Filling a Dad-shaped hole

 

Len Gaudion

I miss my Dad. He died aged 71, not much older than I am now, and would have been in his 90's if he had lived. Len Gaudion was a tomato grower by instinct and upbringing. I say instinct because he could make anything grow! If he tossed some old lettuce seeds onto a patch of waste ground, they would sprout into giant greens. His nemesis was ‘fusarium wilt’ which as a child I could not understand, but when I heard him telling my mother about it in hushed tones across the tea table, I knew we were in big trouble. I used to walk carefully and quietly between the rows of toms, hoping that the dreaded wilt would not leap out and savage me like Dad warned it would do to the crop.

My father was such a hard worker. In those days, the soil in Guernsey greenhouses had to be steam sterilised every year in October or November, and he was a stoker for the coal-fired steam boilers. Not only did he work all night digging up the soil in huge glass houses, burying and reburying the grids needed to steam the ground, in appalling heat caused by the rushing vapour from the burner, but he also had to feed the voracious appetite of the beast, shovelling vast amounts of coal to keep the furnace burning. The rest of the year he lived for the toms, working 16–18-hour days to keep food on the table. And still he was my Dad and had a bit of time for us kids – but not a lot! My special memories are few, but include amazing times fishing together with him from the sea-wall on the island's west coast.

On this Fathers’ Day I miss him so much. I have such respect now for what he sacrificed for us, and love his sense of humour and physical strength, but I also have some regrets. I am sad that I did not listen to him enough, and that I did not ask him the questions I wish I could now. How did you and Mum meet? What happened to you after you were evacuated from Guernsey with all the children in your school year at the start of the German Occupation? How did your foster families treat you – and why did you have so many of them? If you had your time again, Dad, what would you have done differently?

But I can’t ask him any of that. Why didn’t I take the opportunity years ago? Now I am a father and a grandfather, and I want my heirs to know my story. But I have regrets about the Dad-shaped hole I have in my memory. If you still have your father, use today as an opportunity to sit and listen to his story. And ask your questions now before it’s too late. I wish I could hug Len Gaudion one more time today, perhaps even inhale that strong odour of tomatoes, sweat and aftershave. If you can still do that – pandemic rules permitting, then do it while you can.

If you didn’t have the privilege of having a really good father like mine, and are disappointed at the experience of being parented by yours, then maybe today is a chance to climb up onto the knee of your loving heavenly Father, and call him ‘Abba’ which means ‘Daddy’. There is not one tiny bit of abusive intent in his heart, nor anything that makes or loves a lie. In the purity of that relationship there is healing for us all this Fathers’ Day.

Is there any justice?

 

'Justice delayed is justice denied' is a phrase often attributed to the British Prime Minister W.E. Gladstone from a debate in 1868. It means that if there is a legal solution to an issue suffered by someone and yet it is not dealt with in a timely and efficient way, it is as bad as if justice had been denied altogether. Very wise, perhaps, and certainly applicable to many situations I can think of. Like that of the families of the 96 victims of the Hillsborough football disaster which happened in 1989 but has only reached court this week, only to be dismissed by the judge. Their justice has been both delayed and denied.

But there is another similar problem. Justice rushed is no justice at all. This week the UK media have been obsessed with the vengeful ranting of an ex-employee of the current Prime Minister, who has been spilling the beans very publicly in an attempt to justify himself and vilify his ex-bosses. Dominic Cummings has set himself up as judge and jury of the way that the UK government handled the Covid 19 pandemic, and has been deeply critical of all involved, especially the Prime Minister.

Perhaps the blame culture we live in today is not as helpful as we would like it to be. It is clearly too soon to gather all the evidence and assess the effectiveness of the handling of a pandemic that is still raging. Countries like South Africa and Seychelles are reporting signs of a third wave, and we simply cannot yet afford the luxury of hindsight. When the time does come for such reflection, what are our options? To imprison some, or to execute others? I don't think so. 

This was an unprecedented assault by a force outside of our human experience and faced by the whole world at pretty much the same time. Lessons should surely be learned for the next pandemic - and there will be others - but blame is such an empty exercise. Sometimes grief demands that someone should carry the can for the things, or the people, that we have lost, but loss and fragility are built-in to our humanity, and it can be unhelpful to be constantly scouring the horizon for someone to blame.

There will come a day, though, when we will all stand before the assizes of the ages, and the events and deeds of this life will be examined. We might expect justice then, but actually, we will be heavily dependent upon mercy. For mercy is better than justice. And mercy has a name - that name is Jesus!

When Broken Works Best

Kintsugi is the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with lacquer dusted or mixed with powdered gold, silver, or platinum. In addition to being a method of pottery repair, it’s also a philosophy, that treats breakage and repair as part of an object’s story, rather than something to disguise or to be ashamed of. The scars of being broken then become aspects of real beauty in the rebuilt articles. Such golden adhesive results in items that become more valuable after their near destruction than before they were dropped or smashed.

But this is nothing new to those of us who know our Bibles. Speaking of our bodies and lives as delicate containers of God’s glorious grace, St Paul said; ‘We now have this light shining in our hearts, but we ourselves are like fragile clay jars containing this great treasure’. (2 Corinthians 5:7 NLT) The more cracks there are, the more that light shines through! 

Rebuilt clay pots may still bear the marks of their ordeal, rather like my scars after 22 years of serious disease and multiple surgeries. But, in the same way as Kintsugi makes the item more valuable after its repair than before, when God rebuilds a broken heart, he gives us new hope and a new future.

With Jesus, there is always the possibility of a new start. Our scars then become a reminder, not of just how hard life has been, but of the depth from which God has lifted us. They point forward as well as backward and proclaim ‘I may not be what I would like to be, but I am not what I was’. 

 

Liberation at Last

This day, May the 9th, is our national day in Guernsey - our Liberation Day! Some folk in the UK are surprised when they learn that these British islands were under Nazi occupation for 5 long years, 1940-1945. Early in the Occupation an RAF plane had dropped leaflets over Guernsey containing a personal message from King George VIth promising “We will return...”, feeding the hope that would be finally fulfilled on the 9th May 1945.

The final few months of the Nazi presence in Guernsey were the worst, especially after D-Day. According to one eye-witness, Mrs Irene Dunk, who was the wife of Rev Gilbert Dunk, minister of Eldad Elim Church in the island's capital St Peter Port, both the local population and the occupying forces were cut off from outside supplies in a siege situation and starving. Only the arrival of the Red Cross ship the Vega at New Year 1945, bringing food parcels from Canada and New Zealand for the local people, brought any degree of relief. In a small booklet published some years ago, Mrs Dunk, who went on to live until aged 100, tells of surviving for three weeks along with her husband and their small child, on a diet of parsnips alone before those vital supplies were received.

Finally, the Allied Force 135 arrived off St Peter Port on May 8th, 1945, but even then, things were tense and frightening. The Commandant, a fervent Nazi named Admiral Huffmeier, had vowed that he would never surrender. There was a real possibility that the Allies might need to fight their way ashore against an opposed landing. When his deputy, a Leutnant Zimmerman, told the force to withdraw or else they would be fired upon, Brigadier Snow, the Force Commander, replied that if the Admiral fired upon them today, they would hang him tomorrow! Thankfully Huffmeier was over-ruled by his subordinates and the next day British troops poured into St Peter Port to be mobbed by grateful islanders.

We thank God for the freedom we enjoy today. When Gilbert Dunk stood cheering in the crowds at North Esplanade that first Liberation Day, a local preacher whom he knew grabbed his shoulder and yelled excitedly “this is the Lord’s doing and it is marvellous in our eyes!” (Psalm 118:23). God had heard their anxious appeals for deliverance and had brought them through great trials to eventual liberty. Through all the long years of deprivation and loss there had remained that hope for freedom, and a heart cry of prayer for its fulfilment. On this day, 76 years ago, that answer came.

The present pandemic is hard, and the virus a deadly enemy. Let's take hope from the fact that the long and terrible ordeal of our parents did end, and ours will too. When it does, it will be marvellous in our eyes too.

Is Anyone Listening?

 

My wife has been deaf for a few days. Voices have been raised - an unusual phenomenon in our house! At least, it's usually me that is turning the television volume up and complaining that young people just don't speak clearly anymore! Now, thanks to an infection of the sinuses and ears, the tables are turned. Even my loud invitation 'Would you like a cup of tea my love?' went without her acknowledging me with a brief nod. I was transmitting but she was not receiving! Thankfully, a course of antibiotic pills and a steroid ear-spray seem to be doing the trick, and life may soon return to its previous calm in our home.

But Diane's condition has alerted me to my own spiritual deafness. I serve a God who speaks. But I very rarely hear what he is saying. Only occasionally can I quieten the frantic clamour of smartphone, emails, tv news, social media and messaging to even ask if he has something to say. It seems that I suffer from the equivalent of congestion of the soul, or perhaps blocked spiritual sinuses!

What kind of father would I be if I didn't want to speak to my child, or grandfather that only spoke to their grandchild once a year or so? God is a loving heavenly Father, who delights to communicate with his children. He does so through his words in the Bible, but also by the whisper of his Spirit in our quietened hearts. He is speaking every day - but are we listening?

In George Bernard Shaw's play Saint Joan, the newly crowned King Charles says to Joan of Arc:

'Oh your voices, your voices. Why don't the voices come to me? I am king, not you.' Joan replies; 'They do come to you but you do not hear them. You have not sat in the field in the evening listening for them'.🞼 

Diane's deafness is thankfully short-lived. A course of medication will clear it, but my spiritual deafness may take a little longer to undo. Maybe I should pray the prayer of Samuel, the Old Testament prophet who said to God 'Speak Lord, for your servant is listening'?

🞼 quoted by Peter Lawrence in The Spirit who Speaks (DavidCCookUK, Eastbourne, 2011) 63.

Is there any Hope?

"Hope is vital - it's not a question of what you hope for, but who you hope in." These words on BBC Radio 4 recently challenged me. We all hope for things - whether for relief from pain or distress, a great holiday, or a home that is our own, and these are all legitimate. But hope for life beyond the grave is a huge ask. Nobody knows what waits for us there because no-one has come back to tell us.

But hang on a moment - somebody has! This Easter Day we celebrate the greatest day in history. Jesus Christ died on the cross for our sins on the first Good Friday and then rose again from the dead on the following Sunday. More than 500 eye witnesses confirmed sightings of him with some them touching his body and others speaking with him. The early Christian church would never have grown to become the world's major religion if the resurrection was a fraud or a lie. The disciples would not have given their lives as martyrs in painful deaths if they knew they had stolen the body. All the Jewish leaders had to do was go to the guarded tomb and produce Christ's remains and the new faith would have been stopped in its tracks. They did not because they could not. Christ is risen!

Through the storms of major illness that have come my way over the last couple of decades I have had several moments very close to death. I even reviewed my own 'final arrangements' again last week as I prepared to undergo potentially dangerous (for me) cardiac procedures in hospital a few days ago. One day I will walk that valley right through, but I have a serious and sustaining hope. Since Jesus rose from the dead I shall also rise, because I believe in and am following Him. Jesus said; 'Because I live, you shall live also' (John 14:19).

In the words of the Old Testament writer of the Psalms "Put your hope in God". The message of this great resurrection day is that hope in Him will see you through this life's struggles and even into eternity. Christ is risen indeed!
 

A Tomb with a View

 

There is a tomb with a view at the centre of the Easter story. A place of cold grief and bitter tears. A real tomb for a really dead man, not just somewhere for a swooned imposter to await rescue by his fellow conspirators. This is God's tomb, where God the Son tasted death for me. This is the devil's best, an attempt to wipe out the catalogue of miracles and mercy that Jesus wrote in Galilee and substitute his own pathetic offering of "always look on the bright side" and "did God really say..?" doubt.

It doesn't really surprise me that Jesus rose from the dead. He is the Lord of life after all, the creator of all that lives. What is amazing is that the broken body of Jesus lay shattered in this grave for as long as it did. There are all kinds of ideas as to what Jesus might have been doing during those days and nights, but for me the great miracle of Easter is that God entered human broken-ness at its lowest and darkest. Smashed by evil men, bloodied, crushed and discarded, - "this is my body, broken for you".

And the view from the tomb of Jesus is magnificent. Its light casts a quick flicker of hope over a place of suffering and pain, Golgotha or Calvary, and slowly expands towards the brilliant dawn that is already starting to change the colours we see only through our tears. Yes, this is God's tomb, but much more than that - it is MY tomb as well. For, in the words of the Apostle Paul, "I have been crucified with Christ" (Galatians 2:20). The old me is dead and buried, and just as Jesus breaks forth from the tomb outside Jerusalem, so I am set free by Christ from self, from having to impress others, even from the fear of death itself.

I am grateful that God knows what it feels like to suffer and die, and be laid in a tomb by weeping loved ones. I am glad that he understands my pain, and yours, and that he comes to us on our 'silent Saturdays' and dark nights of the soul. But I'm also rejoicing that the tomb is no longer in use as a grave. The Lord of life and glory could not be held by those chains of death. 

And here's an offer you won't see in many catalogues - it can be YOUR tomb as well! "Oh thanks Eric" I can hear you say "that's all I need on top of everything else I am suffering". But that's the whole point, this tomb is the place where you can lay your sufferings down, and your achievements, and stop trying to impress God and others. You can be identified with Jesus in His death also, and rise with Him to a completely new life! It may be Easter Saturday, but hey - Sunday's coming!

Have a very happy Easter!

Through Another Storm

Photos by Karen Langlois

Stormy seas near our home today. I love to walk near the shore, keeping well out of the way of the crashing waves, just smelling the salty breath of the angry sea. But I would not want to be out in a boat or travelling in these conditions.

It amazes me that the very same powerful blasts of gale-force winds provide an opportunity of a different kind to our local seabirds. They see these conditions as an occasion to celebrate! Soaring up into the grey sky, undeterred by the spray and spume, they frolic and play in the blasts of frosty air, gliding almost perfectly still at times.

The same storm that brings chaos and threatens life and safety to us provides these majestic creatures a reason to soar and rejoice. They know that when the storm does subside there will be new riches of food amongst the detritus thrown up by the maelstrom. Meanwhile the very winds that tear at our faces offer them the chance to get a bit of gliding practice in, like kids in white jeans and T-shirts arriving at their local skate park. 

Storms give us opportunities too. Tough times that make us afraid, cause us to stagger in our faith or confidence, may not seem like opportunities, but they can be. We can learn new skills in storms that can never be ours in millpond calm. Calling on God for His help becomes natural when the wind howls and we fear going under. Experiences of 'coming through' severe trials can change us, equip us, grow us. As St Paul writes, 'we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance;  perseverance, character; and character, hope' (Romans 5:3-4).

And there is food - spiritual nourishment - in what is left following a storm. Nutrients found normally at enormous depth are cast up on the shore of our souls by the surging seas of what we go through in life. I write about these in my book Through the Storms. Maybe they are some of the 'riches stored in secret places' spoken about in Isaiah 45:3. In any case, the great thing about storms is that they do pass, and better days lie ahead. 

'We will win - that's what we do!'

 I find myself a little misty-eyed as I write this, having just watched the Livestream of the funeral service for Captain Sir Tom Moore. It was sad to see only 10 people in the Bedford crematorium as I'm sure many thousands would have gathered in a cathedral to honour a man who has captured the nation's heart during this pandemic. There were around 22,000 devices watching the Facebook Live stream with me, and probably many more on other media.

Coincidentally I have also just finished reading his autobiography 'Tomorrow will be a Good Day' and feel like I knew the man very well. I was so impressed with his high sense of duty, decency, determination, (I am running out of 'd's!) combined with unrelenting politeness, perseverance in trial and positivity. I love the fact that at 90 years old he travelled on his own to Kathmandu in Nepal and hired a small plane to fly around the summit of Everest! Two years later he was back in India again, this time in the company of his daughters, revisiting his wartime haunts. Famous for his £38.9 million fundraising for the NHS during 2020, this great man seemed indestructible - but he never claimed it so, acknowledging the privilege he had been given in living so long.

Elsewhere in the book Captain Sir Tom spoke endearingly of his quiet Christian faith, perhaps in keeping with that of the awesome lady of his own generation, Queen Elizabeth, who knighted him at Windsor last year. 

When speaking of the Covid virus pandemic he said: 'Faced with a common enemy, we were all in this together - comrades in arms - only now the battle was against a virus. And just like the war, I knew that we would win. We always do in this country. It often takes time, but we win. That's what we do'. The battle against Covid is a global one, and we can forgive the old warrior boasting of his own land, but the sentiment and positive example is stirring.

What I also find heartening about the adulation and attention being given to this unassuming and very normal little man, is the amount of respect being paid to the fading generation of which he was part. If there is any silver lining to the dark storm-cloud of the pandemic, it may be that so many of us have sacrificed and worked together to save the lives of as many senior citizens as we can. In a time when older folk were at best marginalised and ignored, and at worst maligned, mocked and abused, by a world obsessed with youth and looks, it is gratifying that millions have paused to honour the passing of a generation that suffered greatly, who accepted duty and sacrifice with equanimity and yet hope, and who laid down foundations of Christian behaviour from which we would do well to learn.

Farewell, Sir Tom. May God bless and comfort your dear family.

Baring our Hearts and not just our Arms

I was grateful for a mild fever last weekend. It was the day after my second vaccination against Covid-19 and although it meant a few hours with a headache or feeling a bit out of sorts, this was a good sign. My immune system was working away, identifying, and reacting to, the vaccine, and it quickly passed. I am so thankful for the huge crowd of folk who have made this possible, from the scientists who rose to the challenge of producing this great weapon against the virus, to the doctors, nurses and front-line vaccinators who are offering it in Guernsey today.

Yet, it was my choice to respond to the phonecall telling me that, due to my medical history, I was being offered this injection now. I have friends who have misgivings about it. I respect them but hope that in time they will come to see that this is God’s gift to our communities. It is something to be grateful for and not to be afraid of. But it will still be for them to choose. I cannot bare their arms for them. Scientists have developed vaccines against a variety of diseases, but even in countries where these vaccinations are readily available, often free of charge, the diseases have not always been eradicated. The reason? People must choose inoculation to enjoy immunity. This vaccination campaign in Guernsey, as elsewhere, is not mandatory. The science has provided the gift, but we must each choose to receive it. I hope that when your turn comes, you will feel able to do so.

There is another virus at work in our society today. The Bible calls it ‘the power of sin’ and it leads to all kinds of social and personal distress and disaster. God’s solution is ‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’ (John 1:29). He has provided for us a way to be forgiven and to learn how to forgive. Through Jesus he offers us an intervention against both the power and the penalty of sin. But just as with Covid-19, everyone must make their own choice, baring not their arms this time, but their hearts. Without that moment of willing surrender, the process of healing and internal change cannot begin. But with it, a new life opens ahead of us, and God’s ‘new normal’ starts to appear.

 

Herald of Hope or Prophet of Doom?

Photo by Ian Taylor on Unsplash

"Discouragement is both dangerous and contagious. It is one of the devil’s most potent tools, because it mutes truth and muffles hope. Do you tend to be a prophet of doom? How might you be a herald of hope instead?" These words in my daily Bible reading notes⃰, got me thinking this morning. How much am I encouraging others? What proportion of my interaction with others, whether online or in person, gives someone else support, confidence, or hope? (This is the dictionary definition of 'encouragement').

These are tough times. With regard to the pandemic, the way ahead is not yet clear, though there are positive signs. It is not likely that we will see significant inroads into death tolls and hospital admissions with Covid-19 until well into the year, but hopefully by Easter. Whether that leads on to the restoration of 'normal life' is less likely in the short term. Travel and hospitality are bound to be impacted by the last 12 months, and large gatherings and social events are probably going to be treated with suspicion for some time to come.

But - better days are ahead! History teaches us that. The Spanish flu epidemic of 100 years ago did pass off after 18 months or so, and without a vaccine. The devastation caused by the two great wars of the 20th Century was overcome in Europe. The terrors of SARS and AIDS took a dreadful toll, but are now fading in the face of advances in medicine and lifestyle.

I happen to be married to one of life's great encouragers! For nearly 50 years Diane has brought laughter, warmth, hope and encouragement to me, through some of the darkest times imaginable. From being at my bedside in dingy, Dickensian hospital wards in London, to holding my hand through long periods of unconsciousness, this lady chose to be a 'herald of hope'. I salute her for that, and want to be like her. 

The greatest reason to encourage my own soul, and those of others, is the assurance that God is still in control of this universe and that He has a plan for its future. An old cliché rejoices that 'the future is as bright as the promises of God' and I believe it. God has an exciting plan for your life, and mine, and though it may involve passage through storms, the outcome is not in doubt. With Christ, better days are definitely ahead! 

⃰ https://content.scriptureunion.org.uk/wordlive/god-will-save-his-people 

Lockdown sorrow hits last pocket of resistance in Britain

 

Guernsey is finally in lockdown once again - the last place in the British Isles to succumb to the 'second wave' of Covid 19. Just 4 cases of community seeding - positive test results with no obvious link to travel or isolating individuals -meant the island's government took the difficult decision today to immediately shut down everything, including places of worship, restaurants, takeaways, close contact services, non-essential retail, the whole shebang. Whilst this is sad and potentially very tough for businesses, it is the kind of strong leadership that has enabled several Asian nations, including China itself, to deal with the virus very effectively thus far (less the human rights abuses and militaristic elements of course). Cracking down hard, quickly and completely, for a period, and then opening up very carefully seems to offer a methodology worth following. Our prayer is that this method will be equally efficient here.

But we cannot overlook the cost to individuals as well as businesses. Low income families in tight accommodation without gardens will feel it keenly. People who can't work from home will be afraid as they go about their necessary work. Frontline staff in our small hospital and other medical facilities will be wondering where all this might lead. Thankfully, there is hope:

• The medics know this virus by now (better the devil you know etc)
• The vaccine rollout is going well, offering the best chance of beating it
• Last year's experience means there are now some treatments that work in extreme cases
• Guernsey's community pulled together remarkably well last lockdown and overcame in due course
• Better weather is on the way (good to see some sun today) even if weeks ahead
• Previous plagues have just subsided even without a vaccine (Spanish flu etc)
• God hasn't resigned and is still occupying a throne on high
• The Holy Spirit is in us and makes the presence of God real (love, joy, peace etc)
• The Word of God is still true and all his promises are 'yes and amen' in Jesus
• We have a glorious future in Christ - even beyond the grave!

So, as we re-join the rest of Britain in restrictions like social distancing and masks, which we had enjoyed being without for months, I choose to be grateful not fearful, and to hope, not complain. I also want to be a source of real encouragement to others. Thankfully, we can keep in touch in so many ways. But, I'll be honest, I hope it won't be at all long before we can meet together again!

A Thin Stream of Fear

‘Worry is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged, it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained.’  So said US author Arthur Somers Roche (1883–1935).∗ I reckon he was right. I have never been to see the Grand Canyon but it was apparently caused by a small water stream originally, which finally cut its way through solid rock! 

In the grip of a global pandemic there is plenty of water in the streams feeding our fears. People are using social media to lob their own bucketfuls of fear filled paranoia into the debates about vaccination, the virus and the uncertainties of our age. Frightened folk are being led astray by conspiracy theories that belong in medieval England not the western world of the 21st Century. But we are where we are, and whilst we can do little about the pandemic, we are each responsible for dealing with our own fear and worry.

I try not to let fear make the decisions around here! I know there are some dreadful things going on, but I choose not to let them disturb my present or determine my future. Fear and worry can be paralysing and when I face scary situations I choose daily to believe God’s promises and trust in His presence to see me through. When I do wake up terrified, or suffer a flashback from the past, I offer it up in prayer to a God whom I know loves me, and try to choose to move on. I don’t always succeed but I feel it is important to keep fear at bay and focus on God’s presence and promises.

Jesus spelled out a really helpful antidote to worry in Matthew 6:25-34. “So don’t be anxious about tomorrow. God will take care of your tomorrow too. Live one day at a time" (v34). This is sound advice but not always easy to follow. What might make it easier is knowing how much we are loved. Once we know that, and remind ourselves of it daily, then the remorseless drip-feed of fears and worries can be gradually turned off at the source.

If somehow the tiny stream in the Arizona desert could have been damned and used for some other purpose millennia ago, the awesome depths of the Grand Canyon would never have been formed. Of course, the finger of God drew those imposing escarpments, even if He used the tiny stream like a crayon. And my fears may not seem significant now. The voice of the fearful conspiracy theorists might not appear much more than mischievous at this point, but if we don't deal with fear and worry at this early stage, things can get badly out of hand. Thankfully, perfect love does still cast out fear (1 John 4:18).

∗ Taken from WordLive by Scripture Union https://content.scriptureunion.org.uk/wordlive/worry-antidote 

 

Whose side are you on?

Recent events in Washington, where the Capitol was assaulted and occupied, albeit briefly, in a violent confrontation, have shocked and saddened millions. Even fervent supporters of the outgoing President appear to have been stunned by these developments. Democracy itself is under attack. These scenes were reminiscent of 1930’s Germany and the thuggery that marked the rise of fascism in Europe. Thankfully in this case it appears to have caused a national reset, a sharp intake of political breath, and hopefully lessons learnt. 80 years ago it led to world war.

Deep divisions seem to be causing distress in Western democracies of all shapes and sizes. In Britain, the Brexit debate triggered intolerance, anger, and tribalism. And Covid is putting strain on governments and economies in unprecedented ways, leading once again to strong divisions of opinions and conspiracy theories. In all these things, the drive to ‘circle the wagons’ and listen only to voices like our own is very real. This is true for Christians as much as anyone, but we must resist the temptation to withdraw into our defensive bunkers. Jesus said that his kingdom is not of this world, and neither should his people be, however strongly we might hold to political opinions of all colours. Neither should we allow fear to make the decisions around here.

In the Bible book of Joshua, chapter 6, the young zealot faced his greatest military challenge, the fight for the stronghold city of Jericho. The night before, he had a vision of a heavenly figure holding a great sword. Joshua’s question to this Divine being could almost have come from today’s America or Britain. ‘Are you for us or for our enemies?’ he enquired. The answer would have shocked Joshua. ‘Neither, but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come’ (v14). Is God for us or for them? Joshua would have presumed that God was on his side, not theirs, but he was wrong. 

Jesus came into the world to establish a new world order where love, forgiveness, grace, and mercy would triumph over evil, oppression and wrongdoing. The cross of Calvary is where God judged our sin, not the Capitol in Washington nor the Palace of Westminster, and he calls his followers to be people committed to a ministry of reconciliation. The real question is not whether God is on our side, or that of the opposition, but whether we are on the Lord’s side?

 

Hope at the End of a Long Climb

 

Getting to the start of the New Year called 2021 is like arriving at the summit of really tough mountain climb. You have sweated and struggled, felt like you were falling again and again, wondered if the steep cliff face would ever yield, until you stagger to the peak, still shrouded in storm clouds, and the joy of the moment is in the hope of better days to come.

Happy New Year! Did I hear someone say 'well it can't be any worse than 2020!'? It is hard not to be cynical and wonder what new plagues may be lurking on the other side of the summit, but cynicism never achieved much. In fact, I once heard someone say that 'cynics gnaw away at their own skeleton' - harming only themselves. No, I want to breathe the high mountain air and enjoy the view and walk on with hope and gratitude in my heart. I need not fear 2021 because God is already there, and he is still faithful. I want to share with you the words of the book of Lamentations in the Message version of the Bible, as I find them helpful this pandemic New Year:

I’ll never forget the trouble, the utter lostness,

    the taste of ashes, the poison I’ve swallowed.

I remember it all—oh, how well I remember—

    the feeling of hitting the bottom.

But there’s one other thing I remember,

    and remembering, I keep a grip on hope:

 

God’s loyal love couldn’t have run out,

    his merciful love couldn’t have dried up.

They’re created new every morning.

    How great your faithfulness!

I’m sticking with God (I say it over and over).

    He’s all I’ve got left.

 

God proves to be good to the man who passionately waits, to the woman who diligently seeks.

It’s a good thing to quietly hope,

    quietly hope for help from God.

It’s a good thing when you’re young

    to stick it out through the hard times.

 

When life is heavy and hard to take,

    go off by yourself. Enter the silence.

Bow in prayer. Don’t ask questions:

    Wait for hope to appear.

Don’t run from trouble. Take it full-face.

    The “worst” is never the worst.

 

Why? Because the Master won’t ever

    walk out and fail to return.

If he works severely, he also works tenderly.

    His stockpiles of loyal love are immense.*

* Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of the NavPress Publishing Group.

Strictly Obeying Orders

 I had plans. Big plans. It is Christmas after all. I certainly want to be at everything in my local church over this special season. I love the carols, watching the children's faces, sensing the sacred atmosphere, and speaking about the real meaning of Christmas from the pulpit. But, then came that dreaded four letter word. I was sitting in the doctor's surgery with my wife Diane there as witness. 'Rest' the GP said, 'do nothing at all'. 'What?' I replied shocked, 'you have got to be kidding me'. Her stern but caring look said it all. No kidding! My heart is struggling. 'Cascade angina' she opined. 'I want you to have your feet up watching Strictly Come Dancing'. My goodness, I would have to be ill to do that!

It's not just that I have had so much care and attention paid to my physical recovery from 22 years of agony that if I keel over this Christmas, would all be wasted. Nor is it just that I love my family so much that I owe it to them not to drive myself to an early grave. I think that God is trying tell me something about learning to lean on Him and enter into a rest which is important for us all. It may be inconvenient, but it is no less significant. 

Learning to rest in God and the work of Jesus on our behalf is a key Christian virtue. In the book of Hebrews we read "The promise of “arrival” and “rest” is still there for God’s people. God himself is at rest. And at the end of the journey we’ll surely rest with God. So let’s keep at it and eventually arrive at the place of rest, not drop out through some sort of disobedience." (Heb. 4:11 The Message) So, I want to obey and learn to rest.

I think God can 'do' Christmas without my help. With tongue in cheek I recall the line from Monty Python's film 'Life of Brian' which so shocked the Christian world in the late 1970's. "No, he's not the messiah, he's a very naughty boy". Perhaps I need to deal with my messianic complex myself - the desire to always 'be there' for others.

So, it is going to be a quiet Christmas for me. But nothing and nobody can take away the joy and peace that I feel celebrating the birthday of my precious Lord. Just with my feet up.

Is there any hope?

 

I listened to an interview with the renowned artist Tracey Emin on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on the 3rd December. After having major cancer in 2020 and being told she would not see Christmas, Tracey is now recovering well following major surgery and treatment. She said, ‘I’m taking every day as it comes, I’m just so happy to be alive’. You could hear the joy and relief in her voice. Her surgical team call her ‘miracle woman’ because she was not expected to be alive to see Christmas. 

Tracey told us how that she is more balanced now, more cautious and feels like she has been forgiven and that a great curse has been lifted from her life. ‘If the choice was losing your bladder to survive and be happy – I chose to be happy’. She had a near-death experience, making her will and ordering her affairs, and then she was set free. ‘You prepare yourself and then receive a sudden reprieve. I will never ever take anything for granted again and I will do my best in every day, every moment. I’m on the cusp of something great’, she burbled joyfully. 

Hope has come to her. Hope is the Christmas message. I too came near to death, more than once, and survived. I made my will several times and wrote out my funeral plans etc. But that was not God’s plan for me, and I am grateful. I also feel that a great curse has been lifted off from my life, and despite my advancing years, I too can’t shake off the feeling that she describes that I’m on the cusp of something great! I see it happening in the church I serve. I have hope now, but it’s all because of Jesus and Christmas.

This pandemic has been awful. There’s a lot of darkness and despair around, but I take hope from hope, and from the message of Christmas. This is how Eddie Askew puts it in his book of prayers and poems called No Strange Land (p65):

I hope for hope, Lord.

The seeds of light sown in the darkness round your cross,

germinate, and flower and fruit

in the fallow fields of my small life.

My hope starts in your death and resurrection.

Continues in the certainty of your presence.

Fulfills itself in the clear calm confidence

of final victory.

For now, I cling to hope's small seedling.

Feel like cancelling Christmas?

 

Feel like cancelling Christmas? Maybe the early surge of Christmas mania leaves you feeling cold - perhaps sad. This year's Christmas celebrations are bound to be tinged with a certain degree of fear, if not disappointment. Can I hug my grandchildren? Well - no not in my case because our borders are tightly closed and they live across the sea. But can anyone hug their grand-anythings? Nobody wants to be the one who passed on the dreadful Covid-19 bug to the older members of their families. The British government may be declaring a 5-day break from the tightest of rules, but we all know that a spike of infections in January is no way to begin a 'happy New Year'.

And what of Christmas worship celebrations? No carol singing inside? Social distancing for any parents attending what Nativity displays may be put on? As the Prime Minister said 'T'is the season to be jolly careful!'

So do we cancel Christmas then? Not at all. This weekend we enter the season of Advent with perhaps more reasons than any since the Second World War to refocus our thinking on what really matters about the celebration. Of course we all love the trimmings, the glitter, the sense of being together, the food etc, but back of it all is the message that Christ came into a world full of trouble and sorrow. Born into obscurity, at a time of enemy occupation and oppression, to a couple facing major upheaval within a very short time of his birth.

The Christmas story is good news, but it is set against a backcloth of very bad news. All the children under 2 years of age in the district where Jesus was born were slaughtered by troops on a vicious blood-fest. He was only saved by his parents fleeing to an Egyptian refugee camp over the border. So, if you feel like Advent 2020 is coming at the wrong time completely, take heart. That's why Jesus came. To turn our despair to hope, and our distress to comfort and joy.

A Pandemic of Loneliness

 According to recently published research, in total, 45% of adults feel occasionally, sometimes or often lonely in England. This equates to twenty million people. Characteristics of people who are more likely to experience loneliness include: those who are widowed, those with poorer health and those with long-term illness or disability. 43.45% of the group reporting bad or very bad health are often/always lonely. There is no doubt that being chronically unwell isolates people.

I believe that isolation, although sometimes necessary to prevent the spread of disease, is itself a potentially dangerous experience. Solitude is one thing – where one seeks ‘aloneness’ for spiritual or psychological refreshing – but isolation can be a tool in the hand of our enemy and accuser, Satan. It may be forced upon us, but we must take practical steps to try and minimise any damage that may be caused. I speak about this, among many other things, in my book ‘Through the Storms; a manual for when life hurts’.

From the other side of the coin, I try to keep my eyes peeled for folk who may be lonely. A smile, a word of greeting, an offer of practical help, an enquiry if all is well, may each be a way of bridging the gap with someone who is feeling isolated and lonely. High rise blocks of apartments are deadly for this problem, hiding folk away and putting them in files and boxes. When folk do emerge, they are often wary and fearful. We need to find ways of taking an interest in others well-being without overpowering them or disrespecting their personal space. It’s a difficult balance, but the pandemic of loneliness is also deadly and there will be lives lost as a result.

This is where your local church community can be a literal ‘God-send’. Its foodbank, or church cafe, or drop-in centre, offers real hope for lonely people. Our church runs the Alpha Course and it is well attended each time we run it, offering friendship and good food as well as helpful videos. Find out more about our next course (starting January 17th 2021) by emailing me at throughthestorms750@gmail.com.

Above all, you may be lonely, but you are not alone. Jesus is the friend who sticks closer than a brother. Hear the words again of Hebrews 13:5 from the Amplified version of the Bible: ‘for He [God] Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not, I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down (relax My hold on you)! Assuredly not!’. 

Fake News or the Father of Lies?

 

So it seems like a vaccine is coming! It may only be like the lights on an oncoming train approaching the station, but at least it is on the way. There are many hurdles to be overcome before it can be made available in our communities, but there is a real possibility now that it might be offered later this year or early next. But - many questions arise - is it safe and effective? How long will any protection it might give last?

I hope that when it is proven to be successful, safe and effective, that the vaccine will not be grabbed by rich countries and horded away from the millions in the developing world who will need it as much as we do or even more. The need is worldwide so the spread of the vaccine should be global too.

But there is a fear surrounding this vaccine that is not healthy nor helpful. There is an element of 'fake news' surrounding some of the conspiracy theories that are frightening a lot of people, Christians among them. We do need to be cautious of putting too much emphasis on one possible 'breakthrough' when the virus could mutate at any time - BUT vaccination is a gift from God. I repeat - a gift from God! The achievements of vaccination over the last century have been stupendous. Hundreds of millions are alive today who would not have been if it had not been for vaccinations. TB, smallpox, measles, diphtheria, tetanus, polio etc were all killers, and have been beaten or controlled by the 'vax' brigade. Science and technology are moving on apace, and whereas it may have taken a decade to develop a vaccine years ago that is no longer the case.

I am praying for the vaccine development teams daily. I have found out the names of some of the leading scientists on these teams and I pray for them to stay well, be encouraged and be blessed in their work.

Please don't listen to the lies surrounding the vaccination process. Remember that Jesus said that Satan is a liar and the father of lies, and there are loads of lies being promulgated on social media around this issue. I know we all have to make our own decision on this one, but I will definitely be in the queue.

Don't let fear make the decisions round here! Follow your peace instead and choose to trust our loving heavenly Father to bring this dreadful pandemic to an end.