Time to Get Back in Touch?

Some recent events in my life prompted me to think of an old friend from years ago, rekindling fond memories of times we shared together.   All of us have memories of past occasions: some going back years to our upbringing; some more recent; some of life's highs; some of its lows.  For many of us, photographs say more than words and so we use photos to nurture memories.  Our family living room is rather like that, with photos on shelves and walls as well as in our growing archive of albums which weigh down the bookshelves.

 One of the things which the Bible records is the followers of God learning to pass on lessons they have learned about life and God's faithfulness.  For example, part of Deuteronomy chapter 6 is the beginning of the Shema, which Jewish people still say every day.   Lent offers us a good chance for reflection.  As I reflect on life and things I have learned about its ups and downs, people, myself and God, I realise that it's often old lessons I need to re-learn and apply, rather than completely new things I'm learning.  And my mistakes and sins are also usually about falling into the same old traps rather than encountering new ones.

 Memories are not just a way to wallow in nostalgia.  The things we experienced yesterday and yesteryear should affect the way we live today.  What lessons have you learned which you still apply today?

 Writing this column is a prompt for me to email my old friend, it's been a long time since we were in touch.  I wonder about you … is there a person, or maybe God himself, that you need to get back in touch with?

Is it Time to Ditch Bad Habits?

This week sees pancake day on Tuesday and the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday.  In school assemblies over the past few days I have been trying (and failing!) to perfect my technique for flipping pancakes, and reflecting on why the tradition of pancakes emerged for 'Mardi Gras' (French for 'fat Tuesday'), the day before the beginning of Lent.

 The idea of pancake day/Shrove Tuesday was to use up the sweet ingredients that people would do without in the six and a half weeks before Easter.  There's a tradition of giving something up for Lent - for me this year it's the fizzy drinks that I have too many of - you may have seen me consuming too many of these!

 Going without things in Lent is for two reasons: first, to remember the temptation of Jesus in the desert, when He drew deeply from his well of knowledge of the Old Testament in resisting three big temptations; and second to recall his willingness to do without even life itself by dying on the cross for the good of people like you and me.

 Giving things up for Lent is about much more than ditching bad habits.  It's about reflecting on the changes that God wants to see in our lives.  Over the weeks before Easter, I hope you'll take time to consider some changes that would be in order, and then have the strength to put these into practice.

Is it time to refuel?

I would like to continue the theme I wrote about last week, drawing parallels between churches and what happens at an airport.  When an airliner parks on the apron after landing, there is a carefully timed sequence of vehicles that pull up to the aircraft, performing three main functions before its next flight:

• Refuelling - usually with a fuel truck pulling alongside the wing and running a hose into the fuel tanks;

• Luggage - often with two 'road-trains' of vehicles taking off the incoming baggage and putting on the outgoing;

• Catering - with trucks removing the debris from consumed in-flight meals and delivering new ones.

Once all these tasks are completed, the crew and passengers are able to fly to their next destination.

'But what's all this got to do with church and life?', you may well be thinking.  A friend of mine used to lead a church with the mission statement "bring them in, build them up, send them out", and I've given thought lately to the ways in which people can be built up.  People sometimes comment to me on how church feeds them in various ways - spiritual, emotional and mental as well as physical.  The Bible itself and Bible-based ministry provide good 'diet' and 'exercise', equipping people to go out into the world.  Perhaps your new year resolutions included something about physical diet and exercise.  I wonder - have you considered church, and exploring the Bible?  It's a great and unique book.

The Flight of our Lives

Before I became a vicar, I spent seven years working in the overseas aid business, travelling around the world to various developing countries.  During those years I spent hundreds, maybe thousands, of hours in airports.  So my ears pricked up at a conference a while ago when the speaker likened a healthy church to an airport, and at first I was puzzled.  Then he said that the sign of a healthy airport is not beautiful buildings but aircraft arriving and departing.  (The recent 'drone' closure of Gatwick demonstrated this!).  Likewise, a healthy church is one where people 'land' by becoming Christians and 'take off' by going out in service and mission.

I've been reflecting recently on how life can be likened to a 'flight': sometimes smooth, sometimes turbulent, sometimes uneventful, sometimes memorable.  But the purpose of a flight is to go somewhere, and to land there.  For some people, 'landing' when they become a Christian is straightforward, but for others it's a bumpy process in difficult conditions, like landing in a strong crosswind.  To extend the analogy, perhaps a Christian minister is like an air traffic controller talking people down and giving them clearance to land.

I wonder - how is the 'flight' of your life going?  If you're not yet a Christian, what would prompt you to come out of the 'holding pattern' and land on God's runway?  Or maybe you've already 'landed' as a Christian and need equipping/refuelling for your next flight.  Whichever is you, I hope you'll enjoy the best destination of all, the kingdom of God.

Recipe for Being Friends with Jesus

For many of us, people know about us by the company we keep and the time we spend eating and drinking with family/friends/neighbours.  Although it's still two months away, you may already have begun thinking about who will cook/host/travel/etc on Christmas Day!  In Jesus' day, meals were important, and some had great significance - for example the Seder meal with which Jewish people commemorated the Passover (and still do).

 At St John's we are currently doing a series on some of the best-known meals that Jesus shared with people, and the conversations, surprises and controversy which often followed. I recently found myself thinking about a meal which Jesus had with the tax collector Matthew.  In those days, tax collectors often had booths alongside major roads and were widely regarded as collaborators with the occupying Romans - very unpopular and not the sort of people for a respectable Israelite to hang out with.  So, when Jesus called Matthew to be one of his first disciples, it was no surprise that some people thought this was outrageous (see Matthew chapter 9 if you'd like to learn more).

 I sometimes meet people today who think they're somehow 'unworthy' to be friends and followers of Jesus.  Maybe you feel like this yourself?  If so, I want to encourage you that he's always pleased when people follow him.  Just think about the cross - he cares for you that much.