Jesus, when he taught, often told stories that provoked and unsettled the status quo. He draw images and pictures from the world around him, that were familiar to his hearers. But he would put a little spin on a story that would be surprising, that would evoke emotion, and move people from the acceptance of the status quo, to see something different about God, themselves or the world in which they live.
Our problem, in reading these stories, is twofold. Firstly, the images and pictures don’t mean much in our world. We aren’t farmers, or there isn’t a temple, or our weddings are conducted differently. They don’t connect with us, in the way they would have done in first century Israel. Secondly, the stories themselves are so familiar to us, that they lose their impact. We have heard them so often, listened to explanations, or sometimes they have been incorporated into popular culture (eg. the Good Samaritan), and the surprise is gone, and with it the uncomfortable feelings that might just persuade us to act, to do something, to step out of the status quo.
So when Jesus said…
Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. (Mt 5:23-24)
…his original hearers would have understood exactly what he was saying. And they would have been shocked, surprised, and possibly annoyed. But we don’t necessarily ‘get it’ because we don’t have a temple, offer animals as sacrifices, nor know the geography of the land in which they lived.
Jesus was speaking in Galilee, some 80 miles from Jerusalem, where the temple was and gifts were offered. So, says Jesus, if you people of Galilee are in Jerusalem, about to offer some gift as a freewill offering to God in the temple, and you remember someone who is offended with you, you are angry with, and your relationship is distanced or broken down, then you leave your animal with the priest, and go home. Go back to Galilee (where almost certainly this offended person would reside). Walk those 80 miles, to go meet with that person, to try to be reconciled with him. That would be around 3 days travel, just to get back to Galilee. Then another 3 days back to Jerusalem to offer you gift. Oh, and another 3 days travel to return home again.
That is to say nothing about the gift. Gifts in those days weren’t nice presents wrapped in colourful paper, with a bow on. No, gifts offered at the altar were mostly animals: birds, lambs etc. What were they supposed to do with this gift? What happens if they returned a week later to find the gift had gone? Walked off? Flown away? Been used by someone else?
Why didn’t Jesus just say, if you remember you have a broken relationship, well offer your gift and then rush back to build a bridge with your friend or neighbour who is offended?
I think Jesus didn’t say that because it wouldn’t have communicated how important building bridges in relationships is to Jesus. I think Jesus didn’t say that because it would have left his hearers nodding wisely in agreement, but not doing anything about their wronged brothers. I think Jesus didn’t say that because it wouldn’t have motivated his hearers to make that incredibly hard journey to reach out to someone to try to resolve differences.
So Jesus invited his hearers to take an incredibly difficult 80 mile journey home, to build a bridge in a broken relationship, and then another 80 miles back again to offer their gift at the altar. So really this post should be have the title: A one hundred and sixty mile journey to build a bridge!
Tags: Sermon on the Mount
Be silent.
Be still.
Wait before your God.
Say nothing.
Ask nothing.
Be still.
Let your God look upon you
That is all.
God knows.
God understands
God loves you with an enormous love.
God only wants to look upon you with love.
Quiet.
Still.
Be.
Let your God love you.
A Julian contemplation. Edwina Gateley
Tags: prayer
This was part of what was shared at the recent Prayer and Spirituality Evening, looking at stillness. In a previous post, I looked at some practical ways in which we can nurture a stillness in our minds and bodies. Andrew Hook talks here about the need for stillness as we come to pray:
Spirituality is embodied prayer, prayer that seeps out into the way we view ourselves, others, God and the life itself. On the Radio 4 program Something Understood the Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams, in his discussion on prayer with Mark Tully, makes a number of important comments (to read a transcript of part of the interview see the “read more” section at the end of the post) . He talks of making room for the welling up of Christ’s life with us but states we have to still our body and mind and let something flower, or put another way, in the words of the poet Mary Oliver, ‘make space for another voice to be heard.
It is impossible to pay profound attention while living out a frenzied life. Williams refers to our absence rather than God’s, that we are not present to the moment – to where we are. We are often in multiple places and ahead of ourselves, disconnected from our inner self and our bodies. He says that we have to wait and stay with it, for this convergence, for this seeping of one with the other, and that there is a habit of listening or letting things happen to be cultivated.
Concentrating on our minds for a moment…
- Our minds are addicted to thinking, they have to be trained to pay attention (to what is). Our thoughts are preoccupied with the past and the future. There is always only now, which is where God is found. We strategise, plan, forecast. We try to be ahead of the game. We compete and compare and often stay at this level.
- The mind has been compared a multitude of monkeys jabbering and flitting from branch to branch in a tree and to wild horses running round a paddock. This is where we live most of the time. So what to do with the mind, this fussy, distracted defensive mind?
- “Thoughts are like rubber balls, the harder we throw them away, the harder they bounce back at us. Gently lay the ball down by focussing it not resisting it.” suggests the writer Simon Small. We notice them, but don’t judge them.
- A Scripture can act as form of soft focus. Not something to intently chew on like a football manager on the sidelines of a game but a gentle distraction for the mind.
A few words on the body…
It’s not that I have a body but I am a body. Creation, incarnation, resurrection (Jesus’ and then our own) all point to increasing levels of embodiment. Matter matters. The spiritual and the physical are intimately entwined. In Celtic thought the body is the echo or mirror of the soul. The image of God has been woven into the fabric of our being, notes the Celtic writer Philip Newell. The Blessed Trinity dwells deep within our bodies and so we aim to allow this life of Christ to well up is us like a tide.
So, when we pay attention to the present moment, without commentary or judgement to both the inner and outer worlds, the mind begins to still. Space appears around and between thought. A seed is planted and will mature.
Tags: prayer
Margaret Silf, one of my favourite authors on prayer, describes stillness as being “10 feet down”, below the surface of the choppy waters of our lives where we mostly live.
The purpose of stilling ourselves is to bring us down to the deeper currents of our hearts, where we can begin to notice what we are really feeling, what is moving us at a deeper level of our being, and where these feelings and movements have their roots. And it is precisely in those deep currents that God is speaking to our hearts, revealing our innermost desires and fears to us, inviting us to reach out towards the deepest desire of our hearts and to surrender our fears and hurts to his healing…
Margaret Silf. Taste and See.
But stilling ourselves is difficult. One image Silf uses is a glass of muddy water, that is shaken, disturbed, stirred around. When we stop to pray, while we might be still in our bodies, internally we are still rushing around, swirling like the muddy water. Our mind racing around to things that have happened, or jobs and tasks that need to be done. But gradually, as we learn how to still ourselves, we find the mud settles in the glass, the water becomes clearer and our mind and body become present to the moment, rather than dwelling in the past or future.
We can learn how to become still. In our western culture, that so values speed and productivity, we have lost touch with the value of slowing down, but this is essential, as we come to prayer. We simply can not expect to find a centred place of stillness if we treat prayer as one more activity to do in our packed days. Our approach to prayer is as important as the prayer itself. I try to slow down about half an hour before I come to pray. A slow shower, enjoying the water drops cleansing me. A cup of coffee, hot and steaming, and slowly sipped. Enjoying a piece of toast, slowly savoured. All of this prepares me to pray. My body and mind slowing down, as I prepare to meet the God of all creation.
Our environment is also crucial. Prayer, when we feeling uncomfortable, is nigh impossible. We become more aware of our aching joints or cold toes, than the Divine Presence. A comfortable chair, arms supported, back straight. Not so comfortable that I fall asleep, but a posture of openness and alertness. As we sit, we become aware of our breathing. I find deliberately slowing down my breathing helps me to slow down, and with each breath, I breathe out any worries or concerns, things that are on my mind; and breathe in the peace of Christ.
Other things can help us slow down and find that place of stillness. Some people find images helpful. Or a candle. Or stones. A scripture, not to read, dissect and understand, but a phrase to repeat over again, that focuses my thoughts and heart on the Lord. My current one is Psalm 18:1 – “I love you, O Lord, my strength.”
And then when we begin to find a place of centeredness and stillness, we can pay attention to what we notice. What do we notice about our hearts? Our emotions? Our hopes and fears? Our desires? And God, where is He? What do we notice about Him? His posture? His “face”? His movement towards us?
There are many times when I find this kind of stillness elusive. My mind racing to the next thing of the day, and I can’t reign these thoughts back in. But perseverance is essential, and those moments of being fully (or even partially) present to God are worth the wait and all the times of not being present and still in prayer.
Tags: prayer
Last Sunday, I spoke from Isa 30:1-14, in the first part of a two talks continuing to look at why we don’t pray – part 2 is this Sunday. We also built a wall – click on the photo for a larger image, and read on to find out what it was all about…
When Isaiah spoke this oracle, the Assyrian Empire had already destroyed and taken into captivity the northern Kingdom of Israel, and was threatening the southern Kingdom of Judah. The year is probably 701BC, and Hezekiah is King of Judah, although he isn’t mentioned in this passage. While he was in general a good king, the leaders of Judah had decided that the only way to stop the superior might of the Assyrian armies was to form an alliance with Egypt who would protect them (vs. 1-5).
This alliance was not a equal partnership as we might think of two nations forming today. The only way to get Egypt’s help was to buy it – to cart over the Negev desert that separates Judah and Egypt some of the national wealth to secure the military help of Egypt (vs 6).
A reasonable response you might think. But along comes Isaiah and says that this is not a plan that the Lord is happy with, nor one that they consulted Him about (vs 1&2). In fact it will only end in their disgrace and shame (vs. 3-5), because Egypt is utterly useless, as the Lord calls them “Rahab the Do-Nothing”. (vs 7)
[Click on “read rest of entry” to finish article…]
Tags: prayer
This Monday (12th October) I am starting a series of six evenings in church (mainly Monday nights once a month), to help people to learn to pray. I have mentioned before, but I am constantly amazed at the disciples (who remember were good Jews and therefore steeped in the Jewish tradition of prayer) after living with Jesus for while they asked him to teach them to pray. There was obviously something about the way Jesus prayed that inspired them to greater depths of prayer.
However experienced or long we have been a praying people, there is always so much to learn. And we learn to pray by praying. Insights, understanding, encouragement from others can all help to inspire us to pray. But we learn to pray, when we actually pray. So Jesus’ response to the disciples’ question was: “When you pray…” (Lk 11:1-2).
So these series of evenings won’t teach us to pray. But they might help us learn how to pray. We will be looking at different aspects of prayer during the evening, but the main component will be individual prayer itself – trying out different ways of praying, tools and resources! And then some time to reflect and learn together on what was helpful and difficult about the prayer.
The topics we will be looking at include: finding stillness in our bodies and minds; rhythm and liturgy & the structures that helps us when life is busy or prayer is difficult; meditation and imaginative contemplation on Scripture; different personalities and prayer – finding what works for us. All the dates and content each evening can be found here.
If you do wish to come along, please get in contact with me.
Tags: prayer
This Sunday I will be continuing to look at reasons why we don’t pray. Generally, Christians know the value of prayer, but mostly we still struggle to pray.
It has often been thus. Even in the days of Israel, keeping God at arms length served their purposes. Isaiah parodied their response:
Give us no more visions of what is right!
Tell us pleasant things,
prophesy illusions.Leave this way,
get off this path,
and stop confronting us
with the Holy One of Israel!(Isa 30:10-11)
This almost seems an unbelievable response. How can it be possible for God’s people to prefer to keep God away? Is it possible that we, too, don’t want God to come too close? Could a lack of prayer highlight a far deeper problem about our trust in God?
Tags: prayer
The Prodigal Son is an incredibly well known story (Luke 15:11-32). But often the focus is on the younger son, who leaves home with his inheritance from his not-yet-dead Father, squanders it, and returns to find and experience the grace and kindness of the Father.
What is less often looked at is the older son, who stays at home all the time, working hard on the family estate, faultless in so many ways, and yet we discover in the story that he is every bit as lost as his younger brother. We first get a hint of this, when the welcome home party for the younger son is in full swing, and the older son returns home. Instead of entering into the house, he stays outside asking a servant what is going on. Then angrily he confronts his Father with all the simmering resentment under the surface of his heart, due to his perceived lack of appreciation for all his hard work and the unfairness of the treatment of his brother.
The self-righteousness of the older brother is harder to see in our own hearts than the blatant rebellion of the younger son. We can do all the right stuff. Outwardly, we can seem a good Christian. We can attend church; always helping out; serving; teaching; praying with others; bringing friends to church etc. But we are doing all this out of duty. We can even pray regularly. But our prayer seems to revolve around the work we are doing. The Father seems more like a boss, who is directing the work, than a loving dad who enjoys hanging out with his sons.
And deep in our hearts, the situation is even more desperate, when we find a moment to stop the activity to reflect on its condition. We find we resent the success of others, even someone secretly hoping for others downfall or comeuppance. The joy of others new found faith or simplistic versions of faith annoy us. Occasionally the anger and resentment bubbles out, but mostly we keep it under control by business and noise and not stopping.
For if we stopped, we would be confronted with the hardness and darkness of our own heart. We would be confronted by our own anger and jealousy. We would be confronted by own lostness. And we might also be confronted by the irresistible love of the Father, wooing us back home.
Why don’t we pray? Because it is sometime just too scary to stop all the activity and to be confronted with ourselves, alone with God.
Tags: prayer
- Part 1 – Start Small
- Part 2 – Be consistent
Many of us have prayed regularly at some points in our lives. But at some point, the ‘regularity’ turned into ‘spasmodic’. And we wake up one day realising that prayer plays a very small part in our lives.
The key, I believe, is to establish a rhythm for prayer. A rhythm that will give us some structure when life gets busy or prayer becomes more difficult. This post, continues to look at how we practically establish a rhythm. The third tip is to do it with others. Well perhaps not actually physically with others, but including others in on own journey. We were not meant to be a sea of individuals beings, doing our own thing, trying to figure it all out on our own.
Over the summer, I was determined to go to the gym, and get fit (or at least fitter!). Left to my own devices, I might not have persevered. But I started telling some others about my plans. Suddenly, I am not on my own, but I have the encouragement of others. I have some gym buddies. They actually go to a different gym, and are probably doing it for different reasons to me, but when I see them, we talk about gym stuff. It encourages me to keep going, not to give up.
I suggest we find some prayer buddies. People we can talk about our prayer lives with, when we get with them. People who can encourage us, spur us on, keep us going when the going gets tough. I suspect that talking about our prayer lives is harder than talking about gym stuff. Often when we do, we tend to diminish our own efforts (perhaps this is especially true of the British!), and conversations revolve around how hard prayer is, how bad we are at praying, how inconsistent we are. But how about we talk about what we do, what we find helpful, how we are learning and growing in prayer? Pushing through the pain barrier, into these deeper conversations, can nurture Christian community, and help us establish a rhythm of daily prayer.
Tags: prayer
This series of posts is looking at how we establish a rhythm of daily prayer. Periodically, I have prayed frequently and regularly but very rarely (actually never) have I established a rhythm of prayer. So tip 2 this week is be consistent.
I have a shower every morning. Never fail. I don’t even think about it. I never ask myself the question: shall I have a shower this morning. It is part of my morning ritual. Glass of water (or two – another change I am making to my life at the moment), perhaps a coffee before I shower, probably some making of breakfast for the kids, and then pop into the shower. Even on Saturday, the ritual might be elongated a bit (it is not unknown for us to still be hanging around in our pyjamas until late morning!), but I still always have a shower.
We can find a similar rhythm to prayer, but to do so, it is helpful to find a regular time and place to pray. Fitting it in to our day whenever it seems to suit best, which is probably what I have done for large parts of Christian life, inevitably means that prayer will be more spasmodic. And when life gets busy, or prayer gets hard, we don’t do it. Remember tip 1 – start small. It doesn’t need to be long. First thing. On the bus. Coffee break. Kid’s nap. Lunchtime. When you get back from work / college. Just before you go to bed. Whatever works for you.
What I have realised, that for me, unless I open my Bible, before I open my computer, my Bible will remain unopened all day. So I find prayer first thing of the day an important rhythm for prayer (after the shower that is!). I plan my day around that. But that is me. With my family demands, and working pattern. It might be different for you. So experiment, find a good time and good place that works for you. And do it!
Tags: prayer
