Begging

I have been reading Letters from the Farm by Becca Stevens, a series of letters with some fascinating spiritual insights. I was really struck by some comments on begging in one of them. It is something on which we might well be inclined to look down - but she reminds us of its crucial role.

"Begging is not an issue to be solved, but a way we wrestle our way though injustices, oppression, poverty, and sickness. A faith without begging is an act. None of us are above or beneath begging. ... The crumbs under the table can fill our cups to overflowing with streams of gratitude and hope for this world."

I am reminded of the insightful saying of the missionary statesman D T Niles - "Christianity is one beggar telling another beggar where to find bread."

Post-It Poems

I have just finished Chris Fosten.s Post-It Poems (Proost, 2018) - an enjoyable collection of short poems. The idea is to keep it simple - and short. The poem needs to be written on a post-it note.

I thought I would have a go. There is nothing profound here, but this is my first three attempts:

A walk near Linton - Feb 2020
Sunshine
Movement
Mud
Path
Snowdrops
Branches
Ford
Fields

Responding to God
Praise
Worship
Thanksgiving
Adoration
  and also
Listening
Doing
Following the Call
Disciple
Here I am - Use me

A storm in 1992
Sailing from Bocas del Toro
To San Cristobal
The storm blew up
Boat tossed out of the sea
I was too busy
Trying to keep dry
To be scared

David and Goliath

I recently read Malcolm Gladwell’s David and Goliath. It is sub-titled ‘Underdogs, Misfits and the art of Battling Giants.’ Gladwell himself says of the book: “David and Goliath is a book about what happens when ordinary people confront giants. By “giants,” I mean powerful opponents of all kinds—from armies and mighty warriors to disability, misfortune, and oppression. Each chapter tells the story of a different person—famous or unknown, ordinary or brilliant—who has faced an outsize challenge and been forced to respond.”

The basic premise is that both apparent giants and underdogs may not be what they seem. The classic example is the one that gives the book its title, the story of David’s defeat of Goliath. At first sight, the assumption as to the outcome of that encounter has those who hear the story thinking in the wrong direction. Size seems to be what matters – only it isn’t. What matters is skill and realising one’s potential. As Gladwell says: “The reason King Saul is skeptical of David’s chances is that David is small and Goliath is large. Saul thinks of power in terms of physical might. He doesn’t appreciate that power can come in other forms as well—in breaking rules, in substituting speed and surprise for strength. Saul is not alone in making this mistake.”

He adds: “Underdogs win all the time. Why, then, are we so shocked every time a David beats a Goliath? Why do we automatically assume that someone who is smaller or poorer or less skilled is necessarily at a disadvantage? We have, I think, a very rigid and limited definition of what an advantage is. We think of things as helpful that actually aren’t and think of other things as unhelpful that in reality leave us stronger and wiser.”

The person who appears to be the underdog may actually have the advantage, at least if it is used carefully and skilfully.

Gladwell seeks to explore how people can use well the abilities that they have, often with surprising results, and he does this by recounting a number of stories which illustrate the point.

“I want to explore two ideas. The first is that much of what we consider valuable in our world arises out of these kinds of lopsided conflicts, because the act of facing overwhelming odds produces greatness and beauty. And second, that we consistently get these kinds of conflicts wrong. We misread them. We misinterpret them. Giants are not what we think they are. The same qualities that appear to give them strength are often the sources of great weakness. And the fact of being an underdog can change people in ways that we often fail to appreciate: it can open doors and create opportunities and educate and enlighten and make possible what might otherwise have seemed unthinkable.”

Gospel

Trevor Dennis is a great believer in the power of story, and I always find his re-tellings of the stories told by, or about, Jesus a helpful way of discovering new insights. His explorations into those stories have the same effect – and so, unsurprisingly, I have much enjoyed The Gospel Beyond The Gospels (SPCK, 2017), which I have just finished reading.

He picks stories like the anointing of Jesus by a woman, possibly Mary Magdalene, who used some expensive perfume and the man, often nicknamed Legion, who lived among the graves in Gentile territory. He uses these to indicate how God’s love is different.

Similarly, he explores at length the story that we normally refer to as that of the prodigal son. The question story raises for Jesus’ original listeners, and for us, is, in Dennis’s words: “Would they (will we) join the dance of the Kingdom of God?”

The book reminds us that the Gospel takes us to places that we don’t expect – nor, in all honesty, want – to go. But that is what God is calling us to do.

Trevor Dennis reminds us: “Mary of Magdala, in John’s compelling story of her encounter with the risen Jesus, struggles to recognise him and no wonder!” When Jesus speaks our name, do we recognise who it is that is speaking to us?

Talking About Race

“Every voice raised against racism chips away at its power. We can’t afford to stay silent.” Reni Eddo-Lodge’s Why I’m No Longer Talking To White People About Race is a powerful, challenging and uncomfortable read. But it is an important one. We need to take her premise seriously. I have been in the situation where the people in a particular church told me: ‘we don’t see colour’. However, they did. What they refused to do was to recognise just how they saw race.

Race is part of identity. It needs to be seen, both for the good contribution our diversity makes and as a means of recognising the discrimination and prejudice that exists. Reni Eddo-Lodge puts it like this: “Not seeing race does little to deconstruct racist structures or materially improve the conditions which people of colour are subject to daily. In order to dismantle unjust, racist structures, we must see race. We must see who benefits from their race, who is disproportionately impacted by negative stereotypes about their race, and to who power and privilege is bestowed upon – earned or not – because of their race, their class, and their gender. Seeing race is essential to changing the system.”

We do need to recognise the weight of history and the ease with which institutional racism influences things. We need to find ways of changing that. We need to recognise that some of what we had done, however well intentioned, has come nowhere near achieving what is needed. As Reni Edo-Lodge points out: “The word multiculturalism has become a proxy for a ton of British anxieties about immigration, race, difference, crime and danger. It’s now a dirty word, a front word for fears about black and brown and foreign people posing a danger to white Brits. If you are an immigrant – even if you’re second or third generation – this is personal. You are multiculturalism. People who are scared of multiculturalism are scared of you. And, in the spirit of 1980s-style political blackness, ‘immigration concerns’ are less about who is black, and more about who isn’t white British.”

These are hard words, but they are needed. “It’s on your shoulders and mine to dismantle what we once accepted to be true. It’s our task. It needs to be done with whatever resources we have on hand. We need to change narratives. We need to change the frames. We need to claim the entirety of British history. We need to let it be known that black is British, that brown is British, and that we are not going away. We can’t wait for a hero to swoop in and make things better. Rather than be forced to react to biased agendas, we should outright reject them and set our own.”

John the Baptist

John the Baptist is a unique figure, weird clothes, weird food, and even a strange location, as he made his home in the desert. But he is hugely important as he prepares the way for Jesus. Charles Croll, minister of Southwold United Reformed Church, has produced a fascinating and well researched biography – John the Baptist: A Biography by Charles Croll (Malcolm Down, 2019). I have just finished reading it, and found myself into John’s world, as the book takes the reader through all the references to John, especially, of course, focussing on his baptising ministry. The book begins by considering the different ways in which the church has depicted John by offering diverse perspectives. It goes on through his life and ends by considering the impact and legacy of John’s ministry.

John certainly plays a critical role. As Charles notes: “John was crucial to the early Christians as a guide to help them through their formative years as they grappled with the big issues of the day, giving them, among other things, a framework for understanding what happened on the Day of Pentecost, and for the inclusion of Gentile converts in the Church.”

I found it a worthwhile read, taking me to new depths in my understanding and appreciation of the one so often known as ‘the Baptist’.