Andy and the Blogsphere

Advent: Broken Lines

Matthew 1:1-17

I always find these genealogies pretty fascinating. 

I know.  I know. That probably makes me a bit sad.  It's a list, a long list.  But often there are incredible stories involved in family lines.  There's often skeletons in the closet.  Family is never straightforward.

Many of the forebears of Jesus lived through and in difficult circumstances.  You can find plenty of liars.  Some thieves.  You can find people who messed up sexually.  You can even find murderers.  Surely God could have done a background check ? 

But here's the thing .... Jesus isn't made or unmade by the mistakes of the past.  He is a new life, a fresh start.  But here's the other side .... these past lives, his family tree, they're part of him.  I have no idea how DNA works in a virgin birth situation .... but I know Jesus is fully human as well as fully God.  So there must be something of Mary there ... something of her family.  Something of Jesus' background makes him up.

He is also the One who reveals the Father.  His family likeness comes from the Trinity too.  He is a human life, He is wholly God. 

He is wholly himself, yet also part of the family line.

Our redeemer had no problem with crooked paths or broken lines - He embraced humanity and all its flaws and fullness and loves us greatly.

Lord God

I give you my own self, my heart, my body, my emotions, my mind ....

I let go of all my flaws and failures and place them with you

Safe in the knowledge of your mercy and acceptance

I embrace all you made me to be and will try to be me today

Amen

Do check out 24-7's Advent Prayer Spaces:

http://www.24-7prayer.com/podcasts/category/spaces

 

Advent: Least

Micah 5:2-4

I keep coming back to this idea ... that God is with us.  The birth of Jesus is a bold and breathtaking mark in history, declaring God's love through presence.  Emmanuel, God with us.

Micah describes a shepherd God, standing and shepherding his flock.  But this passage is also a reminder of the roots of the Jesse tree family of Jesus.  He is born to the smallest clan, the least of tribes.  Bethlehem was small and unimportant, but as with David it became the birthplace of a King. 

Today in the news a number of nations are seeking to exert their importance.  Whether with economic power, sheer weight of population or with military ambition - so many tribes want to say "here, look at me."  At it's roots nationalism can harbour a dangerous disease of being the biggest clan.  Even Israel succumbed and still succumbs to this disease.

But Jesus comes to be presence in the least, the smallest.  Going back to Abraham we remember God's words in Deuteronomy, that that is why He choose Israel - smallest, insignifcant.  Surely the first will indeed be last and the last with be first.  If only we lived life that way round ....

God of humility

Humble us again.

May we live to give first place to the last.

May we prepared to give up our status, and join the back of the queue.

Amen

Do check out 24-7's Advent Prayer Spaces:

http://www.24-7prayer.com/podcasts/category/spaces

Advent 2: Family

Ephesians 3:14-19

Every family derives it's name from the Father.  Blimey. My family.  My neighbours.  Friends.  People in far off lands.  It starts with the Father.  God the family, three in one, is the source of our family name - He makes family for us - and He invites us into his family of love. 

Christmas is always spoken about as a family time and rightly so.  This can be a beautiful thing for some, and deeply painful for others.  It seems that family still weaves deep into the core of our culture and society - even if others might tell you differently. 

Family is about acceptance.  A place where you can be.  A place of welcome. 

This is the family of God for which our families take their name.  Complete trust.  Complete giving.  Father, Son and Spirit clearly defined yet utterly dependant on each.  Self giving mixed with self identity.  These are the things we're told aren't possible - protect yourself, don't give too much .... yet Father, Son and Spirit somehow give totally whilst maintaining who they are.  Immense. 

Today, we can love as adopted sons and daughters of Christ, invited into the 'fullness of God.'

Family God, God-communion.

We thank you for your invitation into family.

Father, we thank you for your acceptance.

Jesus, the Son, we love you as a brother, we worship you as Saviour.

Spirit, the Companion, we celebrate that daily you walk with us.

Thank you Family God.

Amen

Do check out 24-7's Advent Prayer Spaces:

http://www.24-7prayer.com/podcasts/category/spaces

 

Advent 2: Family

Ephesians 3:14-19

Every family derives it's name from the Father.  Blimey. My family.  My neighbours.  Friends.  People in far off lands.  It starts with the Father.  God the family, three in one, is the source of our family name - He makes family for us - and He invites us into his family of love. 

Christmas is always spoken about as a family time and rightly so.  This can be a beautiful thing for some, and deeply painful for others.  It seems that family still weaves deep into the core of our culture and society - even if others might tell you differently. 

Family is about acceptance.  A place where you can be.  A place of welcome. 

This is the family of God for which our families take their name.  Complete trust.  Complete giving.  Father, Son and Spirit clearly defined yet utterly dependant on each.  Self giving mixed with self identity.  These are the things we're told aren't possible - protect yourself, don't give too much .... yet Father, Son and Spirit somehow give totally whilst maintaining who they are.  Immense. 

Today, we can love as adopted sons and daughters of Christ, invited into the 'fullness of God.'

Family God, God-communion.

We thank you for your invitation into family.

Father, we thank you for your acceptance.

Jesus, the Son, we love you as a brother, we worship you as Saviour.

Spirit, the Companion, we celebrate that daily you walk with us.

Thank you Family God.

Amen

 

Advent 1: Word

John 1:1-14 (The Message version)

I always love starting an advent journey with John 1, "the Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighbourhood."  It remains the Christmas miracle.  God as a human.  The Creator as part of the story.  It brings hope.

I'm writing today, feeling ill, with lots going on.  These words still bring hope. 

This is the One through whom all was made, including me (verse 3).  This is it, this is God.  A baby ... coming alongside us weak and vulnerable and hurting.  In my pain, God flies in to be with me.  And he brings light (verse 5), he brings blazing light.  Sometimes this light is uncomfortable for me, but he brings light nonetheless. 

"The Life-Light was the real thing:
      Every person entering Life
      he brings into Light." verse 9

The Bible reflects this journey of God desiring to be present - gardens, a burning bush, a tent and temple, now in flesh and blood. 

This is the Christmas miracle.  It changes everything.

Advent God.  The God who comes to be with us. Accept my worship and praise.

In this real and present place, I know you're with me.

In this real and hurting life, I know you come to be present in the humanity of here and now.

Help me to be present with you, and to be present in the lives and needs of those around me.

Amen

Do check out 24-7's Advent Prayer Spaces:

http://www.24-7prayer.com/podcasts/category/spaces

Advent

So I've been planning a bit of a different approach to Advent this year.  I am going to try and set myself a target to blog a few thoughts each day, and maybe a prayer.  Follow along if you want, don't worry if not.

A while ago I read about something called the Jesse Tree, it's a kind of advent calendar but with symbols of the Christmas story, often referrring to the descendants of Jesus in the genealogies.  The Jesse Tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots."  It is a vehicle to tell the Story of God in the Old Testament, and to connect the Advent Season with the faithfulness of God across 4,000 years of history. 

So they'll be a little blog each day.

I'd also like to take the time to encourage everyone to join in with 24-7's Advent Podcasts which will be great - http://www.24-7prayer.com/features/1649

Wishing you all a very happy Christmas

 

Durham begins with prayer

On 26 November, the new Bishop of Durham is formally installed. The Rt Rev Justin Welby was consecrated on 28th October but formally takes office in this beautiful and ancient ceremony, placing him as one of the most influencial Bishops in the Anglican Church.

Bishop Justin is taking a different route in his preparation though, by organising a week of prayer and wants to encourage local people to join in. He made contact with us at 24-7 Prayer, asking for help and for us to spread the world ... something we’re really excited to do.

Prayer of the People is all about engaging people in the North East with their church, with prayer and to ask God where He is leading us. The new Bishop of Durham is very keen to place prayer at the centre of his Diocese.  

During the week of 21st November they’ll be daily prayer spaces you can join in with.

21 November -St.Ninian, Harlow Green, Gateshead 10am - 2pm 
22 November - Sunderland Minister 10am - 2pm
23 November - St Nicholas Durham 
24 November - Escomb saxon church, Escomb Nr Bishop Auckland 10am - 2pm
25 November - Croft Bridge Nr Darlington (this will be a Civic Event with media). 
25 November -St Cuthberts Church, Darlington 15:00 - 19:00

There is a facebook page at

http://www.facebook.com/Prayerofthepeople?sk=app_298875323456273

Bishop Justin wants these pages and the prayer spaces to be a place where people are able to share their homes and dreams and to set the agenda for prayer. You can also post prayers and thoughts on Twitter - http://twitter.com/#!/prayerof . 

The prayer campaign is running until the New Year. Do join in if you can and do let any friends/networks you are in touch with know.  

Clare of Assisi (1253)

Tomorrow the Church calendar remembers Clare of Assisi, founder with Francis of one of the three Franciscan Orders; the Poor Clare's.

I wanted to share this section from GK Chesterton's Biography of Francis which sets out the beauty and courage of Clare.

"We may at least assume that no friend of what is called the emancipation of women will regret the revolt of St. Clare.  She did most truly, in modern jargon, live her own life, the life that she wanted to lead, as distinct from the life into which parental commands and conventional arrangements would have forced her.  She became the foundress of a great feminine movement which still profoundly affects the world; and her place is with the powerful women of history.  It is not clear that she would have been so great or so useful if she had made a runway match, or even stopped at home and made a marriage de convenance.  So much any sensible man may well say considering the matter merely from the outside; and I have no intention of attempting to consider it from the inside.  If a man may well doubt whether he is worthy to write a word about St. Francis, he will certainly want words better than his own to speak of the friendship between St. Francis and St. Clare."

London Riots: Please lets think a bit

In the 1980's I went to watch football.  Quite a lot of it.  If you know your history there was a lot of violence at football grounds then.  It was called Hooliganism.  Everytime something happened this phrase would be used "a tiny minority of troublemakers."  I got it what it meant, out of 40,000 at a ground maybe a few hundred were causing trouble.  The thing was that that didn't stop 10 years+ of everyone in a football shirt being viewed as a potential hooligan. 

Last night I heard about a "tiny minority of troublemakers" but this time it was about young people.  Words like 'ferral' got used.  People referred to teenagers in hoodies.  The Police asked parents to check where there kids were. 

My kids wear hoodies.  They're not going to hit anyone or burn anything.  They get looks.

These kids, the ones who may or may not be involved in the trouble.  Anyone asked why?  A few people have - some excellent pieces in the Guardian particularly ...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/aug/08/tottenham-riots-not-unexpected

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/davehillblog/2011/aug/08/things-i-believe-about-london-riots?CMP=twt_gu

Maybe we need to love these kids.  Maybe it's time you started befriending the kids who sit on your street corner.  Maybe it's time you stopped being scared.

I have been pretty disappointed by the way comment has been fuelled on social networks.  There's no point in a rant but can I just ask you all to calm down.  I'm appalled by the rioting and it should be condemned - but for those of you outside the areas affected, can you pipe down a bit. It's scary and shocking for those who are in the middle of it.  But for many of us, this is a news story, fueled by 24 hour news media, pushing us to consider over-bearing responses based out of fear.  Come on guys. 

Do you know someone who actually lives in a place where there's trouble?  Why not give up on FB for today and give them a call.  Go see them.  Check they're ok.

Everyone knows we have struggles with young people today.  But your comments aren't helping those who are trying to help them - or more importantly the young people themselves.  No we shouldn't call in the Army - these are our kids.  How about we call in the church ?

You can find @riotcleanup on twitter and go get involved in helping.  I know St. Mary's in Ealing is open to help people affected and to get out and clean up.  I know the Salvation Army are doing stuff.  Both those churches want young people involved so the community doesn't begin to stereotype.  If your church is doing something whether in London, Birmingham or Liverpool or wherever - why not post the details and I'll let people know.

I wonder whether we could all get out today, go onto our high street as the church.  Maybe we could go and be different ?  I don't know.  I know it's scary, I know this is hard to take in ... but come on.  We can do better than this ...

 

Approaching God by Lisa Borden

I like hard back books.  They're one of the reasons I suspect I'll never get a Kindle or choose to read books online.  Hard back books feel comforting, your can sink into them, you expect something special.

A few months ago a beautiful hard back copy of "Approaching God" by Lisa Repko Borden appeared on my doorstep.  I haven't been disappointed.

Apart from being one of the nicest, kindest and wisest people I know, Lisa is a very good writer.  Approaching God uses prose, poetry, prayer and image in a wonderful way - taking you on a journey with God as Friend, God as Father, God as Mother, God as Artist, God as Healer and finally God as Guide.

From the moment Lisa starts by quoting that 'gnarly old sage' AW Tozer, I feel like I'm being drawn to sit on the porch of the Borden's home in Tanzania and have stories read to me whilst I gaze at an African sunset.  The book has that kind of feel.  Many of the photographs look like they've been taken by Lisa (or her husband Byron) and the images of their kids are particularly brilliant.  You feel like Lisa has invited you into her home and then spent time praying for you.

If there was one thing I'd change I guess it would be to have more pictures of Africa and of Borden life and less of the stock images - you can notice immediately which images which aren't hers, and most of them are less in quality and effectiveness ... but it's a small criticism.  The journey of prose Lisa takes you on more than makes up for that.

My favourite chapter is God as Mother.  Her thesis is gentle, profound and wrapped in stories.

"What I'm suggesting is that God's heart is big enough to encompass all that is traditionally thought of as male characteristics as well as all that may have traditionally been thought of as female characteristics. Our ability to appreciate this fullness of God is curtailed when we are limited to seeing God through the lens of male-only imagery."

Lisa goes on to look at creation, at Mary, and her experience as a mother.  It's a wonderful chapter, with a great study on Psalm 131 and then a brilliant response at the end of the chapter.  Brilliant.

The book is maybe summed up in it's final line, where Lisa encourages us to "linger with God".  That sums up the mood of the book and of how I felt as I read it.  It was time to hang out, with God and with the Bordens.

Thanks so much Lisa.