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Paul writes… I was singing along to that dull dirgey chorus…“oh miserable day
oh depressin day
when Jesus washed
my sins away…”…when I realised that was not at all what the words said. It was a happy tune singing about a happy day. So where had I suffered such a misinterpretation that christianity was about misery and suffering?
I hold my hand up and say I am going through a miserable and unhappy time. I acknowledge that this is not going to be a sunny piece cos of where I’m coming from. It’s going to be slanted and I own my biases.
One of the things that struck me about the AWAF conference was Dr Stephen Long (I think) saying that christianity is all about happiness. That was a bit of a shock to me so I confess I may well have passed out and missed the context/point of why he said that. But taking that on face value this is what I’m hearing:
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Paul writes… one of the hardest problems I face is reconciling my faith to the experiences of my life or vice versa.I’ll often say in response to a question about my experience of God, “nope, that’s not the God I know…” By which I am saying that is not a God who I’ve experienced or want to experience. It is a flippant way of dealing with a God who is being portrayed as a miserable lemon sucking, guilty making miser. Or a God who is out for lunch, doesn’t care, leave your name and number after the tone and he’ll get back to you later… much later. Or indeed a God who is a happy go lucky glowing cheeked santa claus/generous grandfather dispensing pats on heads, freebies and Worthers Orginals at will.
In truth though my experience of God is shaped by my subjective shifting experience of God in my life. I am grateful for counterpoints such as the bible and other people’s experience of God to challenge my creation of God in the image of my own life – and it is some challenge!
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Paul writes… my soul has been searched. The itch has been scratched. The questions aired if not always fully answered. Acceptance has been obtained, a normal level of anxiety and stress achieved.I have come to a place in myself where, for the moment, I am happy to be a christian.
I sort of have my head around a few issues that really used to bug me and others I can now shrug at knowing that some mystery and suspense is ok.
Really I’m ok, i’m happy with having a common tradition, i’m happy seeing myself as much part of the problem of why christians are so annoying at times and can also see that owning up to this goes along way to start joining the solution.
There’s just one slight fly in the oitment, i have no idea anymore why anyone who isn’t a christian would want to be one. I can think of some possbily platitudinous and what seem potentially patronising answers to that question but nothing that really sticks.
I once was a compulsion christian, now I just want to know what you think is compelling for other people to want to be one?
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Paul writes… on Slipstream which is the Evangelical Alliance’s leadership resource this month their edition features interviews with Gary Habermas and Tim Keller with a special focus on apologetics and the resurrection. In conjunction with this, Krish Kandiah has asked Christian bloggers to write a blog entry, on Maundy Thursday, about what Jesus’ resurrection means to them. So feel free to write your own post or leave your thoughts here…
For me the greatest thing about the resurrection of Jesus is the hope that it brings. I have no way of proving that there is anything beyond death but the resurrection of Jesus gives faith to my hope that this life is not all that there is.
It gives me a hope that the way I live my life now resounds across time. That the good things of this life, the laughter, the helping hand freely offered, the embrace given, the forgiveness offered, the sweetness and sacrifices of love do not fade away.
It gives me hope that eternity is not abstract, that I am not just a disembodied spirit floating on a cloud air harping. It tells me that who I am now will come back again, that we not only get life back but we get our bodies back too. Improved, perfected, but still recognisable as to who we are now in this life. Our identies infused and unified with God but still so personal, precious and unique.
That hope of the life to come as me with Jesus gives me a hope now too to face this reality with Jesus. That beyond my pains and my half hearted attempts to numb them there is something more…
or so I hope…
What does the resurrection mean for you..?
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Paul writes… last week I was faced with moral choices… I’m not talking about the moral challenges of whether to watch porn on-line (i’ve given it up for lent), steal time from my boss, or covert then eat the Krispie Kreame donuts in the cupboard.
Those are of course all moral choices but I have a map for those, of sorts. Instinctively I’ve learnt they are all bad for me and bad = pain and pain is something I can chose to do without. In other words they are all sensible choices which help me look after me.
No I’m talking about moral choices where I chose to look after someone else. A moral choice not just cos its in my interest but because it is in their interest and costs me something of my own. My moral map seems a bit hazy and my moral compass is swinging round to S(elf).
I’m not sure what you would have decided to do in each of these situations, I’m not even sure what I would do, or even if I want to do anything at all. So let me highlight the scenarios for you and I’d welcome any wisdom and insights you may have…
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[Here's my caveat I locate myself in the evangelical tradition and even more so in what follows, tongue firmly in cheek]…I never met an evangelical who…
…reads the bible enough
…prays enough
…spends long enough having a quiet times
…or feels they have enought QT’s anyway
…isn’t always quick to confess these slacker bible and prayer faults
…isn’t reassured that they are not alone as a series of confessions follow each one revealing greater and deeper bible ignorance and prayer absence
…hears from God enough
…isn’t a secret fan of quiche
…feels slightly uncomfortable when forced to dutifullly say some response like ‘Amen’ outloud in church
…doesn’t view the tamborine with distinct suspicion
…doesn’t love a good meaty bible sermon
…can’t do realistic & convincing impressions of guilt, shame, and moral outrage![ok evangelicals out there - anything more you want to confess]
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These turbulent economic times have challenged me again as to how as a Christian I deal with stress, worry, fear and sufferings real and imagined. I contrast my largely head in the sand hope it will all pass me by approach (otherwise known as denial) with the example of Christ. When it comes to the ultimate realisation of suffering and death in the events leading up to, on and through the cross I get the impression that Jesus chose neither denial, blind panic or enlightened self-interest by suddenly hearing he was needed to do some healing outta town that week…
Instead Jesus, it seems to me, set his face on going to Jerusalem, deliberately embracing moments of poignant celebration, radical symbolic antagonism and semi-private agony as he honestly wrestled in prayer over what was to come.
In all these moments I’ve also noticed that Jesus is never intentionally alone, from the temple, to the pass over meal, from the garden where his sleepy friends struggle to stay awake – to the cross where the woman and John look on there are people he knows and loves him there. The suffering may deliberately have been chosen to be public but Jesus, his friends and family refuse to let it become a private event.
So how does that relate to our own occassions where the preverbial crap of life hits us as we carry the cross of our faith?
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“The Word became flesh and blood,
and moved into the neighborhood.
We saw the glory with our own eyes,
the one-of-a-kind glory,
like Father, like Son,
Generous inside and out,
true from start to finish.”
St John
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I love how Christmas brings out a generous, consider the needs of others side in people. The fact that people can buy each other gifts that they’ve taken time to chose knowing it will make the recipient extremely happy and anticipating that smile of delight (hmmm and no socks don’t usually count!) is a reminder of the good in us all.However this Christmas our generousity does not just extend to our nearest and dearest but the very global economy, or at least our own UK one itself! It would seem that us consumers can save the world by spending, spending and spending. Yes by doing the very things that got us carried away with greed in the first place – spending money we didn’t have on things we didn’t need – we can get back to those golden good times!
I can remember a time when the measures reported were things like GDP, volumes of exports and imports etc. Now its all about consumer confidence, consumer spending, consumer borrowing. Consumer! Consumer! Consumer!In short its what the adverts have been telling us for awhile now, in the market we the consumers are kings (or queens)! Admitedly our kingdom is looking a little threadbare right now but what better excuse for giving it a brand new refit.
Whilst the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams can critique the government economic policy of trying to re-kick the cheap credit cycle as being like “an addict returning to the drug” (is that like a dog returning to its vomit?) the Prime Minister can go all good samaritan on us and respond and say that it is wrong to walk by on the other side of the road when people are suffering (in this case its those irresponsible unregulated bankers that are the thieves who have left us all bruised and battered).
So in the midst of all the staggering enormities of the credit crunch and our own personal fears and worries, where and how do we locate ourselves as christians? Spending money this christmas might or might help us become global economic saviours but how does the world encounter its true saviour through us at this time?
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I shared here the advent reflection that I did last sunday. I also put together the following video clip to introduce the reflection, by connecting people visually to the ideas they were about to hear…
