In the News Archive section we hold older stories of interest which were once News items.
The Archive is split into a number of separate pages to speed downloading.
For a list of the items on each page, see the News Archive Index 

 
Issue 92
29/01/12
 

 
Issue 91
22/01/12
 

 
Issue 90
15/01/12
 

 
Issue 89
08/01/12
 

 
Issue 88
01/01/12
 

December 25^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 87

Dear Friends,
 
At the risk of stating the obvious, today is Christmas Day. The good news echoes round the world as it once did to shepherds in Bethlehem: This very day in David’s town your Saviour was born - Christ the Lord. Amazing! But what those shepherds were to find was extraordinarily ordinary - which might not be so obvious.
 
Jesus was born in a simple Jewish home. The guest room (which is what is meant by the inn) was already occupied by visitors coming for the census, so Mary gives birth to Jesus in the main living room adjoining the stable for the animals. Mary and Joseph are offered the hospitality you would expect in their culture. The shepherds find Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes, the simple strips of cloth ordinary families would use to wrap up their new-born children.
 
There is nothing there to suggest this is anything other than an ordinary baby boy - till suddenly a great army of heaven’s angels appeared with the angel singing praises to God. A new king is born, a Saviour whose birth promises to be good news for all the people. Into this simple, borrowed, Jewish home God’s son is delivered, the very hopes and purposes of God surrounding him as much as those swaddling clothes. This is ordinariness tinged with glory.
 
The secret of who Jesus is shared with simple shepherds. That privileged information is something we carry with us not only as we read the Gospel through, but as we live out our faith today. Happy Christmas!

With every blessing,

Yea, Lord, we greet thee,
Born this happy morning,
Jesus, to thee be glory given:
Word of the Father,
Now in flesh appearing
O come, let us adore him, Christ the Lord

A Prayer

I suspect the shepherds were amazed that you could be found in a home like theirs. Which is rather humbling, because I suppose it means you, my Lord and Saviour, could be born in a home like mine. Humbling, and if you don’t mind me saying it, Lord, rather disconcerting. Amen.  

December 18^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 86

Dear Friends,
 
The outlook, according to the news this morning, is gloomy. The country is heading into recession; we are going to be stuck for the odd aircraft carrier for a while and public sector workers are going on strike because of pensions. Not everyone, it seems, is prepared to take things lying down.
 
My own union has written to me saying I cannot go on strike because I don’t get a government pension. But if I did have one it would be best to consider whether in my case it would be better to find different ways to protest! Going on strike might be detrimental to the interests of those we serve, especially the most vulnerable. It was an interesting email, if only because it recognizes that there might be a distinctive Christian dimension in all this.
 
Today most of our church services may well be Carol Services. The outlook here is decidedly different. The news is good; the bells of hope ring loud and the mood is joyous. Not that our carols ignore the world at large. The stories surrounding Jesus’ birth include politics (King Herod), economics (gold, frankincense and myrrh), oppression (censuses) and poverty (shepherds). Our carols can be sung as a distinctive protest against those forces that diminish not only us, but particularly the most vulnerable - because God has given his Son in this unique way to set us free. He’s not taking things lying down either. So sing your carols with gusto.

With every blessing,

Tell out, my soul, the greatness of his might!
Powers and dominions lay their glory by
Proud hearts and stubborn wills are put to flight,
The hungry fed, the humble lifted high.

A Prayer

Father, today my songs are of joy and hope. Hark! the herald angels sing - and the forces that threaten to diminish us had better take note. I pray for those who are overwhelmed by the bleak mid-winter. May they also have cause to sing: Glory to the new-born king! Amen.  

December 11^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 85

Dear Friends,
 
Today I have been battling with the heating clock. This was once a relatively simply device with levers, dials and other components that you could see and touch. But the modern digital timer is a complex, fiddly, unforgiving and unfathomable little monster. You have to press the set and select buttons in what appears to be a fairly random order. There probably is a logic behind it but it has entirely passed me by. If the heat comes on at the right time tomorrow it will be nothing short of a miracle.
 
As you hear the familiar Christmas story unfold just look out for the time references: in the reign of king Herod... at the proper time... in the sixth month ... in those days... when the time came for her to have a baby... today in the city of David... You get the sense that this was a difficult time when Jesus was born - for everyone. But there is also the sense that this was the right time and that God got the timing right.
 
We don’t always understand God’s timing. The right time apparently is not always the most convenient or congenial time. One of the things to celebrate in Advent is that God is not deterred by the times we live in - then or now. He promises to be with us and the birth of Jesus is the most brilliant sign of that.
 
We may yearn for a simpler less complex time, but this is the one we - and God - live in. Embrace it - as Jesus did - and we may well find that the heat is on.

With every blessing,

God in time, God in man,
This is God’s timeless plan:
He will come as a man,
Born himself of woman,
God divinely human

A Prayer

Lord, this day has had its frustrating moments, but I will ring the bells today. I will sing the songs that angels sang, because your presence today has left a taste for grace and glory. Amen.  

December 4^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 84

Dear Friends,
 
There’s a particular issue that affects Jewish people in Advent and Christmas. It’s called the December Dilemma. They can’t easily ignore the Christmas lights, jingles and festivities; they may get invited to Christmas parties and they may even be closet carol singers! So what do they do when everyone else is celebrating Christmas? Do they ignore it? Do they treat it (like most people today) as a secular festival? Do they give a heightened emphasis to a Jewish festival like Hanukkah instead? How they approach the December Dilemma may have profound effects upon their identity as a people.
 
Well maybe they are not the only ones with a December Dilemma. We will certainly face the secular challenge of a Christ-less Christmas. That’s what many people want to celebrate. It might not be our choice, but at least it’s straightforward and by and large we have worked out what compromises we can make with that, and the ones we can’t.
 
The real dilemma for us may be closer to home. It’s about whether we choose to be Hymn 94 Christians or Hymn 95 Christians. Away in a manger, for all its enduring popularity, is essentially a bit of religious escapism. Jesus does not even cry! Born in the night, Mary’s child celebrates the birth of Jesus who comes to give the light of hope in the harsh realities of human experience. Whether we choose to be 94-ers or 95-ers may well affect our own sense of identity as Christians today.

With every blessing,

Born in the night, Mary’s child,
A long way from your home:
Coming in need, Mary’s child,
Born in a borrowed room.

A Prayer

Lord, would it be alright if I sang Away in a manger just once? I know you cried, really. You were probably sick all over Mary and I expect you kept Joseph up half the night. I know people were desperate and frightened and you nearly got killed, even then. I know your earliest days were nothing short of precarious. Lord, I can tell the difference between glory and tinsel. Is it ok if I just hum the tune? Amen.  

November 27^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 83

Dear Friends,
 
Last week I wrote about how cynicism can undermine and subvert our love. But it is not the only thing. There is also sentimentality. Oscar Wilde once said that sentimentality is what happens when cynicism goes on a bank holiday. It could be more dangerous.
 
Paul wrote about sentimentality in 1 Corinthians 13, not that he used the word. But it’s what he meant. I have mentioned before the brass-making industry in Corinth. One of the things they made was mirrors, but they weren’t made of glass; they were brass. A common (non-Christian) practice was to etch your brass mirror with outline figures of your favourite gods. When you woke up in the morning and looked in the mirror the first thing you saw was yourself numbered amongst the gods. Very uplifting, very sentimental. But Paul told the Christians ‘We’re not playing that game. One day we shall meet God face to face, and that is something to be reckoned with.’
 
Sentimentality happens when we fall in love with the beauty of the words. We may delight in all that Paul has to say about love, for example, be profoundly moved by them, but then do nothing about it. Sentimentality trivialises the gospel, draws our attention to those aspects which appeal to our senses rather than those that challenge or even offend them. Sentimentality takes us to Easter on the Good Friday by-pass. Sentimentality focuses on what we need rather than what others need and therefore the response of love gets muted.

With every blessing,

What we see now is like a dim image in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. What I know now is only partial; then it will be complete - as complete as God’s knowledge of me. Meanwhile these three remain: faith, hope and love; and the greatest of these is love.

A Prayer

Lord, I think I might have struggled bit with Paul. He always keeps you on your toes and 1 Corinthians is the easy bit! Lord, I think you would have been a lot more gentle and understanding. Apart from that bit about giving away our stuff to the poor, forgiving 70 times 7, taking up our cross, going out into the highways and byways, being perfect and loving our enemies. Hmm. Amen.  

November 20^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 82

Dear Friends,
 
Love can be subverted. Footballers commit fouls in all kinds of ways. They may misjudge or mistime a tackle; they may get outwitted by an opponent and leave their legs in the wrong place. Sometimes their enthusiasm gets the better of them and they get over-physical. Nobody’s perfect! Not even at Barcelona. But I have noticed that commentators have enjoyed employing the term 'a cynical foul' far more frequently in the last few years. That’s usually when a player blatantly and deliberately goes for the opponent rather than the ball, often with complete disregard for the spirit of the game.
 
Cynicism can enter any area of life and we should not think that we as Christians are in any way immune to its effects. Cynicism becomes evident when we don’t expect much, or indeed anything at all, from ‘them’ (whoever ‘they’ may be), or ourselves, or indeed even God. Cynicism talks about faith, hope and love, may apply them copiously in certain situations, but then blatantly refuses to apply them at the key moment.
 
The answer to cynicism is not to cry ‘Foul!’. It is to pray for those who have hurt you, offended you, ignored you or rejected you. Cynicism subverts love but prayer takes us on the counter-offensive. Prayer is a way of loving people. It is actually very difficult to hate people you pray for. Of course, you may not change them, but God may change you.

With every blessing,

Can anything good come from Nazareth?     Nathaniel asked.

Paul:                                                                            [1 Corinthians 13: 4-7]

Love is patient and kind; it is not jealous or conceited or proud; love is not ill-mannered or selfish or irritable; love does not keep a record of wrongs; love is not happy with evil, but is happy with the truth, Love never gives up; and its faith, hope and patience never fail.

A Prayer

Lord, thank you for confounding Nathaniel. He didn’t expect much, did he? Well I suppose there’s a bit of Nathaniel in me. Maybe I don’t expect enough of myself, and others sometimes. Maybe I don’t expect enough of you. Give me patience, Lord, and you continue with the confounding. Amen.  

November 13^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 81

Dear Friends,
 
Some of the finest words about love ever appear in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (Chapter 13). Love is patient and kind. It is not jealous or conceited or proud... Love never gives up. They are probably as familiar as any words we know in the Bible. But this is no celebration of love in the abstract. Paul is only interested in reminding the fledgling Christian community in Corinth that unless they get their act together and genuinely love one another they have missed the point. They may be highly gifted; they may walk the extra mile, and then some; they may have the kind of faith others could never aspire to, but if they don’t love...
 
Corinth had a burgeoning brass industry. There would have been dozens of trades-men hammering away at the brass every day creating the most unholy racket. Paul wanted the Christians to understand that their words were just an unholy racket too if they weren’t soaked in love. Surrounding Corinth were some hills to the north and the south. Climbing them took some energy, determination, persistence and time. It could be dangerous and on some paths you might want to turn back. Paul spoke of a ‘more excellent way’, a path that reached higher than all others. Such was the way of love.
 
In 1 Corinthians 13 Paul never mentions Jesus, but he was all too aware that Jesus had taken a particular path that was also very dangerous. He did not give up or turn back and I suspect the way of love Jesus had taken lay behind every phrase, word and syllable that Paul uttered. Such love was not to be devalued.

With every blessing,

Best of all, therefore, is the following [higher] way. I may be able to speak the languages of men and even of angels, but if I have no love, my speech is no more than a noisy gong or a clanging bell [brass]. I may have the gift of inspired preaching; I may have all knowledge and understand all secrets; I may have all the faith needed to move mountains - but if I have no love I am nothing.

A Prayer

Lord, you do realise that in Physics I rarely got more than a B-? I suspect I was rather better at Physics than I am at following you. I don’t have any pretensions to being an A* Christian. But I do recognise, Lord, that your love is the real thing and if you can make some of it rub off on me then maybe the age of miracles is far from over. Amen.  

November 6^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 80

Dear Friends,
 
I have recently returned from a visit (with 16 others) to some children’s homes run by a Roman Catholic Foundation in Romania. It has been my third visit now, and each time I go something happens which causes an indelible impression in my mind.
 
It was difficult to sleep for the first couple of nights because my dreams were punctuated by the raucous sounds of dogs barking interminably in the distance. I suspected I was the victim of an international canine alliance. A day or so later came what turned out to be, for me, the stand-out episode of our trip. It was meeting a young girl aged 3 or 4. She was being looked after by a key worker in one of the children’s homes; she was relaxed, happily eating a biscuit, and enjoying the attention of people about her.
 
But, just the day before, she had been found in the woods, with no clothes on and hungry. She cannot speak, can only bark and presumably her only companion for most of the day was the dog. Being loved is already having an effect on her. Maybe those dogs which I had found so annoying had been trying to tell me something.
 
There will be times when God is trying to tell us something. We may not always understand at first. Our focus may be too much on ourselves. But God can be as persistent as a dog in the night. And there is nothing quite like a child’s eyes to remind us that if God wants to tell us something we had better listen.

With every blessing,

He went in and said to them, Why all this confusion? Why are you crying? The child is not dead - she is only sleeping! They laughed at him, so he put them all out, took the child’s father and mother and his three disciples, and went into the room where the child was lying. He took her by the hand and said to her ‘Talitha koum‘ which means, ‘Little girl, I want you to get up’. She got up at once and started walking around. (She was 12 years old). When this happened they were completely amazed. But Jesus gave them strict orders not to tell anyone, and he said, “Give her something to eat’.

A Prayer

Lord, you have a habit of breaking through confusion. You move through the howling crowds, to focus on just the few that matter right now, and then you tend to the girl, the one that needs you most. [I like the inconsequential detail that she is 12]. Then you leave a command to love in a simple practical way....  Now you wouldn’t be trying to tell me something, would you?  Amen.  

October 30^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 79

Dear Friends,
 
In my final letter about movements I would like to draw attention to your toes. We all have them; we’re even familiar nowadays with the more technical term of metatarsals. And we all know that it is quite painful when someone treads on them.
 
One mark of a healthy movement, however, is that people in it don’t mind too much having their toes trodden on. They tread lightly on their particular area of responsibility, and indeed welcome it when someone else offers advice or a helping hand, or even asks a pertinent question.
 
In a healthy movement we are not afraid we might be taking someone’s seat, or of suggesting something new. We don’t think that we are too small, or that our feelings don’t count or what we have to say won’t be taken seriously. We are not worried about putting ourselves forward for fear of treading on someone else’s toes.
 
A movement has to move forward, but it also has to carry people along. More than that, it needs a vision that is not the province of a few, but one that is both shaped and shared by everyone. For that to happen, those in positions of leadership and responsibility need the grace to be flexible and do better than just smile through gritted teeth when someone treads on their toes. And those who are by nature cautious need to trust that if they should tread on someone’s toes they will get a more gracious reaction than they might have feared.

With every blessing,

Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? He called a child, whom he put among them and said, Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.

A Prayer

Lord, I was just about to say that forgiveness, generosity of spirit and graciousness have a habit of going out of the window when someone treads on your toes - and what would you know about that?  Then I remembered where the nails went. Amen.  

October 23^rd
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 78

Dear Friends,
 
It’s all very well to talk about movements. I could talk all day about the Methodist movement under John Wesley and the Methodist movement today. I could make another passionate foray into the subject of our being a discipleship movement under Christ. And even if I could write and speak in a way that was wholly persuasive and that could command universal acceptance amongst us all there is one word I know that can make it all pointless. And that is the word But.
 
But it does not apply to me. But we are too old. But we are too small. But I am only interested in my church, not the kingdom. But we don’t have the time, the will, the resources or the energy.
 
But is the big brake that can be so easily applied, a millstone that can bring any movement to a shuddering standstill. Sometimes Buts comes out too quickly. Sometimes we might accept something with our heads, then before it reaches our hearts the But has stonewalled the signal.
 
Some Buts are good. But we believe in God. But we follow his Son. But we are given his Spirit. But Jesus was raised from the dead. There may be other Buts that really need to be consigned to our prayers of confession.

With every blessing,

There is still one thing lacking. Sell all that you own and distribute the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven;then come, follow me. But when he heard this he became sad, for he was very rich.

A Prayer

Lord, if I were the rich ruler I think I would have come out with a few buts of my own. Don’t you think you were being a touch unreasonable? Or is it that you are asking me to follow you outside of my comfort zone? And that is where you are moving us? No buts then? Amen.  

October 16^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 77

Dear Friends,
 
Most movements are there for a reason and they have a clear purpose. There have been movements in the past to give women the vote, to free slaves, or to give rights to people in work. More recently, the hospice movement has encouraged us to believe that people should be able to die with dignity, without pain and with real care.
 
These movements have made people think about what it is they fundamentally believe in, and encouraged them to act in ways that make the world a different place. It rarely happened overnight and usually there was some kind of cost involved.
 
Martyn Atkins, General Secretary of the Methodist Church, has spoken of Methodism as a discipleship movement. I take that to mean our prime purpose is to make new disciples of Jesus, then explore and deepen what it means to be his disciples throughout our lives. And if we then act in ways which suggest we are indeed his disciples, the world will become a different place.
 
After all, what kind of God do we believe in? Comparethemovement.com. Simples

With every blessing,

Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be alike a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock.

A Prayer

Lord, today I want to reaffirm my faith. I believe that God is the kind of God you showed us. I believe you came to change, renew and save the world. When I stop just to think of the things you said and did, I begin to realise again just how extraordinary you were. Truly you are indeed the Son of God. And I am honoured that you should call me to be one of your disciples. Now if I am to live and act with the grace of a disciple I am going to need your Spirit. Don’t forget now. Amen.  

October 9^th
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 76

Dear Friends,
 
You should find at church today several copies of the summary of Martyn Atkins’ report to the Methodist Conference 2011. He is the General Secretary and the report is called: Contemporary Methodism: a discipleship movement shaped for mission. This deserves to be read be everyone, so please do not miss out.
 
I want to focus this month on that little word movement. It’s an interesting word and depending on your particular interests you will probably associate it with clocks, sport, politics, trends, music or the bathroom. My prayer is that we shall also say about a movement: yes, that is what we are involved in at church!
 
Jesus began with a movement. He gathered disciples around him that would challenge people, religious or not, with a renewed vision of God. It was a movement intended to foster change in all sorts of ways and one of the first names for this movement was The Way. Methodism itself began as a movement designed to spread ‘scriptural holiness’ around the land.
 
Over time movements become institutions, in our case churches. Traditions, rules, regulations and procedures take over from the early vision. Energies become channelled into making churches work. And there is no doubt they can work very well in satisfying some of our social, pastoral and spiritual needs.
 
The critical thing is to rediscover our sense of being a movement, with a compelling vision, purpose and mission that is not just shared by a few enthusiasts but embraced by everyone.

With every blessing,

You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste how can saltiness be restored?

A Prayer

Lord, I just want to say thank you that there are people running our church from London who have a real sense of what the Gospel is about. I pray that we shall see that growing sense of being a movement again from the inside and not looking on as outsiders. Amen.  

October 2^nd
2011

Letters to a Living Church
N^o. 75

Dear Friends,
 
I recently took part in a family wedding in an Anglican Church. The rural dean lamented that this church and others in the area had fallen out with each other big time - and this was not a good witness! I reassured him this was not just an Anglican phenomenon.
 
If we are living churches it is important to get our relationships with other Christians - and that sometimes means other Methodists - on a healthier footing.
 
There is a four letter word that gets used sometimes. It is they. It doesn’t have to be, but when they is used with a sense of disparagement, dismissiveness or even contempt it can have a distasteful ring, especially when we direct it to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
 
Now they can be broken down into the and y. And the y in all this can be put down to things real or imagined, petty or not, that have happened recently or in the dim and distant past. It can be put down to fear, jealousy, stubbornness or just ‘that’s the way it is!’.
 
But they can also be re-shaped into T and hey. Pretty well all our churches have a gift for hospitality. If you should get invited to T make sure you find the grace to accept - and hey, you might get a taste for forgiveness, reconciliation, or whatever other gifts Christ wishes to send your way.

With every blessing,

Paul wrote: Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

A Prayer

Lord, , I was just about to say, do you really expect us to invite them? They wouldn’t come anyway. And shouldn’t they be inviting us first? Then I heard you laughing, and I couldn’t help but join in. Amen. PS Thanks for the kettle.