Thought for the week - Articles from the Parish's weekly news sheet.
21st October 2007
A Road Atlas for the spiritual life
One of the things I have learnt is that the Bible can be used to ‘prove’ most things. Because of this, it becomes a battle ground, where one person’s understanding competes with another’s. Often, the end result is less than charitable.
Part of the history behind the contemporary clash about the place and interpretation of scripture results from an event in the 1870s. An extreme Pope made a claim of Infallible Authority. In reaction to this, extreme Protestants, wanting their own authority, began to make claims about the Bible, its inerrancy and absolute, crystal-clear truth. Literalist and ‘fundamentalist’ reading of the bible came into being.
So when we hear Paul write to Timothy “all scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness” we hear it in a way very different to how Christian communities centuries before.
We are almost bullied into believing, say, the miracles stories as if they were literally true rather than metaphor for God’s gracious kindness to us through Jesus. Not liking to be bullied, we can cease to read the scriptures.
That is sad; it cuts us off from the gift of God’s word. I would urge everyone to order a copy of Reflections for Daily Prayer. Here is a tool for us to recover the bible as God’s gift to us. Because all scripture is indeed inspired and useful. As we read, so God can open our hearts to see his call to us afresh. Amen to that.
Finding and sharing the Gospel
“Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead” writes Paul to Timothy. The New Testament has within it a few attempts at pithy faith-statements; “I preach Christ and him crucified”. “Jesus is Lord” “The Word was made flesh”. In them, we can hear the first Christians trying to understand Jesus, trying to fit him into their understanding of God. We hear, too, a profound belief that Jesus’ death and resurrection linked their lives with the Divine.
So, our reading from 2 Timothy 2. 8-15 is part of an honourable stab at equipping the saints with a bumper-sticker length definition.
Today we welcome Thea Williams into the baptismal community. I have seen baptism described rather beautifully as an “Ordination into the priesthood of all believers”. That being the case, then she will need to grow into faith and learn to articulate her faith for herself.
When I was Assistant Director of Ordinands, the question I often asked was “what is your gospel?” As one ordained to the priesthood of all believers, Thea will need to learn what her gospel is.
We all do. We all need to explore, “who Jesus Christ is for me.” We need, too, to share how the Gospel changes our own lives.
Paul, writing to Timothy, urges his friend not to keep the Gospel to himself. The Gospel is for sharing, otherwise it is not good news for anyone.
So what is your Gospel? What excites you about what God has done for you? What message of love and grace is God asking you (and Thea) to share? 7th October 2007
Treadmill life—the Way to Holiness!
I received an email recently from a priest friend in the USA. He wrote about the nature of Church life there. It begins in September and carries on, without a break, until June. American school holidays have a rather different rhythm to ours, so Church life is rather different.
Adults, however, recognise that there are few real breaks in life. There is always something to be done; washing, cleaning, gardening, food shopping as well as the meeting the demands of work, partner, children, parents and all those other consumers of our time (including Church!)
And much that adults do goes unthanked. We mark off our days in continual action, moving from place of work to transport to kitchen to dusting in a seamless web of activity. Coming home to tea prepared, invited by others to put our feet up, to pause is something almost unheard of.
So when Jesus says in our Gospel reading (Luke 15: 5–10) that this is simply what life is like, that faithful service is not time limited, that coming in from the fields and starting to peel the potatoes is the norm, he is saying something we recognise.
But, and this is the point, he is saying that holy living, lively spirituality, is found here, in the “daily round, the common task”, not in some super-distilled environment unconnected with our normal lives. A friend of mine, a Franciscan Friar, head of silent house of prayer, says that although the place is totally silent he and his brothers have to work like mad to make it seem so calm for visitors. Don’t be fooled; holiness means having our sleeves rolled up.
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