Some Advice, Please.

I once wrote to a priest to ask for advice about funerals.

It seemed like a pertinent and good question to ask.

I’m not sure what I was expecting them to say. Something pragmatic and organised I hoped. This particular priest was particular about time and organisation.

The priest said lots of good things. Wise things. Like, listen … a lot. Take your time. Take far too many notes. You never know which bit of information you might need later. Breathe afterwards. Give yourself time to decompress and reflect. What did I learn from that process? What will you do again? What will you definitely NEVER do again?

But the kicker was the closing paragraph and I come back to it time and time again. It’s nothing practical or pragmatic. It’s something that we should all keep on the front burner of our minds.

“Dear David,

Thank you so much for your letter. Yes, of course you must do all the organisation things, but the thing I try always to remember is that this person was and is just like you and I. Maybe it would help if I told you what happened today.

This morning was the funeral of a dear old soul who I only came to know in their ‘mature’ years when they were ‘In care’. It's always the way. We are always the 'David come lately’. It's easy to forget that the deceased was once young, had a runny nose, skun their knee, had their heart broken and probably broke some hearts along the way. They had regrets and triumphs. They lived a life that should be celebrated and a soul that needs praying for… just like you and I. A precious commodity is entrusted to you David. Cherish it, care for it, lavish with all the respect and love that you would hope for yourself.

Three cheers for James and John

Today I want to give three hearty cheers for James and John, because of today's gospel I think they’ve had an unnecessarily harsh press throughout history. They come to Jesus and ask: “Teacher, we want you to do for us whatever we ask of you”. They get short shrift from Jesus and understandably the rest of the disciples get exasperated with them. But in actual fact, they are only doing what Jesus had told them to do. Remember   “Ask, and it shall be given to you…” “I will do whatever you ask in my name…” So, to be fair they must have been a bit befuddled. On the one hand, Jesus tells them to ask for things and then when they do, they get a ticking off and go down through 2,000 years of history as being wicked, selfish, egotistical people. It all seems unjust and confusing…

And what about the request itself?  “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory”. Again, that doesn’t seem like an unreasonable request for they didn’t have the benefit of hindsight like we do. They thought Jesus would be heading to Jerusalem to set up the Kingdom of God by overthrowing Roman rule and renewing the role of the Temple in traditional Judaism. They were expecting political and spiritual conflict and they were being loyal to Jesus and standing with him in this new world order. So it seems only reasonable that they should think that some rewards will be given in the glorious time to come.

So we should not demonise James and John as selfish, arrogant disciples. They were only doing what Jesus had asked them to do: ask for stuff - and they were loyally standing with Jesus as he headed towards Jerusalem.

I think it’s helpful to see James and John in this way because you and I can identify with them far more easily.

The truth is that most times when we pray and ask God for things, we are not being particularly arrogant or selfish or egotistical. We are not transactional with our prayers, just laying our requests at his feet for His consideration and blessing. We are merely expressing what we think would be helpful in a particular situation. Perhaps what we express is right, perhaps it is wrong: but when we come to the altar we are rarely driven by arrogance and selfish ego.

Of course, the other disciples were angry with them. They thought they might have been pipped at the post for the seats in glory and that they would be missing out. Do I detect the faintest whiff of envy here?

So when we read Jesus’ words by way of response, I don’t think he is ticking James and John off. He is being gentle with them and he is using this opportunity to teach them what is important in the Kingdom of God: a lesson they needed to learn, and a lesson we need to learn. And what we continuously need to be reminded of is this

To be a Christian means to totally submit ourselves to the will of God.

James and John had asked for positions of glory for their faithfulness but the Master simply says, “You do not know what you are asking”. And then he draws on two images that James and John would have understood only too well: Drinking from a cup and being baptised.

Well, the cup that Jesus was about to drink was suffering and death:

So Jesus is saying to James and John, “I am about to suffer and die. Can you go through that?”

And James and John give their response without flinching “We are able”.

Now how’s that for bravery and loyalty? Forget any sense that James and John are to be ridiculed or despised as a result of their selfish request. Instead, three cheers for their courage and loyalty, knowing that calamity and suffering and death would befall them.

And Jesus knowing this, says “The cup that I drink you will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptised, you will be baptised…” And… he… was right…

Both James and John did drink from that cup and were baptised into that suffering. It would have been easy for them to walk away,… and think no… I don’t think so, not for me Jesus. But they don’t do that. Instead, they humbly submit themselves to the will of God and they say “Yep, we are prepared to walk the way of Christ whatever the cost.”

We can be tempted to think that because we have spent a long time being faithful to God that we deserve a gold star and a hippopotamus stamp. And when the reward doesn’t come, we shake our fist. But the way of Christian discipleship has never been a business transaction.

As Christians, we are called to submit ourselves totally to the will of God. Full stop. Maybe good things will come our way, maybe they won’t.

When we read the Gospel stories, there are only two people who were placed on the left hand and right hand of Jesus as he was glorified: the two thieves on the cross. If you want to sit at Jesus’ left side or right side then…

Truth begets trust, trust begets peace and peace begets reconciliation.

This is yet another phrase that I shamelessly stole.

The phrase was used in an articulate homily referring to that situation in that far away land. The place where a little man walked the dusty streets muttering how a new kingdom might be ushered in if only we just stop looking to our weapons as the solution and started to look instead at each other as people just like our own selves. Cut any one of any skin colour, of any belief and they bleed, just like you and I.

But to my heartache, hard work and joy, I know that the line also works in ‘mini conversations’. You know the sort. I’m sure we’ve all had ‘those’ sorts of chats before. At least once.

A dialogue where the truth is told, hopefully calmly, rationally and with dignity. It may not be pleasant or pretty, in fact it usually isn’t, particularly if this angst has been fermenting like an old fashioned ginger beer brew.

But when the truth is told, when it is listened to with patience and in a calm way, when it is responded to with carefully chosen words, then the tiniest seedling of trust can poke its head up out of the soil and have the opportunity to flourish and grow. And if that can happen, then the budding flower of reconciliation can open and bring bright colour where there has only been darkening blackness.

Now it might be that the two parties / people might have to agree to disagree, but would that be such a wicked, awful thing?

All this is hard work and we will feel bruised at the end of it. However the alternative is to allow cancerous enmity to fester in the darkness  of ignorance and misunderstanding.

If I could talk to the animals

It is my pleasure and honour to address you on this beautiful day. It is always a great thrill to speak to such a diverse, beautiful and gifted audience as you are. Of course, you may not understand everything I have to say, but perhaps your human companions and masters can somehow further communicate the few words I want to share.

I have three points. First, I want to tell you why we bless you. Second, I want to remind you that you share the same basic purpose for your lives that we humans have — we are all called to glorify God in our very lives. Third, I want to thank you for the ways in which God uses you to reveal God’s very self to us.

First, I want to say why we have come to bless you.

We bless you for the same reason we bless ourselves or bless one another, and similarly receive a blessing from our priest.

In receiving a blessing, we humans are being told that we are holy and beloved by God. So too, when you are blessed, you are being told by God that you are holy and loved by God.

Each cat, each dog, each sheep, each iguana — each of YOU here has been created by our loving heavenly God, and each of you, whether you are a rabbit, or a sheep or a horse, you reveal something of our Creator in all your being.

Secondly, I want to speak about what you all have in common with each other, and have in common with us human animals. The most important thing that you share with human animals is that you have been created to glorify God.

If you are a cat, you glorify God by your cat-ness, being what God has created you as a cat to be. If you are a dog, you glorify God in your living as a dog. In the same way I, a human animal, glorify God by being the kind of human animal God created me to be.

So your main purpose in life as well as the lives of myself and all other humans, is to glorify God. By living your lives as dogs, or as iguanas, or rabbits, or cats, you glorify God, you give pleasure to your Creator.

I must be honest and say that while I don’t understand everything about you one thing is clear. That your strangeness, your otherness is a great reminder to us humans of the great and marvelous riches of Our shared Creator.

And this brings me to my third point, that we humans thank you and bless you for the ways in which you reveal God to us. How clever you are.

You see, when we humans question our God, question his designs and purposes, God often helps us understand by pointing towards you all, and saying, in effect to us uncomprehending humans — I’m like this mother hen in this way, I’m like that lamb in that way, I’m like this dolphin in this way, I’m like the pelican in that way.

Sometimes God has to remind us human beings that your relationship with God is beyond our human comprehension, You dogs teach us what it is to smell well. You birds, you show us simplicity, as well as graceful flight. You horses, you show us gentleness, as well as speed. You cats amongst us, you not only incite us to curiosity, but your sight is an amazing gift.

But perhaps the creature who has most famously revealed the truth of God to us humans, the most popular symbol for Christ, is the lamb. From the earliest days of Christianity in the catacombs, long before Christians dared to show a cross, the lamb was the dominant symbol of Christ. The lamb was the symbol chosen to take its place. It was, we might say, the first crucifix, or the pre-crucifix.

Today, Christ is our Passover lamb. In the Eucharist we eat of the divine lamb. In the book of Revelation, St. John has the believers following in the footsteps of the lamb.

I have only begun to say a little of the gifts you offer to God, and that is of course all I can hope to do. So today we bless you in recognition of your holiness and being loved by God. In doing so we recognize that this world is yours as well as ours, because God has put you here, and that is the only rationale for your existence that you need. Finally, we bless you in recognition that you reveal God to us in ways we only begin to comprehend, and remind us in sometimes difficult and painful ways that we are not at the centre of the universe. Like you, we are God’s creatures. Thank you and God bless you

And they gave us a box of matches…

In August of this year, 3 primary school-aged girls were stabbed in Southport England. Social media, the source of all wisdom and fount of all knowledge, told us that the perpetrator was of a particular ethnic origin and practised a particular faith. Social media also gave out his name. All three bits of information were completely wrong. But the rioting began and more lives were mushed.

I always swore that I would never have a relationship with social media, but then COVID happened and I was dragged yelling at the top of my lungs,  into the world of the screen. It took me cups of tea, double choc Tim Tams and countless hours in front of the flickering light of the Computer to work it all out. I even engaged the help of local friendly geeky people to come to my aid. They were swift, patient and kind.

I learnt that social media can be used for great good. In fact, some of you right now might be reading this on a social media platform. I shall always be grateful for allowing the screen to get the message out there.

Some people meet on social media and form long-lasting, happy healthy relationships which bring them great joy. They annoy and enrich each other over many years.

But sometimes this platform can be hijacked to perpetuate falsehood and cause undue harm and hurt. Just ask the Merseyside police and then ask their loved ones about the unseen cost to those on the front line.

Sometimes I compare social media to a box of matches. Here you go. Here is the equipment for light, cooking and warmth. It’s going to be great. You’ll love it. It will change the way you live. It will change the world. And it did.

We know not what we bring

As I’ve gotten older I find that my curiosity is piqued not by the main characters in bible stories but more and more by those who are behind the scenes that make it all happen. Often they are nameless and frustratingly they disappear from the story seemingly never to appear again.

Where did they come from? Who were they? What was the grit and grist of their day-to-day life? Did they avidly follow the Master’s career path to the end or simply forget him the next day as a bizarre point of curiosity? Something to be talked about over the muesli in the morning and dismissed as soon as the breakfast dishes were cleared away and the day’s work began.

In today’s gospel, we have such a group of ‘behind-the-scenes people.’

‘People’ were bringing little children to him.

Who were the ‘people’? How did they hear about The Teacher and why did they bring their children to him?

What was it about Jesus that brought them scurrying with their offspring? There must have been a certain sense of approachability about The Master, a welcomeness and affability. Whatever it was, whatever they saw, it was infectious and they wanted to be a part of it.

The quality control system of the disciples we find abhorrent today and it's ‘the people’ who come off looking squeaky clean and righteous in the gospel.

Now part of what these parents are looking for is for Jesus to touch their child. These mums and dads understand the power and potency of touch. How did we lose that understanding, trust and potency? Probably because some of my clerical colleagues have abused the privilege and trust that is involved with touch. In my little time of 40 years of ordained life, it is one of the biggest shifts I have been saddened to witness. Time was when I thought nothing of having someone weep on my shoulder. Nowadays…not so much and everyone has a phone/camera.

But scratch a little deeper into the gospel story. It is not just the physical youngsters that are being talked about here but what the children symbolise.

These adults bring something incredibly vulnerable and helpless to God.

They are bringing something of infinite value to God

They are bringing something of themselves to God

And they are bringing their future to God.

So it is not just about the squirming, burping, squawking giggling youngster. What they bring is so much more.

When we take the time to think about it, of course, all of those things are wrapped up in a tiny child. All of these thoughts and understandings do something to us and give us fresh hope and even make us a little vulnerable in our newfound goofiness.
And here’s the really odd thing. We find that when we hand over that which is most important to us, that far from losing something, we actually come out winners and beneficiaries.

Today we not only bring our own physical children in thought and prayer, but we also bring other children.  Those who cannot speak for themselves, those who have no one to advocate for them. The ones who do not expect it of us or ask us. It is up to us to bring to Him who is the source of all blessing, those whose home life is difficult, unsupported and confronting. For it is to these little ones that the very Kingdom of heaven itself belongs.  They are our treasures. Those who come through the doors of Anglicare, those who sleep rough, those who have fallen through the cracks of our 1st world system and our heart.

A little warning and a story about such treasured people.

The warning… it’s tempting to scowl at what we think others bring and offer. The reality is that we never know what others bring and offer. Both outwardly, but also inwardly. Their scars, their gifts, their disappointments, their failures, their hidden victories and ongoing relentless struggles.  We ought always try to be like the parents in the story rather than the quality control(ling) disciples.

The story is from the 3rd century, and it is just as potent and powerful today as it was then. Perhaps it is more so.

In 258, there was an Emperor called Valerian who didn’t like Christians very much. Enter one Spanish Fr. Lawrence who was archdeacon of Rome. This important position put Lawrence in charge of the Church’s riches, and it gave him responsibility for the Church’s outreach to the poor. The Emperor demanded that Fr. Lawrence turn over all the riches of the Church. He gave Lawrence three days to round it up.

Lawrence worked swiftly. He sold the Church’s vessels and gave the money to widows and the sick. He distributed all the Church’s property to the poor. On the third day, the Emperor summoned Lawrence to his palace and asked for the treasure. With great aplomb, Lawrence entered the palace, stopped, and then gestured back to the door where, streaming in behind him, poured crowds of poor, crippled, blind, and suffering people. “These are the true treasures of the Church,”

So we come. We bring not just our riches and the wealthy. We bring the things that might make us squirm. We bring our finest and that which disappoints us. We bring our all to him and because he is our loving God he can do no other than reach out and touch, heal, bless and make holy. When we can rush to him unabashed with glee, then others will see in our face what those funny old parents saw in His face.

Your mission today is to be the answer to someone’s prayer.

It was a cutesy poster I saw in a church once. The photo showed someone embracing a raggedy child. While the photo engaged me, it was the caption that stayed with me long after.

Your mission today is to be the answer to someone’s prayer.

There are at least two ways of ‘being the answer to someone’s prayer.’

First, when we deliberately plot this. We consciously choose to go and be with old so and so who really needs… to be listened to, some chicken noodle soup, 2 chocolate Tim Tams or a beverage of something fabulous or a combo deal.

This is convivial, enjoyable and fruitful. The mystery is that the less that is said, the more that is accomplished. Further, we often discover that poor old so and so is actually the answer to our prayer. We just didn’t realise it when we set out and often we don’t realise it until much later.

The other thing that happens more frequently is when a conversation bubbles back up after a long period of hibernation. We didn’t set out to do anything much and in fact we had forgotten all about the chat. Not so for the other party. They took our words to themselves and the words are still ringing loudly in that person’s heart and lives. This is not something you can contrive or write into your diary with carefully chosen words and phrases. The process happens almost externally to ourselves. Not because of us, but in spite of us.

You can do this. I have watched you do it, especially in those times when you were just being you. The hard bit is accepting this sublime truth and rejoicing in the undeniable fact that we are all the answer to someone’s prayer.

Stumbling In

(with apologies to Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman)

The year was 1978 and Suzi Quatro and Chris Norman released a song called Stumbling In.

As a healthy adolescent of 18 years old, I used to think Suzi was it and a bit and a whole lot more, particularly because my mum was not exactly enraptured with this tightly-clad rock star. Somehow this made Suzi all the more appealing.

The lyrics of this song are about a young couple in a blossoming new relationship, stumbling along some of the joys and trickiness of the road that many of us have travelled. It seems that on the path of love, relationships and discipleship, there are not only roses, champagne and fluttering eyelids, but there are also things that trip us up. These send us unexpectedly stumbling into the dust.

We ought not to be surprised that sometimes these falls are self-induced. Other times, sadly, we can cause others to stumble. We then discover that the millstone of regret and guilt that our Lord refers to is heavy indeed.

In today’s gospel, it is the disciple John who stumbles. Listen carefully as he goes whinging to Jesus about an unnamed exorcist.

‘Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him because he was not following us.’

We don’t know a lot about this unnamed exorcist but there are some things we can be sure of.

1. He had heard about Jesus.
2. He knew the authority of Jesus' name.
3. He was kicking a few goals and accomplishing some successful exorcisms.

In his attitude and complaint, John stumbles because of his own envy.

I speculate that John might have had a few goes at doing the odd exorcism himself, and failed, and so when he sees an outsider having a few wins his blood pressure meds are upped. John, possibly egged on by the other disciples, considers the unnamed disciple’s success through a lens of jealousy and insecurity – him succeeding where they had failed and so fear how it might affect their position in the ‘Jesus clique’.

The unnamed exorcist who gets an A in his class, Deliverance 101, is at the top of his game because he knows it is not about himself. It has never been about himself. He always just rejoiced in the marvellous and exciting fact that the real authority lies somewhere else or rather, in someone else.

And there is a great lesson here for clergy and laity not to go into ‘competition mode’. Rather we should exalt and dance and delight in the generous gifts that God has given to others. Everyone has marvellous gifts and when you use them to God’s glory then anything and everything is possible. Even the banishment of evil and the replacement of ceiling panels that are 14 meters from the floor, is not too much of an ask.

And far from stumbling and spiralling downwards in a bottomless rush of envy and grumpiness, we ought to congratulate and enthuse and gush about the fantastic things we see going on around us.

And it doesn’t take much.

“Whoever gives you a cup of water to drink because you bear the name of Christ will by no means lose the reward.”

A very basic and selfless act of discipleship is always of infinite value. It is especially admirable when it is offered to a little one who is not necessarily junior in Earth years but is still being formed in the way of discipleship, which is pretty much all of us. You do this ministry frequently, lovingly, selflessly and with great joy.

And when you exercise this ministry you are demonstrating your understanding that it is not just about you. That there is someone else who needs ministry. You understand where the desire to serve another comes from and what must be done.

When you do this you make yourself vulnerable. This really is stumbling forward on the road we call discipleship. Heading towards our new Jerusalem in vulnerability is a risky, risky pilgrimage of vulnerability.

My idol Suzi Quatro together with her colleague Chris Norman put it this way.

“Our love is alive, and so we begin
Foolishly laying our hearts on the table
Stumblin' in
Our love is a flame, burning within
Now and then firelight will catch us
Stumblin' in”

In his supreme act of love, at the end of His walk to Jerusalem having fallen no less than three times on the Rocky Road, when the Master opens wide his arms on the cross, the flame of his love burns more brightly, more ardently and more warmly than ever before, because of his helplessness on the cross and at the table.

This is my body … Suzi would be askance at my twisting of the lyrics,  but for me at least, in the upper room, on the night before the Master dies, he does lay his heart on the table, because lays himself on the table. This is my body, this is my blood.

So together, we stagger and totter, always stumbling forward, always with Him. When we are flattened by our failures and disappointments. Then we pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, for our love is alive, His love is alive and so again we begin.

Foolishly laying our hearts on the table and stumbling in, Stumbling in, ultimately, to heaven itself.

22 September 2024

But Why???

There’s a small child (Brutus) together with his mother down aisle number 3 in the supermarket. As everyone knows aisle 3 is not the health food section. Aisle 3  is where all the good stuff is. The chips, the chocolate, the confectionery, the Mars bars and the Freddo frogs.

The inevitable conversation begins.

“Mum, I want to 2 snickers bars and a bag of salt and vinegar chips”

“Not now darling” rushing to get to a safer aisle where the herbs and spices are kept.

"But why?”

“Because I said so” The answer is curt and clear.

“But why?” whines Brutus.

“Because too much sugar is bad for you” - now trying to make a dash for the cleaning aisle.

“But why?”

“Because you’ll ruin your lunch”

“But why?”

You know how this conversation goes and if you haven’t participated in such a conversation you will at the very least have witnessed such an exchange.

And I want to come back to Brutus and his beleaguered Mum a little later.

Today’s gospel also stars a child.

The disciples have been toddling along to Jerusalem and in the 2nd of three attempts. The Master Teacher predicts his own suffering and death. It’s almost like the tolling of a funeral bell.

They do not hear what Jesus tells them or at the very least miss the significance of what their rabbi has told them.

Instead, they have a lively debate about which of them is the greatest.

Thank goodness that would never happen in the Church of God today … would it?

It can’t have been easy for the Master. For the second time he has passed on a vital piece of teaching and they have chosen to chatter about who should win the Gold Logie of apostleship. That’s got to hurt.

And what is even more painful is that when he confronts them about their ‘Vote 1 for me chatter’ they are silent. Why?

One of two things is going on here.

Either  - they don’t want to appear as confused and muddled-headed as they really are. They are too embarrassed to offer an explanation. They are so caught up in their straw poll for leadership that they can’t offer any excuse for their egoistical mutterings.

Or,  they do understand … very clearly, exactly what has been said. Their friend, master, teacher and brother, the one who has walked and talked with them, shared their daily bread and their wine, the one they have simply grown quite fond of is going to suffer cruelly and die. What on earth do you say to such a grim prognosis and a heart rending forecast? Sometimes there are no words in the face of such potent grief. They don’t want to ask anything else, they don’t want or need the scenario clarified because it is breathtakingly clear that a messy chapter is just over the next page.

The flip side of this, the good news for us and the disciples, is that even when we are afraid, even when we don’t understand, even when we are arguing about who is the greatest, even when we are embarrassed, even when we don’t ask the questions that we should …. The Master still welcomes us.

When the disciples are mute in today’s gospel the Master doesn’t desert them or berate them. Instead, he brings into their midst his own living, breathing visual aid. A child. His very own version of the Brutus that we heard so resoundingly in the supermarket.

Here gentlemen! Here is what it is all about. Take note. Aspire to be a child. A child is innocent. A child is vulnerable. A child doesn’t pretend to have all the answers. For a child, every day is a fresh new page with no mistakes in it. Every morning when they wake up, they experience a day brimming with blessings, surprises and opportunities and they just sail through it. The past never existed and each experience is fresh and exciting. When and why did we lose that and is it possible to recapture this shine and wholesomeness?

The sad bit about the disciples is that instead of asking the questions, instead of asking ‘why’ they miss a valuable opportunity to learn and become childlike. Instead, they have diverted themselves onto a path of self-aggrandisement, the flip side of which is to belittle everyone else in order that they might seem big.

In our own time, no one wants to look uninformed, confused, or clueless. We withhold our toughest questions, often within our own churches and within Christian fellowship. We pretend we don’t have hard questions. Yet the deepest mysteries of life do indeed elude us.

So just as our mythical Brutus asked lots of questions in the mythical supermarket, so I finish with lots of questions for myself and if you find them helpful then I am sure Brutus would be pleased.

How would our stories be different if we asked Jesus our hard questions? What kind of conversations might we pursue with Jesus and then with each other? How would our daily life as disciples together be different as a result?

Is there any question we can’t ask God?

And what would happen if we looked him in the eye and said

‘I don’t understand that last bit. Could you tell me more?’ What do you think his response would be?

The light of Christ and living water. Part 1

The opening of the Games held in Paris was startling.

What resonated with me was the Countries of the world participating going down the Seine river.

People lined along the lit sides of the river waving their flags and having a wonderful time. The fact that the rain came down relentlessly did not matter at all.

It took me back to when my daughter and I were on a boat  in  2017 also on the river Seine

The heavens opened and the rain fell relentlessly on our trip as well.

Rain cannot dampen the spirit. Mother Nature relies on rain for sustenance and growth. 

In the days of Christ, John the Baptist said in Matthew 3:11 I will baptise you with water, but the one who is coming will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Then sometime later the opening ceremony took place near the Eiffel Tower.  Wow, the Eiffel Tower swirling flashes of light showering the full length and breath radiating up and down.  Jumping pulsating outwards, upward, swirling. Olympic circles radiating beaconing.

Colours of gold. Aiming high is the reward of hard work of perfecting achieving the ultimate result of winning.

Do you ever consider the tears that are shed when athletes try so hard that it feels like failure?

A bit like failing the glory of God. When we let ourselves down by not living the commandments that God has, by not loving our fellow man. All the Gold in the world is not worth a penny if we cannot live with a free spirit of love with our fellow man.

Our reward as Christians is going towards the light of Christ. To be with him when our time on earth has come.

If we ask for forgiveness for our failings he will bless us and rest in him for eternity.

Let's aim for Gold. Let's love your fellow men. Put aside wars and all things that leads us away from the light that Jesus offered and died for . He loves and wants only the best for us.

Let's pass on the light.

The light of Christ and living water 2

Not Gold. Fools gold.

With the Para Olympics still on  our minds and with the courage our Olympians show to pursue their aim to be  the best in their chosen fields of competition, is to be no 1 and to have that

precious gold medal hung around their necks.

What is gold? A combination of copper tin and iron. When gold is refined it is everlasting,so much prized.

Then there is fool's gold.

Weathered Mica can mimic gold, as can Chalcopyrite Crystals used in jewellery and sculptures can also appear gold-like. 

Digging for gold. Fools gold looks sparkling but is often mistaken for gold, so it can fool the best of us as it is not valuable. Fools gold is made up of iron Pyrite and Crystal-like structures. Often has a sulphur smell.

So what is a fool? In proverbs14:16 a wise man sees evil coming and avoids it, the fool is rash and presumptuous.

So what to avoid.

Something that you think to be very successful but is not. Or a flashy but worthless investment.

Quick rich schemes that sound to good to be real are usually too good to be true.

American John Huston’s 1948 film adaptation of the Treasure of the Sierra Madre tells about “Three geezers” who are skint and they put money together to get equipment to go looking for Gold. Then they betray each other. Gold becomes so powerful.  Then they find Gold to be a curse as well as a blessing.

In Proverbs 14:31-15.17  says. Trust in our fellow men comes from the lips of the wise. Spread knowledge and the love of God.

Do not turn to Gold as idols do. According to Hosea 8:4 Silver and Gold idols are doomed to destruction.

Gold Idol's Eyes have they but do not see. Ears they have, but cannot hear……………

Levi 19:4 Do not turn to Idols and cast no Gods of metal.

So what are we to do? Faith in the God of heaven is the one to turn to.

As in Peter 1:17, That faith is more precious than Gold

Fools do not understand the deep thoughts of God. Psalm 92:6 Stupid men are not aware of this and can never appreciate this.

For those Athletes who think they have failed can be reassured of God’s love and healing.