Ducks

“Two ducks in front of a duck,” said my father, “two ducks behind a duck, and a duck in the middle.  How many ducks?”  That little conundrum from nearly fifty years ago is as puzzling now as it was then.  The answer is, of course, three: but in order to fit, the ducks have to be swimming in a straight line.  To quote a favourite phrase of one of my former bosses, “all the ducks have to be in a row”.

It was to have been a farewell meal.  My friend had been planning to move to another part of the country, but now she explained that her plans had rather fallen apart.  She had a new job lined up, but suddenly her new employer wanted her to start in two weeks time instead of a month, in other words before she could make all the arrangements to move house.  Initially, she had difficulty finding a tenant for her flat, and then, when a likely occupant did arrive on her doorstep, he insisted on being able to move in within a week, which wouldn’t give her solicitor time to draw up a contract, let alone allow her to find and secure a new home some distance away.

In effect, my friend faced the daunting prospect of withdrawing from her new job, staying put for the time being, and starting the whole process again from scratch.  It was probably not over-helpful for me to recite to her, “You didn’t have all your ducks in a row.”  “My ducks,” she replied ruefully, “seem to be swimming all over the place!”

Life seems to be like that for some of us, doesn’t it?  I call it the 'polythene bag syndrome': you flatten one corner, only to discover that the air has formed an annoying bubble somewhere else.  No sooner do we get one bit of life sorted out, than something else goes wrong, or urgently distracts us from what we feel we ought to be doing.  There never seems to be a point where we can say that all is as it should be, and life can be lived ‘properly’.  What’s wrong, then?  Is life not meant to run smoothly? – or do we simply try to cram more into it than it is designed to accommodate?  I suspect that we see someone else’s achievement and think we can do the same, without appreciating the sacrifices he or she has had to make to get there; the problems that are being dealt with behind the scenes.  We think we can have the same success, and combine it with all of our existing interests, not realising that these other things don’t clutter the life of our idol.

Perhaps it would help if we were to focus on the most important things, and let everything else just fall into place.  The writer to Hebrews advised ‘fix your thoughts on Jesus’ (Heb. 3:1); and in the Gospel we find Jesus himself teaching us to seek first the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:33), and everything else would be given to us.  Or, as the Ned Miller song of the 1960’s almost put it, “Give [God] your love and all of your life, and do what you do do well.”

The Power of Words

 ‘The pen is mightier than the sword.’

attrib. Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1803-1873

The words that a pen writes or that a mouth speaks are indeed powerful, but they are a gift from God.  As with all gifts, they bring with them responsibility in their use: St James, for example, charges us to be careful what we say (Jas. 3:1-6).  We should choose our words wisely, lest we cause offence or do unintended damage.

In the ‘Sermon on the Mount’ Jesus develops the thinking behind the Ten Commandments, and at Matt. 5:34-37 we find a comment about ‘You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain (Ex. 20:7)’.  Jesus warns us against making extravagant undertakings and sealing them by invoking God’s name.  If we do so, we have to keep those promises – if they prove to be things we can’t manage, the result is that we are guilty of sin.  It’s far safer, Jesus advises, not to make oaths at all, but simply say ‘yes’ or ‘no’.

Sometimes we say things because we’ve always done so, without appreciating exactly what they mean.  The origin of an expression can be lost behind the frequency and thoughtlessness of its use.  How often, I wonder, does an atheist take leave of someone by saying ‘goodbye’?  Does he really hope that God (in whom he doesn’t believe) will be with his friend? 

The meaning of words can change over the course of time, too.  Few churches nowadays use the sixteenth century phrases of the Apostles’ Creed, and express belief in a God who will come to judge the ‘quick and the dead’.  To us, ‘quick’ means swift in motion, fleet of foot, or perhaps capable of prompt reactions.  When it was first translated into English, ‘quick’ was simply the opposite to ‘dead’, and many people now prefer to replace it in this context by ‘living’.  I must mention too the dramatic increase in ‘issues’ these days.  Far from being confined to something that comes out, like blood or a magazine, today’s ‘issues’ seem to have extinguished ‘matters’, ‘topics’, ‘factors’, ‘contentions’, ‘difficulties ‘and, most of all, ‘problems’.  Have people just become too lazy to be specific about what it is they’re discussing?

I was at a Christian gathering earlier this year where someone told a story of conversion to faith, saying, ‘... and then he got saved.’  It grated at the time, and after a little thought I realised why.  It was the same form of words that would be used of a shopping expedition: ‘he got cereal and then he got butter and milk.’  The implication was that the man had done this himself, in his own power; to any non-believer present it would have suggested that this was actually something that a man could achieve for himself.  A better expression would have been ‘he was saved,’ correctly allowing credit elsewhere for the fact of his salvation. 

As the football season begins, I recall an apocryphal graffito that adorned a ‘Jesus Saves’ sign: ‘... but Satan nets the rebound!’  We must always be aware of the rebounds, those times where the Evil One is only too ready to take advantage of our mistakes.  So let’s resolve now to ‘engage brain before opening mouth’; remember that ‘CARELESS talk costs lives souls’

Not all Sea and Sunshine

Some years ago I worked for a short while for a Christian travel business.  It was an enjoyable time, and one thing I remember from the experience is the frequent use of what was said to be the only Biblical reference to holidays: “Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.’” (Mark 6:31, NIV).  Although it’s not in line with what most people these days would consider a holiday, this verse was commonly used when selling retreats at centres that offered a ‘contemplative experience’.

It confirms a need that each of us has from time to time to get away from the busy-ness of our lives, and to make time for refreshment.  We should re-align ourselves regularly with the natural world, listen afresh to God’s word and tune in again to His will in our lives.  Until recently, I had given this no further thought than that, but come with me now to St Mark’s gospel, and let’s re-visit this verse.

 

The disciples had been sent out two by two to preach repentance and to cast out demons (5:7-11).  The narrative is interrupted by the news of the death of John the Baptist, and then we hear of them coming back, filled with excitement, to report their experiences to Jesus.  No doubt there were achievements they wanted to share, but also problems they had encountered, uncertainties upon which they sought guidance.  But the crowds followed them all wherever they went, and it was difficult to get a word in edgeways, let alone some serious quiet time with their Lord.  So there was a definite need to get away by themselves.  It was only for a moment, though, because they were spotted leaving, chased around the lake, and the next thing we read is the familiar story of the feeding of the five thousand (6:35-44).

What does this tell us about holidays, then?  I suggest that the primary lesson is that their aim shouldn’t be to do nothing.  Secondly, there is a question in my mind about who holidays are for: the disciples saw Jesus teaching the crowds (as usual!) instead of spending time with them and, perhaps in frustration, wanted to send them away.  Jesus, however, calls them to a responsibility of care: ‘You give them something to eat’ (6:37).  Perhaps there is wisdom in the old saying ‘a change is as good as a rest’.  Maybe instead of thinking only of pleasing ourselves when we have a break from normal life, we should also consider ways in which we might enrich the life of other(s).  Who knows? – that might be even more enjoyable!

Love is ...

... more than a cartoon strip devised by Kim Casali and drawn by Bill Asprey.

But before I go any further, let me introduce a much-loved little girl, my friend Bethany.  She is just a few weeks short of her first birthday, and she already has a personality that makes her quite recognisable when seen apart from her mum or dad.  When I visited her mother a couple of months after her birth, her grandma was there to lend a hand, as grandmothers are often wont to do.  This was the only time that I had seen that lady, but a few weeks later I was chatting to the proud parents in church when a particular angle of Bethany’s head and her facial expression gave me an instant of recollection of her grandma’s features.  It was a ‘spitting image’ moment.

When was your last spitting image experience?  Or when did someone last observe that you were the very image of your parent?  The answer to these questions may depend on your own age and circumstances, but it’s commonly recognised that our inherited genes include a physical dimension.  That’s an idea that has Biblical precedent too.

Jesus claimed resemblance to his Heavenly Father.  “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father,” He said (John 14:9); and one manifestation of this was the way He showed His Father’s love to those around him.  He healed people left, right and centre, raised some from death, and he wept with love along with Mary and the others over Lazarus’ death (John 11:33-36.)  This was how Jesus wanted his followers to behave, too.  In that remarkable illustration of the vine and its branches, He said, “Love each other, as I have loved you.  Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:12-13.)  And that was, literally, what Jesus did of course, as Paul reported and explained (Rom. 5:6-8.)

As well as his narration of these matters, John was also so impressed by Jesus’ love that he seems to have filled his pastoral letters with it.  In one example, he says that we should show that we’re Jesus’ followers by walking as He did (I John 2:6.)  In effect, he’s reminding us of Jesus’ very words, to pass on to others the love that we have received; and if you are uncertain just what that involves and need Paul’s blueprint, you’ll find it at Romans 12:9-21

So, let’s think back to those ‘spitting images.’  It’s not just the genes that are passed down from one generation to the next that cause them to resemble their parents and grandparents.  If you saw Bethany with her mum and dad, you would instantly realise what a loving and happy family they are.  They enjoy love in their lives, from each other and from their parents and friends; but also from the church where we all worship.  We are privileged to be part of a loving community where Jesus’ command to love one another is fulfilled widely and often.  How about you?  Is there someone to whom you should be showing God’s love – to whom you should appear the spitting image of your heavenly Father?

A Good Ending

So much in the news lately seems to fly in the face of our Christian beliefs; as I’ve pondered why this should be, and what might be done about it, I’ve been thinking a lot about three words: ‘back to basics.’  I believe it was Prime Minister John Major who brought currency to the term not all that long ago.  Among the ‘basics’ that have crossed my mind has been the basic premise upon which this series of articles was founded many years ago.  That premise was the idea that links can be observed, or without too much effort contrived, between aspects of our faith and everyday things or happenings, so that the one can be seen as a pointer to the other.  I realise that my articles have sometimes drifted away from that basic aim and, as it’s good once in a while for any of us to stand back, reflect and re-affirm what it is we’re doing, so now is as good a time as any for The Gospel Around Us to do the same.

One of the everyday ‘things’ that is basic and very important to each of us is our body, and I’d like to focus this article on ten little parts of it that are almost constantly visible and perhaps most frequently taken for granted – our fingernails.  Apart from being at one extreme a convenient surface for the application of coloured varnish, and at the other a fragile substitute for a screwdriver, what use are they?  They can be easily chipped or broken (especially if used as screwdrivers!) and are then, if not painful, at least most irritating.  If assaulted by a heavy article, e.g. a car door, then they are most definitely painful, and it takes months for the resulting unsightly black part to grow out.  Oh, and we shouldn’t forget that terrible grating sound that could be produced by scraping them on a blackboard!

Maybe these incidents are precise examples of one of the main functions of the fingernail – to protect the finger; and if you ask a comedian what they’re for, he might reply, ‘to stop your fingers fraying at the ends!’ – which, even if it seems a silly idea, is quite true.  So, what have fingernails to do with our faith?  Instead of looking at them in bewilderment, take a look at Hebrews 12:2: “Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfector of our faith ... .”  It was through Jesus, the Word, that God made us: body soul and all (John 1:3.)  He made us perfect, right down to our fingernails. 

That word ‘perfector’ is vital.  It’s not just that we were made without blemish; we were made complete ... even down to fastening the ends of our fingers – we were properly finished off.  Doesn’t that deserve, if not inspire, our praise?  No detail was overlooked in the marvel of our creation.  Then, after we’ve exercised our freewill and messed up our lives, that same Jesus “by one offering ... has perfected [us] for all time” (Heb. 10:14.)

When in thoughtful mood, we are likely to drop our eyes and gaze reflectively at our fingernails.  Next time you find yourself doing that, I pray you will recall these paragraphs, and call to mind our amazing faith, and the incredible gift of life that God has given us.

Too Common by Half

Just before the recent Eurovision Song Contest, a radio presenter spoke of “the unthinkable having become commonplace”.  He referred to the transformation of the former Soviet republics, in that they now exhibit a feverish enthusiasm to take part in something that once would have been deplored in their culture.

Those words can be lifted from their context and re-applied in precisely the opposite direction.  How much of what is around us ought to be deplored instead of being welcomed with enthusiasm?  Such deplorable facets of society include so-called ‘reality’ TV programmes that stop little short of pornography.  Profanity or blasphemy (or both) are heard all too often on our streets.  Self-discipline and respect for those in authority – and indeed behaviour by such people that is deserving of respect – have plummeted to such a depth that successive governments have seen fit from time to time to mount positive campaigns to attempt their revival.  And that’s before we even consider the field of professional sport, and the recent Respect campaign that has been seen on our football fields.

Jesus took the Pharisees to task about their hypocrisy: “You have a fine way of setting aside the commands of God in order to observe your own traditions,” (Mk 7:9, NIV).  He gave a list of unworthy priorities and bad character traits (vv. 21-22) that identify man’s lower nature.  It’s the work of only a few moments to check these off against the values and lifestyles of people we know.  Even more worrying is the way that, if we dare, we can find some of them in our own behaviour!

 

Join me, if you will, in a ‘Summer Resolution’ to root these out and destroy them, and to encourage those close to us to do the same … with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Shoving Annie - the Postscript

The company of bell-ringers in my home town have a long-standing practice of going away for a weekend in the spring, to visit and ring the bells at churches in a selected area and enjoy each other’s company in a comfortable hotel.  Sometimes the support for this expedition is greater than at others.  This year we struggled to make the minimum requirements for the group rate at the hotel; we needed just one more to qualify.  I think it was the husband of Dianne, our social secretary, who pointed out that the cheapest strategy to overcome the problem would be to double-up one of the single bookings and share the small addition to the overall cost.  This we did, and thus had an ‘empty bed’.

Two weeks before the event, at our regular practice evening, an informal draw was made to see who should occupy the double room instead of a single: a draw which I was lucky enough to win.  The next day, Dianne had to submit the rooming list to the hotel; she texted me as I was driving to ask what name I would prefer for my 'room-mate'. As I wondered about this, the situation became more real and I considered the possible problem of explaining this person's absence.  I replied, ‘call my wife Hilary – I can easily say she couldn’t make it’.

At that time the text for the blog here called 'Shoving Annie' was already almost complete; that same evening, having been ‘married on the motorway’, as it were, I opened the file to review what I’d written.  As you will see, that blog attacked people who are playing a part, trying to appear something they're not... involved in essence, in deception.  As I read through it again, it hit me that what I had engaged in here, however harmless it might have been, was ... in essence, deception.

I felt a bit like King David confronted by Nathan, post-Bathsheba. I'm sure you’re familiar with the story, but if not you'll find it in II Samuel ch. 12. David got annoyed with the man Nathan told him about; then Nathan pointed out that he had, in effect, condemned himself over his treatment of Uriah.  My draft article now condemned me.

In my subsequent prayers I asked for wisdom concerning what I should do or say. First, how was I to explain the absence of the wife I'd created to occupy the half-empty double room – a challenge that, in the event, was never posed – then, how should I deal with the spiritual situation in which I now found myself?  I decided that to honour my forgiving Lord, I must use this incident as a basis for teaching.  Phase one was a leaflet that I hastily prepared, and handed to all my colleagues at the start of the weekend containing, basically, what you are reading here; this is phase two.

The lesson I’ve learned here is straightforward. We should all be aware just how easy it can be to drift into sin.