Interruptions May Just Be God Moments

My head’s down, the thoughts are coming, the sermon’s taking shape nicely…and then the phone rings. Do I answer it? It could be important. Without caller-ID it might be my mother-in-law, a parishioner, funeral director, or my wife, or it could be a nuisance call. There’s a split second where I make the decision……and so I pick up the phone and on this occasion I was glad I did. On others, if truth be told, I’m not so happy. I complain that I can’t complete my work as people keep interrupting me!

All of us experience interruptions. There are times when the work we planned to do gets pushed aside as a result of people coming to the door or the phone ringing and somehow the day’s gone with little or no work done! Every Monday AM a to-do list stares up at me from my calendar. Gone is the sense of accomplishment from the previous week and its completed tasks. A new list of tasks awaits me, including some things that didn’t get done the previous week. Often I find myself trying to accomplish several tasks all in one day. And the slightest interruption makes me feel hassled, snappy and exhausted.

It’s incredible when you think just what Jesus achieved in His brief 3 year ministry! He was on a mission to save the world. Since the creation of the world nothing was more important. Head down and on the way to Jerusalem – the Cross looming on the horizon, when a blind beggar, yelling at the top of his lungs, persistently shouts out: “Jesus! Son of David! Take pity on me!” (Mk.10:47).

In fact in the Gospel text the crowd didn’t like this unexpected interruption. They tried to shut up the blind man when he shouted out messianic greetings to Jesus. For the Lord this was a crucial moment in His ministry. He knew He was to die. But He heard Bartimaeus, stopped, and healed him. He had more serious matters on His mind, but He still found the time to be concerned with one suffering soul. Everything stops for an encounter with somebody who was a “nobody”. Yet it was precisely people like this man Jesus came to help. The interruption is a divine encounter – a God moment. It’s the last healing miracle Jesus did before the Cross. He’s on the last stage of the journey, but for Bartimaeus it was the first stage of a new journey. In an instant his entire life is changed forever.

You know when you watch squirrels jump from tree to tree and branch to branch and sometimes they land on a branch which barely looks like it can hold a small bird let alone a squirrel The branch dips, yet somehow the squirrel holds on? In essence that’s what it was like for Bartimaeus. He’s recognised who Jesus is and he’s faced with the biggest decision of his life. He realises that sight is more important to him than money in his begging bowl – for once he can see – his livelihood’s gone. Yet he takes that risk and leap of faith into God’s eternal love.

This is what the Bible says about faith: “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb.11:1). Helen Keller was once asked what was worse than being blind and she replied, “Having no vision.” Bartimaeus may have been blind, but he had vision – to make that wise decision to interrupt proceedings and meet Jesus at the first opportunity. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Faith made Enoch walk with God. Faith made Abel offer a better sacrifice than his brother. Faith is when, like Bartimaeus, we can’t see the ground beneath us – but we believe we’re placing ourselves in God’s hands!

One night a house caught fire and a young boy was forced to flee flames by jumping to the ground from the roof. His father stood on the ground below with outstretched arms, calling to his son, “Jump! I’ll catch you.” But the boy was afraid — he couldn’t see his father — all he could see was flame, smoke, and blackness. So he refused, crying, “Daddy, I can’t see you!” His father replied, “It’s ok son — I can see you — and that’s all that matters!”

As George Mueller said “Faith begins where man’s power ends – bringing glory to God.” “Go”, Jesus told Bartimaeus, “Your faith has made you well.” (Mk.10:52). He then willingly follows Jesus, praising God. What’s more, in Luke’s account, the people praise God too.

Jesus could have easily kept walking and ignored the man. He was on His way to be nailed to a cross. But as important as that mission was, he stopped, and ministered to Bartimaeus. An interruption led to salvation – because when someone comes to the Lord with a problem, that person instantly becomes the focus of the Saviour’s attention.

This is a perfect example of how we should respond to changes in our daily routine. When so much of Jesus’ work consisted of attending to those who interrupted Him, why should we suppose our own lives will be any different?” Someone once said that “Ministry is the stuff that happens during the interruptions of life” – so we need to re-examine our perspective. Our agenda and tasks, what we consider important, could be far removed from God’s priorities.

In fact what we so easily miss in this passage is that Jesus turned to the people and told them to call Bartimaeus forward (v.49). Suddenly those who had been trying to silence the interruptions of the blind man were the ones commanded to do something for him.

Therefore, perhaps we need to get into the habit of saying “Lord, help me to see what YOU want, what you call me to do today?” – and looking back, I’m sure most of us can see how some of the important relationships we have made, some of the most rewarding services we have performed, have come from what we first saw as interruptions.

The mission God gives us is always about people. In this world of pain and suffering people, so desperate for healing, are searching for the “pearl of great price” -  and we can never justify disregarding or discouraging them. Rather we need to be sensitive to the cry of someone in need – for the interruptions, and distractions, in our lives just may be God calling us to serve.

That’s the challenge to us – balancing the genuine demands of our “to do” lists – with His divine “to do” list. So I pray that we will all be interrupted this week. If Jesus had the time, we have the time!

At The Communion Table

When we look at mankind’s achievements over the last 100 years, we marvel at what we’re capable of achieving: organ transplants, satellite navigation, space travel, computers etc, our technical and scientific advances are seen all around us. There appears to be no end to our potential and what can be achieved. For example, some medical experts believe that sometime this century we’ll be able to wind back the ageing process!

We sing about the Ruler and Guide of Creation: Creating God, your fingers trace the bold designs of farthest space…The Lord’s the One who upholds and sustains Creation. He has given us creativity and intelligence to discover earth’s mysteries known or yet untold. We are capable of doing all sorts of things, but as much as we’ve tried there’s one thing we can’t do:-

We can’t right the wrong of sin.

The Bible says that: “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Rom.3:23) and that we sin “as predictably as sparks fly upward from a fire.” Even if we could stop the ageing process it still remains that “The wages of sin is death” (Rom.6:23). And with that death comes separation forever from the Holy God.

So if we want wisdom, we must let our lives be touched by God’s redeeming grace, as that leads to reverence and eternal life where we will praise Him face to face. We can’t right the wrong of sin. Only Jesus Christ can do this – for as the Almighty He can do no wrong which is why He was made the perfect sacrifice for our sins.

The Communion Table reminds us of this truth. The bread reminds us that He gave His life, His broken body, in exchange for ours in order to bring us back to God. The cup reminds us that He gave His life, shedding His blood, for the forgiveness of sins.

Let us remember, as we come to the table this AM, to thank God for doing something that we could never do. If there’s no perfect sacrifice for sin there is no forgiveness. If there’s no forgiveness of sin there is no hope of eternal life.

A RESPONSE TO THE RECENT RIOTS

The whole country has been saddened and shocked by the recent rioting across Britain’ cities. Wolverhampton made the news. YouTube video footage showed looting in the streets. Rioting is not new. Going back a few years we had the Poll-Tax Riots and the Miners Strikes. But these riots were not ones of protest, but simply an excuse for theft and robbery. Banks, computer and jewellery shops were targeted – mainly by thugs with an oversized sense of entitlement to benefits and “why should I work for a living” attitude.

I was in a museum last week. There were prison cells and stocks where children as young as 7 were placed just for stealing a piece of bread. But they soon learnt the difference between right and wrong. Some looters were whipped until the blood showed on their backs. Others were transported off to the colonies. Others sentenced to hard labour. Some publicly hanged. I’m not advocating that we return to these practices. However, I do think the police should have used baton rounds and water cannon sooner. It’s nothing to do with authoritarianism or totalitarianism – it’s accepting civil society in which gang culture is not acceptable.

I’ve never actually been in a riot where masses of people have become excited, uncontrolled, angry and rebellious, overturning cars, setting them alight, breaking windows and stealing. It must be scary to be an observer. One can so easily get caught up in the trouble when they’ve had nothing to do with it! The Bible says not to riot (Rom.13:13). The apostle Paul was at the centre of one big riot that took place in Ephesus (Acts 17) and we know from extra-Biblical sources and Roman and Jewish historians that many riots took place across Judea.

So how should the Church respond? Prayer walks; brushes and gloves to tidy up the mess perhaps. Certainly that seems to have been the response from some churches across Wolverhampton. Not exclusively, as other faith groups as well as those with little or no faith have responded in similar ways. As a colleague of mine said, quoting the motto of the City: “Out of darkness cometh light.” In a sense he’s absolutely right and his thoughts contribute to a really cosy Social Gospel sermon. But as so often with this approach the social agenda simply papers over the cracks at the expense of the Gospel’s agenda. It doesn’t get to the root cause. Whatever social commentators and politicians believe to be the causes of the latest riots, the real problem, which the Christian should recognise, is the sinful condition of humanity. This is a reality that cannot be denied.

Of course the Church needs to speak out against violence. This is a time for Christians to be truly salt and light, merciful and loving, forgiving and redeeming. Those who pastor inner-city churches need to help communities heal and rebuild. However, it’s not just about practical action with brooms and gloves, and helping shop owners affected by the disturbances. For when God’s grace, which is holding back lawlessness, is finally released – brooms will be useless.

We need, therefore, to stop patting ourselves on the back of a job well done and get back to preparing people’s souls for eternity. It’s about wrath, fire and justice, the reprobates and the saved. Living in the Spirit means one cannot deny these things in favour of cheap grace, love, generosity and hospitality. The bottom line is we all need a Saviour. “Since it is that man no longer desires God’s statutes, we reap what we have sown…” (Ezek.20:25).

May God use this situation to wake us all up.

Use this on Sunday perhaps?

Sing to Celebrate the City 2011

Reflections 2

While I know in my head that Jesus died for all people, sometimes I am guilty of thinking there are people beyond God’s reach. The reprobates; the good-for-nothings. Whether some are predestined to eternal glory and others to eternal damnation is a cruel doctrine. However it holds a grain of truth. The Atonement is universal of that there is no doubt: on the cross Jesus died for the sins of the world. But people always have a choice. We’re not programmed by some cosmic computer with a basic set of instructions. We have freedom within God’s creation to accept or reject divine grace. Therefore, the Atonement is limited. The work Christ did on the cross is exclusively for those who desire to be washed clean in the blood of the Lamb and to come back to the Lord and live. Jesus Himself said: “My sheep listen to my voice. I know them and they follow me.” (Jn.10:27).

A dozen or so years ago I’m sure people labelled me as a person very unlikely to become a Christian. They might have been praying for me, but didn’t really believe that God would answer their prayers! I was too emotionally distant, spiritually empty, angry and had too many issues about Christianity. I was very wrong. Slowly, “theological enquiry” – (sorry once a computer analyst always a computer analyst) – I mean discovering the Good News – I began to believe what I was reading. In fact it reached a point where I couldn’t satisfy my spiritual hunger for the Bible. I couldn’t get enough of it. It culminated in me recognising that if there was no perfect sacrifice for sin there would be no forgiveness. If there is no forgiveness of sin there is no hope of eternal life. I heard God’s voice. It made me want to be a minister. What a privilege it is to teach the Word and to preside at baptisms and holy communion. I know one day though, that because of the position I hold in Christ’s Church, I will be judged with greater strictness by the righteousness of God.

God can change the most unexpected people, at the strangest times and in the most unlikely places. A number of people watched Jesus die, but as this passage shows, the centurion realized that he was watching the death of the Son of God. No one is beyond the power of God’s love. No matter how hard, stubborn or difficult they may seem, Jesus loves them and died for them and wants everyone to come to Him.

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Whether it’s jogging for 20 minutes or golfing for 4 hours – physical exercise has some value. When we’re on holiday I tend to overindulge. Too many cream teas and snacks here and there. When I get back into the routine of church life, I vow to take more exercise and eat healthier foods. When you see the results in the mirror, and that one’s clerical collar still fist round the neck, you can become quite proud of yourself.

But we’re not just physical beings are we? We have a spiritual life which needs to be nurtured too – as it can so easily become neglected. Paul reminds us that “spiritual exercise is valuable in every way, because it promises life both for the present and for the future.”(1 Tim.4:8). Psalm 119 says how delightful it is to meditate upon God’s Word. It’s like honey to our lips! It makes us wiser than our enemies, keeps us from falling into evil ways and gives us greater understanding than anything else that can teach us.

So it’s worth making a commitment to “tithe” part of our day to God. To have a spiritual workout. To set aside just 20 minutes each morning, or if you’re a night owl, 20 minutes each evening, as devotional time. And in your daily readings don’t be tempted to skip over some parts, especially if the meanings are unclear. Instead, pray for strength to continue, knowing that studying the Bible is worth the time and effort. The more we understand it, the better we can live our lives and bless those around us.

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Recently I was helping my children with their maths. They’re learning long division and have difficulty remembering all the steps necessary to find the right answer. Now I’m no mathematician but I know that there’s a standard set of rules to follow. But children know best don’t they! They imagine that they can find the answer by solving the problems in their own way. However, I have to insist that they follow the right techniques. They have to learn to do things my way (and their school teacher’s way for that matter) in order to achieve the correct answer.

Sound familiar? “My ways are higher than your ways.” God says. “Choose my ways rather than following your own foolish plans.” What will we do? Knowing the past, the present, and the future, God has more experience than you or I have could ever have. He knows our heart even when we don’t. He is perfect, infinite in power and knowledge. Through studying the Bible and listening to the promptings of the Spirit, we will see God’s ways become plain. My children have to trust that what they’re being taught is right. Similarly, as God’s children we have to learn, and be less stubborn before we can really trust our heavenly Father too.

 

Reflections

Every Monday AM a to-do list stares up at me from my calendar. Gone is the sense of accomplishment from the previous week and its completed tasks. A new list of tasks awaits me, including some things that didn’t get done the previous week (or the week before that) and have been moved to the current week’s list. Often I find myself trying to accomplish several tasks on my list all in one day. I enjoy the sense of accomplishment that comes from rapidly checking items off my list. But I also feel hassled and exhausted from trying to do too much too quickly. I have to remind myself to slow down, to remember that I don’t have to accomplish everything in a single day. God could have created the earth and the vast universe in a single day or even a single moment. But God didn’t do it that way. Why? Could it be that God wanted to stop and enjoy each piece of Creation as it was being created? God also chose to rest on the seventh day, to enjoy His completed work. I think He is teaching us to seek balance between work and rest. God is also helping us to realize that slowing down and enjoying life is as important as checking off a completed item from our to-do lists! And let’s not forget that the greatest possible service is that given to God. In order to do that effectively we must find time to spend in His presence. To pray and to listen to Him to instruct us, and to study the Bible is good advice to those who would serve the Lord today.

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Every now and then floods come to one area of the country or another because of swollen rivers or extra high tides. When they do, there is always hardship and heartbreak for people whose homes are affected. We like holidaying in Devon. We’ve been going to the south coast recently, but have seen quite a bit of  North Devon. One very picturesque and popular holiday resort is the little village of Lynmouth, lying at the foot of Exmoor. At the height of the holiday season, back in August 1952, it had rained for days. Exmoor was flooded; the little streams which drain it burst their banks; and Lynmouth’s river could not cope with all the extra water. During the stormy night of the 16th August it was as though a giant wave swept through the village, carrying with it trees, houses, livestock and huge boulders torn from the hillsides. The AM light revealed a scene of horror: hundreds of buildings destroyed, 28 bridges badly damaged and 31 people lost their lives. Storms can be very frightening. I remember when my daughter was a lot younger crying out in the night, afraid of a storm. Thunder boomed and lightning flashed. She said she was afraid that the wind might sweep her away in the darkness and I had to comfort her as the wind howled against the house. That night, I could understand what the disciples felt as a storm came upon them on the Sea of Galilee and their boat was tossed by the waves. Now, as then, only Jesus Christ can give us peace in the midst of a storm. Calling on His name and remembering the assurances in Scripture give us courage in the midst of all adversity. Out of the rubble, Lynmouth grew again to be a holiday-maker’s paradise.  As I told my daughter, “The best thing about storms is that they always pass.” We know that we shall face the storms in life, but we pray that when they come we may have strength to rise above them and find strength and peace through Jesus Christ our Lord.