Present Presence

They’re two words that sound an awful lot alike.

• Present: NOUN “the thing put into the presence of another”
• Presence: NOUN  “the state or fact of being present – as with others”

I’ve not bought my wife her Christmas present yet this year.  In fact it’s her birthday two days before Christmas and I’ve not sorted that either.  Queue the anxiety, frantic impulsive shopping and stressful waiting to see what she thinks…

What should I get her?

Maybe there’s a clue in the talk I did last week at a men’s breakfast where I was encouraging men to love their wives, (and to some extent the other women and children in their lives) as Christ loved the church.  How did Jesus love the church?  Ephesians 5 says by ‘giving himself up for her’.  There’s a clear sense in which Jesus gave himself as a gift to the church and we should give ourselves as a gift to our wives.

Give myself?  If that sound odd to you then I’m with you.  What on earth does that mean?

Friday Night Theology

I wrote this blog for the Evangelical Alliance a few months ago and re-posting it here so I can find it in future.  The original is: http://www.eauk.org/culture/friday-night-theology/to-die-is-gain.cfm

At the Pearly Gates

What state do you want to be in when you meet St Peter at the Pearly Gates?

It seems to me that the goal of much western Christianity is to arrive in style.  The physical style of the most relevant hairstyles and inculturated clothes.  The emotional style of the most ‘chillax-ed’ horizontal hippie you might hope to never imagine.  The spiritual style of the expensive-suit-wearing, bearer of glazed eyes – the pastor in a mid-life crisis extending their adolescence so that they might be ‘attractive’ to their generation.

Arriving in style might be in vogue but it’s not my style.

I don’t exactly believe in the image of the pearly gates and St Peter with a silky white gown and a shiny golden halo – but even if I did I wouldn’t want to match his style on arrival.

Check out those Love Jugs

You’ve heard of the idea of love languages right?

Basically it’s the idea that we understand love given and received in a certain form better than others.  You might give and receive love in terms of touch.  You might give and receive love through helping out – serving people.  You might understand love communicated through kind words, quality time & attention or possibly even through giving and receiving gifts.

Love languages.  They’ve helped my wife and me understand and communicate our love better.  I think they’re great but let’s not get stuck in one metaphor.

Studies: Scripture and Authority

Here’s the question of the week:  if the Bible is a story, in what sense can it be authoritative?

This is my first ever class in academic theology and I was slightly underwhelmed.  My first reflection was that it was rather a bizarre reflection on the philosophy of language, the way in which God might or might not guide our behaviour and the destruction of some fairly feeble straw men.

We got tied up in knots discussing whether God dictates the Bible or in some other sense fixes every iota of the text in some magical way.  We felt good about ourselves for dismissing the demythologising of the likes of Spinoza, Kant and Bultmann.

There was a fairly frustrated discussion about the degree to which the church creates or discovers the Scriptures. And we had fun ridiculing the ESV for fixing their translation for all time after a couple of pretty controversial translation edits in the final version.

I’m no academic theologian – at least not yet – but I’m a Pastor and practical theologian by trade.

My sense is that people need to know they can trust the Bible as authoritative – but they have no idea quite what that means.  This class did little to reinforce or clarify but it did allow for some interesting exchanges.

For what it’s worth – probably nothing in an academic sense – my answer to the authority question is fairly simple.  It’s all about Jesus.

You are my son

Let me tell you about this hero.  Ethan is 5 now - nearly 6.  He's hilarious, beautiful and smart.  He's the world's greatest oldest brother - and has the world at his feet.

Last week my wife and I had a couple over to dinner after he (and his little brother and sister) had gone to bed. Just as we're serving food he rocks up in the dining room asking for a drink - he didn't know we had guests over and when they greeted him he was terrified.

I'm standing near Ethan so I pick him up and hold him close.  Ethan buries his head in my chest and looks for the world to swallow him up.  I feel for you little man - I've been there - we've all been there.

Except this time your dad's got you safe.  I introduced him like this:

"Hey guys this is Ethan.  He's amazing.  He's so big he's nearly six now.  Did you know he is so clever - he even got 6 on his spelling test this morning.  He's my biggest boy and I'm so proud of him."  Or something equally gushing and cringe-worthy.

Except he didn't cringe.  He didn't hide even more.  He jumped down to show off his spellings, talked about his day at school and his computer game and his little brother.  He came out of himself and our guests got to see the 'real' Ethan.

I wonder if that's how Jesus felt when the Father says "this is my son - I love him - I'm proud of him"?  As Christians we have the same status as Jesus - so maybe today - if you're struggling to show people the 'real' you the solution is not another social media update, drink or label.  Maybe just maybe the solution is stopping to let yourself hear God your Father whisper

"You are mine.  I love you.  I'm proud of you."

It worked for Ethan.

Salzburg - the 3rd story

I constantly live my life in two stories.  In one story I'm boss - nothing happens outside my will.  In one story I'm hopeful - I have no idea what will happen but I trust it will turn out OK.

In the first story I'm sending a team of students to Salzburg in March.  Inspired by Fusion's 'Escape & Pray' initiative I'm committed to letting the blessing God has poured on our church impact on the European church scene.  I'm excited about the idea of linking Christian groups across the continent to serve students who are becoming increasingly internationally mobile.  I'm convinced that a cross-cultural mission partnership for our students will increase our boldness in sharing faith back home.

In the second story I have arranged transport and accommodation but little else. We're going over the top in faith.  I don't know if we'll be able to minister God's healing, grace and truth on the streets of Salzburg - but I know we can't if we're not there!  We have an invite from a Catholic group called Loretto but I don't know how to connect people with church in Salzburg - but I know we can't if we're not there.  In fact I don't know anything much about out time there except that we will pray our hearts out, serve our butts off to make Jesus famous in Salzburg - and that we can't do that if we're not there.

But maybe there's a third story?  Maybe there's a divine narrative that we connect with through faith not risk assessments?  Maybe there's an adventure to be lived, a set of assumptions about church to be shaken and new story to be written?  And what if we're invited to join by trusting the master storyteller??

I want to live my life in the third story - not one where I'm struggling to control details, or one where I'm pretending to understand what's happening - one where I admit I have no idea, that there is a master storyteller and my place in the story is determined by my willingness to trust him exactly where I don't understand why.

I don't understand why we're going to Salzburg - but I trust there is a third story, a master storyteller and that he rewards those who seek him in faith.  And we'll never know if we don't put ourselves in the game.