Bulletin 258 – The Power of the Unspoken Word

We live in turbulent times as few would deny. Rainfall is causing havoc in many parts of Britain. Fields are flooded, train services disrupted, houses in Whitby are having to be demolished brick by brick because of a landslip caused by heavy rain. Economic unrest is still unsettling the people of Europe with unthinkably large debts having to be repaid in countries like Greece, Spain and even here in Britain with an ever-growing crescendo of opposition to austerity measures. And yet while all this goes on, people across the globe are rushing to the internet or retail stores to purchase the latest highly-priced tablet computers which are avalanching onto the scene week by week in a desperate effort to outdo their rivals. Has the world gone mad?

The Power of the Written Word

Lord Justice Leveson has now released his report on press standards which was actioned as a response to quite appalling and illegal intrusion by the media into the private lives of grieving individuals. This highlights just how powerful the written word has become. Not only is it powerful in destroying the lives of those who, through no fault of their own, fell victim to these crimes but it also shows how insensitive the general public can be by continuing to buy discredited newspapers in the hope of reading even more extreme stories.  And then the Prime Minister promises to implement the Leveson report unless it is “bonkers”. I suspect that word will haunt him for days to come. Has the world gone mad?

The Power of the Spoken Word

Not a week goes by without some argument breaking out over whether the government’s economic policies are producing fruit. George Osbourne again has to admit that the recovery in Britain will take longer than he expected and Ed Balls continues to protest that the government’s policies are the wrong ones. Which voice do we believe? Are we convinced by the spoken word or have we become cynical about the hollow promises made by politicians. Before we jump to conclusions let us ask ourselves whether the words we speak are genuine and true and whether we, in their position, could do a better job. We have recently seen a faithful remnant of British people voting to elect Police Commissioners. Will the promises made by these newly elected men and women deliver the change and improvement we all crave for? Has the world gone mad?

The Power of the Unspoken Word

I was recently privileged to act as a group coordinator at a gathering in Methodist Church House to discuss the Methodist Church’s approach to evangelism over the next few years. People from all over the country came to share their views and help shape a policy for the future. It was fascinating to hear people being able to express freely their concerns about this emotive subject and how too little focus has been given to this aspect of our calling under God. In a real sense it was a moment of liberation as people were able to articulate what they had found hard to express elsewhere.

But I was heartened by the number of people who said they had been brought up, often under sufferance, to go to church and at their time of liberation (usually when leaving home) stopped attending.  All of them said how, when they returned to church some years later, they were able to reconnect with the things they had learned in their earlier years. It showed how valuable our work with children can be, even though we may see little tangible fruit at the time.

I was also impressed by the way people now recognised that evangelism is not simply about a crisis moment and a sudden decision to follow Christ but is a life-long process of growing into mature disciples, often with many setback on the way. One of the questions posed to the forum was "What will the person who says ‘yes’ to Jesus be expected to become like?” The summation of the responses was “expect the unexpected”. There is no set formula for how people will respond nor how they will turn out. And so this forum at Church House allowed people to articulate their unspoken words – words they would have loved to express earlier but were unable to put into coherent thoughts.

It was in the famous setting of Holy Trinity Brompton, the birthplace of the Alpha Course, that the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, gave his final address to a Fresh Expressions forum. No sooner had he stepped on stage to present his address than bit by bit the audience rose to their feet to give him a standing ovation. No word had yet been spoken and yet, in that moving moment, the unspoken words of love and appreciation were gushing towards him for all that he has done, and endured, on behalf of Christians throughout the land.

But the greatest example of the unspoken word is the one we celebrate today at the start of Advent. There was no fanfare, no policy statement, no press release – simply a baby born in humble surroundings with a mission to save the world from its madness. Could it have happened any other way and been more effective? I doubt it. Would it have had more impact on Facebook and Twitter? I doubt it. This was true divinity coming to us in the form of true humanity in order to bridge the gulf that had opened up between a sinful world and its creator. It came to us in the form of God’s Unspoken Word.

As Christmas approaches, a large segment of the world’s population will be waiting in eager anticipation of the festivities. For many it will be with their minds set upon the gifts they will give and receive. For some it will have the added value of celebrating the gift of God’s Unspoken Word, made flesh among us. For others it will mean precious little and they will go on buying their newspapers, checking the stock markets and living for today with little hope for tomorrow and no belief in the life to come. Has the world gone mad?