Words that sustain

Jamming with Caddick Tuesday night, was moved to recall the songs that have kept me on my walk since this time last year. Thought I'd share them with you - poetry and truth are a potent mix.

• I've given like a beggar and lived like the rich
  crafted myself a more comfortable cross
  Yet what I am called to is deeper than this,
  It's time you had my whole life
• Reach out your hand to save me where I've have fallen down
  And in your grace, O Saviour lift me from this place
• Your beauty and your majesty are far beyond compare
  You've won my heart now this will be my prayer
  Take the world but give me Jesus
  You're the treasure in this life
  For time and for eternity I know I'm in your care
  You've won my heart now this will be my prayer
• When satan tempts me to despair and tells me of the guilt within
  upward I look and see Him there, who made an end to all my sin
  Because the sinless Saviour died, my sinful soul is counted free
  For God the just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me
• Long my imprisoned spirit lay
  fast bound in sin and nature's plight
  Thine eye diffused a quickening ray
  I rose, the dungeon filled with light
  My chains fell off, my heart was free
  I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

More on Dawkins

Was thinking around some of Roberto's comments on a post late last week. I don't think it's as simple as dismissing someone as un intellectual if they don't bother doing the research before they write on something. There's other words for that. Dawkins is no doubt an extremely capable and intelligent man - in his field. But in the same way I wouldn't pretend to have the capacity to write about, say, organic famring methods in Yemen, with any degree of accuracy, perhaps dawkins could take the lesson on board? That the overwhelming response to his work from rational, real, intellectually capable Christians is that he simply misses the point nearly all the time - by assuming his presuppositions equal truth and 'setting up straw men to knock them down'. If I were the receiver of all this criticism (or Christicism (C) ) from an established school of intellectual enquiry i.e. theology - I might want to listen and learn from them . . . ?

Bishop Mike put me the way of a review, which included this gem about the nature of God.

Dawkins speaks scoffingly of a personal God, as though it were entirely obvious exactly what this might mean. He seems to imagine God, if not exactly with a white beard, then at least as some kind of chap, however supersized. He asks how this chap can speak to billions of people simultaneously, which is rather like wondering why, if Tony Blair is an octopus, he has only two arms. For Judeo-Christianity, God is not a person in the sense that Al Gore arguably is. Nor is he a principle, an entity, or ‘existent’: in one sense of that word it would be perfectly coherent for religious types to claim that God does not in fact exist. He is, rather, the condition of possibility of any entity whatsoever, including ourselves. He is the answer to why there is something rather than nothing. God and the universe do not add up to two, any more than my envy and my left foot constitute a pair of objects.

Something someone said about song lyrics

Present me with vapid, airy familiarities about God sung in a ballad
and I'm nowhere - give me orientation as to my fall, my rescue, and my
blessing in Christ and I'm ready to overflow with thanksgiving.

Now - answers on a postcard as to who said it.

Happy Christmas BTW

On being in the office before the heating is on

Having never seen the office clock before 8am before, I now know why. The heating doesn't com on 'til half eight.

Things are much quieter when no-one else is around. Which leaves room for thoughts.

How will tonight go? Will God heal people? Will He heal Kirsty before she goes into surgery? Will my neck and headaches rear their nasty little head?

I have no doubt in my mind that He can. I'm just not certain it will happen.

Which brings me to last night, reading and learning about Romans 8 together, the 'pinnacle' of the New Testament. I thought to myself lots last night that the promise of God is not that we'll never see trouble, hardship, famine, death, or experience demonic influence, but that these things cannot separate us from the love of God that is in Christ.

M

Let's do more of this

Orderly Worship
26What then shall we say, brothers? When you come together, everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or an interpretation. All of these must be done for the strengthening of the church.

I think when church is smaller it should look a bit more like this, rather than using the white boys with guitars model all the time.

I think in the fuse as we use the main hall we feel we should be using all the toys and gadgets, when really we are just 40 or so people who come together in a much less formal setting.

When we have com together to pray for those in our family who are sick, we have been much more open to listening to God, and seeing where He wants to go. I guess partially it's an expectation thing - sit on seats in rows looking at a band on a stage and something happens subconsciously that says 'you aren't part of what they're doing'. But when we all just gather round the cross, things seem very different, less strict, less organised, more scary and more fun!

God of wrath - reflections on a Dixon's musings

This is a thoughful meandering and thinking around some issues John raised over at woodiesworship.blogspot . its not fully formed and unedited, hopefully there should be a discussion coming out of it.

Matt

Reading John’s arguments again, I have a few comments to make which are not really directed at the arguments themselves, but more wider questions of exegesis and interpretation. I’m just going to let my mind run away with me on my lunch hour, so this is more ‘Matt’s thoughts’ than ‘Matt wants to sing this song!’ although where I end up might look that way! Firstly, a quick search for the word vengeance in the NIV shows a number of references (29 in fact), particularly Isaiah 34:8 and 35:4 So I think the question we should be asking ourselves is ‘What aspect of the character of God is trying to be put forward by the inclusion of these words in the Bible’. I appreciate that the word itself is a troubling one, one that causes tensions in the chest as we try and square it with the God of the love songs we so often bring to Him. However, it is there, frequently, in the Bible. Describing God is impossible, as we sing (!) . So we must be cautious with how we conceive of God as we try and make attempts to describe some part of him. I am a creature, and I have a character. As such I am made up of different characteristics and tendencies. God is not a creature, but Creator. Therefore we need to be careful not to apply ‘creature’ words to the creator. I might have been a kind man at some point but there is no guarantee I will as kind in 20 years time. God is not beset by such change – he remains the same, immutable, immortal, invisible. So it is more correct to describe God as having attributes rather than characteristics. Secondly when thinking about God we must remember that he never limits himself or any part of himself in acting in a particular way. So when we think of God as Loving and contrast that with his anger and wrath as a very clear opposite, we have already reduced Him down to creature terms. To be loving he doesn’t limit his anger. To act justly doesn’t diminish His love. Rather, as he is divine and we are not, when He acts He is ALWAYS acting fully in accordance with His divine nature. He is constant. He is always God, always will be God, not capricious and flighty but solid and dependable. So to judge is an expression of His mercy and love as much as his act of rescue in His only Son. Specifically, what He judges (in creature terms ‘takes vengeance upon’) in fact CONFIRMS his justice, mercy and love. God takes and will take righteous and perfect action against those who defile and deface the creation and creatures who bear His image. Because He loves them, and is summed up by love. 8 For the LORD has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion's cause I think reading Isaiah 35 is helpful – 4 say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." I would like to use Romans 1 as a sidelight here. We see that when people know God yet do not honour or worship Him, they are deceived in their minds and dimmed in their thinking. The rest of the chapter shows how sin corrupts the entire human race absolutely. And that ‘the wages of sin is death’. What we know, and should treasure, is that God, while demonstrating His kindness in apparently delaying this final day of ‘vengeance’ so that as many as possible may find the defence of the gracious gift of the Messiah’s blood, will act finally to rid the world of sin, to purify it and judge its evil. The day of vengeance is one that confirms to us that God IS just, that he doesn’t stand idle, that he isn’t disinterested in rape, child abuse, murder, holocausts etc. He cares, and cares deeply about any act which damages and crushes any of those created in His image. These are the things he burns against. I think it is a tension we must hold – let’s just remind ourselves exactly what God will take vengeance on. It isn’t malevolent, sinister self seeking war mongering for power and fame, but the full expression of his love for his people and that fact that those who ignore Him and are in fact openly hostile to him will receive due penalty; when the end comes all that remains will be that which is in the Kingdom of God. That which isn’t will come to an end. He hasn’t hidden his law; he hasn’t hidden His words from us. We know what God requires (in the bigger picture here – not addressing specific individuals at this point). We need to remember these things to appreciate the depth of our fall, and the greatness of the rescue. We have been saved from something – the due penalty for sin is death; the GIFT of God is eternal life. If there isn’t judgement and vengeance and judgement, then there is nothing to show us what God wants and what God hates. We have been saved TO something as well – to eternal life, joy and peace with the creator we now can stand before through His son. It’s hard, but need to somehow hold both aspects of the cross in tension in our minds. I’m going to let Nahum have the last word – spot the tensions! The Lord 's Anger Against Nineveh 2 The LORD is a jealous and avenging God; the LORD takes vengeance and is filled with wrath. The LORD takes vengeance on his foes and maintains his wrath against his enemies. 3 The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet. 4 He rebukes the sea and dries it up; he makes all the rivers run dry. Bashan and Carmel wither and the blossoms of Lebanon fade. 5 The mountains quake before him and the hills melt away. The earth trembles at his presence, the world and all who live in it. 6 Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him. 7 The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him, 8 but with an overwhelming flood he will make an end of Nineveh ; he will pursue his foes into darkness.