A sparrow, a swallow and a Jack Russell

‘Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.’ Psalm 84:3 This verse comes from one of my favourite Psalms, and is also one of my favourite verses. Why? Because it reminds us of the welcome of grace. Sparrows and swallows are, in my experience, both messy and noisy, especially when they are nesting, and it is hugely surprising to me to discover that not only were they allowed in the Jerusalem temple, they were actually welcomed there! The point is this: if God has a welcome for sparrows and swallows, surely he has a welcome for us with all our own messiness and chatter. Rather than be a barrier to keep us away from God, the altar is meant to be a bridge bringing us near to him. We are able to feel at home with God even though we are far from perfect because sin has been dealt with and we are now free to approach a holy God. Grace bids us welcome. Which brings me to the Jack Russell and my recent visit to the Sisters of Bethany, a community of nuns in Portsmouth. I was leading a week long retreat for them, and on the final day we were gathering in the chapel for the second service of prayer for the day (Terce). Most of the nuns were already assembled, and already in a deeply contemplative silence. I myself was just settling down and finding my place in the various prayer books before we began. It was a deeply solemn moment, in a sacred place. However, just at this point into this holy atmosphere came a slightly podgy Jack Russell that clearly had a lot of attitude. He passed to take in his new surroundings, eyeing everything and everyone curiously. It was a surreal moment because there had been no canine presence in the convent before, and I felt sure he was not expected. Having found his bearings, he began to walk confidently towards the altar, at which point I inwardly panicked. ‘Oh no,’ I thought to myself, ‘he’s going to mark out his territory, and he’s going to start with the altar!’ By this time his presence had somehow communicated itself to the Sisters. One by one their eyes opened, their faces revealing surprise at first, and then (thankfully) amusement. Fortunately an Unseen Hand guided Jack away from the altar and he became content to sniff around the prayer stalls and explore his new ecclesiastical environment. Everyone began to laugh now at the incongruity of what was happening, but being the Strong Natural Leader that I am, I felt someone needed to take charge of the situation, so I got up and with the help of one or two others gently encouraged our canine friend to explore some other parts of the house. My talk that morning was about the ‘rhythms of grace’: the balance between giving out and taking in, working and resting, doing and being, and so on. But as I pondered what had happened, I couldn’t help but smile at the humour of God, and added another rhythm – the balance between being serious and having fun, between solemnity and lightness of heart. It seemed as if God was speaking to us that morning through the appearance of the little Jack Russell, about the welcome of grace, yes, but also reminding us that sometimes laughter can be as holy as silence. Life – and Christian ministry - can all get very serious sometimes can’t it, and we need to be relaxed enough to smile and laugh. After all, God has a sense of humour and his presence can be found as much in the comic as in the serious.

PLANS, PLANS, PLANS!

At the start of 2013, during our time of waiting on God, two scriptures came to us. The first was 1John 3:1: How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are!’ This speaks about our identity, and we spent the first part of the year unpacking this wonderful truth. The second verse was Jeremiah 29:11, which says: ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord,‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.’ This verse reminds us of our calling as a church, and the fact that God has a purpose for us. It was originally spoken to the Jewish exiles in Babylon, to encourage them and remind them that God had not abandoned them. It seems appropriate for us as a church right now during this period of change and transition. GOD’S PLANS - ‘I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord. God is a God who loves to plan. Both creation and salvation reflect the planning of God, and so does the life of our church. Nothing happens to us by chance or by accident, and even the unexpected and disappointing events are woven into God’s overall purpose for us. We may not always understand why certain things happen, and we may sometimes feel that we have lost our way, but God speaks to reassure us – he does know what he is doing, and his plans for us still stand. We are invited to trust him in the changes taking place. GOOD PLANS - ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you’ In everything that God does he works for our good, and his plans are birthed in his love. Satan continually seeks to undermine our belief in the goodness of God, suggesting to us that God is les than good. This was his strategy in the Garden of Eden when he tempted Adam and Eve into sin, and he still slanders the character of God, telling us that God does not love us, that his plans for us have failed, or that he has abandoned us. This is why we need to hear this word of encouragement deep in our souls, and to accept the invitation to rejoice in the truth that our God is a good God who desires only to bless us. His plans for us are better than our own! GRACIOUS PLANS - ‘plans to give you a hope and a future’ The promise to the exiles is that after 70 years they will return to their own land. This was a promise of restoration, based upon grace, for they did not earn or deserve such favour. It came true of course, during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah when miraculously the people returned to the Promised Land and rebuilt the temple and the city. This major event in Israel’s history is one of the great salvation events in the Bible that remind us of God’s power to save and redeem. Nothing is too hard for our God. In his own time he will act according to his purpose and we have only to wait for his timing. God will do good for us too, not because we deserve it, but because he is gracious to us. This gives us our hope, and means we can be optimistic about the future. Here is an invitation for us to believe in a bright tomorrow. In the meantime, like Israel, we can focus on knowing God more deeply, which is always God’s priority for his people. The exiles are told to settle down, and find God in the present moment; not to live in the past, feel sorry for themselves or nostalgically remember how things used to be. Hard times can actually become wonderful learning experiences. Even in difficult circumstances we can call upon God, knowing that he will listen to our cry (v12). And we can press on in our spiritual journey, seeking God with all our heart, knowing that when we seek him, he will be found by us (v13). Yes, change has taken place, and it may take us a while to readjust, but we are not alone. God has not left us, and his good plans for us are solid and secure: ‘But the plans of the Lord stand firm for ever, the purposes of his heart through all generations(Psalm 33:11.’ Let us therefore choose to trust God, rejoice in his goodness, and believe him for a bright tomorrow!

Security Alert!

I was flying recently to Belfast from East Midlands Airport. I arrived at the check-in desk in good time, only to be told that the flight was cancelled, and that we would be taken to Birmingham by coach to join a flight from there. We were directed to another counter where our booking was changed and we were given details of where to find the coach. Since there was an hour before it would leave, I bought a newspaper and then went for a coffee and a bite to eat.


Half an hour later I’d finished reading the paper and was thinking of going to stretch my legs when a sudden feeling of anxiety swept over me. It said, ‘You’ve lost something.’ I checked my pockets for the usual suspects – glasses and mobile phone – but both were there. So what had I lost? I glanced at the floor, and there was my rucksack. Whatever could it be? And then a sudden panic-filled realisation: where was my suitcase? It wasn’t with me, so what had happened to it? Had it been stolen? No, I must have left it somewhere, but where?

I got up hastily to begin the search even as the tannoy gave out the usual warning: ‘Do not leave your baggage unattended. Any baggage found unattended will be taken away, and may be destroyed.’ Visions of my precious suitcase being lost forever filled my mind.

I decided to retrace my steps. I knew I hadn’t left it at the airline check-in desk, so maybe it was at the check-in desk for the coach? By this time a long queue had developed there, but I manoeuvred my way to the front, only to be informed that they hadn’t seen it. So where next? The only responsible thing seemed to be to head for Security and confess my carelessness.

‘Excuse me,’ I said sheepishly, and feeling utterly stupid, ‘but I’ve lost my suitcase.’

‘Ah,’ said the official,’ in a superior sounding voice, ‘We’ve just had a report of a suitcase in W.H.Smith’s. Better try there.’

I raced across to the shop, and there standing guard over my suitcase was a burly security guard. ‘I think that’s mine,’ I admitted shamefully. ‘I came to buy a paper and must have left it behind.’ Fortunately he offered no rebuke, just a silent admonition, and I was joyfully re-united with my suitcase.

I sat on a nearby bench and pondered the number of times I have heard that security announcement about unattended baggage, and rather judgementally wondered, ‘What kind of person in this age of terrorist threat leaves a suitcase unattended in an airport?’ Well now I know (and so do you)!

I also thought about why it had happened. Perhaps I had been on autopilot and not really thinking about what I was doing. Maybe I had mentally assumed because I had checked in for the coach, I had actually checked in for the flight, and my luggage had been checked-in too. Maybe it was a ‘senior moment’ extraordinaire. But to lose a suitcase? That takes some doing!

We can all become so busy in life, so focussed on the detail of the moment, that we lose sight of the bigger picture, and thereby lose our grip on some of the most important realities. We can be so busy at work that we neglect our marriage, or our family... so taken up with all we have to do, that we forget to take care of ourselves. And so busy doing things for God that we forget to be with God, and thereby lose our place of abiding in Christ on which our fruitfulness depends.

What might you (or I ) have lost without realising it?

It is said of Samson, a man who had regularly know the Spirit resting on him in great power, that he became so complacent and careless in his walk with God that ‘he did not know that the Lord had left him (Judges 17:20).’ How sad that is. The glory had gone, but in the intensity of his life he didn’t realise what had been lost.

Why not stop for a moment and make sure you have not lost anything from your life in God that is really very important.

Swimmer at Nongsa Point

Here is a meditation I wrote whilst leading a retreat form a group from Singapore on the Indonesian island of Batam.


In the distance a lone swimmer


Gliding effortlessly through the China Sea

At one with the ocean, an oriental mermaid

Relaxed, confident, at ease.

The rhythm of her arms carries her forward,

Left, then right; left, then right,

Hardly a splash, barely a ripple

Gracefully moving on her way.



Suddenly she stops and flips over on her back

And comes to rest,

Head leaning back, legs outstretched, body still,

Suspended, held by the ocean’s strength

Bobbing and swaying in the gentle waves

Buoyant like a cork, floating on the ocean’s skin.

No frantic flaying of her arms to stay afloat,

No desperate kicking of her legs to keep from drowning;

But trust

That she is held and will not sink.



And what of me, dear Lord,

A swimmer in the ocean of your love,

Afloat upon a sea of grace, immense

In length, and breadth, and depth?

Dare I relax in you, and know that I am held?

Give up my frenzied efforts to achieve, to please,

To stay afloat myself?

Lay back my head, find rest at last,

And trust myself to you?

Easter Delights

Without doubt Easter is my favourite time of year. I love the fact that for us in the northern hemisphere our celebration of Easter coincides with Spring and we have the sense of things coming alive again after the harshness of winter. It seems that nature itself is bearing witness to the miracle of resurrection, and the brightening of the evenings fills us with hope and optimism.

This Easter Sunday I will be preaching in my home church, Ackworth Community Church. At the moment I am thinking of simply sharing the five key truths (‘delights’) we celebrate as a result of the Easter event - the combination of Good Friday and Easter Morning. Here they are:

(1) Love has been revealed. It was because God loved the world that he sent his Son to be our Saviour (John 3:16), and the Son himself showed his love by dying for us – ‘greater love has no-one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends’ (John 15:13). We need be in no doubt that God is kindly disposed towards this fallen world, or that we are the objects of his affection. The cross has demonstrated beyond a shadow of a doubt that God loves us, even in our sin and rebellion (Romans 5:8). That is amazing!

(2) Sin has been dealt with. The cross was not an accident or a tragic mistake but the way God chose to deal with sin. There, in the mystery of what we call the atonement, the sin of the world was laid upon the sinless Son of God. There, as our substitute, he willingly bore the just punishment for our sin, offering himself as a once-for-all time sacrifice. Now through repentance and faith we can experience a total forgiveness, be reconciled to God, and be released from guilt and shame. That is staggering!

(3) Satan has been vanquished. Yes, there is a malevolent force at work in the world, but at the cross he was disarmed, defeated and rendered ineffective (Colossians 1:15). Although he did his best to destroy Jesus he failed, and the resurrection proved that Jesus had the victory. Now we share in his triumph, and while we must never treat the powers of darkness lightly, we no longer need to be afraid of them. We share his authority over them. That is mind-blowing!

(4) Death has been defeated. The greatest enemy of all is death. No-one can avoid it, however rich or famous we may be, however strong or resilient we appear. The resurrection of Jesus, however, provides us with the assurance that we who believe shall likewise be raised. The sting of death (fear) has been taken out for it is not the end, only a beginning (1Corinthians 15:54-57). The One who is the resurrection and the life (John 11:25) is the guarantee that though we die, yet shall we live. That is fantastic!

(5) Heaven has been opened. Here is the final joy of Easter – the prospect of spending eternity with our Saviour, and with the Father. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us, and either through death or at his second coming, he will come to take us to be with him, so that where he is we may be also (John 14:1-3). Heaven will be perfect bliss.... no sorrow, no pain, no more crying, no mourning ; only continual rejoicing in the presence of God (Revelation 21:3-4). That is comforting!

Very simply this is what Easter means to me. Sometimes we drift away from the basics of our faith, and everything gets very complicated. This Easter let’s remember the words of the apostle Paul:
‘For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve (1Corinthians 15:3-5).’

That’s it in a nutshell folks. Let’s take hold of these ‘delights’ anew this Easter with all our heart.

Hope for the downcast

The death of the Wales football manager Gary Speed in November 2011 shocked everyone, even those with no interest in football. The fact that it seems to have been related to depression enabled other men (especially sports people) to acknowledge that they also struggle with what Churchill called his ‘black dog’, and brought the subject of depression into open discussion.

It is said that 1 in 4 people in the UK will experience some form of the illness during their lifetime. I remember vividly in my teenage years watching my father struggle with depression after he was made redundant, and I have friends for whom depression has been a constant, if unwelcome, visitor throughout their lives. One of the reasons I love Psalm 42 is that it deals with this common human affliction, albeit from a slightly unusual angle – that of spiritual depression.

Spiritual depression occurs when we lose our sense of God’s presence and experience a loss of enthusiasm for the disciplines that normally sustain our relationship with God, like prayer, Bible reading and fellowship. It is an extremely common problem in Christian discipleship, highlighted in 1965 with the publication of Spiritual Depression, its causes and cures, the substance of a series of sermons preached at Westminster Chapel, London, by the minister Dr Martyn Lloyd-Jones.

The anonymous writer of Psalm 42 appears to have been a highly committed and talented believer, probably a temple singer or musician. The context suggests this person has been exiled from Jerusalem (perhaps to Babylon?) and can no longer take part in the communal worship as before (42:4). He carries within him a deep sense of disappointment in God for allowing Jerusalem to fall to its enemies, and the taunts that God has deserted Israel exacerbates his melancholia (42:3,10). A deep sadness engulfs him and he weeps constantly (42:3). It seems as if God is to blame for his misfortune (42:7); eventually his health begins to suffer (42:10).

The opening verses of the Psalm are amongst the most well-known in Scripture and capture the essence of his desperate longing: ‘As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God (42:1-2)?’ He feels like a deer running for its life, harried and exhausted by the chase, desperate for refreshment and safety. Spiritually he is parched and dry. He knows that only God can satisfy his soul, but how can that happen when he is far away from the Promised Land?

Then it is that faith begins to rise within him; slowly and gradually light and truth dawn upon his troubled soul. The Psalm’s chorus, repeated three times (42:5,11 and 43:5) represents his fight back, and the way in which his prayer is answered: ‘Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.’

There are no magic formulas for lifting depression, and the fact that the Psalmist has to listen to his own advice repeatedly suggests that relief is likely to come gradually, but the flow of the Psalm (which continues into Psalm 43) shows a growing hopefulness and a sufficient lifting of the gloomy cloud to hearten anyone battling with a similar malaise. What then can we learn from his struggle?

Firstly, be honest. It is better not to pretend that things are better than they are. If you are downcast, admit it, at least to a trusted few. There is no shame in battling with depression, and we need not feel guilty because we feel overwhelmed or that we can’t cope. No-one can help us if we hide our symptoms and mask our true feelings.

Secondly, ask questions, especially of yourself. Why am downcast? Is there a reason for my feelings? This is one of the key insights of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy. It helps us to see the connection between our thoughts and our feelings, and that wrong thinking leads to negative emotions, and eventually depression. Whilst not all depression has its source in a wrong belief system, spiritual depression often does, and it is worth exploring with a counsellor or wise friend our thought patterns. It is easy to see, for example, that if the Psalmist was thinking God had been defeated he would inevitably feel downcast. In fact God had not been defeated, and there was another explanation for the fall of Jerusalem, the discipline of God.

Thirdly, have faith. It is easy to allow self-pity to overwhelm us and sometimes we have to take ourselves in hand and speak faith to our troubled souls. This was one factor that Lloyd-Jones emphasised: ‘We must talk to ourselves, instead of allowing ‘ourselves’ to talk to us. Most of your unhappiness in life is due to the fact that you are listening to yourself rather than talking to yourself.’ Faith has to be exercised, and in dark times we must remind ourselves of the truth that God has given us and believe that we will again praise God. Weeping may tarry for the night but joy will come with the morning (Psalm 30:5).

Fourthly, lean hard. The Psalmist is connected to God in a deeply personal way. He speaks of my God and my Saviour. Here is a moment to remember that it is God’s hold upon us that matters, not so much our hold upon him. He has taken hold of us and will never let us go, no matter how we feel. We are held in the grip of grace. We can lean our full weight upon his faithfulness, allowing him to take the strain and trust that we will sing again (43:4).

This does not mean that recovery will be easy or quick, but it does mean there is hope. However dark it is now daybreak will come and we will find once more the streams of living water.

The little light of mine...

‘John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you chose for a time to enjoy his light.’ John 5:35

John was a man who was sent from God with a specific mission – to prepare the way for the Messiah. He was in the mould of the Old Testament prophets and his ministry attracted a great following, even though it was fiery and focussed on repentance, but John never lost sight of the fact that he was not the Christ. He was happy to point away from himself to Jesus: ‘Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29 and 36)!’ Success did not go to his head, and when the time came for some of his disciples to leave him and attach themselves to his cousin he accepted it with good grace: ‘He must become greater; I must become less (John 3:30).’

Every follower of Jesus is called to be a witness, and like John to shine brightly in the world. There is, however, a cost to shining. The kind of light that Jesus refers to here is either a candle, or more likely, an oil lamp. Either way, the light only shines because something burns and is consumed in the process. It reminds us that if we are to have a good testimony we will have to die to self, particularly to selfish ambition or the desire to be noticed, in order to point away from ourselves to Jesus. Our aim is not to draw attention to ourselves, but to help people to see Jesus.

As a young preacher I gave one of my first talks in a local Methodist chapel. In the pulpit, positioned to catch the eye of the preacher, was a small brass plaque with these words: SIR, WE WOULD SEE JESUS. In forty years of preaching I have never forgotten that golden rule.

Christian ministry, in whatever way it is expressed, is about giving glory to God. Christian witness, however it is demonstrated, puts the attention on Jesus and lets people know how wonderful he is. Wherever he has placed us, our calling is to be like John, a lamp that shines brightly.

Reflection : don’t light a lamp and hide it away; put it on a stand so it gives light all around (Matthew 5:15).