Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

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

Last weekend, Lee reminded us of the account of Peter’s vision in advance of meeting with the Roman centurion, Cornelius. Peter, the fisherman, was staying with Simon the tanner in Joppa, a busy port city. Shakespeare’s Juliet claimed that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Certainly, Joppa sounded sweeter when it became known as Jaffa but I suspect that the change of name did little to improve the smell of a cosmopolitan port. Add to that the effect of a fisherman living with a tanner and it is no wonder that Peter went up on the rooftop, to get some fresh air whilst praying.

This is not the first mention of Joppa in the Bible. Jonah went there to begin his ‘escape’ from God. Solomon used it to import cedar wood from Lebanon to be used in building the Temple in Jerusalem. So why was Peter in Joppa? The answer is found in Acts chapter 9:

In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha; she was always doing good and helping the poor. About that time she became ill and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, ‘Please come at once!’

Peter responded and Tabitha was restored to life, and many others found their spiritual life renewed too.

In Acts 10 we read of the message that an angel brought to Cornelius “He distinctly saw an angel of God, who came to him and said, ‘Cornelius!’ Cornelius stared at him in fear. ‘What is it, Lord?’ he asked. The angel answered, ‘Your prayers and gifts to the poor have come up as a memorial offering before God.” Peter went to meet Cornelius; once there he found a great number of people gathered to hear his message. The record shows that all those who heard were filled with the Holy Spirit.

Do you notice anything in common in the two accounts? We know that Peter had already become an eloquent preacher (Acts 2) but in both Joppa and Caesarea the opportunity to share the Gospel arose from the activities of those who placed importance on helping the poor. We should not forget that a habit of generosity may have eternal consequences.

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

It’s that time of year when autumn seed catalogues start dropping into our inboxes, encouraging us to prepare for bumper crops of our favourite fruit and vegetables next Spring, but only if we buy from the right company. Each vendor has an idea of what would be ideal for our particular garden; the tastiest tomatoes, the largest leeks or the reddest roses. They all make the same basic assumption – namely, that we have some time and money to spend on our gardens.

Gardens come in all shapes and sizes. Be it the formality of a country estate, the discipline of an award-winning allotment, a back yard plot or simply a humble window box, they all have one thing in common – to be productive they must be tended. In many countries the garden provides food for the family; it’s where they grow the essentials of life and if it is not tended properly then hunger soon follows.

Gardens often have a spiritual significance. For Muslims, paradise is a well-watered garden whilst for Japanese Shinto adherents it is an area of minimalist calm and natural order. In the Bible we see many references to gardens, from the Garden of Eden where it all began to the Garden of Gethsemane where it all began, again. In the NIV Old Testament there are 52 references to ‘garden’; does this suggest that we should spend time in our gardens at least once a week?

Jesus told a parable about a man who was dissatisfied with the produce from his garden.

‘“For three years now I’ve been coming to look for fruit on this fig-tree and haven’t found any. Cut it down! Why should it use up the soil?” “Sir,” the gardener replied, “leave it alone for one more year, and I’ll dig round it and fertilise it. If it bears fruit next year, fine! If not, then cut it down.”’ Luke 13 v 6-9

As Christians, we have a relationship with God that needs to be cultivated, tended and maintained. What is the equivalent of “I’ll dig round it and fertilise it” for us? It requires effort and diligence plus the addition of spiritual nourishment. It is not something that we can delegate to a gardener – we have to do it ourselves, with God’s help.

So, at the risk of invoking an annoying little ditty from one’s childhood, “How does your garden grow?”

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 23/Aug/2020]

I always approach my ‘Yours’ items with a sense of anxiety; what am I going to say? Then I peacefully calm my mind and ask for the word, scripture, topic, whatever is to come. So as you can see, today is the simple things, what of them?

Like many I’m sure there are many items that jump out at you and strike your consciousness, be it headlines or daily quotes, Facebook, text encouragements, scriptures or articles. Some of these can be uplifting, thought provoking, or simply amusing. Yet, it stuck me that it is often those simple little things that touch us. The kindness or thoughtfulness of another soul. A smile or gesture. A card out of the blue, just to say hello. However, what hit me more today, were the simple everyday things that God has created in this world for our pleasure and the simple things we can do to please Him.

I’ve wistfully considered the ‘what ifs’: home, travel, work, money friends and family, yet in the reality of the small simple things I often find the most pleasure, these are what I call God’s everyday gifts. The small things that we can take for granted in our busy, complicated, materialistic lives today. I especially look to nature, flowers, birds, weather!

To be mindful and present in the moment, appreciate the air we breathe, the senses we have been gifted. Take a moment; what do you hear, smell, see, feel and taste? These senses help us understand and perceive the world around us. The silent skies and empty roads, less pollution, smells and sounds; nature reclaimed areas now quieted. I think of those gifts around us. Have we forgotten the simple things from which we can see the Creator’s hand, the things we easily overlook? I give thanks for the slowing down of the days and endless rushing around. Give thanks for the gifts we so readily take for granted. We are so adaptive that we can so easily forget.

How things change so quickly, I recall how strange it was to look and see planes overhead again, how the noise punctured the silence we had become accustomed to. Before we step out to face the next phase that Covid casts our way, what simple things have impacted you? Are they worth recording or sharing or caring about? If so, “give thanks, for this is the day the Lord has made“. (Psalm 118:24). Despite our hardships, there are always some simple things to be thankful for, if we have the mind to consider it. Pray with a thankful heart and joyful mind, no matter the simplicity amongst the grandeur of creation, God wants to hear from us, from you.

In this period of our human history, despite all the negatives, I urge you to consider the abundance of creation and all its wonders. How often do you sit and be thankful for those gifts we have and to fully appreciate each of them?

May God bless you and give you peace and a thankful heart in these uncertain times.

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

Today we are returning the to subject of memory verses or, more specifically, to the value of being able to recall words of Scripture when the occasion warrants it. Of course, that assumes that we know the words of Scripture in the first place!

Psalm 45 begins with the words: “My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I recite my verses for the king”. It seems to me that there are two audiences identified here.

Firstly, we see ‘my heart’, which means that the recalling and retelling of the verses brings a benefit to those speaking them. We can extend this not just to the speaker but also those who are listening.

I have just finished re-reading Richard Wurmbrand’s account of the horrors that he endured during a period of 14 years of imprisonment at the hands of the communist regime in Romania. On many occasions he was able to debate with his fellow prisoners and with his captors using an enviable level of recollection, not only of Bible texts but also of the writings that formed the basis of his captors’ motivation. In addition, he was able to use the passages that he knew to bring comfort to many of those in prison with him as well as to encourage himself.

Both Mark and Luke remind us that we may be called before various authorities to give an account of our faith. Hebrews assures us that “the word of God is alive and active, sharper than any double-edged sword”. Are you suitably equipped?

Secondly, we see ‘the king’, which we can take to indicate that the speaker is addressing God as well. Authors often like to hear of their works being quoted – it demonstrates that somebody thought their words were worth remembering, even if only to disagree or deride them. So it is with God’s word with the added value that His word will never pass away.

Finally, the reference to a noble theme. The recalling of passages of Scripture is a form of worship and reverence. Many a powerful prayer has included words like “Lord, have you not have said …” – not so much reminding God about His promises but rather offering Him an opportunity to fulfil them.
Surely that is indeed a noble theme.

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

Each Sunday morning on HBC-Online we enjoy the sound and sight of, generally, younger members of the church family reciting their memory verses. Well done to you all! My kids don’t do memory verses – the silly billies just keep bleating for their nanny. But that’s the sort of behaviour that one might expect from a couple of young goats.

In my early twenties I had a mentor, an older man who had been trained by Rolls Royce to work on their wartime aero engines. As part of his training he was taught never to memorise any critical measurements. Rather, he should take a pencil and a piece of paper to the instruction manual and write down the figure that he needed, every time. Such a practice makes good sense when a Spitfire pilot’s life and, potentially, the outcome of a battle might depend upon the accuracy of your work.

In contrast, there are many situations in life when being able to remember some detail is essential. The colours of traffic lights are an example of a collective memory – you need to know them but, if you forget, almost anybody could remind you. However, if you forget a PIN or a password then, theoretically at least, nobody can help you.

What about Bible memory verses? On the one hand, they are available to everybody but, on the other hand, many of them speak to us in a deeply personal way. Most of us who were brought up in a church-going family would have been, to a lesser or greater extent, encouraged to memorise Bible verses. It can seem like a chore but it is much easier when you are young and can develop the habit without have to clear out other debris first. Undoubtedly, there are benefits to come in later life.

In preparing these reflections there have frequently come to mind snippets of verses that I recall (not necessarily accurately) from years past. Unlike previous generations of Bible scholars, we now have the tools with which to verify those memories, to put them into context, to find parallel passages and even to relate to secular information sources. But that would be impossible without the ‘snippets’ in the first place. A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing but without it we would not know that we don’t know what we don’t know!

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 16/Aug/2020]

Seven days without prayer makes one weak [anon]

Do you have a standing order with God? He sends you your daily bread and a generous selection of other blessings on a regular basis and then once a week, or whenever, you offer a generic prayer of thanks, add a dash of praise and finish off with your wish-list for next week. Every now and then you make a special effort but otherwise your relationship is well-established and you see little need to change it.

Does that sound cynical? – Think about it for a while and you might find it to be more accurate than you want to admit. On the other hand, you might be a Daniel or a David whose prayer and praise practices should be an example to us all. If so, we need your help!

We cannot claim that we do not know how to pray. Matthew^[1] records a template given by the Master Himself. It reminds us of our relationship with God, our respect for Him, our reliance on Him, our reaction to those around us and our recognition of His regal status. Curiously, one thing the Lord’s Prayer omits is how to thank Him, surely our second-most frequent use of prayer.

Of course, there are pressures on our time. We have so much else to occupy us so we could sub-contract our prayers – there are plenty of pastors, priests and vicars who are paid to pray on our behalf. But that loses the direct dialogue with God that Lesley described last week^[2] and, anyway, would you use a ‘thank-you writing agency’ when you receive a gift from someone with whom you have a loving relationship?

Perhaps, more realistically, it’s a matter of priorities. Do we want to pray? Why are we so easily distracted when we try? How do we stay focused? Jesus Himself taught us these words, ponder upon them.

“Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be your name, your kingdom come,
your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.
For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.”

[1] Matthew chapter 6, verses 9-13
[2] Prayer is a Dialogue HBC ‘Yours’, 09/Aug/2020.

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