Doing New Things

God is constantly working in unexpected ways, doing new things, engaging with the world, not necessarily in the way that we may want, though that may sometimes be the case, but in the way that makes God’s difference to the world.  We can actually be part of this transforming opportunity because God wants us to be part of the enterprise of the Kingdom.  We are not called to do everything, though some of us sometimes seem to think we are; but, with God’s help, may we do effectively those things to which we are actually called, even when we struggle to cope with some of God’s surprises!  May we be ready to do the new things to which God calls us, remembering that God has a place and a role for each one of us – and God doesn’t call us to things where we won’t fit in and that we can't manage.

Power

I have begun reading "The End of Power" by Moses Naim, the first book suggested by Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, for his 'year of books'.  I have to admit that I have only managed the first chapter so far, but that is because of the problem in finding the time, and not that I am not caught up in what I have read so far.

Naim recognises the importance of power and how we use it through the whole of life.  We need power.  "A world where players have enough power to block everyone else's initiatives but no one has the power to impose its preferred course of action is a world where decisions are not taken, taken too late, or watered down to the point of ineffectiveness."

Power is everywhere.  "Power plays out in every field in which we contend, compete, or organise: international politics and war, domestic politics, business, scientific inquiry, religion, social action such as philanthropy and activism, and social and cultural relations of all kinds."

However, Naim suggests that power is decaying, and it is decaying because it is being spread more thinly.  He suggests that in most fields we are experiencing a wider sharing of power which is effecting how power impacts on life in general.  Power-sharing might seem to be good - as indeed it can be - but we need to take account of how that then changes our ability to deal with a wide range of important issues.

As Naim puts it: "The decay of power is an exhilarating trend in the sense that it has made space for new ventures, new companies, and, all over the world, new voices and more opportunities.  But its consequences for stability are fraught with danger.  How can we continue the welcome advances of plural voices and opinions, initiative and innovation, without at the same time driving ourselves into a crippling paralysis that could undo this progress very quickly?"

These are interesting questions, and it is interesting to reflect on what they say to the life of the church.  How do we use power?  How do we share power?  Are there places where we misuse it?

Misusing power can be incredibly damaging, but using it appropriately is vital.

New Year's Resolutions

Have you made any New Year’s resolutions this year and, if you did, are they still intact?  Writing for The Guardian, Oliver Burkeman says that he has long campaigned for the abolition of New Year’s resolutions but, recognising their continuing popularity, he wants to suggest three – which he then suggests we should all take up. 

First, he suggests that we should take up meditating.  If we think we haven’t got the time, just five minutes a day will do it – but just that bit of space is worth making.  Secondly, he suggests stopping doing something this year.  This is not about giving up a bad habit, but recognising that most of us take on too many things.  What is it we could/should be giving up?  And, thirdly, he encourages us to resolve to cut everyone a massive amount of slack, including ourselves. Well, if you haven’t made your own, and you want some, I hope that these suggestions might help.  

Morris Williams

Morris Williams was an Anglican clergyman and a poet commonly known as Nicander.  He was born in August 1809 and died on 3^rd January 1874.  He began to write poetry and so was encouraged to an education.  He was then ordained deacon by the Bishop of Chester in 1835 and priest by the Bishop of St. Asaph in 1836.  In 1840 he married Ann Jones of Denbigh and they had five daughters and three sons.

He assisted with the Welsh revision of the Book of Common Prayer and took an active part in Welsh literary life.  He both adjudicated and competed at the National Eisteddfod and his writing included frequent contributions to Welsh magazines, translating Aesop's Fables into Welsh, and composing a number of hymns.  He was one of the pioneers of the Oxford Movement in the Diocese of Bangor and is commemorated by a marble pulpit dedicated to him in Bangor Cathedral.

His hymns had a profound effect on the spiritual lives of many in Wales.  He wrote, for example, of God’s grace and the need for the Spirit to nourish us.

As one of his hymns says (in an English translation by Naomi Starkey):

With the life-giving rain of your Holy Spirit

You refresh the Church, your vineyard,

Until its blooms are many and fair,

And its fruits like the garden of paradise.

Where do we see the Holy Spirit refreshing our churches?  What effect is that having?  Who are the people who inspire us today?

Sources:

wbo.llgc.org.uk – Dictionary of Welsh Biography

www.archivewales.org.uk 

Rachel Boulding: “Companions on the Bethlehem Road”

Edgy Places

As Christians we are called to watch out for those on the margins.  I have been reading Andrew Jones’ book “Mary: A gospel witness to transfiguration and liberation” in which he uses the same idea but talks about the need to be on the edge.  He uses Mary as a great example of this, pointing out how she “was a person who was at the edge of everything – status, gender, age, family, reputation – and yet she was supremely chosen to be the bearer of the incarnation.”

He goes on to talk about “edge places” as locations where we might particularly feel close to God.  However, in this context “the edge is not only a geographical place” but “also a place of the heart”.  These are places where we should be considering things from a different perspective.  It is, for example, Nicodemus encountering Jesus.

What are the edges on which God is calling us to be?

Rushing To Christmas

It always seems to be a rush to get to Christmas.  I am sure many of you are better organised, but I always end up missing the last posting dates for some of the cards and going to Tesco – there are other supermarkets! – to grab the turkey early on Christmas Eve.  But maybe I am in good company.  After all, Mary and Joseph only just made it to Bethlehem before the baby Jesus arrived – God in human form.  I am not sure that the searching for the “right” present in quite parallel to their search for accommodation.  But I am sure that the joy of the arrival of that baby, celebrated by angels, shepherds and wise men, is something that we can – and must – share all these years later.

I have been reading Rachel Boulding's "Companions on the Bethlehem Road: Daily Readings and Reflections for the Advent Journey".  At the end of the reading and comment today, she poses the following question for reflection: "If someone were to ask you today (which they might ...), 'So what's Christmas meant to mean?' would you have an answer?  Could you plan what you might say?"

Happy Christmas!

Star Gazing

I have been reading Stephen Cottrell's book "Walking Backwards to Christmas" in which he explores the Christmas story from the perspective of some of the more peripheral characters.  He is looking for new angles, new messages.  The fourth chapter focuses on Casper, the traditional name of one of the (again traditionally) three wise men or kings who went in search of the infant Jesus with their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

Casper describes himself as a stargazer.  Adopting Casper's identity, Stephen Cottrell writes: "Most people learn to look down.  Not me.  I would not let my horizon shift.  So there are obstacles in the path?  Let them trip me up.  Better to keep looking upwards, to chase after dreams and stumble, than only ever see the few steps in front of you and spend a lifetime going round in circles, getting nowhere fast.  That is me: a dream-chaser, a stargazer, a misfit and a seer, a student of the cosmos and the galaxies."

These ideas about looking up, about chasing the dream offer an incredibly helpful perspective.  It is true that we too easily get dragged down and that we lose our sense of direction.  The wise men of old were entirely convinced that God had them on a journey that was worth completing.  They were very much chasing the dream.  We need to have more faith about what God has in store for us - and that will happen if we look up and to God.  That's the journey we need to be on.