Another Chapter in the Medics' Saga

I have my Babel fish.  Stuck neatly in my right ear, I can hear paper crinkling, sparrows, and keyboard clicks.  What's so remarkable about that?, you may wonder.  Isn't that what hearing aids are supposed to do?  Apart from the eight month pilgrimage diverting via an MRI brain scan, rhinitis diagnosis and "being overlooked", it was a comparatively uneventful final chapter.

The student politely ushered me into a small room.  His supervisor explained that the fitting would be done under his guidance.  A side-by-side pair of flat screens dominated the desk.  They displayed some fancy graphics, including loudness versus frequency profiles of what I assume are my ears.  "So, you've had a hearing aid before?"  "No."  Perplexed exchange of glances.  "Erm, you've come for a hearing aid for your right ear?"  "No; both, I was told."  Perplexter exchange of glances.

Mr Supervisor leans forward to grasp the initiative.  "I have decided you will have just a right one."  I listen, somewhat deflated.  He gives me some technical talk about the difference between my two hearing profiles.  "Any questions?"  "I use my left ear all the time on the phone, and was hoping for some improvement," I state.  And, "Are you telling me the fitting's going ahead based on the one test I had last October?  When I go for an eye test they seem to check more."   Initiative gives way to indignation.  Our man taps the screen, as if the accuracy of the plotted lines is enhanced by his rising emphasis.  I resign.

The nice young student, whose name I didn't quite catch, sticks things in my right ear that beep and whistle.   An area of the computer screen turns pink, then morphs to yellow.  There's some impressively clever stuff behind this.  He activates "loop control", while the supervisor briefly leaves the room.  He shows me how to pull apart and reassemble the little gadget.  I'm going to walk out of here wearing it for the rest of my life (except in the shower).

Suddenly, it's all smiles and endless free batteries.  "You'll soon get used to it..."  I comment that I'm likely to find it less hazardous than my first bifocals, where I nearly fell headlong down the stairs.   Later, at home, Harriet asks me if the traffic made me jump.  "No." I say.  "But I didn't realise how may sparrows there are round here."  So, Royal Hallamshire Hospital and I may be parting company for a little while, except...

After the third time I chased the results of my open angle closure primary glaucoma test, the ophthalmology consultant wrote that he was discharging me because my eye pressures are now well within the normal range.  He signed off with, "keep having your regular eye tests".  You'd think I'd be pleased.  But I'm not wholly persuaded.  It was the regular eye test that got me sent for assessment in the first place. 

It was the yellow bogies incident.  All was going well at Specsavers on Pinstone Street.  Then we got to the "puff" test.  After several eye-watering blasts, the lady said it didn't seem to be working.  She'd have to try different equipment.  I was eye-dropped with an intense chrome-coloured dye that flooded my tear ducts.  Then head-clamped, and somehow obliged to keep my lids apart while she "deflected" the front of my eye with the ratchet-mounted optician's equivalent of a sharpened HB pencil aimed straight into my field of vision.  Four years later, in Leeds, they had the same off-the-scale results with the "puff" test.  But by now, this triggered a referral for further examination.  That was when the nice doctor lady offered to drill holes in my eyes with lasers.

"Aren't we about due for an eye test?" I asked Mary, giving no particular reason.  "Oh yes, it's just two years ago."  "Just before we left Leeds?" I nodded.  Why do I think, somehow, that Specsavers will again be writing to my GP to arrange an assessment at the Ophthalmology department?  And the discharge letter will have been pointless?

Transformed by God's Trinity-Community Life

This is the second part of the story.  The full audio is on http://recordings.crownoflife.org.uk/

Summary.  Everything that makes our faith possible, or moves it forward, comes from God.  Therefore it can’t be divided from His nature.  It’s the life of Father, Son and Holy Spirit being pumped into us.  What are its qualities?

1. The life of God is a trinity community, experiencing mutual interdependence with no loss of unique identity or sufficiency.  It is also mutual affection in self-giving love, and mutual honour and glory that establishes, not disturbs, equality and oneness.  Each functions both autonomously and collaboratively. 
2. God created humanity as objects of His inclusive desire.  He invested Adam with enough similarity to Himself that we can consciously value this relationship.  The fall and sin brought many possibilities to an end.
3. Through the Son’s incarnation and ascension, humanity can again enter Spirit-birthed relationship with the Trinity.  There’s a parallel with the original creation’s in-breathing that gave Adam life.  
4. Our earthly spiritual pilgrimage is to discover this community life within us, in its transforming power.  The old Adamic life, sentenced to death in the Cross, is exchanged for the divine life of new creation.  The final glorified state in the new earth and new heaven will see God and man fully enjoying each other. 
5. Jesus’s announced and established Kingdom takes root in love, righteousness, justice and peace. Authentic church-community life is grounded into inward realities, even though it needs some solid and concrete supportive wineskin

What’s this about?  God’s full destiny for humanity involves a new creation; like our first breath, we must be filled with God’s life.  Peter describes it as a process of aligning our desires (see v4) with God’s.  James points to the growth involving ground preparation, seed sowing, blossom, fruit and harvest, calling for patience in the seasons of life.

2 PETER 1:5  For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love.  8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.  9 But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

JAMES 5:7  Be patient, then, brothers, until the Lord's coming.  See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop and how patient he is for the autumn and spring rains.  8 You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord's coming is near.

 

1.  Transformation doesn’t come without a struggle.  What does it look like?  At Spurn Point on the east coast, the Humber Estuary flows out to the North Sea.  Here’s there’s a turbulent meeting of waters.  We experience conflict as the ocean of God’s life seeks to overpower our silted old life. 

a)  God weans us off the love of earthly things and redirects our affections towards loving eternal realities.  This may seem just optional, and even hair-splitting, but in fact it saves us from idolatry. 

ROMANS 1:25  They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator--who is forever praised. Amen.

COLOSSIANS 3:1  Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.  2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. 

b)  Overthrowing the tyranny of self-centredness, to stretch our hearts and shape the priority to take in others.

PHILIPPIANS 2:3  Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.  4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.  5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:    19  I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you.  20 I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare.  21 For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

c)  Submission.  When we pray “in the name of Jesus” we’re asking God to submit: what hypocrites if we, in our turn, won’t!

ROMANS 8:6  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; 7 the sinful mind is hostile to God.  It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.  8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God.

1 CORINTHIANS 16:14  Do everything in love.  15 You know that the household of Stephanas were the first converts in Achaia, and they have devoted themselves to the service of the saints.  I urge you, brothers, 16 to submit to such as these and to everyone who joins in the work, and labors at it.

d)  Suffering.  Redemption won against the deception, violence, hatred and systems of the devil: we take a share.

1 PETER 2:19  For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God.  20 But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it?  But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.  21 To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.

HEBREWS 13:3  Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.

e)  Creativity.  The Trinity is recorded cooperating in original and new creation; so we’re invited to leave our mark.

TITUS 3:4  He [God] saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, 6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.  8 This is a trustworthy saying.  And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.  These things are excellent and profitable for everyone.

f)  Unity  must be worked at (built) and safeguarded (maintained and protected); there are gifts that equip us all. 

ACTS 20:28  Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers.  Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.  29 I know that after I leave, savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock.  30 Even from your own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them.  31 So be on your guard!

1 CORINTHIANS 12:4  There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.  5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.  6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.

 

2.  Application  God’s word is described as seed that grows in our hearts (James 1:21, 1 Peter 1:23, etc).

·       How do you deal with the obstacles to the deeper growth of God’s life, personally and in your nearest group? 

·       How do you stimulate vitality into spiritual life when it’s diseased, starved, choked, neglected or slow-growing?

·       Many plants need supporting stakes: what solid prescriptive things are helpful in church and community life?

(All quotations from the New International Version)

Exploring God's Trinity-Community Life

I started this teaching at our recent Community Focus weekend.  It took three weeks to complete, so I've split it into two postings.  We also do a webcast for folks who like to listen after the event.

Summary.  Everything that makes our faith possible, or moves it forward, comes from God.  Therefore it can’t be divided from His nature.  It’s the life of Father, Son and Holy Spirit being pumped into us.  What are its qualities?

1. The life of God is a trinity community, experiencing mutual interdependence with no loss of unique identity or sufficiency.  It is also mutual affection in self-giving love, and mutual honour and glory that establishes, not disturbs, equality and oneness.  Each functions both autonomously and collaboratively. 
2. God created humanity as objects of His inclusive desire.  He invested Adam with enough similarity to Himself that we can consciously value this relationship.  The fall and sin brought many possibilities to an end. 
3. The romance of redemption shows a little of what our corporate experience of Trinity life may have been like.  There is God's faithful covenant, epiphanies of the Son and the action of the Holy Spirit. 
4. Some say body, soul and spirit represent our trinity constitution.  However, we fell into sin and can’t rely on any innocence in our state.  Jesus, God the Son made man, properly lived the life of humanity.  (See 2 Corinthians 4:4; Colossians 1:15, 3:10).  We can trust Him. 
5. Through His incarnation and ascension, humanity can again enter Spirit-birthed relationship with the Trinity.  There’s a parallel with the original creation’s in-breathing that gave Adam life.  
6. What can we say of the societal aspect of this?  That is, man’s relationship with fellow believers, and redeemed society’s (i.e. the church’s) corporate relationship with God?  Our earthly spiritual pilgrimage is to discover this community life within us, in its transforming power.  The final glorified state in the new earth and new heaven will see God and man fully enjoying each other. 

What’s this about?  Most believers of moral conscience recognise the need to separate from sin.  However our inwardly-destructive God-shunning people-distancing Adamic self-life is much less often condemned.  God’s full destiny for humanity involves a new creation; like our first breath, we must be filled with God’s life.

2 PETER 1:3  His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness.  4 Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

JAMES 1:17  Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.  18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.  21 Therefore…  humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

 

1.  Personal integration means aligning our personality traits, character capacities, imagination and choices, priorities and interests, time and energies, fears and hopes, relationships and commitments all into God’s call upon our lives, so the Holy Spirit’s wisdom, love, power, God-glorifying and Body-uniting life works through us.

COLOSSIANS 1:21  Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior.  22 But now he has reconciled you by Christ's physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation -- 23 if you continue in your faith, established and firm, not moved from the hope held out in the gospel.

1 THESSALONIANS 5:23  May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through.  May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  24 The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it.

 

2.  Exploring conversion.  In Ephesians chapter 2, Paul defines several obstacles that God overcomes in Christ:  our transgression and sin (v1), our following of the world and its ruler (v2); gratifying our sinful nature and it intentions and thoughts, leading to wrath (v3); basic death, that required the power of resurrection (v5) because of His love, mercy, grace and kindness (v4-7); transfer from personal works to the gift of faith (v8,9).

EPHESIANS 2:1  As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.  3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts.  Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath.  4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions -- it is by grace you have been saved.  6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.  8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith -- and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God -- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 

 

3.  Exploring community.  The problem isn’t only personal: we’re in the wrong people group.  Beyond sinful reaction to God, we live in hostility to our fellows.  God also overcomes this, brings us to the foot of the cross together (v16), founding one new citizenship (v17,18), and building us up jointly as holy shrine (v19-22).

EPHESIANS 2:13  But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.  14 For he himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, 15 by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations.  His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, 16 and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility.  17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.  18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.  19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.  21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.  22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

 

4.  Trinity fellowship.  Starting from our baptism, every full expression of the church involves Father, Son and Spirit.  We have terms for the condition where the life of God has drained away: “churchianity”, “communitarianism”, etc.  We may appreciate consecrated talents and group dynamics, but they aren’t Trinity life.

MATTHEW 28:19  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.  "

2 CORINTHIANS 13:14  May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

EPHESIANS 4:1  As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.  2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.  3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.  4 There is one body and one Spirit -- just as you were called to one hope when you were called -- 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

2 THESSALONIANS 2:13  But we ought always to thank God for you, brothers loved by the Lord, because from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth.  14 He called you to this through our gospel, that you might share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

HEBREWS 10:29  How much more severely do you think a man deserves to be punished who has trampled the Son of God under foot, who has treated as an unholy thing the blood of the covenant that sanctified him, and who has insulted the Spirit of grace?  30 For we know him who said, "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," and again, "The Lord will judge his people."  31 It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

1 PETER 1:1  Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,  To God's elect, strangers in the world,    2 who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, for obedience to Jesus Christ and sprinkling by his blood:  Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

1 JOHN 1:2  The life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us.  3 We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us.  And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ.  4 We write this to make our joy complete.

REVELATION 1:4  Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.  To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father -- to him be glory and power for ever and ever!  Amen.

(All quotations from the New International Version)

 

Those Two Laws

Dave sent me this text at 8.59 on Saturday morning. "Maybe you can help me with this one: righteousness is not of our own making is it? It's completely of God, right - i.e. without Jesus we haven't got a chance of being right with God (original sin). So can we say the same about purity? I'm thinking these amount to the same; so it's simply a matter of 'putting on Christ' and resisting the enemy rather than fighting to attain more of what we haven't got yet? Hmm."

I was going though my summer clothes in the suitcase from the top of the wardrobe.   When I rang him back he was washing the cars.  So I suggested he went and got a pencil and paper.  Here's the gist of my reply.

Let's start with some definitions.
Sin is the tendency (disposition is a good word) in man's heart to turn away from God; rebel; seek to live independently of Him.  In the Old Testament this is referred to as iniquity.

Righteousness is dealing correctly with each person who comes across our path.  God always acts righteously.  Romans tells us that sin reigned from Adam to Moses, that is, people got on with dealing with each other wrongly in whatever unspecified way they did it.   (I prefer the term "inherited" to "original" sin.)

Then, in the covenant with Moses, God codified righteousness in the Law.  Now, unrighteousness equated with transgression of the Law.  God provided for atonement of these transgressions through the sacrificial system.  Through grace, we (i.e., the Jews) could have a fresh start.  However, these provisions didn't deal with the iniquity, which is why Hebrews (10:3) says it was an inadequate arrangement and the new covenant is better.  This was a piety code, and religions like Islam share the idea (and inadequacy).  In basis, the ten commandments have nothing to do with Christians, except that they're to be noted as a set of prescriptions drawing from the good principles of righteousness God gave in the Law.

In Jesus everything changes.  He fulfilled all righteousness.  He did this both in terms of the Law and in the fullest terms that God would recognise, i.e dealing with each person that came across His path in the appropriate way.  Where the righteousness recognised by the leaders of His day didn't match full righteousness, He faulted their Law (not His action!).  Jesus also comes with the heart spirit of an obedient son.  He lived this fully, against difficulties (with "loud cries" - Hebrews 5:7-9).

Through the cross, having thus lived, God mercifully accounts to us the "not guilty" due to Christ.  And also accounts to us His righteousness.  This is marvellous, and the heart of gospel proclamation.  The legal substitutionary atonement equates the representation (in all sin) of Adam and (in all righteousness) of Christ Who is the new Adam.  In the New Testament, unrighteousness becomes rejecting the way of justice that Christ lived, and sin (iniquity) becomes manifest in rejecting the claim He made to be this new Man.  Note that.

The cross then brings us two works - freedom from the penalty of our guilt, and, significantly, the death of the self life that bears the root of sin.  (What the Methodists called the "guilt and power" of sin.)  We celebrate them both in baptism.

Paul speaks of his experience.  Where there are more "external" laws defining righteousness, the old heart gets fed up with them.  This becomes our daily experience where people wind us up, we "want out" of the obligations of love, holiness, serving, etc., because the old heart is struggling against death.  Nobody dies prettily.  Paul appreciated the Law, but was trying to live it out through the wrong heart (Romans 7:25).  We call this the law of sin and death.  Then comes the second law, the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. 

Now, in any Court trial the fundamental question is "under what piece of legislation is this being carried out?"  As long as we keep harking back to piety codes, we'll find condemnation.  When we allow the Spirit of Christ to deal with our heart, we find we genuinely live righteousness.  The Holy Spirit writes the "Law" on our hearts.  It's from the inside out.  A whole new resurrection identity is promised to us in baptism.  This "exchange" is the way it works.  Paul talked in terms of reigning, and surrendering (Romans 6:12-22).

I asked Dave what had prompted his question.  It went something like this: he'd been to see a friend who had a drink problem.  He needed to encourage him to pack it in.  He also needed to encourage his own heart that the way was to find God working, not to grit your teeth and struggle.  I love it when folks latch on to this.  Our rising generation battle with feeling that their testimony is compromised by their failings.  They lose confidence in the face of "free" sin-loving world-satisfied indulgent contemporaries.  The can't see what Christianity offers that's any way better.  Answer - what law do we live by?

Character Traits

I always enjoy our local Key Leaders monthly get-together.  It’s where we hammer out our overall issues for the northern Regions under our care.  And it’s a bit of public personal discipleship, too: “iron sharpens iron”, and all that.

Last time we picked up some of the challenges Mick’s been giving each of us about considering the strengths and weaknesses passed on from our upbringing; connecting with our dreams; and noting the core values we strongly hold.  I gave it a bit of a twist, asking what about the strengths and weaknesses we’ve inherited as a church. 

There was an issue that directly got me thinking about this.  I’ll see if I can explain it briefly.  I have this growing concern about abortions in the UK.  And I don’t know how to respond constructively.  At a recent Christian Institute meeting, a figure of 209,000 for the UK for 2011 was quoted.  Actually the official statistics for England and Wales for 2011 are just short of 190,000.  Contrast this with the Rwanda genocide deaths of 259,000 (in Kigali – see my “Africa – Day Seven” blog), and the immense and lasting outcry that’s ensued. 

There’s something doesn’t add up about the acceptance of these two statistics, put in parallel.  I’m old enough to remember the introduction of Leo Abse’s Abortion Reform Act (1967).  On a conservative estimate, we’ve committed five million legal abortions, (The Society for the Protection of the Unborn Child has done some background).  This is approaching the World War 2 Nazi Holocaust level.   Do you detect an equivalent hoo-hah?  No.  So here’s my problem: why don’t I know what to do?

Back to the character traits we inherit from our upbringing.  Where we have them, we’re unconsciously strong in certain directions.  And where we don’t, we’re undeveloped, and don’t easily find the facility or even vocabulary to go there.  For instance, my father was very good with his hands: woodwork, metalwork, craftwork, calligraphy, etc.  Result, whenever something needed fixing at home, or with the car, or in the garden, he was there having a go.  I thought that was normal, and – though not so keen - followed suit.  Admittedly, because he couldn’t afford all the tools, my Dad was a bit of a bodger.  He never had a bank account – he ran on cash accounting; (his weakness; I had to learn budgeting from my Mum).

I came up with four inherited traits for Jesus Fellowship.

1.  Classic evangelical conversion, with its penal substitution view of atonement, and often characterised by a “coming to the Lord” or “decision”.  Sheffield’s Sunday evening gospel events circulate around this as a “given”.

2.  The Pentecostal/charismatic model of filling with and release in the Holy Spirit.  A second “crisis”, leading to the operation of spiritual gifts personally and in church life, and anointed ministries of leadership.

3.  The influence of Pentecostal holiness – or its antecedent Methodist holiness; or its antecedent Moravian, and even further back Anabaptist separation of church and world. 

4.  Our Baptist roots of independent church government.  (I had to explain to the guys that Baptists aren’t a denomination, but an affiliation).  This has got us into some trouble over the years, where opposers have wanted us “brought into line”.

Now, the corollary: where other theologies and practices leave us scratching our heads.  In reverse order:

4.  Ecumenism.  This is held to be a major major feature of church life in the 20^th Century.  For some of my generation, the World Council of Churches at Uppsala (1968) was defining.  Here in Sheffield, I get together with leaders from the other local churches.  That includes the liberal University parish church, with its annual cultural Festival, Christmas carols for Christian Aid, etc.  (I won’t even venture on to Multi-faith.)

3.  The Theology of Christ the King, predicated on a “Christian England”.  Here we March for Jesus singing, “Make way for the King of kings”, and intercede for the kingdom coming through school governorships; Council Chamber prayers; nightclub, workplace and sports-team chaplaincies, etc.  Only “we” don’t!  Don’t get me wrong – we joined in, and I read Care’s magazine.  And we even had a recent Agape sheet about rich and generous John Thornton.  But it’s not our DNA: two kingdoms is.

2.  We don’t get along with ordained, hierarchical and sacramental church.  I explained “ex opere operandi” to my guys, because I’d met a lovely businessman who attended a high church and was genuinely intrigued how one may “receive Christ” in Jesus Fellowship.  There were howls of “heresy” (you see how the guys needed to discuss this).  And we mentioned infant baptism.  I’m humbled and grateful that God is raising up amongst us succession leaderships of prophetic and apostolic stamp.

1.  We don’t do the “spiritual journey” bit, even though we have members from new age and other religious persuasions.  A robust, “when you’re converted, you’ve arrived” is more instinctive.  I wonder how we reconcile C S Lewis’s preference for a “moral influence” atonement?  Maybe we just uncritically enjoy Narnia stories.  I suspect that if you scratch the surface, you’ll find something similar in the “Hawk and the Dove” series. 

There are wider considerations like liberation theology and God’s preference for the poor.  But we don’t do too badly with the Jesus Centres.  Don’t we come across as narrow?  Are we in danger of falling under Paul’s censure, “Did the word of God originate with you?” (1 Corinthians 14:36).  Maybe a lot less than average.

So there’s my problem – I have no developed context for the political engagement implied in advocacy issues like pro-life and traditional marriage.  But I can bless those who do. 

Africa - Retrospect

It took two weeks to sort out the unpaid balance of our Dar es Salaam hotel bill.  In our email exchanges, the front-of-house manager used calculations that involved rather spurious exchange rates, but we ended on amicable terms.   At least two guys from Tanzania have booked for MILC (the June UK conference week).

Wakey, Jonny and Jason did a short spot at Men Alive, while my photos polled round on the GFX screen.  Jonny produced a sharp video for the Alive Festival weekend, and the guys gave gripping accounts of their reactions.  Viv helped me to upload to my laptop the HD video and audio I'd taken, but it's got no further.  Deja vue with the India recordings.  We must fix this for MILC and beyond.

 I tidied up the Facebook account I'd created three years ago as part of the digital means to  keep in touch with the AMEN guys, and have collected a healthy batch of friends.

Steven in Zambia has proved impossible to contact.  As soon as he recovered from malaria, he chipped off to Malawi.  I haven't been able to pass on my appreciation of his brother Jakob's support in Dar es Salaam, or ask Steven about the charity project he's got sorted out.  Rukundo decided to bring church discipline to Claud to try to arrest him from his backsliding.  Gregory's team "up country" in Kenya have made great strides as a result of Jonny's and Jason's input there.  Daniel Grimmer and I are doing a MILC workshop on apostolic administration , and we've had some warm exchanges in preparation.

Huw's pushed on with Multiply's application for Sponsor status with the Home Office so we can make a decent job of the internship scheme.  The trouble is, it will take some time, and we're not likely to get any take-up until later in the year.  Wakey's kept up good contact with the guys he met.

We've pencilled in a joint Sierra Leone and Nigeria trip for Spring 2013.  It looks like a team of six, which will permit a couple of JGen folks to do something (probably at Matthew's church), while the leaders do the conference hopping bit in the two regions.

Mary's getting anxious about the MILC day we shall host at the Jesus Centre here now on 7th June.  (London Day falls on 9th June, so the MILC Conference has come forward to Friday 8th.)  We've become famous for our spicy food, and are in danger of being victims of our own ambitions!  Mercifully, on Sundays we have ladies around from both East and West Africa, so should get the expert catering needed.

I found myself looking at steep driveways to houses round here, and remembering that they weren't a problem out in Africa because they don't get snowed up in winter.

Did anything else have a lasting effect?   The problem of the one-dimensional church, where paid pastorates just drive the shepherds further from the flock.  I don't think I shall be able to keep quiet at MILC.   I did a customary week's prayer and fasting: we need a lot of grace to play the part God has manoeuvred us in to.

I'm battling with the Medics again

Back from Africa, and now for my medical appointments.  Lined up are:

1. the Audiovestibular department follow-up to my examination for a hearing aid; this got funnelled into an MRI scan that revealed a nasal problem (nothing specified), so;
2. an Ear, Nose and Throat examination to pursue this issue, and;
3. my annual visit to the Opthalmology department for a check on the open-angle closure primary glaucoma condition that showed up at my last visit to Specsavers in Leeds, and led to a very nice doctor offering to laser drill drain holes in both eyes after just 45 minutes' acquaintance;
All these are at Royal Hallamshire Hospital (RHH) a convenient 5-minute walk from both home and the Jesus Centre.

ENT Dept appears to be just a corridor, and I take a seat opposite the consultant's office.  He greets me with, "So, you've come about the polyps...?"  No answer comes, though I try hard.  "No" would be right because nobody's here-to-fore mentioned a polyps, but wrong because this is obviously why I've been referred.  "Yes" would be right because this is why I've been referred, but wrong because I didn't actually know.  Overlying this is my recollection that - about at my present age - my Dad had a polyps removed, chipped out with a neat stainless steel chisel, which wasn't a happy procedure.  I wasn't about to volunteer...  I'm performing the acoustic equivalent of eye-contact avoidance.

He continues, "Let's have a look," and then declares, "Hmm, can't see anything; but there's some congestion there."   At this point I'm finding the consultant's nurse is too animated for comfort.  She's left the admin desk and my notes, and is dancing around my chair.  Out comes the nasal spray with a long fine dangling tip.  It disappears down the back of my sinuses while they squeeze the pump.  "You'll feel a bit strange."  Our man and his assistant smile.  And I'm back in the corridor while the decongestant "has time".

I've brought Norman Grubb's paperback account of the Congo revival.  It's great, and took place not so far from where I visited in Rwanda, and within living memory.  But my head now feels like marshmallow.  I can't swallow; in fact, I can't rely on my breathing.  I find I've forgotten my handkerchief.   Like nobody explained about the polyps, I wasn't told about the spray's anaesthetic effect.


I'm ushered in again, and grab a tissue.  "No." I grit, as I'm asked if I'm okay.  "Hmm. Let's have another look."  Consultant advances with a shiny size 7 knitting needle.  Assistant switches on computer just out of my field of vision.  He deftly negotiates the convolutions of my nasal passages.  The tip lodges somewhere near the back of my skull.  "Ooh, lovely view," Assistant enthuses.  "Y-essss."  She can hardly contain her delight.  They smile at the screen.  

"Rhinitis," My man declares.  "Have you ever had drops or anything?"  I can't remember that I have.  "We'll prescribe you a spray.  Try it for a month.  If it improves things, you'll know in a couple of weeks.  You can get another prescription from your GP."  Audience over.

I collect the little plastic bottle from the in-house dispensary and trudge home.  I Google rhinitis.  There's allergic rhinitis, non-allergic rhinitis, pregnancy rhinitis, persistent rhinitis, vasomotor rhinitis, seasonal rhinitis, medicamentosa rhinitis, atrophic rhinitis, rhinitis-sinusitis.  There's even feline rhinitis.  Mine is indeterminate.

It occurs to me shortly after that I still haven't heard from the Audiovestibular department.  I ring my local GP centre, explain, and ask them to contact RHH.  The nice lady phones back in a couple of days.  "Oh, they apologise.  You've been overlooked."   In a long queue in these days of cuts, I can understand.  Overlooked doesn't inspire confidence.  "A letter will go out within a fortnight."

Three weeks pass: no letter.  I ring my GP reception again.  "Oh, they read the last sentence and it said 'call back for review in 12 month', but they didn't notice you're supposed to be getting a Device appointment.  Sorry about that.  The confirmation should come in a about a fortnight."  It does.  It's only taken since October - eight months.