The Long Walk Home

I’m off for a week to our Staff conference, I have a stack of 50p’s for the pool table and am surprised at the amount of positive thoughts in my brain about the week ahead. Looking forward to catching up with friends and eating lots of lovely food. Here’s something to ponder before I return.

“It helps now and then to step back and take the long view the kingdom is not only beyond our efforts, it is even beyond our vision. We accomplish in our lifetime only a tiny fraction of the magnificent enterprise that is Gods work, Nothing we do is complete which is another way of saying that the kingdom always lies beyond us. No statement says all that could be said, no prayer fully expresses our faith, no confession brings perfection, no pastoral visit brings wholeness, no programme accomplishes the churches mission, no set of goals and objectives include everything, this is what we are about. We plant the seeds that one day will grow. We water seeds already planted knowing that they hold future promise. We lay foundations that will need further development. We provide yeast that produces effect far beyond our capabilities. We cannot do everything and there is a sense of liberation in realising that. This enables us to do something and to do it well. It maybe incomplete but it is a beginning. A step along the way. A opportunity for the Lords grace to enter in and do the rest. We may never see the end results. But that is the difference between the master builder and the worker. We are the workers not the master builder. Ministers not Messiahs. We are the prophets of a future not our own. Amen.” (Oscar Romero)

I don’t think I’ve ever recommended a theologian before. This is a first for me. And I think it will be the last time. But this guy is good. I’ve only read a couple of articles by him but he seems to be what is missing from my world, a theologian with some common sense and a sense of humor. An excellent combination in my book. He has interesting things* to say about blogging. I like his take on the ridiculous nature of this world. Skip to the final paragraph of the link to see what I mean.

This could lead me to my thoughts on reading things we might not agree totally with, or learning to think, which in turn would lead me to the thought of why I love my brother so much. But it’s still saturday, I have to cook dinner, and have fun with some friends. My rants will have to wait for a while.

*interesting things – the ideas that make me think about life. The thoughts that I might not agree with but have to think about why I don’t, and maybe change my opinion on things.

My vaguely deep thought for the week is this. I’ve been mulling recently on the sheer total and utter importance of the Bible and how ridiculously easy it is to drift away from that. It’s easy to write a sentence like that and murmur agreement. Yes yes the Bible is important. But really. It is of life saving importance. It is so stupidly easy to make up my own God, to make up a God I like, to make up a religion that fits with my lifestyle, to take the bits of God I like and leave the bits that confuse me, make me sad and angry and to drift from the reality placed before us in His word.

Coming back to the Bible blows my heart and soul away. Because it is no ordinary book, revealed in it, walking off the page, breathing through it, impaling my heart with it is the God of heaven and earth. The God of Heaven and Earth. The God of history. We don’t read it to gain more bits of information about God, we don’t read it to look clever in theological arguments, we don’t read it so we can argue ourselves into doctrinal postitions, we don’t read it to impress with how much we know, we don’t read it for helpful thoughts, we don’t read it because it is nice, we don’t read it because it is a wise book amongst other books.

We read it because the God of the universe reveals himself through it, we read it to encounter our Creator, we read it to blow away our made up gods, we read it to get transformed, we read it to understand who we are, we read it to understand where we are going, we read it because LIFE itself is in the pages. We read it because God wants to communicate to us. Go figure why or how or anything else. But the God of the whole world wants to commuicate with us, wants us to serve without fear, wants us to walk in His ways. We are to swim in it, embrace the pages, walk through the corridors of God’s dealings with his people, drench ourselves in life giving truth and let the Spirit weave the truth into our lives, actions and thoughts.

Now, I have Saturday things to do. But it’s kind of weird isn’t it. Do any other books have this effect on your heart? Are you drenched today?

Saturdays are my favorite days. For several wonderful reasons.

I get to lie in bed for a long long time.
Jonathan Ross is usually on Radio 2 for 3 hours of random chat and good music. (let down today by him still being on holiday)
I can do useful things like letter writing I’ve put off for ages and ages.
I can go to Asda with my housemate and buy food I don’t need because I’m enticed by the shinny low prices.
I can listen to all my new Cds bought over the Christmas period.
I can read books and watch the West Wing.
I can pick my other housemate up from the station and give her nice food and wine to welcome her back to England.
I can enjoy a chilled evening introducing my housemates to Crash.

Long sigh of contentment.

Cd’s on my play list from Christmas overspending:

We shall all be healed – The Mountain Goats.
Lifted or The story is in the soil, keep your ear to the ground- Bright Eyes
Fevers and Mirrors- Bright Eyes
The Best of the Smiths- The Smiths.
The Libertines- The Libertines
Funeral- Arcade Fire
29- Ryan Adams
I am a bird now- Anthony and the Johnsons

I love weekends.

In case you care.
This is what happened to the Wispa bar. I miss them still.