008 : Colour, variety and balance

It was one of those events I really wanted to be part of and so I went along to Arnold Methodist Church for the Lent Retreat Day led by Liz Babbs. It is a church I am very fond of and have led and shared in fellowship with the people on a number of occasions. I must admit, I didn’t know what to expect, but having worked with Liz over a number of years, initially producing visuals for YouTube based on her Celtic Heart book, I greatly value the meditative work she has done. One piece of work which has always made an impact on me was taken from Celtic Heart and focuses on the theme of Journey.

Journey

My life has recently taken a new turn and I am deeply into discovering the next phase of my journey. Having completed over 10 years in an evangelism role, I am now waiting on God to discern what lies ahead. Interestingly, one of the lectionary readings for next Sunday is the start of Genesis 12 where Abram, the Father of the Faithful, sets out on his life-changing journey and, like me, not sure of where God will take him. The word comes to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you’. When we think that Abram was a sprightly 75 years of age, we may feel a completely new start in life needs to come sooner than that – not so in God’s mind. Of course, a journey need not simply be geographical. For Abram it led ultimately to the Promised Land. But a journey could be taking you to a new way of life, a new set of friends, a new way of believing and, most of all, a new way of understanding who you are. I read with interest my wife’s calendar which contains daily reflections. Today’s was ‘In order to be someone, you must first be yourself’. Do we really know who we are or are we pressured into being the person that fits into the mould created by other people, our job or our circumstances?

Colour, variety and balance

At the start of the retreat day, Liz asked us to reflect on how close we felt to God and what hinders our relationship with him. Well, we were not short of answers to reasons why our closeness to God is hindered in this frantic, technological and materialistic world. Then we reflected on what would make for a better life and we were asked to draw a picture. My picture was staring me in the face – it was the display of flowers on the table at the front of the church (see the picture at the top of this bulletin). For me, the things I desire most in life are colour, variety and balance. My thoughts went to the ivy we have in our garden at home which, sadly, has taken over one part of our garden. We now find the crocuses we planted some time back are struggling to make a show through the ivy leaves. It can be like that in life – some things take so much time and effort, they choke out the beauty of other things. Getting a right balance in life is one of the greatest challenges we face. Variety prevents us from becoming blinkered. Colour is what makes life beautiful. It’s so easy to get into a rut and finding that life becomes monochrome – doing the same things day after day in the same way. And, do you know what – that can even be true of our faith and church life!

Take time to reflect

And so, I really valued being a part of the day, even though I could only stay until lunchtime. It certainly made me think and pray more creatively about where God may be leading me next. In this time of Lent, we are, as Christians, encouraged to join Jesus in the wilderness, seeking God’s wisdom and direction. That means setting aside the normal rhythms of life and letting God’s Spirit speak deep within, revealing what’s wrong and what needs to change. It’s far more than just giving up chocolate!

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Liz Babbs (MEd) is a dynamic keynote speaker, writer & professional performer known for her wit & wisdom & for Communicating Christ Creatively. She’s author of 11 books & 6 CDs, has written for Zondervan, CWR & The Bible Society & performed at the Edinburgh Fringe. Her ministry is endorsed by the Archbishop of Canterbury & J.John

For more information on Liz Babbs, visit her web site

007 : Paul the Midwife

It really shows Christianity in a positive light don’t you think? I’m talking about the BBC programme ‘Call the Midwife’. It depicts Christian people as compassionate, sensitive and caring – not the usual negative stereotype we see in the media.

I reflect on St. Paul’s missionary endeavours. He went across the northern Mediterranean region planting new churches but he quickly appointed local leaders to be responsible for the on-going running of the church. He would act as advisor, mentor and sometimes critic when they went astray but he recognised that what he was developing was not for his benefit, but for the benefit of local Christians and the Kingdom. In a very real sense he was acting like a midwife – bringing to birth something that would be someone else’s child.

But have you ever thought that as Christians, we are called to be midwives? More and more people in our churches are getting involved in the formation of Fresh Expressions of Church. These range from Messy Church, through Café Church to various kinds of community gatherings and children’s activities, all with the aim of creating genuine, viable and sustainable Christian communities in their own right.

To be fair to those doing this, although they are involved in their formation, running and even financing, the form of church they are involved with may not be their church, nor would they necessarily want to be part of it long term. In a sense they are acting like midwives who bring other peoples’ babies into the world. They may be passionate about the new birth but they recognise that what they is for someone else and they must not develop an emotional attachment to the newly born baby.

Some are suspicious, if not critical of Fresh Expressions of Church fearing that the new, trendy form of church is going to replace the traditional model which they know and feel comfortable with. People have been predicting the demise of traditional church for decades and it simply hasn’t happened, neither do I expect it to. However, we need to accept that in some places, the traditional model, although not dead and buried, is on a life-support machine. Having said that, not all Fresh Expressions of Church will survive into the future in this fickle, consumerist society which we inhabit.

We live in a country where church-going is off the agenda for the majority. However, the need for the gospel is higher now than it has ever been. The survival of the Church will require self-sacrifice and total commitment by people who may never see the fruit of their labours. I have no idea what the ‘Church of Tomorrow’ will look like but I believe it will be very different from today’s model. Just to give you one example – Sunday School. These flourished in an era where church-going parents were Christian and their children needed a basic grounding in the faith while Mum and Dad went to the main church for solid and deeper teaching. Today’s parents are not in that position and they are as much in need of basic teaching on the faith as their children. This partly explains why Sunday Schools have seen a sharp decline in attendance while Messy Church, where children and parents worship and learn together, is flourishing. We need more initiatives like this, especially for people who value a church where they can participate rather than being preached at. These models are emerging but more resources, human as well as financial, need to be applied.

So, it’s time to ‘Call the Midwife’ and start missionary work that will bear fruit for tomorrow’s generation of Christian.

Birthday Long Weekend

View from Hotel des Nations
Saint-Germain

Wednesday 26th February 2014 we departed Eurostar from St. Pancras and stayed for 4 nights at the Horel Des Nations Saint Germain. This is my milestone birthday when the government starts paying me money instead of the other way around. It is a compact hotel but reasonably priced and in a good location. After unpacking we took the tube to Pont Neuf and walked past the Notre Dame. Then we went to Cafe de Metro for a light meal. On the way back to the hotel we dropped into a supermarket (Carrefour) and bought water, milk, chocolate and chocolate eclairs. I had a bath before sleeping.

Galeries Lafayette

Montmartre

Montmartre

Sacre Coeur

Chocolate Museum Montmartre

Iconic Metro Sign

Eiffel Tower

Thursday 27th : it started off rainy. We travelled on the tube to Galeries Lafayette where we started with a browse around and then ended up in the cafe on the top floor. Here we had a coffee and sat overlooking the south side of the town with a view of the Eiffel Tower, albeit shrouded in cloud. I took many pictures of the store with its magnificent dome. We then took the tube to Montmartre and walked through the streets in the direction of the Scre Coeur. When we got near to the Sacre Coeur we encountered the three people, two women and a man, pretending to be doing a survey with clipboards in hand. Actually they were pick pockets and were just seconds away from losing my wallet. I confronted them and chased them down the stairs taking a photo. We then went into the cathedral but were restless after our ordeal. We then walked into Montmartre and then along the boulevard de Rochechouart and boulevard de Clichy taking pictures of the metro and Moulin Rouge. On the way down the sun shone and I got some stunning photos of the Sacre Coeur. We also went into the chocolate museum.

On the Bateaux Mouches

Notre Dame

Mongolian Giant

Then it was off to the Eiffel Tower. Again the sun shone. We didn't go up but walked from Invalides to the tower and then over to the Trocadera. We then returned to the hotel and went out to the restaurant opposite the hotel. It was a very basic meal and had no atmosphere.

The appalling Indian Restaurant
Safran

Inside Notre Dame

From the top of the Galeries Lafayette

Place de la Concorde

Just look at that.
Calories of Justice

We had a lovely coffee and
hot chocolate in here

Some old saint

Fresco depicting Jesus' resurrection appearances.
This is his appearance to Thomas.

Notre Dame

Friday 28th : We caught the bus today which is also covered by the ticket. We went first to the Pantheon and changed onto another bus taking us to the Galaries Lafayette, via Printemps where the loos charged. We again went to the top floor for a coffee. After this we went to the river for a Bateaux Mouches trip. It was a cloudy day. The boat took us past Notre Dame and beyond. We walked around the north bank looking for a tea shop. The Pompidou Centre had huge queues so we went back to the hotel. We stopped off at the supermarket and bought some food to eat at the hotel.

Saturday March 1st : We walked to the river looking for an Indian Restaurant. Finally we found Safran which looked good. Later we were to find that this was in the touristy area and it was not as good as we expected. We the. Walked over to Notre Dame and went in. They have significantly improved it and the atmosphere was excellent. There was a service taking place but around the outside isles it resembles Sacre Coeur with candles and prayer places in all the main windows. We saw the wall plaques much better and they depicted scenes from the Bible.

We then went to Cafe Quasimodo where I had a chocolate Viennoise and a crepe. We then walked along Rue de Rivoli and boarded the tube to take us to George V so that we could walk along the Champs Élysées. Again we were approached by a group of pick pockets asking directions. It was the. On the tube to Galeries Lafayette for another tea and browse. We went onto the rooftop and had some stunning views in bright sunshine of Paris. We the. Went back to the hotel and then off to Safran for a very poor dining experience. My biryiani took a long time to prepare but they had left Margaret's on one side and it was cold on arrival. The service was very poor and with the clinking of glasses making a racket the atmosphere was appalling. We caught the tube back to the hotel and that was that.

Sunday 2nd : We had breakfast and caught the tube to Gare du Nord where I typed this blog. We woke to a cloudless sky would you believe. I slept a little on the train and we arrived on time at St. Pancras. The first class lounge was shut - it is only open during the week - so we went into Costa. The wifi is very flaky here.

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• The 5 day pass cost just over €34 each and covers you for bus and tube. This was a good investment as hopping on and off proved simple. I downloaded a bus map and already had a tube map on the iPad.

• The hotel (Hotel de Nations Saint-Germain) was in the Latin quarter near to the tube stop Place Monge which is on Rue Monge, a long road which heads south from Boulevard Saint Germain. The hotel was compact. We were in room 64 on floor 6. This is one of the bigger rooms. We had balconies off the bedroom overlooking the back of the hotel and one off the bathroom overlooking Rue Monge, with views of Sacre Coeur in the distance. The room charge if you go direct would be €120 for room only but you would also get a discount for direct booking and an extra discount if you've been there before. The wifi is flaky in the room but free. I was disappointed with the breakfast. We got it at the discounted rate of €12 each but it was adequate. The hot breakfast consisted of bacon rolls, sausages in sticks and scrambled eggs. There were cereals, fruit cocktail, yoghurt, tea and coffee. The location was good in that it was quiet and close to the tube stops. There were three close by plus a Carrefour supermarket.

• The travel card I got from the Post Office was a swindle. When you load money on in the first instance they give you a punitive exchange rate. After that you can load money at a better rate. We had no problem using it for purchases but soon used up the €200 I preloaded. You are charged if you withdraw cash at an ATM. Again if you take sterling you can exchange it at the various Bureau de Change places, many of which are on Rue Rivoli. You need to shop around for the best rate. However, using a UK credit cars, although you pay for each transaction, gives you the rate of the day and is a better option for large purchases.

• Pick pockets. - we are much wiser now. You need to keep all valuables securely stashed away. They can unzip pockets very quickly and work in groups, jostling you when they empty your pockets.

• Notre Dame - this is much improved and is as good as Sacre Coeur, perhaps even better because of its location. However, Sacre Coeur has the better views of Paris.

• Galeries Lafayette is by far the best department store. The restaurant on floor 6 is well priced and offers panoramic views of the southern parts of Paris with the Eifel Tower clearly visible. Above the restaurant is a terrace area which serves meals in the summer. The views from here are even better and there is a pseudo grass floor. Toilets are free unlike Printemps which charges €1.5.

• Certain tube stations have the old style Metropolitai sign. These we saw in Montmartre and Saint Michel.

• Book shops - on Boulevard Saint Michel there are a number of good book shops. These are worth browsing.

• Eurostar - if we booked this holiday again, I would book the hotel direct and Eurostar direct. With train only you can choose not only the time but the class. Sometimes, premier is cheaper than standard and gives you a free meal and wifi and PowerPoint. It takes about 2.5 hours.

Camera - I used the iPad mostly as a camera. It's disadvantage is poor zoom and control over special effects. However for convenience it wins easily. I used my cheap, light weight tripod for the camcorder at Montmatre.

© Roger G Johnson 2013

006 : The Paul I Never Knew About

But who is this man whose writings have dominated the New Testament and Christian Theology for the entire Christian epoch? Do we really know what he was like? Was he infallible in his understanding of the gospel and judgments about church planting and leadership? Here are a few things which you may not have spotted about Paul which give an insight into the man’s character and methods.

He probably never met the pre-resurrection Jesus

When Paul set out with Barnabas on his first missionary journey, he came to a place called Pisidian Antioch, not to be confused with Syrian Antioch where he had been a prominent member of the Christian community for some time. Here he gave a potted history of the Jewish people explaining that there is an appendix to the story they already knew – namely that the fulfilment of Old Testament prophecy was in Jesus of Nazareth (Acts 13:16-42). This information about Jesus probably came to Paul second hand through those who witnessed his life, death and resurrection – people like Peter, James and John. Paul’s only encounter with Jesus was after the resurrection and is first recorded in Acts 9:1-19. But his encounter with the risen Jesus was sufficient to convince him beyond doubt of all that he had been told about Jesus. Many of us crave for greater assurance but have to rely on what we have been told – and experience for ourselves the reality of Jesus through prayer and our daily walk with him.

He was a natural, but determined leader

It’s impossible to read the latter chapters of Acts and the letters written by Paul without realising his forceful character and determination. Barnabas was the man who first integrated Paul (or Saul as he then was) into the Christian community in Antioch and was clearly seen as the senior disciple of the two. However, not long after the start of the first missionary journey, ‘Barnabas and Saul’ (Acts 12:25; 13:2; 13:7) is replaced by ‘Paul and Barnabas’ (Acts 13:42,43,46,50; 14:1,3,23; 15:2,35,36). It didn’t take Paul long to occupy the driving seat. Paul also had a reputation for being determined, and some would say, stubborn. On the first missionary journey, John Mark, a cousin of Barnabas left the mission and returned home (Acts 13:13). Some would say he couldn’t stand the heat but we don’t know how much of this was down to Paul. As a result, when Paul and Barnabas decided on another missionary journey, they fell out over John Mark in an irreconcilable dispute (Acts 15:36-41). Another example of Paul’s determination can be found in a hot dispute he has with Simon Peter and Barnabas (Galatians 2:11-14).

He used strong language

We are given a warning on TV if the following programme contains strong language or violence. Not so in the Bible. Paul was constantly under fire from a number of opponents and did not hold back in his letters when confronting them. In Romans 6:1&2 we read ’What then are we to say? Should we continue in sin in order that grace may abound? By no means’. This is how the RSV (The Really Sanitised Version) records it so as not to offend its readers. However, the USV (The Unsanitised Version) would render ‘By no means’ in much stronger language which I clearly cannot impose upon you. Paul was annoyed with the ‘antinomianists’ - those Christians who believed that having become a Christian meant that God’s law and moral standards no applied to them.

Another example is in Galatians 5:12 where he says ‘I wish those who unsettle you would castrate themselves!’ Here, Paul is talking about those Christians from a Jewish background who insisted that no one could become a Christian without first becoming a Jew and being circumcised.

He was an untrained preacher

It is immensely rewarding to be involved in tutoring the students on the new Local Preachers’ course taking place in the district. They are receiving the kind of grounding which was denied Paul. In 2 Corinthians 11:6 he says, ‘ I may be untrained in speech, but not in knowledge; certainly in every way and in all things we have made this evident to you.’ You would think that a man who debated with the finest brains in the Greek and Jewish world in public places would have had some preparation – but he did it in the power of the Spirit and won many to the faith as a result.

He deconstructed and reconstructed his faith

It may not be obvious to those who have been drenched all their lives in Christianity that Paul came from a totally different background and belief system, namely Judaism. None could boast credentials matching those of Paul who was trained in Jerusalem under Gamaliel, one of the most respected rabbis of the time. Paul was a match for the best of them and observed the religious duties of a Pharisee to the letter. That is why the transition which started on the Road to Damascus was so dramatic. He had to undo his former faith which was based on strict observance of Jewish Law and embrace a totally different lifestyle whereby his trust was switched to Jesus (whom he had persecuted) and faith in the forgiveness which comes from God through Jesus. It was many years between his conversion and his first missionary journey, some of which were spent in a place called Arabia, not the Arabia we know but probably an area to the east of Damascus (Galatians 1:17), where he no doubt had to unpick his old faith and work out what it meant to be a follower of Jesus – a bit like unpicking a piece of knitting and redoing it in another stitch. Actually, many Christians go through a similar exercise in their own Christian journey - shedding beliefs which they inherited in childhood and adopting a more mature understanding of the faith. This is by no means easy and can cause some to abandon faith altogether.

There’s much more to Paul under the surface. You only have to read the puzzling letter of 1 Corinthians to see the trials and tribulations he experienced in setting up his fledgling faith communities. Nevertheless, we are left in the New Testament with the biography and writings of a remarkable, but flawed individual who has left an indelible stamp on the Christian Church.

It’s little wonder that Paul has always been a controversial and complex character and remains so for us today. Even the early apostles struggled to understand him (2 Peter 3:15,16).

005 : A product of their time

It was a cold, wet day in February but I finally made a long awaited trip to London to do the museums. On arrival at Kings Cross I boarded a heavily overcrowded bus and crawled through nose-to-tail traffic to Cromwell Road, not far from Harrods and the famous Holy Trinity Brompton, HTB to its fans. Undaunted by the tube strike which caused so much disruption to London commuters, I enjoyed a much needed coffee as I planned my tour around the Natural History and Science Museums.

At the Science Museum I embarked upon a walk down Memory Lane as I looked at some of the great inventions of previous generations. Stephenson's Rocket was a reminder of Britain's genius in the field of steam locomotion. The early days of motor cars was aptly displayed by a Model T Ford and various other cars of yesteryear. Man's first excursions into outer space were depicted by the claustrophobic Russian space capsules and various American rockets. Then there were the Penny Farthing bicycle, old-style telephones, typewriters and many other items which were brilliant in their day but were clearly products of their time. Although the invention lives on, the products have evolved into modern-day equivalents which make their forefathers both crude and even ridiculous. Imagine carrying around one of the early mobile phones which resembled a brick more than its modern-day equivalent. And who in their right minds would ride a Penny Farthing through the London streets? For all his brilliance, Robert Stephenson would be amazed at how the Japanese have taken rail travel to new heights of speed and efficiency.

This all made me reflect on how the church has responded to modernisation. So much of what we do today is also a product of its time. Not wishing to ruffle feathers I have to say that for all his brilliance, Charles Wesley wrote a host of hymns in the style and language of his day. Some of his hymns are timeless and will be treasured and sung by many generations to come but increasingly, today's Christians are warming to the modern-day hymn-writing skills of Matt Redman and his peers. Should we be surprised or concerned at this? And what about the style of worship in some churches? Sitting on wooden pews facing towards the service leader who is dressed in a black gown and holds absolute authority is mirrored only by a law court in today's society. What picture of God does that portray to people of this generation? Not only that, but we deliver the gospel by preaching sermons. Again, we have brilliant preachers who work tirelessly to prepare and deliver excellent sermons but today's generation is wedded to a different media - visual, interactive and instant. Are some of the things we do in church today products of their time? 

In a recent survey by the British Marketing Research Bureau the following findings were discovered :

Ø The Nativity : 78 per cent of 16-24-year-olds saying they were not convinced of its historical reliability.

Ø Almost a quarter of those questioned who described themselves as Christians admitted they did not believe certain aspects of the Bible's teaching about Jesus.

A separate study by Mothers' Union showed that more parents encourage their children to believe in Father Christmas than in the nativity.

The Bible is viewed through highly critical eyes and people today give far less weight to people in authority, be they preachers, policemen, judges or politicians. So why do we continue to do church in a manner which assumes a high degree of biblical knowledge and acceptance. Why do we still deliver the gospel message by word of mouth only? Is it wrong to question our tenacious hold on yesterday's traditions? The newly appointed head of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, has a daunting task following on from the entrepreneurial Bill Gates and the mercurial Steve Ballmer. On taking up the reins he said "our industry does not respect tradition – it only respects innovation”. Is that true in the church or do we give too much weight to tradition at the expense of engaging with today's generation and pioneering new forms of church?

There's no doubt that the men and women behind the amazing inventions I saw in the Science Museum were brilliant and visionary. But technology has evolved at a rapid pace and drives the way in which we live. The longer the church remains wedded to the past, the greater will be the gulf between church culture and the culture of people we brush shoulders with day by day. 

It will take courage and enterprise on the part of church leaders to embrace the challenges we face in this country. It will involve a great deal of heart-searching on the part of members, especially the older ones, to allow them to move the church forward in the 21st century. Where does your church stand in these exciting but challenging days?

But here's the rub. We are where we are today because of the skill, dedication and risk-taking of yesterday's entrepreneurs whose goods are displayed in the Science Museum and fondly remembered by like-minded people today. I'm sure they would be the first to say to this generation, "don't keep looking back but build on what we have done and move forward". Are we simply going to look back with admiration on past achievements or emulate their endeavours for the sake of tomorrow's generation? Ask yourself, "does the future have a church and, if so, what will it look like?"