Goldilocks and the Three Bears is a tale about a little girl who gets lost in a forest and ends up in the home of three bears (traditionally portrayed as Papa Bear, Mama Bear and Baby Bear). She sits at the table (where the chairs are too large, too small and finally ‘just right’), eats the bears’ porridge (which is too hot, too cold and finally ‘just right’) before being found sleeping in their beds (which are too hard, too soft and finally ‘just right.’)

The conclusion of the story (how the bears deal with this invasion of privacy) varies, with some versions showing Goldilocks running away, vowing to be a good child in future, and in others being rescued by her mother from the wrath of the bears. The story seems to be a useful vehicle for teaching through repetition, but the ‘moral’ is less clearcut than in some other stories. Are we meant to sympathise with Goldilocks (who can appear quite selfish) or with the bears? Is the story a cautionary tale about the importance of respecting property or an encouragement to try out new things? It seems interesting to me that in a tale where repetition is clearly a teaching aid for young children, the ending is quite vague. I suspect children deal better with ambiguity than adults.

As a child, we are very aware that we do not know everything and that life is full of mystery. We accept implausible scenarios (talking bears, little girls alone in a forest) without question and are content to live in the ‘now’ of a story, secure in its structure and confident the author knows best. Perhaps this is something as adults we need to regain: the acceptance that we don’t have answers to all of life’s dilemmas but can trust in the love and care of a God who is both the author and finisher of our faith. (Heb 12:2)

As a child, I always loved the story of Rapunzel. I read it at an age when I still had long hair, and this story of an imprisoned princess who lets down her hair to allow access to her presence captivated me. Maybe it was the realisation that my hair would never be as long and luxuriant as Rapunzel’s which led to my decision to have it cut short as I grew older! (I suspect convenience had more to do with the decision, though it’s interesting that the modern version of the tale has been named ‘Tangled‘!)

Rapunzel has the classic fairytale elements of punishment, retribution, rescue and true love overcoming in the face of adversity. It also reminds us that love is found in the most inauspicious circumstances (the prince is drawn to Rapunzel when he hears her beautiful singing; she is locked away in a high tower, so there is no way he is initially drawn by mere looks alone.)

Rapunzel also shows us the folly of giviing in to short-term cravings, for in the original story, Rapunzel’s mother craves rampion (or rapunzel) to eat and her husband’s theft of this from a garden leads to Dame Gothel gaining the life of this child in a most unholy bargain. We see how one sin easily leads to another and how Rapunzel must bear the consequences of actions which had nothing to do with her.

This is a profound message wrapped in a children’s story, for all humanity bears the consequences of that first sin in the Garden of Eden and the challenge to grow to be beautiful and good is one we all face.

Fairytales often emphasise beauty in ways that many feel have led to shallowness and a fixation on ‘being a princess’ concerned only with appearance. In truth, these stories often delve far beyond outward beauty to bring us into an awareness of more fundamental values – love, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness and mercy. Rapunzel is not the easiest fairytale to unravel, but it too contains truth provoke us and lead us to ponder.

We had two more birthdays to celebrate tonight!

Dave spoke this evening from Luke 2:41-50, reminding us that the presence and anointing of the Holy Spirit are essential to us on our Christian journey. In this passage, Mary and Joseph left Jerusalem assuming Jesus was with them, but although it only took them one day to realise He was absent, it took three days for them to find Him in the temple. We can easily simply assume the Holy Spirit is present with us, but it is easy for us to run ahead of Him or to lose the immediate sense of the presence of Jesus. When this happens, we will only find Him again by going back to the place where we last experienced Him.

We need to seek God’s presence rather than presume He is always happy with us, for Eph 4:30 reminds us that it is possible to grieve the Holy Spirit. He is likened to a dove, a bird which is sensitive, peaceful, quiet and easily disturbed. The Holy Spirit will not adapt to us; we have to adapt to Him and treat Him with dignity and respect.

Eph 4:31-32 shows us the things which grieve the Holy Spirit: bitterness, anger, rage. brawling and slander. It’s so easy to let bitterness creep in and to hold on to grudges, but when we do this, we give the enemy a foothold and grieve God’s Spirit. Ex 40:36-38 reminds us that the Israelites were led by the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. They only moved when the cloud or pillar of fire moved. We need to be the same, being led by the Holy Spirit. Eph 5:10 reminds us we need to find out what pleases the Lord, and we do this by spending time with Him and adjusting our lifestyle so that it is in line with what God says. When God convicts us by His Spirit, we need to respond.

We need to be people who welcome the Holy Spirit, people who welcome Him as a friend and don’t ignore Him. He is our friend, our guide and our God. We simply can’t manage without Him.

John Brackenbury spoke this morning on perhaps one of the most famous and most loved verses in the Bible, Romans 8:28, which tells us that God works all things together for good to those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. God is working for our good in everything!

That begs the question, of course, as to what God’s purposes are. 1 John 3:8 tells us that ‘the reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.‘ God in Christ has worked to defeat the enemy so that we may be saved and brought into a relationship with Him. This purpose has been God’s plan from before the beginning of time (2 Tim 1:9) and Christ is the fulfilment of the purpose of God. If we have been restored to a relationship with God, then Rom 8:28 applies to us.

God calls us all; His call goes to the ends of the earth (Is 45:22), a call that has been extended to Gentiles and Jews alike (Rom 9:24), but we need to respond to that call, all the while knowing that we did not ultimately choose God, but He chose us. (John 15:6)  Our calling has been planned by God, but the aim for us then is that we become like Christ (Rom 8:29) and live a life of love which is like God’s love (see 1 John 4:8-5:3)

Our love must therefore be…

1. reactionary (we love because God has first loved us, as John tells us in 1 John 4:19)
2. reflective (affecting our relationships with all people, for God loves all people)
3. responsible (for we are called to love as God loves, which means loving our enemies and blessing those who seek to harm us)
4. revolutionary (going above and beyond the ‘duty’ calls of love)
5. restorative (for Christ restored Peter even after his denials and shows us mercy and compassion, not judgment and condemnation)

Not everything that happens to us in life is good. When bad things happen, we can easily wonder where God is and why He has allowed these things into our lives. Job discovered that faith has to be tested, but the truth is that every single set of circumstances that conspire against us can be worked together for good by God. Paul is confident in saying we know this. We do not simply hope this is the case or imagine this to be true. Instead, we are aware of this truth and can trust God’s good plans for us even in the midst of difficulties (Jer 29:11). Our circumstances can be transformed by God, but even more amazing, we can be transformed by Him.

Today (17th March) is St Patrick’s Day. St Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland, credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. He’s a reminder that one man can make a difference to an entire nation. St Patrick’s Day nowadays may be an excuse for many to be involved in drunken revelry, but the meaning behind the celebration of this day has lessons for us all. It’s not all about Guinness and shamrocks!

Patrick (probably living in the 5th century) was born in Britain, and aged 16 was taken from his father’s villa by Irish raiders and sold into slavery. He spent six bleak years in Ireland as a herdsman before escaping and returning to Britain. It may seem astonishing to us that after such an experience he would return to the land of his captivity, but following a vision calling him back there, he did return., It is another example to us of how God uses even misfortune and persecution to bring about His will; it’s doubtful that Patrick would have ever gone to Ireland of his own accord, but this series of circumstances led to his lifework.

Patrick was keenly aware of his lack of learning and struggled to believe God could use him, but he worked with zeal and fervour and saw many become Christians. He exercises a powerful ministry which saw many healed and even raised from the dead. As always, he demonstrated the truth that when we are weak, then God can be strong! (2 Cor 12:9, 1 Cor 2:1-5).

It’s easy for people to become legends and for the stories surrounding them to be embellished and for us therefore to doubt the veracity of these stories. The truth remains that Christianity was spread far and wide through the zeal of individuals and through the power of the Holy Spirit. These people’s zeal and surrender to God surely inspire us to greater service. Today, as we think of St Patrick, may we too know faithfulness, obedience and zeal and may we hear His voice calling us, confirming our calling and leading us to walk in the Spirit as Patrick did.