Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during November 2020]

A few weeks ago a major drugs company claimed 90% success for its new anti-COVID vaccine, whilst last week a prominent research establishment announced its own vaccine with a claimed success rate of 70%. But nobody mentioned the remaining 10% or 30%, or those who are too far back in the queue to even get the vaccine. Recently, an international tennis star was tested for COVID, prior to another tournament. She had already tested negative 19 times but the twentieth was positive. In the US, a prominent businessman tested both negative and positive on the same day. Unproven and inconsistent results like these do not inspire confidence.

Yesterday saw the funeral of a popular local teacher, in mid career. She was a highly competent teacher of art but was, like so many people, without any experience of computers. The stress of being compelled to learn the techniques of online teaching was too much for her, and she joins the ranks of those who have died without contracting COVID but no less because of it.

We are reminded of the story of Job who, despite the loss of his wealth and the attacks on his health, and without understanding the meaning of it all, nevertheless held fast to his confidence in God. “Why has God done this?” is not a valid question; better to ask “Why has God allowed this?”. Perhaps, like Job, we don’t need to know; ours not to reason why and we should replace those questions pointed at God with another addressed to us: “Shall we accept good from God, and not trouble?” [Job 2 v10]

In 1883 Daniel Whittle, the hymn writer and Bible teacher, wrote these words based on 2 Timothy 1 v12:

“I know not what of good or ill may be reserved for me,
of weary ways or golden days before his face I see.
But ‘I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able
to keep that which I’ve committed unto him against that day.’”

Can you identify with that certainty? Perhaps these words from Hebrews chapter 4 will help:
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during November 2020]

In a rare moment of extravagance recently I downloaded another book for my Kindle collection. The book is “Hit-man Anders and the Meaning of it All”, written by Jonas Jonasson, and makes for a bit of light relief during a difficult period. The principal characters are Per, a receptionist at an hotel of the sort where the guests rarely stay all night; Johanna, an impoverished, backslidden priest and Anders, who has skills in persuasion of a physical nature. These are the good guys!

It transpires that Anders is rather good in his chosen line of work and has plenty of contracts from hoodlums who are required to pay for his services in advance; this causes problems when Anders ‘finds Jesus’ in mid-contract, having already received, and spent, the payment. The story relates how the hoodlums manage to eliminate each other, and the three ‘heroes’ escape with the money and start a new church.

The book is fiction and I am not sure whether the author is being cynical about religion or whether he is trying to introduce the concept of a faith to a secular audience who may not have encountered it before. He uses a number of Biblical quotations, frequently out of context, and the church at the end is certainly not a Baptist one, but overall the story is sympathetic to the idea of a life-changing encounter.

We can find people like this in the Bible. Rahab was the manager of a house of ill-repute but God allowed her to play a major part in the fall of Jericho and in the later history of Israel.

In the same way, was not even Rahab the prostitute considered righteous for what she did when she gave lodging to the spies and sent them off in a different direction? [James ch2 v 25]

Eli was rather better as a high priest than he was as a father. His sons brought the role of priests into disrepute, to the point where the people were reluctant to bring their sacrifices to the Temple yet he raised Samuel to become an outstanding man of God.

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up, and he let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground. [1 Samuel 3 v1, 19]

God had a hit-man too. In 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles we can read accounts of the activities of Jehu, the furious driver whom God used to purge Israel of the evil of Ahab and Jezebel.

The Lord said to Jehu, ‘Because you have done well in accomplishing what is right in my eyes … your descendants will sit on the throne of Israel to the fourth generation.’ [2 Kings ch10 v30]

So what is the relevance of all this to us today? The story of Pers, Johanna and Anders may be fictitious but the accounts of Rahab, Eli and Jehu show that God does have a role for even those whom society might dismiss.
Does that sound encouraging?

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 22/Nov/2020]

Recently we decided to extend our patio in the back garden. We wanted to have a larger space to accommodate a table and chairs so we could entertain folk next summer. We love to bring in people from the local estate and church folk so we could pray together and have eating meetings in the sunshine.

Before we thought about starting the project we needed to move well established roses and precious plants that we had nurtured lovingly for a long time. The job needed to be done before the frost set in and the weather got too bad to do anything. A new foundation needed to be established.

All this activity seemed to echo of how Jesus is moving at this time.

He is wanting to establish a new foundation. For too long we have been stuck in the same old mode of doing things but there is a shift occurring so that the new wave of church can be accommodated and there will be room in our hearts and lives to bring many into His Kingdom, whether that’s in a large building or into our lives and hearts.

God is breaking up the old by His power and bringing in the new.
I keep thinking about the scripture Isaiah 43 v 18 and 19:

Forget the former things … I am doing a new thing.

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during November 2020]

In certain branches of Christianity, today 19^th November, is respected as the feast day of St Obadiah. The name Obadiah means ‘Servant of the Lord’ and there are at least 12 people with that name mentioned in the Bible. Several of them were Levites and had a role in the teaching and leadership of the Israelite people.

One Obadiah was the chief of staff in the court of Ahab and Jezebel, who are often considered to be one of the most evil husband-and-wife partnerships in history. As was the case with Joseph, Daniel and Nehemiah, Obadiah’s faithfulness to God made him a trustworthy and valuable employee even to those who did not share his beliefs. Obadiah trusted God with his life – whilst Jezebel was viciously purging Israel of God’s prophets, Obadiah was providing food and security to some of those under threat. Does your faith enhance your secular activities?

The Old Testament includes a short book recording the vision of the prophet Obadiah. None of the writers of our 200+ reflections to date has yet referred to this book but, as part of God’s word, it should not be ignored. The prophecy, addressed to the people of Edom, descendants of Jacob’s brother Esau, warns of punishment coming to those who took advantage of Israel’s adversity. Is the book merely of historical interest or does it have something to say to us? The words of verse 12: “You should not gloat over your brother in the day of his misfortune” are taken further by the advice in Proverbs 25: “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink”.

Some sources suggest that these two men are one and the same; other sources are equally insistent that they were not. Maybe it is appropriate for both of them to be venerated on this day. Certainly, they both have something to teach us. Perhaps this is aptly summed up in the words of Thomas Obadiah Chisholm, best known as the author of “Great is Thy Faithfulness”, when he wrote:

Go and bear thy brother’s burden, heed today the Lord’s command,
Find him with his load of trouble, offer him a helping hand;
Speak to Him in gentle kindness words of sympathy and love,
That a blessed balm of healing to his bleeding heart may prove.

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during November 2020]

Last week, Martin discussed the potential of a return to normality^[1]. In an echo of Pilate’s question we might ask “What is normality?” Using mathematical terms, is normality a constant or a variable, or even an unknown? Is your version of normality the same as mine?

One thing that Martin emphasised is that normality should not be a return to ‘business as before’, as if nothing had happened. Too many things have happened this year, too many lives have been changed, too many lives have been lost. There is an opportunity to learn a lot of valuable lessons – will that opportunity too be lost?

One hundred years ago people were struggling to come to terms with a new normality after the end of world war I: new social structures, new national boundaries, new forms of government, new technologies born through adversity. Did they learn the lessons? Apparently inadequately so as the lesson was repeated a generation later.

Pandemics are not new: in 1620, leptospirosis; in 1720, bubonic plague; in 1820 cholera; in 1920 Spanish flu; in 2020, corona virus. Unfortunately for conspiracy theorists this list is not exhaustive, there were many other widespread outbreaks of illness in the intervening years too. Could it be that pandemics are actually part of normality?

The Bible does not have a lot to say about normality. Maybe the concept of normality is too much of a variable when the Bible prefers to deal with constants. The constancy of mankind’s desire to live without God contrasts with the constancy of God’s character, His word and His love for His people.

Are you fearful about the absence of normality and an uncertain future? Deuteronomy 31 v6 reminds us:

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you

Let us be encouraged by these words from James Small:

I’ve found a friend, O such a friend! All power to Him is given,
To guard me on my onward course, and bring me safe to heaven:
The eternal glories gleam afar to nerve my faint endeavour;
So now to watch, to work, to war, and then to rest forever.

 
[1] Is the church going back to normal? YouTube link – Transcription

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