Word-play ... or Sword-play?

I like words.  Especially I like words that are unusual, discovering not only their meanings, but their origins as well.  Also fascinating are pairs of words that have some similarity and yet in all practical terms are totally distinct.  Often they can be the key to a slick joke or pun, or to an amusing exchange between people who find they are talking at cross-purposes.

Two such words that crossed my path the other day were ‘cudgel’ and ‘cajole’.  The first is a short thick stick used as a weapon, while the other is an act of persuasion, often with flattery or by deceit.  On the face of it, there is no connection between the two – certainly not in meaning – nor in origin, either, since one is Old English and the other French.  And yet, there is an element of opposition there.  If you want to get your own way in a situation, you might use force, or you might try persuasion.  It’s unlikely that you would attempt both!

This winter has seen the fiftieth anniversary of the death of Sir Winston Churchill, arguably Britain’s finest prime minister.  In the thirties, he was certainly no appeaser when it came to an appreciation of what the Nazis were up to, and maybe it was this reputation that contributed to his being moved as Chamberlain’s successor in 1940.  However, he may have mellowed in later years for, at a White House luncheon in June 1954, he is reported to have said that, “It is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war.”  This saying also came to mind as I was musing about ‘cajole’ and ‘cudgel’, for doesn't it put rather poetically what I have tried to say above?

Jesus told his followers to love their enemies (Luke 6:27), and the verses that follow put the same instruction in many different ways, culminating in the effect that such love would have (vv. 28-36).  This teaching had its origin in the Old Testament (Proverbs 25:21-22), and St Paul echoed it in his letter to the Romans (12:18-20), where he exhorted his readers to “live at peace with everyone”, and then explained why, using this along with another Old Testament quotation, “‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord.” (Deut. 32:35). 

This is where my thoughts come full circle, for here is a place where I love the Authorised Version, which says “Vengeance is mine ...”.  We rarely hear of vengeance these days, and it seems so much more powerful, and echoes the great power of God Himself.

When you next come across one of the language’s museum pieces, don’t just look it up in the dictionary and then, enlightened, carry on reading.  Take advantage of the interruption; remember God’s vengeance, and question whether there is any situation in your life where you might be storing up some hatred or resentment that ought to be passed to a Higher Power.

Layers

Some years ago, when I worked in the office of a factory in Norfolk, I knocked on the door of my boss, the management accountant.  He could see from the file of papers in my hand that I had a problem.  “Come in,” he smiled, squaring up the piles on his already crowded desk.  “Let’s start another layer.”  Those words, and the picture that goes with them, have stayed with me, and I feel they have something to teach us about God.

First of all came the welcome.  It was clear from the cluttered desk that Keith was already busy.  However, he realized that resolving my difficulty would release me to be productive again.  So he put aside the problems he was tackling, and ushered me in; and, typical of the good working relationship that we enjoyed, his smile put me at my ease: I didn't have to worry that I'd disturbed him.   Remember that, whether we are complaining about the neighbours, asking for help with relationships, or simply saying ‘thank you’ for a wonderful night out, God is never too busy to listen to our prayers.  His welcome mat is always out!

Secondly, there was a lesson in tidiness: in being methodical about things.  Seeing that my visit would involve at the very least spreading out the various items I’d brought, in order to explain my problem, Keith made sure that his own files were tidy, so that they wouldn’t become mixed up with those I was about to introduce.  When did you last have the feeling that, when God was speaking to you, the message had been misdirected, and was actually intended for someone along the road?  I’d guess never.   In the conversations we have with one another, there is always the possibility of our mind going off at a tangent, as we think about our own affairs instead of following the thread of what is being said to us.  Then we might have to ask for something to be repeated, or worse hazard a guess at what it was we missed.  God always listens with His full attention to what we want to tell Him, or ask Him.  Each of us is special to Him, and our individual needs are known and understood.  So we can be assured that the answer we get is the answer to our problems, even if it at first it might not seem so.  It could mean, for instance, that we have to do something for someone else in order to sort out our own lives.

And lastly comes a lesson in perseverance.  As a boy, I remember, there were often lots of things in my room that were started, but left incomplete when my interest wandered to something else, and my father would ask in exasperation, “Why don’t you finish one thing before you go on to something else?”  Now, we all know that for a successful manager life just isn’t like that.  Often, to have one’s finger on the pulse of many aspects of the operation for which one is responsible, it’s necessary to keep several balls in the air at once. Ultimately, however, all of those tasks will have to be completed.  For Keith, that meant inviting me to ‘start another layer’ on his desk, while remembering that when I withdrew, he’d have to carry on where he’d left off, and that when that job was done, the one underneath it would need to be tackled afresh, and so on. 

In the case of our Creator, we must remember that God’s timing isn’t how we understand time.  St Peter reminds us that, “a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day” (2 Peter 3:8).  Nothing is left unfinished on God’s desk.  Even if we feel it’s taking longer than we’d like for something to be sorted out, we know that, in God’s good time, that’s what will happen.  We can take heart from Jesus’ words from the Cross, “It is finished”: not even the salvation of the world fell through the all-encompassing net of God’s ‘to-do list’. 

The Heart of the Business

... or, put another way, ‘The Business of the Heart’.

I expect you’ve noticed it already ... the start of the political battles of ‘I’m better than so-and-so’ and ‘you can’t trust such-and-such’ that will fill our news bulletins until the General Election in May.  How can we know who to trust, who to vote for, when they all claim virtually the same thing?

I won’t presume to offer an answer to that question.  However – in the spirit of ‘The Gospel Around Us’ – I’d like to suggest that, when you encounter any mention in the coming weeks of the election and the claims and counter-claims of those involved in the electoral process, you see this as a ‘trigger’ to remind you of something else.  Instead of trying to judge between one candidate and another, why not consider for a moment or two how God judges us?

When He was confronted by the man-made hand-washing rituals of the Pharisees, Jesus explained how it wasn’t what was outside the body that makes a man unclean, but what is generated within him, i.e. what comes from his heart (Mark 7:14ff.)  He provided a neat list of the sort of evils that come from within and make a man unclean (vv. 21-23).

How long before the start of January do you begin to consider your New Year Resolutions?  How does this compare to your lead-in to what disciplines you will attempt to observe during Lent ... or will you simply try to avoid chocolate as usual?

Jesus’ list of ‘stuff’ that comes from our sinful hearts: “evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly” seems endless; Paul provides us with another list that is even longer: “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (Gal. 5:19-21).  These are the NIV translation; others differ, and there is some overlap in the definitions of some of the words used.  Nevertheless, it’s possible to identify here a good score of distinct sinful behaviours that our hearts might generate.

We might reckon – with some truth – that many of these items don’t apply to us; but we should guard against complacency.  Look at the comparison to be found in Luke 18:11-13.  The Pharisee seemed content with those virtues that he professed, but the other man’s simple acknowledgement, though not specific, was all-embracing, and earned the true reward (v.14).

We could get depressed as we examine ourselves on each of those twenty or so identifiably separate charges in those lists.  All those evil deeds, impure thoughts, unfulfilled good intentions ... what hope is there for any of us?  In a sermon I heard recently the preacher presented to his hearers the supreme perspective offered by Easter: “Those attitudes and actions Jesus speaks about won't take control of your character. Instead the character of Christ will become more and more evident in you. There is no problem of an unclean heart that cannot be solved by turning to Jesus.”

Have a happy, and positive, Lent this year!

Wrong Turnings

We’re not far into the New Year, and the warm days of spring are still some way off. But it’s not too early to think about exploring the countryside, and making sure we go the right way to get where we’re going.  At the same time, it’s wise to ponder those wrong ways, too.  However closely we may study the map first, the roads or pathways don’t always fall into a recognisable pattern when seen on the ground.  We may travel for some time along a narrow track before comparing our progress to the map.  Maybe a side road or some other landmark is sufficiently similar to the map to convince us for a while longer that we are right, and that just a little further we will come to our goal.  But then, reluctantly, we have to conclude that this way goes nowhere and wasn’t the one we meant to take after all. 

You will have guessed, of course, that I’m not just referring to exploring the countryside, whether it be on foot or by car.  Our path through life is a journey too, and here too it is important to take the right roads.  Every day we have to make decisions, whether large or small, and to base these on correct information and the application of sound principles is essential.

I’m reminded of a prayer, which turns out not to be as old as I had thought, since its author, Reinhold Niebuhr, was born in the latter years of the nineteenth century.  The text exhorts God to “grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.”  How well this applies to our whole-life-journey.  Often we see only one way to achieve our goals; there may be others, but we reject these out of hand.  Until, that is, we reach a point where forward progress is minimal, or nil.  Then we have to admit – perhaps with some degree of egg on face, and often with a need to accept some financial disadvantage – that there might be a better way, and we retrace our steps.

With a General Election coming up in a few months’ time, there are many who are asking themselves just who would make the country’s best political leader for the next five years. Some say that the best leader is one who follows the principle advocated in the Serenity Prayer and, as a result, is willing to acknowledge his mistakes.  That may be so, at a personal level although, for a politician considering the cost of losing face, it may be harder to contemplate.

Jesus must have wondered, as he prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, whether perhaps He had taken a wrong turning when he ‘steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem’ (St Luke 9:51, KJV.)  However, He was reassured that He was doing the will of His Father, and we can only humbly respond with our gratitude for His sacrifice on the Cross, and call upon the benefits thus won for our redemption when we suffer the consequences of taking our own wrong turnings.

Jumping off Cliffs

The other week, in one of our regular early Monday morning breakfast discussions, we were talking about faith, having read the first few verses of Hebrews, ch. 11.  Someone had read something about jumping off a cliff so long as one had faith that there were arms just out of sight ready to hold the catch.  Then common sense comes along and tells one that such things just don’t happen in this world!

It’s another way of looking at Jesus’ comment about moving mountains at Matt. 17:20.  Whether or not we have such faith, here too there is this nagging thought that - faith or not -such things just don’t happen.

Not long after this discussion, I found myself listening to a podcast about humanist ceremonies.  In many ways the role of the Celebrant in such rituals is closely comparable to that of a Christian priest or minister.  Before they are allowed to perform their duties they have to undergo instruction, and their abilities and understanding of what they’re about have to be approved, much in the same way as a minister undergoes selection, training and a ritual of commissioning.  Similar logic and consideration for the humanist officiants apply as in any conventional religious context ... saving only the absence of any deity or faith. 

Early in His ministry, Jesus was in the synagogue in Nazareth one Sabbath day, when He was invited to read from the scriptures and speak about what He’d read.  We’re told (Luke 4:22) that people were amazed at what He said; yet they weren’t willing to follow Him.  It was that common sense that got in the way.  They had known Jesus for many years; he was the son of the local carpenter.  Chances are that, after Joseph died, Jesus, as the eldest son, had carried on the business for a while.  They might acknowledge the wisdom with which he spoke, but to be led or taught by a mere artisan was more than they could accept.

We can refer too to Nathaniel (John 1:46), to whom Philip specifically spoke of "Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph".  Nathaniel’s immediate reaction was to allow common sense – and possibly a local tradition or proverb – give him grounds to dismiss the matter: "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?"

This conflict between what we know and what we are prepared to believe, even if we have no proof, is a constant threat to even the strongest faith.  It is no shame to admit that, from time to time, we have doubts.  It is at such times that we are in greatest need of friends to support us in prayer.  We can also turn to God’s promises, written for us in the scriptures, such as that at Jeremiah 31:33-34, where the prophet speaks of God’s planting of truth within the people’s hearts and minds, so there is no need to for them to be taught: they will simply know His truth.

Where do you stand in the conflict between head knowledge and heart knowledge?  Who do you know who can help you resolve it?

Remember Bertrimoutier

(re-published, following a computer 'hiccup' in November 2014)

“Bertie who?” I hear you say.  Let my answer begin with a confession.  This post is far more personal than usual.  I visited this village nearly thirty years ago, on my first ever visit to France.  I was in Alsace, with almost a week to go before my pre-booked ferry would take my car and me back to England, and I decided on an unguided, ‘sniff-it-out-for-myself’ tour of the Western Front; Bertrimoutier, in the department of Vosges, was one of the first places I passed through.

Its position, so close to the 1914 border between France and Germany, almost guaranteed that there would be fierce fighting here, and a military cemetery nearby has graves of soldiers from both countries.  As I looked over the valley towards this, I exchanged just a few sentences with a local man who looked old enough to have witnessed these events in his youth.  The incident lingers in my mind because it’s the only time I can recall having a spontaneous and inessential conversation in French.

In recent weeks I have been planning a gradual transition into retirement and with it the possibility of obtaining a modest motor-caravan.  I’ve wondered whether such an investment is a wise use of a significant slice of my savings, comparing my situation to that of many thousands in our world who have no hope of such luxury.  After prayer, I realise that my privilege is not without responsibility, and in this instance it seems that my responsibility is to make positive use of such a resource.

I enjoy using words.  Talking – or in former days, preaching – from a script (or at least prepared notes) from a position of established authority isn’t a problem.  On the other hand, although I have no hesitation in replying to enquiries about my own affairs, I find initiating conversation difficult, and anything beyond the essential doesn’t come easily.  I believe this is largely due to having lived and worked alone for many years.  I have determined that, if I go ahead with my plans to go exploring in this large leisure vehicle, I must overcome this difficulty; I must get out, chat to people and engage in their lives rather than remain incarcerated, monk-like, in a mobile cloister.

I wondered where the word ‘talking’ appears in the New Testament.  The results were both encouraging and challenging.  Firstly, they spoke to me of togetherness, being alongside others, as Moses and Elijah were with Jesus at His transfiguration (Luke 9:30).  Then the Gospels revealed more togetherness, as the crowd in the courtyard confronted Peter (Luke 22:60) and later along the Emmaus road (Luke 24:14-15).

Peter rejected the adoration offered by Cornelius (Acts 10:26ff), and talked with him as one of equal rank as he shared the good news of Jesus.  And no study would be complete without Paul, as he almost ridicules himself in an aside, “I’m out of my mind, talking like this” (2 Cor. 11:23).  Paul also warns Timothy about young widows with nothing to do, and writes of their progress from idlers to busybodies “talking nonsense and saying things they ought not to” (1 Tim. 5:13).

So, how can I relate these verses to my present situation?  My conclusions are three-fold.  Talking to people brings great potential for both fellowship and challenge; I shouldn’t take myself too seriously; and I should steer clear of foolish chit-chat or unsubstantiated and unfair criticism of others.

... It should be a piece of cake!  See if I dare to publish the outcome here!

What's it all About?

From time to time I get asked what my slogan, "The Gospel Around Us" is all about.  Is it a new kind of belief system, something to be signed up to, or what?  Is it an obscure part of the beliefs of an established Christian denomination?  The Quakers talk about 'That of God in Everyone'; is it something to do with that?  The turning of the year seems as good a time as any to address some of these thoughts.

"The Gospel Around Us" is connected to all of these ideas, but it isn't any one of them.  It's certainly not something to be signed up to!

So far as I can determine, the idea behind "The Gospel Around Us" goes back many years, to when I was training as a Reader.  In one of the books I read, the author expressed the idea that, because he* was a layman living and working in the 'real' world, and not hiding behind a dog-collar, the Reader had a particular platform for ministry that was denied to the ordained clergy, because they had to overcome the visual 'separation' of this symbol and the invisible 'separation' of their office in order to engage with 'normal' people.  You'll note that I've used a lot of '..'s in that sentence; this is deliberate, because these are not true distinctions at all.  Yet they do form a certain barrier for people who haven't grown up in the habit of church, whether believers or not.  It's a barrier that some clergy try to overcome by wearing their dog-collar solely on official duties.

The Reader (in common with all rank-and-file Christians) has a responsibility to communicate the faith to others in his speech, his behaviour, and in every other aspect of his daily life.  The things we usually associate with Reader ministry - leading or taking part in public worship - are, in fact, only the secondary part of his duties.  He is charged first to "Visit the sick, to read and pray with them, to teach in Sunday School and elsewhere, and generally to undertake such pastoral and educational work and to give such assistance to any Minister as the Bishop may direct."  Ministry at a personal level therefore takes precedence over anything public and formal, and this is something that I'm trying to continue through these articles, while no longer exercising the latter.

So much for its origins; just what is "The Gospel Around Us"?  Let me first dismiss the idea that it's a new belief system; it's not part of the beliefs of any church, but it is an expression of some aspects of Christian teaching.  In a way, it's a parallel to that axiom, often labeled (incorrectly) as the 'Quakers' creed', "That of God in Everyone".  I think of it as signifying that there is something of God in everything around us, both the natural world and what is man-made within it; both in the things themselves and in the way we relate to them, or think of them. What I seek to establish in the minds, and hopefully the memories, of my readers is something that will link what is going on around them in the everyday to that which is eternal, and cause them to be prompted by the one to consider the other.

Let me offer three different situations that provide some idea of what I mean, although each one of them is perhaps inadequate .  This morning's post brought me two Christmas cards.  The first that I opened bore the picture of a steam train, and I wondered which of my friends might have sent this.  My guess - quite correct - was a friend from teenage, whom I haven't seen for over thirty years, although we faithfully exchange seasonal greetings every year.  His father worked with my uncle on the railway in those days, and we enjoyed a memorable fortnight in one long summer break from school, travelling along as many of the lines in our area as we could, using a 'runabout' ticket that entitled us to unlimited journeys within specified boundaries.  So the picture of the train links the card, and the person who sent it, to those experiences many years ago.

The second card was from a distant cousin whom I have met only once.  The sight of her name on the card brought a smile to my face, as I recalled our meeting.  It happened during a hot summer ten or more years ago.  I'd made a delivery in the area, and decided to call at their home 'on the offchance' that they might be in.  What I couldn't know was that my cousin had just decided that, since it was so hot in their house, she would strip to her underwear before attacking the washing up!  With her hands just plunged into the hot soapy water, she heard the doorbell ring.  There was some delay before the door was opened to me by her red-faced husband, who had little alternative but to plead his wife's dilemma as the reason for the delay.  Once more, the arrival of a particular card is the link to a specific personal experience.

My third example concerns a friend - let's call her Susan, it's not her name - who had to make a business visit to Poland during the winter months.  One day she found it so cold that, as she reported to me after her return, "the only way I could warm up was to go to my hotel room and stand in the hot shower for several minutes."  A few weeks ago I was deceived by the winter sunshine, and went to watch a football match wearing a thick winter coat over my polo shirt, but with no sweater.  By the time the match was over I was so cold that I declared it to be a 'Susan-in-Poland' moment, and once home immediately ran a hot bath.  Feeling really cold was the link to this friend, through the story of her chilling experience.

In summary, then, my mission is to identify everyday moments in such terms that, when they happen in the lives of my readers, they might call to mind a particular facet of God's love for them, or of His teaching about some aspect of their lives.

* It is acknowledged that, in this context, words expressing the male gender should be interpreted as including both male and female.