Category: Christianity

THERE’S MORE TO CHRISTIANITY THAN THIS

October 31, 2023 /

AN INSIPID CREED THAT FAILS TO RECORD HISTORIC FACTS: SURELY THERE’S MORE TO CHRISTIANITY THAN THIS?

 

Surfer Free Clipart

Somehow or another the following declaration has been incorporated into our morning church worship. The congregation is invited “Let us declare our faith in God in the words of the creed” by saying these words:-

We believe in God the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named.

We believe in God the Son, who lives in our hearts through faith, and fills us with his love.

We believe in God the Holy Spirit, who strengthens us with power from on high.

We believe in one God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Amen.[1]

This version of the creed is authorised for use by the Church of England but it is a pallid relative of the real thing. This matters. My first exposure to institutional Christianity was aged 7 in a small parish church in Broadstairs, Kent. Each week Matins from the Book of Common Prayer was followed including the recitation of the Apostle’s Creed.

I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth:
And in Jesus Christ his only Son our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, Born of the Virgin Mary, Suffered under Pontius Pilate, Was crucified, dead, and buried: He descended into hell; The third day he rose again from the dead; He ascended into heaven, And sitteth on the right hand of God the Father Almighty; From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
I believe in the Holy Ghost; The holy Catholick Church; The Communion of Saints; The Forgiveness of sins; The Resurrection of the body, And the Life everlasting. Amen.

I’m not pretending that I found this gripping at the time, all the time.  Some of the time my attention was directed to the urgent business of ripping off a button to put into the collection bag so that I could pocket the threepenny bit that was intended for that purpose but which I intended for fish and chips.  Even when not diverted I didn’t understand all of it, but I understood enough to get an idea of the core of what Christians believed. Coming from a Jewish home a lot of it was news to me. I’m grateful for the weekly repetition of this concise statement of faith. It burned its way into my memory and has provided plenty of nourishment. Today, over half a century later, it still does. Comparing this with the emaciated version any child at church would have heard last Sunday I am struck by the inadequacy of the new liturgy.

To the uninitiated, the new version tells us next to nothing about Jesus. His name does not feature. You would never know that there was a real person called Jesus who lived and died at a particular historical time: i.e. when Pontius Pilate was in power. The incarnation is not so much as hinted at in the new version, yet without it Christianity collapses. A declaration of faith which omits the incarnation, the crucifixion and the resurrection is not just missing a few incidental points it is missing the point.  Sustaining a Christian life on this basis would be like trying to cross the channel in a ship without a hull, rudder, motor or mast.  You are not just likely to sink–you are bound to.

What were the Church of England’s liturgy experts thinking when they penned this thin gruel? It manages to be both watered down yet indigestible. Try explaining ‘from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named’ to a passing visitor (or to me for that matter). I know the phrase is taken from Ephesians but that does not tell us much that is readily intelligible about God the Father.

Have we abandoned or lost confidence in the idea that God the Father is Almighty? Do we no longer believe that He is the Maker of heaven and earth? Is it a loss of confidence in these truths that makes us shrink from declaring them? Is this why we are now expected to be content to settle for an obscure jumble of platitudes which repeatedly puts the focus on ‘us’? Thanks but no thanks.  Sadly, a passing visitor may never realise that Christians believe more that remains unsaid by the new version than is referred to in it.

Great care and attention has been taken in formulating the Nicene and Apostle’s creeds. They have withstood the tests of time and informed generation after generation of worshipers. The latest version leaves a vacuum where truth once stood. We should watch out. This vacuum will be filled by ideas falling well outside the orthodox.

  1. https://www.churchofengland.org/prayer-and-worship/worship-texts-and-resources/common-worship/common-material/new-patterns-28 ↑

 

The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ–does it matter?

August 4, 2023 /

I don’t remember the last time “The Transfiguration” was mentioned in my local church. It is not a subject that comes up in everyday conversation and I rarely think about it.  This coming Sunday is nominated in the Church of England lectionary as a memorial for The Transfiguration and the bible readings for the day reflect. (Daniel 7:9-10, 13-14. Psalm 97. 2 Peter 1:16-19 and Luke 9:28-36)[1]. What can I learn from The Transfiguration and why is it that the subject seems to be such a low priority even among Christians?

Forgive me for stating the blindingly obvious: the Transfiguration marks Jesus out as special. It is a difficult story to understand because transfigurations just don’t happen. None of us have seen one or met anyone who has. It is beyond our experience and we are generally skeptical about miracles. The Transfiguration corroborates the biggest miracle of all: the incarnation. Peter, James and John saw Jesus’ appearance change and heard a voice saying “This is my Son, my Chosen One; Listen to him!”   The Transfiguration asks us the question– who do we think Jesus is?  Is he merely a man, or God’s son, His chosen one? It is well worth taking time to ponder this event. Do we accept that it happened or do we think it is made up. Why would anyone make up such an unlikely story? If it happened then we too need to ‘Listen to Him’.

Another obvious observation: the Transfiguration story features Moses and Elijah. The New Testament cannot be understood without reference to the Hebrew Scriptures. And yet our knowledge of Old Testament stories and characters is receding. It is worth taking time and trouble to put this right, however unfashionable this might be. Only by getting to know the old testament can one begin to see God’s purposes being worked out over the centuries and to grasp the coherent over-arching and continuing story of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness. Elijah was taken to heaven alive (2 Kings 2:11) and expected to return before the Messiah.  John the Baptist is often understood to have fulfilled this role. The Jewish people expected a prophet in the manner of Moses to arise (Deuteronomy 18:15-18). Moses and Elijah talk about ‘Jesus’ departure which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem’ (Luke 9:31). A little earlier in the same chapter of Luke, we find Jesus telling the disciples of the death he was about to suffer and that he would be raised from the dead (Luke 9:21-22).  I assume this is what Luke is referring to when he uses the word ‘accomplish’. What is accomplished is the saving of the world by way of Jesus’ death and resurrection. Putting it crudely: the Transfiguration directs us to the person of Jesus and the purpose of Jesus.

The third feature of the story is Peter’s response. Is it possible that he is bewildered and starts talking before he has had time to observe and listen? To suggest building booths might perhaps be an attempt to memorialize what was likely to be a fleeting event. Perhaps similar to building a statue to commemorate someone, something or an event? Or maybe it was equivalent to suggesting the formation of a committee –a gut response that allows us to acknowledge the need for change without actually changing? In any event, Peter’s ideas are cut short by the loud voice that talks across his talking and tells him to ‘listen up’.

We do well to be silent and listen in the presence of the Lord.

  1. Luke 9:28–36 (ESV) — 28 Now about eight days after these sayings he took with him Peter and John and James and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And as he was praying, the appearance of his face was altered, and his clothing became dazzling white. 30 And behold, two men were talking with him, Moses and Elijah, 31 who appeared in glory and spoke of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and those who were with him were heavy with sleep, but when they became fully awake they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 And as the men were parting from him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good that we are here. Let us make three tents, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah”—not knowing what he said. 34 As he was saying these things, a cloud came and overshadowed them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One; listen to him!” 36 And when the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and told no one in those days anything of what they had seen. ↑

 

REFLECTIONS FROM THE COVID EMERGENCY WARD .

May 28, 2020 /

It is now six weeks since kind neighbours gave me a wonderful welcome-home from hospital with balloons flying, bunting flapping, a home-made poster  and even a Union Jack proudly hoisted.   Their kindness to me and my wife has done much to banish my memories of a week in the emergency Covid Ward and my nightmares have now stopped.  I have regained the two stone I lost and, like many others, I’m so keen to get away from the inconvenience of life under lockdown that I’m tempted to forget how bad this virus is and why life under lockdown is worth it.  So here is a blog based upon an email I sent to a friend shortly after I returned home.  It records my raw reflections on my experience which you may find shocking. 

“I have now been home for eight days and am gradually coming to terms with what I experienced in hospital, which was, frankly, traumatic. The hospital was so under-staffed as to be unsafe. Fifty percent of the staff were off sick and it was impossible to replace them all with agency staff. Those agency nurses who were hired had no one to teach them the basics and they were frequently working in areas in which they had no expertise. I spent one night on a general ward when my ability to take in oxygen, even with a mask, was dangerously low and I was moved to an emergency ward for treatment, which involved a machine which forces oxygen into the lungs through a face mask which covers the entire face.

 Not a pleasant procedure, but far worse was the experience of seeing patients die because there was no one to respond when monitoring machines were sounding alarms and knowing that if one was in trouble, it was potluck if there was anyone free to come to the rescue or whether all staff would be unable to respond because they were already dealing with others in a critical state. In short, I quickly realized that the staff were overwhelmed and the fear in their eyes and the trauma they were suffering was not their fault. It was like being in a ship which has been swamped by waves of ever-increasing magnitude whilst the crew were ever decreasing in number.

 Under those conditions I learned that Jesus is real; prayer was not difficult; worship was not difficult (I took great joy and strength from Bach’s ‘St Matthew’s Passion’ on Easter Day whilst on the machine.) After three days on the machine, my prayer had changed from, ‘Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me a sinner,’ to, ‘Lord Jesus, I know you are with me and you can see what’s going on around me and my fear. I’m buggered if I’m going to die here Lord: give me the strength I need to get out of here alive.’  Not likely to become a future congregational classic but short, heart-felt and to the point!

 There were also some God-created moments of grace I could not have manufactured. For example, on day one there was a cock up and I was abandoned in a ‘side ward’ (think cupboard, not intended to take a bed) whilst all my alarms went off and a deafening alarm which no one heard for a very long time. I was only rescued because I WhatsApped a registrar in another hospital and he realized the gravity of the situation and used official channels to speak to the registrar for health in the hospital I was in. This led to the nurse in charge coming to see me and apologising profusely for the fact I had been overlooked. She introduced me to another senior nurse, who was likewise apologetic and, though I could barely speak for lack of breath found myself forgiving and comforting them.  They were pretty upset.  Six days later, on the day before I was sent home, the second nurse mentioned sought me out in the recovery ward and asked me if would return to the hospital to encourage the nurses once I am strong enough. I am now chatting to a few contacts to see if I can line up resources that might offer a counseling / listening service for nurses so that they can know there is somewhere to turn. There were also opportunities to encourage the odd patient and nurses. [I have since discovered that the Samaritans have a hotline dedicated to NHS employees 0300 1317000]

 Coming out of the emergency ward I experienced nightmares so that sleep was difficult. I guess I probably got about one hour’s sleep in total each night I was in hospital so it is not surprising that I was mentally struggling. With each day that passes, and each night of rest I am gradually getting stronger and able to piece things together. I am no longer taking for granted things like a) quietness and peacefulness, b) the freedom to go where one wants when one wants, c) ability to wash oneself, toilet oneself and eat / drink.

 I have long wondered whether many of the evangelical churches, in a well-intentioned effort to be accessible and welcoming to visitors, have gradually become focused on what almost amounts to entertainment rather than presenting a balanced style of worship which includes lament, puzzlement, anger with God, bewilderment and suffering as part of the normal Christian life?  My experience in hospital has again made me wonder how effectively we are preparing followers of Jesus to cope with life crises?  If this pandemic forces us all to get real and look some of these issues in the face that will be all to the good. A recalibration is required. In essence, I think Jesus bluntly and repeatedly warned that He was serving the Father to his death and that his followers serving Him were on the same trajectory (eg: Take up your cross / No servant is greater than his master etc). Do we get that message accross effectively?  If not, the impression may be given that becoming a Christian entitles one to  a ‘get out of jail free’ card against hardship, disappointment and difficulty.  This superficial approach will surely need reassessment by the time COVID-19 has finished. We have seen nothing yet: I fear for those parts of countries such as India, Bangladesh and Africa where social distancing and hand washing are not options…

(A Sunday Times article, complete with pictures, gives a bird’s eye view of the hospital during the same period.)

CLAIMING THE CROWN: A CHRISTIAN RESPONSE TO CORONAVIRUS

March 15, 2020 /

Just as a picture is worth a thousand words so “A great story is worth a thousand theories”.  This is why spin doctors enjoy such influence—they know how to get stories across. It may also be the reason the author of the letter to the Hebrews (to whom I shall now refer as ‘The Author’) seeks to encourage his readers by reminding them of stories of faith. Chapter 11 names many characters from Scripture (Noah, Abraham, Moses, Rahab and the many others) each of whom has a powerful and memorable story attached to him/her which would instantly come to mind when their name was mentioned. Each person named in Chapter 11 stands in relation to faith as Bobby Moore and the rest of the 1966 squad stand in relation to world cup football. You don’t have to have been alive in England in 1966 to know their claim to fame. Thinking of them reminds you of the possibilities of what footballing talent can accomplish. Each name in Chapter 11 would have brought to mind the possibilities of what a life of faith in God can do.

Chapter 12 refers back to the heroes of faith of Chapter 11

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus…

Hebrews 12:1–2

I used to think that this was likening us to athletes who are being cheered on by Abraham, Moses and the others named in Chapter 11 who witness our efforts. I recently learned that this interpretation is very unlikely to be correct. Rather the Author lists people in Chapter 11 who by their loyalty and endurance have borne witness to the possibilities of the life of faith. We are being invited to gain inspiration from those who have come before us: those whose lives of faith witness to us of the possibilities of a life of faith.

If you were invited to update the list of the faithful in chapter 11  who would you choose to add? I suggest three characters to inspire and encourage you. It’s very likely that most of us will soon find ourselves with 7 days’ or more isolation to fill and the first two nominations are therefore people you can read about (or download the books I shall mention on ‘Audible’ and have them read to you).

The first nomination you can read about in the prize-winning auto biography “Hillbilly Elegy” by James Vance. My nominee is James’ grandmother who provides the constant love and encouragement that allowed her grandson to survive and then flourish notwithstanding multiple social problems, including growing up surrounded by drug addiction, alcoholism and poverty. In her own quiet way, her day by day prayerful and loving support for her grandson made all the difference to his life.

 

 

My second nomination is Patricia, the mother of Trevor Noah who you can read about in his autobiography “Born a Crime.” She is a woman of rare wisdom whose faith in Jesus is inspirational. If you consider her example, the book will not only make you laugh it will also encourage you.

 

 

 

My third nomination is this unpromising looking man: Martin Rinckart. In 1637 he was Archdeacon of the small town of Eilenburg in Germany. It was overcrowded with people seeking shelter from war which was raging all about. Already poor, he and his family were forced to share their crowded home with soldiers billeted upon him by occupying Swedish forces.  Then plague and famine struck. The town had three clergymen. The plague killed one and caused another to flee the town.  Martin was left and he, together with the Mayor and one other citizen organised what relief they could for the desperate inhabitants of the town. By then Martin was living in poverty having given away everything to help his flock (his wife had died from the plague). He continued to visit the sick and dying, though the plague took a frightful toll. He buried over 4,000. Martin survived and died aged 63 in 1649. Today, if he is remembered at all, it is for writing this Hymn:

Now thank we all our God
with heart and hands and voices,
who wondrous things has done,
in whom this world rejoices;
who from our mothers’ arms
has blessed us on our way
with countless gifts of love,
and still is ours today.

O may this bounteous God
through all our life be near us,
with ever joyful hearts
and blessed peace to cheer us,
and keep us in his grace,
and guide us when perplexed,
and free us from all ills
in this world in the next.

That’s what keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus can do. How else could one emerge from war, famine, bereavement and plague with a thankful heart and a mind directed to worship? Martin remained eager to listen to God and be guided by Him — hence the prayer that God would ‘guide us when perplexed’.

In the space of a few weeks Corona Virus has suspended our normal way of life. Until the virus struck it was easy to live with the illusion that we are in control of our own destinies.  In recent years, many commentators have been observing a drift away from what one might call a ‘we society’—that is a society where communities look after each other and support each other, to a ‘me society’ (where the right of the individual to choose for him or herself trumps everything else)[1]. In such a society individual ‘autonomy’ is elevated to the status of a right and the community assumes a subordinate position. Parallel with this there is a fashion for looking inwards to answer the question ‘How can I find a fulfilled life?’

Coronavirus challenges these trends. It reminds us that we need each other and can only survive by cooperating with each other. (The policy of self isolation relies on people acting for the common good rather than continuing as normal). It reminds us that there are some things that are bigger than individual rights and that we are not in control. Ultimately it pointedly reminds each of us that we are mortal.

To suddenly find oneself helpless in the face of such a virus is frightening. To see yards of empty supermarket shelving because of panic-buying reinforces fear. To be fed incessant news coverage of Coronavirus tends to warp one’s perspective and further ramps up fear. Best to limit one’s exposure to the news cycle.

“Coronavirus” gets its name from the Latin ‘Corona’ meaning Crown. The name’s already been taken. James writes

12 Blessed is the one who remains steadfast under trial, for when he has stood the test he will receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him.

James 1:12

Every time I hear someone mention Coronavirus or read about it, I now deliberately bring to mind the Crown of Life. The Holy Spirit tells the Church at Smryna “Be faithful unto death and I will give you the Crown of Life”. Rev 2:10.   Why not bring to mind the Crown of Life that is promised to you whenever you see or hear Coronavirus mentioned.  It’s a small way to turn the mention of an epidemic into a blessing.

In Heb 13:14 the Author writes “14 For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” Death is but the entry to that City.

40 For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day.” John 6:40 (ESV)[2]

This virus may bring havoc yet unseen and cancel events we thought were fixtures, but there is one fixture that will never be erased: Easter Day can’t be unwritten. Death is not the end. Jesus has seen to that. Death could not hold Him.

It is very likely that some of us will find ourselves with 7 days or more of isolation to cope with. For many, this will be a very strange and possibly lonely experience. Why not make a decision now that you will devote part of that period of isolation to listening to what God might be saying to you. You might try using the app “Pray As You Go” or “Lectio 365” according to your taste. You might try praying for others, particularly those who live in countries with no health service, or those in financial difficulty because of the virus. The wise time to start mentally preparing yourself for isolation is before you need to be isolated and whilst you are feeling well. Why not ask your friends what podcasts or talks they find encouraging and useful?  Get them to send them to you so that you have a back catalogue to listen to—7 days could feel like a long time.

A second derivation for the word ‘Corona’ is the Greek word “Korone” meaning the garland or wreath associated with the prize given to athletes at the end of a race.

 

When the Author tells us to ‘run with perseverance the race marked out for us’[3] I doubt it is an individual pursuit that he necessarily has in mind. Isn’t it much more likely that what he has in mind is something akin to this[4]:-

This is Matthew Rees in the T-shirt with green stripes choosing to forfeit a personal best time by slowing down to assist a stranger from a rival running club, David Wyeth. Rees told Wyeth, “Come on, we can do this” and together they crossed the finishing line.

Coronavirus is an opportunity to make a small shift away from the “I society” towards a “We Society”. It is an opportunity to “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ” (Gal 6:2). This is an opportunity to show our neighbours what the love of Jesus looks: like by serving them and each other. It might mean making supportive phone calls to someone to ensure that they have the basic supplies they need at home. It might mean shopping for them. How are people to experience the love of Jesus if we keep it to ourselves?

  1. See for e.g. Robert D Putnam: “Bowling Alone” and Jonathan Sacks ‘morality: Restoring The Common Good In Divided Times’ ↑
  2. See also John 11:25, John 3:16-17 and John 5:24 ↑
  3. “Therefore, …, let us …run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus” Hebrews 12:1–2 see above for full verse. ↑
  4. See Hebrews 12:12–14 (ESV) 12 Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, 13 and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. This suggests a cooperative effort rather than ‘everyone for themselves’. ↑
  5. This blog is adapted from a sermon on Hebrews given at St Stephen’s Church, Twickenham on 15/03/2020

 

Verified by ExactMetrics