Epiphany 2012
Epiphany means manifestation or appearing and epiphany is the time we remember the magi, the kings or three wise men as they followed the Star as seen in the gospel of Matthew.
But were the wise men really that wise?
When you look at the gifts for a baby it really does make you think doesn’t it.
Have you ever wondered why the three magi offered gold, frankincense and myrrh to baby Jesus? I mean a baby, what can a baby do with gold, frankincense or myrrh?
Let’s be clear here, the magi had travelled a very long way, probably from Judea via Bethlehem. They knew that they were going to visit a baby so maybe something a little more appropriate may have been in order.
What do we give our friends when their children are born?
If someone turned up at your door with some gold, frankincense and myrrh for your new-born what would you do?
I think I’d prefer some clothes, a huge stack of nappies, a bottle of wine to celebrate with or maybe something for mum.
The tradition in our church is to cook a meal for the family for the first week or so, maybe a well prepared Lasagne, a piping hot shepherd’s pie or homemade curry and this symbolizes the care and love which we have for each other…and in today’s world what an epiphany that can be.
And like this, the three magi had epiphanies that are reflected in the gifts for Jesus.
There was gold, – a gift that was fit for a King. The magi understood Jesus as their King.
Frankincense was a gift fit for a priest. The magi understood Jesus to be the priest, the advocate and the intercessor between God and man.
And there was myrrh. It was used to embalm the dead so they must’ve understood that this beautiful baby boy would give himself up for mankind.
Christ is revealed to the wise men as Light of the World, appearing to both Jew and Gentile, and manifesting the Glory of God for all to see.
May God surround you with light as you search for him in this Epiphany season.
a theology of…Ozzy Osbourne
God Bless Ozzy Osbourne…
Ozzy Osbourne
As well as being a Christian I have been a fan of firstly Black Sabbath and then Ozzy Osbourne’s solo output for the last three decades or so.
Back in the 1980′s the right wing evangelicals led by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) they were set on increasing parental control over the access of children to music that was deemed to be violent, have drug use or be sexual. It was led by Tipper Gore wife of statesman Al Gore and three other women.
So who got to judge the music…well they did of course, did they understand it…well they did help lots of musicians sell a lot of album by trying to ban them…so I guess not but now as a parent myself I can understand their concern if not their methods.
Anyway Ozzy Osbourne was on the agenda, his concerts were picketed and he was vilified and became this prince of darkness figure, of course for those of us that followed him we knew he wasn’t this dark satanic figure or a madman but just a normal guy struggling with a life of alcohol and drugs.
Even looking at his lyrics in Black Sabbath, he never sang of being in league with the devil or any such thing, it was more like hammer horror of the 1960 if anything (incidentally the name came from a 60′s film)
In fact look at some of the lyrics of the song Black Sabbath,
Big black shape with eyes of fire
Telling people their desire
Satan’s sitting there, he’s smiling
Watch those flames get higher and higher
Oh no, no, please God help me!
clearly not embracing the dark-side.
So last night I watched a documentary called ‘God Bless Ozzy Osbourne’. It was decidedly sad as it followed a man with very bad dyslexia and clearly suffered from a huge lack of self esteem.
It was sad too watch his way of coping with the stress of fame and fortune with alcohol, in fact he would drink so much he would pass out with his eyes open.
And then there was the drugs.
Black Sabbath became very famous very quickly and people were throwing money at the band, and the 1970′s were notorious for drugs and so was Ozzy.
It didn’t help when his father died, he was sacked from Black Sabbath and was found by his now current wife, Sharon (who went on to manage him) covered in urine and completely out of his head in 1979, I think it would fair to say she saved his life.
In the documentary his five children repeat that he was never there and they are right he never was, he had always provided everything they wanted except one thing…he had never been a father and it was this that ultimately helped him to clean up and become the dad he could’ve and should’ve been.
And now he is clean, five years and counting.
But right at the end of the video we see him get down on his knees to pray…so yes, God loves you Ozzy Osbourne and God Bless you!
a theology of…smoking
I smoked for more or less 20 years and I did enjoy it.
When I became renewed in my faith I continued to smoke because I still enjoyed it and was of course addicted to nicotine.
It was pretty stupid really as I had asthma, not badly but I was finding myself short of breath from time to time, I had tried to stop before but it is easier said than done.
However two weeks before my first daughter was conceived I gave up for good this time. I prayed for determination I needed too see this through and God came through as with the help of chewing gum I managed to cease harming myself.
I knew stopping was good for my health, i’d know that for years but I was left with a few questions.
Why on earth did I smoke in the first place?
Well to look cool, and I did or so I thought.
My friends smoked, we all smoked in the pubs and clubs…wherever we were. A couple didn’t and we would laugh at them as they complained about the smell because you see if you smoke you can’t smell that rather horrible smokey smell that inhabits your clothes, hair and breath.
Why should I give up?
For a few reasons, the first of course and the most obvious is because of health concerns. I remember going to a wedding somewhere and it felt like there was a weight on my chest, I couldn’t get air, it was extremely unpleasant…that makes you think.
The cost, how any can afford to smoke nowadays is beyond me. I think I ended up heavily in debt because of smoking which I have still a couple of years left of paying off to go.
How does it sit with my faith to smoke and be a Christian?
Well let’s be clear here, there is nothing in the bible that says give up smoking or anything that says smoking is bad but then again is that what the bible is for, simply giving us a bunch of rules to adhere to or is it much more than that?
Much more than that I say.
One of the main reasons for me to give up was I wanted to set an example to others especially those in my church, the young and the youth.
I wanted to show them that I was more than an addict, a slave to nicotine and now 6 years on I have.
So I say to all Christian smokers, give up, be an example as Jesus was to us as we are to our children.
A theology of…things and stuff
Stuff and things…
I don’t really want stuff and things, I really don’t.
Jesus is enough in my life surely?
Poles apart?
I’d like to say yes and on the whole my attitude to things and stuff is not bad BUT I have days when it feels like Jesus isn’t enough and I want things.
Where we live (we rent) there are some really large beautiful houses that would suit my family and I down to the ground.
I want one, it’s a as simply as that…I want one!
As I walk past these houses I can’t help but feel disappointed knowing that I will never own one of these beautiful homes, I will never have an abode that I own for my wife and my girls and I see these and can’t help but feel jealous.
I don’t do the whole prosperity gospel nonsense but I have been faithful to God so why does it hurt so much to see such wealth so far out of my reach.
It saddens me that I am disappointed which in turn saddens me further that I think like this when I have become so unattached to material goods.
God has blessed me in many ways with a lovely family, an interesting job, great friends, a wonderful faith, a lovely church community, fascinating interests, good work mates…
Surely that is enough for anyone?
And it is with a heavy sigh that it seems not for me, my head says and emphatic YES and my heart says a painful NO.
Money is not the huge evil that it has been tarred with, it is the LOVE of money that is the root of all evil,
For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 1 Timothy 6:10
Money is of course a necessary part of life and is certainly not intrinsically bad or good, it’s how we deal with it that counts. I don’t love money..in fact I resent it, I resent that our society is built on capitalism and greed.
I know I am blessed and not poor by many standards and might well be considered rich by some standards…
But I still want that house and have no answer in the theology of things and stuff.
A theology of…compartmentalism
Compartmentalism?
Do you find you live different lives?
Maybe one for football on the terraces?
Maybe one for Sunday Mornings and your time at Church?
Maybe another for work and the time you spend there?
Compartmentalism is the name for it and for us as Christian it’s all to easy to do…but so what, why shouldn’t I separate my life into distinctive part? I mean my footie mates are not going to understand my faith, my work mates aren’t going to understand my footie mates and my church mates aren’t going to understand my work mates…makes perfect sense really.
Nice and ordered, different rules in different situations…sorted!
But is it?
Romans 12:1-2 points at what we maybe we should doing:
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. (Romans 12:1-2 NIV)
It seems to me that we are meant to present our whole selves to God so does that mean we give up football or any other interest that is outside the sphere of God or Church?
Well we can’t deny it we ARE in the world and we have duties to help ease its needs. We’re called to make it a more virtuous and humane place and let’s be real we, we cannot do that in hiding we can only make a difference in plain sight, at footie, at work, the same as you would at Church.
Most people are not going to just walk in off the street into your church and give their lives to Christ, of course it does happen but infrequently I would say, so we need to be disciples of Christ wherever we are and yes that means footie, hat means work, that means in the pub, that does mean wherever we tend to find ourselves.
We have to live out our faith not in a daft embarrassing childlike way but in a mature adult way, practice what we preach and St Francis says ‘use words if we really have to’.
So lets open all the doors and the breath of God throughout our whole being and be ready for some unexpected results…
An inspiration
Don’t be dismayed at good-byes. A farewell is necessary before we can meet again and meeting again, after moments or a lifetime, is certain for those who are friends.
a theology of… extremism
extremists hell!
It causes many of the world problem be it religious, political or social…Extremism is without a doubt hideous.
Christian extremism…well it is out there, it is damaging to the body of Christ and to Christians world-wide.
I’m sure you have all heard of the Westboro Baptist Church…well this is their latest publicity escapade:
The band (The Foo Fighters) dress up to play a song especially for despicable church group
The Westboro Baptist Church carried out their threat to picket the Foos’ show in Kansas City at the weekend but the Foos decided to perform a song especially for the protesters.
The track, ‘Keep It Clean’, recently appeared in the Foos’ risqué Hot Buns video which announced their US tour a few weeks ago and the band once again donned their “redneck” outfits for their performance.
At the beginning of the video, which you can see below, Dave Grohl sings: “I’ve got a hankering for something, think I’m in the mood for some hot man-muffins.”
In a break in the song, Grohl added: “Ladies and gentlemen, God bless America! Land of the free, home of the brave! I don’t care if you’re black or white or purple or green, whether you’re Pennsylvanian or Transylvanian, Lady Gaga or Lady Antebellum, it takes all kinds.”
Interestingly, some of the church members appear to have missed the point of the performance with one of the more senior members saying “I love that song” towards the end of the clip.
Sadly this particular group have also picketed funerals of anyone they don’t like, their official site is called ‘godhatesfags’ and recently they were banned for m the UK ‘
Fred Phelps and Shirley Phelps-Roper would be specifically excluded from entering the UK for having “engaged in unacceptable behaviour by inciting hatred against a number of communities”, and that “other church members could also be flagged and stopped if they tried to enter Britain”.
and further still
In May 2011, representatives of the Ku Klux Klan distanced themselves from the church, denouncing them as “hatemongers”
I don’t believe Jesus parched hate. So how do we take our faith back from hate groups such as these?
St Francis of Assisi
‘Preach the Gospel at all times and
when necessary use words.
St Francis of Assisi
I don’t mean just pitching up to Church on Sunday although that is part of it and maybe a good place to start but really to be part of community.
Obedience
Well we need to be obedient to God and to the leaders of our church. Obedient…a very old word meaning to submit to and in this case it is a choice for us to submit to our leaders and to God.
A good explanation of submission in the Christian sense would be:
Proverbs 3:5-6 - Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight (or: will direct your paths)
It sound s a little better than the usual dictionary where we find that to submit means to “yield to the control of an other or superior force.” In the face of this we need to carefully consider what our church asks of us.
Serving
I believe serving is essential to help a church grow at the very least you need people to put out he chairs, welcome people as they come in, make tea and coffee…find somewhere to serve.
Money
Then you should give with but only with a willing heart and you have to realise that to run a church does actually cost a great deal of money. For instance if you want a place to worship, an office for your ministers to work from, your ministers to devote full-time to the task, service equipment…all of this costs money and that is paid for by the Church and the church is of course you and I.
Energy
We all get tired from time and time and that’s fine but energy is infectious, you can bring many of those around you with you. From energy comes enjoyment and satisfaction.
All of this is a way of spreading the gospel without words
Stability
We all have up and downs in our faith, that is part of the human condition but stability is needed within our faith and ours must be rooted in God. Wilson-Hartgrove wrote that
“For the Christian tradition,” he writes, “the heart’s true home is a life rooted in the love of God.” When we cultivate an inner stability of heart – by rooting ourselves in the places where we live, engaging the people we are with, and by the simple rhythms of tending to body and soul – true growth can happen. The Wisdom of Stability is a must-read for pastors, leaders, and anyone seeking an authentic path of Christian transformation.”
In today’s culture movement is all too easy, if you get fed up with one church you simply move on to another, consumer Christianity; in effect our culture has become ingrained in our faith and that is something that we should move away from.
I don’t believe this is Gods plan for the Christian soul is to be a wandering entity but one for who stability is the by-word for growth.
So obedience and stability are a good place for us to grow, a good place to live our lives, to preach with saying one word.
a theology of…hearing
and listen!!
SHUT UP!…that is probably the first rule of listening to God, we do have a tendency to fill the void with sound, so we probably need to stop talking and shut up.
However silence is uncomfortable because it leaves us with ourselves and then with ourselves and God.
I wish God would send me emails or text messages. It would be so much easier to understand what He is telling me.
However I believe I did hear from God for my Church this Sunday which was something i’d been asking God for for about a month.
Being part of a church that has a certain focus on the gifts of the spirit I have always found it one of Christianities harder aspects to understand, over the years the questions for me have gone something like this:
Why doesn’t God just talk to me in my own language?
Why use pictures or scripture?
What if what I am feeling isn’t God but my imagination?
Why use other people?
and the list goes on…but this is a healthy thing and way that I have grown in my faith.
I guess we can’t understand the mind of God because of course if we could we’d be God and in my case that would not be good.
So how can we hear from God?
1. Practice, (like anything else you wish to become proficient at) our faith requires disciple and practice.
2. Understand that hearing from God is quite unlike anything else we can experience and we can get it wrong, so if you think you have heard from God seek confirmation by someone you consider trustworthy and mature in their faith.
3. It is quite unlikely to be a blinding ‘road to Damascus’ moment, that’s not to say it won’t be but if you think it is then check out number 2.
4. God can speak to us through His word, that is scripture, the bible. It really helps to know about Gods character, who He is, what He does and the way He does things, don’t forget though He can do anything.
8. Sometimes something in our spirit that sounds to us like an actual audible voice, it could be God then again it may not. As with all of these seek confirmation for anything you feel has come from God.
We only have to look at John 12:28 to know that God does talk to His children.
“Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
The crowd that was there and heard it said it had thundered; others said an angel had spoken to him. Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine.”
So look for that still small voice and I believe you will find it in a place you least expect it.
The Art of Russia part 1 – out of the forest
Russian Orthodox symbolism
Ikons or Icons (depending where you are in the world) have been part of the Christian church since the earliest days.
BBC 4 showed: The Art of Russia part 1 – out of the forest. It was a fascinating look into the world of Russian art but specifically Russian Ikons.
‘A Series in which art critic Andrew Graham-Dixon presents the incredible story of Russian art – its mystery and magnificence – until now untold on British television.
He explores the origins of the Russian icon from its roots in Byzantium and the first great Russian icon, Our Lady of Vladimir, to the masterpieces of the country’s most famous icon painter Andrei Rublev.
At the same time as being epic and awe-inspiring, and producing brilliant art, medieval Russia could be a terrifying place. Criss-crossing the epic landscape, Andrew visits the monastery founded by Ivan the Terrible, where Ivan’s favourite forms of torture found inspiration in religious art.
One man would shine a light into Russia’s ‘dark’ ages – Peter the Great who, surprisingly, took as his inspiration Deptford in South London.’
I would highly recommend this if you want to understand the earliest symbolism from the Christian Church, specifically Russian Orthodox Church.
a theology of … morality
Which way.....!!
With the recent riots across England much has been made of ’discipline’ or having a ‘moral compass’, but where does our morality come from?
I believe that a culture or society is the probably the primary influence.
This is often attained through the family. We are nurtured by our parents who in turn were nurtured by theirs and so on and so forth.
We also learn morality by a lesser degree from views friends, the State, The Church and the Law.
Of course these change from time to time, sometimes for the good, for example witches are no longer burnt and children are not hung for stealing a loaf of bread and sometimes for the worse where the media can wield far too much power and intrude into our lives on an astounding scale.
The morals in the England are still to a lesser degree based on a framework that on Judo-Christian thought and yet with the decline of faith (and not just Christian faith) this is seriously being eroded.
As a christian I have much in common with Muslims, Sikhs and Jews, but we are all being sidelined by ‘consumer culture’, faith, it seems should be hidden away where as money making should be first and foremost in peoples lives.
It’s a real shame when we put ‘goods’ before people because it creates a society that is not based upon need but based upon greed and that in turn feeds back into peoples minds some sort of morality.
So what IS our morality as Christians?
I think it is a mixed bag.
The bible is one place to start but rather than following it as a set of rules,
we are called to constant conversion, constant growth, a path towards Christian maturity.
We can allow others who we sense who are more mature to guide us, I have met older people who seem incredible immature and younger people who seem very mature. Spiritual growth is NOT dependent on age but an informed conscience.
We all have a responsibility to be informed, for our conscience needs to be based studying the gospel message, Church teachings, our own education and experience.
This does not mean doing whatever we want but what we come to know as right, even if it is difficult, especially if it is difficult…It is my belief that it is by this process that we grow.
