Meme?

I was inviting someone to an event with me but, having wished to come previously, on finding out the date they now sent an apology:

Hi John,

. . . Inevitably I am someone else that day and so can’t join you –I’m really sorry about that.

I wonder whether this is something of a standard excuse for us when we meet God.  Sure, my name might be the same on Monday as Sunday; at the business conference as at the Christian conference.  But I'm someone else.

Election

Last Sunday we had an Election Hustings at our Church.  We were very grateful that all the candidates were willing to turn up (which was something the BBC didn't achieve with the party leaders . . .!).

One reason why they turned up is probably connected to the work of the Churches in the community and this was referenced by several of them.  Indeed, in a manner not noticed on TV when MPs are interviewed they were almost all keen to stress some participation or support for the work of the churches.

The Bible didn't do as well.

The issue, as ever with the Bible, is the issue of authority.  No candidate is overly keen to feel bound by an old set of books.  Whilst the Churches represent something splendid in community voluntary work the Bible represents something like the Monarch's throne in parliament - a piece of history that represents an old, discredited authority.

The tour guide in the Palace of Westminster stands by this painting in St Stephen's Hall, the place where the Commons formerly met. She explains some of the momentous things that happened here in days gone by.  She cites most approvingly the efforts - at this very spot - by which William Wilberforce led the brave and challenging political fight against slavery.  She omits to mention the picture,  It is of the English people reading the Bible despite persecution.

So much of what is strong about our nation is not, historically, attributable to the Church.  It is attributable to the Bible.  This has been recognised at coronations as on the walls of parliament.  If only it were recognised in the Palace of Westminster; in this society; in the church, even.

Fun and Forsakenness

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

At 3:00pm this afternoon (New Testament term = about the 9th hour) a whole bunch of football matches kicked off.  Lacking a nearby football match just wait a couple of hours and the doors opened at the German Bier Festival.

Could anything be less appropriate for Good Friday?

Well, here's the strange thing.  Yes.

Depending on how one views such things there is a case to be made that religious services and prayer meetings (our Church had one) whilst laudable in a way are less reminiscent of the first Good Friday than the atmosphere of a game or beer festival.

I suppose that in this land what we are really seeing is the cultural dismembering of a nation's Christian heritage.  This is a trending reality that we may regret.  But this is not at all the same thing as a disaster.

Salvation, and the faith that follows Jesus Christ, emerged from the worldly raucous atmosphere outside the Holy City at Golgotha.  We have certainly lost something, and we are likely to lose more, but we have not lost our true story or our true Saviour; we have not lost Good Friday!

ME

We began our Church's week of prayer last evening.

We're using the chapters of John's gospel set in the Upper Room and this brought us to the very familiar words of John 14.  Or so we thought.

But more than one of us was struck by the simple phrase said by Jesus to his disciples, "You believe in God; believe also in me."  It is so simple and yet so profound.  How easy it is to associate the Christian faith with a great deal of activity or an accumulation of knowledge or family connections or heritage or musical inclinations or local meetings in a community.

It is about Him.  It is about trusting Him.  It is as available on the deathbed as the Sunday school, in the workplace or the clinic on the aircraft in the pulpit.  

You can be a Christian if needs must without almost everything - just not without Him.  The disciples' Passion Week mistakes centred on the catastrophic decision they each made to dispense with Him.  Running away they chose safety instead or in Judas Iscariot's case money.  When they got there - that is, away from Him - they found they had nothing really.  We'll find the same.

Trust in ME.