Can We All Possibly Be His Number 1?

So, are you reading this having emerged from your rose petal filled bath that the beloved just ran for you? Perhaps you are browsing the internet en route to the airport for an exotic away break that has been organised as a surprise?  Or maybe you are counting the minutes before you can dash off slip into that hot little number and join in the great loved-up festival that has become Valentine’s Day? No matter, for Ash Wednesday yesterday, with its talk of reflection and a spot of self-denial. Let’s focus on the less challenging face of love that is represented by all things on the 14^th Feb!

However, there are parallels in both Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day as both have love at their centre. When Jesus fasted for forty days he did so as preparation for his death and resurrection. The line ‘God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son’ is familiar to most believers, but I wonder how many of us have pondered to really think about the love the Son had for us.  Just think if he has ducked out post Gethsemane and decided to not go through with it? What would a world without God’s love at its centre truly look like? Without God’s love there would be no starting point for anything else. We would quite simply be without place or indeed purpose.

Similarly, the love-in that may be going on for us tonight is a small refraction of the love that God has for us. Which brings me to the title of this post, can we all possibly be God’s one and only, especially when he calls us to love Him with singular and total devotion? Surely there are favourites? Or ways and means of becoming favourites, but the truth couldn’t be further from it. Recently, I re-read The Parable of The Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32) and realised that there are three sorts of love being expressed: the first the one of desperation and remorse of the Prodigal himself, who says simply:

“Father I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.” Luke 15:12

Then there is the love that stems from a place of obligation, that of the irate second son who harbours deep resentment due to the lack of recognition he has received even though he has loved:

“Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me a goat so I could celebrate with my friends. “Luke 15:29

 And finally there is the love of the Father himself; who runs to the Prodigal (verse 20) and pleads with his second son (verse 28). He chooses to shower unconditional favour on them both. Here is the interesting thing; both Sons were lacking and in desperate need of God’s love, both were prodigals. The first is initially separated from it because of shame, the second because of anger. The first had foolishly thought he could get by without the Father’s love, the second thought he had to jump through hoops to have the Father’s love, tragically missing the point that it was all his to begin with (verse 31). Speaking with a friend of mine over glasses of red, we discussed which Son we were. She said she was definitely a ‘One’r ‘  the Prodigal, I said I definitely veered to the ‘Two’er’,  having barely had a colourful past to speak of, but often feeling left out of the fatted calf celebrations and more than occasionally hacked off by late dash One’rs  seemingly getting all of the glory and all the calf! But the truth is both of us are and continue to be in need of the Father’s love and he meets us in our own special way. It doesn’t get more custom-made than that. The same God who created everything, meets us how we are and loves us for it. If that isn’t true love I don’t know what is.

Prayer: A convo with God or just another part of the Spiritual To-Do List?

So, what’s your Prayer Diet like? Do you subsist on a quick Lord’s Prayer to top and tail the day with a few mumbled Amens in the responsorial bits on a Sunday service? Are you stuck in a rut; doing the same entreaties but not really feeling your heart, let alone your soul is in it? Or perhaps, in spite of prayer marathons with a couple of night vigils, group fasts and extended praise-worship sessions thrown in for good measure, (usually only when the going is at its toughest, a bit like going to the gym for three hours for a week as you have a party outfit to fit into) you are left  doubting that your prayers will be answered at all?

Like any relationship, our walk with God can lull, get bogged down by routine, and suffer from preconceived misconceptions. You know the sort, when we second guess the other person’s response without waiting to hear it, or worse enter into an interaction, already spoiling for a fight even when one isn’t offered. Prayer is the principle way we connect with God. Jesus both did it himself and commanded us to do it too, but one can lose the spark in their prayer life and worry if it will ever return.

Location can make all the difference to making this happen in your prayer life. I have been helped along on my journey by the opening of the new 24-7 Prayer room at HTB. 24-7 is a movement founded by Pete Greig and has spread across the globe: you can discover more by clicking on the link at the end of this post. But back to the prayer room: this is no damp cupboard of a room, but a beautifully appointed series of spaces housed in an unassuming port-a-cabin on the church’s main site on Brompton Road. I went along for the first time with Persia Lawson, founder of an organisation called Addictive Daughter and a lady who definitely rings true with the name of this blog. What we discovered was that our hour felt like five minutes and we were drawn to worshipping in a different way; one moment we were singing songs the next praying to God on comfy floor cushions, and finally writing our entreaties on an enormous whiteboard. In a weird way and dare I say it for fear of sounding sacrilegious, it was an opportunity to remember why one fell in love with Jesus in the first place. And why in an increasingly secularised world, one continues to follow him.

Expectation is also pivotal in our prayer life. The oft quoted passage regarding prayer was made by Jesus himself and in it are some key ingredients to making for a better and more engaging prayer time:

“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.” Matthew 7: 7-8

Whilst I have never been a fan of prosperity gospel type ‘name it to claim it’ practises, there is a lot to be said for actually asking God for the desires of your heart. Often, especially those who have been Christos for a while there is an embarrassment to admitting to needs and wants, that it is somehow ‘not spiritual’ to ask God for stuff when there is a war going on in a far corner of the world, or the inevitable situation of others in seemingly worse situations that yourself. But Jesus says it clearly, ask and it will be given to you. God wants us in our prayer life to bring everything before him: our wants and our needs, our dreams and ambitions, our wins and our losses. The fact that he already knows them is not the point,  what is pertinent is that when we choose to share them with him, we are not only being  honest and trusting, essential to developing any relationship, but also expecting a response. We ask because our expectations, stem from a belief in God’s loving concern for our situation, not that somehow saying it out aloud will ‘jinx it’ or that worse, God has no interest in us at all.

Sometimes prayers do not get answered as we would want or seem to have got a heavenly ‘None for you today or indeed ever’ reply. It is here that that seek and knocking part in the passage help. Seeking can sometimes mean we discover something entirely unexpected, the true answer as it were rather than our preferred one. Sometimes the discovery can seem unwelcome, but here is the nub, without a seeking heart in one’s prayer life there is no spiritual development. Relationships hold no safety nets, but that does not mean they are any less rewarding or one should avoid them at all costs, whether it be with God or indeed with each other. When Jesus talks of knocking he is of course referring to the spiritual gift of perseverance. Periods of challenges and knock-backs are there for us to develop this gift, one that ultimately makes us better people, more Christ-like, as he too endured on the cross. I hope I am not alone when I say that many times I have felt too upset, angry even, to seek or knock as it were. Sometimes I have felt a heavenly ambivalence to my situation, or that I seem to be getting seconds and thirds of Perseverance Training. But again Jesus says, the door will, eventually, even if it feels like an eternity be opened to you.  And what a welcome one will have too!

You see, prayer is just a prelude to the real thing, an eternity spent in the bosom of God’s love.  A father who wants to give good gifts to all, where there are no favourites or haves and have-nots. Where we all by His grace and mercy become Have-Lots-And-Lots, because abiding in Him is bigger than any challenge, need, drama or situation in this life and a whole lot more fun to boot. So let’s get on our knees or up on our feet, silently, or shouting out loud and wait for the Divinely Authored Magic to Happen! I'm actually, rather excited.

www.24-7prayer.com

www.addictivedaughter.wordpress.com

In Search of the New

Four days in and the New Year greetings are already wearing as thin as bargain basement tinsel. My latest ‘Happy New Year’ to someone barely registered a grunt in return, and this on a Friday when you would have thought that the short week has meant the return to work doesn’t feel too brutal!

Perhaps, my salutations were delivered to a fellow ‘de-toxer’; I have embarked on one myself and apart from the frankly revolting colour of the ‘elixir’ (dirt brown is a kinder way of describing it) that is promising to make me feel lighter and brighter come Day 10 (I always go for the abridged version of these things), I too am feeling far from my best. However, for those of us who are actually Christo, there is still one more major event to celebrate in the season marking our Lord and Saviour’s birth: the arrival of the Magi.

 

The Magi’s story is an interesting one: they are not there on the night of Jesus’ birth itself, but come later (scholars have argued forever about exactly how much later, but let’s not digress too much or spoil the tableau set in Nativity Plays everywhere of Shepherds and Wise Men all rocking up to the stable on the same night), having noted the Star of Bethlehem and decided to follow it:

 

 

“Where is the one who has been born King of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:2

 

 

There is something terribly modern about the Magi’s story with its quest for the new king that has been indicated by an extraordinary astronomical event. At this time of year many of us are looking for something new: whether it is a health regime that finally gives us that hot body, a hobby that broadens intellectual and social vistas, or a job that’s more in line with our passions. Furthermore we all seek ‘signs’ that will affirm that yes, we are on the right path and that this is the best course of action to take. For the Magi, the sign was literally in the heavens, but what is interesting is that they chose to follow it: after all, these were not Jewish religious leaders, but foreign wise men who probably practised a different religion and had different norms and concerns. It was not them who had the benefit of ancient prophets stating:

 

 

“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Micah 5:2

 

 

However, it was the Magi, who are first quoted as both recognising Jesus’ kingship and declaring it openly. God is literally for everyone, regardless of where you’re form. Furthermore, they came with gold, frankincense and myrrh, gifts that both reflected this truth regarding kingship, pointed at what was to come in Jesus’ life and gave an all-important splash of exotic to proceedings (did anyone give you Myrrh this year?) . There is also a sense of certainty in the Magi’s declaration. Not for them a gentle meander through life, trying to figure out the ‘rights’ and ‘wrongs’ but directed action, even if it took them to a foreign land, seeking a foreign king who they felt convicted to worship.

 

 

The traditional name for this coming Sunday in the church calendar is Epiphany; which derives from the Ancient Greek word for ‘manifestation’. It is a time when we are meant to celebrate apart from the Magi’s arrival the fact that through Jesus, God literally appears in this world. For those of us living post Jesus’s ascent to heaven, it is also a time to consider his return, when once again he will be made manifest in the world

 

 

In the meantime, just in case Jesus’ return should not coincide with our mortal lives, we can have a go at making Christ’s light manifest in our everyday activities. There’s no need for fancy courses, tonics or roadmaps although it is definitely a lot harder a resolution to keep than most. But wow, what a transformation, if you try  to reflect some of his glory,  and startaffecting those with your God given light,  your very own version of Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar (the names of the Magi in case you were wondering) might just rock up to bear witness to your transformation. However, bling and  scent are not guaranteed…

 

 

 

 

O Holy Night

It is Christmas morning. And surprisingly for a London street it is quiet. Birdsong and rain is the only sound punctuating the sound of my typing. After a manic twenty four hours that included trips to three supermarkets and a mission to the market for goat, smoked fish and plantain. Followed by a late night dash to a friend’s house to pick up Mariah Carey’s Christmas album (ESSENTIAL to proceedings, what would we do without the gospel tinged carols and of course the party perennial All I Want For Christmas blasting from the speakers?!),  and a magical midnight mass service at HTB, one can finally pause and reflect, the incredible night at the centre of all the activity. A baby is born, in an obscure corner of the world with an eternal destiny like no other.

Aside from Mary and Joseph who had had angelic visitations, there was no one else on that night recorded as expecting something extraordinary to happen. For the shepherds, who arrived later,  it was just another night on the job, until of course a company of angels rocked up to tell them what was happening and they hurried to the stable to worship Jesus. Such an anonymous birth, with so few knowing what was happening would seem impossible now. It would be a case of  #messiahborn or ‘followers’ gathered in front of their ipads around the world to experience a live feed of the events.

As most of us gather to have a Christmas Day gathered amongst loved ones it would be a good time to pause and consider that God, who is love made manifest, came to us. He came to us as a baby and went on to experience living in the world, fully human, and yet still fully God. This was no celestial dare, or a curious ‘let’s see how the other half live’ social experiment. This was so that a pivotal prophecy could be fulfilled:

“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful  Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

It is only by coming in human form that we can truly know both the extent of his love,  and  the depth of his empathy as he knows what it is to be us.  Of course we can rely on Jesus’ advice, as he knows what it’s like to be human. When we are feeling weak or overwhelmed, we have his strength to draw on. Though we are all born with a father, he is the everlasting father of all and in a world torn apart by conflict and discord his mission is to bring unity. But perhaps the most encouraging phrase is at its opening ‘For to us’; Jesus came for no other reason than for us. So whether you are pleased with what is wrapped under the tree today know that you have everything you need in Jesus. His is the gift that keeps on giving. 

Counting the Days

 

And so Advent Begins. Have you got your presents sorted? Figured out where to seat that tricky relative who’s coming over for Christmas Lunch and seems to get on with nobody? Successfully found the item to rock that will ensure that you are the original Christmas cracker at the office party? There’s plenty to keep one occupied in December and to prepare for: if you’re anything like me you would have none of the above in hand, preferring to mass buy gifts with a wild look in the eye on Christmas Eve, go for a pot-luck approach with table placement and wear whichever dress still fits to the Christmas party.

In terms of general preamble to the main event of Jesus’ birth, the Gospel writers vary massively in their approach: From Matthew’s version of events before, which reads like a Holy Debrett’s with Jesus’ descendants listed, generation for generation, through to Mark’s description of John the Baptist preparing the way and no inclusion of the Nativity itself. For those who like a more metaphysical angle, there is John with the Logos as John 1: 1-18 is referred in theological circles, which again omits the Nativity but describes at length the notion of God manifest in the Word, a coming Messiah and how the world would not recognise him on arrival. Finally there is Luke, from which all of the details of angels, Shepherds, innkeepers, and wise men stem. What is exciting about each of these accounts is that they point to an event like no other and also give us different ways in which we can count the days.

Matthew’s lengthy genealogy of Jesus is more than a selection of tongue-twisting names. The roll-call posits Jesus’ identity and places him as the conclusion to not just a family line but an ancient prophesy. As we in modern times often spend an awful lot of time unpicking and dissecting the various aspects of our identity, we would be wise to realise we are part of a bigger picture. Whether one is from an illustrious line that raises eyebrows or not, we all have our individual part to play in God’s grander purposes and could do well to reflect on that more rather than the minutiae in our own lives.

Mark’s description of the role John played gives us a master class in Divine Warm-Up act work. At a concert, the warm up points to what’s coming next. Usually, the act is of similar genre to the main one everyone’s expectant to see. I myself often discover the next band or singer who is going to feature heavily on my iPod during this part of the gig. However, they rarely supplant the act I had come to see in the first place. It is the same with the Christian walk. We are called to prepare for the main act: Christ’s return whilst not taking the focus from that reality and thinking of ourselves as the main event and viewing our life and its concerns and our contribution to his Kingdom trumping the perfection of his return. In practical terms it means being a little less self centred and perhaps asking oneself the rhetorical question: if my life was the warm-up to Christ’s Return how would it fare in terms of setting the tone? Cheers, jeers or something in between?

Luke’s introduction tackles the very human challenges of choosing to follow Jesus. Gabriel’s visitation to what I often imagine was a terrified Mary, has an interesting verse in its midst;

“Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favour with God.” Luke 1:30

Fear is often at the root of our not moving forward to our blessings. Sometimes, we might devise an elaborate and detailed argument as to why we choose to do or not do certain things. However, in this verse, is a truth for all believers to hold on to ‘you have found favour with God’. One is not last on the list of his concerns, but a priority, and given we all know how the story ends, with death defeated in Jesus’ resurrection, it is vital to hold onto. As we move towards the close of a year and the beginning of a new one, perhaps it would be time to try and kick the fear habit for good.

John’s opening chapter takes us to the heavenly places: we are told that:

“The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.” John 1:9

In many parts of the world, electricity remains a luxury. And yet God is ever generous and provides us all with light, regardless of our worthiness, or finances or social position. What’s more, his is a light that never extinguishes and illuminates our interior beings or souls. It is so easy to forget in the fog of preparation for a season of extended merriment exactly who is coming and for what purpose. Time for reverence praise and perhaps even a spot of advent candle lighting in between the endless to-do lists that will seem a lifetime ago come January.

Follow the Leader or Lead the Followers?

This month seems to have been all about leaders and followers…and I am not just referring to those who have been brave enough to try brocade trousers and those who are waiting for items to end up on the sale rack or the miraculous loss of ten pounds before they dare to experiment! We have had leadership contests that have had the whole world watching, such as the recently contested US Elections that saw President Obama win another term, and one that has had all of us in Christo Towers pondering the implications, such as the recently concluded selection of Justin Welby as the new Archbishop of Canterbury. However, leading doesn’t begin with the ‘winning’ of votes, but with the willingness to illustrate by example; something that those of us, be we believers for five minutes of five decades often forget.

Leadership comes with a commission: At the close of Mark’s Gospel Jesus himself says this:

“Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation.” Mark 16:15

Preaching the good news does not merely mean peacing out to be a missionary in the traditional sense. All creation does not merely reside where one can get a sun-tan or post exotic Facebook updates and Twitter feeds to family and friends. Indeed preaching can be interpreted in choosing to show some of Christ’s truth in your everyday, to lead by example, in whatever situation you presently find yourself in. There is never a perfect time for a commission: if we take the passage in Mark, Jesus is talking to his disciples for the final time before ascending to Heaven. He is leaving them with no fixed time line of his return, He is also departing at a time when they would not only be part of the marginalised minority but also most certainly face persecution. What is also interesting to note is that the Great Commission which this verse is part of; is addressed to all believers, not just the ones heading for lofty office, we are all part of His Divine Leadership campaign.

So who are these ordinary people, doing extraordinary things? Lucky for me I didn’t have to look far, to see how people, places and spaces could be used for the most powerful purposes. A couple of weeks ago I was a guest at a gala concert at St Stephen’s Church, Walbrook. The gala was in aid of The Walbrook Music Trust, an organisation committed to putting on world class choral and instrumental work in St Stephen’s for free. One can only imagine how the gift of music soothes all those who attend especially in the hubbub and fiscally focused heart of the City of London, where one is only as good as their last career appraisal. The Walbrook Music Trust is led tirelessly and without expectation of plaudits by Musical Director Edward Adams whilst financial logistics are championed by John Seagrim. I was humbled and reminded by both these men and the teams they had gathered around them, that preaching the gospel comes in many forms and that by using the church space as a centre of musical excellence and tranquillity a whole new audience to both classical music and God’s eternal truth could be created.

Digging deeper, the building itself showed me further examples of people following their divinely authored commission in the here and now. For starters, we have the space itself: designed by Sir Christopher Wren and with a dome every bit as pretty as the one at St Paul’s. And then there is the altar; designed by Henry Moore with a piece of marble from the same quarry that Michelangelo used for David and finally there is the legacy of former Rector of St Stephen’s, Dr Chad Varah, who founded Samaritans, an organisation that continues to bring comfort and save lives by offering help to the desolate.

When we choose to follow Jesus, we are in a sense setting ourselves to be like him, to lead. The exciting thing is the commission is already in us, it is just a case of bringing it forth and not caring too much for initial reception. God’s purposes are always fulfilled, but if we start with commission led intent, our legacy can last forever.

All Saints, Every Day

Today we’re reminded of All Saints…No not the  clothes shop, although I do remember when many a moon ago, they stocked rather fetching belts with the phrase ‘Jesus Rocks’ emblazoned in metallic studs…Nor the woeful girl band that I could never bring myself to like and blamed for so many a friend adopting the cargo-pants and hoodie look as their style signature…but the saints of the Christian faith, be they  beatified (if you are of a Catholic or High Anglican persuasion) or the common-garden believers (if you belong to a more Reformed/Protestant tradition) today, we remember them all.

For a day that was quite a big deal back in the day, All Saints has suffered somewhat from the day that precedes its popularity; Halloween. Give people the choice between remembering a bunch of long dead goody-two-shoes and currently alive stalwarts of the faith or dressing up in a random quest to scare or provoke comment and it is a no-brainer what they’ll opt for. And let’s not forget how so many Christos, use Halloween as an opportunity to dabble in some ‘occult-light’ activities…You know the deal, a spot of clairvoyance,  participating in harmless-fun spells, exploring traditional faiths, a la many of my mates in Blighty who use this time of year to draw on the parallels between Samhain and its Christian ‘cousin’ in the church calendar. But before I spend this blog bashing Halloween’s growth and dominance; perhaps it’s time to re-brand All Saints Day so we can all better focus.

Because I am a fairly all-embracing denominational girl: I propose one picks ‘n’ mixes it: First find a Saint from the traditional canon who you’re feeling. I decided to opt for St Charles Lwanga, the most famous of the Ugandan Martyrs, a group of Christian martyrs who were killed in the late nineteenth century for refusing to renounce their faith, twenty-two of whom went on to be canonised by the Catholic Church. Apart from being  from my home country, St Charles Lwanga’s story speaks most to me of not compromising: a page and later major-domo of Kabaka Mwanga, the king of the ancient kingdom of Buganda, he chose to forsake earthly advancement, for what he knew to be true. At the time of their martyrdom St Charles Lwanga had no foresight of knowing whether his story would last beyond a generation, never mind become a public holiday in his homeland, a feast day in his new faith and known by millions around the world. But he was constant in his convictions , something we could all learn in a society that exists perpetually on a sliding scale of excuses and flat out denials for when we know we’ve fallen short.

Second, share the story of your favourite saint and think about traits that you could copy from them: As St. Paul famously wrote in his letter to the Philippians:

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me – put it into practice. And the God of Peace will be with you.” Philippians 4:9

St Charles Lwanga was clearly gifted; the biography we have for him shows he advanced at the palace; ending up as a head of household. In this role he would have had plenty of responsibilities as well as a hotline to palace gossip and intrigue and its probable that he would have gotten wind that the tide was turning for those who had embraced the new religion. And yet not only did he not use his position to save himself, but also did something radical, he encouraged others: arranging for the baptism of the remaining catechumens ahead of their show-trial, and thus ensuring that should they die, it would not be in vain as they would be embraced into the bosom of God’s family. Whilst we have no oral accounts for what he may have said to this mainly young group of men, who were probably scared of the prospect of death, even though they had actively chosen Jesus, it echoes the aforementioned quote from St Paul, who wrote Philippians, shortly before his own martyrdom, as it gives us Christos today something very powerful to imitate.

You see, encouraging others  in their walk of faith is the bread and butter of fellowship and is the best bolsterer of one’s own faith. Furthermore, being steadfast to one’s beliefs draws you that bit nearer to what one does believe, in Jesus. In doing both something truly alchemic happens: more powerful than any cauldron action: we, the current Christos on planet earth, really do all become saints; growing closer in likeness to our Lord and Saviour. So let’s all faithfully follow what we know to be true and cheer on those around us to do the same.  We might not all make it into the annals of history, but we will all get a name-check in heaven.