Fixing our eyes on Jesus

In 1981 I became a Christian and, later that year, the movie 'Chariots of Fire' was released - you may be familiar with it: the true story of two rival British sprinters approaching the Paris Olympics of 1924.

The main hero is Eric Liddell, who was winger for the Scottish rugby team. A committed Christian, he refused to run the 100 metres because it required running on a Sunday, but he won the 400 metres instead on a different day in a rcord time. Liddell went to China soon afterwards as a missionary, and he died in a Japanese internment camp in 1945. As it says at the end of the movie, ‘All of Scotland mourned’.

But the scene I recall most doesn’t feature Liddell at all. Rather, it is on the starting line of the 100 metres final. Liddell’s teammate and former rival Harold Abrahams has learned the dangers of being distracted by things happening left and right, so he focuses only on the finishing tape and the screen ‘greys out’ to his left and right. Naturally he wins, but it’s true, not just a cinematic happy ending.

I think of this as an illustration of Hebrews 12.2, which speaks of running the race marked out for us while fixing our eyes on Jesus. He, and only He, gives the peace that the world cannot give. I hope you will know that peace.

Wishing you God’s best,

David

Valentine's Day and love

Valentine and love

Even in these Covid days, Valentine's Day is a big deal if you are a florist.  Demand for red and pink flowers and other things is way up.  I'm writing this the day before and I'm pleased to have some gifts for my wife waiting in a drawer upstairs.

But where did the traditions come from?

·        The first commercial cards appeared in England early in the nineteenth century;

·        Long before that, in 1415, an imprisoned French duke sent love poetry on 14 February;

·        Long before that, in 269, a Christian leader called Valentine taught about love and was executed in Rome under emperor Claudius on 14 February;

·        Even before that, Romans celebrated a festival the next day celebrating spring and fertility.

For Christians, the day is a reminder of our all-loving God.  When Jesus was asked to name the most important command, he responded with two: loving God and loving our neighbours (see Matthew 22.34-40 for details).

In his first letter, Jesus' disciple and friend John wrote a lot about love, including "This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down His life for us", and later he adds "We love because he first loved us".

Of course, Jesus did not trouble himself with flowers and chocolates.  But He did give us something red - his blood, shed on the cross.  God loves us so much that Jesus would die for us to take the punishment for our wrongdoing.  Every time we look at a symbol of the cross, we are reminded of God's love.

So, amid the mushy romance, I hope you'll take a moment to reflect on God's love.

Wishing you His best,

David

Prisoners?

I'm currently reading the book 'Prisoners of Geography' by journalist Tim Marshall, looking at how various countries' history and politics are influenced by the mountains/seas/rivers etc that affect their relationships with surrounding nations.  It's a good and interesting book, and I recommend it.

One of the recurring themes of various pastoral conversations I've had over the years is how many people see themselves as 'prisoners of circumstance', where they feel trapped by the things that have shaped their lives.  I find it moving and humbling to hear about some of these.

But I also meet people who overcome great adversity, and indeed others who struggle despite lots of privileges.  There's something of the nature/nurture debate in this, and also the power to make choices and intentionally decide on the direction(s) life will take.

One of the most prolific writers in the Bible was St Paul, whose letters to various churches and individuals constitute 13 of the books of the New Testament.  Paul was literally imprisoned several times but said he was willing for this to happen so he could bring the good news of Jesus to others in prison who needed to hear it.  Indeed, he described himself as a willing prisoner and a slave of the Lord.

Whatever the influences that have shaped your own life, I hope that you'll feel able to make your own choices, and that these will be good ones - following Jesus is the best choice of all.  Feel free to get in touch any time you'd like to discuss things.

Wishing you God's best,                                

David Price

Facing an uncertain future

As I write, the nation and the world are facing huge uncertainties.  A second wave of Coronavirus is becoming a reality and 'local additional measures' are coming into force in many areas of the country.  The Christian church is naturally affected by all this: no singing, mandatory facemasks, some things on Zoom only, other things impossible altogether.  

But there is one thing we can rely on: the reliable presence of our unchanging God through it all.  It is easy to find ourselves beset by negativity but there are also positives to reflect on.  Recently St John's conducted a survey of the people who were its 'regulars' before the Coronavirus outbreak began, to assess how we're doing, and I spent several hours this week reviewing the completed forms and collating the results (if you haven’t seen the results and would like to, just contact me). 

I was struck by the answers to one question in particular, asking what we had been learning over the last few months.  There were many encouragements here, ranging from the importance of counting our blessings and keeping perspective in tough times to getting our priorities right and trusting God. 

Not surprisingly, there were some Bible references.  The one that struck me most was in Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth: "we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen.  For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal."  (chapter 4, verse 18).  Amid the challenging times in which we find ourselves, I pray that you will look beyond what is seen and temporary to the unseen and eternal God.

David

Emerging from lockdown?

I was recently asked to name an unexpected blessing which I had encountered during the coronavirus outbreak.

I have reflected on this and perhaps the most striking thing is that I feel unusually calm. As I wash my hands for the umpteenth time, I’m still singing Richard Bewes’ hymn based on Psalm 46, which goes to the tune of the Dambusters March:

God is our strength and refuge,
our present help in trouble,
and we therefore will not fear,
though the earth should change …

I think this has penetrated to my inner being (singing hymns and worship songs is a good way to teach ourselves about God), especially the word ‘Therefore’. Knowing that God is our strength and refuge enables believers to rest secure in God and to trust him in good times and bad.

As we begin to emerge from lockdown (at least for a while), I find myself wondering what we can learn, thinking of Biblical characters who experienced a ‘lockdown’ of sorts. One such was St Paul, who was literally imprisoned several times and also described the period before his conversion as being imprisoned by sin.

As Paul emerged to new life, he wondered how he should react to the new-found freedoms he experienced in Christ. His conclusion (Romans 6.2 etc) was that “By no means” should he abuse his new-found freedom. Our situation is a very different context, but I think the guts of our answer should be the same: we should enjoy and not overstretch or abuse the freedoms we have. (Even as I type I find myself agreeing with Professor VanTam’s words in a recent Downing Street Briefing.)

As we move into the next phase of response to coronavirus, my hope and prayer is that we will use freedoms responsibly, knowing both the freedom and security that God gives and the limitations He urges for the choices we make.

Wishing you God’s best,

David