Author: alibates

Well, it seems I took my own advice in my last post to ‘put your feet up and have a rest’ rather too literally. I have taken a year off! In my defence it was marked by study, taking on a new allotment and ill health which didn’t leave much energy for anything else. Sometimes we set off with good intent but can get derailed on the way by circumstances beyond our control. Learning to accept those moments with grace is not something I’m very good at. Since retirement I have discovered just how purpose driven I can be and it is one of the challenges of retirement; finding your purpose in a new context.

It is not long until Easter and my devotional reading today was about the cruelty that Jesus experienced at the hands of the Roman soldiers. It was terrible and as a Christian I can feel both horror and gratitude  that my Saviour went through such an ordeal willingly. However, his suffering is not unique; I wish it was. All over the world there are people suffering the consequences of man’s inhumanity to man. Whether it is an unkind word, domestic violence, the callousness of people smugglers, or the torture of prisoners under the rule of dictators; it is ever present. The gospel tells me that God, through Jesus, will show as much mercy to the traffickers, to the boat people and the Home Secretary who wants rid of them, as he has to me. None of us would deserve it yet it is there if we will avail ourselves of his love and forgiveness. I believe the gospel is the only way we can find enough grace and lovingkindness for one another. We must find it for ourselves first so that we can live it out for others, challenge our inhumanity and create a better society .

May this Lent and Easter time bring a fresh revelation of God’s unconditional grace towards each one of us.

I don’t mean the smutty sort I mean the soil beneath your feet. Whilst writing an essay on Christian engagement in environmental concerns I came across some interesting scripture.

In 2 Chron. 36:21 is written ^‘ So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.’ NLT

He is right of course, Jeremiah did prophecy this exile of God’s people into Babylon for 70 years (Jer. 29:10). I think that as Christians we assume this was because of their moral failure or worship of other gods. There is another and older reason.

Lev. 26:32-35 talks about the importance of giving the land rest by a seven year sabbatical or furlough, and what happens if you don’t.

³² Yes, I myself will devastate your land, and your enemies who come to occupy it will be appalled at what they see. ³³ I will scatter you among the nations and bring out my sword against you. Your land will become desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins. ³⁴ Then at last the land will enjoy its neglected Sabbath years as it lies desolate while you are in exile in the land of your enemies. Then the land will finally rest and enjoy the Sabbaths it missed. ³⁵ As long as the land lies in ruins, it will enjoy the rest you never allowed it to take every seventh year while you lived in it. NLT

God cares about this planet, including the earth that gives us food. I wonder what he thinks of us as we pour on fertilizers, overusing the land until it turns to dust. If you wanted a spiritual reason for regenerative farming its right there.

It also reminds us of the importance of rest which God built into the world he created. Israel’s failure to observe the Sabbath was probably a mixture of desire for the wealth of the ‘lost’ year or perhaps thinking they knew better? We are only just discovering how wonderful and complex is  soil and its micro organisms. It is a warning that when we ignore the foundational truths of how God wants us to live it is easier to start ignoring other things; as Israel did.

So if you have a patch of soil to tend then cherish it; God does. Look after it, tend it, then put your feet up and have a little rest!

(I wrote this a while ago but got distracted by acquiring an allotment that needs lots of work!)

There is wonderful joy in learning and discovering new things about our universe and those we share it with. I’m not sure that as a teenage I valued learning that much, but with age comes the desire to keep on learning as long as I can. Knowledge can empower us. It helps lift people out of poverty, finds cures for terrible illnesses and enables our lives enormously.

Knowledge also has a dark side. What is discovered brings with it responsibility for what we do with that knowing. Alfred Nobel set up his 5 peace prizes, given to those who benefit humanity, following the realisation of how history might remember him and his discovery of dynamite. Since then we battle with the dangers of nuclear power and next, perhaps, it will be A.I. Our current environmental crises come from our failure to manage the industrialisation of our society. The dark is not the knowledge itself but how our moral values direct our use of that knowledge.

In the garden of Eden Adam and Eve were tempted to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The lie of the serpent was the promise that they would ‘be like God’. That appeal to our pride and desire for power remains in us. The idea of knowing something others don’t. Gossip is one manifestation of this; it gives us the upper hand.

In the early church the Gnostics, who claimed special knowledge (gnosis), caused a lot of trouble and confusion within the church and to its leaders. The apostles, Paul and John, wrote several letters to correct the false teaching that arose. Paul warns against those who get puffed up in their minds by the idea that they have special spiritual or mystical knowledge. Maybe those folk started out with good intent but somewhere down the line lost their way, caused distress in the church and sometimes ended up leaving.

Over decades of ministry I have seen this repeated again and again. Good people get deceived by a teaching or profound spiritual experience that appeals to them. They set themselves apart as knowing God and his will better than others. In society at large we have an explosion of information; the spreading of fake news. Groups like QAnon appeal to those who are lost not knowing who to believe. Special or secret knowledge still appeals to our pride and self-seeking. When we stop being accountable and become our own authority then danger looms.

Ironically the knowledge of good and evil should lead to greater discernment, but perhaps that only happens when it is coupled to humility before God and others?

Over the Christmas holidays a family conversation began in my house about contentment and its importance. It got me thinking about the topic and its value in our lives. Contentment will mean different things to each of us. Life may be a mixture of satisfaction in some areas and discontent in others.

Our conversation centred around work and the pressure to improve your status (and therefore your remuneration) versus being happy where you are. How is that seen? Is it lack of ambition if you aren’t looking for that next promotion or is it wisdom? What are we ambitious for? Money, position, success? There’s nothing wrong with that. Or maybe we would rather be ambitious for more family time, creativity, mental wellbeing? We hear about those who have given up successful careers and opted for a simpler basic life with fewer mental or emotional stressors. Maybe we have envied them…. except perhaps for the composting toilet! (Just kidding).

The Apostle Paul has a few things to say on the topic. He doesn’t seem to need an awful lot. 1 Tim 6:6-8 tells us we can be content with just food and clothing. He reminds us we bring nothing into life and can take nothing out. In Philippians 4 (one of his prison letters) he writes about how he learnt to be content, which gives me hope that I could do likewise. There appears to be a very wonderful humility in this; Paul isn’t expecting that he ought to receive more. Is he ambitious? Absolutely. But his ambition is not for himself but for the kingdom of God and the spread of the gospel. Perhaps this is where the answer lies, in being ambitious for others, but content in ourselves. That does sound incredible and desirable to me.

There is so much wrong in our world caused by pride and self-seeking. Our discontent has plundered the earth of its resources and created great divides between peoples.

Finding serenity is partly found in knowing who we are and being at peace in it. Jesus told his disciples that they didn’t need to worry about anything, but simply trust their heavenly father (Matthew 6). In Habbakuk 3:17-19 the prophet says that even if all of life is a disaster, he will keep worshipping God and find joy and security there.

It seems to me that to find contentment in life there needs to be an outside reference point. Whether that external frame is faith in God, another belief system, or a moral principle or cause. Having a faith in something that is bigger than us and outside of us helps to locate that order and humility that brings contentment.

‘We bring nothing in and can take nothing out’ In this sense we all start and end the same. We can try to medicate the empty space with stuff, power or people. Serenity comes through a clear sense of what matters most and being at peace in yourself. For me that comes through faith in Christ.

However we come to that place I pray we will all find that oasis of contentment in the year ahead.

P.S. Last thought: Do you think contentment comes easier with age?

is Micah 6:8.

Yep, I know, big claim! But go with me on this because I think it’s worth pursuing.

A few weeks ago I woke up with this scripture on my mind and have been pondering it ever since.

Micah is a contemporary of Isaiah, living in the 700’s BC. It is a time of evil in the nation. There is a general failure to follow Yahweh’s laws, and many are suffering because of the injustices being meted out to them. Micah says the leaders are guilty of an abuse of power, of acquiring others’ property, ill treatment of the poor, loving evil and hating justice, corruption, bribery, cheating, extortion and lying. A long familiar list that sounds remarkably modern! Like Isaiah he is called by God to warn the people that even a loving God will judge them for this. They will eventually be punished and exiled.

Contained in that idea though is the promise of forgiveness and restoration to those who repent, and there is the hint of the coming Messiah. In the verses leading up to 6:8 God argues his case that he has been very good to Israel but they have not followed him, have been very disobedient and are without excuse. They did know better. The response of the people is to wonder what size of offering is required to get them out of this mess. They would like to buy their way out. The suggestions are so extreme as to be highly unlikely, including the sacrifice of their first-born children which they know God does not approve of. Perhaps it’s a degree of sarcasm on the part of the prophet?

The answer to their dilemma comes in the reminder that they have known all along what to do and what is good:

1. To do or act justly (righteously)
2. To show love or mercy
3. To walk humbly (modestly/simply) with their God.

Sounds straightforward, right? At first glance it doesn’t sound that earth shattering until you think about applying it to your own life, to your community and the earth as a whole. These instructions were given to believers (God’s people). This is basic, practical discipleship. So, how are you and I doing in living justly, showing mercy and walking humbly with our God?

When we start out following Christ the concerns to be addressed in life are often the big lifestyle issues and behavioural traits in our lives. As we go on the focus narrows down to what we might consider smaller or ‘lesser sins’. But they all matter to God. There is always room for growth and its quite easy to get comfortable with our ‘lesser sins’ and no longer notice them. When considering how I was doing myself, God was very quick to highlight some of my failings in these areas. It wasn’t comfortable. Discipleship often isn’t.

What then if we look at the state of our society through the filter of Micah 6:8? What if social media was operated on the basis of justice, mercy and humility? How about our care of the poor, the refugee, the homeless, the unemployed, the marginalized etc etc. How about family relationships, friendships, workplace behaviours? It’s a powerful verse. Read the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7)  in the light of this verse and it won’t surprise you to see how they line up, giving us practical examples of what this looks like in action.

Then take it further to our concern for our planet, climate change and our environmental crisis. Does this not also need the application of justice, mercy and humility (simplicity)?. Living simply would solve a lot of problems. Living justly would propel us towards changing our lifestyles for the sake of those most threatened by climate change. Showing kindness to all living creatures, human and otherwise, would require a shift (especially in the West) in how we treat the earth and everything that lives on it. Even the dirt beneath our feet needs kindness, and we are beginning to learn the value of gentler, kinder ways of dealing with our environment .

God’s answer to our perilous state is not for us to pass the buck and blame others, or to take a side and fight each other, and we can’t buy our way out. His answer is to call us to change our hearts; to embrace justice, kindness and humility. Then perhaps we can be the prophetic voice our world needs to hear.

Recently in a conversation with a debt centre manager we discussed the work, the ending of the uplift in Universal Credit and the expected fuel cost rises. At some point they made this comment  “Even when we get them out of debt they cannot afford to live” It wasn’t a figure of speech. They. Can. Not. Afford. To. Live. To stay alive. To breathe in and out. I could not get the horror of that phrase out of my head.

We pride ourselves on being a modern, advanced society. In truth it is only our technology that has advanced around us not we ourselves. Humanity is still as selfish, greedy and egotistical as it ever was. At the same time as I’m thinking on this comes the disclosure of the property purchases of the wealthiest in our world, done to avoid the payment of tax that would benefit the nation. Someone needs to tell them they can’t take it with them when they die. The world has always had the poor and the rich, and the middling classes. Nothing we have done has altered this imbalance. It feels to me like we still live in a Dickensian novel.

Yes, I know, some of the poor have not always acted in ways that would benefit their well being. Who am I to judge, not having lived their life? So many of the stories heard over the years of church ministry tell of abusive homes, mental health problems, learning disabilities, solace found in drugs and alcohol, military service, bankruptcy and marriage breakdowns. Would I have come out any better? Probably not.

There won’t be any obvious solutions put forward in this blog; the problem is vast. We need brave governments, and we need courageous philanthropists. We need the gospel that changes hearts and minds, and opens us to God’s limitless grace and kindness. We need to question for ourselves what constitutes a reasonable standard of living. What is a luxury? Should increased income always result in increased standard of living? Could we be brave enough to stop acquiring the dream, live simply and give the rest away? Our environment would thank us too.

 Jesus said “Fear not, little children, it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom” We like to stop there, but he goes on “Therefore, sell what you have and give to the poor. This will store up treasure for you in heaven. And the purses of heaven never get old or develop holes. Your treasure will be safe; no thief can steal it and no moth can destroy it” (Luke 12:32-33)

This winter the rich will get richer and the poor poorer, and some will decide they cannot afford to breathe any more. Many will have to choose between food or fuel, our government may not wish to own this but it is true. If you could give something to someone in need, or lobby your member of parliament or support an agency like CAP (capuk.org) please do it so others can afford to live this winter.

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