Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

I love reading biographies about interesting people and have recently been loving reading this book about Dietrich Bonhoeffer. For those of you who don't know who he is, he was a German church minister who was involved in a plot to assassinate Hitler. I've found the book fascinating on several levels.

Firstly, hearing about how his parents raised him has given me inspiration for how to raise my children to follow Jesus and make their mark on the world in a positive way.

Secondly, I've really enjoyed reading about the events surrounding the Second World War from a much different perspective that year 7 history lessons. I've gained a better understanding of how Hitler pulled the wool over everyone's eyes until it was too late and Germany's fate was sealed. Reading Bonhoeffer's journey towards involvement in the assassination plot has also shown me that ethics are not always black and white and that obedience to God's calling moment by moment is more important that obedience to a moral code.

Lastly, reading about the things he did while running 'illegal' seminary schools reignited in me a desire for regular times of prayer and reflection. At his seminaries the students were all encouraged to meditate on a Bible verse and spend time in prayer every morning and evening at the same time. Taking time out to hear God speak daily is vital to building a relationship with Him. Also, the practice of doing it daily at the same time as other brothers and sisters in Christ builds a great sense of community.

When I was working for a Christian charity many years ago they too taught a lot about 'spiritual disciplines' and daily rhythms of work, prayer and praise. Back then everyone in the organisation, located all across the UK, would take 2 minutes to pray at the same time every day. We also were encouraged to cultivate daily Bible reading and times of reflection as well as learning about Celtic Christians and making use of ancient Celtic prayers. I found it so refreshing and it brought new life to my relationship with Jesus. As time has gone by I've lost those rhythms and my life and relationships are worse for it. It's been great to be reminded of those things again and at the same time I've discovered a great book of Celtic prayers with Bible verses, prayers and reflections designed for every morning and evening. I'm excited to find a new and better rhythm to life again but struggling to get started and wish I had others doing it with me to encourage me.

Will you join me? Will you hold me accountable and give me a kick up the bum if I don't stick to it?

The older the better

In modern culture we often think that newer is better. When it comes to books the implication is that newer books are more relevant and more accurate. However, C. S. Lewis in his introduction to "On the incarnation" written by St. Athanasius strongly disagrees and I have to say I'm with him on this one.

Though there are some good modern Christian books out there, I have to say a large proportion of them are a waste of time - wishy washy shallow fluffy rubbish. C. S. Lewis says we often mistakenly think that old books are for scholars instead of the rest of us and that it would be better to read some new book about an old book instead of reading the book itself. For example, instead of reading Plato directly, Lewis says that we:

"would rather read some book that is ten times as long all about 'isms' and influences and only once in every twelve pages telling him what Plato actually said."

Thanks to some great teachers at my church I have recently been introduced to the writings of early church fathers such as Augustine, Athanasius and Eusebius and can I just say they are amazing! One of the things I love about these guys it that when it comes to interpreting the Bible they didn't have a plethora of concordances to turn to or books on culture or years of theories and opinions to guide them. Instead they use purely Scripture to interpret Scripture - surely a much better way to go. The result is some really amazing teaching that makes me fall more in love with the Bible (and therefore more in love with Jesus) every time I read.

For example check out this little sermon snippet from Theodore the Studite in the 9th century:"How precious the gift of the cross, how splendid to contemplate! In the cross there is no mingling of good and evil, as in the tree of paradise: it is wholly beautiful to behold and good to taste. The fruit of this tree is not death but life, not darkness but light. This tree does not cast us out of paradise, but opens the way for our return.

This was the tree on which Christ, like a king on a chariot, destroyed the devil, the lord of death, and freed the human race from his tyranny. This was the tree upon which the Lord like a brave warrior wounded in hands, feet and side, healed the wounds of sin that the evil serpent had inflicted on our nature. A tree once caused our death, but now a tree brings life. Once deceived by a tree, we have now repelled the cunning serpent by a tree. What an astonishing transformation! That death should become life, that decay should become immortality, that shame should become glory! Well might the holy Apostle exclaim: Far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world! The supreme wisdom that flowered on the cross has shown the folly of worldly wisdom's pride. The knowledge of all good, which is the fruit of the cross, has cut away the shoots of wickedness.

The wonders accomplished through this tree were foreshadowed clearly even by the mere types and figures that existed in the past. Meditate on these, if you are eager to learn. Was it not the wood of a tree that enabled Noah, at God's command, to escape the destruction of the flood together with his sons, his wife, his sons' wives and every kind of animal? And surely the rod of Moses prefigured the cross when it changed water into blood, swallowed up the false serpents of Pharaoh's magicians, divided the sea at one stroke and then restored the waters to their normal course, drowning the enemy and saving God's own people? Aaron's rod, which blossomed in one day in proof of his true priesthood, was another figure of the cross, and did not Abraham foreshadow the cross when he bound his son Isaac and placed him on the pile of wood?

By the cross death was slain and Adam was restored to life. The cross is the glory of all the apostles, the crown of the martyrs, the sanctification of the saints. By the cross we put on Christ and cast aside our former self. By the cross we, the sheep of Christ, have been gathered into one flock, destined for the sheepfold of heaven."

See how beautifully he draws together many threads of Scripture? Love it. For a few more snippets from a variety of writers check out:

http://www.rc.net/wcc/cross.htm

Happy reading

Best book in the world

The Bible never ceases to amaze me. I've just been reading Revelation and yet again I've come away excited by what I see God doing. Just felt like I needed to share my excitement with you all.

So.....check out Revelation 22 (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=rev%2022&version=51). It's the final chapter, the climax, the conclusion of history. But first, let's go back to Genesis (cos we all know everything starts in Genesis - right Joe?!). Genesis chapter 2 and 3...

First we see man in the garden of Eden and all is well. God walks there and talks with Adam - they have a close relationship. The tree of life is there. There's no disease or death or decay.

Then us humans make a fatal error and as a result get kicked out of Eden. God places angels to guard the garden and the tree of life so we can no longer have access to either. And a curse is placed on all of creation. From then on mankind (and indeed the whole of creation) is subjected to death, disease and a disconnection from God, creation and people.

But it was always God's desire to restore things back to the days of Eden. So, flick forward to Revelation chapter 22 and what do we see? It talks about a new creation that we can be a part of. And what does this new creation include?

v2 the tree of life is there and now we're allowed near it again. In fact, 'the leaves of the trees are used for the healing of the people'.
v3 "no longer will there be a curse on anything" - OH MY WORD!!!! Just spend some time meditating on the full implications of that statement.....
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and then check this out...

v14 "Blessed are those who wash their robes. They will be permitted to enter through the gates of the city and eat the fruit from the tree of life." It's like our banishment is over and now we are allowed to eat the fruit we were never allowed to before!

Doesn't that make you excited? and thankful? and worshipful? Doesn't it make you just wanna fall down and worship just like John did when he heard this from the angel? Doesn't it make you wanna join in with the cry of v20 "Amen, come Lord Jesus"?

I'm giving up Christianity!!!

Before you all think I've gone nuts and started backsliding allow me to qualify that comment!!! I've just started reading the Irresistable Revolution by Shane Claiborne and it's AWESOME. If you're comfortable with your form of Christianity then don't touch this book with a barge pole but if you're ready to be rocked to the core of who you are and challenged about what a real Christian looks like and whether you actually are one then read it.

At the start of one chapter entitled 'In search of a Christian' the author talks about a friend of his declaring "I gave up Christianity in order to follow Jesus". The author continues by pondering "I wondered what it would look like if we decided to really follow Jesus. In fact, I wasn't exactly sure what a fully devoted Christian looked like, or if the world had even seen one in the last few centuries...it looked like some time back we had stopped living Christianity and just started studying it."

Soren Kierkegaard wrote this on the subject...
"The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any word in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament."

After reading these things, here's what I wrote in my diary...
"I want to give up Christianity and follow Jesus. I want to stop studying Christianity and start living it. I want to stop just reading about God and trying to gain knowledge about him - I want to actually know him personally. I want to see the face of God (I think - probably be quite scary. Maybe I'll regret saying that's what I want!). I want to be an ordinary radical and to find other ordinary radicals to do crazy things with. I want to go in search of true Christianity and to find real Christians - and I want to learn to be one myself!!"