Which is the bigger crime?

You may remember hearing this story just before Christmas- the vicar who advised people to shoplift if they didn't have any money.  It was a story that caught my attention, and indeed that of both local and national media.  But the controversial advice to people in dire need to shoplift was not the only thing that caught my eye.

I don't like it when a statement such as "My advice is to shoplift" is taken out of context.  So often it's done to make a small point seem like a big one.  So I was glad when someone later pointed me in the direction of the text of his sermon.  And sure enough, the advice to shoplift isn't the main point he was trying to make.  Most shoplifters probably don't fall into the category of the very poorest, but are real criminals who wouldn't pay even if they could.  That's not what the vicar is talking about here.

This is the words of a vicar who knows what life is actually like for people on the edge.  The various agencies he quotes as being involved in people getting to the stage of having nothing (probation, social services, benefit handlers) have all denied that there is a problem, but anyone who's had to deal with them knows there is.  A friend of mine has had her benefits cut by the job centre because of a small mistake, other people I know have been threatened that they have to pay back money they've never received.  And delays in processing claims are not unusual- another friend had big problems with their landlord because of a delay and complications in processing a claim.  Life is just not as well ordered or predictable as the people who designed the benefit system seem to think.  Like most systems, I imagine it was designed by people who never had to use it.

So I think it's good that this vicar is being realistic, and that he understands the problems people face, and is trying to get his congregation to understand and to do something about them too.  I think what he's doing in saying people should shoplift from supermarkets is using controversy and extremes to shock people into paying attention.  And it's worked- probably more than he intended.  Sadly I think the controversy has taken away from what he is trying to say- that there are people whom our society has failed, and that we should be doing something about- that it is our duty, as Christians, to carry on the work of the God who came to Earth to live and work among the poor and sick, to promise them healing and life.

Of course I don't think shoplifting is right.  Neither, I'm sure, does he.  But when you consider how much supermarkets and such places throw away, isn't that as bit a crime?  And isn't our- and I do mean our, I'm not well off by any means but neither am I right at the bottom- attitude that is quite content to let these things happen an even worse crime?  And, well, he's right.  There are worse things people could be doing if they're that badly off than lifting a few tins of beans from Asda.  He's not encouraging shoplifting- if you read the whole sermon that's quite clear.  I don't think I would have said things the same way, but I agree on this- the fact that there are people are in this situation is a bigger problem than that they are shoplifting to make ends meet.

Advent 09- Jesus

I guess this was the obvious one that was going to come up at some point.  I want to thank God for the ultimate Christmas present, Jesus, his son.

A few weeks ago there was an event at my church where church members were asked to share what Christmas meant to them with visitors to the church.  I wasn't asked to be one of them, but if I had been I would probably have said something like this.

One of the names given to Jesus is Emmanuel, which means God with us.  That is perhaps what I find both wonderful and awe-inspiring about Christmas.  God's own son chose to come to earth and live a life like us, full of problems and issues.  No wonder the apostle Paul, wanting an example of how we should serve others and not take our status as God's children for granted, points us to Jesus Christ;

Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

And being found in appearance as a man,

he humbled himself,

and became obedient to death-

even death on a cross!*

Crucifixion was about the most horrifying, agonizing, humiliating death that humanity has ever misused its intelligence to devise.  The idea of God himself- for that's what the idea of the trinity tells us, that the fully human and fully divine Jesus suffered- going through this is something amazing, something which those who accuse God of  'child abuse' or of being unable to understand human suffering would do well to think about.  God knows what it is like to suffer.

And why did he go through all this?  Why suffer?  It wasn't just so he could empathise with our sufferings- though of course he does- but to save us.  And why?

Love.

Happy Christmas!


*Philippians 2, vs 6-8.  Probably one of the earliest recorded Christian hymns.

Advent 09- Christmas!

Of course, Christmas itself is something to be glad about!  There's something about this time of year- of dreams of snow, of carols, trees and decorations, of memories of childhood joys, of celebratory meals, of presents and parties.

And its also a time when those who are better off remember those in worse situations and try to do something to help them.  From the newly-repentant Scrooge sending a goose (I think?) to the Cratchits' to the unavoidable strains of 'Feed the world' to carol singing to raise money for charity.

Even if the message of Christmas means nothing to you, there is plenty else to attract you to this time of year.  It is the one time of year when almost the whole country has a break and relaxes.  I don't think it's a bad thing, whatever the reason, to have a few days when almost everyone can have a break.  I know some people- caring professionals mostly- have to work at Christmas, but I hope that doesn't stop them having time for a break at some point.

For Christians, of course, Christmas is about much more than tinsel and trees.  It's a time to celebrate possibly the most amazing miracle ever- the birth of God's son, the coming to earth of Emmanuel, God with us.  Without Christmas, we could never have had Easter, and God's astounding defeat of sin would never have happened.  More on that tomorrow.

And yet- Christmas is also a time tinged with sadness.  There's always the thought that it could be better.  Not only through remembering those who are worse off than us.  It makes me sad sometimes to think about my friends singing carols and thoroughly enjoying it, but not considering or caring what the words they are singing mean- singing praises to God without meaning them.  I wish they did.

Advent 09- Holidays

I don't think anyone's going to argue with me when I say that holidays are a Good Thing.  By holidays, I mean not just going away but any time off work.  It's only relatively recently (nineteenth century) that the idea of paid holidays and even weekends became part of working culture, and it's one development I'm certainly glad of!
  
Before industrialisation, most people worked on the land, and times of busyness and rest would follow the agricultural year- busy times in spring ploughing and planting and late summer harvesting, and slacker times in winter as it was too cold to work as much outside.  Once the busiest time of year- harvest- was over, there would be time to celebrate and relax for a while.  Midwinter (around the time we now celebrate Christmas) was also a festival in many early European- and probably other- cultures.

The other reasons people took time off work were for religious festivals.  The word 'holiday' comes, I believe, from 'holy day.'  In the middle ages in Europe there were many saints' days which people were required to keep either as full or part holidays, as well as Sundays, when of course people were not allowed to work.

I've never fully understood why certain Puritan groups in the seventeenth century were determined to ban Christmas.  They saw it as too close to the saints' days which they were determined to abolish as a relic of 'popery.'  But Sundays were to be kept with the strictest laws governing what you could and couldn't do, and harsh punishments if you disobeyed.

But it was in the nineteenth century when we first got the rhythm of weekdays and weekends which we know today.  Growing industrialism brought many people to towns and cities from the country, and people began to be appalled at the state, both physical and mental, in which the poor were forced to live, herded together, working from a very young age in noisy, factories or dirty mines.  Legislation began to be passed forcing employers to improve working conditions and give their employees days off- Bank holidays, and later paid holidays.  Modern transport, like the railways, and cheap holiday camps like Butlins were there to cater for the thousands of people who now had time and money for a holiday.  And thus the leisure industry was born.

Compared to our nineteenth-century ancestors we're very lucky today in our working conditions and holidays.  I'm glad I live now, not then, for all the problems in my life and the world.  Holidays are certainly a Good Thing.

Advent 09- Quiet

At the moment I'm feeling rather miserable- full of cold and a sore throat for the umpteenth time in a couple of months.  So it's tricky to be positive.  But here goes anyway.

Last night I was at church for our 'Contemporary carols' service.  Owing to some anxiety about the state of the paths under all the frozen slush and snow* I left early so didn't stay for the whole thing.  But it reminded me about something which I have been missing in services lately, and the service I generally go to gets louder and more action-filled.**

Sometimes it's good to have time and space to just be quiet and focus on God.  In my first year at uni I went to a thing called Night Prayer where there would be large spaces for silent personal reflection on what was going on in your life, or on the readings and music which were interspersed in the service.  I found it restful and a nice change from the constant buzz of student life.  Sadly once I moved off campus I stopped going.  I've been to similar events since, notably Transcendence, which includes something of the same space for personal quiet reflection.

The difference between space for personal quiet in an event like this and just trying to do the same thing by yourself at home is that it's easier to be quiet and 'in the mood' for prayer and reflection if you're not distracted  by everything that's going on around you at home, and if other people around you are doing the same.  That said, I rather dislike most typical prayer meetings, where I have to worry about what I'm saying, unplanned, out loud.  I end up thinking more about what words I'm using than about what I'm praying, focusing on myself or others more than God.  But I'm not great at extended times of praying alone either- my thoughts and attention tend to wander.  So I most often pray in short burst, as the need or desire strikes me.  But I know it's healthy to have longer, more focused times of prayer too.

Which is why I like it when there's time to do this in a service.  Not too long, or people start to fidget and wonder what's happening, but perhaps we're too afraid of leaving blank space, of people getting bored, and in a desire to fill everything with music and words we can be in danger of drowning out the 'still small voice' in which God speaks- we can be so busy talking we forget to listen.

Be still, for the power of the Lord is moving in this place,

He comes to cleanse and heal, to minister his grace,

No work too hard for him, in faith recieve from him,

Be still for the power of the Lord is moving in this place.

*When I said I liked snow, I didn't include frozen slush, which is unpleasant to walk on and not a Good Thing.  Neither is slippery ice.  But I still love the wonder and specialness of snow- even when it's causing me issues getting to my parents' for Christmas.
**Not that this is necessarily a bad thing.

Advent 09- G&S

You've probably realised by now that I'm a fan of G&S- Gilbert and Sullivan, nineteenth century musicals or 'light opera'.  Why do I like it?  I can't say exactly, probably a mixture of catchy, singable tunes, some wonderful comic lyrics and dialogue, the colour and costume.  Partly because most of the time it's performed by amateurs, and it's obvious that the performers are enjoying themselves too, to the extent that amateur performances are often better, more innovative and energetic than professionals.

I've been involved with amateur G&S for several years now, and one of the things I've liked most in both the groups I'm involved with is the accessibility.  No one has to audition to be in the chorus.  Although most people tend to have at least some experience of singing in a choir, or of acting, there are others who join with practically none- like me.  There have been some people who are fantastic actors but not as good at singing.  And yet the overall sound still sounds and looks great.  And you do learn, even if you can't read music, you pick it up as you go along.

Being in the chorus is great fun, and it certainly helped me improve my singing over several years.  But the main thing that improved was my confidence.  When I first joined, I hadn't done any acting since primary school, and more or less my only singing was at church.  I expected I was going to be thrown out (well, politely asked to leave) within my first term!  Everyone else seemed to be so much better than me.  And when we got to acting, the first thing we did I was put at the front (being short) and told to lead everyone else on.  I was terrified!

And yet, when we got to show week, I was hardly nervous at all, and everything went well.  Suddenly I realised that I could do this, that I was as good as anyone else (and maybe better than some people).  It was perhaps the biggest confidence boost I'd ever had.

Since then my G&S career has gone up and down.  I did my first solo in a concert at the end of my first year, and was very nervous about it.  Strangely, I still get more nervous in concerts than in full shows.  This year I had my first principal role in a new company's first show, and although I wasn't at all worried on the night, during rehearsals I was tremendously anxious about whether I was good enough, and afraid that because I was really struggling with some bits I had to sing I was going to disappoint the people who gave me the part- and that I'd never get another chance.  I've been feeling exactly the same the last few weeks about a part I've got in another show with the first company I joined, worried I'm not good enough, and will make a mess of things by not being as good as the other principals.  Sometimes it really gets me down and upset, especially if I can't tell if it's right or not.

But when it goes well, it's great.  G&S has helped me develop sides of me I never knew I had- singing, speaking, performing.  It's helped me find confidence, which for someone like me who has incredibly low self-confidence and self-belief is a wonderful thing.  Even if, ironically, lack of confidence then becomes a problem that stops me singing as well as I could, I'd still rather give it a go than not.  Definitely a Good Thing as far as I'm concerned.

Advent 09- The Bible

A book that's sold more copies than even Harry Potter, yet vast numbers of those copies remain mostly unread. A book that's been argued over more than any other, which people have been banned from reading in many countries and at many times- even countries that profess to be Christian.  Probably the most translated book in the world- some language groups have even had to have alphabets invented so that it could be translated.  What book am I talking about?  The Bible.

Sadly it's also a book that probably more than any other has had bits of it misused and taken out of context.  The problems of translation also don't help.  But misuse of a text doesn't have to mean the text itself is to blame, or looses all validity.  Even if you don't believe the claims of Christians that the Bible is God's message to us, you can still respect it as a book that has had a tremendous impact on Western culture- both from its' content, and from the post-Reformation focus on the printed word.

But I do believe those claims.  I do believe that the Bible is a collection of books* given to us by God through the inspired writing of human individuals across several centuries to act as a guide and help book.  It tells us what our priorities should be:
"Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind and with all your strength,"
"Love your neighbour as yourself," Mark 12 v29-31
"And what does the LORD require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." Micah 6 v8
It gives us advice on how to do this, through practical teaching in Paul's letters and stories of how the early Israelite leaders did- or didn't- do the right thing.  It gives us reasons why and  examples how we should praise God.

And perhaps most importantly it tells us about God's big plan for his creation.  His plan that would bring back to him all people who believe in him, that would destroy the power of sin and death, our selfishness and disobedience.  It tells us how humans- all humans, represented by Adam and Eve**- turn away from God because we think we know better, but that he does not give up on us and works through first chosen individuals (Abraham, Moses) and later a whole nation (Israel) and its leaders (judges, kings) and prophets to bring this about, culminating in Jesus the Messiah, both God and human, who was born, lived, suffered and died and rose again in the compelling blow that freed us from our mistakes; and going on to tell us about how this good news was spread out through Jerusalem and Judea, and all the nations.  I think that's a Good Thing.  Do you?


*Talking about a book is actually misleading.  There are many books in the Bible, and several different styles, from poetry to history to prophecy to letters.  There are, however, no science textbooks!
**I think the Adam and Eve story is probably metaphorical.  If you think differently, fine.  It still works.

Advent 09- Snow!

It's cold outside, and very snowy!  I just walked to work through an inch or so of snow in some places.  As well as the brightness as light is reflected by the whiteness, the main thing I noticed was how quiet it was.  The snow seemed to deaden the sound from traffic on Bishopthorpe Road as I was walking up a backstreet nearby.

The effect of snow on this country is very interesting.  As demonstrated last year, as soon as there's a tiny bit of the white stuff large parts of the country (mainly the south!) shuts down.  Of course snow is a problem for businesses, and  for people who have to travel, but you wonder why Britain is unable to cope with a few inches of snow when some countries take feet in their stride.

I remember some comments last year that it also has a positive effect on people- people relaxing, reliving their childhood, families spending time together.  There's definitely a widely acknowledged sense that snow is somehow special.  As I walked to work there were children playing on sledges and throwing snow at each other.  I've not seen any snowmen yet, but I suppose it's quite early.  And the snow is very powdery, and not sticking together very well.  (I tried snowballing my housemate last night and failed!)  The child in me is hoping it hasn't all melted by tomorrow- last year I missed all the snow fun by being at work.

It makes me wonder how something so simple as frozen water- hydrogen and oxygen atoms- can have such an effect on the country.  And indeed how it could be so beautiful.  I have the same feeling when I see a rainbow.  I know it's just light refracted by water droplets, but how?  Why in that shape?  It's pretty amazing, you've got to admit.  The story of Noah talks about the rainbow being a reminder of God's promises to humans- in that case that he wouldn't again wipe out the entire population of earth, but I like to think of it rather as a sign of his love for humans and promise to redeem us.

Snow is another natural miracle to me, and although like the rainbow it has natural causes, I still think it is part of God's hand in creation, working through what he himself made; parts of creation designed to surprise us, to make us stop and wonder at what a wonderful planet we live on.  Snow's not always a Good Thing, but the reaction of wonder and respect for the world it can produce certainly is.

"Who has told every lightening-bolt where it should go?

Or seen heavenly storehouses laden with snow?

Who imagined the sun and gives source to its light,

Yet conceals it to bring us the coolness of night?"*

It's snowing again now.

*'Indescribable' by Laura Story.

Advent 09- Housemates

I was at a very good concert last night performed by this choir.  Over the last few years many of my friends have been part of this choir, so I've been to hear them many times.

The previous few evenings had been rather different, encompassing juggling, cushion violence and random conversations.  Very, very random!  One thing they all had in common was late nights.

But what do these different ways of spending an evening had in common?

They all involve my housemates.  And they are certainly a Good Thing.

One thing you quickly learn when you move away from home is the importance of the people you live with.  It's often been said that 'friends are the family you choose for yourself' and this is certainly true with housemates.  Whether it's making sure there's enough milk in the fridge or fetching medicines for someone when they're ill, housemates can make your life a misery or a joy.  If you get on well with your housemates they can start taking the place of family, providing emotional and practical support for each other.  You often find that that someone (or more than one) will start to take on almost parental roles.  I'm a mum.  I know I am.

I've been pretty fortunate with my housemates over the years.  There have certainly been one or two oddities, but on the whole we've got on pretty well.  Some have become very close friends- I lived with one person for five years, if you include first year halls.  Some years I've worried about whether I'd be able to find anyone to live with, or whether people would be able to commit to deciding where they would live in time, but every year so far it's worked out, and I'm sure it will in the future.  I believe that's an answer to prayer, especially when I see some of the stresses other people have had.

And my current housemates are lovely people, and we get on very well, and I'm very thankful to them.  They might be surprised to hear it, but they are both answers to prayer.  I was more worried about housing this year than any previous one, but it turned out all right in the end.  I should probably learn to be more trusting!

Advent 09- The Internet and World Wide Web

I love the internet.  We so often take it for granted today that it's easy to forget that twenty years ago it wasn't there- at least, not as we know it.  No email, no Facebook, no iPlayer, no YouTube, no blogs!  What I am doing now would have been impossible before the 1990's.  Even BBC iPlayer, something that's been around only two years or so, has now become something many of us take completely for granted.

Through Facebook I've been able to keep in touch with what my friends are up to once they left university and spread out across the country.  I've been able to reconnect with people I haven't seen since I was sixteen.  I've been able to hear from family members I rarely see because they live far away- and sometimes realise we have friends in common!  I've been able to share photos and even videos, without having to nag friends for copies.  And I've been able to use blogging to stop myself going mad in an under-demanding job.  A friend even met her boyfriend via an online game.

The internet isn't all sweetness and light, of course.  There is a darker side, just as there is with any form of technology or indeed pretty much any aspect of life.  But no one's suggested we shut down Royal Mail because a letter might contain poison chemicals or a  parcel might be a bomb.  We just have to recognise the possible dangers of the medium we're using to communicate- and remember not to make anything public if we don't want it to be public!

So I think the internet/ web is a Good Thing.  As well as the above social uses, there are of course many uses for academic research and co-operation, (which is of course its' original purpose), and communication for businesses, for shopping and finding those random bits of information you suddenly need, like the words to a song or where the nearest Chinese takeaway is.  And what will we be using it for in twenty years time?  I look forward to finding out (if I can still understand how to use it by then...!

Advent 09- Harriers

I wrote a few days ago about Scripture Union, and how I'm thankful for what I've learnt from different parts of the organisation.  Probably the SU-related activity that had the biggest impact on me was Harriers.  Harriers is one of many activity holidays run by volunteers under the supervision of SU throughout the year, which mix activities with Bible teaching and discussion groups.  

Harriers is a sailing holiday for 14's-18's,* run on the Norfolk Broads in cabin yachts, some of which are over 70 years old and don't have engines, let alone fridges or electric light.  I was 15 when I first went, and although like any week when you're a teenager there are ups and downs, I had a fantastic time and really enjoyed it.  I'd never done any sailing but growing up reading about the adventures of the Swallows and Amazons and similar books I'd always wanted to learn, so it was almost the perfect holiday (now, if it could have included G&S as well...!).  

For a young Christian who wasn't used to having people of my own age who I could talk to about my faith, it was wonderful to be in an environment where I could do that, could share experiences and listen to other people's, where I could make friends who shared my faith and understood the problems Christian young people faced at school, at home, or elsewhere.  And I could learn about and discuss the things that that were never talked about in my church, because the people there weren't interested or because they simply weren't relevant for the elderly congregation.  It helped me see that Christianity isn't something old and dying and hopeless, but young and vibrant and full of life and love and the Holy Spirit.  It transformed my understanding of my faith, and helped me grow and learn far more than I would have without it.

Unsurprisingly, I went back the next year.  And the next, and the next.  After that, I went as a mate, a junior leader, for three years.  I enjoyed it too much to want to leave, and I wanted to help other young people get as much out of it as I had done.  It's several years now since I stopped going (not because I'd stopped enjoying it, but because there were other people who wanted to do what I'd done, and I wasn't an experienced enough sailor to move into senior leadership, not to mention having less holiday once I moved into the world of work beyond uni) but I still try to pray for those who are involved, and am grateful for those who gave up their time to make it possible for me.  I hope that when I was a leader I helped other young people enjoy the week as much as I did.  Definitely a Good Thing.

*Harriers A is for 14's-16's, Harriers B 16's-18's.  Ish.  There's also Kestrels A and B, which are much the same, but run at Easter when it's colder.  I only did Kestrels once.

Advent 09- History

This might seem a strange topic to say is a Good Thing.  Many terrible things have been done in the past- though I'd say probably no more than in the present or future.  But I do think history, the study of the past, is a Good Thing and not just because it was the subject I did my degree in!

There's a saying that all history students know, that those who do not know their past are doomed to repeat it.  Having watched Andrew Marr's recent series on The Making of Modern Britain I can see just how far this is true.  Previous political clashes, economic crises, and diplomatic conflicts from previous times in history all bear a striking resemblance to recent ones.  Marr even made some cutting comments about how politicians should stay home and read more history, and you can see why.

So we can learn from history, although of course we cannot just blindly do what worked last time (or the opposite of what didn't work).  Circumstances will vary, people will react in different ways.  But history tells us far more than how to win an election or avoid a strike.  We can look at history and see the roots of modern conflicts, in Ireland, India, the Middle East.  Perhaps that can help us solve them.

History tells us about people, about what they have believed to be important and why.  We can find people to admire, to inspire us, give us courage to stand up for what we believe to be right.  For example, leaders like Martin Luther, Martin Luther King, or Nelson Mandela.   It can warn us, move us to compassion and remorse and a desire to amend what is wrong, or ensure disasters never happen again.  Like African slavery, the First World War, the Irish and Indian famines of the nineteenth century, or the Nazis' Final Solution.

And the history of the church can tell us about how Christianity has adapted to fit the needs of people in the different cultures it has found itself in and the challenges it has faced, while still retaining the core beliefs of Jesus' saving birth and death and what that means for us.  That, perhaps, can help us see how to meet the needs of our own culture.  And that is most definitely a Good Thing.

Advent 09- Friends

Today my Good Thing is something- or some people- that I am really very thankful for.  My friends.

I was quite a lonely kid at school.  Through most of primary and secondary school I didn't really fit in- I didn't like the same music, wasn't interested in talking only about boys, didn't hang around the swings after school drinking and smoking.  In a way, I was too intellectual to fit in with half my year group, and too shy to push my way into the other half- the clever and cool half.

It wasn't really until sixth form, when people from several other schools joined ours and everyone was mixed around a bit, that I found any proper friends, people who had interests beyond pop stars and who fancies who, people who would notice when you were upset and try to help.  Before that, I'd either been alone or hung around the edges of gangs of people who couldn't care less about me- who would join in with the laughing and name calling when the bullies turned up- to make sure they didn't become the next victim.

But it was once I got to uni that I really found friends I could relax with and trust, friends from the CU and church and from G&S.  People who actually liked me as a person, and who are there, willing to listen, when something goes wrong.  That's the kind of friends I'm very grateful for.  Friends who, when I first met them, I never imagined that a few years later I would be helping them prepare for their weddings, or going on holiday with them, or living with them for five years.  And yet- those things have happened.

My friends are wonderful people, and an answer to many prayers, even if they don't realise it.  I've already thanked them once in this series.  But they're worth more than that.  So thank you again, all my friends, and I hope I can be as good a friend to you as you are to me.

Advent 09- Science and Technology

When Christians think about giving thanks to God or about his greatness, so often the images that come to mind are from nature- mountains, sunrise, oceans, autumn leaves, summer warmth.  And of course this isn't wrong, there's much biblical precedent especially in the psalms.

But now I want to give thanks for something different, for scientific and technological advancement.  And I don't think that's as incompatible as it first sounds.

It's all too easy to use technology as an example of humanity's own unaided achievement.  Popular culture and the media today are fond of using science and religion as two opposing systems of belief, or world views.  But that's a very different view from many of those who we see now as founders of modern science.  Early scientists who helped define the genre, such as Isaac Newton, were interested in discovering more about the world and how it worked and saw this as part of their worship of God- praising God for the intricacies of his creation.  I think that's still a very valid response to science- to consider the wonders of the world, and to let that lead us to praise of God (although I wouldn't say that it forces you to believe in a God).

And science and technology have, of course, made life better for humanity, with medical advances saving lives and improving many people's quality of life, while technology has made the world a much smaller place by helping us communicate and travel faster than our ancestors would have thought possible.  How have we done this?  By using that piece of tissue that scientists still struggle to understand: the human brain, another part of God's creation.

So it's not really down to us.  Not that I want to take away from the men and women who have made amazing discoveries or leaps forward.  But neither do I think we should scorn (as some Christians do) modern technology or medicine, because it is the product of humanity, not God.  It is through the intelligence that God has given that these advances have been made, and the products of them are (mostly) to be thankful for.  This does not, of course, absolve us from the responsibility to be good stewards of this planet that is our home.  We have to ensure that skills and technologies are used for good, not for bad.  But overall, I'm grateful for their existence.

Advent 09- Job

At the moment I'm feeling really fed up with my job (not a new thing, as I'm sure you know!).  Everything I do seems to be the wrong thing, few people seem grateful, clients often patronise or are downright rude to me, and when something goes wrong I don't ever get a chance to explain my side of the problem.  I can't book holidays when I want next year because another colleague has already taken the dates.  Being in a room downstairs on my own I'm rather outside the office culture, and don't know my colleagues that well, to the extent that I'm half-dreading the Christmas party.  And I seem to be achieving nothing but to demonstrate to my colleagues how incompetent I am.

So you wouldn't think it's the best time to be giving thanks for my job.  Well, it's not easy, but I'm going to try.  I am very grateful I have a job at all.  Since graduating three and a half years ago I have had three jobs and also spent over a year unemployed (although I was doing voluntary work part of the time).  The first two jobs were in shops, and while the first one was all right, as I got on very well with the other staff, the second was a disaster.  I was taken advantage of, underpaid, and agreements about working hours were not kept.  After a month, I left, and was unemployed for a some time before getting my current (part time) job through someone I knew at church.

Unemployment can get you down, make you feel utterly depressed, make it seem to you as if you are no good for anything, that you are an incompetent, incapable, unemployable, talentless, unwanted, time-wasting, burdensome idiot.  The job hunting and benefits processes don't help- you are treated as if you are a problem to be solved, not an individual with needs and feelings; a statistic in a system where the sole concern is saving money, not helping people.

Part of my frustration is that I know I have skills and talents I want to use, but can't in this job.  I know I could be doing so much more, and that the longer I stay in this dead end job the less likely I am to ever get anything better.  But I am glad to have any paid work at all.  Many of my friends have struggled to find any work, going months and even years without a job.  York is a hard place to find work, and in the current financial circumstances it's even worse.

So much as I moan about my job, I am thankful for it.  I don't dislike the people I work with, and at least I have regular hours and can sit down.*  Having a reliable income means I can plan, be sure of paying my rent and bills, and even help others in a small way when things are desperate.  Having a job, even if a boring, thankless and (owing to its part time nature) not well paid one, has been a real answer to many anxious prayers.  I'd like to get a better one, of course, but for now I'm just thankful to have one at all.

*This may not sound like much, but when you've worked for 6 months in a shop where you have to stand up all day, it really is!

Advent 09- Family

We are, of course, getting close to Christmas.  Traditionally this is the time when families get together to celebrate.  This can make it a difficult time, when tempers fray and patience is stretched.  But families, however hard we may find them to deal with sometimes, can be great things.  They can support and help us, emotionally, financially, spiritually.

I'm using family in a loose sense here.  If you look at some of my previous posts you'll see why I think family is something which is nearly impossible to define.  My family is by no means a simple example of the nuclear family- half siblings abound, and whenever I try explaining to someone that I was a great aunt from the age of four the room tends to go silent while everyone works out how that's possible.  I have four half-siblings, but grew up as an only child because they were so much older.  I have (currently) six nieces and three nephews, four great nephews and one great niece, yet only one of all these has ever called me aunt, and that was on facebook!

Now I live away from my parents, housemates and friends tend to take on some of the roles of family members.  I know I sometimes find myself taking on the motherly role in my house.  I enjoy the freedom of not having to consider the needs and wishes of my parents whenever I want to do something (not that I ignore those of my housemates, I hope!) but sometimes it's nice to know that there is someone around who is connected to you by more than friendship, someone who won't loose touch with you when you move away.

I'm aware that I owe a lot to my family for all they have done for me.  My life would have been very different, I wouldn't have learnt the things I have or had the experiences that have made me who I am.  I am especially glad that through them I was able to find out about Jesus.  Relationships with parents aren't always easy, and this is certainly true for me.  But I am incredibly grateful for them, even if I don't always show it.  So I want to give thanks for parents and for family, for they are a Good Thing.

Advent 09- Music

Yesterday I wrote about how much I like carols.  But they're not the only type of music I think is a Good Thing. Music is a great thing.  It can influence our emotions, and help release things we've trapped inside us.  It can give us an outlet for things we can't say, help us express feelings we can't verbalise.  It can move us to laughter or tears.

I've experienced that, sometimes from unexpected pieces of music.  In church, certain songs can just hit you with something that you need reminding of.  Theatre uses music to help the audience engage with the way characters are feeling, with what they are experiencing.  A song from Les Miserables, heard completely at random and relating to nothing, once made me break down in tears thinking of someone I knew who was having a hard time.

Music's also great for entertainment, probably the most common use.  The music industry is big business, and the new opportunities (and problems, for some) opened up by internet downloading have been frequently in the news.  Often we don't perhaps realise how much music we're hearing- film and TV soundtracks can be quite unobtrusive, but they help to create the right atmosphere, to enhance the experience of the viewer.

Of course you have to be careful.  Music can be seen as a way to manipulate an atmosphere, to make people feel and do things they don't want to.  There is a danger there that people will be nervous or annoyed by this.

But the ways music is sometimes misused doesn't take away from the music itself.  It can uplift us or downcast us, help us express ourselves, or just provide something to keep us awake in the car.  It's something that is important to me, and I'm very grateful for those who have written music I enjoy.

Advent 09- Carols

I spent most of Saturday afternoon singing carols to raise money for charity at York station.  I love singing, and there really is something special about carols.  I've written about them here before.  It's hard to make carols sound bad.  Most people who've grown up in Britain know at least a few.  But having a choir singing in four-part harmony in the open air is something that we only expect to happen around Christmas.

A large group of us turned up on Saturday afternoon.  Most of us only knew a few of the others, most of us had never sung together before, let alone rehearsed the carols we were going to be singing.  Music was handed out, the organised who was conducting gave us our starting notes, and away we went.  And raised over £350.  The only downside is that the organiser wouldn't let us sopranos sing the descant harmonies in the last verses! :(

Most carols are in the category of songs which were written to tell a story, in this case the Christmas story, the story of how God sent his Son to earth as a human baby and why.  There's the familiar Once in royal David's city and Away in a manger which tell of his birth, to We three kings with its prophecies of who this child is and will grow up to be, or the less familiar Coventry Carol that tells of the sorrow of the mothers whose children were killed in King Herod's attempt to kill Jesus.  Others focus on what Jesus achieved: Hark! The herald-angels sing, for example, or all those songs which are some variation on a theme of holly and ivy, trying to spiritualise traditional decorations.

Perhaps that's part of what's special about carols.  The words and music help remind us of what actually happened at Christmas, and what an amazing story it is.  That God, usually worshipped with frankincense, should come to earth as a vulnerable human baby and go through all the ups and downs of life that we do; that he, a king deserving gifts of gold should be born to a poor family in a small rural settlement where his first visitors were outcast shepherds; that this child should grow up and give his life for us and be buried with myrrh only to rise again having defeated death- that's something to celebrate.  That's a Good Thing.

"Glorious now behold him arise

King, and God, and sacrifice,

Heaven sings Alleluia,

Alleluia the earth replies."*

The last verse of We three kings says it all.  

Advent 09- Passion

I have several friends who are very passionate about things- climate change, children's work, music, political campaigning. There are some things I'm passionate about too, but my passion doesn't seem to achieve much so I won't bring that into it.

Their passion, even anger sometimes, can lead them into insensitivity for the points of view of those they perceive to be wrong, can cause hurt and damage.  Perhaps they don't even realise that while being annoyed with people who can't understand them, they can themselves fall into the same fault.

But without passion, how would things change?  Perhaps we picture a group of (probably) grey haired (probably) men sitting round a polished table in a smart office in Whitehall, calmly discussing how to make the world a better place.  But so often it takes people with real passion and, yes, anger to make injustice visible, to make people take notice instead of avoiding it.    

Without the passion of campaigners like William Wilberforce and Thomas Clarkson slavery wouldn't have been abolished when it was.  Without the passion of Martin Luther King the civil rights movement in America would have been so much the poorer.  Without the passion of people prepared to be martyrs if they had to from the time of the Romans to the present day the Christian Church would not have spread across the world.

Passion can lead us into insensitivity and despair, but it can also inspire us and make us persevere.  It can drive us to action or to prayer.  It can change the world, or a town, or a family.  It is certainly, when used right, a Good Thing.

Advent 09- St Mike's

Appropriately for Sunday, my Advent list of Good Things reaches my church, St Michael le Belfrey.

Once again I'm not going to deny that St Mike's isn't a church that has problems, and sometimes gets things wrong (in my opinion).  But it's also a church that gets a lot right.  There is a real concern there for the message of God to be spread, and for people to be built up in their faith- as the church's strapline says, for people to be brought in, built up, and sent out.

As I said earlier I arrived in York as a student with a firm faith but big gaps in my knowledge of God, the biggest of which was probably regarding the Holy Spirit- what he does and how he works.  Over the years St Mike's has helped me fill this in- to recognise the times when God through the Holy Spirit has been working in my life, even before I knew that this was the case, and to recognise and learn how to use the gifts that I have been given through the Spirit.  Not that I'm going into charismatic gifts here, I'm still not as 'happy clappy' as many people at church, just because that's not my way of worshipping, not because I think it's right or wrong.  Different styles suit different people.

St Mike's helped me worship in a way I had rarely worshipped before, with songs that engaged the emotions as well as the intellect.  It also gave me Christian friends my own age, something I had longed for but never really experienced- people I could discuss things with know that the other person understood where I was coming from much more closely than anyone else.  It gave me an opportunity to get involved with serving the church and city community, to take part in events with hundreds of people rather than tens and be encouraged.  It gave me space to decide what kind of Christian I wanted to be, rather than simply going to the church of my parents.  It has had a big impact on me, and I am grateful I went there and to the leadership and congregation.

Advent 09- SU

Another organisation that's had quite an impact on my life is this one: Scripture Union.  As a small child I used their group resources in Junior Church and my parents did Bible studies with me based on their notes.  As an older child I read children's books published by them and went to holiday clubs that used their materials.  As a teenager I went on holidays that were run through them, and got involved with the organisation nationally as a member of the Youth Council.  As an adult I helped lead those holidays .  Now I use their WordLive site to help me focus on God daily and I'm a member of the General Council which helps guide the movement's direction in England & Wales.

WordLive is a good example of this.  For years when I was on the Youth Council we tried to encourage the organisation to do more with the internet.  Then, a few years ago, they began to develop this idea for daily Bible reading and study on the web, through words, pictures, audio, music and video, on the web and via email.  I remember hearing about it for the first time and looking at the designs and being very excited!

It's almost two years since WordLive launched and it's even better now.  I've followed it through (I was one of the original beta-testers) and used it ever since it launched.  I think it helps move forward SU's ministry of encouraging people to get to know God through the Bible into a way they can understand.  It's definitely something I'm thankful for, something which is a Good Thing.

Advent 09- Cell

Next on my list of Good Things is one that's related to yesterday, the small groups and cells that I have been in.  This might need a bit of explanation- cells what many churches call small groups of people who meet together, usually each week, to worship God together, to study the Bible together and to pray for each other and encourage each other in living as a witness for Christ.  Small groups are the same, more or less.  When a group works well, it can be a great example of what the church should be like- a supportive, encouraging, open community.

Of course, this isn't always the way it works (see here for some of the problems I've had with cell in the past) but  it's still good to have that support of a group of people you can turn to when you need.  My first leadership role in the Christian Union was as  a small group leader, planning and leading Bible studies for a group of students in Langwith College that grew over the year from four or five on average to twelve or more.  When I left uni I joined a group from my church where most of the people were older and enjoyed getting a different point of view on things.  That group 'multiplied' to form two smaller groups after about six months, and now ours is having to stop meeting because several people have left, for one reason or another.  I hope to find another cell soon, hopefully with some people closer to my own age and experience.

Although each cell has a leader and assistant, the preparation and leading of each part of the meeting is split between the cell members, so everyone who wants to has a chance to develop their gifts, whether that's in leading an act of worship or a Bible study, or coordinating sharing prayers or planning a social.  That's one thing I like about these small groups- unlike so often in a big church setting, everyone has a chance to do something and to develop their skills.  That, as well as the support from other people and what you can learn from each other studying the Bible, makes small groups and cells a Good Thing, and I'm glad I've been involved in several.

Advent 09- CU

For the next few days my advent posts on Good Things are going to be on events or organisations that have had a big effect on me at different times in my life.  The first of these is probably going to prove to be a bit controversial: the Christian Union (CU) at York Uni.

Now I'm far from saying that the CU is a perfect organisation.  It certainly isn't, like all groups of people on earth it has faults!  Also, I'm talking here about the UYCU of the time I was at uni (2003-2006).  It had already started to change- as it should, as the membership changes- before I left and I believe it had continued to change even more since then.

But for all its' problems, I learnt a lot while I was in the CU.  I came to uni at 18 with huge gaps in my knowledge of God that CU helped to fill in- both from good speakers at main meetings* and from small group Bible studies.  These were perhaps the best bits of CU as far as I was concerned (see tomorrow's post for more).  Perhaps the biggest thing I learnt from CU was some indication of how I could use the gifts I had been given in the service of God.  I was utterly shocked to be selected as the General Secretary, and very much doubted that I could do the job.  But thanks to God's support I did, and learnt a lot from it, even though at times it was very, VERY frustrating.  There were committee decisions I didn't quite agree with, I felt that I was inadequate and inferior to the others on the committee, I felt that the CU- or at least some of its' members- had their priorities wrong.

But behind all of that was a lot of people who loved God and wanted to do what they felt he was calling them to.  They may have been held back by issues they didn't understand, or by prejudice, or by fear or by genuine different interpretations.  But there was a lot of good, as well as the bad.  That was why I stayed part of the CU, and tried to do what I could to make it better.  Others have succeeded where I failed.  But I think God recognises the good even in mistakes and failures, and can bring good out of them.  Even from the mistakes, I learnt a lot about God's people, and I learnt to trust God and rely on him to get me through things I didn't think I could do.  That's why I still call the CU one of my Good Things.


*Note: not all main meeting speakers were good.  I mean that the ones that were helped me.

PS  I believe that this is also my 100th post on this blog.  Yay!  If there was a way of sharing cake with you via the internet, I would.

Advent 09- Thank God!

Following on from yesterday's advent post, here's the second in the series of Good Things.  I want to thank God that however much I moan and grumble (and I do a lot, believe me) he still loves me.

1 Corinthians 13 is one of the most well-known passages in the Bible.  It describes love- the "most excellent way" we should treat each other.  But since "God is love" it's also a description of the way God treats us.

"Love is patient,* love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs...It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails."

You can't call that a soft or easy option- to be always forgiving those who let you down or do you wrong, to not be easily angered, to always give a second chance, and a third, and a fourth.  To keep hoping for people to change even if there's nothing to give you hope.  Nor does it mean simply letting people walk all over you (a mistake I make sometimes) but willingly serving others and seeking their good before your own.

It may be the way we're supposed to treat each other, but I certainly fail a lot of the time.  So I'm very glad that God doesn't.



*'suffers long' in some versions, 'isn't selfish' in others.

Advent 09- Thank you!

A friend of mine is doing a blog advent calendar.  I liked the idea, and thought I'd nick it- trying to do a post (a short one) around a single theme every day from now till Christmas.  It probably won't work out quite like that, but here goes.

I'm going to try and blog about something good every day.  Thinking about some of my previous posts I realise they come over a bit negative and depressed or frustrated (usually reflecting how I'm feeling at the time) so I think having to come up with something good every day will be good for me.  Maybe it'll be something I like about my church, or a friend, or a book or reading that's helped me.  Maybe something to give thanks for, something God has done for me or someone else (past or present), an answer to prayer, something that's encouraged me.  I don't know whether I'll manage it, but I'm going to have a go!

So, where do I start?  Well, having started by saying that my posts and my attitude can get quite negative at times, I think I should start by being thankful that both God and my friends are long-suffering and put up with me!  Really, guys, if you've ever had to listen to me moaning about something, then thank you.  It means a lot.  Thanks for your patience and for caring.

And thank you all for reading and putting up with me :)  Happy Advent!

Caught in the middle

As I'm sure you know, I work as a receptionist at a solicitors' firm in York city centre.  In many ways it's not a bad job, even if I do moan a lot, but there are many things I'd rather be doing.  However, this isn't a(nother) rant about frustrated ambitions and dead ends, but an attempt to relate certain features of the job to a wider life perspective (sounds grand doesn't it!)

The receptionist is always caught in the middle.  I got quite annoyed about this this week.  On the one hand, as someone with a care for how clients are treated, you feel slightly embarrassed when solicitors treat them in a way that isn't what you would consider good customer service- when a client's left waiting twenty minutes for an appointment, or two weeks before having a phone call returned (I hasten to point out that this isn't the kind of treatment our clients usually get!).  On the other, clients can sometimes treat you as if you are a mere piece of dirt beneath their feet, not on the same level as professionals like them and the solicitors.  Or they can get abusive, or be intimidating.  Or they can start trying to chat you up, which is just disturbing.

If something goes wrong, you're the first person the client complains to, perhaps for a good reason, but people can get incredibly annoyed that their solicitor is on his lunch break- as if having lunch breaks is entirely unreasonable and they can't wait half an hour!  Equally, if someone gives you the wrong number you will be the person that takes the blame when the solicitor tries to call them and can't get through, or be the person the solicitor gets grumpy with when they get a call from someone they'd rather not speak to.  Or, occasionally, get blamed for something that's not your fault.

But being caught in the middle is what we are are whole lives, in a way.  We are often caught between what we want to do (stay in bed all morning, watch TV, read,) and what we know we should do- go to work, do the washing up, go to bed early.  Christians are caught between their own plan for how they want to live and living God's way.  It can be difficult to see the right thing to do.  Like at work, the easiest thing in the short term may not be the best thing to do in the long run.  Life can seem something of a balancing act- balancing work with play, sadness with joys, the needs of ourselves, family, friends, colleagues, church and everything else.

The difference is that if we are trying to follow Jesus then we have to take sides- we have to accept that we will be ruled by God's will not our own, or rather that we will seek to make God's will our will.  Of course it's not as simple as that.  Jesus taught his followers to be in the world but not part of it- we're not removed from life in all its business and cares.  We still face a giant balancing act.  What's changed is our priority- God instead of me (or family, or money or anything else).


So for me at work that means treating everyone- client or solicitor, however grumpy or annoying- as I would want to be treated, if it was me.  "Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus" Paul writes to the church at Colossae.  We should treat everyone, all the time, as we would if God, the ultimate boss, was watching (which he is, of course).  Of course I don't manage that all the time!  I sometimes do things my way instead of God's.  I make mistakes, don't leave enough time for myself or for others, get stressed about silly small things that seem big to me.  But I try to get the balance right.  One day I will.

The British Empire: a Utopia limited?

In 1893 the last but one of the collaborations between W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan was premièred at the Savoy theatre in London.  Utopia, Ltd is probably the least well known of their works- and even a hardcore G&S fan like myself has to say that it's not their best work.  The show is not at all cohesive and doesn't hang together well, good plot points are underdeveloped or left unresolved due to cuts (and the weakness of the lead soprano).  There are some highlights.  I wish one of the groups I'm in would find the time to learn "Eagle high," I love the plot trio "With wily brain," and coming from a group where some  tenors have a well-developed sense of their own importance the humour of "A tenor all singers above" where the tenor is moaning that he can't reach the top notes strikes home with me.  Nevertheless, it's still probably my least favourite of the G&S canon, and given how rarely it's performed compared to the more popular Pirates of Penzance or Mikado (or even middle of the range Ruddigore or Patience) I'm not alone.  Although initial audiences were favourable to Utopia, it didn't last as well as G&S's earlier shows.


But I wonder if  perhaps another reason for its relative unpopularity* is subject matter Gilbert is poking fun at.  In 1893 the British Empire was at its height, with vast amounts of the world under the rule of Queen-Empress Victoria.  And yet not everything was well- there were rumblings in India that would one day lead to independence, and Irish Home Rule was the hot political topic of the day.  In the very year that Utopia Ltd premièred the United States government intervened in Hawaii to overthrow the government that, they feared, would damage their business interests.  The Hawaiian crown princess had come to England to go to school- just as Gilbert's Princess Zara had- and found herself trying to stop her country being absorbed into the United States- and failing.  No doubt the US government argued that American Western government would be better for the islands than the Hawaiian monarchy.


So it is easy to see where Gilbert got the ideas for Utopia Ltd from.  Tropical island princess goes to England and brings back officials or "Flowers of Progress" to help transform the island into everything that she believes England to be- militarily and navally strong, virtuous, clean, healthy morally upright.  Unfortunately, some of the locals don't like it because it's working too well and they are being excluded from power, but their rebellion is foiled by the introduction of Government by Party which, it is said, will solve these problems by introducing imperfections.


Gilbert was no stranger to satire and controversy, but even at the time it would have been unfashionable to criticise the empire, or to call into question, as the finale does whether Britain is quite as perfect as she claims: 

"Such, at least, is the tale
Which is born on the gale,
From the island which dwells in the sea
Let us hope, for her sake
That she makes no mistake-

That she's all the professes to be!"

An earlier song, where the islanders praise Britain for many qualities which the audience would have known to be false underlines this:

"Society has quite forsaken all her wicked courses.

Which empties our police courts, and abolishes divorces"

"We haven't any slummeries in England!"

"Our peerage we've remodelled on an intellectual basis...

And literary merit meets with proper recognition!"

Perhaps sour grapes on Gilbert's part there?

In 1983, it probably was unfashionable to criticise the empire; but since the dismantling of the empire since the 1950's the opposite has been true. It is almost unthinkable for historians or politicians today to say anything favourable about the Empire or to admit that anything good came of it. It's not even taught about much in school, we're so uncertain of how to address the issues raised. Of course, much badness happened because of European Imperialism. But the way that the British put themselves and their past down annoys me sometimes. Yes, there are many things about the empire and imperial culture we can't be proud of. But that goes for most if not all countries. And there is some evidence to show that many of the countries that used to be in the Empire have benefited from the legacy. Some, not all. I'm not arguing it was a good thing.


This isn't a period of history I've ever specialised in, but I can make a guess that amongst the type of audience G&S usually attracts- generally speaking reasonably well educated middle classes, predominantly over 50- the memory of the empire has made them wary of a show which, at first sight, accepts imperialism and determines British ways of doing things as the right way, better than native ways.  In a way, you could say Utopia suffers simultaneously from being too much in favour and too much against the Empire.  But Gilbert used it to expose the flaws in his own society.  Perhaps there could be ways to produce it today that make it relevant to our own time- to expose the flaws in our globalised culture?  Unfortunately, I don't think anyone in the performing groups I'm in is going to rush to stage it!

*I'm pretty sure Utopia is still performed more than many pieces that were more popular at the time, although that's mainly due to it being part of the Gilbert and Sullivan canon.

Some climatical thoughts

I usually leave the environmental arguments to those who know rather more about it (like my friend at Graham's Grumbles) but a few things lately have caught my eye.  This article on the BBC news site caught my eye with its controversial title (although the conclusions reached are rather less controversial).

It was interesting to see the question of half-empty buses, trains and planes addressed.  Everyone knows that full buses and trains are more carbon-friendly than cars with only one person in, but the question of how partially filled public transport compares, or cars with several people, doesn't make such good headlines.  Since I've been learning to drive this year (a process that in itself has probably doubled my carbon footprint!) it's been something I've thought about occasionally, even though I don't yet have my own car, and if I did would try to use it as little and as efficiently as possible.

I also came across this yesterday.  In the run up to the climate summit in Copenhagen it's been good to see some focus on not merely the impact of climate change on the environment but on people, on countries that will be drowned, on people suffering the effects of drought or flooding.  Here in the west we are to an extent insulated from the worst effects, but some people who have little enough already are finding their lives made worse thanks to what others are doing.

Perhaps some of the increased publicity of this side of climate change will help persuade westerners- and their politicians- to be a bit less selfish, more willing to compromise on their standard of living.  But I'm not greatly hopeful.  Yesterday I also heard an item on the radio about tumble dryers and the massive amount of electricity they use.  We have one in my current house, and I have used it a few times, mainly because since we don't have the heating on much washing wasn't drying properly otherwise, and turning up for work in musty-smelling clothes is not a good career move.  Or very pleasant.  But as much as possible I do hang things out to dry rather than use the dryer and was surprised to learn that this apparently makes me rather unusual.  In some places, apparently, you're not actually allowed to hang washing outside, while others see it as old fashioned or indicative of  lower status.

Perhaps that's the kind of thing we should get used to using less- it's not going to kill us if our neighbours see our sheets hanging out to dry, or if we have to keep an eye on if it's going to rain.  Compared to the suffering of people in other parts of the world from climate change, it doesn't rate at all.  And other measures, like better insulation and more efficient heating actually work for our benefit as they save money on fuel bills- if you can persuade your landlord to install them.  The transport issue is a bit trickier, but even if it just makes us think before deciding to use the car that's the beginnings of something achieved.

Chalcedon, China and the church.

Last night I saw a programme on the early history of Christianity.  As this was something I don't know all that much about, I watched it and found in interesting, despite the fact that the presenter looks like a Victorian gentleman-explorer.  For once it was nice to see a non-negative item about Christianity in the media.  The presenter wasn't sceptical, or looking to find faults, but was telling a story that is not well known, and throwing up a few surprises along the way.

The first programme engaged with the debates over doctrine within the early church, discussions at the Council of Chalcedon over how Jesus could be both fully God and fully human.  This was something I'd only vaguely heard about before, and to be honest the differences can seem a little confusing and hard to understand why it actually matters.  While the Western, European churches (Catholics, Orthodox, Protestants) decided in favour of Jesus's two natures, human and divine, coming together into one person who remained both human and divine (rather than the divine swallowing up the humanity and taking it over, or the human and the divine remaining separate), not everyone was satisfied.  Two separate Eastern churches split with the West's compromise, one on each side of the debate.

We don't hear much about the Oriental Orthodox Church or the Church of the East today, but part of the programme focused on the spread of the early church in the east, into areas we don't normally associate with Christianity- Syria, Egypt, Iraq and- most surprisingly- China.  China was the one that really grabbed my attention.  It surprised me to know that at about the same time as the Anglo-Saxons were being converted to Christianity in the 7th century, the church was making an impact in China.  The programme visited the site of an ancient Christian monastery- although a gang of angry locals stopped them from going inside, fed up with these Westerners tramping over their heritage.

It was interesting to hear that this early Chinese Church apparently took on board local culture and was able to adapt to different circumstances.  The presenter contrasted this with the nineteenth century missionaries, who were usually determined impose a Western, imperialist version of Christianity upon the 'natives.'  I found myself wondering how the modern expansion of the church in China fits into this?  Or indeed the spread of evangelical faith throughout the developing world?  Is westernised Christianity prepared to take on board 'culturally-relevant' ways of doing things to adapt to the specific needs of people in China, or India, or Central Africa, while still retaining theological integrity, or do we impose our songs, our liturgy, our hierarchy on them?  Come to think of it, are we willing to conduct services in Britain in a culturally relevant way, or do we impose an out of date structure on them?

Although it is sad that the Eastern churches fell out with the Western ones, the programme gave me some hope and optimism.  Out of that split came a great spread of the gospel all across Asia.  It was great to see the variety of ways of worshipping.  It was great to find that there were Christians worshipping, in different ways, in places I hadn't imagined there was a Christian community before the last couple of centuries.

My churches part 2

My worshipping life changed a lot when I moved to York to go to university.  After trying out one or two places I settles into the 7pm congregation at St Michael le Belfry, and have been there ever since.  What I think I liked about St Mike's was how different it was to my previous experience of church.  There were many people my age, teaching that was relevant to me, the worship was different- not just in style but in how it felt.  Sermons were longer, around 30 minutes, and the worship was much more modern- and the worship band were louder!  Oddly perhaps, there was also slightly more liturgy.  There was something different at work in St Mike's that I hadn't felt- or only very occasionally- at Downham Methodist.  People there were welcoming to the Holy Spirit, something I'd barely heard about before.

I love St Mike's.  I've learnt a lot through being part of it and it has certainly changed the way I worship and helped me in many ways.  But that doesn't mean I can't see flaws, or don't sometimes get frustrated with it.  For a start, the church is so big that nobody can know everyone who is part of it.  Even after I've been there six years, people frequently ask if I'm new.  Not that that in itself is a problem.  But it can be hard to get to know people- since my uni friends have all left I sometimes feel a bit lonely as I don't quite fit in with the students or the 'proper' adults.  It's hard to meet the needs of everyone in such a big group.  Also, with so many people it can be hard to get a chance to develop the skills and gifts I feel I should be- there's little room for beginners to make mistakes when there are so many people.

That's partly why I've recently found myself enjoying something I didn't think I would.  Transcendence is a service that started two years ago as a joint project between York Minster and the Visions community (which is attached to St Mike's).  Transcendence draws on both high church traditions and modern multimedia worship, mixing plainchant and 'ambient beats,' incense and liturgy with creative prayer.  It's a service that engages all the senses in worship, sight, sound, smell, touch and taste.  

I don't normally like High Church ceremony.  It can seem cold and designed to create distance between God or the clergy and the people.  But Transcendence is different, somehow.  The atmosphere created by sound, smell and the beautiful surroundings of the Minster is somehow both awe inspiring and intimate.  Which I think is a good reflection of our relationship with God.  I don't know all that many people at Transcendence yet, and perhaps because it's still part of Visions there isn't as much of a distinct community- or at least, that's my experience as an outsider coming in.  It may just be that I've only been a few times and haven't had the chance to chat to people much.  But  I like Transcendence because it challenges me.  The 7pm service in some ways has become too comfortable in its style and content- I like being encouraged to pray and worship in a way I'm less comfortable with.    

So each church I've been part of has helped me grow in different ways.  There have been good and less good things about all of them, but they are what has helped me develop my understanding of my faith.  The variety of experience has also helped me think about what the church should be like and what is good or bad in a church.  None of them is perfect.  Everyone worships in different ways and a variety is good.  The main thing is to keep sight of what the church- globally and locally- is supposed to be, and for each church to do its' best in its' own way to fulfil that purpose.

My churches part 1

As you can probably tell, I write about the church a lot.  It's something I feel I do know a bit about and am qualified to write about.  I am, or have been part of three 'churches' or congregations, all of which are quite different.  So I thought I'd do a post saying what I like and don't about each.

The church I grew up in was Downham Market Methodist Church (or, as the vandalised sign on the building used to say, Metodi Chch).  The congregation or about 100 were mostly well advanced in years (for a long time I was more or less the only person between the ages of 8 and 50) and the worship was pretty traditional, using hymns by the likes of John and Charles Wesley played on the organ, with the occasional venture into something 'modern' (ie written after 1950!).  There would be a sermon, which on your average Sunday would last around 15-20 minutes.

Very often as a teenager I felt incredible frustration with this church.  I was lonely without anyone else my age or anyone to relate to my problems as a young Christian growing up.  But more than that, I was frustrated because so many of the people who had attended that church for many years seemed to have forgotten some of what it meant to be a Christian.  While they personally may have felt that their faith was very much part of their lives, they seemed to have no interest whatever in sharing this faith with others in their community.  The church could feel very insular.  When occasionally new families would join the church, they would often leave after a few months because the older members had no understanding of or interest in the need to adapt themselves to accommodate new people and their needs, or new ways of doing things.

Having said all that, one thing that was really noticeable about this church was the sense of community.  Everyone knew almost everyone and was able to help and support those in need.  It was easy to spot new people and generally people would go to them and welcome them- they just didn't understand that they might have different needs.  Since I left some things have begun to change- slowly and with much resistance and sad argument- for the better, I believe, and I can see some hope for the future.  The other things I do like about the Methodist church is the unfussiness of worship and the commitment to lay leadership.  In most of the services the leader/ preacher is a local preacher, a lay person who has had some training but is one of the community, knowing the needs and interests of the congregation.  It also means you get to hear different preachers and different points of view.  Although ordained ministers are an important part of the church, the congregation is far less dependent on them than in many denominations.

So that was my childhood church.  Part two continues the story...

Do we go abroad because it's depressing at home?

Do we sometimes go abroad because it's depressing at home?

Over the last few days I've had several conversations on the subject of overseas missions.  Churches like mine often send out teams of members to different parts of the world (over the last couple of years people from my church have gone to Uganda, Mongolia, Cambodia, Nigeria and several other places, some more than once).  These teams have taken part in different activities from helping build a school to leading conferences to encourage and train local church leaders.

I started to wonder why this was.  Obviously I don't think it's a bad thing that people can travel to other countries and share their skills and knowledge with Christians around the world.  Often both sides learn from the other and people come back with a deepened faith and better understanding of what it is like to follow Jesus in difficult circumstances.  But is this the only reason it is, for want of a better word, so popular?

Going abroad on mission can seem so much more glamorous than trying to do similar work at home.  In Africa and Asia the church is growing while in Europe the picture is much more gloomy.  Do we in the church in Britain (apart from maybe a few places) feel some kind of despair and almost give up on ever seeing anything happen in our own communities?  Is it much easier for us to imagine people coming to Jesus amid the poverty and persecution of the developing world than among our own mostly middle-class neighbours?  Do we look at our own churches and wonder why anyone would want to come there?  Do we go abroad in the hope of seeing faith at work that will encourage us while the situation in our own country only depresses us?*

I think perhaps we do.  And it's not wrong to be encouraged and inspired by what is happening in other parts of the world.  What would be wrong is if we neglect our own communities and our own country in favour of going on high-profile trips abroad.  It might not be so exciting or produce immediate visible results, but that doesn't mean we're excused from doing it.  The church should be at the heart of the community.  Mission isn't just something that happens in Africa, or at certain times of the year.  I think it should invoke the idea of the church serving the community.

Someone pointed out in one discussion I had that while these teams and individuals are often prayed for in church services and prayer meetings, much less time is given to praying for those who have a mission role in our own community.  Which, if you think about it, is more or less all of us.  For example, there are several people at my church who are involved in social work, or who are teachers.  These people have a big impact on the lives of those they work with.  Perhaps we should learn to value what are traditionally seen as 'secular' jobs more.  And to value and support those who do mission 'at home,' a daily slog of meetings and initiatives that maybe don't seem exciting or don't see much result.

Jesus said his disciples would be his witnesses in Jerusalem and Judea (ie, locally and nationally) as well as throughout the world (internationally).  All are important, and all are valid.  Some people are called to one and some to another, some see great results and others don't but we shouldn't forget that we are all his witnesses, wherever we are.

*I say we although I've never personally been on such a trip.  Judge for yourselves if you think that has prejudiced my point of view.

A short history of Bible translation

Recently I've come across several things about certain groups of American conservative Christians who believe that the King James Version is the only trustworthy and reliable translation of the Bible, and that all other translations or versions have a 'liberal' bias.  Ignoring that much of what they describe as 'liberal' most people would describe as 'sane,' does this claim make any sense?

Time for a history lesson.  The King James version was a translation made in the early seventeenth century (under the sponsorship of James I- or VI, if you're Scottish).  It followed on from a conference he'd called to try and sort out the English church, which was splitting between those who put more emphasis on style and ceremony, and the Puritan element which focused on preaching.  The Puritans hoped that James, coming from Scotland where the church was more to their liking, would reform the church along their lines, but the king didn't want to abolish bishops or relinquish his own control over the church.  He agreed to sponsor a new translation of the Bible as compensation to keep the Puritans within the church 'onside.'

The KJV was not (as some conservatives seem to believe) the 'original' English version.  English translations of the Bible had begun circulating in manuscript in the later middle ages due to clergyman John Wycliffe and the Lollard movement.  William Tyndale's translation was printed abroad and smuggled into early Tudor England.  And in 1539 Henry VIII authorised the King's Great Bible, the first legal translation.

Before that, the version of the Bible commonly used throughout the Catholic church was the Vulgate, St Jerome's 5th century Latin translation.  Around the end of the middle ages, more of Europe's learned classes had begun to study Greek and Hebrew, and had discovered many inaccuracies in the Vulgate.  This, along with the desire to make the Bible available to ordinary people in their own 'vernacular' language helped bring about the Reformation.  Martin Luther's German Bible, for example, was translated from Greek and Hebrew texts, but Luther 'Germanised' it by using words and similes that his congregation would be familiar with- translating by the 'sense' of the passage rather than the exact words.  This, presumably, is something the conservative Christians would not approve of, but provided it is well done it can often be a lot more helpful than a text which is word-for-word accurate, but where the sense of the words is lost (for example because it includes on Hebrew euphemisms that we no longer understand).

The conservative American Christians seem to believe that the older the text they are using is, the more reliable it is.  But as any historian will tell you that's not always the case.  Older texts often have more mistakes because they have been copied (or reprinted) more times, while newer translations have the advantage of advances in scholarship.  For example, since the KJV was made new manuscripts of some of the Biblical texts have come to light which have influenced scholars' opinions of what certain sections mean.  So in fact more recent translations, incorporating these finds, are probably more accurate to the original sense of the writers.

What about the supposed liberal bias?  Well, sometimes it just seems to boil down to verses they don't like or find awkward, which conservatives say can't possibly be authentic.*  Or to using a different meaning (where a word may be translated with more than one meaning) which suggests policies the conservatives dislike (eg socialism, feminism).  Perhaps I'm looking at this too much as a historian, but much of this perception of 'liberal bias' seems to me to be a result of some conservatives trying to fit the text to their beliefs, rather than their beliefs to the text.  That's a trap historians have often fallen into.

On the other hand, what these Christians have got right is the need to try to understand the Bible.  But we need to look at it in the light of what it meant to its original audience as well as to us, and as far as possible without bias, liberal or conservative.  Every translation of the Bible has a different 'slant:' some may be more faithful to the early texts than others, some use different words to make the text more easily understood.



*I am in no way intending to suggest that only conservatives do this kind of manipulation of the text, much of it is true just as much of all shades of Christian opinion.