Amos

(this was first published in 2013 - I found it recently and it seems even more relevant)

I have been spending a bit of time with the prophet Amos lately. A prophet who could, in many ways, be speaking to our generation. A while back I took one of his passages and rewrote it into modern equivalents...

"Listen to this you who trample the needy and try to suppress the poor people of the world, you who say next month we will make a fast buck on the stock exchange. With insider dealing we will buy low and sell high, swindling the shareholders and the market. Also at the same time we can exploit the world labour market and pay pitifully low wages to people from another country who make shoes for us and then sell them here for seventy quid. If we are smart we can even sell the off - cuts to the fools. But Amos says I will swear by the pride of Jacob, God will not forget anything that you do! "

He challenges me to think again about God's attitude to the poor. The Psalm very clearly says "the Lord hears the cry of the poor, blessed be his name."

The pharisee within us might say that the poor are always with us. And use that as a comfort blanket so that we do nothing. But God's love should break through that and challenge us to "hunger and thirst for justice" and to be an advocate for the poor, who are unable to pay for their own food let alone their own advocate.
In modern Britain the politicians are quietly busy dismantling the work of the social reformers. Some of this might be justified. After all we have books to balance and bankers to satisfy. But we need to be careful that we don't make it all a money equation. The soul of the country needs to be invested in too. What is Britain known for these days? In our gentleman's clubs are we known only as "heroes of the wine bottle" - should we be better than this?

It seems that more of the poor sleep on our streets in modern Britain. Is that how we want to be known?

Dear Lord, help me to realise the harvest that my own actions will have on other people. Call me away from being insular and into a love relationship with God. Sow the seeds of peace in my life. Amen.

In Love

We don't need to worry abut what led me here but I am signed up for Emotional Well-being counselling at the hospice. I have approached the appointment with some trepidation. But I need not have worried. The counsellor is lovely and the environment is good. Thank you St Elizabeth Hospice (Ipswich UK).

I don't know what made me do it but I thought I would ask God for a verse prior to the meeting. This is what he provided as sustenance. 

Ephesians 1:3-4 NIVUK

[3] Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. [4] For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 

https://bible.com/bible/113/eph.1.3-4.NIVUK

Today what really hits me is two aspects. The use of the short sentence "In Love.' this amazing and profound for it's brevity. We are defined as humans by our ability to love or not to love. Love is our purpose and why we are here. There is no other reason. Love trumps hate. Love wins against all comers when we let it. Perfect love drives out fear. We might want to reflect on 'does it really.' but when we do we might eventually or reluctantly agree that this is the case.

 I am writing this in a fast food train. No advertising here so I won't say which one. Today in Ipswich all human life is here. There is a man having a conversation on his phone in a loud voice, presumably with his solicitor almost shouting, "no I said Not Guilty." 

It reminds me of the poem, "love bade me welcome but I drew back guilty of dust and shame." I need to attribute those lines. In love we need to approach the throne of grace, the mercy seat and admit that we are not perfect and that no-one is good except God alone. 

It is about learning what is good for us and what is bad for us. To choose life and love. To eschew the things of darkness. Becoming conscious of ourselves and our effect on others. The opposing force to love, which is hate, will try and rob us of our victories be they big or small. 

Jesus, you were right. The greatest commandment is to love. Help me to seek an increase in it. Let me approach the seat of mercy. Amen. 

wisdom is calling out

Wisdom is calling out.

 We sometimes tease a child and say, “You are wise beyond your years” my mother’s family nickname was Wise Old Bird or WOB for short. She never suggested to us it should be so. I can’t remember who first called her that. It is just something that seemed to happen. But I suggest it was probably one of my nieces who invented the name and then it just stuck. It seemed so appropriate. She was wise, after all, and also a good listener. People came to her for advice, family members, friends and even friends of my friends. Even now, I sometimes think, “What would mom say” especially when I’m pursuing some of my small stupid projects.

 I wonder when she was a child, for was she considered to be one wise beyond her years? At what stage did she become the person we called WOB?

Maybe she was taught wisdom in the fields of adversity. She lived through World War 2, of course, and then there was an unhappy marriage that tested her steadfastness and patience. Eventually bringing up five children on a shoestring. I think if she was sitting here now, she might interject and say. “And what about my faith? Why don’t you explain about that?

 She was a Christian all her life. Her faith wasn’t a habit or an insurance policy. It was way more than that. Her faith in Jesus meant a lot to her. It was a source of nurture and nourishment. Without making a big deal of it, she prayed daily and in her unobtrusive matter of fact way set an example for us . Wise old bird, Yes, she was indeed.

 Wisdom and its pursuit is a very biblical theme. Throughout the Bible, it is referenced as a virtue worthy of pursuit. The men reading this might like to note at this point that it is always referred to by using the feminine pronoun ‘she. ‘However, all of us should pursue wisdom and, as the Bible puts it, at all costs. Strange imperative. Perhaps to those of us that think sin is attractive it helps us to realise that sinning is bad for the spiritual life. 

Elsewhere in the bible it says, “in the secret of my heart, teach me wisdom.,” The word of God reminds us. It says that , “ wisdom is calling out.”  Perhaps that is one of the ways that our faith starts, wisdom calling out to us, trying to attract our attention. Even when we are in the middle of all the crazy stuff. When we are pursuing the very things that are harmful to us.

 The Bible also warns us not to be, “wise in our own eyes” My mother enjoyed being called WOB, but I don’t think she ever expected it or understood that we really did think that she was wise. It seemed to be a mantle that she wore very lightly and with good humour. I think I normal response when people said it was to give a small laugh and perhaps a hug.

What does this all mean for us today, I wonder? Don’t be frightened of God, I would say. The higher power is benevolent, I believe. God in His loving kindness wants us to see the wisdom of having faith. He wants us to explore and enjoy what it means to have wisdom. I said my mother was wise and a good listener. I think when we immerse ourselves in the things of God like she did, change slowly and start to like God, we get wisdom. Also, like God, we become a good listener and attentive to what others may say to us. Wisdom starts in the secret of our hearts and begins to grow until our love for others increases and we learn to listen.

Each one of us has a faith journey. We have an invitation from God to follow. Our paths are not identical as God allows himself to be found in different ways. Perhaps wisdom is partly the ability to recognise that to search him out makes sense.

God, I beg you give me wisdom this day and forever. Amen. 

With Joy Draw Water

 

With joy you will draw water

from the wells of salvation.

In that day you will say:

‘Give praise to the Lord, proclaim his name;

 make known among the nations what he has done,

 and proclaim that his name is exalted.

Sing to the Lord, for he has done glorious things;

 let this be known to all the world.

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion,

 for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.’ Isaiah 12:3-6

What does that actually mean? I was thinking back to my early days as a Christian. I fell in love with Jesus first and my faith grew outwards from that point. Although I was a cradle Catholic and brought up attending mass each week. It wasn’t until an experience in my teens that I made sense of some things to do with Christianity. It was the 1970s and I was a Jesus freak, identifying as a hippy type who loved the Lord rather than free love.

It was Jesus who made sense first and I couldn’t get enough of reading the gospels. It seemed it fed my spirit and nourished me. Then some young woman in a coffee shop with amazing hair talked to me and ignited in me a desire to read scripture daily. Jesus. She wasn’t a perfect person and was all over the place in her emotional life and yet God used her faith in the power of prayer. Her courage in taking the step of praying out loud in a coffe house had results in my life. If only she knew I should have told her!

Jesus became my centre, and I fell in love with the characteristics of the man he was. Obviously not sexual love, instead a mysterious engrossing fascination for the first months.

I could understand when I read about him that he was a charismatic holy man. Challenging authority and reaching out to the outcasts of his time like lepers, prostitutes and tax collectors. I loved the accounts of healing and wholeness. People’s lives being transformed because I experienced that my life was also being transformed. 

That meant I didn’t find it hard to believe. After Jesus and the Gospels, I then discovered the letters. Letters church leaders sent to each other for encouragement or guidance. These weren’t too difficult to follow, although a little harder. But most of these letters can be read as an incitement to live the Christian life in a more meaningful way, and they’re quite practical.

Then, last of fall, I started reading the Old Testament, The first books of the Bible. Then life became harder. All that strange history, bloodshed. Incest and warnings against Idolatry... It makes more sense now, but as a young man it made less so.

I was lucky though as I hit upon a method that helped. I would read the scriptures only that Jesus referred to begin with. And try to make sense of them first. I reckoned if it was good enough for Jesus; it was good enough for me as well. I’m always logical in my thinking, although not everyone can see that!

So far so good. But then people said I should read the whole of the Bible, and even that it should be from cover to cover. It took me awhile before I would even consider that.

Slowly and very slowly, the Bible made more sense, and I realised that as well as all the history, God seemed very fond of using imagery to make a point.

At last, this brings us to today’s passage. “With joy you shall draw water from the wells of salvation.”

This, I discovered, was not some literal instruction. Of course I knew that. It was instead an almost poetic and allegorical statement of a spiritual truth.

Let me go through it with you. Of course, you have the whole passage at the beginning of the chapter.

As a promise God is saying we will receive joy in our life of faith if we can only do what he says.

To draw water! I think of how important Walter is to you. Not not only is your body made-up of lots of it, but you are also totally reliant on it for your own life to continue. To continue to live you have to drink litres of it in some form or another daily. You do this to sustain your life, your physical life. But the Bible is taking this image and saying that we need something like water to sustain our spiritual life. And that we need buckets and buckets of it.

Yes, with Christ you can start to have an abundant life. Different to anything you have imagined. Remember the woman at the well [Earlier chapter]. Like her we just we need to know where and how to find the living water. The water that will sustain and build up our spiritual life. Lifting us and hydrating our thoughts, mind, and actions.

It is a source of joy, yes. If that doesn’t seem possible, just try it out. God doesn’t mind rising to the challenge. After all, his love is beyond your imagining.

Do we need a bucket to receive this joy? Well, strictly speaking, no, not at all. We need actions, though. The kind of actions that can bring us into the presence of the Holy Spirit. Back again to those things we have already looked at prayer and presence and added to this listening or reading His words. We want to fall into the hands of the living God to make him our, “All in all.” It isn’t the kind of priority that the world expects of us. The world will very often want to pull us away or distract us from this and try to tell us it isn’t important. However, it is the most important thing that we are likely to want to do for ourselves. We want to fall into the hands of the living God.

We do this by becoming present. This takes practise of course. For me, the most useful time to do this is first thing in the morning. It is, however, possible anytime in the day. It is just that personally, I feel more receptive before the day has really got going.

I’m intentional about it and decide that I want to spend time with God. Ideally, I find somewhere quiet, but I have sometimes had to pray on a crowded tube train on the London Underground. When there, I shut my eyes to try and avoid the distractions of what is going on around me. But at home, no need to shut your eyes unless you want to. In fact, you will find your own way of doing this. 

My preference is to start by inviting the Holy Spirit to be present. By saying something simple like, “breath of God, breathe on me.” Or “Lord, send your Holy Spirit to be present.” It is a simple statement or declaration of readiness.

You will in time find your own way of doing this. In my case, it helps me to pray some psalms out loud to begin with. Reading them through aloud, but of course not on public transport. Then I might feel like sitting in silence or saying some words of praise that occur to me.

I have become used to silence in private or public prayer, and I find when in silence God breaks through with me. It might happen that my thoughts go to something important to me. Either something I have to make a decision on or something troubling me. If that happens, I don’t wrestle with it. I just say to God, I surrender to you what has come to mind.

This is similar to Christian meditation, and I don’t know where the borderline is. Do I need to edit this point?

After some time spent like this on different days and in different places, you will start to see the benefits in your life. You’re tapping into what? Alcoholics Anonymous? AA – call the higher power.Your peace will increase.

 I think the effects start to become apparent after three weeks or so, about the same length of time that it takes to form a new habit. This is probably just the rough estimate. It must be different for each person.

 I’m reminded of the scripture that says, “When you pray, times of refreshing will come upon you....” [Edit Note. Find exact quote in scripture.]

 Hopefully I have said enough to interest you. Let’s conclude with a prayer.

 Father God, I ask you to guide me with your Holy Spirit. I thank you for your son Jesus. May I learn to receive from him the wisdom and insight I need for my life. Also, may times of refreshing come and change my perspectives and give me a new openness to the things of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

https://simoncockshutt.com