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Quad Bike Shepherd…

Posted by David Ward on 23/04/2024
Posted in: Personal thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

A busy Saturday afternoon on the A189, headed towards the coast road. Ahead, I could see that something was causing a problem for other drivers – braking, slowing, sudden overtaking…

As I got closer the cause became obvious. Seven sheep had escaped the safety of their field and decided a road trip would be a good idea.

Only, it wasn’t. As each vehicle braked or overtook, the more and more panic overtook them as they were driven more and more dangerously down the road.

Suddenly, in my rear-view mirror I caught sight of a quad bike, overtaking the column of vehicles as quickly and safely as was possible…the shepherd, with small son as a passenger, come to rescue his sheep.

He caught up, the traffic stopped, the shepherd whistled and called. At the sound of his voice the sheep stopped their panic-stricken dash and moved onto the wide grass verge. Encouraged by the shepherds voice they turned and began to make their way back towards the open gate, their field and safety.

There was a lump in my throat as I witnessed such a vivid enaction of something Jesus said in the New Testament

“But the one who enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep recognize his voice and come to him. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. [4] After he has gathered his own flock, he walks ahead of them, and they follow him because they know his voice.”

John 10:2-4 NLT

The Christian Community of which I am part is currently going through a very tough time. At yesterday’s service the visiting speaker brought a message from Psalm 46, especially verse 10:

“Be still and know that I am God! I will be honoured by every nation. I will be honoured throughout the world.”

Psalm 46:10 NLT

His wife felt that God specifically wanted her to share that God wanted us to know that he knows each of us by name. She reminded us of Mary Magdelene, in the garden on Easter morning:

“Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her. “Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” [14] She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him. [15] “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” [16] “Mary!” Jesus said. She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).

John 20:13-16 NLT

When Jesus spoke her name, everything changed for Mary. She knew Jesus was alive! She knew he cared deeply about her and the other disciples.

Sometimes we can be a bit like that flock of sheep. Although we are full of faith, when the lorry of sickness overtakes us we run, filled with panic. When the car of financial pressure screeches to a halt behind us, we run just a bit faster. When the van of relationship struggles roars past we stampede. We are in danger of wearing ourselves out with sadness and weariness as we plead in prayer for those we love. We’re in danger of focussing on the difficulty and distress, of blaming the evil one who opened the gate to our suffering. Until…

…Until the good Shepherd arrives. Maybe he doesn’t speed up on a quad bike, but he knows how to capture our attention. He speaks our name, and we recognise his voice. We stop our headlong flight, we are still, and he becomes the focus of our eyes and hearts.

What is it that he says to my heart, to yours, at this time and for this situation? And as he comforts and directs us, what new comfort and direction are we able to offer each other? Will we discover that although nothing in our physical circumstances has changed, in our hearts everything is different.

As we focus on Jesus, perhaps one of the burdens that will be lifted is the realisation that when God says, “Be still and know that I am God”, he is also gently reminding us that we are not God, and we can’t fix it however much we may want to.

We continue to trust in Jesus, the one who can.

Apprentices of Jesus…

Posted by David Ward on 08/04/2024
Posted in: Books/Articles, discipleship, Spititual Practices. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

A brief review of “Practicing the Way…be with Jesus, become like him, do as he did” by John Mark Comer.

This book builds on some of the ideas introduced in John Mark’s previous book, “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry”.

It focuses on three questions:

  • Who or what are you following?
  • Who or what are you becoming?
  • Who or what are you entrusting your life to?

The fact is, we’re all building our lives on someone or something, it’s an inevitable part of being human. There are people or philosophies of life we admire and seek to emulate; it’s not just religious people. And it follows that as people we are becoming like the people or things we admire…they affect our thinking, our behaviour and our relationships. In fact, every part of our lives.

In the world of the New Testament, such a person in Jewish culture would be called a rabbi (teacher). Jesus was a rabbi, who went around saying, “Come, follow me.” (Matthew 4:19). But what does that mean? John Mark Comer writes:

“Contrary to what many assume, Jesus did not invite people to convert to Christianity. He didn’t even call people to become Christians (keep reading…); he invited people to apprentice (disciple) under him into a whole new way of living. To be transformed.”

“Practicing the Way” p xvi

The rest of the book investigates how Jesus did this and suggests three “Goals” to pursue so we can be transformed into Jesus image by being with him, becoming like him and doing what he did.

The final bit of the book looks at the practical ways we can pursue the three goals, focussing on a having a Rule of Life lived out through nine spiritual practices that Jesus followed in his life.

A number of my friends found John Mark Comer’s “The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry” to be “a bit legalistic”, and I dare say might level the same criticism at this book.

However, it’s important to note that the close relationship to Jesus is key. Without it copying the things that Jesus said and did will not really change us one bit and is in danger of becoming a box-ticking kind of legalism.

I found this to be a most helpful book, and one I would not hesitate to recommend to new followers of Jesus or those mentoring them. There is even a helpful online course for groups (it might be possible to use as an individual too); you can find it here: https://www.practicingtheway.org/course .

Jesus goes to ‘church’…

Posted by David Ward on 28/03/2024
Posted in: Bible, Personal thoughts. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a comment

I was reading a book about worship which talked about how we often invite Jesus to be present at our worship, taking him up on his promise in Matthew 18:20 (NIrV) “Where two or three people gather in my name, I am there with them.”

I got to thinking about times in the New Testament when we read about Jesus going to church – of course, I know the church hadn’t started then, but looked at times Jesus went to the Jewish equivalents, the Temple or the synagogue. I had a hunch that if Jesus turned up to our church meetings in the same way he is recorded on his visits to the Temple or synagogue, we might be a little more cautious about asking him to come and meet with us.

Jesus must have visited the Temple or synagogue quite a few times during his lifetime, but the Gospels record only four visits to the synagogue and 10 to the Temple. So, I have to ask what’s the significance, if any, of this handful that have been recorded?

A reading of the Gospels suggests three things:

  • In the gospel accounts Jesus’ harshest words are often reserved for religious people, especially their leaders.
  • In stark contrast, it’s often the people who least expect it, the lost, the least and the last that are helped, healed, commended and blessed by Jesus.
  • Jesus seems rarely to have visited ‘church’ without causing trouble or controversy.

I’m writing this in Holy Week, so a dramatic occasion when Jesus visited the Temple comes instantly to mind…that visit where he turned over a few tables and chased a bunch of traders out.

What got to him on this occasion? Was it that people failed to recognise “sacred space”? Did it have to do with the exploitation of worshippers by cheating traders and unscrupulous religious leaders?

Maybe most of all it was because they’d set up their market stalls in the part of the Temple courts where non-Jews were allowed to pray. So, a group of people who were discriminated against by the purity laws in Herod’s Temple were denied access to the one area where they could worship Yahweh…hence Jesus words, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.'” Mark 11:17 NIV (quoting Jeremiah 7:11).

I wonder, what tables would Jesus overturn in our churches? Would he be critical of our failures to be truly inclusive, our tendency to welcome only people like us and the tick-box mentality we apply to decide if people are in or out and theologically ‘sound’?

Here’s a few more things that might happen if Jesus came to our church:

  • Only a few people might recognise him, including the people who should know him the best (eg Luke 4:14 to 30).
  • Impure spirits won’t be able to hide from him (yes, impure spirits, even in church) (eg Luke 4:31 to 37).
  • People will be divided over his identity and authority (Luke 4: 16 to 30; Luke 20:1 to 8; John 7:25 to 52).
  • He might argue and debate with the leadership, tell pointed stories about them or preach sermons that would make people want to arrest him (Luke 20:9 to 38).
  • He might heal someone at an awkward time (Luke 6:6 to 11; Luke 13:10 to 17).
  • He might question our motives for giving (Luke 21:1 to 4; Mark 12:41 to 44).

So, a visit from Jesus might be messy and disruptive, and not the cosy, encouraging time that we hope for. That’s why gifts like prophecy are difficult to manage in our services. But for those who have open hands and hearts it might be just the time we need, a time when we become more aware of the bits of us that still don’t resemble Jesus very much, repent and receive the help of the Holy Spirit to transform them. That’s both for us as individuals and as a Christian community.

Come to think of it, when we’re together for worship Jesus always turns up. He’s full of grace and meets with us just as we are, but sometimes he loves us so much that he’s keen that we don’t stay as we are and says difficult things to us to make us aware of our need for change and our need of him. He loves us far too much to see things in our lives that stop us becoming more like him and not do anything about it.

It might be uncomfortable sometimes, but I’ll go on praying that Jesus is present when we gather for worship.