Fathers and Sons

The lessons appointed for the Sunday after Christmas could seem to some a trifle strange.  While we are still savouring the plum pudding, and anticipating further helpings of turkey disguised as curry or risotto as those interminable stocks of sprouts and other vegetables are slowly eaten away, the church liturgy has moved on apace, and last Sunday’s lesson told us about Jesus as a teenager.  The inspiration for this article came from my experience at the early service.

The final verses of St Luke chapter 2 tell of annual pilgrimage made by Joseph and Mary to the temple in Jerusalem.  I can’t say why, but the first two words of that passage, “Every year ...” (v.41) took my mind back at least thirty years, to my father’s description of one of his own early memories.  At the age of three, his family moved from the village where he was born but, in his seventies, he was still able to describe a trip to the chapel anniversary in a larger village some three or four miles away.  Clearly to all involved this was an important annual event.

Later in the reading we heard Luke’s narrative of Jesus staying behind in the temple when his parents left for home.  After realising that he wasn’t with the party and then eventually finding him, Mary protested about his absence from them (v.49) ... possibly a reaction to the anxiety of the search.  It was time for yours truly to have another reminiscence.

When my son was about seven, he came with me on an outing to the seaside.  While I was chatting with my friends, Mike went exploring.  Long before I was aware that he was no longer with us, he was out of sight.  Once we realised he was missing, a general search was organised to find him and it was probably only minutes before one of my friends walked up with the lad hand-in-hand.  It was long enough for me to imagine all sorts of tragedy, however; not least how I might explain to his mother why I’d come home without him!

There is just that one glimpse in the Gospels’ otherwise complete silence about the period between the manger in Bethlehem to Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan, (Matt. 3:13; Mark 1:9).  We can imagine, though, that it was from Joseph, His earthly ‘father’, that he learned the skills that made him ‘wholly man’.  Meanwhile, as Luke explained in these verses (Luke 2:49) He was in His Father’s house, learning the spiritual truths that made Him so strong in His later life as He confronted the misguided ways of the world.

I’m sure each of us, as we reflect upon our own lives, can think of a key individual - whether male or female; perhaps more than one person - from whom we learned the key elements of the beliefs we now hold ... or indeed share with others.  Maybe, as we pass this significant moment of starting a new year, it’s a good time to give thanks for those who have been ‘spiritual fathers’ to us.

The 'Bertrimoutier Challenge'

A year or so ago, I wrote here about my adventures some while ago in the Vosges, and reflected on my decision to ease gently into retirement whilst purchasing and getting to know the ins and outs of a small motor-caravan.  In examining my aims and aspirations as I should use this asset, I concluded that a definite challenge would be posed by talking to people and enjoying fellowship with them. I resolved that, while not taking myself too seriously, I should avoid foolish chit-chat and unsubstantiated criticism.  At the end of the post, I dared myself to report back here.  So now, a year later, I’m rising to my own challenge.  Has having the motor-caravan helped me overcome my perceived difficulty chatting to people? 

I undertook four expeditions during the summer, three each of two nights and a week during June comprising three more two-night stops.  The last two of these events fall broadly into the ‘failure’ box, as regards chatter.  In one situation I was the only camper there, and went purposely to eliminate distractions in order to complete a particular piece of work in a quiet, concentrated and deliberate manner.  In the other, although there were a number of other vehicles present, most of the other visitors spent the daytime away from the site.  That said, I did chat on the final morning with the couple on the adjacent pitch.  They only stayed for the one night there, and just beat me to the exit as they made their way home from France to Staffordshire.

My first trip, just after Easter, was a good initiation into the programme, and having deliberately set myself to smile and/or nod to each other camper I passed, I felt satisfied with the result.  The June trip was planned to incorporate a visit to the Bible Society’s recently opened visitor centre at Llanycil on the shores of Lake Bala, called Mary Jones World.  It commemorates the 26-mile walk by a fifteen-year-old girl in 1800 in order to buy her own copy of the Bible.  It was this feat that inspired the foundation four years later of what became the Bible Society.  I had made contact in advance with the manager, Nerys Siddall and after a brief chat with her during my visit, I felt confident to offer a single word of Welsh over the heads of other visitors as I took my leave. 

It was Nerys who had suggested the site where I stayed.  This was right next to the preserved railway, and I chatted one morning to one of the volunteers there, as he painted a signal post by the platform.  There were also two conversations on the site, one with the owner, as he rested from repairing a piece of the fence, and the other with one of the few other campers, as we walked back together from the shower block.

These specific camping incidences might seem trivial in themselves, but they form part of a broader pattern of increased involvement with others during the year, as I have made a conscious effort to recover the jovial interlocutor that I was in past times.  That’s not to say there isn’t still some way to go.  It was with some apprehension, for example, that a couple of weeks ago I put myself in the position of attending a social function where I had reason to believe that I would know no one else present.  I confess that I was glad to discover at least three others from my own church there, and one of them acted as a willing conduit enabling me to join in.

Even a personal post like this cannot pass without a look at Scripture, of course, and my first quotation is particularly apposite to that last experience.  Jesus spoke about sending His disciples out as sheep among wolves, and told them, inter alia, “do not worry about what to say or how to say it.  At that time you will be given what to say.” (Matt. 10:16-19).  More generally illustrative is God’s dealing with the reluctant Moses (Exodus ch.4), which culminates in Aaron being appointed as his mouthpiece, “I will help both of you speak, and will teach you what to do.” (v. 15).  And final encouragement comes as to Jeremiah, where God says to him, “Go to everyone I send you to and say whatever I command you.” (Jer. 1:7).

These verses are not only reassuring for me in my hesitation about speaking, but to us all, for from time to time we all come up against situations where we know we should say something, but aren’t quite sure how it might be received.  It’s then that we should take strength from such words as these, and remember that our Lord is with us - not just in heart, but also in mouth - whatever we’re faced with - for it’s on these occasions more than ever that we’re speaking for Him.

Ready for the Journey

Whether it’s a  visit to someone else’s home for a festival or celebration, or a fortnight’s summer holiday, when the whole family goes away, it’s a major planning exercise to make sure that nothing gets overlooked, and that everyone has all they will need ... even if only for a long weekend.

Life itself is a journey, of course; and my life-journey is passing a significant crossroads just now.  I’m retiring from my career as a courier and life is entering a new phase, one of a little more leisure, a little less discipline, and hopefully a bit more enjoyment ... that’s not to say that it’s been devoid of enjoyment thus far, of course.  This new phase of life will bring with it a little less financial security, and also the need for a degree more self-discipline if the days are not to flutter by in a haze of non-achievement, and a sense of purpose to make it all worthwhile.  And, with a motor-caravan parked outside, there will hopefully be some travel as well.

Naturally, the Bible has much advice about journeys - my concordance offers over 80 references to just the word ‘journey’, without other related words like ‘travel’, ‘go’, ‘pass’, and so on.  Many of these are in the Old Testament, and are connected with the Israelites’ wanderings in the desert.  One in particular caught my eye.  We are reminded that they were God’s chosen people, whom he loved and looked after, when we read, “I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared.” (Exodus 23:20).  No dodgy SatNav for them; no risk of landslides or falling bridges; and those blessings are ours too, for we now understand that He loves us all, when we put our trust in Him.

One thing that is essential, whether we travel in car or on foot, is to make sure that we eat properly.  This may mean taking sandwiches and a flask; it may mean making sure that there is a service station en route; it could be as simple as having a decent breakfast before setting out.  Many a disaster is caused by feeling faint, tired or weary when travelling.  Elijah was exhausted and thoroughly demoralised after his run-in with the prophets of Baal.  During his flight, he slept under a bush, and was woken by an angel, who said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” (I Kings 19:7).  The angel had provided food and drink for him.

When Ezra was about to lead the Israelites from exile back to Jerusalem, he called them all together by the canal before setting out, “... so that we might humble ourselves before our God and ask him for a safe journey for us and our children, with all our possessions.” (Ezra 8:21).  If we are setting out on a long journey, especially one that is dangerous or that has a special purpose, do we begin it with prayer?  If not, can we say why not?

One of the delights of travel, and one that I shall miss in my retirement, is seeing the rich variety of all that this world has to offer, even in this island of Britain on which I live.  Isaiah (ch.42, v.5) reminds us that the Lord is “the creator of the heavens, who stretches them out, who spreads out the earth with all that springs from it, who gives breath to its people, and life to those who walk on it.”  

What more do we need, to make our journey worthwhile?

Breaking up

It may have been a poor signal, or some kind of interference.  The woman I was talking to on my mobile phone said, ‘You’re breaking up’.  A few days later I rang her again, and the response was the same.  Her words were a kind of 'shorthand'; what she meant was simply ‘I can’t hear you’, or ‘the signal is intermittent’.  I was intrigued by this form of words, and began thinking about them a slightly different way.

When you’re speaking on the phone, you are communicating with someone.  They think of the person they’re listening to, not specifically your voice, or the electronic apparatus that brings your words to them.  To the man or woman at the other end of the line, you and your voice and the words you speak are one entity.  Let’s take it a stage further.  The words you speak - unless you are making a joke - usually reflect what you think or believe.  At least, it’s reasonable to expect that the people you talk to will take it as such.

And that’s what is important.  How well the other party understands your communication determines how well they will know you.  You and your words are one to them.  We must be careful to ensure that what we say to others reflects what we really hold dear … all the time.  Look at James 3:5-12 and Ephesians 4:29 to see even more clearly how vital this is.

So complete was Jesus’ humanity that, as he hung on the Cross, He too seemed to experience this ‘breaking up’ phenomenon.  He bore in His body the pain and agony of execution, and in His heart the injustice that it wasn’t for any wrong that He had done.  Did it appear to Jesus as He quoted words from Psalm 22: “My God, why have you forsaken me?” that His prayers weren’t getting through to His heavenly Father?

There are times when we all feel like that.  Our prayers don’t seem to be answered.  It’s at such times that we have to trust others.  Usually in our most desperate situations there are others who are praying for us - or who would do so if only we were bold enough to ask them - and their prayers will bear us up.  Another aspect of trust is encapsulated in that famous rhyme Footprints: “You could only see one pair of footprints during the bad times, because that was when I was carrying you!” 

If at times you feel that God’s voice is ‘breaking up’, try to remember that He is still there.  Think of Jesus’ words, “I am with you always - to the very end of the age” (Mt. 28:20).

Spick and Span

I’ve been thinking about cleaning.  With a whole week in front of me, when I wasn’t working, but had no specific plans, it seemed a good time to apply myself to an autumn clean of my flat.  I confess that it’s something about which I always have great reluctance, partly due to conditioning by my ex-wife, who had high expectations in this direction, and insisted that it was completed as a preliminary to any weekend excursion. It seemed that this was a sort of ‘payment in advance’ for the enjoyment to follow ... which I resented.  Many years later, I realise that - quite apart from the health aspects - I also have a responsibility to maintain the condition of my surroundings ... it’s a form of stewardship. 

Often when I think of housekeeping, the words ‘who sweeps a room as for thy laws’ come to mind, and today I tracked it down.  Written by George Herbert (1593-1633), it’s part of a poem called ‘The Elixir’, which has come down to us as the familiar hymn ‘Teach me, my God and King’.  Herbert was born in Wales, the eighth or ninth of ten children.  His biographer describes his aims as ‘careful self-scrutiny rather than rhetorical pronouncement’, characterised by humility and integrity, not a yearning for celebrity.  His father died before he reached the age of four, so it’s no surprise that he was devoted to his mother, who was an astute manager of the family’s fortunes, and also took a keen interest in her children’s spiritual education.

It’s worth reading all through that hymn if you have the time, for in its simple verses it underlines the importance of perceiving God in everything we see and do in life, however humble and mundane ... which happens to be a neat summary of the aim of these articles!

I can’t leave the topic of cleaning without offering a couple more thoughts.  Sometimes cleaning can be carried out as a by-product of meeting another need, such as looking for something (Luke 15:8).  If a lot of clutter has accumulated, it can obscure an item that has been lost.  This is not just true in material things, but in spiritual matters too of course, so it’s important from time to time to put a determined effort into removing clutter from our devotions, prayers and worship, and refocus on the important core aim of drawing closer to God.

But, like using the more aggressive cleaning compounds without gloves, any cleaning operation carries with it a health and safety warning (Luke 11:25).  If the rubbish has been thrown out, the corners where it lurked are now empty, and there’s only one thing to do with an empty corner, whether it’s in a room or in our lives ...

Let’s be sure we re-fill with the good stuff!

The Right Click

Computers are so much part of our lives these days that it’s hard to imagine life without them.  It’s my belief that everything in life has something to teach us if only we look at it in the right way (through the right eyes?); so what can the computer offer?  Having just changed mine, I’m thinking of that dimension more clearly just now.  Like many laptop users, I think, I find that pad thingy at the front somewhat awkward, and prefer the ‘old-fashioned’ mouse.  It’s comforting, as well as easier, to feel at my fingertips that familiar left- and right-click.

As almost everyone knows, the left click is the one that actually does the work, in effect telling the computer, ‘Yes, I want to take this step.’  The right click, meanwhile, is arguably more powerful, in that it brings up on the screen a menu of useful ‘control’ options appropriate to the particular task you are trying to do.

Wouldn’t life be much smoother if we could be presented in the same way with a selection of options when we have to make an important decision?  My girl friend is crying: should I speak tenderly to her, advise her briskly to ‘pull herself together’, or say nothing, and wait for her to explain what is wrong?  My colleagues aren’t talking to me: was it something I said yesterday, or have I had one too many ‘business lunches’ with the boss?  The TV’s stopped working: do I call in the engineer, buy a new set from the store, or chat to the chap down the road who’s got several in his garage?  Even easier would be a selection of options where the best choice is already highlighted, and we simply have to say ‘yes’.

What we often forget (may not even realise) is that for so many of life’s crisis points, large and small, a source of useful options is available.  Often it is to be found gathering dust on the bookshelf ... the BIBLE.  As we riffle through its pages we can find guidelines that will fit almost every situation in life.  Look, for example, at Peter’s second letter, chapter 2.  Here we find potential answers to many world situations, as well as to common questions about our conduct in social scenarios: what to say, how to behave. 

How many of us question these matters at all, but simply let things happen?  If we were to look at some of the ‘right-click’ options, and reflect on what effect they might have if we tried them, perhaps we could influence the world around us for the better.  Conversely, if we think before we speak - or consider some of these ‘right-click’ options - we may say something quite different, or even decide not to open our mouth at all!

There are also warnings of stiff penalties for those who don’t heed the advice that is offered.  But don’t leave it until a time of need to look for the menu.  You know where the button is ... right click NOW!

Going Back

My cousin and I were talking about holidays.   She’d discovered how expensive was a particular option, and was now considering returning again to the same resort that had welcomed her for the last couple of years.  I was adamant that I would not go back anywhere, citing a place in the south of France where I’d been some years ago with my then girl-friend.  Relationships changed; the following year I returned alone. It was an experience that had done nothing but enhance my loneliness.

I’ve since realised that my general claim, based as it was on a single unwise decision, was unfounded, and I recall a number of occasions when I’ve been back to a place that in the past had been the venue of some sadness or disappointment.  At the time I’d referred to these return journeys as ‘laying a ghost’, and the second visit usually brought me pleasure or satisfaction.  So why should I have instinctively responded as I did?  My conclusion is that it was based on fear; but fear of what?  These other instances that I have since recalled have surely proved that such an emotion is unjustified.

In his inaugural address in March 1933, Franklin D Roosevelt said “The only thing we have to fear is ... fear itself.”  Maybe that thought has a wider relevance than we would allow.  There were many people in the Bible who ‘went back’.  Naomi, for example, returned from Moab to Bethlehem (Ruth 1:22); Jonah went back into Nineveh at God’s command (Jonah 3:3); the people of Israel returned to Jerusalem in their thousands after their exile in Babylon (Ezra ch. 2) and, in a way, Jacob’s sons returned to their brother Joseph by travelling to Egypt (Gen. 43:1-15).  In all of these examples the outcome was for good rather than ill: there was no need for fear, even if at the time at least some of them were fearful (Gen. 45:3).

Towards the end of His life on earth, Jesus talked at length to his disciples, explaining just what was going to happen to Him, and how they would be scattered to their own homes.  This clarity must have been daunting to them, but He understood.  “In this world you will have trouble,” He concluded, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

While there is much in the world around us that is uncertain – perhaps most crucially those things that Donald Rumsfeld famously described as ‘unknown unknowns’ – this is one ‘known’ that supersedes all others, and in which we can confidently place all our trust.