How to be free from desire

Here's my article for June:

It's time for another football World Cup: which will be a cause for rejoicing for those who can't get enough of football and despair for those who have had enough of football!  I've mentioned previously about football chants but as well as adapting lyrics to popular songs, football fans also adopt songs as their own.

Famously, Liverpool fans sing “You'll never walk alone” from the musical Carousel; West Ham fans sing “I'm forever blowing bubbles”; Hibernian fans sing “Sunshine on Leith”; and Newcastle fans sing “Blaydon Races.”  Other songs transcend individual clubs and are sung by many fans, such as “We are the Champions” and “Sweet Caroline.” Another song in this latter category is “Freed from desire.”

When I was chaplain to the Scunthorpe United Academy, the U18s team would often play this song as part of their pre-match playlist.  This always struck me as slightly odd as although the the music and rhythm are invigorating, the wish to be freed from desire doesn't seem to be the best motivation for going into a competitive match!  I'm sure that it will be said many times during the World Cup that poor performances from teams are because of a lack of desire.

The song itself is actually a reflection of Eastern spirituality, especially Buddhism – that's the 'strong beliefs' referred to.  The singer's love has been freed from the desire for money, power and fame, and his mind and senses have been purified, unlike other people who just want more and more.  This seems to be similar to Jesus' teaching “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven” (Matthew 5:19-20), and also to the apostle Paul's “Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things” (Colossians 3:2).

However, the reason these desires should be avoided in Buddhism is because never-ending desires and cravings that cannot be quenched cause suffering.  Buddha taught that even the desire not to desire is in itself a desire, and as such a source of suffering.  Therefore the solution is to cultivate non-attachment to everything – including the idea that there is a permanent essence of anything.

In contrast, the Bible teaches us that the created world was good and that humans made it very good, because we are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1 and 2).  We are created to be in eternal relationship with God, but humanity's sin has corrupted us and the world.  Therefore our desires are now not for God but for earthly 'treasures.'  The good news, however, is that through trust in Jesus' death and resurrection, we can be freed from those desires and enjoy the abundant, eternal life with God that we were created for.

image by Prawny from Pixabay

Humans, not other animals

Here's my sermon from the Broughton Civic Service 2024.  The readings were Psalm 8 and Luke 12:4-7.

At school, one of my favourite lessons was Latin, and so I'm really enjoying teaching it to my own children. I mention this because we are here at our Civic Service, and the word 'civic' is derived from the Latin word civis which means 'citizen.' And so this reminds us that whenever we talk about 'civic' things we are talking about people; we're not talking about positions or committees, except insofar as they are focused on people. Civic amenities, civic duty and civic authorities are all there to serve the common good; they're there to serve the people. And so at the heart of the Civic Service should be the celebration of the people, their achievements and their good works; as well as a dedication of ourselves to work for the benefit of all members of the community.

But the question this raises is why? Why should those in positions of power use that power for the common good? Why do we feel that with great power comes great responsibility? Indeed why should any of us spend our time and energy doing things for other people? If someone asks for our help, why don't we respond with the phrase that I'm told the young people like to use: “That sounds like a you problem!”?

The reason we do care for others is because we believe that they are worthy of our care because they are fellow human beings. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights says: all members of the human family have an inherent dignity, and equal and inalienable rights. This dignity and these rights aren't given to us by the UN, or by governments; we don't get them on the basis of our achievements or what we contribute in economic terms; we don't get them only if we're healthy or wanted; from the moment of our conception this dignity and these rights are ours inherently and inalienably: they are ours simply because we are humans.

We believe this because this is what the Bible tells us. Right at the beginning of the Bible we are told that God has made us male and female in his image and likeness. Alone of all the animals and the rest of creation, he has made us in his image and put his breath within us. As our first reading, Psalm 8 says, he has made us a little lower than the angels and crowned us with glory and honour. We are both lesser than the angels and also greater. Not only that, he gives us dominion and responsibility for the rest of creation under his rule. But best of all he cares for us – for each one of us, for each of you; as Jesus says he knows how many hairs are on our heads and cares for us above all the rest of his creation!

And he continues to care for us even when we fail to treat each other as fellow image-bearers; even when we fail to live the way God wants us to; even when we don't believe in him at all. He still cares for us. And he cares for us so much that in Jesus, he became human to share our humanity and to die to take the punishment for all our failures, so that through repentance and faith in Jesus that image of God that we mar through our failures can be restored. So if you want to know how valuable you are, the answer is: you're worth as much as God's own blood!

This vision of humanity as having inherent dignity and inalienable rights only comes to us through the Bible. In no other religion is humanity made in God's image, and in no other religion does God become fully human, and in no other religion does God die to save us. And nor can our human rights be established through scientific investigation or reasoned thinking, because on any rational comparison every human being can be ranked according to size, strength, intellect, popularity, wealth, power etc. etc. therefore we can all be said to be better than others but there is no rational basis for saying that we all have an equal dignity and value. The scientific and rational evidence shows difference and hierarchy not equality and parity.

This is what made the fledgling Christian communities an object of derision to the surrounding Roman culture and society. To the Romans it was ridiculous to think that women were equal to men; that children were as important as adults; that slaves were as valuable as freemen; that barbarians had the same dignity as Roman citizens.

If you believe that all humans, whatever age or ability or status, have an equal dignity and equal rights, but you don't believe in the God of the Bible, you have made a massive leap of faith. Only Jesus can give firm ground for believing that you, me and our fellow human beings are worthy of care and respect.

We are always tempted to return to those pre-Christian beliefs that some people are better and more valuable than others; that some people have less dignity and fewer rights. But today we celebrate and honour all those who instead embrace the biblical values of caring for and working for the good of all people in the community. And we pray that you will come to know and believe in the God who makes sense of that civic duty.

Which myths colour our present and shape our future?

Here's my article for the April magazines:

One of the ways I like to relax is by reading books on history. I don't really have a favourite period, but I do tend to prefer the history of the British Isles and I've just started to read about the period in which the legends of King Arthur are set. These legends are part of the founding myths of our islands, and help us to get a sense of identity that in turn gives us a way to view the present and shape the future.

Initially, Arthur was a Celtic/British leader who fought against the invading Anglo-Saxons: a 'Welsh' king fighting the (future) 'English'; prophesied by an earlier legend of a red dragon (Arthur) defeating the white dragon (the Saxons), which is immortalised in the Welsh flag. Thus Arthur was the inspirer of the struggle of the native Britons against the latest attackers.

Edward I was an Arthurian enthusiast who saw the power of a triumphant “once and future” Welsh king to inspire Welsh resistance to his campaign to conquer Wales. So he asserted his dominance over Arthur by digging up and reburying the alleged remains of Arthur and Guinevere at Glastonbury. But conversely he also used the example of Arthur as King of Britain to justify his desire to subjugate Wales and Scotland.

His grandson Edward III modelled his new 'Order of the Garter' on Arthur's Knights of the Round Table. He also replaced his royal predecessors Edmund the Martyr and Edward the Confessor as patron saints of England with George the soldier-saint, thus giving rise to another myth that has shaped the identity of the English nation.

We all have founding 'myths' that shape our personal identity. Some are grounded in our nationality or ethnicity; some are stories of more recent ancestors; some stem from our early childhood experiences. All of these 'myths' can make us feel trapped into certain patterns of thought or behaviour; or, as Edward I shows us, can be manipulated to justify our desires.

The Bible shows us a better way. The Creation story in Genesis tells us that our identity should be fundamentally based on the truth that we are made in the image and likeness of God, and our ultimate happiness is to be found in a living relationship with him. This relationship was destroyed through our sin but restored through Jesus' death and resurrection. So now, through repentance and faith in Jesus we can be shaped once again by being in the image and likeness of God and having a living relationship with him. It is only this that gives us “strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow.”

Image: King Arthur's Round Table at Winchester Castle from Wikimedia Commons

Harvest: a created illustration

OIKOS is a fantastic ecumenical initiative in Brigg, that run a Christian shop, a Food Bank, a Community Pantry and more!  I was asked to write some short 'thoughts to start your week' for October 2023 for their Facebook page. This is an expanded version of the thought for 8th October.

 

As you read through the Gospels you may notice how many times Jesus uses images from the natural world or agriculture: parables set in fields and vineyards; lilies and sparrows to teach us about God's provision for us; trees to warn us of coming judgement; and famously he calls himself the Good Shepherd. In some ways this is no surprise; Jesus lived and taught in an agricultural society so like any good teacher he would have used illustrations that his audience were familiar with, and you can imagine him standing in the countryside pointing to what's around him as he talks.

But perhaps there's more to it than that. This possibility arises when we consider that the Jesus who tells these stories and uses theses illustrations is the same Jesus who made that creation in the first place! This then raises the possibility that he designed and created them in order that he could then use them to teach us something when he came to earth. Therefore creation itself becomes a way in which God communicates to us.

We see this in Psalm 19:1 when Psalmist exclaims “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” And Paul also teaches us that “what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse. (Romans 1:19-20). So the natural world isn't just a convenient illustration, but it is designed to be an illustration.

So what then might harvest teach us? We take for granted that harvest is part of the natural agricultural cycle of preparation, planting, tending and harvesting, but it is not a necessity that nature works in this way. God could have created a world where all foods were available all year round but instead he created one that involves this cycle. And perhaps he did that so that we have a part to play in the process - as the great harvest hymn reminds us: “We plough the fields and scatter the good seed on the land, but it is fed and watered by God’s almighty hand.” In co-operating with God in the tending and production of food we exercise the likeness of God in which we were made. We are co-creators with him – not, of course, in the original creation but in the ongoing creation.

Harvest itself, as Jesus highlighted, primarily teaches us about a time of judgment (for example Matthew 13). The crop is gathered in and the wheat is sorted from the chaff, the good and the bad are separated with the good going to the owner's barn and the bad being destroyed. Jesus says that on the Day of Judgement the 'good' will be the people of the kingdom who have heard his word and obey it, who repent and turn to him as their Saviour and Lord.

Image contributed by Good News Productions Int. to www.freebibleimages.org

Cars and Signs

Here's my article for the February magazines:

As an adult, presents tend to fall into the categories of practical, edible or amusing.  This Christmas I received a book that was given in the spirit of the latter category: “Driving School” by Mark Philpott.  The book's subtitle is “Learning about life, God and the Bible through the world of motoring”, and in it Philpott looks at the world of cars and driving to see what we they might teach us about God and life.  As I read through it, I saw that some of the links Philpott makes are almost as tenuous as the links I make in these articles!!

You might ask whether drawing lessons about God from 'everyday life' is a legitimate exercise, or just trying to 'shoehorn' a religious message into a religiously neutral topic – can rallying really tell us anything about the Christian life? (see page 52 for the answer!!).  Unsurprisingly, I do think it is a legitimate thing to do for three reasons.  Firstly, Psalm 19:1 tells us that “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands” - in other words the Creation bears the fingerprints of the Creator.  When we look at the universe with awe and wonder it's because it reminds us of the awesome and wonderful God who created it, so we can learn about God from his creation.  As the Apostle Paul says in Romans 1:20 “Men cannot say they do not know about God. From the beginning of the world, men could see what God is like through the things He has made” (New Life Version). Secondly, as we humans are made in God's image (Genesis 1:26-27) the things we create and do can also tell us about God.  Amongst other things our love of sports, music and science, as well as our desire for justice and our capacity for love are all reflections of the image of God within us and can teach us about him.

But above all, I think it's legitimate because there are so many examples of it in the Bible:

In Proverbs 6:6 ants are used as an example of working hard; Psalm 32:9 tells us not to be like a horse that needs to be controlled by bit and bridle.  In Isaiah 64:8 God is described as a potter, and most famously in Psalm 23 he is described as a shepherd.  Jesus also uses the image of a shepherd to describe himself (John 10), as well as using farmers (Luke 8:1-15), builders (Matthew 7:24-27), bridesmaids (Matthew 25:1-13) and fishermen (Matthew 4:19) to illustrate his teachings.

In the section on Road Signs, Philpott talks about the signs in the Old Testament that point to Jesus as the Messiah and the divine Son of God, and how many people in his own day ignored those signs.  We don't just have the Old Testament signs, and the signs all around us, but we have the record of Jesus' words and actions, which were written, as John says, “that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31).  Ignoring these signs is as disastrous as ignoring road signs.

But if cars aren't your thing, there is also 'Flight School' available, with 'Farm School', 'Battle School' and others to come! 

Holding out for a hero?

Here's my article for the June magazine:

The theme for this year's Scarecrow Festival in Scawby is 'Heroes' – a very appropriate theme given the year we've had since the pandemic struck. We've been encouraged to clap for the heroes of the NHS, and to hail other key workers as heroes too – including the often overlooked jobs such as refuse collectors, cleaners and delivery drivers. And then we've had the shining examples of people like Capt. Sir Tom Moore and others locally who have done outstanding work to raise funds, help other people or keep the community spirit up. Perhaps 2020/2021 will be seen as the year of heroes.

Whilst it is always right to thank those who make our lives better in any way, and particularly to thank those whose contribution is often taken for granted, we do need to be careful about using the word 'hero'. The main reason is that we can use the concept of 'hero' to assess a person's value and dignity: the more heroic they are, the more value they have.

Since the start of the pandemic, we've had to think a lot about the value we put on people's lives: whether that through the Me Too campaign or the Black Lives Matter awareness or simply through thinking about who we prioritise for treatment / vaccines for COVID-19. In an interview on Good Morning Britain, Lord Sumpter suggested that the lives of the elderly like himself were worth less than those of the young and so treatments and restrictions should place the interests of the the young before the elderly. Piers Morgan countered that Capt. Sir Tom Moore was 99 when he did his fundraising walk. There is a full discussion about this exchange on the 'Speak Life' YouTube Channel, entitled “Are All Lives Equally Valuable?” the jist of which is that both Lord Sumpter and Piers Morgan are wrong because they see human value in terms of what a person contributes to society, or their potential to contribute.

The problem with thinking like this is that the category of 'good for society' has no definitive meaning, it is always decided by those who have power, usually to protect their own position. All oppression and all abuse has at its core seeing someone else, or a group of people, as less valuable and less worthy of respect. Another problem is that we also tend to think of 'heroes' as being most qualified for a good afterlife.

The Bible is quite clear that human value and dignity does not come from things like cleverness, beauty, ability, fame, power, wealth, beliefs and not even from character; humans are valuable because they are made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27). This is the only firm foundation for human dignity and also for human equality. But the Bible is also clear that all of us, no matter how heroic we are, fall short of God's standard for living – which is perfection (Romans 3:23 and Matthew 5:48). That is why we need the forgiveness Jesus has won for us by his death and resurrection, which is available freely to everyone equally.

So let's thank and celebrate those who do heroic things, let's aim to be heroic ourselves, let's value each other as people who are made in the image and likeness of God and let's ask God to forgive us for failing to value each other and failing to be God's heroes.