Jesus

James’s Blog: Another Advent Poem.

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James’s Blog: Another Advent Poem.

There were no lights, no holly and the ivy;

no red-breasted robin to sing in festivity;

no cheer of any sort to warm the cold winters;

no berry red Santa bringing sacks of presents,

only blood red legionaries, bringing Pax (with blades)

and the hungry hoping that it wouldn’t snow.

 

And after all no ear did hear his coming,

because we only listen to music that we like,

and no eye did witness the raging storm

of heaven contained within tiny feet and hands,

for sometimes the first line of a poem

is best when it can only be whispered.

 

So into this absent-minded world of winter

(that tells itself lies to keep the dark dreams at bay),

came a mustard seed shaped Christmas,

that didn’t end with an angel or a star on a tree,

and the hat that was worn for this main event

you wouldn’t get from pulling any crackers.

 

And into this absent-minded world of winter

(that tells itself lies to keep the dark dreams at bay),

how silently, how silently,

the wondrous truth bomb is dropped,

and God imparts to human hearts

the blessings of dark dreams stopped.

James’s Blog: An Advent Poem.

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James’s Blog: An Advent Poem.

There are those who think it odd,

that you came as man and not as God.

A God would make things right

with shows of power, glory and might.

 

A God would shake the stage,

smiting evil-doers with holy rage.

A God, you see, will get things done.

A baby can’t. He needs his mum.

 

A baby is no use to us;

a baby screams and makes a fuss.

A baby doesn’t clear up mess,

solve problems, or bring progress.

 

But as for us, we’re not so hot,

we’re babies too, don’t pretend we’re not.

We need to scream, need a nappy,

we need our toys to make us happy.

 

We haven’t grown up in years,

so only a baby could share our tears.

We’re still learning how to crawl,

so I’m just thankful you came at all.

James’s Blog: The Wind and the Waves.

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James’s Blog: The Wind and the Waves.

The wind and the waves crashed against the sides of the boat, so frail out there in the middle of the dark sea all by itself. Keeping steady footing was impossible, and keeping a steady head even harder.

And as the crew huddled together and screamed and wept and wished it were all a dream, The Man slept the sleep of the righteous, undisturbed and unafraid, the fury of nature powerless to break his peace. Read more

James’s Blog: Father’s Day

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James’s Blog: Father’s Day

And have you ever regretted those words,

spoken in light but planned in darkness?

Did it seem like such a good idea,

in those days before, when the three of you

laughed and danced and joked and sang

with delight, before delight had even been invented?

 

Did you know, when you said to each other,

“Let us make some people now, some good ones,”

that you were sentencing yourself

to years and years of dirty nappies,

bare feet on carelessly discarded Lego bricks,

and ungrateful teenagers blanking you every day?

 

Did you know that you would spend

sleepless nights, longing for the days

of innocence, when a grazed knee was

the worst thing in the world,

but so easily fixed with a hug, and rewarded

with the dried tears that made you feel loved?

 

Did you know that you would bear it all?

Every broken heart?

Every bad decision?

The death of every pure thing?

Every act of cruelty and hate, some so evil

that they leave an irredeemable scar on history?

 

And does the pride outweigh the shame,

and the hope outweigh the despair,

for the three who trust so much?

Do you say, “That’s my boy!”,

or “I’m so proud of her!” when we take

our first faltering steps onto the shore?

 

And do you see beyond the reborn darkness,

to the flicker of light in every act of love,

so small, so frail and yet so vital?

And when you reach down and we slap your hand away,

is your forgiveness and patience really endless?

(Because I know mine isn’t.)

 

And are you looking forward to that time,

when we’ll finally come to our senses,

and you’ll at last be buried under the weight

of all those “Best Dad Ever!” mugs

that we made or bought in secret

with the stuff you gave us in the first place?

 

And do you have a knowing smile,

or a tear in your eye, as Adams and Eves,

so desperate to become gods,

discover that divinity is hard, ugly work?

Do you ever look at the stars and wonder,

these days, who’d be a father?

James’s Blog: The Best Defence is a Good..Silence?

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James’s Blog: The Best Defence is a Good..Silence?

I’ve been reading, which gets me thinking, and thinking gets me into trouble. I’ve been thinking about how quick we are, when criticised or challenged, to leap to our own defence. I suspect we’re motivated by wounded pride rather than a sense of injustice – after all, are we quite as quick to jump to the defence of another?

When Jesus stood before his accusers he made no attempt to justify or acquit himself. He offered only silence, sprinkled with brief answers to questions. No “Let me explain…”; no “Let me tell you my side of the story…”; no “It was their fault!”; no outrage, shock or fury. Just silence. But is that really realistic? Isn’t this just an extreme example tied to the necessity of the crucifixion? Surely, if our name is dragged through the mud, we should make every effort to put people right? Shouldn’t we? Surely?

Two quotes come to mind at this point. The Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, who said “Those who justify themselves rarely convince.” I think he makes a good point. Or then there’s something I heard once from either Neil T. Anderson or Larry Crabb (I can’t quite recall) that goes something like this: “If you are in the wrong you have no defence, and if you are in the right you need no defence.”

But does it work in so-called real life?

I know someone who once was publicly accused. He sat in a group and listened to someone make all kinds of claims against him and his character. After his accuser had finished he stood up and said, “Well, you all know me, and you can decide for yourselves if those things are true or not,” before sitting down. And that was that. There was no attempt to defend himself with words, because he had years and years of integrity and actions to speak on his behalf. No doubt there were those who would find that an unsatisfactory defence – perhaps almost an admission of guilt – but I can’t help but feel that there’s no response to criticism more powerful than a godly life.

Something to think about perhaps, but try not to get into too much trouble.

James’s Blog: A King of Two Halves.

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James’s Blog: A King of Two Halves.

I’ve been doing some work for a sermon on Jesus as the Messiah, and it got me thinking. Israel had been waiting and watching for the Messiah for hundreds of years and when he finally appeared they missed him, because he wasn’t the sort of Messiah they were looking for. They had been expecting a great political and military leader to set the nation’s wrongs right – a new King David. What they got was a homeless preacher who was obsessed with healing the sick and lacked nationalistic zeal. What I realised yesterday was that the Old Testament makes it kind of obvious exactly how the Messiah would follow in David’s footsteps.

David’s kingship is a story of two halves. His rise to the throne is told in 1 Samuel, and is full of some very well known stories. David slays Goliath and flees from Saul, fearing for his life, and eventually forgiving the man who persecutes him. He faces many obstacles, but the theme that comes through is best spelt out in 1 Samuel 30:6 – ‘David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him…But David found strength in the LORD his God.”

By contrast, the story of David’s kingship in 2 Samuel and 1 Chronicles is very different. Although he achieves many important things, the stories that stand out from David’s reign are not like those that went before. Instead, we hear about his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of her husband; his trust shifting from God to his army; being told that he will not build the temple because he has too much blood on his hands; a brutal civil war because he was a bad father to Absalom. These are all things that happened after David reached the pinnacle of power. Yes, he was a great leader and a godly man, but the Old Testament isn’t shy about his failings. It’s almost as if those who compiled the stories want to say that David, the refugee shepherd of misfits, trumps David, the mighty warrior king, every time.

If the people of Israel had seen that, then they might have been able to make sense of Jesus. Of the two halves of the great king’s story, it makes perfect sense that the Messianic Son of David would base his life on the first. After all, Jesus himself said that it was the poor in spirit who would lay hold of the Kingdom of God, not the influential power brokers. I have to confess that I can’t understand those Christians who think that the best way to further God’s purposes is from the throne, from a position of strength and power. I wonder if they’ve even ever read their Bibles.

James’s Blog: As One With Authority.

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James’s Blog: As One With Authority.

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowd were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

Matthew 7:29

 

In Jesus’ time, appealing to someone else’s authority was a key tool of the religious teacher. A rabbi would thread quote after quote from well-regarded predecessors to give his words weight. For whatever reason this didn’t resonate with the crowd, but Jesus – one who never appealed to religious tradition – had them spellbound. He, they said, had an authority that other teachers didn’t.

Modern preachers and teachers rely on the authority of the Bible, but there must also be a personal authority to the words that we bring, otherwise there’s no point. I’m sure we’ve all sat through sermons where the Bible said all that needed to be said, and the preacher should have just sat down after the reading. The messenger must bring something to the encounter, or go home.

Some preachers misunderstand what the authority of the Bible is, and treat it like an academic journal to be quoted from. They fill their sermons with verse after verse, like footnotes in an essay, and their own words serve no purpose other than to connect a string of unrelated texts. You’ll know you’ve heard a sermon like that, because despite being full of Biblical references, it sounds like theoretical musings rather than something heavy with life and power. Remember that the piling up of quotes to support a position was how the teachers of the law did their business. People can tell that there is no real authority in such words.

Instead, every single sound from your mouth should be pulsing with the vitality of the Bible, by virtue of being a message that’s consistent with the beating heart of God’s word. When you do this, then your teaching will be thoroughly Biblical without even needing to quote chapter and verse.

When I was on the other side of the world and would sit and listen to people like Laurie and Pete and Paul (and the rest) talk about sharing Jesus’ message, their words had authority. This was because they were talking about things that they knew – not things that they just knew about (though they did), but things that they knew. They shared from the overflow of their own experience, and that gave their words the authority that cannot come from heavily leaning on someone else’s knowledge.

When Jesus taught about the Kingdom of God, he was talking about something that he knew, something that he had experienced. When he spoke about God and the divine vision for creation, Jesus was sharing from his own life. His words had authority not because he knew a lot about God, but because he knew the Father. No mental gymnastics were required. Likewise, if we want to teach as one who has authority, we too must know what we’re teaching about.

James’s Blog: How I Put Myself Outside the Church.

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James’s Blog: How I Put Myself Outside the Church.

One of the most unChristian aspects of my character is that I don’t like to eat with others. If it’s lunchtime, and the house is empty, I enjoy the thrill of choosing whatever food I want, taking however long I want to prepare it, and then sitting and enjoying it in the silence of a good book, or the rumblings of an even better film. I’m going to level with you; offer me the choice between a fantastic Indian meal with good friends, or a lonely peanut butter sandwich in front of the television, and it’s by no means a foregone conclusion.

Those of you who felt a sympathetic shiver of approval as they read that last paragraph may be a little disconcerted to hear me describe such a thing as ‘unChristian’. “The problem with you, James,” you might say, “is that I can’t tell when you’re joking.” Well, you know what? Neither can I.

I’m afraid that it’s the Bible that’s done it. Its pages are littered, right there in black ink, with words that tell me that great things happen when people gather together to eat.

We have no record of the amazing things that Jesus reflected on when he sat down to eat cheese and crackers by himself, but so very many stories of what happened when he sat down to eat with others. Have you ever noticed how many of Jesus’ parables, teachings and miracles occurred while he was at a meal table? It’s surprising. Even the risen Jesus couldn’t help himself. Whether it’s the fish barbecue on the beach, or the bread broken with two weary travellers on the road to Emmaus, Jesus makes himself known over food.

In Acts 2, Luke writes that one of the defining characteristics of the infant Church was that “[t]hey broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…” When Paul is writing to Corinth, instructing them on how to punish an unrepentant man who had brought public shame on the church, he says the worst thing that he can think of: “With such a man do not even eat.”

How interesting it is. We live in a world obsessed with food, yet all we ever talk about is what we should eat, when we should eat and how much we should eat. We never talk about the fact that God’s presence when two or three are gathered together in His name refers not just to prayer meetings, but to fish and chips too.

James’s Blog: What if it’s Already Happened?

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James’s Blog: What if it’s Already Happened?

Easter is a topsy-turvey time.  Everything is back-to-front.  Suffering brings salvation, death brings life; the established order of things is turned on its head.  Yet we spend so much of our time and energy trying to make things work in a world where we believe that death is stronger than life and that despair is greater than hope. Read more

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