Tranquility

Looking up ‘Tranquility’ in the thesaurus produces a string of:

Peace
….peacefulness
……..restfulness
….repose
calm
….calmness
……..quiet
….quietness
stillness.

Even something about reading those words produces a certain soporific effect.

The picture above I took at Garrettstown on a day off last Saturday. Without such special days, times with my beautiful (and incredibly patient) wife and our two wonderful boys I don’t think I would last very long in parish ministry.  We all need times of peace, days of fun, moments of joy and places to escape to.

We spent about six or seven hours on the beach but it felt like no time at all.  It wasn’t very warm, there was a chill in the air from the north east, but we built an enormous sand castle, which later became an alien space craft and a rowing boat (of sorts).  We gathered driftwood and made a fire on which we cooked sausages and rashers.  Breathing in the fresh sea air all day meant that we all slept very well that night and I was ready in body, mind and spirit for the day and week ahead, (something which unfortunately doesn’t always happen).

As I look at the photo now I am reminded of those old and familiar words that long ago we used to sing in church:

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee:
because he trusteth in thee.
Trust ye in the Lord for ever:
for our rock of ages is the Lord.

(Isaiah 26:3-4)

Reconnect

One of the best methods of stress-busting I know is to find a beach, (preferably a deserted one and ideally on a cold windy wintery day) and just walk.   In this place of wind, water and waves, prayer is never too far away…

In the quiet place

Yesterday gave me an interesting and slightly uncomfortable insight into myself.  Those days before Easter Sunday, ‘Holy Week’ are perhaps the busiest days of the year; there is much to do in the way of visiting parishioners and preparing for the many services which take place.  It is hard to relax much during this season, though I have found that family time in the garden, whether it be kicking a ball around with my sons or just spending precious time with my better half in the late spring sunshine are great antidotes to the stress which inevitably builds up.

So I found myself at a clergy ‘Quiet afternoon’ yesterday, needing to be still, having to be quiet in the midst of the busiest week of the year.  I felt like a sailor trying to steer a ship in the middle of a storm and being asked to let go of the ropes (for a while) and sit down and do nothing.  ’Preposterous’ my ego was telling me, ‘how could you do nothing at a time like this?’  It was very difficult at first to even sit still and my mind was swilrling with the maelstrom of all that still needs to be done, but slowly, gradually I averted my gaze away from the hectic busyness and focused for a brief but golden moment on what really matters and what it is all about.  Jesus.

This morning I remembered a song by Andy Park.  Perhaps I should listen to it more :-)

In the secret, in the quiet place
In the stillness You are there
In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait only for You
’Cause I want to know You more

I want to know You
I want to hear Your voice
I want to know You more
I want to touch You
I want to see Your face
I want to know You more

I am reaching for the highest goal
That I might receive the prize
Pressing ownward, pushing every hindrance aside, out of my way
’Cause I want to know You more

Lent, a time for new beginnings and growth.

Photo: Crocuses at Blarney Castle (February 2011)

Sermon for Ash Wednesday.  Text: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21

Mentioning ‘Lent’ to people will provoke differing reactions. For some, it is the chance to give something up, such as chocolate, smoking, alcohol, (or churchgoing)!  For others it is the chance to start doing something good and positive, going for a brisk walk every morning, reading Deuteronomy and Leviticus before breakfast or giving some time or money to a charity.  For others still, even mentioning ‘Lent’ will result in arms being folded and statements of defiance such as ‘Well, I’m giving up Lent for Lent!”

I have to say that over the years I’ve tried various things with limited success, so I was pleased about the appointed reading for today because it is one that I have for years found in equal measure comforting, encouraging and challenging.  This reading gives us help with some of the great themes of Lent that have been practised by Christians down through the centuries, these are: Giving to the needy, Prayer, Fasting, and the way we view possessions.

The Lord Jesus begins by teaching about giving to the needy.  Even just mentioning this may make us squirm!  It used to be that the needy were people who you lived amongst, orphans and widows and beggars on the streets were near where you lived and may have been known to you personally.  Now to a large degree, the needy are much more remote from us, they live in far away places, we are distanced from them in language, culture and creed.  As such, it is easy to forget about them and as it were to pass by on the other side of the road.  If we have a conscience however, the needy will never be so far away from us that we are unable to help.  Not only does the Lord Jesus want us to give to the needy, He wants us to do it in secret.  He says:

“Beware of practicing your piety before others in order to be seen by them; for then you have no reward from your Father in heaven. ²“So whenever you give alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be praised by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward. ³But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴so that your alms may be done in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you…” (v.1-4)

The Lord does not want us to be hypocrites, where we only do things for outward appearance – ‘Look at me aren’t I great for giving all this money away!’  Haven’t we all felt that temptation, when we have done something good or given something away, we want people to know about it? Of course, if people can find out about our giving and it looks like we were trying to keep it a secret all the better – ‘O how holy I am!’  I love the phrase ‘do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing’, our motive for giving must be pure; we must genuinely not even secretly want some kind of reward in return.  We give because of God’s love, God’s love for us and for the joy of being used by God to bless others in return.

The next great theme of Lent is that of Prayer, the Lord says:

⁵“And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward.⁶But whenever you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (v.5-6)

Again, we are not to be hypocrites, putting on prayers for show to be seen and heard by others.  I learnt my lesson about this at the Christian Union meeting I used to attend in my student days.  For some reason I got it into my head that God was impressed with long complicated prayers and so when we used to have prayer times I would set off on these really extended ridiculous prayers with what I thought were long and impressive words and rich metaphors – it was all very ridiculous and I am ashamed as I remember it.  Nobody said anything to me about it but one day, in mid prayer it suddenly dawned on me what I was doing – I was trying to impress God, and I was trying to impress my fellow students and I was a big eejit!  I felt so stupid and it was many months before I could pray out loud again – normally and honestly and without hypocrisy.  Of course this is even more important in our personal and private prayer; like our giving of money, our personal prayer times should be in secret, behind a closed door out of sight and hearing of anyone else as much as possible.

Have you ever tried to fast?  If you want some way to make yourself as grumpy and as irritable as possible I highly recommend it!  No seriously, fasting is something that is a very good habit indeed, though one that seems (for many) to have fallen by the wayside a bit in recent times.  There are lots of different ways of doing it but here is what I would suggest for someone who would like to give it a go:  A simple way to do it is to fast for 24 hours, so when you wake up in the morning don’t have breakfast, just a couple of glasses of water and the time that you normally would have spent preparing and eating your breakfast spend in prayer and Bible reading.  Then for your elevenses the same, a glass or two of water and the time you would have normally taken with your coffee and ‘Kit Kat’ spend with God in the place of prayer, same for lunch, same for dinner and the same before bed.  The next morning, have your breakfast, but just have a small bowl of cereal or slice of toast, if you go for the ‘full Irish’ you will probably be sick!  Fasting has a strange effect; you will find yourself getting grumpy as you get hungry but this will go because of the extra time spent in prayer and in that prayer you will find all sorts of things that need dealing with coming to the surface.  Talk to God about all the stuff that comes up, tell him what you are feeling, just let it all out and tell him.  People who fast often find it invaluable and actually look forward to it as a time of blessing and fellowship with God.  Again, the Lord Jesus wants our fasting to be done in secret – we don’t make a fuss about it so we plan the fasting for a quiet day when we would be at home rather than a day when we were invited to City Hall for a banquet!

The fourth great theme of Lent that the Lord teaches us about is our attitude towards money and possessions.  It’s a bit of a cliché (but one that we have no doubt witnessed), that the more money people have the more tightly they try and hold on to it.  So often people who are very wealthy are also very unhappy.  Conversely, people who are not at all wealthy are often much more happy.  I have also seen how often it is the poorest people who are the most generous in their giving of both money and resources; they have learned a lesson of which the rest of us can only be  in awe of, that true happiness is in giving away what God blesses us with, that we might in turn bless others.

As we look at these things, the giving of money, praying in secret, fasting and our attitude to money and possessions it can be overwhelming.  We can despair at our weakness:  We try to give money away but we can’t even afford to pay our bills first, ‘I want to be able to pray but I don’t think God would listen, he’s too busy and how could he love me after what I’ve done anyway; fasting, I’m a million miles away from that, it’s just for monks and people who have loads of spare time on their hands; money how can I worry about money, I don’t have any to hoard in the first place!’  I know, I know.  Look, just begin with small steps, like a child learning to walk, holding his Father’s big hands and looking into his Father’s kind and loving eyes.  Just take one step at a time…

I’ll finish with this amazing true story that I came across recently:

A man called Craig had been an alcoholic for more than a dozen years. He’d lost everything he had, including his wife and son, due to his selfishness and addiction. Things began to change after he gave his life to Christ, but he still fell regularly into his old habits. It didn’t help that he’d lost his well-paying job and was working at a local grocery shop that was well stocked with alcohol. After a few years of going back and forth between Christ and the bottle, he finally cut the ties, and, out of obedience to Christ, quit his job.

With no income and hope only in Christ, he was in desperate condition. After an interview with a sheet metal company down the street from his new church, he cried out to God. “God, if you give me this job I will give you my first pay check.” Surprisingly, he got the job.

He clearly remembers the day when he got his first pay check. Stacks of bills needed to be paid. Penniless but determined, he wrote his name on the back of the check and endorsed it over to the church and walked it to the church office without waiting for the Sunday offering. That was the moment, he says, that changed his life because now he understood what it meant to trust God.

As of today, Craig has been sober for 25 years, he’s a manager at that sheet metal company, and he serves as an elder at his local church.[1]

With God’s help, all things are possible, even for me and even for you.  Amen.

---

[1] http://www.preachingtoday.com/search/?query=Matthew+6:19+-+24&searcharea=illustrations&type=scripture&x=22&y=6

and the busy world is hushed

The past week or so has been unusual; many meetings, visits and school days have been cancelled and we have had the sort of weather that “only happens once in a generation” (except of course we had it last year as well.)  

Personally there has been an up-side to being confined to home – more family time, time for catching up on reading etc.  But there is more, a deeper sense of peace, perhaps because of being forced to slow down a little and to reflect upon the things that matter and the things that are important in life and in work.  

(Photography Bit).  Of course I have enjoyed taking a few photographs too :-)  Snow photography is pretty tricky because of all the light reflecting back; my little compact camera has a ‘snow’ scene setting, which is cheating a bit but really all it does (I think) is overexpose things by about a stop.  The above picture was taken from our garden using good old Tri-x film, with a Nikon F100 and 50mm lens.  Developed in Rodinal means that the grain is very grainy but I like the effect here.  

The scene above was as I was standing there in the stillness of the early morning light, very peaceful and  tranquil.  As I look at it now (and as I think about the memorial service I am doing this afternoon) I am reminded of one of the prayers from the funeral service (by John Henry Newman):  

O Lord,
support us all the day long
until the shades lengthen, and the evening comes,
and the busy world is hushed,
the fever of life is over,
and our work is done.
Then, Lord, in your mercy grant us safe lodging,
a holy rest, and peace at the last;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  

The Rich Man and Lazarus

Encouraged by a recent post from “Rev Garibaldi McFlurry”, I’d thought I’d post a sermon, as I haven’t done so in quite a while.  There’s good reason for this (frankly it’s just too embarrassing - I know that I’m not a great writer, my grasp of English grammar must make people who can actually write wince with pain, and also the written sermon differs quite a lot from the one that I actually end up speaking in church.)  But anyway here’s the one I will be delivering later this morning (God help the congregation!).

Text: Luke 16:19-31 ”The Rich man and Lazarus”

Hell is quite unfashionable these days.  There was a time of course when preachers, usually with wild hair and staring eyes, would thump on pulpits and declare damnation with vivid descriptions of fire and torture and eternal hopelessness.  Of course that would be sooo politically incorrect today, we talk a lot about heaven and salvation but very little about final rejection by God and the eternal punishment that results.  Many Christians today just choose to ignore the subject or believe that a good and loving God would never allow such a place to exist.  Others think that surely hell must just be for a time; it surely can’t be for eternity can it? 

The Lord Jesus actually had quite a lot to say on the subject of hell, and one of the better-known passages includes our reading for this morning from Luke’s gospel.  He starts off by saying:

‘There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 

There is of course nothing wrong with being rich, Abraham and Jospeh of Arimathea were rich; it is what one does with ones wealth that matters.  The rich man in this parable liked dressing up; purple cloth in those days was usually reserved for royalty because it was so expensive, the purple dye was extracted from shellfish and was a very expensive process.  This was the kind of man who might be described as “filthy rich” (Hendriksen New Testament Commentary, Luke, Banner of Truth 1997, p.782), a strutting peacock.  He wanted everyone to know that he was rich.  He was in love … with himself! 

Jesus continues:

²⁰And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, ²¹who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 

Here is the test for the rich man, to see if there is any kind of compassion in him or is he TOTALLY selfish!  A poor man, called Lazarus lies at the gate to the rich mans mansion.  The name ‘Lazarus’ means, “God has helped”, but not only was he a beggar, totally unable to provide for himself, he was covered in sores also.  The poor man would have been happy even to receive the scraps, the leftovers from the rich mans table, but the rich man did not help him in any way, he continued living only for himself.  Lazarus’ condition was so bad that even dogs used to come and lick his wounds.   

We then learn that:

²²The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham.  The rich man also died and was buried.

The beggar’s misery had ended at last, we don’t even get any details of his burial, it probably was very short and sad. Yet what happened to his soul was far more important, he was carried by Angels, God’s own messengers to be with Abraham.  The rich man however had a burial, it was probably a big funeral with lots of important guests and a lavish ceremony.  His tomb was probably in an important and prominent place.  What happened to his soul though was far more important, we are not told what happened to him, no angels are mentioned, but his final destination we are told is: 

 ²³In Hades, where he was being tormented, he looked up and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴He called out, “Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue; for I am in agony in these flames.” 

“Hades” is the Greek work for the place of the dead.  Here it clearly is hell, the place of torment and flame.  However, the descriptions that we are given are not meant to be taken literally, but that does not take away from the fact that certain definite truths about the life hereafter are conveyed to us; those who have died are not asleep but awake and of those who have died, some are saved and some are lost.  Another more disturbing truth conveyed is that the destination of the dead is final, there is no second chance, no crossing over from hell to heaven or vice versa. 

We are not given much detail, other that the rich man is in torment, he cries out in agony in the flames.  But how can hell be a place fire and a place of darkness?  Clearly these are indicative of the terrors of hell and perhaps the truth is beyond the ability of our language to tell.  

The rich man calls out to Abraham for help, but Abraham reminds him that he received the good things in his life on earth, the implication being that he is receiving his punishment now because all he could think of in his life was himself and he did not care at all for his fellow man or for God.  And then what makes help further impossible is the great chasm between the place where Abraham and Lazarus are and where the rich man is, there is simply no way to get across. 

In desperation then the rich man pleads for his five brothers, that someone would go and warn them so that they would not end up in hell also.  At last the rich man is thinking of someone other than himself (though it is too little, too late). 

Abraham replies:

 “They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.” 

To which the rich man responds:

“No, father Abraham; but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.”³¹He said to him, “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.” ’

And of course someone did rise from the dead, the Lord Jesus, and many refused and to this day continue to refuse his offer of salvation, which He won on the cross, to all who would come to him in repentance and faith. 

A few weeks ago this kept me awake most of the night.  I was basically trying to have an argument with God.  I could not get my head around the idea that hell is for eternity.  I reasoned that no matter how bad a person is in this life, no matter what crimes they commit, they of course deserve a punishment for those sins.  I could understand better if that punishment was in proportion to the crime, so a person could be in hell for the duration of their punishment, whether that was a year, a hundred years or a million years.  And it is very tempting to believe in such a thing, that is one of the reasons people believe in purgatory or annihilation- it is much easier to believe in these things than hell for eternity, a never ending permanent jail sentence.  After many hours of wrestling with this I fell into a short and uneasy sleep.  It was still troubling me the next day and for several days afterwards.  I read a lot of chapters of theology books on the subject and of course read a lot of Bible passages too.  I came to the following conclusion:  That the Bible is correct, that God is love, yes, but He is also a God of truth and justice.  I don’t like the idea of hell, who would?!  But just because I don’t like it, I don’t have the option to stop believing in it.  Somebody who is walking towards the edge of a cliff might choose to believe that there is no fall ahead of them, but that does not stop the fall from happening when they take the step over the edge!  We can choose not to believe in hell or pretend that it doesn’t exist, or object to it on philosophical grounds, but what help will that be?  Surely the best thing we can do is try to warn people – yes they will probably think we are mad, but what a small price to pay that is if it makes a difference.  How much do we pray for those we know (and even those we don’t) who do not know the reality of Christ in their lives?  How often have we begged and pleaded with God with tears in our eyes for those whom we love who we so desperately want to be saved? 

A mother once came to me and asked me to pray for her sons.   There were tears in her eyes as she spoke of them and the kind of lives they were living.  As she spoke I remembered the story of St. Augustine, one of the greatest Christians in history.  Augustine was a fairly wild and ungodly youth.  His Mother, Monica despaired, she went and pleaded with the local priest to try and get him to talk some sense into her son.  He said to her, “… it cannot be that the son of these tears should perish.”  For Monica it was the encouragement that she needed and she didn’t give up praying for her son.  in later years she often recalled with him how she had taken these words as if they had sounded from heaven. 

Let’s pray … Amen.  

Staring at the Sun

Nikon F100, Nikkor 28-105 D, Ilford HP5 plus (ISO 400) (click to enlarge)

No I wasn’t really staring at the sun, but this picture reminded me of the U2 song of that name. Apart from having the very interesting line “stuck together with God’s glue”, the chorus is fascinating too:

I’m not the only one starin’ at the sun
afraid of what you’d find if you took a look inside
not just deaf and dumb I’m staring at the sun
not the only one who’s happy to go blind.

Perhaps not one of Bono’s jolliest lyrics! In an attempt to get some insight into these words I found lots of discussion on the internet, specifically here. Some think that it’s a comment on society, how people are happy to be blind to the reality of the mess that this world is in, others think that it’s a reference to a group of hippies who whilst stoned on LSD stared at the sun until they went blind. Another theory relates to Plato’s famous cave, you know how humans are trapped in a cave staring at the light only from a fire which they think is the real light but then one of them (the philosopher) is set free, his enlightenment happens and he turns around and sees the real sun outside. Of course the light is blinding at first but then he realizes that what he is seeing is real and what he saw before were only shadows.

Perhaps even Bono doesn’t fully know what he was saying. But it does lead my thoughts further … to the gospel reading for this Sunday:

“…he climbed the mountain to pray, taking Peter, John, and James along. While he was in prayer, the appearance of his face changed and his clothes became blinding white. At once two men were there talking with him. They turned out to be Moses and Elijah—and what a glorious appearance they made!” (from Luke 9 The Message)

And a prayer:

Jesus Christ is the light of the world,
the light no darkness can overcome.
Stay with us, Lord, for it is evening,
and the day is almost over.
Let your light scatter the darkness
and illumine your people.

Amen.

Haiti

As if I needed any reminder, looking at the picture of the globe in my previous post brought my mind straight back to an unfolding tragedy on the other side of the world, in Haiti. To a country that is already desperately poor and already on its knees comes a devastating earthquake.

Here in Cork, we have a very dedicated and inspirational Christian Aid worker, Andrew Coleman. Last year he spent some time in Haiti so as soon as his email arrived yesterday morning I read it through. Here is an excerpt:

You will have seen that there was a severe earthquake in Haiti last night.
At approximately 16:53 an earthquake hit Haiti. It was measured at 7.3 on the Richter scale. It struck about 15km south-west of the capital and was shortly followed by two strong aftershocks of 5.9 and 5.5. There was huge destruction of buildings and a loss of life to many people in Port au Prince the capital. At this moment Christian Aid are launching Appeal in Ireland to support the victims in Haiti. There will be a high level of structural damage, loss of life and damage to water systems, electricity supply and road access. This earthquake has struck an already vulnerable population. In the poorer areas people are very much stretched to the limit.

Christian Aid has a long presence in Haiti and at present is struggling with this destructive earthquake that has just hit the country. The Christian Aid office has been destroyed but all staff has now been recovered. We have many Haitian partner organisations operating over many years in Haiti. Partners have successfully been involved in distributions in previous emergencies…

I think that there will be a huge response to this in terms of church collections and aid from many other quarters. It is beyond heartbreaking to think of tens of thousands of people dead or missing, buried beneath the rubble.

A prayer for Haiti (From Christian Aid Website)

Loving God of creation,
at this time of devastation
we hold before you the people of Haiti.
When the damage is unimaginable,
and the suffering seems overwhelming,
remind us that every person affected
is loved, honoured and precious in your sight.
We remember all those who have been hurt;
all who have lost their homes, livelihoods and loved ones.
Work through us to bring healing
to broken and distorted lives,
peace to those who have been thrown into despair,
light to those in darkness,
and hope to those who fear.
We ask this in the name of Jesus
in whom all life and grace is found.

To open the door

Panasonic LX1, 1/50 sec, f2.8, +0.1 EV, ISO 80, 28mm equivalent (click to enlarge)

I was delighted recently to unearth a copy of “Prayer” by Ole Hallesby in the second-hand section of a Christian Bookshop. It’s one of those books that has for a long time been in my mind to read because it is so often quoted by other Christian authors, especially in books on prayer.

Usually when I pick up a book and get going with it I have a pen to hand so that I can mark sentences or ideas that resonate with me. I might have to take a different approach here though as there would little else but pen marks on the first few pages!

I really like this bit on page 10:

“The results of prayer, therefore, are not dependent upon the powers of the one who prays. His intense will, his fervent emotions or his clear comprehension of what he is praying for are not the reasons why his prayers will be heard and answered. No! God be praised, the results of prayer are not dependent upon these things! To pray is nothing more that to open the door, giving Jesus access to our needs and permitting Him to exercise His own power in dealing with them.”

Great words from Dr. Ole.

Pick up the stick and throw!

“Play with me!”
Nikon D70s 1/500 sec, f11, ISO 200, 18mm, RAW

We love going down to Garrettstown beach near Kinsale and it seemed that last Saturday, even though the weather wasn’t great many other people (and animals) had the same idea. There we were making sandcastles and digging holes when we had an unexpected (and uninvited) visitor in the shape of a very hairy, wet and sandy dog. Our canine companion had kindly brought a stick with him and kept coming a little closer and dropping the stick then coming closer still. No doubt he couldn’t believe how thick I was being, after all he was a dog and he was giving me a stick – go figure! Eventually he pestered me so much that I picked up the stick and threw it (not nearly far enough). The furry wet sandy mass came to life, bounded after the stick and hastily brought it back. I sort of was enjoying the game now so I went to pick up the stick again – but he grabbed it before me and wouldn’t let go! The game of ‘throw’ had now become a game of ‘tug’. I wasn’t a good playmate, he soon got bored and ran off to find someone else who could do better…

I’m reminded of what Jesus said about persistence in prayer. There was a man who had a late night visitor but not enough food to give him, so he went over to his friends house to borrow some food. But the friend shouted out from upstairs that the door was locked and his children were in bed and to come back in the morning. But the man kept on and on asking until eventually the friend gave him the three loaves of bread he was asking for (Luke 18). The point I suppose is that sometimes God wants to see just how much we really want what we are asking Him for, is it just a whim or is it something that we are heartfelt and passionate about? If we persist asking God will eventually pick up the stick and throw!

Jesus said:”So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” (Luke 11:9-10)