You cannot fully understand what other people are going through unless you have been there yourself. I have over the course of a ministry heard the experiences of many people who have been in hospital. These experiences become familiar through repetition, and you think you know what to expect if ever you are a patient yourself.
Yet, without actually being there, there is much you don't realise, like the way time stands still as you are waiting for things to happen and your turn never seems to come round. There are good reasons why there aren't too many clocks up on the wall in hospitals, because it would just make matters worse. And then there is the experience of uncertainty - the care plans which seem to change from one minute to the next as as one consultant or specialist arrives with a different view of how to treat your case. There are the many anxieties that can accumulate about the future. Without having been in the midst of it all, you possess at best a second-hand understanding.
A second-hand understanding is certainly better than none, especially if it comes with a listening ear. Many good counsellors are quite young, with very little experience of life, but they can listen well to older folk, pick up where they are anxious or troubled or angry, and sympathetically explore that with them. On the other hand, if it's a shared experience, you take that sympathy on to a new level. One blessing and comfort for the Christian is that God shared our experiences in the form of the Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was born into our time. The clock ticked for Jesus as He experienced the pain and anguish of waiting for His dreadful end on the cross. He knew and experienced uncertainty: He became totally helpless, without any control over events, as the authorities pushed Him around. If only people could see how God entered our time and shared our experiences in Jesus Christ, it would bring real comfort. After all, He created the time in which we live, and that time is just a backdrop to an eternity which He also created, where He will rule unchallenged and no evil thing will ever come to pass.
Tuesday, 24 January 2012
Wednesday, 11 January 2012
Two places at once
Poor apostle Paul! He spent much time wishing he could be in two places at once.
In a famous passage (Philippians 1:21-24) he exclaims to his readers: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."
On the other hand, he had the frustration of being often hindered from seeing the very churches that were keeping him earthbound. Of course, transport in those days wasn't what it is now, and the mobile phone with its instant communications was unheard of. So Paul would announce plans to visit the churches - each journey a major and lengthy undertaking - and then for various reasons have to postpone them.
This gave his enemies ample time to do mischief and spread suspicion among the churches. In 2 Corinthians 1 it is painful to read Paul having to defend himself against a charge of saying "Yes" to a visit while at the same time muttering "No"! To his credit, even in the midst of protesting his innocence, he puts in a word for the Lord Jesus. Jesus, whom Paul preached, was God's "Yes" to all the promises He ever made. He is completely consistent and we are the gainers. "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
In a small way I feel the same tensions as Paul as I face surgery. In one way I sit lightly to life. I look forward to being in my Saviour's nearer presence. On the other hand, there is a work still to be done, a church to be nurtured and shepherded. There again, I shall be unable for a while to give the leadership I would wish. What might unravel as a result? I trust nothing will, but there is always that anxiety.
Bless God, Paul very likely saw the Corinthians again and any ground lost was made up. Where relationships are concerned, God has His ways of spanning hours of time and miles of distance.
In a famous passage (Philippians 1:21-24) he exclaims to his readers: "For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labour for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body."
On the other hand, he had the frustration of being often hindered from seeing the very churches that were keeping him earthbound. Of course, transport in those days wasn't what it is now, and the mobile phone with its instant communications was unheard of. So Paul would announce plans to visit the churches - each journey a major and lengthy undertaking - and then for various reasons have to postpone them.
This gave his enemies ample time to do mischief and spread suspicion among the churches. In 2 Corinthians 1 it is painful to read Paul having to defend himself against a charge of saying "Yes" to a visit while at the same time muttering "No"! To his credit, even in the midst of protesting his innocence, he puts in a word for the Lord Jesus. Jesus, whom Paul preached, was God's "Yes" to all the promises He ever made. He is completely consistent and we are the gainers. "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
In a small way I feel the same tensions as Paul as I face surgery. In one way I sit lightly to life. I look forward to being in my Saviour's nearer presence. On the other hand, there is a work still to be done, a church to be nurtured and shepherded. There again, I shall be unable for a while to give the leadership I would wish. What might unravel as a result? I trust nothing will, but there is always that anxiety.
Bless God, Paul very likely saw the Corinthians again and any ground lost was made up. Where relationships are concerned, God has His ways of spanning hours of time and miles of distance.
Wednesday, 28 December 2011
Familiar place, unfamiliar illness
It's the last week in December and the pleasant, familiar end of year routine is under way. I am staying with friends in the south Midlands. These kind people started out as church members in one of my churches in the Banbury area and eventually became my adopted family.
When my mother died in 1997 they let me use the flat attached to their farmhouse. This then became home from home and I have had many happy stays there, particularly each year once Christmas duties were over in whatever church I was pastoring at the time. The family members have their pleasant Christmas traditions and have willingly included me in these.
So all is agreeably familiar, even down to the annual Christmas cold. More often than not I go down with one germ or another not long before Christmas Day. It makes me sound chesty and bunged up but doesn't quite manage to spoil the festivities.
However this year there is a new twist. I have been identified as having a number of medical problems, particularly bladder and prostate. These have taken me into unfamiliar territory. Though never very robust, I have not been used to beating a path to surgeries, clinics and hospital departments. Usually when there I meet with compassion, helpfulness and efficiency. But this does not change the fact that I am on an unknown and disturbing journey.
The new year will bring more investigations and preparations and, sooner or later, surgery. I am prepared to leave the outcome with God and, under Him, the medical people. They are His instruments, whether they acknowledge Him or not. Some friends wonder that I don't ask more questions. But knowing all the details is not the same as being cured. In any case, physical cure only postpones the far more important issue of what happens to me in eternity. As long as I know Christ and the forgiveness of sins and the power of His resurrection, that is the main question answered and friendly light on future paths.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:4-6 ESV).
When my mother died in 1997 they let me use the flat attached to their farmhouse. This then became home from home and I have had many happy stays there, particularly each year once Christmas duties were over in whatever church I was pastoring at the time. The family members have their pleasant Christmas traditions and have willingly included me in these.
So all is agreeably familiar, even down to the annual Christmas cold. More often than not I go down with one germ or another not long before Christmas Day. It makes me sound chesty and bunged up but doesn't quite manage to spoil the festivities.
However this year there is a new twist. I have been identified as having a number of medical problems, particularly bladder and prostate. These have taken me into unfamiliar territory. Though never very robust, I have not been used to beating a path to surgeries, clinics and hospital departments. Usually when there I meet with compassion, helpfulness and efficiency. But this does not change the fact that I am on an unknown and disturbing journey.
The new year will bring more investigations and preparations and, sooner or later, surgery. I am prepared to leave the outcome with God and, under Him, the medical people. They are His instruments, whether they acknowledge Him or not. Some friends wonder that I don't ask more questions. But knowing all the details is not the same as being cured. In any case, physical cure only postpones the far more important issue of what happens to me in eternity. As long as I know Christ and the forgiveness of sins and the power of His resurrection, that is the main question answered and friendly light on future paths.
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.
You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days of my life,
and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever" (Psalm 23:4-6 ESV).
Thursday, 8 December 2011
The winter test
Eight days into December and I am getting used to my first winter up north. The wind is very wild and there has been the occasional dusting of something between hail and slush. It's been chilly - but not unusually so for this time of year. All in all, the weather is far less severe than in Scotland and probably not much different from some central and southern parts. If this is a standard northern winter, I'll do fine.
My thoughts go back to the beginning of my ministry in the West Country. A new resident that I came across was sadly caught out by an illusion. She and her husband had been visiting that part of the world on their holidays for twenty years. The summer sun had shone and they had enjoyed the peace and the beautiful scenery. They had resolved to make their home in their favourite spot on retirement. The big event came and, at a time of year when the weather was kind, they purchased their dream bungalow in its dream setting. Regrettably the husband died, a victim of the shock of moving while in poor health. The widow now faced her first winter on her own, hundreds of miles from her nearest relatives. Little had she expected that West Country winters can be very bleak affairs. Social Services had many like that lady on their books. No doubt these hapless people now regretted their choice, but it was too late to unmake it. No doubt the only answer to this problem is to urge people to consider the cost of following their dream.
In Luke 14 and verse 27 Jesus warns His followers in very stark terms not to imagine that being His disciple is easy. There may be pressure - even from within your own family. Those in countries dominated by other religions know that well. But you need to set something against that: the cost of not being Jesus' disciple. What a tragedy to miss our way on this one: to miss picking up our cross and then exchanging it one day for a crown!
Sit down and count the cost. But remember, following Jesus to the end is one venture which cannot result in disappointment.
My thoughts go back to the beginning of my ministry in the West Country. A new resident that I came across was sadly caught out by an illusion. She and her husband had been visiting that part of the world on their holidays for twenty years. The summer sun had shone and they had enjoyed the peace and the beautiful scenery. They had resolved to make their home in their favourite spot on retirement. The big event came and, at a time of year when the weather was kind, they purchased their dream bungalow in its dream setting. Regrettably the husband died, a victim of the shock of moving while in poor health. The widow now faced her first winter on her own, hundreds of miles from her nearest relatives. Little had she expected that West Country winters can be very bleak affairs. Social Services had many like that lady on their books. No doubt these hapless people now regretted their choice, but it was too late to unmake it. No doubt the only answer to this problem is to urge people to consider the cost of following their dream.
In Luke 14 and verse 27 Jesus warns His followers in very stark terms not to imagine that being His disciple is easy. There may be pressure - even from within your own family. Those in countries dominated by other religions know that well. But you need to set something against that: the cost of not being Jesus' disciple. What a tragedy to miss our way on this one: to miss picking up our cross and then exchanging it one day for a crown!
Sit down and count the cost. But remember, following Jesus to the end is one venture which cannot result in disappointment.
Saturday, 19 November 2011
No Delay
Whenever I wish God would hurry up over something, I console myself with the Bible teaching that God will not delay once He’s ready.
The main verse that helps me with this is Habakkuk 2:3. It reads: “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
Habakkuk lived in a day when one evil empire would take over from another, and neither would be good for God’s people. His prophecy assures us that God’s plans mature slowly, but that He is in full control.
The coming of Jesus into this world illustrates this well. For centuries God’s people had been longing for the voice of God to ring out clearly once again. After Malachi’s prophecies ended, shortly before 400 BC, there had been little or nothing. But God chose the right moment for His Son to be born into the world, God’s definitive word to humankind. The Bible faithfully records this and sets out its meaning for us.
Thank God we are free to read the Bible, with the precious comfort and promises which it gives! This year has been the 400th anniversary of the publication of that great landmark in English literature, the Authorised or King James Version. We have thought about the events leading up to its production: the people who had to suffer and die because the country’s rulers suppressed translations into English. William Tyndale, on whose work the King James Bible is largely based, was put to death by strangling and burning in 1536. His last words were, “Lord! Open the King of England’s eyes.” Within four years, four translations of the Bible, all based on his work, were circulating with King Henry’s permission. This started a series of translations which led King James to order an authoritative version in 1604. The care that was taken over this is shown by the fact that it was seven years in the making.
The Puritan poet John Milton was a leading literary light shortly after those days. I cherish a hymn of his. Here are two verses from it:
The Lord will come, and not be slow,
His footsteps cannot err;
before Him righteousness shall go,
His royal harbinger.
Surely to such as do Him fear
salvation is at hand;
and glory shall ere long appear
to dwell within our land.
The main verse that helps me with this is Habakkuk 2:3. It reads: “For the revelation awaits an appointed time; it speaks of the end and will not prove false. Though it linger, wait for it; it will certainly come and will not delay.”
Habakkuk lived in a day when one evil empire would take over from another, and neither would be good for God’s people. His prophecy assures us that God’s plans mature slowly, but that He is in full control.
The coming of Jesus into this world illustrates this well. For centuries God’s people had been longing for the voice of God to ring out clearly once again. After Malachi’s prophecies ended, shortly before 400 BC, there had been little or nothing. But God chose the right moment for His Son to be born into the world, God’s definitive word to humankind. The Bible faithfully records this and sets out its meaning for us.
Thank God we are free to read the Bible, with the precious comfort and promises which it gives! This year has been the 400th anniversary of the publication of that great landmark in English literature, the Authorised or King James Version. We have thought about the events leading up to its production: the people who had to suffer and die because the country’s rulers suppressed translations into English. William Tyndale, on whose work the King James Bible is largely based, was put to death by strangling and burning in 1536. His last words were, “Lord! Open the King of England’s eyes.” Within four years, four translations of the Bible, all based on his work, were circulating with King Henry’s permission. This started a series of translations which led King James to order an authoritative version in 1604. The care that was taken over this is shown by the fact that it was seven years in the making.
The Puritan poet John Milton was a leading literary light shortly after those days. I cherish a hymn of his. Here are two verses from it:
The Lord will come, and not be slow,
His footsteps cannot err;
before Him righteousness shall go,
His royal harbinger.
Surely to such as do Him fear
salvation is at hand;
and glory shall ere long appear
to dwell within our land.
Saturday, 12 November 2011
Over-protected?
As I fiddled with the key of the padlock to my garden gate for the umpteenth time, I thought how much simpler life would be if I could just lift the latch and walk through. Voices from the past run through my head: "We never thought of locking even our front doors in the old days." But I take these precautions because this is a different day. I am aware of possible intruders close at hand. There are children around who would think nothing of barging through my front door uninvited if I left it unlocked and my attention was somewhere else.
It is the same with the telephone. More often than not, when it rings, my space is being invaded by some stranger trying to get me to sign up for something. I find myself picking up the receiver in a wary and apprehensive frame of mind.
Yet with this mindset there comes a sense of guilt. As a church pastor, am I not supposed to be open to all types of people? Folk expect hermits and oddballs to pull up the drawbridge when someone approaches, but surely not a minister of a church!
To quote the catchphrase from an outreach campaign in time past, "What would Jesus do?" He certainly gained a reputation for approaching social misfits whom others shied away from. Centuries-old taboos around lepers, non-Jews and tax-gatherers meant nothing to Him. He proclaimed salvation to those with whom nobody else would spend time.
Even for Him, though, there were limits. In Matthew 7:6 He advises, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."
The Son of Man who had "nowhere to lay His head" still felt the need to give Himself space, to put a distance between Himself and time-wasters. We are right to protect our own interests. Even so, we should be on the lookout for someone, at least, who is by-passed in society yet who can benefit from a kind deed or a thoughtful word from us as Christians.
It is the same with the telephone. More often than not, when it rings, my space is being invaded by some stranger trying to get me to sign up for something. I find myself picking up the receiver in a wary and apprehensive frame of mind.
Yet with this mindset there comes a sense of guilt. As a church pastor, am I not supposed to be open to all types of people? Folk expect hermits and oddballs to pull up the drawbridge when someone approaches, but surely not a minister of a church!
To quote the catchphrase from an outreach campaign in time past, "What would Jesus do?" He certainly gained a reputation for approaching social misfits whom others shied away from. Centuries-old taboos around lepers, non-Jews and tax-gatherers meant nothing to Him. He proclaimed salvation to those with whom nobody else would spend time.
Even for Him, though, there were limits. In Matthew 7:6 He advises, "Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and then turn and tear you to pieces."
The Son of Man who had "nowhere to lay His head" still felt the need to give Himself space, to put a distance between Himself and time-wasters. We are right to protect our own interests. Even so, we should be on the lookout for someone, at least, who is by-passed in society yet who can benefit from a kind deed or a thoughtful word from us as Christians.
Monday, 31 October 2011
Out of context
I don't know about you, but until I get to know people well I only recognise them in places where I am used to seeing them. Sometimes a person appears in an unfamiliar context and is surprised when I don't greet him or her. "I'm really sorry," I explain with embarrassment, "but, seeing you out of context, I just didn't make the connection."
Today's entry in my favourite Our Daily Bread notes struck a chord. It is entitled "Surprise" and reminds us to be on the lookout for God at work when we least expect!
"A writer for The Washington Post conducted an experiment to test people’s perception. He asked a famous violinist to perform incognito at a train station in the nation’s capital one January morning. Thousands of people walked by as he played, but only a few stopped to listen. After 45 minutes, just $32 had been dropped into the virtuoso’s open violin case. Two days earlier, this man—Joshua Bell—had used the same $3.5 million Stradivarius for a sold-out concert where people paid $100 a seat to hear him perform.
"The idea of a person not being recognized for his greatness isn’t new. It happened to Jesus. “He was in the world,” John said, “. . . and the world did not know Him” (John 1:10). Why did people who had been expecting the Messiah give Jesus such a cold reception? One reason is that they were surprised. Just as people today don’t expect famous musicians to play in railway stations, the people in Jesus’ day didn’t expect Messiah to be born in a stable. They also expected Him to be a political king—not the head of a spiritual kingdom.
"The people in the first century were blinded to God’s purpose in sending Jesus to this world. He came to save people from their sins (John 1:29). Receive God’s surprising gift of salvation that He offers freely to you today.
"Amazing thought! that God in flesh
Would take my place and bear my sin;
That I, a guilty, death-doomed soul,
Eternal life might win! —Anon.
"God broke into human history to offer us the gift of eternal life."
Today's entry in my favourite Our Daily Bread notes struck a chord. It is entitled "Surprise" and reminds us to be on the lookout for God at work when we least expect!
"A writer for The Washington Post conducted an experiment to test people’s perception. He asked a famous violinist to perform incognito at a train station in the nation’s capital one January morning. Thousands of people walked by as he played, but only a few stopped to listen. After 45 minutes, just $32 had been dropped into the virtuoso’s open violin case. Two days earlier, this man—Joshua Bell—had used the same $3.5 million Stradivarius for a sold-out concert where people paid $100 a seat to hear him perform.
"The idea of a person not being recognized for his greatness isn’t new. It happened to Jesus. “He was in the world,” John said, “. . . and the world did not know Him” (John 1:10). Why did people who had been expecting the Messiah give Jesus such a cold reception? One reason is that they were surprised. Just as people today don’t expect famous musicians to play in railway stations, the people in Jesus’ day didn’t expect Messiah to be born in a stable. They also expected Him to be a political king—not the head of a spiritual kingdom.
"The people in the first century were blinded to God’s purpose in sending Jesus to this world. He came to save people from their sins (John 1:29). Receive God’s surprising gift of salvation that He offers freely to you today.
"Amazing thought! that God in flesh
Would take my place and bear my sin;
That I, a guilty, death-doomed soul,
Eternal life might win! —Anon.
"God broke into human history to offer us the gift of eternal life."
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