Guns, pins, grace, and thanks

In recent weeks some evil has shown its face in Britain. I believe we should be humble and wise in our response. 

Often the media comments about America's gun culture and the resulting mass murders, but what if Jo Cox's killer had an automatic weapon? Many could so easily have been killed, instead of one brave man who was injured in her defence. Some have seen the Brexit vote and rhetoric leading up to it as permission to be abusive to those different from themselves. They are totally mistaken.

At the heart of Christian teaching is a generosity of spirit to others, and to ourselves. Jesus reinforced the command that we should love others, as we love ourselves. He focused it even more, by telling us we should love as he loves us.

I was taken by the idea of wearing a 'place of safety pin' on my lapel, as a sign that I enjoy the company of others regardless of their circumstances. As an area welcoming many holiday makers, our hospitality really counts. You and I are unlikely to play a significant part in the evolution of national politics (unless there's a snap election), but we can and should make a difference locally.

Humility, wisdom, and grace will help us see others' points of view. The in or out choice threw up odd results, so Weymouth and Portland voted out by a two thirds majority, whereas Dorchester voted evenly. It's staggering that nobody had bothered (apart from the Bank of England) to plan for a Brexit, that every single promise made was disowned in days, and that such momentous change should be triggered by just a 2% majority.

We need grace to acknowledge important truths on both sides of the question. When challenged about his allegiance to God or the emperor, Jesus famously took a coin and pointed out that it had two faces. He had responsibilities to both. We must maintain warm relationships with our fellow Europeans, and we must do all we can to empower the rising generation in Britain. After all the vote was primarily about the world they will inherit, and the vast majority of young people wanted to remain part of the EU. Many of them feel betrayed by older generations.

And lastly, and perhaps most importantly we should remember the huge cost 100 years ago in wasted young lives at the Somme and elsewhere. Thousands died fighting for freedom, and we must honour their memory. May we give thanks for having choice, for peace in Europe, for being rich in so many ways ~ we must never take these for granted.

Liberating quicker politics?

I'm intrigued, and wonder if democracy is speeding up. After all, a general election every five years [with a sprinkling of local and European elections in between] is not much opportunity to express a view.

There are so many other signals we can give: signing a Parliamentary petition, or expressing views on social media, or even good old fashioned letters. As newspapers move towards an electronic platform [the Independent no longer appears on paper], they are becoming responsive. Many articles end with an invitation for feedback; sometimes there are thousands of contributions.

I recently cycled to Upwey [International] Railway Station, took the train to Salisbury changing at Southampton, and then cycled around the corner to St Paul's Church Centre for an excellent training day considering the vital part autists can play in Church life. 

Over coffee I had a fascinating conversation with the Chancellor of Salisbury Cathedral, who a couple of years ago taught me about keeping bees. He agreed that UK politics has become very responsive to opinion, and also unfortunately to celebrity. Jesus refused to become a celebrity.

So for example, the government announced earlier this year that it was going to abolish rules concerning the welfare of animals. Without a debate in parliament, or any other traditional democratic activity that I could pick up, they changed their minds. There must have been a huge outcry that the high standards we have come to expect for the care of livestock was in jeopardy.

Why am I just talking politics when many have expressed to me that they are glad the referendum is over, because they are fed up with endless almost entirely negative commentary? Jesus said that 'true disciples will know the truth, and the truth will set them free' [John 8.31b-32].

Recent debate has not been liberating, but tiresome fear tactics, ego trips, or distortion of the truth by taking it out of context. If you take something I've said or written out of context you'll distort it. Same goes for any of us.

Perhaps our fine mother of parliaments needs an overhaul. It's based on an adversarial system, rather than one of consensus. Jesus was politically very shrewd, and I'm sure he would encourage government to take the truth more seriously for the liberation of all citizens.

Come to think of it, that's no bad formula for every level of society. Here's to liberation rather than tedium, and to reality rather celebrity.

A Europe for children and young people

2/3 of voters in 1975 chose to remain part of the European Union or Common Market. 41 years later we are being asked the same question and, unless it's a close call, we are unlikely to have another vote for a generation or two. 

www.theguardian.com/politics/2015/sep/01

So those of us who can vote [18+ years] need to bear in mind that we are determining something for future generations, for those who can't vote!

How should we vote? I believe we should consider both sides of the argument, and so I found it refreshing when Jeremy Corbyn as Leader of the Opposition spoke about remaining in Europe 'warts and all'. In turn many have expressed puzzlement why Her Majesty's Government should present only reasons for staying in.

Lord Nigel Lawson said that the purposes that lay behind cooperation agreements in Europe [mainly to avoid a third World War] can now be ignored. I strongly disagree because humankind has not suddenly become benign. If we don't prize peace highly we are unlikely to enjoy it. Forgiveness and new beginnings lie at the heart of 71 years of peace. What a blessing; may we never forget it. Previously conflicts cascaded one into another, and there were few settled periods.

Somewhere along the line the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership [TTIP] has raised its apparently ugly head. The USA and EU have been negotiating, largely behind the scenes, a trade deal empowering corporate enterprise at the expense of others. Would we be better off as a small fish negotiating our own deal, or are we more effective in a larger pool?

corporateeurope.org/power-lobbies/2015/02

Is there a right way for Christians to vote? Jesus made it clear that our allegiance to God must work alongside responsibilities for society. When asked if he was for God or the emperor, he famously requested a coin. He pointed out that it had two sides, so give to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s, and to God the things that are God’s [Matthew 22.15-22].

As viewpoints are sifted, there will be Christians on both sides of the argument. However we, and many others, will share common goals. Whatever the outcome, it's always more important to build bridges rather than erect walls.

It is important we vote, and vote for future generations.

Jigsaw pieces, and tunnels

He was very understanding and patient with me. I had taken his wife's funeral, my first, and called on him once a week to see how he was getting on. As he trimmed a hedge, he told me he was doing fine and I no longer needed to visit.

I had fallen into the trap of feeling that my responsibility was far greater than needed. A wise book put me right. You and I place just a few pieces into the pictures of others' lives; we shouldn't attempt to do the whole thing. What a relief!

Why can't we trust God to sort things out. After all, if he created and sustains the universe, working the detail of our lives is nothing. It may be that the piece of the jigsaw that reveals the full picture is placed there by a total stranger, or a child, or just falls into place. Then the view is clear and faith blossoms.

Occasionally we have the extraordinary privilege of placing key jigsaw pieces at the right moment. Once I told an angry man, who was trapped inside his body by a stroke, that Jesus on the cross knew what it was to be unable to move. That man found a real faith that made a difference. He had fallen out with his son years before, and asked me to write to him. There was a genuine reconciliation, followed not long afterwards by death with sins wiped clean.

It also means there's no panic when it comes to timing. When the first followers of Jesus realised that he had genuinely come alive again, you'd think they would be commissioned to tell everyone. Yet Jesus told them to wait until empowered by his Spirit. In contrast, Mary, the first person to meet the risen Jesus, was told to tell others straight away.

Knowing and trusting God's timing is key. There will be periods when life is manic and our first priority is survival, looking after ourselves. It may be we can't survive without others assisting. It can feel like going into a tunnel, without any glimpse of light from the other end. There's no picture on the jigsaw lid to use as a guide, and all the pieces make a mess.

But tides turn and we will almost certainly find ourselves having opportunity to give to others. We have so much to learn from others, and a small part to play in their lives. Together we can discover more depth and beauty in God's amazing world.

Barbie, the Pope, and walls

Hurray! Barbie has been remodelled
I've never owned a doll and don't intend to, but I am aware of women whose self-esteem has been crushed by trying to conform to the image of a stick insect. The one size is everybody doll has done much damage.

http://boingboing.net/2016/01/29/young-girls-react-to-seeing-th.html

Now Barbie is manufactured in a range of sizes, colours, and looks. The image is still too thin in my book, but the change is a step in the right direction. Being comfortable in your own skin is an important gift.

The second great command common to Jews, Muslims, and Christians is first recorded in Leviticus. That's one of the first five books in the Old Testament part of the Bible, sometimes called the Torah. We know it well: 'Love your neighbour as you love yourself'.

We may not realise that it is an invitation to love ourselves, in order that we can love others. This is quite different from selfishness. It's about self worth, and can energise us to love others.

The Pope wants bridges
I found the contrast between the Pope and Donald Trump at one level rather amusing. At another, Pope Francis has put his finger on something really important. Trump promised to build a wall between the USA and Mexico to keep illegals out. The Pope said that Christians should build bridges.

By Diliff - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34168215

There is much talk about building walls in our world, to keep people out. Not many generations ago they were being built to keep people in! I don't know how you felt when the Berlin wall was ripped down; I felt slightly less embarrassed to be a member of the human race. Splitting a city in two, dividing families, causing air lifts ~ it was all crazy. Thank God that wall came down.

Walls are going up around Israel, across parts of Europe, and elsewhere. They shame us because they are evidence that we can't work out ways to share the only planet we have. In the debate about the UK possibly leaving Europe, I believe that whatever happens we must not build unnecessary walls. After all, Europe came together to prevent a repeat of the horrific destruction caused by two World Wars.

Of course we should consider what's best now, but it's wise to remember our history too. I profoundly agree with the Pope, that we should build bridges not walls.

Forgiveness is an art. You can try too hard. It's a gift from God, part of the Easter message, and I believe it enables us to build well for generations to come.

TW'sV on 'power of love' over 'love of power'

True love overcomes the love of power
We need more situations where the 'power of love' eats the 'love of power'. Much of the strife between nations, or communities, or families is about loving power. North Korea is an extreme case, but in terms of the span of history Nazi Germany was only five minutes ago.

There are lesser examples which sap our energy. People absorbed by themselves are tedious, and we shouldn't waste time on them. Titus is a short book in the New Testament section of the Bible, and its third chapter speaks of giving difficult people a couple of chances but then not getting hooked in by them.

What of the future?
I've been padre to the Air Training Corps for 18 years, and at our last session asked the cadets what they thought of Isis or Daesh. It should be wiped out. And then they added something wise: another group will soon come along.

Wikipedia lists around 200 designated terrorist groups, from Baader-Meinhof, Black Hand, al-Qaeda to Boko Haram. Some may not being so active now. All struggle for power, and there is no doubt that a few have a righteous cause while others love power beyond any sense of reason.

Easter love is stronger than death

Let's draw on Easter love to be a people whose actions speak louder than than our words. This month we celebrate Good Friday and Easter Day, apparent disastrous failure followed by new life. Jesus Christ risen from the dead. It lies at the heart of the Christian faith, and is the source of the 'power of love' which erodes the 'love of power'.

By the way I am one of many who think that fixing Easter to a particular month in the year makes sense. But Easter is too good to only celebrate once a year. Every Sunday is designed to be a mini-Easter, however 52 are not enough. We need to live Easter every day.

Honest feedback sources are gold dust
Philip Elliott, our new team vicar was licensed by Bishop Nicholas at St Nicholas & St Laurence Primary School. It was a wholesome do, with welcomes from our mayor, Friends of Upwey (International?) railway station, the snooker club, and other local representatives.

However, I was particularly pleased by a conversation with the bishop's driver, who said it was the best he had been to! and he attends many. 'Why was that?', I asked. 'Because it was real'.


Everything could have run smoothly, without a word fluffed, or a person out of place. And yet it might have been just hollow ritual. What made it real were the people involved having integrity, and doing their best. I think it was also a touch of humility.

TW'sV on words, prayer, & EU

Words are funny things because they move about. Man used to mean mankind or the male of the species, but now it is very gender powerful. We leave the man off chairman. Meanwhile guy has been travelling in the opposite direction. We used to talk of guys and girls, now we can cover both with guys. I'm confused!

However the Word never changes. That famous Bible passage read every Christmas describes Jesus as the Word that became flesh:

'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.'

In a world where fashions change, or words morph their meaning, it is reassuring to know that God is changeless. He can be our reference point, our solid rock

Prayers have so many shapes, and as I have read those written on Christmas or prayer trees it has been a privilege to add an Amen. Some have been deeply personal, almost private. Others more general, longing for peace in our troubled world and so on. Many have been offering thanks to God. They reflect all the emotions and aspirations appropriate to our all powerful God, who chose to show himself in the frailty of a baby.

Trees are good places to tie ribbons or labels that mean something to us. Of course Churches are too. After all they are 'houses of prayer', but that doesn't mean just a collection of interesting stone or brick structures. They need to be lived in, and that takes a pattern and rhythm of praying that is far more than just Sundays.

In the Register or on www.ridgeway.org.uk you can find the details of the prayer opportunities across our sister Churches. Make yourself at home. You are welcome to turn up at any of those published ... and on Sundays too.

But there's one more invitation. Privacy and quiet may be important. Often our Churches are open but empty, and a trickle of people call every day. At Holy Trinity, Bincombe you will find squash welcoming you in the porch. So, please, come on in and help us keep these places prayer-full.

There's something missing in the EU debate which we must never overlook. We will decide whether to stay in or leave in a referendum later this year. We must never forget why it was formed. It has been said that more blood was spilt in Europe last century than in all the preceding ones put together. Many millions died, often in horrific circumstances. This ghastly evil infected many other countries in the two World Wars. The symmetric graves in thousands of cemeteries mock our failure.

The European Union was born to get warring factions working and sharing together. So whatever your political view, may I strongly urge you to put our future peace into the equation. At the moment the debate is severely impoverished by the most important consideration.