Shouting something about forgiveness

As I look back on our church's week of outreach early last month, I feel it was well worth doing. Simply viewed from our standpoint, it was a blessing to have something to aim for during those rather empty summer weeks when most of the church's regular midweek activities come to a standstill. It was also encouraging to see how many from the church got actively involved. Not everybody could come along, of course; some could do no more than support us with their prayers. But many used their gifts of hospitality as we opened the church for different events, and a surprising number even willingly engaged in the scary activity of meeting the great unchurched public in the centre of town.

Where possible, in street outreach, you get people to talk. Some might think that all the talking is meant to be done by Christians who have something to tell everybody else. We know all the answers, you might think, and nobody else can tell us anything. But in fact it is a rare privilege to stand and listen to what others outside the church are saying and thinking.

One one occasion, as we stood out on the street in Leigh trying to engage people in conversation, a lady passed by who shouted something about forgiveness. We may never know what prompted her to do that. Within a few seconds she had passed by, and the contact was gone. It led me to think about an incident that happened some years ago which showed how little people understand about forgiveness.

It was a sordid situation where a man at a church I was minister of at the time began an affair with a woman from a neighbouring church. His wife tried desperately to keep the marriage together. She found it unhelpful that some of us, however lovingly, called a spade a spade. What the man was doing was wrong - it was no good saying anything different. But the wife's constant and reproachful demand to us was, "You must forgive - you must forgive".

For many, forgiveness is cheap, a thing to be handed out like sweets from a slot machine. Regardless of the offence against God and against people, they reckon we should excuse it, shrug our shoulders and carry on.

When Jesus Christ on the cross cried "Father, forgive", God was pouring into that act of forgiveness not only His feelings, but His very flesh and blood. For Him, every human sin is not just "one of those things", but a slap in the face, a whip on the back, a nail through the wrist.

The Sunday after the outreach, I tried to show that God's forgiveness calls forth one of the great exclamation marks in the Bible. In Romans 5:7-9 the apostle Paul exclaims, "Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him!"

May there be many more times in the future when as a church we listen carefully to those outside and treasure their stories. May God then give us openings to explain to them the cost and the benefit of God's forgiving love.

One way in, one way out

It seems that nowadays they deliberately design buildings to have just one way in and out. The days when homes sported both a front and a rear entrance are passing into history. Whether it is a single property or blocks of properties, the fashion seems to be one way in, one way out. It reminds me of the Lord Jesus Christ and His description of Himself in John’s gospel chapter 10, as the genuine Shepherd who enters the sheepfold by the appropriate gate. The entrance and the exit are carefully guarded and the gatekeeper makes sure that only authorised staff have access to the sheep. The “thief and … robber” who “comes only to steal and kill and destroy” gives himself away by climbing over a barrier somewhere else and sneaking in.

The news is full of the dark and dishonest dealings of those who try to worm their way into our trust but then take advantage of us. Often this concerns money, but there are spiritual counterfeits too. They offer us ways of looking at life which seem believable but lead only to destruction. The Saviour aims to protect us from those who steal and kill and destroy. We should welcome Him and thank Him for looking after our well-being, because it will benefit us for ever.

We need to be on guard for our own safety. We need at the same time to keep others safe by showing them the one and only way to God that will work for them. As I write this, we are less than a fortnight away from a big week of outreach that our church is running in the town of Leigh. We seek to meet as many of the public as we can, by doing street work in the centre of Leigh and putting on various family events at church. It is certain that during the week we will encounter many people who simply do not know the way - do not know how to walk the world in spiritual safety. It is our privilege to show them that there is a means by which they can be kept safe: putting their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Saviour. We can show them the benefit: like sheep who feel secure in a sheepfold, they can safely find pasture to nourish themselves spiritually. Those who are constantly exposed and unsafe are spiritually starved. They do not have the time and the leisure to discover the proper food sources and make the best use of them. So I thank God for just one way in and one way out - one way to be safe, one way to be secure, one way to flourish. I trust and pray that many in these days will find that way, to their own joy and to God’s praise and glory.

Out walking

The day I can go out for a short walk is the day I know I am starting to recover from illness. It is a good feeling, first of all, to progress from being confined to a hospital bed to taking a few lumbering steps, perhaps attached to tubes. Of course there are those who cannot manage even that. You trust there are compensations for them in other ways: appetising food, loving care and attention, the sense that they are still valued members of the community, perhaps the comfort of Christian ministry by the bedside.

But God has blessed and provided me with healing and I have progressed from those first few steps to gradual strengthening, discharge from hospital and the point where I can take the fresh air and walk outside a bit further each day. It may not be much of a walk the way some people see it. I am not one of these fitness fanatics who routinely step out for five miles each day before breakfast. But to know I’ve walked at least some distance is the measure of whether I have been truly alive this day.

In the Bible, the life you live is your walk. In Bible translations that stick close to the original there are some 200 references to “walk”. Often our walk is described as being “before God”. He never fails to observe our daily conduct. In Genesis 17:1 God introduces Himself to Abraham and commands, “Walk before me and be blameless” (ESV). A misguided person may walk the wrong way. In 1 Kings 16 a wicked king walked in the sins of a previous ruler who set a bad example. Some strong-willed people walk in the stubbornness of their hearts. The apostle Paul tackled the problem of work-shy busybodies who walked “disorderly”, 2 Thessalonians 3:11 AV. Many walk “in darkness”.

But back to our real theme: good walking before God. Again, God sees it and notes it down. There are those precious ones of God’s people for whom what counts is faith in Jesus Christ, not ritual. Romans 4 describes them as those who “walk in the footsteps of the faith that our father Abraham had”. You can’t go wrong if you walk by faith! Whose footsteps will you tread in today?

Previous experience

As I face a second stay in hospital, at least I have previous experience to go on.  My first ever episode of hospitalisation, back in January, was both reassuring and disturbing. I had complications following a simple biopsy. Everyone loves to feel special, but to be the one person in 100 chosen to have a particular problem is a privilege I'd rather avoid!

At the same time, I know that I shall meet with kindness and courtesy and much practical love, help and support. As a resident of a friendly locality and pastor of a caring church, you may be reasonably confident of this both in hospital and in convalescence afterwards. The period of recovery will probably be rather lengthy and I may be quite dependent on others. I don't look forward to being a burden, but I know everyone will reassure me that I'm not one. There are also things which I shall handle differently because I have been through it all before. Perhaps I shall make a better fist of it this time, even though last time didn't go too badly.

Thinking about this experience question brings to mind those job adverts which flag up that previous experience of the work is "desirable" or "essential". Of course this is the bane of many a job-seeker's life. Employers don't seem to understand that you've got to start somewhere. An applicant longs for a sympathetic employer willing to look at his or her potential rather than a proven track record. Many, though, are hard-headed business people who don't see it that way and won't give a youngster a chance. It's a hard world.

The job market is all about life, however, and life can be hard. Sometimes doing things with no previous experience can bring disastrous results with lifelong bad consequences. Yet there is great comfort for the Christian. As a wise believing lady told me one day, "God never punishes anyone for making a mistake".

Old Job, in the Bible book of that name, found himself on the end of a torrent of challenging questions from God. He had experienced heavy losses for maybe the first time in his life, and had taken it all very hard. Somehow he managed to retain his integrity through it all, and did not curse God. When confronted, he was desperately sorry that he had been so bitter: "My ears had heard of you but now my eyes have seen you. Therefore I despise myself and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6). God praised Job up in the presence of Job's false comforters and blessed him more than he had been blessed before.

Thank God, coming to Him through the cross of Jesus is not a question of building up experience and getting it unfailingly right.

Turning round

It doubtless happens many times each day, though I had never remarked on it until this particular occasion. A car heading one way up our road came through the entrance into the church car park, turned round and left again, moving off in the opposite direction. The driver was, quite understandably, using our premises as a turning place.

We have no problem with that. There are no plans to put up "No Turning" notices. In fact this car turning round gave me pause for thought. Our church is a place where, we hope, lives will be turned round. This is what “repentance” means.

The word in the original Bible language means literally that – to turn your life around 180 degrees. (Not like the fashion photographer who told his model to turn round 360 degrees – which would mean she ended up facing the same way again!)

This radical turnaround implies that a person’s stubborn set of mind is broken down and they allow themselves to be guided into a different way. We all need to examine which way we are taking. Proverbs reminds us twice over, “There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death” (14:12 and 16:25). The most frequent advice the earliest Christians gave to those who wanted to join them was “Repent!”

Today that word “repent” is associated with glum Puritan preachers wagging a finger at those they reckoned to be sinners and warning them harshly to change their ways. Originally, though, it was a warm-hearted plea to men and women who were heedlessly heading fast in the opposite direction from God. Let them turn round and take the same route Jesus took, the way of life – through a cross to a crown. It was also a timely instruction to some who were already Christians. They had somehow lost their way and gone cold (Revelation 2:5; 2:16; 2:21; 2:22; 3:3 and 3:19).

Yes, long may our church serve as a place where lives are turned around. We trust that our week of outreach to Leigh in August (5-12) will be a time when people consider the claims of Jesus on their lives, perhaps for the first time. And may it be a place where even experienced Christians keep humbly realising they have some turning round left to do.

Meals and Walks

Recently I have been blessed by two types of event which are special for bringing people together and helping them to get to know each other: meals and walks. One event involved both a walk and a meal. Some individuals and families from church, plus guests, went on a scenic though hilly seven-and-a-half mile walk in the Macclesfield area. We returned home and met again in the evening at the home of one of the couples for a meal. It was really great for getting to know each other better. There were both deep conversations and lighter moments.

The children's sponsored walk at our local school was not on such a scale. However, volunteering for duty on the walk, I found I had more opportunity to talk with both children and staff than usual!

In the culture of Bible times and places, meal fellowship was highly regarded. Inviting someone for a meal was generally a sign that you valued that person and wanted to deepen friendship with him or her. It was also perfectly acceptable to invite yourself in to someone's house for a meal! In Luke 19 verse 5 Jesus spots the diminutive Zacchaeus in a tree and calls out, "Zacchaeus, hurry and come down, for I must stay at your house today". So touched was Zacchaeus that the Saviour wanted to be a guest in his humble house that he became a changed man from that instant.

The communion meal is meant to have similar significance. Jesus clearly intended that the Passover meal He celebrated with His disciples on the last night of His earthly existence would be unforgettable. The sharing of bread and wine took on deep meaning. They represented the body and the blood He would soon give up so that our fallen race could find forgiveness and new life in Him. The meal fellowship between Jesus Christ and His followers on earth would be repeated in heaven, transformed - "I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom", Matthew 26:29 ESV.

Over the years I've been disappointed to see how many churches make this Last Supper a formal thing to be given fancy names and argued over. If only we could simply see it as one of those places where God does business with the people He has made for Himself! There are other such places, of course. Acts of humble service are of the number. The preaching of God's word is surely the most important. Walking is there too … but more of that another time, perhaps!

But finally to go back to real Christian meal fellowship and communion. A song by Robert J. Stamps, "O, welcome all ye noble saints of old", has a repeated line, "God and man at table are sat down". To me that sums it all up.

Only one reign

As the Queen's Diamond Jubilee approaches, I find myself thinking about the passage of time. I was born in coronation year. George VI had died and Elizabeth II was officially reigning, though still five months away from being crowned (you can do the sums). I have therefore only "seen" the reign of one monarch. I have no idea whether I shall ever see another. In earthly terms, I am content to remain under the rule of this one.

Maybe someone will calculate how many people so far have been born and have died within the reign of this one Head of State. The story of many of them would be regarded as tragic, because to die under sixty is to live far less than the average lifespan today. When Queen Victoria's corresponding Jubilee occurred in 1897, many would have lived out the full expected span of their natural lives during the course of her reign.

In a way, you could say those who only live through one reign have missed out. Others can boast, "I have seen two (or three or four) monarchs come and go". But isn't it reassuring to have stability? When a king or queen dies, there is a bleak period, a time of uncertainty. At one time the government and all civil servants had to give up office and be re-elected or re-employed, though this is no longer the case.

It is good to know that in the spiritual realm there is eternal stability. There are no awkward gaps and questions about successors. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever" (Hebrews 13:8).

There is a little-known verse in Henry Francis Lyte's famous hymn "Praise, my soul, the King of heaven" which goes like this:

Frail as summer’s flower we flourish;

blows the wind, and it is gone;

but while mortals rise and perish

God endures unchanging on.

Praise Him! praise Him!

praise the high eternal One.

But if that makes us look disposable, ponder the previous more well-known verse:

Father-like, He tends and spares us,

well our feeble frame He knows;

in His hands He gently bears us,

rescues us from all our foes:

Praise Him! praise Him!

widely as His mercy flows.

Jesus, the unchanging One, showed love and care for those whom society thought of as throw-away people. Call out to Him today in faith and trust and He will turn His face to you.