Tag Archives: christianity

The Voice, calling all

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The Church door at Llangranog

It is my belief that in every heart, there is that place that is untouched by the world, that is the light of God within everybody. I believe that we need to access that place moment by moment and to trust it so as to flourish. Maybe our hearts are like stone and maybe our hearts are as Jeremiah tells us, wicked and deceitful, but within every heart there is that place of life and nourishment (Jeremiah 17:8-18). We can listen to our hearts I believe and surely God will speak to us and overrule any deceit, just as he spoke to Abraham, stopping him from killing Isaac. I am going to start out angry but hopefully leave you joyful.

It’s important that we can trust in that voice within and recognise it, trust in the light that shines within each of us in the knowledge that God will intervene if needs be in many and diverse ways. Trusting in this voice is trusting in God as Creator, trusting in a God who is Love. He will speak to us through visions, speak to us through dreams, speak to us through scripture, nurtures us through practices of prayer, song and creating. It is God speaking to us directly. We are the ones who are to discern it and to hear it and to obey it. This is such an important message and it’s been so-so lost. The churches become like the places of accusation where you know the voices you’re hearing are not the voice of God because your heart is emptied by the words, crushed. I think that’s probably too much, but often it feels like the light that’s within, the moment you walk through the church door, is dimmed. And that’s sad. 

On this word within we can build various practices that inform our hearts, striving to win the prize of communion with God. Our hearts will teach us which practices are good for us. For example, we might decide as Jesus followers to pray the Lord’s prayer or the Jesus prayer or just be silent. These things will inform our hearts. They will build in us truth. But the reality is that these practices are meaningless and can lead us astray if they’re not based firstly on the Word of God speaking into our hearts directly and directing us.

The danger is that churches stray into directing people, curating and deciding, to ensure that their people don’t end up with wrong things in their hearts, directing their minds. And if the love of God isn’t the basis of those things that are curated, the love of God that is steadfast, consensual, uncoerced and unconditional, the people start to doubt the voice of God and become church followers. The voice that they hear in their hearts directs them to things that are not of God, to a wide way of violence not the narrow way of Jesus. We as the Church need to allow people to fall and stumble and get things wrong so that they grow up. As all good parents we need to let go and not step in.

It’s so important I think that we listen to our hearts, listen to those people around us, listen to creation and we judge and we discern according to hearts broken by love. Read scripture and look for the Christ that tells us to love. From that we build faith. You can’t be a Jesus follower filled with the Spirit of God on your own. You can’t be a Christian without others if that is what you choose to call yourself. But you can make the word Christian into an adjective, describing your practices, describing whatever you do and keep people out. You will find that there are many practices that don’t have the word Christian attached to them that are Christ speaking. Open your minds. Open your ears. 

Listen. Hear all who have ears. Let them who have ears hear. They who have ears, listen. In my list of things to do for the church, I assumed the Christian virtues of love, faith, and hope and that God is discerned by listening.

Listen now.

Jesus quotes the ancient prayer the Shama when questioned by teachers of the law about what to obey. He answers,

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your might. Love your neighbour as yourself” (Matthew 22:38-39).

A rich young man was given the usual list of things to do by Jesus and a command.

“You shall love your neighbour as yourself.”(Matthew 19:19).

In Luke 10, neighbour is defined through the parable of the good Samaritan, an enemy not a brother.

Jesus says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbour as yourself.”

 In Matthew 5:43-48, Jesus has taught his followers to love their enemies. Just before his death and the last supper, Jesus says in John 13:34-35, he is giving his followers a new commandment, “…love one another as I have loved you. By this all people will know that you are my disciples.”

To sum up, Jesus tells us to love the Lord your God with all your heart, your soul, your strength, and your mind. Love your neighbour as yourself. Love your enemies. Love one another.

In the scriptures, given to us so that we might know Jesus, Deuteronomy 6:45. Says, “Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.”  And in Leviticus 19:14, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the son of your own people, but you shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the Lord,” which is part of a section that begins, “You shall be Holy, for I, the Lord your God, am Holy.”

To understand the Hebrew words used in the Scripture, the Bible Project has put together a good series of videos ( https://bibleproject.com/videos/collections/shema/ ) which explains the nuances of our translations of hear, LORD, love, soul and strength and tell us that listen is the Hebrew word for obedience, there being no word for obey in Hebrew.

Chris Goddard has produced a podcast that speaks of love, Love God and do what you like . He focuses on the story of Therese of Lisieux, Colossians 3:14 and 1 Corinthians 13:1 where we are encouraged to wear love as a garment and taught the pre-eminence of love as a virtue without which all actions are empty making our actions like a noisy gong or a clanging symbol. As humanity we are commanded to listen and to love.

In a conversation about the podcast, I had after, I explored deeper which is why I have written the above to get to my main point. what is love in this preach. The word love clanged for us like another impossible thing to do.

Over the years, I’ve become used to being told what to do and so I was dismayed how this podcast landed. What do you mean I have to love? And to paraphrase, “..not another thing I have to do.”

Reciting the Shama as a morning and evening practice embedded in the very hearts of the people a framework for life. Loving God does the same I believe. This is what I think we have been called to.

We live in a universe of forgiveness. We are being called to a non-coercive relationship with the light that speaks unconditionally and consensually within each of us, which gives birth to affection and steadfast care for ourselves and others without distinction or favour. This light is the light of life and is wholly inclusive and brings us to truth and abundant life and I believe reveals God. The revelation of God’s love has no end, but we are subject to a capacity to muck up and to evil and are free to turn our backs on love. Our work is to believe in God and to forgive as we are forgiven, which in my faith, is found in the grace of God in Christ’s birth, death and resurrection.

In Philippians we hear the message, work on your own salvation for it is God who works in you. The source of our working is God. It also says I press on to make it my own, it being the prize of the heavenly call, because Christ Jesus has made me his own. So, it’s to a finished work in us, God calls. It’s grace. It’s from a finished work that the prize is gained to follow the light within.

I trust in the light within all people to bring the work of God to its fullness in everyone, not the schemes of people. Read scripture church. People, start trusting the hearts of the people and stop being so boring, inventing services and programs, but begin encouraging us to trust the work that God is doing in us in our everyday life.

Stop making faith an adjective for endless prayers, performing, programmes, buildings and books. Trust the people to hear God speak and give yourself a break. Come Join me around the table, on the streets, in families, at work and at play. Let’s talk together and sing together. Do good to all people! Draw near to God and he will draw near to you. As you are created be creative together

The Pilgrims Cross near Nevern

Am I to be baptised again?

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I visited a London Chapel recently with a couple of Filipino Friends.

https://www.podbean.com/media/share/pb-ihs77-1b1b185

It was a good day. The meeting was like stepping back into the noughties but more formalized into a sort of liturgy of recognisable movements. God spoke as we sat beside the river. By river I mean the place people meet. Here’s a clue as to where we were.

Composed upon Westminster Bridge, September 3, 1802

BY WILLIAM WORDSWORTH

The message wasn’t in the medium which was very slick by the way. It was in the faithfulness of the listeners.

For myself, one thing was the realization that in these situations I feel watched and the need to perform. Too aware of my own presence, not sure that anything was actual worship on my part. Sitting quietly outside on the stone seats waiting, before the service, gave me pause and a great sense of peace as if I was in a holy place. A small mercy I could not achieve in the service, though I tried. The peace was lost as the service began.

Come on church, people-together what are we going to do? We need to work hard on this. Life teaches us that nothing comes easily. Out of hardship we grow or are destroyed. There’s no formula; our history, the way things have been, should not determine our future. We have to work. We can’t change what has gone, but we can secure ourselves in what we are. Deal with the past in a meaningful way and step forward.

Our pilgrimage will continue with the wounds and the marks of life. But only if we let them be healed into new life will they be glorified. And yes, visible in forms and buildings but not the main thing.

In Jesus, all is well and all will be made well as sister Julian says. Brother Augustine or was it Loyola or neither, says when before God He is all that matters but in our work it is we that matter. Sister Teresa tells us we are God’s hands and feet. Paul in his despair leans on an understanding in Philippians 2:12-13 that teaches us to work out our salvation with God in fear and trembling safe in the knowledge that it is God who works in us.

So, what we going to do? Gaze at our navels? Write books? Keep on keeping on?

Stepping out in twos and threes, maybe we could walk our neighbourhoods and listen to those who invite us to listen. Just listen; become active in works of charity; welcome others into our space and be open to them; build a practice together that holds stillness, praise, and prayer and meet around a shared table with bread and wine. Maybe investigate baptism and agree a rule together and live it. We could make sure the rule is open to all doctrines and that every sinner willing to be transformed is welcomed by it. Let us be chaste in our relationships, rich in generosity and obedient to the word within, acknowledging the person of Jesus, as he’s revealed to the ones we meet, to be the way, the truth, and the life not a book of standing orders.

Sometimes it feels hard to be authentic as the past clouds our minds, to walk and comfortably be in your own skin. Usually, it is because we’re not. I’m not comfortable as I am. I feel watched as I have said, and everything feels like a performance. I feel pretty lost to be honest.

Purpose is very vulnerable thing to have. I’m not sure purpose is a good thing. It takes you away from the here and now of being present to whatever is before you. It makes you make rules and lists as I just have done. A programme. I mean purpose in terms of having a cause, something external to yourself to strive towards. Of course, being present to the here and now is a purpose and carries you through the day, but I hope you know what I mean, let’s not lose the message in the means.

This morning I got up, wrote a letter, and posted it. Each evening, I’ve been asked, “What have you planned for tomorrow?” This is only a question because I’m on a break from school, and there are no calls on my time, no deadlines, no need to prepare, time to get on top of things. I’m being paid to rest. I earned to rest. That’s a good thing about teaching, you get a long break. But Soon I will not be working. In 5 years time my job will be done and presumably I will have earned enough to carry me through sickness and to death. Well, what then? I don’t play golf. I have no roses to tend. I still dream of finding community, a neighbourhood, a new start something like you read in the list above.

I realise I have used the technical word baptism as a way of belonging. It’s in my list! For me, the word carries the message of cleansing and flowing love. It carries a message of being buried and raised to new life; carries a story of the journey through to a new life. It’s a universal, available to all. And where there is water, there’s a promise of a newness; baptism embodies belonging to an ancient past and a new start. Am I to be baptized again? Is this the way the Spirit is blowing?

Well, here’s a poem and a picture to exercise your right brain after all that left brain.

Am I to be baptized again?
Have I journeyed this far to die?
A new life, or tired belonging.

 What am I called to?

I am encrusted.
Covered in life’s dust
Protecting me.

All hangs heavy, domed, enclosed with
No horizon. How can I look beyond if
There’s no rim of hope?

Oh, to be washed again, be
Authentic with a future,
To be me, where
Hope forms, moulds.

My eyes are open to see what the Lord would show to me.
I need a vision that will not fail,
A horizon to explore.

This is my prayer to be fulfilled in the daily
Today.

A picture I painted of Notley Road looking towards a local church in the centre of Braintree.

We hear to listen

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We are here to listen, to discern the truth, to find a truth to live by. We stand up to be counted, we listen for the voice of God in the whisper, the thunder and love.

In Adam I believe humanity is fallen. Adam is all humanity made in the image of God. Each of us succumbs to sin- we fall, we get up, we learn, we grow. Sin is turning our back on God and walking away from him. In life we are born into the innocence of Adam and grow up into Christ, each without exception. Christ is all humanity restored and redeemed, a new Adam who walked in innocence.

We miss the mark our hearts long for each day; the Light of God’s presence shines in the hearts of every person. This is the revelation of scripture and God restores, forgives and redeems humanity each day, a mystery revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. There is guilt: there is shame. When we allow space for despair , it is filled by darkness as we continue the walk away from God, but he stands in our way and calls us back. He reaches out to rescue us. The darkness cannot overcome the light. Every sin is an invitation to the evil one. Sin sits at the door of our hearts as it did for Cain who went on to murder his brother Abel because he was jealous. As a church, we pray, lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. Why? Because in missing the target we are blinded by our selfish lack, our sense of entitlement obscures the light. The longing God put in our hearts for the good, the beautiful and truth is exploited by the evil one into a sense of lack and we grasp at what is not ours to have. This is the lesson of the garden of Eden where our ancient parents succumbed. Though we choose death God waits patiently to restore us to life.

Not that a sense of lack is necessarily evil. In many ways it drives us to improve our situations,  developing technologies and caring societies. It is when lack becomes driven by disappointment rather than hope that there is a problem, when desires rule.

In Christ is our life and breath; our whole being, our ever-flowing way back to God. In him our being finds its Alpha and its Omega, its beginning and its end: the heart of God to love. In Christ death is no more, there is no longer guilt, no longer shame as we stumble, and surely, we stumble. Jesus seeks us out. Jesus holds us. Jesus is Lord.

Jesus conquers death as a man, by taking his full deity into the death of all humanity and in his deity conquering death for all humanity by rising to new life. Death could not hold him as he shouldered our sins on the cross, perfectly revealing God. Death is defeated for all.

Stir in me, stir in me, Holy Spirit arise in me, new my soul rise-up in thee, clean and pure and Holy, I was taught to sing.

The breath of God creates and forms, restores and heals. From dust we were formed and in common with all, to dust we will return. This is sure. In Christ we know intimately the inheritance of all humanity, the fellowship of the Holy Spirit and ever-flowing life. Birth into the glory of God is the way we are drawn along.

Christ is our daily bread, given to all, broken for all, a life poured out for all. Without the drawing of God, we are lost, we are dead in our humanity. The Spirit needs-must invade our reasoning, invade our imagination; we dream and have visions; a vision of one body; one body birthed on a cross; one body begotten in the beginning, revealed as we listen and hear of Christ’s death resurrection and ascension into heaven. All are called into this body, Christ now seated at the right hand of God.

In reading this far, all that has happened is that you have gathered with others to hear; to listen, to sense together with others a longing, a thirst. A thirst quenched in Christ. Jesus is alive, here now ascended to the Father in-the-midst of his people. You can’t follow him on your own, but he meets you as a friend in this shared understanding and experience of good news. There is a hunger to gather; to be together, to know one another. Maybe we have nothing more in common, but we want to hear.

This truth is a powerful truth revealed as we listen. No one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. To proclaim Jesus is Lord brings ruin in the ways of the world; you become a target. To stand with Christ, to align with him is to make his truth our measure. How can we doubt those who declare Jesus to be Lord; numbered, marked out by their declaration; standing together in an absurd truth; an absurd utterance. Yet you are listening, longing to understand.

Space is created so that mighty deeds of God are proclaimed and enacted, acted upon. from the heart of God as we gather. We prophecy. We know his voice and we no longer call any man our teacher as we know him for ourselves. The Holy Spirit discerns for us and teaches us. We prophecy against injustice and lies. There are all manner of manifestations of God’s goodness and mercy in our midst, and we know his voice. Declaring Jesus to be Lord brings peace and love and not violence; a narrow road to restoration, healing and life. God’s Spirit is given for the common good as we step out into worldly obscurity and trash our reputations. There is one body. There is one Spirit. A body breathed into life by the Spirit that we are invited to become a part of.

The Spirit rests; rests on each one of us: tongues of fire inspire us. Our hearts are strangely warmed as one saint commented. Nothing is ever the same again.

The portion of Christ exceeds that of Moses; not to seventy is it given, but seventy times seventy and more, numbered in Christ, forgiven, restored and poured out, an ever-flowing fount of water for all the world’s cleansing and sustaining.

From his people, from the Church, many thirsts are quenched. The church gathers in many camps, but you can’t be a church alone; no gathering is alone but is complete in Christ; there is only one Church, and we are in it together. The Church is recognised when hearts are gathered, in a death to self, a blessed poverty; a hunger and thirst for righteousness, a heart for peace: two or three who love, who love their enemies. The church brings life.

Humbly we come and draw water from the wells of salvation, we sang, a little flock. But in Christ we are many- a host and one heart, one mind are we, revealed and scorned but empowered.

Maybe in this and in our reading of scripture our hearts burned as they did for the disciples on the road to Emmaus who encountered the risen Jesus in words on the journey but recognised him in the action of breaking of bread at a meal. Maybe as you listen to friends, and engage ideas and experiences something stirs. There are reasons and reasonings, explanations. We can analyse and form rules. But when we encounter God in bread and wine, water, quiet and breath, then we know intimately an infilling of truth. Then we are transformed; 200 years of modern Christianity dissolve and we become church

A young man once asked me to come and speak with him. He wanted to save me from God; he wanted to confound me with his truth, show how I was deceived. I read him a poem I had written for him. It began, The god you don’t believe in, I don’t believe in either. Master Eckhart a German mystic of the 13th Century prayed, God rid me of God. This is a stage in the journey all of us must go through, maybe several times as we peel away our certainty, let go the god of our own understanding and creation. God finds a way, through tongues of fire, through babbling tongues. Pentecost heralds dreams and visions, sighs deeper than words that birth love, that flows out for all. As we journey from Adam to Christ all becomes poetry, we appear drunk, in the breaking of bread, in the drinking of wine.

As the poet George Herbert says in his poem Agonie, Love in that liquor sweet and most divine which my God feels as blood but I as wine. Truth is revealed to our hearts and the words become flesh in you and in me.

Grace and peace.