Saving the World

It is quite easy to get a bit depressed when listening to or watching the news.  There seems to be trouble everywhere.  We wonder just where and when it will all end.  I don't know about you but I get a little irritated when I hear Christians saying that we are in the end times and that Jesus will soon be returning and he will put everything right.  They wait for him to come out of the clouds, descending from heaven to 'sort out' the world.  They expect to be suddenly carried off into the skies and be saved while Jesus destroys what is left of our beloved planet.


They seem to think of him as some sort of superhero that we love to watch on film or television who flies in and with a few strikes, everything is made orderly and perfect.  (Perfect being of course what we want to see according to our own particular beliefs)  He will zap our enemies like some supernatural destroyer.  I can't help thinking that the Jews in the time of Jesus thought the same of the Messiah that they were waiting for and that's why many of them had difficulty in accepting Jesus as the Messiah, the promised deliverer.  I wonder if Jesus returned today, how many Christians would recognise him and accept him maybe for similar reasons.

The thing is that Jesus taught and showed that God is Love.  So does all this destruction of those that we consider to be enemies really tally with a loving entity that loves all people equally.  Does a parent wish to destroy a child when s/he goes off the rails a bit or makes some erroneous decision.  The story of the Prodigal Son tells us otherwise.  What Jesus did teach and tell his disciples was that we should go and tell others of his ways of love and be like him.  God's spirit living in us is what will change the world.  He is not an old man sitting on a throne somewhere in 'the skies'.  We are his temple and he is alive on earth in and through us.  We think of the skies as up there, out there, over the horizon, beyond us but actually where earth ends is where the skies begin.  The horizon is actually the place where earth and sky meet.  So wherever we walk 'the skies' are actually at our feet and that's where God is, walking with us.  Wherever we are, he is because he is within us.  Do we want to save the planet and all its people?  Then we don't sit around waiting for his return (however that may or may not happen).  We take God with us, in us,through us in everything we do and everywhere we go.  We live his inclusive love even towards our enemies.  That's what Jesus taught.  If Jesus returned tomorrow, what would he do?  The following is a cartoon I saw and it made me think.  We need to consider again just what he taught and did on his first visit to earth.  His way can change the world for the better.

A tongue in cheek comic strip I found by
Brian K White's Comics on glossynews.com

Efficient/Effective?

This week Vicky Beeching used a quote on Twitter that was originally written by Peter Drucker, an Austrian born American management consultant.  He has been described as the 'founder of modern management'. The quote was: 'Efficiency is doing things right.  Effectiveness is doing the right things.'  That set me thinking.  It's great to be efficient.  It gets the job done and done well.  But it is imperative that the things that are done are the right things.  You can be very efficient at doing the wrong things.  So being efficient in itself is not necessarily good.


Most of this past week in our home we have had the pleasure of the company of a friend from Latvia.  We have had some very interesting conversations about many things.  We got onto the subject of people going to other countries within the church setup on particular missions.  We both know of people who have gone with a particular project or 'programme' that they intended to put into practice, as though you can programme God. How often do we have plans and ask God to bless our plans when often they are not God's plans at all?  I have known people who have been very organised and efficient but not necessarily doing the right things.  They arrive full of what they are going to do, set up this meeting and that project and within 2 to 3 years they will have so many converts and will expand to other places when maybe it would be better to identify with the people and place where they intend to work, get to know the real situation and circumstances and what is actually needed.  I also read this week about a story of helping those who need help as opposed to those that we think need our help.  There are parts of the world where, instead of organising meetings and setting up Bible classes and teaching programmes, what is really needed is tools to dig a well to save the women from having to walk miles to get a bucket of water.  Instead of trying to explain the resurrection it would be more helpful to give seeds or animals or maybe teach them methods of agriculture and business so the people could feed and fend for themselves.  I can't help feeling that much of the work is in order to promote the public standing of the group, charity or denomination that is carrying out the missions.  It often seems to be more about adding numbers to their membership or following than sharing the Good News in practical ways.  

We can be very efficient in bringing plans to fruition and getting the job done but if we are asking the wrong questions, if we are focusing on the wrong problem, the seriousness of the situation will just continue and get worse.  We need to address the cause of problems in order to be effective in bringing about a solution.  When we go to the doctor with a health problem, we often get some medication.  If the problem continues then often a deeper, more intense and detailed study by xray, scan or tests needs to be carried out in order to identify the underlying cause of the problem.  It's no use taking painkillers if the real problem is a broken leg.  The painkillers will alleviate the pain for a while but unless the broken leg is mended, the problem will still exist and cause more pain and problems.  Sometimes we might think that we are helping a situation but when we take a closer, more in-depth look at the situation we discover that the real need is something that is not really being addressed.  And so the problem continues.  Our carefully thought-out plans and efficiency will get some sort of result but the real problems are not addressed and the situation does not change in spite of all our efforts.  


It reminds me of the words of Helder Camara, the Brazilian Archbishop who was assassinated in 1999 when he said, 'When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why the poor have no food, they call me a communist'.  We can be very efficient but unless we address the root causes of problems and ask the right questions we will never be effective in showing God's love as Jesus taught.  Richard Rohr recently in his daily meditations when referring to the Desert Fathers and Mothers said that for them 'faith was first a lifestyle before it was a belief system'.  The first followers of Jesus were known as People of the Way (a way of living) before they were known as people who followed a belief system.  Maybe it's time to rethink why we do what we do.  Are we just efficient or are we effective?    

Thoughts From Down Under

Earlier this week, my elder son Martin and his partner Lisa came to visit for a few days.  They have recently returned from 3 months travelling around Australia, from Melbourne up the east coast past Cairns and then across and down from Darwin through Alice Springs, Uluru (Ayers Rock) and back to Melbourne.  We were able to share in their adventure through their many photos and stories of their travels.  I found particularly interesting the stories of the aborigines and their beliefs.  They are an ancient race having lived on that land for over 40,000 years and so their stories of creation and other spiritual beliefs go back way beyond anything we as Christians may have.  We consider their stories to be just that - stories, myths and legends - not necessarily literally true but they cling on to their beliefs that have been handed down orally over thousands of years.  

A model of a coracle type of ark as on the ancient tablet

I also watched this week a programme about 'The Real Noah's Ark' where a professor and associates reconstructed a boat according to information on an ancient clay tablet.  It was a story of a flood with instructions on how to build a boat to save a man, his family and animals.  The instructions also interestingly said that the animals were to go in 'two by two'.  This particular tablet predated our biblical story of Noah by over 1000 years.  The boat to be built was actually round, more like a coracle than the ark we think of.  Archaeologists have discovered that in that region of the Tigris/Euphrates rivers there were many such great floods in ancient times and many would indeed make super-sized coracles to save their families and belongings.  It is thought that the Hebrew exile in Babylon was greatly influenced by such stories and maybe had some effect on stories that they also handed down to their descendants.  

Uluru (Ayers Rock) is a sacred Aboriginal site but so many
lack respect for the religious views and beliefs of others as
this notice and undeterred climbers show.

We look at other spiritual traditions and think of them as fables, myths and not fact while other religions often look at our holy book in the same way.  So it seems to beg the question -  how many of our Bible stories are just that, stories that have been told and handed down over generations in order to teach some spiritual truth.  Knowing how Jesus himself was a great story teller, it seems quite possible that much of holy writings, beliefs and spiritual stories (of many different religions) are just a way of trying to explain some truth that is often difficult to put into words but are not really to be taken literally.  (I can almost sense the fundamentalists putting their heads in their hands, gasping in horror and  declaring that I have surely 'lost my faith'!)  But why do we condescendingly smile at aboriginal stories and yet are offended if others do the same to us?  Who are we to go bulldozing our way in and telling someone whose tradition is over 40,000 years old that he is wrong and we are right?  The arrogance of such an empire spirit never ceases to amaze me.

The first plane that started the Flying Doctor Service

Another interesting story that Martin and Lisa told was of Rev John Flynn.  He had been appointed to minister in the outback.  In 1912 he established the Australian Inland Mission in order to attend to the spiritual, medical and social needs of those living in the outback.  He built hospitals but is mostly remembered for implementing with a friend what has become known as The Flying Doctor Service.  His concern was that people were so isolated and his greatest desire was to help people to connect.with others.  Over the years he managed to get an aeroplane and a pilot but the problem was how people could access this service.  Another associate invented a pedal radio and so in 1929 people could call on the Flying Doctor Service.  Later transistor radios replaced the pedal kind and people were then able to contact their 'neighbours' many miles away and families were once again in touch with each other.  John Flynn was a Presbyterian minister but rather than trying to get people to travel in order to gather in one building to worship together, he saw their need and tried to meet that need right where they were.  He cared for aborigines as well as white settlers whether they accepted his Christian beliefs or not.  That is why he is remembered to this day.  That seems like a Jesus thing to do - not being consumed with the idea of getting people to meet on the Sabbath/Sunday in the synagogue/temple/church building but rather seeing a need and working to meet that need.

Mmm!  Thank you Australia for the lessons you share.  Much to ponder.    

OT Christians or Jesus People

There is a cartoon that I follow on Facebook called 'Coffee with Jesus'.  A few days ago they published the following cartoon and it set me thinking.  What does 'Jesus people' really mean?

We consider Jesus People and Christians to be synonymous but I have come to the conclusion that there are many things about Christianity as people think of it today that are not in accord with the things that Jesus said and did.  They don't follow his way of doing things and understanding as to what the gospel message is.

There are so many rules and regulations about what we should or shouldn't do, think or believe.  Our thinking and standards are so often based on Old Testament law.  Many times (I don't really know how many as I haven't actually counted but I'm sure someone, somewhere has) Jesus says about the law 'Moses said but I say to you ... ... '  He was known for breaking the law as written in their Scriptures - he healed on the Sabbath, he and the disciples walking in the fields and plucking and rubbing ears of corn to eat were actually working on the Sabbath, he spoke to a stranger, a woman and a Samaritan woman at that (sworn enemy of Jews), he even made a Samaritan the hero of one of his stories.  Sticking to the letter of the law might have been very commendable to a Pharisee but Jesus didn't seem to have anything in common with the Pharisees and showed that people and how they felt were far more important.   

The Old Testament shows how women have second place and on the whole Scripture is written from the male point of view.  Jesus crossed that barrier and spoke to women treating them as equal to men.  He accepted women among his followers and gave the first preaching assignment after his resurrection to a woman - 'Go tell the disciples and Peter ...'   Many Christians today still do not accept the place of women as equal basing their ideas and thinking in the Old Testament saying that Scripture says that women shall serve men.  Looking at it a bit closer we realise that this was as a result of the Fall and was not God's original intention or plan for women.  He made man and woman to be equal partners.  If the coming of Jesus was a means to put things right again between man and God, then women are not the lesser of the species , neither inferior nor subservient to the men.  The Jesus way restores women to their rightful place as equals in all aspects of life - home, work, relationship as well as religion.  All are equal in the eyes of God.

When Jesus began his ministry, he read from the book of Isaiah saying that his ministry was in order to preach good news to the poor, set the prisoners free, help the blind to see and release the oppressed.  (Isaiah 61:1,2)  In other words his gospel was not about comfortable middle class resting and enjoying life.  It was about helping those living in the margins of life, struggling to survive and bringing hope to those who seemed to have none.  Many Christians today rest on their laurels if they go to a place of worship regularly, give in the offering and generally try to live a good life, (especially if they don't swear, drink or smoke).  It's not about keeping spiritually comfortable and safe while waiting for pie in the sky when we die.  The gospel message Jesus told us to declare is not about 'in-house' mutual backslapping and a Sunday morning feel-good factor of (sometimes quite smug) self satisfaction.  It's for those who don't fit in, those 'untouchables' that Jesus had time and compassion for, the mixed-up and lonely, the poor and hungry, to bring back hope where it has been lost, to lift up those who don't see a way out of their despair, to hug the unlovable. 

I won't make this post too long so I'll mention just a couple more very quickly and leave readers to ponder more about them.  There are those who take pride in religious buildings - for some the bigger and more ornate the better it would seem.  Jesus walked the countryside considering the lilies of the field that God had made so beautiful, praising God for knowing when even the most inconspicuous bird fell out of the sky.  God's first idea after Eden was a tent that travels wherever people travel - it/He is always with us.  His stories were taken from everyday life that everyone could relate to.  Another consideration is that no-one paid Jesus or his disciples for doing what they did.  Even Paul on his long missionary journeys worked at making tents to help pay his way.  And I say this as one who has in the past received payment for leadership within the religious set-up.  I wonder how many missionary journeys would happen if everyone paid their own way and were not paid to be a special speaker at some event!?

Just a few rambling thoughts on being what I would call Old Testament Christians or Jesus People.  I'll leave you to decide where you are.  But be honest with yourself and God!  Me? - I like and relate to the words of Jim Palmer:

Missionary and Mission

Last week I wrote that I was praying for a revolution in the Church.  We need to rethink many aspects that have taken on a particular meaning.  I hope to unwrap some of those thoughts over the next few weeks but at this point don’t know how far I’ll get.  So here goes with the first one:

The word ‘missionary’ conjures up in the minds of most people an image of someone like David Livingstone going to ‘darkest Africa’.  Such people gave their whole lives and devoted themselves to the people for whom they left everything.  A more up-to-date equivalent would be someone like Mother Teresa who devoted her life to the poor in India.  The world has changed much since the days of David Livingstone and those who go on missions abroad nowadays often do so for shorter periods of time – some for only a few weeks.  I think of people like friends Julie and Dick Hogben (he is a GP and she works at a [different] surgery).  They link up with a charity in India called Asha and go every year to encourage and help in the slums.  You can follow their story here and here.

Margaret with some of the children she has helped

At one time it was thought that some sort of specialist training was needed to go abroad on some mission, particularly in medicine or education.  My friend Margaret also thought this for many years and it saddened her to think that she didn’t have any such qualifications but really felt she should become a missionary.  But now, retired from work and still without those specialist qualifications, she volunteers for 9 months every year in Nicaragua to help those who live in poverty and works with the charity SIFT to encourage (and pay for) the children to go to school and even university so they have a chance of getting out of the poverty trap.  With donations she receives from friends she is able to help many poor families in many other ways too.

I have other friends, Jo and Ian Storie, who are in Latvia, living and sharing life with others, helping to sort out problems of everyday living like heating their block of flats and making authorities aware of the problems of wild boar on the land where people need to grow food.  Their work is not connected to any particular denomination or charity.  Jo writes an update of their unfolding story every Monday.  You can follow their story here.

 

Although missions abroad have changed, not everyone feels any urge to serve God in this way.  Indeed, God does not ask everyone to do this.  So let’s rethink this whole idea of missionary in this 21^st century.  The Concise Oxford Dictionary defines mission as ‘a particular task or goal assigned to a person or group’.  So when Jesus commands His followers to go, share and show God’s love to those who don’t know Him, that includes all who follow Him.  That is the mission of each of us.  It’s a mandate, not just for those who feel a calling to go abroad, but for all of us, wherever we are.  A missionary is a person with a mission. 

 

There are countless charities that organise fundraising events in which many enjoy taking part.  Those who enjoy keeping fit often join in sponsored running or swimming events to raise money for their chosen charity.  But, if like me, you’re not particularly into that sort of thing, we should not feel that we cannot contribute anything or fulfil this mandate that Jesus left for His followers.  God knows what we can and can’t do – after all He made us.  We can make a difference without travelling to another country or partaking in any strenuous event but simply by sharing and showing God through our daily lives at work or where we live – stacking the shelves at the local supermarket; showing friendship to some elderly, lonely or vulnerable person; being a good neighbour; contributing to a food bank … … No doubt you can come up with many other situations.  We have a mission; we are missionaries just where we are; doing the everyday things; being involved with people.  We can use the things that we enjoy doing and make a difference.  The original mandate of Jesus was not building centred, it was focussed on people, their circumstances, their needs.  God is not really interested in how many names we can add to the outreach project of our particular organisation.  God just loves people, full stop.  We are all missionaries in this revolutionary Church.  Wherever we are and whatever abilities we may or may not possess, we can make a difference in the life of someone.