrase from that hymn always brings a catch to my throat as I sing it, and it comes to my mind in this context, too: “Here for a season, then above, O Lamb of God, I come.”  While it puts into perspective how important it is to keep an eye on the opposition, and always play hard to win, it reminds us too that we are playing for the greatest and most forgiving Manager of all time!

So, on the strength of your current form, where will you be playing next season?

A Different View

Last summer I enjoyed a holiday based at my cousin's home at Eastwood in Nottinghamshire. One evening, I decided to travel to Buxton to watch Eastwood Town play their first pre-season friendly match against the club there.  Unfortunately the result was a home win, but I’m sure the game was beneficial to both teams.  As I overheard someone near to me saying at the other match I watched that week at Alfreton, “all goals are helpful, even the ones scored against you!” – the home team lost that match 4-1, playing against the Football League side, Chesterfield.

Now, when I watch a match I usually position myself, if possible, somewhere near the halfway line.  This has much to do with my eyesight, for I find it difficult to determine just what is happening at one goalmouth if viewed from the other end of the ground.  Present at that Buxton-Eastwood match was one spectator who, being dressed in a business suit, stood out from the crowd.  I believe him to be a director of Eastwood Town, and I noticed that, for much of the second half, he was positioned behind the goal that Eastwood were attacking.

Presumably this was to focus on his team’s performance in that particular aspect of their game.  His purpose was different from that of a neutral spectator like me, so he deliberately secured a viewpoint that was most beneficial for him.  It’s not every day that one encounters a football director, so I hope I may be forgiven for placing undue emphasis on the experience.  But it did set me thinking about his interest in the game, and the responsibilities he holds regarding football in the town and to the club in particular.

My Bible readings that week had been from the book of Job, and I related this experience to the end of that book.  After Job’s friends have each had their say about his situation, Job turns to God to justify himself, demanding to know whatever evidence there might be against him to result in all his suffering (ch.31.)   The young man Elihu then puts in his twopence worth, delaying the account of God’s response to Job (and thus reminding us that He answers us in His own good time … not ours!)  Finally comes the reply, and it’s not a point-for-point rebuttal of Job’s protestations of innocence.  For the detail, I invite you to read chapters 38 & 39 – but take a deep breath first!  In summary, The Lord makes Job aware that there is another dimension to all of this that is beyond his understanding. 

When we are baffled by something that just doesn’t make sense, we would do well to realise that there is probably a completely different way to look at the situation.  Then we may find ourselves echoing Job’s words at 42:3, “Surely I spoke of things I didn’t understand, things too wonderful for me to know.”

Granddad

Can you imagine it?  “What are you thinking about, granddad?”  “Things before you were born, my dear ... things before your mother was born!”  Grandfather is looking back down the years, to a time perhaps fifty years ago, when he was at school, or perhaps in his teens or twenties.  Maybe he even remembers in his own childhood asking his grandfather the same thing, and getting a similar response. 

This whole subject fascinates me, and I sometimes wonder about how far back just a few generations can take us.  If my grandparents in their childhood had asked about their grandparents’ early memories, the answers would have brought to mind days of great change: the days of the 1820’s and -30’s, when a number of famous Acts of Parliament introduced Catholic emancipation, electoral reform and a broadening of the way that the poor were relieved.  In fact, two of my great-great-grandfathers would have remembered, at the age of 16, news of the battle of Waterloo!

How different life would have been in those days, just three life-times away!  It’s thoughts like this that call to mind the fact that life itself is composed of changes, be they big or small.  Look for instance at the dramatic advances in communication media over just the last five years – or the fashions of a few years ago and how out of place they’d seem today.  This month many will be watching the FA Cup Final; you probably know that a regular part of the preliminaries to this annual event is the singing of that famous hymn, Abide with me.  Do you remember the words of the second verse?  “Change and decay in all around I see: O Thou who changest not, abide with me.”

Are there people whose mood seems to change like the weather; people on whom you can’t depend, with whom you have to spend a while in silence, waiting to know just how to address them today?  Such people carry uncertainty with them, like a cloud, and if your circumstances mean that you are frequently in their company, life itself can become quite unbearable.  How refreshing it is that our God is just the opposite.  As Francis Lyte reminded us in that hymn, God never changes.  And we don’t just have to take his word for it.  Our Bibles tell us of “the Father of the heavenly lights, who doesn’t change like shifting shadows” (Jas. 1:17), and this echoes other verses, like “I say my purpose will stand; I will do all that I please” (Is. 46:10), “I, the Lord, do not change.” (Mal. 3:6) and “God’s gifts and His call are irrevocable.” (Rom. 11:29).

We have just celebrated Easter, and the gift of salvation marked by Jesus’ death on the Cross and His Resurrection.  Isn’t this evidence enough of God standing by his promises, doing what he pleases, never changing?  Next time you see grandparents and grandchildren together, imagine their conversation.  Consider the vast range of their experiences: the changes that they have seen, and that will take place over their collective lifetimes, and reflect on the eternal, unchanging nature of our Lord.

Outside the Box

Do you remember the furore a couple of years ago over MP's expenses?  Something brought this to mind recently, and I thought again about my reactions to the scandal.  When I trained as an accountant many years ago I learned the importance – nay, necessity – of recording every last penny in its proper slot.  I also remember the Inland Revenue’s mantra about business expenses – that they are only allowable if incurred “wholely and exclusively” in the course of business activity.  I won’t bore my readers by attempting to apply these criteria to moats, duck-houses et al.  Suffice it to say that I found it hard to comprehend how some of these claims could have been made ‘by accident’, and yet, unless we accept that virtually all of the country’s MPs are crooks and fraudsters, such accidents have to be believed, at least in some of the examples that have emerged.

 I’m sure some of you receive regular mail from missionary societies.  Amongst mine I frequently see references to the difficulties faced by MBBs – Muslim-background believers.  Often these people are cast out and completely spurned by their families and friends.  Either they have to keep their new-found Christian faith completely secret, or they risk persecution or physical harm at the hands of their former fellows: Shari’a, the Islamic law, prescribes a death sentence for any Muslim who leaves the faith.  For anyone who has not suffered it, it’s almost impossible to envisage how terrible life must be if it has to be lived under such restrictions.

In each of these examples, if we are to have any understanding of what’s going on, we have to stretch our imagination, and try to think ourselves into someone else’s circumstances.  In the modern idiom, we must think outside the box.

When Jesus was brought before Pilate, indeed through all his examinations, by the Sanhedrin, by Pilate and by Herod, Jesus saw everything in the context of His purpose for coming to earth. “The scriptures must be fulfilled,” He said (Mark 14:49), “You will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One” (Mark 14:62).  He acknowledged that He was the Son of God (Luke 22:70), and ‘King of the Jews’ (Luke 23:3), but He offered no defence against the charges that were made against Him (Matt. 27:12-14).  If we were in that position, I’m sure we would want to offer some contradiction, to explain the ‘real reasons’ why our actions had suffered this misinterpretation.  Not Jesus.  He understood what was going on.  He could see that the Jewish leaders were incapable of rejecting the legal rigmarole that had grown up over the preceding centuries – it was the only culture they knew: how could a mere carpenter’s Son have the power or knowledge to overturn it?

It may not be written in our Creed, but aren’t we all obliged to copy Jesus’ example so far as we are able?  If we could only try to see everything from other people’s viewpoint as well as our own, I’m sure all kinds of relationships would be the better for it.

Stepping up to the Plate

It wouldn’t take a Sherlock Holmes to tell from a glance round my room that I’m right handed.  The coffee table is on the right hand side of the armchair, for example, and the lamp is on the left hand side of the desk so that I can see what I’m writing.  You can imagine my anxiety and dismay, then, (not to mention the pain!) when, late one evening, I lost my grip on a heavy piece of metal and, on its way to the ground, it jammed my right thumb against the floor of my van.  As I drove home awkwardly, my imagination was running wild, thinking I had probably broken the thumb, at the very least.

After a night of disturbed sleep, I made my way to the kitchen with the thumb still throbbing.  Then came the inspiration for this article.  I cannot recall a definite thought process that said, ‘the right thumb is injured – I shall have to use the left hand to open the coffee jar.’  I know it could have been that I was only half awake, but my first awareness of anything unusual was looking down to see the jar gently clutched between my right hand and my chest and the left hand grasping the lid with serious intent.

With the coffee successfully made, I adjourned to the armchair for my prayer time.  Here, amazingly, the prescribed reading was from I Cor. 12, where St Paul writes about the various parts of the body and their inter-dependence.  My eye was drawn to verse 25, “its parts should have … concern for each other”, and as I linked this to my recent experience in the kitchen, my memory took me back to my days of singing psalms in a church choir.  Later, a few moments with a concordance revealed Ps. 139 vv.13-14: “You knit me together in my mother’s womb.  I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”  I felt I’d had certain evidence of the marvel of God’s creation, as my left hand, aware of the predicament of his opposite number, had instinctively stepped forward to fill the gap in the early morning team.

And what does this not uncommon sequence of events have to teach us at a wider level?  Surely it should convince us of our responsibility, as members of Christ’s body, the Church.   We should not only be willing to take on duties that may be requested of us, but also be aware of what is going on around us, and be ready to step forward and offer our services when we notice that someone else is temporarily incapacitated.  How much more welcome is the offer of help that embarrassment or uncertainty might prevent us requesting!

The thumb wasn’t broken, by the way.  After a couple of days it stopped hurting, a large black blob on the nail gradually grew out, and today the incident is all but forgotten: John 9:3b applies, perhaps?