Tuesday 25 May 2021

Be Good for Goodness Sake

Is God watching you, or at the very least, making a list of the indiscretions you make?

Many of us when we were children, have had instilled into our conscience, the idea that God is watching. Perhaps a parent may have used the phrase as a form of deterrent for a wayward child, or an authority figure, whose parental authority was not sacrosanct, suggested that you needed to do what you were told, or you will have God to answer to at the end. These statements imply that there is a standard of behaviour we ought to follow, so we might as well start by doing the right thing now.

People have an idea of God today, where you should expect his judgement for your behaviour and consider him to be vengeful or full of wrath, regarding your wrongdoing. Others let our conscience tell us whether, our behaviour or attitude is right, or wrong. I am sure that you, like me, have heard people use the phrase ‘it’s common sense,’ when they observe behaviour in others that is contrary to the usual rules, routines, and attitudes towards social etiquette, and have made a judgement about someone else, because of their actions.


The idea that God holds the key to our collective morality is largely a legacy of our Christian culture. Today, we are reminded of societies apparent failings through the churches stance regarding the ethics of popular culture or revisionist ideology. This is typically portrayed through the diatribe of street preachers using the public arena to try to shock people into feeling guilty for the state of their lives. As a Christian, I have always been guarded by this style of preaching and the real emotions it brings up in people's thoughts, as though to cement the opinion that they already have, that religion is not for them.

Indeed, many comedic sketches remind us of our experiences with these types of itinerant preachers, who believe they have a right to invade your sense of peace whilst walking in public spaces, often with a torrent of vitriol to do with hell, fire, and brimstone. The thought that lies behind these people’s sense of responsibility is that they believe they have a right to tell you this. It stems from the notion that God is absolute in his dislike of sin and that as sinful people, we ought to give God an answer for our behaviour.


Often, the narrative used by the street preacher will state that the answer to your questions about life and the trouble you experience in finding the inner peace you long for, is because you have turned from God’s law. Their narrative is generally focused on the wrong you have done, or what you have failed to do, with an emotive plea aimed at reconciling your nature to the one God demands of you. They reinforce this idea with an overbearing tirade of stereotypical behaviours that paint humanity with such a broad brush, that perhaps, at least one of the lists of misdemeanours they proclaim to be harmful, might fit you.

What most people hear is not the story of God’s love, but his judgement. We listen to the list of ‘wrong’s’ and think to ourselves, ‘what the hell!’ We could never match up to the demands that God asks of us, so by default, we discount the voice of the preacher, or the assumptions we make from the demands of the church, and choose to ignore it as background noise, from outdated institutions that no longer have a voice within the public arena.

Who are these people to tell us that our lifestyles do not meet with God’s expectation? They do not even know us. To simply paint a generalised picture of human behaviour and suggest it is indicative of all human beings, is simply incompatible with the day-to-day experiences of most people, leaving us with the feeling that the preacher's right to express this opinion in the public setting is unwarranted and repugnant.

For many of us, this type of speech borders on what is known today as ‘hate-speech.’ It reveals in the person, a sense of pre-judgement, and a lack of tolerance towards someone with an alternative viewpoint. Speaking in this way, and invoking God into the argument, cements a common view that “if I need to believe what you believe to get into the kingdom of God, then I would rather stay away, than be associated with you.”


This type of theology is taken completely out of context for most of us who follow Jesus. We do not live in a state of ‘fear’, nor do we do good things simply to please God. God does not want you to come to faith in him through coercion. In Christianity, it is God who does the work, not us. Through the self-sacrifice of Jesus in response to his detractors, God pulls off the most magnificent of all acts, in laying down his life for those he loves, so that we do not feel the effects of the so-called, self-righteous judgement of the preacher, because God’s love for us wins.

 
We live in a world today that is redefining what it believes is true of traditional ideologies, religion, philosophy, and ethics. This is nothing new. Western culture has seen a level of peace and security that had allowed itself to form new ideologies based on the relative safety of a stable economy, technological development, and scientific advancement. The new language is one of tolerance and equity, which the preacher on the street corner, or the church offering soundbites regarding popular culture on the breakfast news, simply does not display. Unfortunately, in rejecting the preacher or the church, we also reject the God who they claim to represent.



We see this happening throughout social media channels, where opinion and counter argument polarises viewpoints. The rise of the social media troll is a good example of a human behaviour, where polarised opinion can be expressed without fear of reprisal or intimidation from the listener. Lacking the structure of the rules for debate, it is easy to hide behind your comments, rather like the driver of a car who does not follow the rules of the road, but whose actions cause chaos for other road users behind them. It is quite understandable that we look at the injustice in the world around us and believe that we are alone in the fight for understanding on the ‘issues’, within the enlightenment of the digital age.

We have seen a tremendous rise in popular uprisings designed to challenge authority and put under the microscope, the culture that sustains indifference to the suffering of another human being, or the subjugation of people groups to apparent injustice. We can see this throughout our popular culture and institutions, where young people rise to support a cause because they feel that those with the power to bring about change, have failed in their stewardship of the hopes and dreams for which they hold.


I greatly admire Sir Lewis Hamilton as an ambassador for the Black Lives Matter movement and for his stance on the equality of opportunity within motor sport. He can use his platform to push forward this ideology to bring about change within motor racing and as such, becomes an icon for others who strive to rise to the heights he has risen. Indeed, his slogan is ‘still we rise.’ There is another side to this story too. Not content with simply expressing his concerns or taking the knee at each race, Sir Lewis has begun a commission to put fresh impetus into championing these ideals through tangible outcomes, such as education and training. However, he is not the first driver to do this. Lewis’s hero, Ayrton Senna, formed the Senna Foundation, offering support to the education systems of Brazil, and the children living in poverty, who might not fulfil their potential because of their circumstances.

It is healthy for society to have freedom of expression and to push for change within the institutions that govern our day-to-day lives. But what I see as the result of social media, is that people take up a cause, believing that they alone have the answers to resolving the issues of the moment. Just as we might walk past a street preacher who feels that their opinion is the only true expression of faith, and ignore them, equally as many, ignore the voices of those demanding social change. Greta Thunberg, the environmental activist, heightened awareness for climate change and ecological disaster, influencing the minds of many people, young and old alike. Yet, the level of hate directed at her position is indicative of the mood of those choosing to stand against such concerns. Wherever there are those asking the difficult questions regarding our behaviour, social constructs, institutions and those in authority, there will be push-back.

Similarly, you can find many different expressions of the same ideology, all striving to achieve the same goal, yet are found arguing amongst themselves about the finer details of their position. From the outside, this appears to be nothing more than arguing semantics, appearing as though they are set apart from each other, as can be seen in the LGBTQ+ community, where there are tensions between the status of certain gender groups and the entitlement that this affords. You will find this going on in the church, as well as in politics, philosophy, economics...

The popular themes of tolerance and equality are ethical and moral values that transcend time and space and are far more than a sign of this age. Indeed, Christians would argue that these qualities come from the very heart of God. So, when someone stands up for injustice and seeks restitution, these are characteristics that Christians and the church should align themselves with, but there is always a cost. To align opposing viewpoints due to the appearance of tolerance is to suggest that all other debate is cancelled out. If popular culture identifies an opinion as displaying bigotry towards another, from a position of authority, the argument goes that they are the oppressor.

Instead of taking part in the debate to further our understanding of the issues, the debate is cut short by soundbite. Christianity has always stood up for inclusion and stood against any form of discrimination, where tolerance, diversity, and equality, are respected and valued. Indeed, God holds to these values too. We are to look after the marginalised and the oppressed, and the ones held captive by the dogma of cultural, political, or religious morality. The debate is not to simply insert a new dogma over the top of an older more established set of beliefs, rather it is to elevate the plight of those who are suppressed or repressed by 
those in authority, and bring about change.


Woke ideology - alert to injustice in society, especially racism.


It is a year since the death of George Floyd (25th May 2020), which triggered the rise of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement. The actions of a policeman highlighted the injustice that people of black and ethnic minorities experienced, in predominantly white, western cultures. This was not the first, but one of many deaths of black and ethnic minorities at the hands of the police. This incident has echoes of the Stephen Lawrence case in the UK in April 1993, where institutional racism by the metropolitan police, and the complication of the letter-of-the-law, meant his murderers could remain free until a retrial in January 2012, almost 14 yrs later. What was different with the altercation with George Floyd, was that it captured attention in a way that no other had before; we witnessed it happen in real time. The testimony of the people, led to a groundswell of support, based on the statements made by eyewitnesses who filmed the altercation:

“I can’t breathe.”

The public condemnation of a sponsored institution stoked the kindling that was already piling up. The resultant rise of the term ‘woke,’ is apt for the social change now being demanded by those who are the victims of racially aggravated stereotyping, and behaviour. I have seen WOKE described as an acronym for Wisdom, Opportunity, Knowledge and Empowerment, while others have suggested it is a shortened adjective for awakening – being aware of social issues, namely racism. Unfortunately, it is also used against those campaigning for social change, as a derogatory term designed to deflect from the integrity of those who are its proponents. Whilst each side argues however, there is a sense that real change can come, from such adversity. As Christians, we appreciate in Jesus, the expression of laying down one’s life, but in this setting, and at the hands of people charged with protecting us, the injustice of what we watched, and the statement “I can’t breathe,” screams out at us from every possible emotion, or rational thought.

The fight for equality and social justice is a key tenant of the apostle Paul’s teaching (between A.D. 33 to A.D. 64). Against the background of Roman ideology (Imperial right to rule), Greek philosophy (Socrates, Plato), and the religion of the places he wrote to, Paul states that: 

“There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male, and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus.”
(Galatians 3:28)

The apostle, Luke, in compiling the book of Acts (ch.17), records the argument Paul presents at the Areopagus in Athens, where in verse 26, Paul makes the claim that we all come from the same root; that we are all God inspired, and God breathed; we belong together; and we are all identical (not a collapse of competing identities). This teaching is one of inclusion, and is not intended as an erasure of cultural identity, as some might suggest. Your distinctiveness adds to the whole, and we all benefit from what you bring.


A church true to itself does not follow contemporary culture and ideology, but shapes and forms it. Within its core being lie social justice, equality, and the restoration of those left downtrodden and enslaved through the past or present circumstance. God wants to renew you, with all that makes you, you. Your uniqueness has value, and is embraced by God because he chose to make you as you are. Unfortunately, this has led to the uniqueness of the individual being lost, for fear of wanting to fit in, in favour of a western, predominantly white, culture.

Because of the position the church has held for two millennia, it is easy to see how its failings has led to the confusion people have with its current position. The apparent brokenness of the church in society, means that the traditional values it once held to have been jettisoned, in favour of a post-modernist morality, where laws are being redefined without the rules having been fully worked through. Indeed, those re-creating the rules in their image, have not fully formed the image, thereby creating the tensions you see in the organisations behind the agents of change. For example, the BLM movement is charged with right-wing activism, which is deemed in and of itself, to be racist. Alongside this, is the redefining, or the changing of words, to give them new meaning. Wrestling the meaning away from the traditional definition, so that people think they know what you are inferring to when using the term, when in effect, you mean something else entirely. In doing this, you aim to seek to justify this new paradigm, whilst observing the structure of the traditional meaning, yet subtly changing the landscape to make it fit.

The word marriage is one such term to single out as an example, because it has profound meaning for the structure of the society for which it is based. The Christian definition of marriage between a man and woman, in the eyes of God, has been challenged by the gender identity movement. That marriage can be between consenting adults of any gender is not an issue. Rather, it is the legal implications for the term, ‘in the eyes of God.’ In the Bible, marriage is termed as being between a man and woman. For same sex and transgender groups to use the word marriage, requires a redefinition of what the term marriage represents, as its origins are based within religion, rather than in sexual ethics.

The argument tends to polarise the position between the secular and the religious, and the relationship between the church and the state. The philosophical debate concerning sexual ethics, morality, and interpersonal relationships, covers aspects of gender identification and sexual expression, consent, and the abuse of these. Marriage is one of mutual respect and admiration for each other. Each party would willingly sacrifice themselves for the sake of their spouse, till death us do part. If this is how marriage was to be defined, then the Christian idea of marriage and the secular one, would have parallel worth. Yet, I fear that the argument is simply to do with gender politics. Isn’t it now possible for both heterosexual and LGBTQ+ marriage to have parity?

Yes, it does have parity. To continue to stand against the Christian ideal of marriage between a man and a woman, when parity has been achieved, simply because you disagree with that worldview, only continues the schism, simply for the sake of the argument. Is it not enough that marriage is defined to meet the needs of a specific person group? For those who choose to enter the covenant of marriage based on the value of the mutual love that they and their spouse agree to, can they not do so? Can it not be both, and?

To attempt to wipe out an institution older than time, based on gender parity, is to misunderstand the high ideal that God places on marriage, regarding trust, fidelity, companionship, generosity, faithfulness, humility, patience, and kindness, amongst others. It is popular to separate the pleasure of sex, from the emotions of the psychological connection to, or dare I say, violation (sex without consent), that comes from sex. Letting your inhibitions go, to derive the maximum pleasure you can seek from sex, is seen as an antidote to the everyday, with casual sex simply about you having an appetite for it. This is not what marriage is about.

Sex is a vital part of marriage, yet from marriage, there is a security you can have with your spouse that transcends the sex act, because all the emotions listed earlier, are met in the union of making love, rather than simply having sex. When we commodify sex, or the body we want to have sex with, in favour of the relational attachment we derive psychologically from each sexual encounter with our spouse, we dehumanise the experience. Pleasure is such a transient pursuit, never repeating itself in quite the same way, while always elusive when we try to attain meaning.

I have encountered many people of all sexual preferences and none. People choosing to be celibate, and those living in an open relationship. Those in same sex relationships, those in transgender relationships and those in heterosexual relationships. What they all want, as do I, is to be in a relationship where there is mutual respect and honour. That as we each go about our lives, we derive the maximum from the relationship so that when we are preoccupied whilst working on our own tasks, detached from our partners work, we have security in the knowledge that each of us have a sense of belonging to, and being part of something more than themselves. And when we come back together, there is a shared sense of longing to know how well the other had fared, to provide shelter and support, and to desire the absolute best for their welfare.

This is what marriage looks like. It is far greater than gender politics and sexual ethics. Yes, for Christian’s, God does put boundaries in place regarding the nature of our relationships but here is the rub. God knows that his highest ideal for marriage is not attainable by all (Even though paradoxically, he desires that to be the case). When any of the elements I have described for marriage is missing, the ideals placed within the covenant start to crumble. As soon as you choose to look outside of your marriage for comfort elsewhere, you will unravel the fabric of the trust and respect that binds that covenant together. Thank God for his good grace. He knows that marriage can be difficult, and for some who enter marriage in good faith, find their hope in it dashed. In the Christian worldview, we have Jesus who came to forgive us for the mistakes we have made, seeking not to condemn, but to set us free.

As much as God would want us to live lives according to his precepts, there is recognition that we will get it wrong, we will make mistakes, and we will need to be restored again and again, both emotionally and psychologically. That does not mean that the ideals of marriage need to be watered down, or our expectations of each other’s commitment to it, reduced. Christian’s are not immune to failings regarding many common human vices, even though they might project the impression that there is a level of perfection in their lives that makes them immune from such transient behaviours. Yet sex, drugs, alcohol, and addiction, all to easily, become short-term fixes to cure deep seated pain. These failings are what draws us to Jesus in the first place. He has an ocean of grace, ready to immerse us in, and he wants to drown us with his compassion, such is his love for us.

Whilst engaging in the arguments surrounding the human condition, ethics, and morality, are beneficial to the revision of our contemporary opinions about these matters, there is a need for an objective view of the issues, rather than one that is subjected to the individualism and yearning of one faction. In the trend amongst woke culture, there seems to be an element which seeks to condemn those who are not on-board with the ideal being pushed forward. Just as there is a need for grace within the debate over gender politics and sexual ethics, there is also a need for a more merciful approach regarding those caught up in the administration of the status quo, regarding racial equality. Each party seems to be condemned for condemnations sake, even when restitution is offered.

The danger here is in becoming trapped in a circular argument where we use our experiences to determine what we believe to be true. When we find that our experiences are shared with others, we align ourselves to the common denominator that runs through the narrative. This allows us to affirm our status as the one who is oppressed, and to identify the nature of the oppressor. In so doing, the discussion can default to soundbite and rhetoric, rather than reasoned enquiry, where the most dominant participant in the discussion rises to become the representative of the movement to expose the oppressor. Without examining the truth of the intent behind the actions, it is hard to make a judgement on whether what is claimed as truth, is indeed, truthful.

In this process, the protagonists, in their zeal for change, are becoming like those they wish to dethrone. The very idea that theirs is the only true expression of the issues involved, polarises the views of others, and sets up animosity amongst those open for change. Indeed, the church has been campaigning for the issues for racial equality for millennia, seeking forgiveness where fault is exposed and to pursue reconciliation for its part in it. Jesus calls each of us to ‘love your enemy as yourself.’ (Matthew 5:43-49), perhaps in anticipation that each believer would learn that they too, have aspects to their character that needs to be refined. This in turn, grows grace in the heart of the believer because in our original state, we are not worthy of God’s love, yet Jesus still loves us.

At the centre of the Christian story is Jesus. He gave his life for such a time as this. "When we confess our sin, he is faithful and just to forgive our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). Jesus was a radical missionary with a heart for the lives of the people he came to set free. He ate with, spent time with, and joined in with the lives of those who needed him the most. Jesus’s understanding of the lives of the people around him was not simply built on an observation of the injustice they experienced because of the Roman occupation, nor was it based on his observation of the religious bigotry of the age, rather, it came from a deep understanding of the objective duty for which God had commissioned him. In working out these duties, Jesus healed the sick, the blind had their sight restored, the lame could walk, the epileptic fitted no more, the women with menstrual complications could lead a healthy life, the demon possessed would be set free, and the dead would be given life.

Without God’s involvement in the human story, the issues we quite rightly champion today, can become subjective. We must determine whether the discrimination we experience in our lives was intentional, and whether those carrying out an action, which led to the offending behaviour, had foreseen the consequences of it? In law, it cannot be assumed that this was the case. Throughout history, men and women have risen to the occasion when a champion was needed. Rallying to the cause of the weak, the alien, the slave, and the outcast, is something that comes from the heart of God. He calls each of us to become champions in our fields of influence, whether you are a Covid-19 emergency nurse, care worker in a nursing home, a teacher, or a member of the police.

Those of you who seek to bring about radical change in your community are each doing God’s work, whether you are a person of faith, or none. Jesus came to set the captives free. He has given us his instructions to love our neighbour as we would love ourselves, and he has equipped each of us with the Holy Spirit, to discern what is truth and what is untruth… and to know what is good, and honourable, from what is divisive and unloving. Whether you are campaigning for sexual, racial, or gender equality, or search for justice and fairness and the inclusion of all, God is for you.

“Make allowance for each other’s faults, and forgive anyone who offends you. Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others.” (Colossians 3:13)

Tuesday 18 December 2018

The Greatest Gift...

5 to 7 minutes they said... That’s how long you will have to tell people about the Christmas message. But Christmas is central to the Bible story, sitting right in the middle of the narrative of the people of God. The Bible with its 66 books, 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 books in the New Testament, written by many authors over millennia, tell us about the people of God and the struggles they had in living out the promise that God had for them, particularly in the time before Jesus was born (B.C. – Before Christ), and the events that occurred after Jesus was born (A.D. - Anno Domini, 'in the year of our Lord').
'How can I tell people about the meaning of Christmas in 5 minutes, when Jesus' birth transformed the course of time?' 
As I was musing on this and looking through the mornings social media, I spotted a meme on Facebook, which for a man of a certain age, symbolises the types of gift we expect to get given, when all other ideas about what we might like for Christmas, have been exhausted...






#The trouble with buying presents for those you love, is that it can get trickier to find a genuinely unique gift each year of your relationship, as you both get older and you have exhausted all the other interests they have...

Phone contracts renew themselves when the time comes, so you can't really surprise people with some new technology. Computer games are often streamed during the year with in-app purchases to keep the game fresh. There may still be some perfume from last year's bottle remaining, and you can only wear one set of ear rings at a time (unless you have multiple piercings of course...)


You have already bought the DVD'S from the latest movie releases when you went to TESCO to do the weekly shop, and you can stream any music you want, anytime of the day, so no need to buy the latest album. So, what do you buy someone who already has many of the things you think of buying them, and yet you want the gift to have more meaning to them, than yet another Yankee Candle or cosmetics set?



Buying gifts and receiving them from people, is an important part of the Christmas tradition because of the Gift of Jesus to the world. Gift giving is an important part of my expression of love because it is one of the 'love' languages I identified with, in Gary Chapman's book, ‘The Five Love Languages.' You can identify your main love language by completing an online survey...



I like to spoil my family with unexpected gifts or at least try to be generous with what I buy. For me, giving a gift reveals the thoughtfulness that the gift giver has for you: it demonstrates how well they know you. Giving gifts means you have spent time thinking, planning and purchasing that perfect item, which reflects the recipients character and personality, and in choosing the gift, you reveal the love you have for that person. 

I can remember one year when a friend of mine took my son and I, to visit the ''Bond, James Bond,' exhibition in Covent Garden in London. In the gift shop there was this fantastic illustrated book with the story behind each movie, the history of the writer, Ian Fleming, story boards, artefacts and of course, the cars and gadgets. The book was hundreds of pounds in value yet a year later, in a discount bookstore in the high street, that same book was being sold for a fraction of the price. So I said to my wife, '''That's it... That's the book we looked at in the Bond exhibition. I'm buying that for Neil." What I didn't know is that because the bookstore was a chain, Neil had seen the same book as I had, and had had the same idea. So on Christmas Day when we opened each others presents, it was obvious from the shape, size and weight, that we had bought each other the same gift.

There is also the negative side to the gifts you might want to buy because they are simply too expensive. Another worry is that the gift you have invested emotional energy in choosing, might not be well received... Both concerns reveal aspects of the commercialisation of Christmas that is distasteful and dare I say, reveals the heart of those receiving the gift as much as the gift giver. We even have a tradition now of giving gift receipts so that if you don't like the gift you have been chosen, you can take it back and 'buy-what-you-want'. 

Christians often attribute the birth of Jesus, in the town of Bethlehem, the same birthplace as that of King David (1 Samuel 16:1), whose bloodline Jesus shares through his mother Mary and his earthly father Joseph, as a gift given to humanity: bringing new life to the world. King David, born in 957 BC, secured the Kingdom of Israel, established its borders and defended the territory of the land promised to his ancestor Abraham. 

Indeed, such was the bloodshed David endured to win the land, that he was considered by God to lack the spiritual holiness necessary to build the temple of God in Jerusalem. This task was given to David's son Solomon instead, who was blessed by God for asking for wisdom to lead the people of Israel in this time of peace. And so, as the story goes, the nation of Israel became wealthy and prosperous under Solomon, but it wasn't to last.

There is an old English phrase we use: 'pride comes before a fall' which sums up what happens to the nation of Israel after the building of the original temple in Jerusalem and it's later destruction. There are moments when the old glory is restored, as in the rebuilding of the temple led by Zerubabel in 522 BC, but the nation of Israel never returned to the opulence of Solomon. 

In fact, the phrase 'pride comes before a fall' is not English at all, but an old Hebrew proverb written by King Solomon himself (Proverbs 16:18). By the end of King Solomon's reign, he had lost his direction and his relationship with God to such an extent that when Solomon's son, Rehoboam, took over from Solomon, he was rejected by 10 of the 12 tribes of Israel as King, splitting the united nation of Israel into two kingdoms, Israel and Judah.

What is significant to Christmas about these historic events, is the occasion of a visit to Solomon by the Queen of Sheba. Drawn to Solomon by the stories of his wealth, prestige and wisdom, she wanted to see for herself, the palace and the temple he had built for God, and test Solomon's wisdom through a series of questions. It is traditional that a visiting dignitary, even a Queen, would offer their host a gift in recognition of their hospitality and status. Indeed, you can visit an exhibition in Buckingham Palace to view the gifts given to Queen Elizabeth ll during her reign in the UK.

The tradition of bringing gifts to a King is also reflected in the Christmas Story through the arrival of Magi or wise men in the nativity story, bearing gifts for the new baby. We give gifts to one another at Christmas, as the Magi did, because we recognise that Jesus is a gift from God to humanity.

The Persian Empire, home of the Queen of Sheba and the Magi
The Magi were Arabic astrologers whom some scholars believe, were wise men who travelled to find Jesus from the same region of Persia that the Queen of Sheba originated. It would appear that the Magi possessed knowledge of the wisdom of Solomon and knew some of the prophetic words that were spoken of a coming Messiah, born in the town of David (Micah 5:2). 

Now the Magi don't know at this point, the exact place for Jesus' birth, as we read from Matthew's Gospel, chapter 2. They only find out the exact location for the birth of Jesus from King Herod. The Magi had followed the star they had seen rise in the East, to Jerusalem, the capital of Judah, ruled by King Herod, because their knowledge of Jewish culture and tradition based on historical record, would have pointed them towards the city, as an obvious location for the birth of a king.

Before we get too far in the story, let's consider why the Magi started out looking for revelation through the constellations of the stars. At the beginning, the Magi observe an unusual star in the sky. There is no definitive astronomical answer to why the star suddenly appeared or even if the appearance of the star was a special one-off event. If it was a star, how did it move? A moving star might suggest a comet, rather than a star but this is often dismissed by astronomers due to the chronology of known comets and the date of the Magi's visit. Some suggest it may have been a planetary event where Venus, Mercury, Jupiter, Mars and Saturn align, forming a distinctive light not previously seen by the Magi. Or it could simply be that the star was indeed the planet Venus itself, which is regularly visible as a crescent in the sky, at sunrise and sunset, during late autumn and early winter. 

Whatever the phenomenon was, the magi believed the star to be a sign of an ancient Hebrew prophecy about a 'King of Kings' being born (Numbers 24). They followed the star and journeyed to where they felt the star settled, above a small town called Bethlehem, the town that Jesus' ancestor David was born, in the region of Judea (modern day Palestine)

Bethlehem means 'city of bread' in ancient Hebrew, with Jesus often referring to himself as ''the bread of life:
Jesus replied, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry again. Whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. (John 6:35 NLT)
The Magi believed that one 'King above of all Kings' would be born in the place where the star came to rest, and so they find Mary and Joseph in the town of Bethlehem, caring for a new born baby.
#SPOILER ALERT Matthew's gospel have Mary and Joseph living in a house at this point in the story and not in the traditional stable or inn (Matthew 2:11). 
Believing that the prophecy they had read about, had come true, the Magi had brought with them gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh: Gold symbolised the wealth of a royal child; Frankincense was an anointing oil used to identify the King and set him apart for the purpose God intended (it was also burned as incense) and finally Myrrh was a balm used to preserve and soothe the skin, also used in the practice of preparing a body for burial.

When I was a scout hiking at night, we learned to look at the position of the stars so that we could get our bearings by identifying familiar constellations. We could then find the north star, which would help us to orientate the map we were following, and identify our location. Somehow these wise men knew that finding the location of the King of the Jews was an important quest, a journey worth making...and a choice they each made to leave home, and everything that was familiar to them, to go on a quest to find the one who was promised.

I encourage each of you to set-out on your own quest to find King Jesus this Christmas. Jesus continues to call out to each of us, proclaiming that 'He came to bring us life in all of its fullness.' (John 10:10, NLT) 

Another interesting angle about the Magi is that they are also referenced as having a link to the ancient Babylonian Empire (located 60 miles from present day Baghdad in Iraq), where the Jewish people existed in exile in Babylon, after Jerusalem is 'sacked' by King Nebuchadnezzar (603 BC). Part of the subjugation of the King was to take the conquered people to Babylon for instruction in the values and custom of the nation. This was considered to be the fastest way for 'foreigner's' in the land, to adopt the new way of life the Israelites now had to endure, particularly in the worship of false gods, and respecting the sovereignty of a foreign king. 
Nebuchadnezzar had a dream one evening and finds himself troubled by the memory of it. He calls for 'wise men' to help him interpret the dream but they cannot help him, except for a refugee from Judah, named Daniel (Daniel 2).

Now the story gets a bit weird because we need to go much further back in history to the book of Numbers, written in 1400 BC by Moses, where we encounter a man called Balaam and his talking donkey... you read it here first. Now I know that Shrek has a talking donkey but bear with me. Balaam is a wise man, soothsayer and conjurer, contracted to curse the Israelite people to prevent them from settling in the land that wasn't their own. On the way down to meet with the Israelite's, God uses Balaam's donkey to tell him to bless Israel, rather than curse them. 

It is believed that Balaam's skills made him influential in royal courts who used people like him as advisers. Drawing together the stories from the book of Numbers in the Old Testament and the later story in the book of Daniel, Balaam could have been an ancestor for the wise men who tried to interpret King Nebuchadnezzar''s dream and the Magi who visited Jesus. The link is further substantiated by the geographical location of these events separated only by history.

The association of Balaam to the region near Babylon (modern day Iraq), the lands of Moab, the Amorites and the Edomites, (Modern day Jordan) and the story in Daniel, is an insight into the ancestors of the magi and the historicity behind the understanding they might have had in interpreting the prophecies associated with Jesus' birth, and why the Magi are compelled to set out on their journey to Bethlehem.

We dig deep into the Old Testament stories because Christians believe in what is know as the Biblical Meta-narrative. If we look at the Bible as a whole story, answers are revealed by God through the narrative of the Bible which is why, when I was told I had 5 to 7 mins to tell people about the gift of Christmas, I didn't know where to begin. 

This story about Balaam reveals a small insight into the connection in the Bible between different events across history. The reasons behind why the Magi followed the star, are referenced in the Bible through Balaam, 1400 years before a future event. Although this could only be conjecture, it is compelling: 


I see Him, but not now; I behold Him, but not near; A Star shall come out of Jacob; A Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, And batter the brow of Moab, And destroy all the sons of tumult. (Numbers 24:17)

This paragraph is a prophetic insight by Balaam because it references the Israelite's current situation in Moab, travelling through foreign lands, trying to get to the promised land. It also refers to the location of a future event that will happen  when Israel is finally settled in the promised land, with the emergence of someone who will rule over their enemies now and at a future point - a descendent: I see him, but not now

If Balaam was indeed an ancestor of the Magi and a potential source behind why they were even looking for a sign in the stars, it would explain why, on noticing the star in the East, that the wise men got up from their study and travelled to Jerusalem. 

Jerusalem was where King Solomon built the temple and where the Queen of Sheba had knowledge of the location for the birth of the King of the Jews. The Magi receive further instructions from King Herod's advisors for the likelihood of the birthplace for Jesus, and head to Bethlehem. Herod's advisors identified from Micah 5:2, that Bethlehem, the birthplace of King David, was the place for the birth of a King:

“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.”

During the time that the Israelite's were exiled in Babylon, Daniel would have added to the Babylonians knowledge of Yahweh, the Hebrew God, and taught them of the nature and purposes of the Jewish people. The evidence for this is that Daniel became an influential person in Babylon after interpreting Nebuchadnezzar's dream, building around him, a group of wise men seeking to preserve the Jewish teachings while in exile. These wise men followed on from what Balaam and Daniel taught them, becoming the Magi we read about in the Nativity Story.


Jesus wasn't simply a gift given to the nation of Israel so that he could rescue them from the terrible Romans, rather, he is the Saviour of the whole world - what greater gift could you hope for at Christmas?




The tradition of celebrating Christmas comes from an original Roman festival of Saturnalia, held between the 17th and 23rd December. Saturnalia was a pagan festival honouring the planet Saturn, which included general merrymaking and revelry. The new Christianity of the Roman Emperor Constantine introduced new traditions of worship. Where there was once a pagan festival, a new Christian festival was put in its place. Instead of worshipping many different pagan gods for each season of the year, Constantine encouraged Romans to adopt the worship of one true God; one who had lived amongst them in the Roman territory of Judea; the one who is called Jesus; the one who was crucified by Pontius Pilate in Jerusalem; the one who rose again to reveal himself as the Son of God.

I can often be underwhelmed with presents at Christmas in comparison to the gift of Jesus: "Do I really need another Lynx deodorant set - do I really want to smell like an adolescent teenager at 47?" 

Receiving a product I can buy every day from the store does seem a bit dreary, a bit mundane, no matter how fancy the packaging? What about the environmental cost of all that plastic and card in making an everyday product look more expensive and exciting? Now don't get me wrong, people need to wash and wear deodorant!! I do need underwear and socks from time to time, but are we not looking for more in life, than a fragrance in a box to cover our bad smells? 

The gift of Jesus at Christmas, was God's Plan 'A' to rescue the world from itself.... to cover our bad smell once and for all. Left to our own devices, our lives and the world we live in, would continue on its collision course, with each new generation finding new ways to lose its sense of what makes us human. There has been massive social change in the last 70 years, yet we continue to treat each other and the planet that we live on, with a lot of contempt and indignity.

Jesus was given the gift of frankincense by the Magi, with frankincense being an anointing oil used to identify those set apart by God for his service. Jesus was set apart by God so that the will of his father in heaven could be achieved on Earth, as it is in heaven.



Jesus lived the very life that we each live so that he could know what it was like to live as we do; how life, with all of its temptations and hardship, leads us into making decisions that we often regret. Jesus understands how our choices and actions affect our emotional and mental health. He understands the social, racial and ethnic pressures on society, the lack of basic sanitation, accommodation, access to education and economic well being. Jesus' message was that we cannot continue to live as we do today whilst trying to make choices that honour God and bless our neighbour, families and friends. He challenges us to give up on the things that bind us and hold us captive.

He taught that we don't have to endure in life, simply to live with dignity, but that we can have an abundant life, if we believe and trust in him. Jesus became a man so that we could relate to him and he us... He faced rejection from the very people he came to save, despite healing the sick, casting out demons and raising the dead, proof enough you would think, that Jesus was who he said he was.

Being denied the love and obedience of the people he came to rescue, he was tried by his own people for breaking religious rules and murdered on a Roman cross to keep the public happy and hold onto political power. He was forsaken by the very friends he had spent most of his time teaching, some denying they ever knew him; hiding away, fearing for their own lives, and leaving him to die. Yet three days later, just as he promised he would, Jesus rises triumphantly to new life so that each one of us can receive the same gift of life that he won for all people on the cross.

There is always great depth in relationships between people, when they have been through the very worst together, sharing the experience, and growing in the love they have for each other because of it. Because of Jesus—because the one who birthed the universe was also born among us—that same depth of relationship is possible today with God because he knows us. He is one of us and stands before the father in heaven on our behalf, telling him that those who believe in him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 11:25-26, NLT). 

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”





#This is why we celebrate Christmas; that a child born of God would set us free.

For God to achieve this, humanity needed someone who was able to take on all that God required of humanity and all that humanity required of God. We needed someone bigger than ourselves, yet also one of us. So the greatest miracle of all was that God became a man. This is something all other world religions reject but one in which Christians hold closely to their hearts.

Some people struggle with the idea of what we call 'The immaculate conception.' We know about childbirth - we know what is necessary to conceive a child, surely Joseph was the real father and this was a cover up because of their age and the shame that comes from the fact that they were not yet married?

Yet read Mary's response to the Angel below. There is real humanity here. Yet Mary's belief in something bigger than her worldview could comprehend, resulted in her faithful obedience to her father in heaven:

'How will this be,' Mary asked the angel, 'since I am a virgin?' The angel answered, 'The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God' (Luke 1:38, NLT)


If you do struggle with the virgin birth, listen to how the late Professor Stephen Hawking attempted to explain, in layman's terms, how our universe came to be:


'...the universe can and will create itself from nothing. Spontaneous creation is the reason there is something rather than nothing, why the universe exists, why we exist.’ (Stephen Hawking, The Grand Design(New York: Bantam, 2010), 180)

If there was a 'Big-Bang' at the beginning of our universe, the logical thought would be that energy, with the ability to create physical elements, is transformed into the agents necessary for the creation of our known universe by some kind of reaction - a trigger point in time. Just as we understand the mechanics of conception, there similarly has to be a cause or flash point between the elements required for life or nothing will happen. 

Hawking suggests that this doesn't have to be so in this quote. He asserts that life can come from nothing. If one of the greatest minds of our generation is able to make the assertion of faith, then surely it is less risky to believe that a loving, all powerful creator could instigate an immaculate conception, in order to save the world...

If we are to accept that matter can come from nothing and believe as Hawking would suggest, in a 'virgin' birth for the universe: getting something from nothing, we can also believe that God can also do the miraculous. We can believe in the virgin birth: Of a God who loves us so deeply that... he gave us his Only Son that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16, NLT). The Bible states that Jesus "became flesh and made his dwelling among us" (John 1:14, NLT). 


Jesus was born under trying circumstances: Roman occupation using martial law to exert military control over everyday civilian life, led to oppression, taxation and fear. Mary is heavily pregnant and is to be taken by donkey to Joseph's family town of Bethlehem for a census to count the number of adults that could be registered for taxation. There are clearly no relatives to stay with in Bethlehem, hence the need for a room for the night, but they have no joy in securing accommodation. With nowhere to stay, Jesus begins his life not as a king, but as a homeless baby, born at the rear of an inn, where a manger used for feeding animals, is borrowed for use as his first cot.

In the middle of the night, the family flee to Egypt on the command of an angel, as the Judean King Herod was so jealous of the prospect of a rival King, that he commands that ALL first-born male children under the age of two years old be slaughtered (Matthew 2:16, Jeremiah 31:15). So the family become political refugees in a foreign land, under threat of death, until it was safe for them to return to Nazareth, his mother Mary's home in Galilee. 


After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” (Matthew 2:13 NLT)

From Nazareth, Jesus begins his preparation for what was to happen in his life. As we each live and breathe, Jesus also lived among us. He went through childhood, puberty and adolescence, and emerges as an adult at the age of 30, to live out the remainder of the Gospel Story.

At Christmas, Jesus comes and lives in our home through the season of Advent — the time of preparation for the arrival of the king;  Emmanuel, God with us. Jesus, with his experience of life, it's temptations and its suffering, offers us the hope that we will one day have an eternal home where: '[God] will wipe every tear from [our] eyes,' where there will be 'no more death or mourning or crying or pain.' (Rev 21:4)


I don't know about you, but I need Christmas to be what God intended for it... Jesus, Light of the World, becoming a man, so that we might have an eternal life with our father in heaven. In order for me to receive this gift, I need to do something about how I choose to live my life. 

Jesus appeals to our broken spirit by saying "come to me all who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28). How we do this, is by recognising we need to  change. Our human nature prevents us from being able to achieve the life God wants for us. So we have to set it down. We have to say to God in both our heart, our head and our will that enough is enough. We do this at the foot of the cross as we look upon Jesus hanging there.

Jesus was undeserving of death on a cross, yet chose to receive the worst we could throw at him so that in death, he could bring life. Jesus buries our sin, our wrong doing, in the grave. Every thought we have had that would wish harm on our neighbour; every action we have taken to seek justice on our terms, despite the consequences... Every bad word, every lustful thought, all the bitterness we hold onto, Jesus died for these things because there is no good in us, despite our best efforts to believe we are good.

I hope this Christmas, as you unwrap the presents from those who love you that you also unwrap the gift of grace that God offers with open arms, beckoning you home. Give your whole self to Jesus, the best gift you could ever receive this Christmas.

And if you do get some toiletries this Christmas, think about the Magi who were seeking a King and yet found him lying in a manger - a Holy King anointed to do what God called him to do. 

And it you receive some new underwear, reflect on the Royal robe Jesus now wears in heaven, seated at his Father's right hand... Our friend, our saviour, our king.

What is God calling you to do this Christmas? What changes do you need to make to get right with God? I hope that you give your life to him so that in 2019, you can live a transformed life, receiving the best gift you could ever accept and become a child of God.

Sunday 5 March 2017

Resolution or Transformation?

When was the last time you challenged yourself? 

It is the time of year again for making New Year Resolutions causing me to think about my own life and the challenges that we each face. Is there a recognisable pattern to life's ebb and flow within our psychological make-up, which locks us in a pattern of joy and regret, or can we make genuinely life-changing choices? 

We vow to make changes in our lives so that we might become the people we think we ought to be. We forget about the influence of peer pressure and the propaganda of celebrity gossip, fashion magazines and 'get fit' programme's, and base these new resolutions on the false presumptions we have made about ourselves. 


Our skewed perception of the issues that we face, masks the reality that our lives are more complicated than we think. Some of our 'stuff' is so ingrained in us that we would need to seek some good counsel from a qualified therapist, rather than rely on a vow made when the bell tolls at midnight, on the eve of another New Year.

Perhaps it is in our nature to avoid change at all cost? Maybe for the optimists out there, seeking evolve your sense of self, fresh encounters and new challenges push us to seek new horizons? I sometimes wonder, whether I still have the emotional capacity to adapt to new situations as I get older, and the 'needle returns to the start of the song and we all go about as before...' (Song by Del Amitri). 

The challenges seem to arrive more quickly and with greater complexity than they used to, leading me to question whether I have enough resolve to deal with each new conflict that I might face. 

It takes effort to become more resilient in our day-to-day interactions and have enough energy to make it all work together for good. You might simply choose to close-down your emotional responses so you might cope, or retreat behind drawn curtains so that we can avoid having to face up to our obligations. When we are unable to accommodate any more empathy and the compulsiveness to do what is right, we resign ourselves to thinking we are unable to change those things that we want to improve in our lives and settle for what we might consider to be a 'second best' solution.

It is now three years since I made the decision to end my career in teaching and trust that God had something else in mind for me to do. I finished teaching in December 2015 without any specific plan. However, just before Christmas, I was offered some temporary work at the Storehouse, our church food bank and community cafĂ©. It wasn’t something I planned for, neither was it foreseeable that the work was going to become available, but I do not believe in coincidences. It appeared that God was more aware of the bigger picture than I, and he had plans. 

As I set about this new job in the Storehouse, I was actively looking for full time work to follow on from this. I successfully interviewed for a job in March 2015, to start in April, meaning that I could sustain my income beyond my contract at the Storehouse, such is God's provision. This new job suited my exhausted emotions, allowed me to travel, spend time thinking, gave me time to read and pray, whilst giving me my life back.

This job was only for three days a week, allowing me to volunteer at the Storehouse for the other days. Unknown to me at the time, another role opened within the Storehouse, which started in the September, pairing with this new job perfectly. Such is God's timing with these things that the changes I was making to my lifestyle, meant that I did not have to worry about how things would pan-out. God is good like that, especially when we are obedient. The two jobs put me in a good place emotionally and spiritually, helping me to follow God’s lead, and transition from one career into this new future God has planned.

So, my life is very different today. On-the-whole, it has been a successful transition but I know it is not of my doing. Jesus has been behind my decision making and it has been his guidance that has provided me with the security to go with my instinct. Both of my employment roles fit with my character and play to my strengths, as God knew that they would. He is a good Father. 

This process of faithful obedience to God comes from having a relationship with him. Being able to recognise God all around us. I used to have some early morning train rides where I could see the beauty of the countryside as the dawn rose, whilst reading my Bible, praying, and just sitting in his presence. I could sense the Holy Spirit at work deep down inside and I knew it was good. We all need moments with our Father like that, keeping our relationship with him as childlike as possible. As children, we are able to listen and take advice, where our adult nature may not have allowed.


Then he said, “I tell you the truth, unless you turn from your sins and become like little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven.  So anyone who becomes as humble as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:3‭-‬4 NLT)

As the New Year starts to gather momentum and ‘steamroll’ itself through our emotions, it is all too easy to forget the resolution we might have made at the beginning of the year. These feelings often come from an inner resolve to reinvent ourselves into the sort of person we think we ought to be right now. We only need to look at social media to sense that others are having a better time of it...

We often make these unrealistic pledges however, whilst continuing to indulge in our favourite snacks or pastime we had vowed to abstain from, regretting that we had eaten it, and trying to ignore the guilt. We also make unreasonable demands on ourselves with the bigger emotional pledges we make. With each meal, sugary treat, bad word or regret, it is far easier to put off our new regime to lose weight or get fit, till the next time; till it becomes too hard to begin that exercise routine we promised to start in the New Year. 

It is also easy to become restless and a little glum at-this-time of year, particularly after consuming more calories in a few days over Christmas and New Year than we would have eaten in a week! With one eye on the ‘New Year, New You’ adverts on the television and an ear out for those critical comments people make about weight gain, gym membership and diet plans, those new year plans you made, might have already ‘shot-themselves-in-the-foot.’

It is somewhat unsurprising that Monday 16th January is declared in the UK at least, as Blue Monday. The cold wintry weather, short daylight hours, post-Christmas holiday debt and the fact that it is exactly three weeks after the beginning of the New Year, all compound together on our already delicate emotions, to make us feel low. We feel as though we have become trapped by the circumstances of our own doing and don't know how to snap-out of our depression. If you suffer from depression, anxiety or emotional uncertainty, you know that anyone telling you to 'snap-out-of-it' is the least helpful thing anyone can say.

When the New Year comes and we catch sight of ourselves in the mirror, our introspection leads us to believe we can take back control by reinventing ourselves. Yet It is all too easy to become resigned to living a life with less than we anticipated, particularly when we watch our peers around us seemingly prosper without compromise.

So back to the question: 
When was the last time you really challenged yourself to do something revolutionary or to make a difference in the way you live out your life, other than the New Year resolution?

Do you decide to make changes in your life because you feel that you have got stuck in a rut and you wanted to do something different? Or, were the changes thrust upon you through circumstance, often unexpectedly, and always with a cost? 

Perhaps you avoid the change-at-all-cost mentality or you live at the other end of the scale, where you see change is necessary for life? 

In our current professional culture, we have-to-ask ourselves whether we have the capacity to adapt; whether we can resolve conflict to become more resilient, or whether we would prefer to leave problems un-addressed? But you cannot survive for long if you ignore the fundamental issues gnawing away at the edges of our emotions.

If we do ignore conflict and fail to resolve disputes within ourselves and those around us, we may find it harder to move on in our lives, particularly with our peers. When we are being unkind to ourselves, it is easy to think that we are not making the kind of impact we would like to make in our careers, perhaps even in our home life. Yet if we ignore our responsibilities to our partners and engagement with our children, the expectations we place on ourselves through the dream of our New Year future self, comes up starkly against the backdrop of the reality of life. 


Some of us are so blinded by our desire to do well, that we ignore problems when they arise. Equally, there are those who cannot see the faults hiding in-plain-sight because we don't want it to upset their worldview... 


Perhaps, if you are in leadership, a boss, husband or wife, who doesn't engage with what is really happening around you, then you must address this issue first. When we are unable to move forward due to the sentimental clutter of the past, there is one who can tell you everything you ever did, yet provide you with the means to move on. He promises a well of living water that cannot be quenched, when so often in the world we live in, we suffer judgement and heartache for the things we have done. (Read the Story in John's Gospel, about the Samaritan women at the well Ch 4:1-30)

When we are in this place of self-doubt, we attempt to distance ourselves from the issues involved and endeavour to shake off the emotional baggage that comes from the unfulfilled expectation this brings with it. Our culture encourages us to move quickly onto the next thing so as not to dwell on the negativity of the moment, or ponder too long on the causes behind what went wrong. But this is not always helpful...

We behave this way with certain aspects of our lives because we have an idealistic view of how we hoped our lives would develop when we ‘grew-up’... the reality is that we find ourselves far from what we hoped we would be by now, trying to cling onto whatever dignity you have left, to avoid sinking into the sea of uncertainty.

We are each unique in every aspect of who we are, having natural talents that require little thought on our part, while developing other skills beyond our talent, which enable us to perform to the best of our abilities. We each develop an internal standard for which we measure ourselves by, using it as a barometer for our commitment and ambition. This helps us to gauge when we are really pushing ourselves, because the work is hard, or when we have taken our ‘foot-off-the-gas.’  

Sometimes, we can have a healthy relationship with what we need to do in order to achieve, appreciating what is needed and balance our emotional health well. It is more likely however, when the things in our lives don’t seem to be going as we planned, our focus turns away from ourselves and onto our observations of the lives of others. Social media acts as a great contributor to this, where we inevitably make comparisons between ourselves and the material things we feel we haven't got...

We set ourselves a standard to which we measure our own performance and indirectly, we use that same standard to measure the performance of others. We don’t ever verbalise our standards to other people because we want to avoid seeming egotistic or arrogant, yet we make internalised judgements about other people’s performance most of the time. However we often judge ourselves to be lacking in comparison, even if what we say publicly is to the contrary.

Our emotional sensitivity about the secret things we think about ourselves and others, is only revealed when we seem to run into problems. This is particularly so when we’re trying to manage a situation and think that we have worked out the best approach to an activity or task. We believe everyone should share the same approach as we do. When people set about doing their own thing, we tend to think that they are rejecting us and the ideas we have, causing us to think that we are powerless to influence events and that things are seemingly out of our control. This is particularly so when those in leadership seem to be on a different page to the one we are reading.

Our limited emotional intelligence when dealing with compromise, leads us to internalise our thoughts beyond the superficial layer of civility we have for each other. At a much deeper level, we think that people don’t like our suggestions because they don’t like us… Our natural anxiety fuels our fears about our standing with our peers and our general esteem takes a hit to the point that we are left grappling with the negative emotions of feeling rejected.

When situations like these happen, it has the emotional effect that we become defensive or simply want to give up. If a problem was caused by our involvement in it, we seek to link someone else or some other cause, so that we might pin the blame onto an external source when things go wrong. We point out the weaknesses in the other person’s actions or point out their short comings, rather than dwell on our own failings and perhaps, our own mismanagement of the problem. We make assumptions that everyone should be working to the same standard that we have employed, and get frustrated when our expectations of what could be achieved is let down by reality.

It is often the case that we haven’t really explained what we really wanted from people, our family, our friends and work colleagues, assuming that their failings in understanding you, were purely down to how they handled the situation, and are nothing to do with you… ‘If you want something doing properly, then do it yourself.’

In actual fact, you start to believe that ‘they’ whoever ‘they’ are, are ‘slacking.’ The songwriters Simon and Garfunkell wrote: 


I am a rock, I am an island
I've built walls
A fortress deep and mighty 
That none may penetrate
I have no need of friendship, 
friendship causes pain
It's laughter and it's loving I disdain
I am a rock, I am an island


When we are involved in something we are passionate about, at work or an issue that needs to be resolved within the family, our children or our partner, it is all too easy to develop an internal dialogue where you think you are the only one bothered with sorting it out, becoming overly critical of others, ‘Can’t they see the work that needs to be done here? How can they ignore what needs to be done when it is right in front of their eyes? Are they not aware of the damage they have caused in doing that..?’

No matter how well-meaning your dedication is to your work and your family or how selfless you are in continuing to care about what is going on around you, particularly when your perception is that others don’t seem to care, the simple fact remains: they are not you. Their opinion is their own; their work ethic and understanding of a situation they are involved in, is interpreted by their own perspective of what needs to be done. It is important that we understand that we each develop differing priorities in determining our contribution to the tasks we are involved in and find harmony in what we can accomplish together.

Other people’s interpretation of what they know to be true of themselves will be viewed through a different filter to the one that we use. However, in relationship with them, there may be some symmetry in what we can achieve together. We can share a common goal, but there will always be a part to our understanding which, when viewed through our lens, is different to the one seen through their lens. The challenge is to recognise our differences as strengths.

The things we value, is reflected in our behaviour, character and work ethic. It helps to shape our thinking and our actions, revealing just how much we value the principles we hold true to. Some of us let our conduct do our talking for us, taking pride in our integrity. We want people to see our integrity because of the 
reassurance it brings to those around us. The apostle Paul tasks us with becoming Christ-like, which we can only do through spending time with him (Romans Ch:8).

Some of us are charismatic individuals, using our ability to command attention through our natural magnetism and communication skills. These people possess an aura that encourages cooperation and respect, whilst others amongst us are more reflective and thoughtful, preferring to go away and have a think about it. Whatever personality type you are, it is important to recognise the diversity of personality types in others, so that we can bring out each others giftings and strengths, for the fulfillment of our shared goals.

There are those times, particularly when we are feeling emotionally sensitive, especially when we enter an unfamiliar situation, where we feel that we are being snubbed by the interactions of those already in the room. It is easy to develop the perception that the conversation they are having doesn't concern you or is above your pay grade or indeed, is about you. Such is the sensitivity of our self esteem, if we detect that voices are lowered, the conversation tone is changed, or behaviour suddenly altered as you enter, you can easily perceive too much. 

Our emotions quickly detect negative body language directly or indirectly expressed towards us, particularly when we lack confidence.  It amplifies the suspicions you always held about people, whilst having no evidence to substantiate your thoughts. These preconceived  suspicions are confirmed more by what people don't do, than what they do, and your perceptions of whatever it is your paranoid imagination thinks that these people are thinking, takes over from reality. I wonder why it is that we are hypersensitive to the small nuances of body language in other people, and our perceptions of what is going on around us?

Like when we hear that our friends have met up together, maybe even on New Year's Eve. You start looking at your friends wondering whether they have a better relationship with those other people... you know, the ones you don’t really like. You watch their interactions from a distance and think that your own status is threatened by their relationship. You then wonder if 'they' have a better relationship with these people than they might have with you, and you feel a little jealous.

The mind is the most powerful part of our consciousness. It is capable of great creativity and reason, yet we often use it against our better judgement. Our brain chemistry is such that we are stimulated by hormones and adrenalin in ways that help us control our emotions and ease our anxiety. Its perhaps why we develop associations within our friendships and assume exclusivity in our relationships. It is probably why we feel hurt when the relationship we have with a friend or work colleague, seems to be affected when it operates outside of the boundaries we have artificially constructed to manage them.

Why is it that our emotional balance is challenged by an alternative perspective we might not have noticed before? One moment our relationships seem to be on the same level and we have equal parity with one another, then in the next moment, we can be confused by something that is said or left unsaid, or something that we have observed? Human nature is so fickle yet we insist on making new resolutions for change each New Year.

Similarly, if our lens is unable to focus on those important facets that make up our relationships with our friends, we will only operate at a superficial level. The automatic questions we ask when we meet people: “Oh hello, great to see you, how are you doing...” 


Do you ever wait for an answer..?  
Did you really listen to the answer..? 
Are you even interested..?

These are the types of rhetorical questions we ask as we bustle past the people we meet. Even if we didn’t hear the reply, we assume the response to be: “Oh, I’m fine.” but is this really friendship?

In the busyness of life, we can miss out on the connections that we each need. If we do not allow the emotion of the moment to enter each interaction we have with those around us, our relationships will suffer. Our New Year's resolutions for change become hollow when it is just about 'me.' What about our friendships?

Friendships are the glue that bind us together when life is hard. Friends understand the moments when a knowing glance, a reassuring hand on a shoulder, or a warm embrace, are what we need right now. Friendships are the foundations for what we know to be true of ourselves and the life we live, not the paranoia of an overactive imagination. When you look at the life of Jesus, he did all of these things and more, to win our friendship This is where our focus should be, rather than on some whimsical New Year resolution, resolve to get to know Jesus.

We can often give out so much in life to others. Mum's with small children are good examples of this, organising experiences so that they have a great childhood, often at the expense of their own social lives and individuality. It is a trade-off that no mum would willingly trade-in. This is what God loves about our free-will to make choices to serve others - it reveals his heart.

To do things together, being hospitable and generous with our time, running errands, helping family and friends... we think that these ‘tasks’ are the focus of our relationships with the people in our lives, when the reality is that this is just living. When we are too busy to make time to build real friendships, we miss the closeness of what relationships can offer. It allows untruth to take hold of our lives, and allows our paranoid imagination to rob us of our peace.

We are designed by God to be in relationship with each other, and ultimately, with him. God's thumbprint is moulded into our consciousness so that when we encounter him, we know in our core being that we have met with him. If in all the busyness, we find that we are lonely or our identity is lost, we need to change. We have placed our identity far too often, in the things that cannot fulfill. 

Nothing else fits humanity better than God. All of the paranoid thoughts I have described in this blogg occurred whilst I was in teaching, where life, expectation, and a lack of affirmation, robbed me of the joy I have found in Jesus. The darkness of the paranoia and the anxiety I experienced, filtered through my soul into everything that was good. It is why God pulled me out of that reality, into a new life with him. I was emotionally crippled and exhausted yet God met me where I was and brought me home. 

God doesn't want our lives to be like this but at the same time, there is an awful lot of bagage we need to get rid of in the process of meeting with him, hence sitting on an early morning train watching the seasons come and go, and learning to feel that all was well again.

God has a plan for your life. It may take time to sift through all of the baggage you might be carrying right now. This has nothing to do with excess weight but with any good metaphor, God wants us to shed every hindrance that prevents us from receiving the love he has for you. Only then will you find the purpose he has for your life.

Make a resolution this year to work through what it is that brings unbelief and doubt where God's love is concerned, and open your heart to all God has for you today.