Wholeness, Sanity and Joy
I read a quote from Eugene Peterson this week which said, “Our worship restores us to a wholeness that keeps us sane in the midst of bedlam, joyous in the face of doom’ (‘On Living Well’), and like so many of words, that was like an arrow to my heart.
Bedlam was a Victorian hospital for the mentally ill, and came to symbolise the chaos and terror of insanity, the place where all the horror of the world was gathered together, not so much to cure people as to remove them from sight. The word has come to mean chaos and confusion, and life often feels chaotic and confused, lacking clarity. It is easy to feel overwhelmed navigating this morass of duplicity and moral ambiguity. But worship, when we refocus our attention on God, restores sanity to us. It’s as if our vision is restored from the upside-down retinal images of the newborn to the right-way-up world designed by God where He reigns and where eternity is once again factored into our daily living.
Joy in the face of doom is the other aspect of worship mentioned by Eugene Peterson. When we worship, perspective is restored and we can receive the supernatural joy and peace promised by Jesus instead of the doom predicted by politicians, media and other nay-sayers. Worship reminds us of the promises God gives us, promises of a new heaven and a new earth; it reminds us that resurrection is possible, so even death does not have the last word.
Wholeness, sanity and joy – what blessings are these!
How To Ride The Roller-Coaster of Life
Guest speaker Joy Gascoigne spoke from the book of Philippians tonight, teaching on how to ride the roller-coaster of life. We can feel that life is very much like a roller-coaster with its slow ascents and rapid descents, but Paul (writing this letter from prison) is able to give us valuable advice in each chapter.
Chapter 1 speaks of His confidence in God’s faithfuflness and reliability (Phil 1:6). Nowadays, there is a crisis of trust in many institutions (the police, in government etc.) but Paul is confident that He who began a good work in each person will carry that work on to completion. God is always, always faithful and can be trusted, no matter what our personal circumstances.
Chapter 2 reminds us that we must remember to look outward, having the same attitude as Christ Jesus and looking to the needs of other people and not just ourselves. In times of crisis, our natural instinct is to protect ourselves, but we have to learn to live according to God’s attitudes and principles. Nor is life simply about our preferences: Paul would doubtless have preferred not to be in a Roman prison, but he was content whatever his circumstances because he had a big goal that the proclamation of the gospel was the most important thing in his life.
Chapter 3 reminds us to keep looking forward, laying aside our past (both the good days and not-so-good days) and pressing forwards towards Christ. Paul had many things he could be proud of (including his preaching and the way God used him as an apostle) but he would also remember the pain of desertion (Demas) and the difficulties when team members became ill (Trophimus.) We must learn to leave the past behind, because we cannot change it; we must release it to God and move forward.
Chapter 4 reminds us of the importance of thankfulness. Thanksgiving and praise make us bigger than our circumstances and better than our feelings. Paul rejoiced greatly in the Lord, even in prison, and taught us to rejoice always.
Choosing Not To Fear
Garry spoke this morning from Gen 45:21-25. Gen 45:24 gives us Joseph’s advice to his brothers, literally ‘as you travel, do not be overcome by fear.’ Perhaps his brothers thought that once Jacob was in Egypt, Joseph would take his revenge on them. Fear can be positive, preserving us from danger, preventing harm and keeping us safe, but fear can also be something which controls us and restrains us in a negative way. It can act as a cage to imprison us, as a blockage to the purposes of God. So often, when God speaks to us, fear arises, but at that point, we have a choice. God wants us, like Joshua, to choose to be strong and courageous rather than to give way to fear (see Josh 1:1-9).
That was a turning point in Israel’s history. Joshua knew that God wanted His people to enter the Promised Land, but when the spies had previously gone in, the report ten of them gave was negative, laced with fear. (Numbers 13:26-14:9) The people of God chose to ignore Caleb and Joshua and believe the negative reports; they chose fear over faith. Joshua, however, chose the way of faith and went in to take control of the land.
Whenever God speaks, we have a choice: to listen to God or to listen to the voice of fear. Ps 56:1-4 reminds us that when we are afraid, we should trust in God. David knew what it was to fear. He was persecuted by Saul; later, the Amalekites raided Ziklag and took all his womenfolk and property (1 Sam 30). Still he chose to trust in God rather than to fear and regained all that he had lost. The disciples knew what it was to fear (especially after the crucifixion), but when Jesus was raised from the dead, they were transformed.They were then able to overcome all fear and threats to stand firm in faith.
Jesus promises us peace in every situation (John 14:27).The way to overcome fear is to trust in God (John 14:1).Daily we face the choice: fear or faith, captivity or courage, agitation or peace. When we choose to trust in the love God has for us, His love will dissolve and drive out all fear.
A Tribute to Mothers
On this Mothering Sunday, Dave spoke about mothers – the definition being a woman who has given birth to a child, but also broadened to those who care for children, even if they are not her own. The joy of motherhood can be exaggerated (often confined to when the children are in bed!), but mothers inevitably sacrifice for their children. Children are self-centred and mothers may well crave peace, but a child can do something which melts the heart and makes every sacrifice worthwhile. Troubles and difficulties fade away when a mother sees her children launching forth and making her proud.
God says even if a mother could forget her own child (which is rare indeed), He would never forget His children. (Is 49;15) We are God’s children,.He has sacrificed so much for us, cares for us and loves us with an unfailing love. He supports and comforts us just as a mother does. He is the greatest mother (and father) we could ever hope to have.
Lessons In Gratitude
Parallel Universes
In the realm of fantasy and science-fiction novels, the concept of parallel universes (a world conceived of as coexisting with and having certain similarities to the known world but different from it in some fundamental way) is quite common. C. S. Lewis wrote of the world of Narnia which co-existed with the London of the 1940s; Star Trek episodes often allude to alternate realities with different outcomes to the ‘standard’ world. The ‘metaverse’ is a phrase used to describe a series of digital spaces which can be traversed seamlessly; the idea of different universes is something we can imagine, even if scientific reality has yet to catch up with imagination!
The Bible speaks of two kingdoms and two worlds: the physical world we inhabit and can see, touch, hear and feel, and the spiritual world which is invisible to our physical senses but which, it declares, is as real; the kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil. (Eph 6:10-20, see also 2 Kings 6:16-17) Christians live with a foot in both camps, so to speak. We live on earth, but our citizenship is in heaven. (Phil 3:20) We face the temptations of the world (‘the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life’, as John puts it in 1 John 2:16), but the Spirit of God also lives within us to produce the life of God. (Romans 8:1-17)
The book of Revelation acts as the unveiling of this unseen universe, with John giving us many glimpses into what he saw in heaven (the common name given to this spiritual universe.) In Revelation 11:15-19, we see another such scene, with loud voices in heaven proclaiming, “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever.” (Rev 11:15) A time will come, the Bible confidently declares, when the unseen universe will be visible to all, when Jesus will come again, not in obscurity but in power and visible to all. At this point, the confident declaration that ‘You have taken Your great power and begun to reign’ (Rev 11:17) will be heard, and true judgment and justice will be seen. The imagery of this scene, with its temple, ark of the covenant, flashes of lightning, rumblings, peals of thunder, an earthquake and a severe hailstorm, contains elements with which we can all relate, but the truths of this invisible universe made visible are beyond our imagination or wildest dreams. Nonetheless, the Bible declares this universe to be real and true, and the response of the twenty-four elders (symbolising the whole church) remains valid: they fell on their faces and worshipped God. (Rev 11:16) This, too, should be our response as we consider the sovereignty of God and the reality of His kingdom and rule and reign.