Popmaster

Recently, I told the church family at St Gregory's about my love of Popmaster with Ken Bruce. It has been running since 1988, almost as many years as I've been alive - and most of the songs which feature in the quiz were popular long before I was around. As a consequence, I rarely get any questions right - and yet, each day, when my diary allows, I like to sit and listen to it and try.

 

There's something in this small, faithful habit that I find strangely comforting - the act of showing up, not because I'll get it right, but simply because I want to be present to it. Sometimes, I get an answer right, and oh the joy I feel!

 

I wonder if that's not unlike our life of faith. We don't come to God because we have all the answers. Sometimes we get it right, but often we don't - but still we are called to come, day after day, imperfect and often stumped, simply because we love Him and want to be in His presence.

 

Ken has been a faithful presence on the radio for most of my life - he has been a comfort - but I know he won't host that quiz forever. This is where the analogy ends - because unlike Ken, God does promise to be faithful to the end of my life - to always be there. All he asks of us is to turn up and try again. To know we are loved regardless of whether the day means we feel like we've got all the answers, or if it's a day when we get none of them right.

 

The bible reminds us that "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning." — Lamentations 3:22-23

 

Whatever kind of day this is for you - a day of answers, or a day of blank looks and shrugged shoulders - may you know that you are held by a love that does not depend on your performance. You don't have to get it right. You just have to show up. And He will meet you there, faithful as ever, every single morning.

More with Less

I don’t know if you’ve watched the BBC’s mockumentary ‘W1A’ – there is a new series at the moment, and when it was originally on TV it was one of our favourites. There is a moment when they have a strategy meeting described as ‘more of less’ – the idea being, apparently, that they should establish what they do best and find fewer ways of doing more of it for less.

For those of us who have worked in corporate environments, this sort of talk is a little bit close to the bone – and we will have probably found ourselves in meetings where doing more of or with less is proposed as vital for an organisation’s success.

The fact is, life can sometimes feel a bit like this, however – whether its our finances which need to stretch further and further – or our physical, or even our emotional energy – we are often asked to do more with less.

This morning, in the bible in a year, we reached the story of Gideon. If you don’t know it, we find it in Judges 6, where Gideon is called to to lead God’s people to defeat a huge army (the Midianites) who were not being particularly kind. At first Gideon has his own huge army (over 22k men) and God tells him to send all but 300 of them home. Why? Because God doesn’t want them to say “my own strength saved me.”

I have often found it is when I come to the end of our my resources that we realise we need to rely on God. Each time it happens, I wonder if it might have been easier to rely on him from the start. 

If, today, you feel the need to do more with less – that your resources are running low – be reminded of Gideon, who defeated the Midianites with a tiny army – not because of anything they had, but because of the one who was with them. That same God is with you today.

Power

I’ve been thinking a lot about power this week. Perhaps it's watching arguably the world's most famous monarch meet one of the world's most powerful men. Perhaps it's the ongoing coverage of the misuse of power both in public office and the appalling abuse of power by a minority towards others.

Before I moved here, I went on some residential training, at which we were invited to explore the power we hold. It was eye-opening to say the least. Whoever we are, wherever we are, we all hold power to change the culture around, to speak life to others, to influence. How we choose to use that power is very often up to us.

Fortunately, however, we have an excellent role model in Jesus. One who spoke truth, who looked for the vulnerable, who cared. There is even better news, summed up in the words of one of my favourite songs ‘kingdoms rise and fall but there is still one king reigning over all’. The one who is an excellent role model remains king over all things.

Night Sky

I wonder if you managed to spot any of the meteor showers this week. Sadly, it was too late for me, but I saw some stunning photographs that my friends took. As I was looking at them, I was reminded of what I consider to be one of the most throwaway lines in the bible. In the creation story of Genesis 1, verse 16 simply says, "he made the stars also". I always read this as "oh yeah, and he did that as well" - and yet, especially in our rural settings, the stars that we see are such beautiful and wonderful things. Over the years, they have been studied and observed; they have helped navigation, and some even believed they told the future. David's Psalm 8 is a bit more appreciative - "When I consider … the moon and the stars… what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?

 

There is something profoundly humbling in that question. The God who scattered billions of stars across the heavens - almost as an afterthought - is the same God who knows your name and notices you, your joys and your worries. This scale is impossible to hold in our minds - but perhaps that is the point. The night sky reminds us how small we are, and yet we are minded, cared for, and known.

Expectations... again

In my quiet time this morning, I've reached Luke 9 - the feeding of the 5000, a story you probably know really well, but just in case:

Late in the afternoon the Twelve came to him and said, “Send the crowd away so they can go to the surrounding villages and countryside and find food and lodging, because we are in a remote place here.” He replied, “You give them something to eat." They answered, “We have only five loaves of bread and two fish—unless we go and buy food for all this crowd.” (About five thousand men were there.) But he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” The disciples did so, and everyone sat down. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke them. Then he gave them to the disciples to distribute to the people. They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over.

Verse 13 (in bold) stood out to me this morning as I reflected on this passage. It's not a verse I've ever spent time thinking over before, I'm usually too excited to get on to the miracle of God's provision through the feeding of these 5000 people in this most extraordinary way.

It would be easy to pass this verse off as Jesus not really understanding the situation. The disciples come to Him with a problem - Jesus gives them what He thinks is the solution - they tell Him 'well that won't work' and He says 'oh, ok let's do it this way' (paraphrase) - but I think there is something more to this verse.

Jesus' command to the disciples here is very clear and very simple -  "You give them something to eat". He knows they aren't currently hiding a couple of containers of fish and bread backstage. He can see quite clearly, that there are many thousands of people needing food. He see's and knows full well the issues that are facing them - and yet still He says "You give them something to eat".

The issue here is not that Jesus doesn't grasp the severity of the situation, but that the disciples don't understand the authority and power they have in it.  Jesus' expectation of what the disciples can do in this passage is far higher than the disciples own expectations of themselves. Jesus is gracious, and takes them, step by step through the process - but his intention at the outset was clear - they should have enough faith in Him, and what He could do through them simply to get on and feed the people.

I don't think we can lay too much blame at the feet of the disciples here for their initial lack of faith. How often do we feel God calling us to do something but our response is to say "oh no, no, no God, you've got it wrong, I can't do that. I could maybe do this bit - which looks like what you're asking of me, but not that - it's too much. You don't understand my limitations."

For me, this was a reminder (again) - that Christ is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. (Eph 3). 

After reading this I found myself listening to this relatively new song 'Yet not I but through Christ in me' - if you feel like listening, then maybe ask God (as I did this morning) to re-open the eyes of your heart, so that you might see Him and what His power at work in us is able to achieve. 

 

Here we go again

I doubt many of us were surprised by the announcements yesterday. As we've watched the news and seen the infection rate going up, and so sadly the death rate with it - we've probably all been expecting another lockdown for a little while. 

And yet... perhaps just for me, it has the danger of feeling a bit exhausting, overwhelming and painful. I dislike the phrase "the new normal" but if there is something which is consistent in this season, it's that very little seems to be consistent. 

One of the biggest surprises this week is, if I'm honest, that Jess and I moved into the house without anyone getting ill, or the house being unavailable, or the movers ending up in Southampton or Southport - or some other such unexpected change. Everything went normally and according to plan - and as I sit here reflecting on the week, it's sad how unusual that is in this season of life.

For those of us following Bible in one year, the NT reading is from Hebrews today.

For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. This passage is speaking of God's faithfulness. In a season of inconsistency, of change, of insecurity - there is one we can look to who is constant, never changing, and at the foundation of all.

I preached my final sermon at St Paul's a few weeks ago on trust (you can listen here) and as part of that I shared a picture I was given by a friend who had been praying for me in this season. The picture was of me crossing a river on stepping stones, at night, in a deep fog. It was possible, most of the time, to see the stone just ahead, but not the ones beyond. This picture spoke so clearly to me, and I expect it may to others as well. 

The reality is, this season, if it's teaching us anything, it's that we need to be careful who or indeed what we are putting our hope in, what are we trusting. If we feel our foundations are being rocked - God is calling us, once again to lift our eyes to Him, to hear His voice and to know His leading and His faithfulness. 

Perhaps we need, once again, to draw near to the one who speaks - through His word. Words of life, words of hope, words of light - word's which give us promise that His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Hebrews reminds us, not to harden our hearts to Him - but to hear Him, and to know His calling, and ultimately to trust Him.

Throughout this last few weeks, I've not been able to get the below song out of my head. It's a bit old now, but it's words ring true today. There IS a light shining that the darkness doesn't understand.

Let's, today be people of light, people of hope, people who place our hope and trust in God - and "Know therefore that the Lord your God is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and steadfast love with those who love him and keep his commandments, to a thousand generations" (Deut. 7:9) Amen

There's a battle raging over this land

A deep damage in the people

But pride stops us

Stretching out our withered hand

But God has stretched out to heal us

This I know this I know

This I know this I know

 

That just one touch from the King

Changes ev'rything

Just one touch from the King

Changes ev'rything (ev'rything)

 

There's a great darkness over this land

A deep darkness on the people

But a light is shining

That the dark can't understand

The Light of the world King Jesus

Do you know do you know

Do you know do you know

 

Oh land oh land oh land

Hear the Word of the Lord

Oh land oh land oh land

Hear the Word of the Lord

What are you expecting?

I've been on the verge of writing this blog for about 6 months - but the time has never quite felt right. As we announced my new role a week or so ago, I now feel peace about sharing a few things with you about the calling I've sensed into the role, and what it's taught me about Prophesy.

 

Back in December I preached (fairly badly in my opinion) on Isaiah 10, and I talked about prophesy often having multiple purposes. The prophesies of Isaiah were about a number of seasons and times, the time he found himself in (his present day), the time of Jesus, our present day (some 2000 years later) and a time which is yet to come (which we can read about in Revelation). As we read them, a bit like a focus of a camera lens, we can see the same picture but in different ways. 

 

There are a number of purposes to this prophesy, firstly to declare God’s displeasure and judgement on what He sees around Him and to turn God’s people away from their sin and disobedience. But I believe one of the primary purposes of this (and any) prophesy, is to speak of a future hope and promise (see 1 Cor 14:3).

 

I've been talking a little bit recently about a survey I did a number of years ago, where the question was asked of a church congregation "do you believe that God will move more powerfully in the future than He has in the past?". Overwhelming the congregation said no. Let the reader understand that this church (which I love) had been heavily influenced by John Wimber's ministry - and had seen massive moves of God amongst them 20 years earlier. Since then, they had seen much less of this visible power, and had allowed their ongoing experiences to dictate their expectations. 

 

And so often this is the case -  we allow our experiences to dictate what we are expecting - rather than what we know of God through His word.

 

Maybe there is a little wisdom in this; 'it stops you getting hurt' you might say, but are we, as a consequence, missing out on allowing God to move powerfully amongst us?

 

How many times have you prayed for someone to be healed, for example? Wimber himself, famously prayed for over 100 people to be healed before he saw the first person healed. How did he feel after attempt number 98? Imagine if he had given up after attempt number 99?

 

The purpose of today's blog is not to think too deeply about why we sometimes see God work powerfully, and sometimes don't (I've blogged about that previously). It's to ask myself and perhaps you the question - what are you expecting? And, crucially, what is setting that expectation?

 

I sensed the call to St Jude's back in June last year - I have a text message sent to my prayer triplet on the day to prove it! So many times over the last 14 months (since then) the Lord has reminded me of that call in some quite extraordinary ways. And yet, lots of people told me it probably wasn't going to happen. I was strongly encouraged to apply for other roles and was advised not to pin all, if any, of my hopes on this one position.

 

So good were my wise counsel of friends in this issuing of advice, that I began to believe it - as we went on holiday in early June I even began to wonder if it was worth me going to the interviews at all - so convinced was I becoming of the 'world's' expectations.

 

The Lord, in His graciousness, reminded me of my own talk from last Christmas, and asked me the questions, I had asked others at the time - what are you expecting? Are you allowing prophesy to speak truth over experience in your life?

 

I spent time in Romans 4 that day which (abridged) says this:

 

"Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed... Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had power to do what he had promised."

 

Corrected by the graciousness of God, I returned to believing that the Lord was indeed calling me into this role, and went to the interviews (obviously!) He continued to be gracious and faithful - right up-to and including the day of the interviews themselves, with more remarkable signs that this was what he was calling me to. 

 

My calling to St Paul’s was very similar and equally remarkable. One thing which I believe to be true (perhaps obviously) is that doing as God calls is without question the best thing we can do – not always the easiest thing, but most certainly the best. Knowing this gives me a real sense of excitement for St Jude’s as I prepare to join them as vicar – nervous excitement – but excitement none-the-less.  On the day of the interviews a praying friend encouraged me with 1 Thes 5:24 “The one who calls you is faithful, and He will do it.” – If God calls, our response should be obedience and a commitment to believing His voice, knowing that He is faithful and He will do it.

 

Isaiah proclaimed God's hope and future promise to an unbelieving generation. He tried to turn people's eyes away from the world, and its expectations - and to what God was saying. So, dear reader (if you're still there) - I ask you the same questions today.

 

What are you expecting?

What is directing those expectations? Is it your experiences or is it God's word?

Are you expecting to see God to move more powerfully in the future than He has in the past?

 

Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed. 

 

I want to commit not only to listening to God (something I've done for a long time now) but to believing what He says - and so setting my expectations not on my experiences, but on His word.

 

(Below - a prophetic painting, by Jess - and our first attempt at the real thing)