Thought for the Month November 2024

Whatever next?

(“to sleep…perchance to dream…”)

As a church organist, I have tended to take All Saints Sunday, the first in November, for granted – put down “For all the saints” on its one annual outing, and be grateful that it is only 8 verses – one modern hymn book has a Saints hymn with 23! This year, though, when Cooksmill offered me the November slot, I decided to focus on the readings for this day, and soon realised that they covered not so much the earthly lives of the various saints, but rather their life after death. Isaiah and Ezra both write of their vision of the kingdom of heaven and, while inevitably this is bound up in and limited by their culture and their humanity, there is so much in common with what Jesus says (and he ought to know!) that their experience demands deeper consideration.

Firstly, what all agree on, is that after death something of our humanity survives. There is sight; there is hearing; there is voice; there is consciousness. There is something of the corporeal – Ezra describes crowns being placed upon the heads of the saints and palms being received by their hands. At the same time, these qualities are different in ways in which John in his first Epistle tells us have yet to be revealed to us. Now we cannot see God; then we shall be like him and shall see him as he is.

Another way in which corporeally we shall be different is that we shall be released from pain and suffering; these are, of course, inevitable adjuncts of our present mortality that will be wiped away. The inevitable language is that of paradox. Eternity is within time and beyond it. We say goodbye to the dead yet they are always with us. We shall never be hungry or thirsty, for the feast in heaven will be one of constant renewal. Or, as E. M. Forster put it: hope exists despite fulfilment, as it will be in heaven.

Our relationship with God will change. Now we are his children; in heaven we shall be acknowledged as his heirs “better than sons or daughters” as Isaiah puts it, inheritors of what as our Father he has destined for us before the world began. As sinners, we will all face judgment; as those who believe in him, we can be assured of his mercy.  For we shall be made perfect, and every earthly barrier to peace and reconciliation will be transcended.

One thing that struck me as I read these lessons was this: Revelation describes heaven as full of people from all tribes and peoples and languages. Isaiah is more specific: he tells Jews that non-Jews will not be separated from God’s people; that, for example, eunuchs and others incapable of fulfilling the Jewish rites and laws shall be judged according to their life choices, their behaviour in doing the things that please God, including keeping the Sabbath. Now, I know that not all of you reading this will agree with what I say next, but it has always troubled me that the People of the Book, whose worship and spiritual outlook and culture are so close to those of the Jews, which in turn are so close to our own, should be according to some excluded from heavenly bliss – and that any of them should exclude us. So a thought for All Saints Sunday: if God declares in his scriptures his love for Jew and Muslim, for all who keep his commandments, shouldn’t they (and we) try a little harder to understand, to accept, to love each other?

How quickly we forget

Well here we are again, coming to the end of Harvest festival season. The crops are in, churches have been adorned, services have been taken, produce has been sold or donated to help those who are in greater need. And hopefully time has been taken in amongst it all to say thank you to God for all the bounty we receive. I love it and readily admit I love the traditions. Long may they continue. I say this in spite of what I’ve said in a previous ‘Thought for the Month’ about the downsides of traditions and rituals – that all too often they become more important than the faith they were designed to enhance, sometimes even smothering out the true message of the Gospels. But they have their upside too.

I confess that I’m often guilty of the ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ syndrome, I’m not sure it’s technically a syndrome but you get my drift. At Harvest we sing hymns with lines thanking God for the bounty of our harvest, for creatures great and small. Yet, once the harvest display is down and we move to the next project, many of us (unless we’re farmers) will not give much thought about how we are going to get to the next harvest, or how God’s creation will continue to function. This is not just true of harvest….

Over the last decade or so there seems to have been a proliferation of ‘celebration’ ‘remembrance’ and awareness days’ some more meaningful than others, would you believe there’s a ‘National Whipped Cream Day’ on 5^th January and that the 17^th of January is ‘National Chocolate Cake Day’! that’s just two of frankly a rather bizarre collection. But of course, there are the more serious ones. Days to raise our awareness of serious issues in the world, Remembrance days to recall the sacrifice of others. Thanksgiving days, Celebration Days. Although it sometimes seems over the top, and in some cases simply good business for greetings card manufactures and sellers, there are occasions and causes that are worth remembering..

The Church has its fair share of ‘Days’ too and the truth is, as mere humans, we don’t have the capacity to hold all these things in our minds seven days a week 52 weeks of the year. So this is where ‘days’ or ‘seasons’ set aside to remember God’s blessing such as Christmas, Easter, Ascension, Pentecost, Remembrance, Harvest… are so important – Lest we forget!

In realising that we are all guilty, to some degree, of ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ It’s worth remembering that we have a God for whom, in spite of the way we humans treat His world, that is not the case, as the Psalmist and some verses from Genesis remind us:

Psalm 121 (N.I.V.)

¹ I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
    where does my help come from?
² My help comes from the Lord,
    the Maker of heaven and earth.

³ He will not let your foot slip—
    he who watches over you will not slumber;
⁴ indeed, he who watches over Israel
    will neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord watches over you—
    the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
⁶ the sun will not harm you by day,
    nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord will keep you from all harm—
    he will watch over your life;
⁸ the Lord will watch over your coming and going
    both now and forevermore.

Genesis 8

²² “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
day and night
will never cease.”

Though for the Month – September 2024

A Right to Disconnect

I have been following with interest, the recent media articles relating to a legal right to be able to disconnect from the workplace. This week it became enshrined in Australian employment law, whilst countries such as France, Spain and Portugal are already well ahead in their desire to protect both the physical and mental health of their citizens. Alas this is not the case in the UK, though the new Labour government have said they will now consider its application sometime soon. It is, when you stop to think about it, something quite worrying that we actually need to have legislation to protect the rights of employees to simply leave work, to go home and do what it is that helps them to rest and recover, without further employer intrusion. When did things get so bad, that we are no longer able to simply become ‘disconnected’ as and when we choose, especially when the days’ work is done?

Whilst this legislation is currently aimed at employment law, how soon might we all need it in our everyday lives, employed or not? Just stop and think about how difficult it may be, for you to disconnect with the demands placed on you by life, by those around you and even by yourself? How easy do you find it to say no, or even better, to not be available to say it at all? Just consider for a moment, as to how you disconnect from societal pressure, when you need to.

If you do find it challenging, then I suppose some blame has to be placed at the door of technological advancement, where now, we are fully (and expected to be) accessible through the use of mobile phones, laptops, smartwatches and so on, and to always be so, at any time of day or night. I wonder how many of you reading this, own a mobile phone, I would think its most, if not all of you, and is it always somewhere close, so that you can always be ‘accessible’? Have you ever had that conversation that starts “where have you been? I’ve been calling you constantly!” said with guilt provoking precision, for simply being disconnected, even for the briefest of moments, after all, what modern person would intentionally be disconnected and inaccessible nowadays?

Whilst the pervasive nature of technology can be seen as both a blessing and curse for our modern way of living, we should probably also recognise the significant cultural changes that have taken place in recent decades. There are no true days of rest anymore, dominant secular influence means that even Sundays have become no more than simply the seventh day of the week, with everything being available, open and accessible, just like the preceding six.  Society no longer seems to recognise an entitlement to disconnect, there’s no consideration for an individual’s need to be left alone in peace, to be given restorative space and time to recover from life’s demands. People are often left frustrated or personally slighted if their phone call is not answered or returned immediately, if the email or text is not responded to, perplexed by the notion of how rude and selfish it is for someone to deliberately make themselves unavailable. When did intentional solitude become so socially objectionable?

In the year 321AD, a Sunday was a working day much like it has become now, when a new Christian convert, the Roman Emperor Constantine, decreed that Sunday would be a day of rest for everyone, to be free from any form of labour, be it employed or not, and so began the Christian Church’s official recognition of Sunday as being the seventh day of the week. They also declared that this would now mean that Sunday and not Saturday should be regarded as the Sabbath Day for all Christians, a day that was to be revered, such was its importance for restorative rest, both physically and spiritually, and after all, even God rested on the seventh day following a very hard weeks work of creation.

The Bible makes numerous references to the importance of Sabbath, which is derived from the Hebrew word ‘shavat’ which literally means ‘to rest’ and yet it feels to me that many of us have now chosen to miss out on this beneficial Scriptural guidance, one that provides us with an opportunity to officially declare Sunday as a day to just stop and disconnect from the demands of life, to find physical and spiritual sustenance in rest and in being with God, and to do so without distraction or interruption.

Of course, there isn’t anything actually stopping us from disconnecting, other than personal choice it would seem, and perhaps some of you are actually very good at disconnecting, but for those who are not, what is it exactly that has made us veer so very far, from two millennia of Christian custom, that is intentionally designed for our own personal benefit? How do we begin to make Sabbath as relevant and important as it once was?

In all four Gospels we hear of Jesus taking time out to be by himself, taking himself up a mountain to be alone and to pray, even He needed some quiet rest to recover from the demands of His ministry, and it’s important to note, that whilst He recognised the need in Himself, so did His followers, who gave Him the space to do just that, to disconnect from them and their need of Him. Perhaps it is a reminder for us all that if we choose not to disconnect in life, that we must remember to respect the needs of those who do, that wanting to be alone is normal and healthy, to give them the space and time to enjoy it or even give it a go yourself.  Maybe try turning that phone off for a whole day? Now there’s a thought.

Amen.

Danny

                                                 A Prayer for Rest

Heavenly Father life can seem so demanding at times

But in you I find peaceful rest

I bring all my worries and concerns before you

knowing that you will bear my load and ease my stress

Your love sustains me and nurtures my love for others

Be with me when life’s demands seem endless

Give me strength to endure and wisdom to know when to stop and disconnect

Fill my heart and mind with peaceful calm

May your Holy Spirit fill me with renewed energy to always help myself and others

in this increasingly demanding world that we have created,

to always find our way back to you,

to peace, perfect peace. Amen

Thought for the Month August 2024

How should I live? It is the perennial question that keeps us coming back to the Bible, listening to preachers and (hopefully!) reading Cooksmill Thoughts for the Month. Lucky Ephesians then who, in the set Epistle for 4^th August, get a master-class on the subject from St. Paul.

Paul begins by praising the virtues of gentleness, humility and patience; these might at first sight be considered as inner qualities – well, up to a point. You often have to be patient about or with someone; and sometimes you have to be patient with a much wider group or an institution. It could be said, for example, that if we were more patient with, and less vitriolic about, our elected representatives, they would function better and others, possibly better, might be encouraged to come forward. Gentleness and humility too mean overcoming our genetic predisposition to fight our own corner regardless. These three sisters sound easy to tick off, but try to focus on putting them into practice and you soon find out that without the help of God they are a (worthwhile) challenge.

Peace is a similarly ambivalent quality, one that perhaps most profoundly we wish for in our lives, particularly their spiritual side. Paul though talks of a “bond of peace” – this is more than simply sharing our own inner sense of peace, but actively pursuing it and seeking to build it in our relationships with others, in the networks of our daily lives and, beyond, in our local communities and nationally and internationally. We live in a chain of being that has some strong links, some weak, some broken, some to be reforged. God is above us, his children; God is within us, individuals; God is through us, the human race. We come into being through him; he shares in our humanity through his incarnation as Christ; but it is up to us to foster and share the gifts of the Spirit around us. This is true both in the wider sense but also in the way that our individual talents can contribute to the spiritual growth of our church and society. We are called upon to act, to build faith and unity.

Paul’s comments on truth are ones likely to resonate particularly with us across the centuries. Just check into any social media and you will be bombarded with “every wind of doctrine, people’s trickery, craftiness in deceitful scheming”. Paul calls on us to become mature Christians, to grow up and into Christ: so being truth-full is not just about not telling lies but actively combating untruth wherever we find it in its multitudinous forms in our society. Hatred, contempt, prejudice, these are diseases: Christ calls us to be well: each individual part of his body “working properly, promoting the growth of the body, building it up through love”.

Jesus through his death, resurrection and ascension “made captivity captive”: it is through his grace that we find meaning and release and purpose in our lives.

Or, if this Thought had been written in the seventeenth century by Thomas Traherne, you might be reading this:

Can you be holy without accomplishing the end for which you are created? Can you be righteous, unless you be just in rendering to things their due esteem? All things were made to be yours, and you were made to prize them according to their value: this is your office and your duty, the means by which you enjoy the life for which you were created. By prizing all that God hath done, you may enjoy life and Him in blessedness.

David

Thought for the Month July 2024

In last month’s ‘Thought’ we considered, among other things, how we use our freedom and power to vote and, our responsibility to use that freedom and power responsibly. Well, that’s all happened now and we have a new government, and some of them have had to hit the ground running, and as the brand new MPs settle in people will be looking on in anticipation of what will happen next. What will the government do?  There are so many aspects of both foreign affairs and the domestic life of the nation that require attention by any government, and the question we so often ask is ’What are the government going to do about them?’ And of course, at times, that is a very legitimate question. But, having voted, is that where our responsibility ends? In many cases surely we should also be asking, ‘What are we going to do?’ be it as individuals, churches, communities, or society as a whole.

Let’s take a step back and look at a crime scenario Jesus painted in one of His famous parables, that of the ‘Good Samaritan’, I’m sure most will be familiar with it, but if not perhaps read it first, it’s in Luke 10: 25-37, and attached to this thought. In the story he didn’t say ‘What’s the Roman government going to do about street crime in the area? It’s about time they got tough.’ No, Instead He taught how we should respond to those in need, and as important, but occasionally missed, by using a Samaritan as the good guy He taught us how we shouldn’t judge people by their background or Nationality. If fact throughout the gospels, whilst He very often takes the religious authorities to task, Jesus never seems to criticise, or even mention, the Roman government! He does however continuously point to our responsibilities.

Just to take just one example, we know that there are many disaffected young people in our society, knife crime in our towns and cities has almost become a norm! And we can blame governments of all persuasions for lack of funding leading to the closure of youth facilities, clubs, playgrounds… But in truth, how much of it is down to public apathy and too many children being side-lined and ignored. Are people more concerned about their taxes rising than they are about the closure of a local youth club which helps to keep young people off the streets and out of danger? On the other side, there are families struggling, having to juggle multiple jobs, not able to spend the time with their children they’d desperately like to. With the extended family not being what is used to be, the government does have a role to play, but so do people and individuals in local communities. 

it’s not all doom and gloom, there is some great work being done. I have the privilege of being involved in the Scouting movement and at the end of this month we have the Essex International Jamboree with 10,000 participants, where young people of many nationalities will come together and share fellowship and friendship. This is just one of the fantastic youth projects that go on in the country. But none of these can continue without the support of adult volunteers and finance. We cannot leave it all to government.

I could have used other examples for this, like the NHS. Yes, governments have responsibilities, but so do we in caring for our own health and the care and health of each other. We cannot leave it all to government. God has given us so much in the way of gifts and resources too numerous to mention. If we waste them, we shouldn’t always blame government and expect them to pick up the tab, using money that came from us in the first place, that could be used so much more efficiently for the good of all, and to help sustain those who really need it.

So let us pray for our new government and governments around the world and let us pray for the strength, courage and wisdom to play our part in caring for God’s people and His wonderful creation.

Steve.

A PRAYER

Almighty God, ruler of the ends of the earth,

We pray for those to whom you have entrusted

Power and responsibility.

We Think of our own country

And those elected to office as members of parliament –

Those who serve in government,

Whether in cabinet office, junior posts

or on backbench committees;

those in opposition with their mandate

to challenge and debate government policies and decisions;

and especially for our Prime Minister

and leaders of all other parties. *

We pray for governments throughout the world.

And ask,

Almighty God,

Grant them wisdom,

Insight, patience,

Dedication, integrity

Open-mindedness and humility

That each may be equipped

To honour the trust placed in them. *

Lord, forgive us when we have taken for granted

All that you give us

Help us Lord to play our part

In caring for each other, our communities

And your wonderful creation.

For the sake of your Son

Our Saviour Jesus Christ

Amen.

* Taken form Nick Fawcett ‘Prayers for all Seasons’ Pg. 590

Thought for the Month of June 2024

Last month Danny shared with us his favourite passage of scripture (John 15: 9 – 17). His reflections on how those words of Jesus to his disciples impacted Danny’s desire to be a Christian, and his hopes for the world around us, were both moving and challenging. As he suggested, I looked at one of my own favourite passages to reflect on. Surprisingly for me, it’s not from the Gospels – I love the Gospels – it’s from Paul’s letter to the Philippians, this is just a portion…

Philippians 2 NRSV

Imitating Christ’s Humility

2 If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ² make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³ Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴ Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others. ⁵ Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

⁶ who, though he was in the form of God,
    did not regard equality with God
    as something to be exploited,
⁷ but emptied himself,
    taking the form of a slave,
    being born in human likeness.
And being found in human form,
⁸     he humbled himself
    and became obedient to the point of death—
    even death on a cross…

Verses 6-7, in the NRSV version above, make it clear that Jesus did not consider the power of His divinity, something to be exploited but became a slave. The NIV puts it like this…Christ Jesus;

⁶ Who, being in very nature God,
    did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;

⁷ rather, he made himself nothing
    by taking the very nature of a servant,    being made in human likeness.

For me personally, I feel the expressions exploited and servant feel the most fitting – but that’s just me. Moving on…

It seems this year is a busy year for elections to Government around the world – recently in India and Russia, currently in South Africa, the UK in July, America in November…

I confess I find it very tempting to feel that Jesus’ example, set out in this passage, should be compulsory reading for all those seeking to keep, gain, re-gain or, dare I say, steal power in governments all around the world – and maybe it should be…

But the truth is, we all have power of some description or other, so surely it’s incumbent on us all to reflect on if, or how we use that power. Do we use it to our own advantage, to exploit? Or do we use it to serve and bring peace, justice and hope? Most of us don’t, and may never have any governmental power, but we should never underestimate the power of our words and actions on the lives of those around us.

In the UK we also have the power to vote in next month’s elections. To gift power, albeit for a relatively short period of time, to people who will make decisions that will impact, not only our lives but – and this is something we should not forget – the lives of many throughout the world. And the impacts can last for years after their period in office

I don’t know about you, but I find it more and more difficult to sift out the truth from the spin, the desire to serve from the desire for power, but I believe we must try. There will be over 600 MPs voted into parliament next month and many will be seeking election for all the right reasons, those whose primary desire is to serve their communities and work for the good of all. Sadly, their voices will all too often be drowned out by posturing and attention seeking bluster from those with personal agendas which are not always for the common good, sometimes even dangerous for the wider world.

So what do we do and what is our responsibility? I’m a great believer in using the vote we have the freedom and privilege to use, but do we use it to the benefit of wider society, or do we look to our own interests? I believe we must try, prayerfully, to sift through the spin and posturing to come to the best decision we can. And then, when those elected take their place, we need to pray for them and all governments throughout the world, that they may not seek to exploit but to serve with humility, care, compassion and with justice for all.  

As we use our power to make decisions in life, not just voting choices, but decisions that can affect the lives of so many around us, let’s do it with humility, letting go of the ‘power’ seeking to serve, to serve taking account of Jesus’ command set out in Danny’s thought last month, I leave you with a part of his favourite scripture and I pray that we will all make the right decisions in life that reflect Christ’s humility and His love.

 “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing, but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name.

I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.