Easter Fragrance.

I caught the Great British Bake off on television the other night – quite by accident you understand.   It was the Easter Masterclass with Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood showing us how we can have a more calorific Easter.  It was Paul’s task to bake the ultimate hot cross buns and I must say they looked quite delicious. 

While he was kneading away at his dough, Paul recalled the days when his father’s bakery turned out thousands of hot cross buns every Easter.   And he had ways of making sure everyone know they were on the go.  He would mix in some bun essence with a pail of water and then wash the floor of the shop.  Everyone who came in was wrapped in the fragrance of the hot cross buns.  Even more craftily, he placed a capful of bun essence above the extractor fan so that the fragrance would flow out from the shop to hook unsuspecting passersby.  

That’s how to pack them in and ship out thousands of hot cross buns!

The Apostle Paul writes of Christians as a fragrance that leads people to  knowledge of Christ.  (2 Corinthians 2: 12-17)  He is realistic enough to know that not everyone will be captivated but to many the Gospel we share and the values we embrace will be ‘the fragrance of life’.  That is what it means to live the Easter faith.  There is too much in the world that gives off the stench of death, the materialism, the violence, the injustice.  Those who have been touched by the story of Christ and live by His ways can show a better way leading to renewal, the fragrance of life that flows from self-sacrifice, compassion and truth.  

Mr Hollywood’s bakery poured out a fragrance that drew people in to taste and see.  An Easter people, pouring out the fragrance of Christ, brings the hope of life to the world.  

Renewal Promised!

The other day I passed a flowerbed at Milngavie Town Hall.  It has been prepared by Milngavie In Bloom and has a notice that says: ‘Please keep off the garden.  Tulips and daffodils are planted and will soon be appearing.’  It was a cold day, cloudy, and threatening rain so to see that promise was really quite heartening.  To know that very soon there would be a display of life and colour.  Amazing too to think that a promise like that could be made, that we can have faith in the cycle of the seasons and the renewing power of creation. 

Perhaps we do not go in for Lent to the same extent as other Christian traditions but there can never be any harm in reminding ourselves that often the life of faith can be challenging and demanding of all our resources.  We may not be in the position of many Christians in the Middle East and some parts of Africa who are daily in fear of their lives but there are times when we have difficulty making sense of dark and difficult experiences that have fallen to us.

In this we are in good company.  The apostle Paul once wrote that life can sometimes be like seeing ‘a poor reflection in a mirror’, hard to work out.  But Paul was in the grip of a promise that God’s renewing purpose would never be denied by the worst of circumstances.   Some of his most challenging words are in 2 Corinthians 4: 16-17:

‘Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.  So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.’

I have often thought about these words and their implications for believers.  We are being invited to see our ‘troubles’ from the perspective of eternity, a time beyond this life when we will see that no matter what was happening to us and how badly we were troubled, God was still working in our lives to take forward his good purpose for us.  The key to Paul’s faith was that quite simply he knew his God.  He once wrote: ‘I know whom I have believed.’   He was convinced that the God ‘who did not spare his own Son for us all’ had nothing but a good and loving purpose in the lives of those he loved.    

My hope for these weeks leading to Easter is that as a people we will know our God better through our reflection on His promises which alone can sustain us through the challenges that fall to us.  

It Ain't Persecution!

There are times when it is just one thing after another.  Before Christmas our minds were full of a tragedy in the centre of Glasgow and now we are living with the echoes of the terrorist attacks in Paris.  We all know what it is like to be going about our business in a city centre without a thought for our personal safety so events like these touch us at a personal level. 

Ignatius Kaigama offers us some perspective, however.   He is a Roman Catholic Archbishop in Nigeria where Boko Haram have killed thousands of people and rendered many homeless.  He has commended the spirit of Paris with thousands turning out in support of the victims and to affirm their commitment to freedom of speech.   Nevertheless he has challenged the West, not least its leaders, to show that same kind of spirit when attacks happen in Nigeria, in Niger or in Cameroun. 

Perhaps, looking at the West, the Archbishop would agree with the poet’s observation that we cannot bear too much reality.  The scale of the carnage in places like Nigeria is just too much for our minds to process.  But it is there and people who share our faith are being called to persevere in the midst of it all.  And that is a wake-up call for people like me.   From time to time I have felt that orthodox Christians are being sidelined in Western society and sometimes even pressurised to conform to mainstream thought on a number of issues.  But what is this in comparison to the suffering inflicted on Christians of all traditions in parts of Africa and the Middle East? 

The Anglican Archbishop of York, John Sentamu was interviewed recently and it was put to him that some Christians in the UK are currently feeling persecuted because their views have been marginalised by mainstream society.  He replied:

‘Well I lived in Uganda during the time of Idi Amin . . . and our Archbishop was murdered by Idi Amin.  I had to get out of Uganda because I had opposed Amin on a number of things which I didn’t think were ethically right  . . . I know what persecution looks like.  What is happening at the moment in (the UK), it ain’t persecution. 

The coming season of Lent reminds us that Christian discipleship is challenging but we still have freedom to express our views in various ways, to engage in works of service and also to share our faith.    None of this should ever be taken for granted but approached prayerfully and used responsibly and respectfully.  

A Beautiful Symphony.

No one could fail to be moved by the amazing scenes in Paris as tens of thousands of people, including many world leaders, expressed their solidarity with the victims of the terrorist attack on Charlie Ebdo.  It seemed to be one of those moments when people  of all political and religious persuasions were united in a common concern for freedom of speech.  And yet it wasn’t long before other other voices began to be heard.  One Muslim woman said that she deplored the Charlie Ebdo murders but she was nonetheless deeply offended by the way her faith had been insulted by the magazine.   ‘For that reason’, she said: ‘I am not Charlie.’  Other Muslims took a similar line, especially when the cover of first edition of Charlie Ebdo after the murders carried a cartoon of the prophet Mohammed.   Some seemed to think this was a missed opportunity.  The vast majority of Muslims were horrified by the attacks and wanted to be part of the general condemnation but were  alienated by this lack of consideration for their beliefs. 

Then there was a voice from Africa.  Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Nigeria pointed out that Boko Haram has killed thousands of people in his country with many more displaced and with an uncertain future.  He commended the spirit of Paris but appealed for that same spirit to be spread around when attacks happen in Nigeria, in Niger or in Cameroun.  On his Facebook page, Hollywood actor Boris Kodjoe congratulated the world leaders for taking part in the Paris march and asked “can somebody tell me why nobody is marching for those [Nigerian] victims? Any world leaders planning a trip to Lagos or Abuja this week? Too Busy? Bad flight connections?”

It all comes together to emphasise that on political and moral issues it is almost impossible to find consensus.  Something that seems straightforward to me is problematic to someone else.  I am writing this on 19 January, Martin Luther King Day.  Today he is generally regarded as a great champion of human rights but there was significant opposition to his drive to secure equality for the African-American community in the United States.  To some people, many in high places, he was a threat to a status quo that suited them very well. 

This does not mean that we should hold back on the issues that are important to us.  In the end, however, we have to find a way to live together, in disagreement perhaps, but without threats to life and liberty, and sensitive to the feelings of others.  The Apostle Paul once wrote:

‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.’

If I am to put this into practise then it means an openness to others, no matter where they are coming from politically or spiritually, in the hope that in mutual understanding and respect we can live in peace.   To quote Martin Luther King: ‘With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood.’

Grit For The Road!

It took Gabrielle four hours to get home from Braehead yesterday.  We were keeping in touch by phone and she thought it might be a good idea if I gritted the hill leading up to the Manse in case she failed at the last slope.  There is a grit bin in Grange Road opposite the Manse.  So here we go!  Heavy work it was but on the way up the lady did not falter.

Maybe the work of the Church is to grit the road for our fellow travellers on life’s journey.  Sharing the truths that enable them to have a firm footing in this life and the next.  

Glasgow Christmas 2014.

I am writing this on the day after the bin lorry tragedy in Queen St, Glasgow.   At this point the extent of the injuries sustained and the total number of lives lost has not been established.  Information is only slowly building up although we have some idea of the pain and sense of loss being experienced by many families. 

The inevitable regret is being expressed that this has happened in a season of joy and celebration and fun.  One cannot argue, however, that the right decision has been taken to switch off the lights in George Square and to silence the traditional music.  One young woman interviewed today for television has said: ‘You feel bad about celebrating Christmas.’ 

This won’t be the first Christmas where I have felt exactly like that.  My first Christmas in St Paul’s in 1988 fell under the shadow of the Lockerbie bombing and the loss of 259 lives.  If the celebrations were inevitably muted that year I remember thinking that this particular tragedy forced us back on the central meaning of Christmas.   Matthew links the birth of Jesus with an ancient prophecy that said: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son and they will call him Immanuel” – which means,  “God with us.”  (Matthew 1: 22-23).  

This did not mean joy and celebration for those directly involved in the birth of Jesus.  For Joseph and Mary there were difficult decisions to be made; there was a journey to be made from Nazareth to Bethlehem with Mary well on in her pregnancy; there was no comfortable place for Mary to give birth. 

Later, King Herod was disturbed at the news of the birth of the Messiah.  He tried to use the Magi to ascertain the exact place where Jesus was so that he could eliminate this threat to his power and authority.  When that didn’t work he ordered the killing of every baby boy in Bethlehem 2 years old and under. 

But still the message persisted: ‘God with us.’  Not just in the days of joy and celebration and fun and achievement but even in the darkest of days.   God was still present and working in the anxious thoughts of Mary and Joseph, in the hardship they both experienced, in the anger and violence of a paranoid king.  No one feels the challenge of that thought more than I but this is where the Word of God brings me time and again.   Christianity is not in the end a feel-good religion so much as a reality-grounded faith in a God who is working out His good and loving purpose in the midst of human suffering and tragedy.   The birth of His Son was a dark time for many people but that birth was the hope of humankind.  The death of His Son was the darkest moment in human history but through that death came the possibility of forgiveness and renewal for men and women and the hope of life beyond death.  This revelation of God in the midst of humanity led Paul the Apostle to say: ‘There is nothing in all creation that will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

We feel the darkness of Christmas 2014 in Glasgow but yet one more ancient witness needs to be heard.  John the Apostle, perhaps the closest to Jesus and the most discerning wrote:

‘The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has never overcome it.’  (John 1: 5)

Imagine!

The talk for the Christmas Service at Douglas Academy:

During the Second World War much of  British intelligence work was centered on a place called Bletchley Park.  One of the most important people there was a man called Alan Turing.  He was among the foremost Mathematicians of his day and an expert code-breaker.  He eventually developed a machine that was a forerunner of present day computers that was able to decode messages coming out of Germany.  Many people believe that this shortened the war and saved millions of lives.  

A film has been made of Alan Turing’s work called ‘The Imitation Game.’  It doesn’t hold back on the man.  Despite his genius he wasn’t the easiest person to get on with.  He found personal relationships difficult and very often came over as rude, abrasive and offensive.  His personal appearance didn’t inspire confidence.  I actually knew a person who worked at Bletchley Park and she told me that it wasn’t uncommon for Alan Turing to come to work in his pyjamas.  But beneath all of this was this powerful brain that was able to achieve great things for the benefit others.  There’s a line that is repeated throughout the film: ‘Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.’

That made me think of a number of people I have known but in particular a lad who was in my class at school.  He wasn’t an Alan Turing but I think it is fair to say no one imagined much of him.  He had a serious weight problem, he found it impossible to participate in any sports, and academically he was never among the high-fliers.  He left school early without many qualifications and I lost touch with him.  But Facebook can be a wonderful thing and not long ago we made contact again.  And he had a great story to tell.  After school he went from one job to another until he found work in a Care Home.  That made him think about nursing as a career, so he improved his qualifications, and now he is a Lecturer in an English University.  Not only that he has had stints in universities throughout the world sharing his wisdom and experience.  ‘Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.’

That truth lies at the heart of Christmas.  The Magi came to Jerusalem to find a king.  Instead they found a displaced family living in humble circumstances in Bethlehem.  A family which was so poor that the mother had to wrap her baby in rags when he was born and use an animal’s feeding trough for a cradle.  But this wasn’t the whole story.  ‘Sometimes it is the people no one imagines anything of who do the things no one can imagine.’  This was the Son of God who would grow to be the most important person in human history.  The hymn says ‘Lo!  within a manger lies/He who built the starry skies.’  

Alan Turing saved lives.  My old school pal has had a big impact on the lives of others.  But this baby has opened up a better way for us to live in this life and given us hope for the life to come.