Covenant

Last night in our Bible study we looked at how God chose a covenant people, and we looked at the Old Covenant with it's sacrifices and the New Covenant through Jesus. We also read some covenants from other churches, where the members (same as we do in our church) have tried to spell out what they stand for and then promise to stick by it.

Anyway.... the one that really inspired me was from the Methodists.

A covenant with God

'I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you,
or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours.'

This is a bit more mystical than e.g. the Salvation Army articles of war but it spoke to me because it is a heart thing more than a law thing. When Jesus was asked what the greatest commandment was he said it was to love God, and then love your neighbour. Moses gave the people 10 commandments, but they needed/wanted more detail and ended up with books and books of minor rules and regulations. Human nature is to try to get out of things, that's why we end up with so many rules 'cos we have to cover all the cop-out clauses. Surely obeying the spirit behind the rules is better than obeying the letter of the law with the wrong heart?

The other thing about covenant is.... we make covenant as a love response to God and to His people. Then real life kicks in and we realise what we have really let ourselves in for. We have chosen the big thing but then daily we have to chose the little things that make up that choice. We might like the vision of Holy Zion set apart and blazing on the hill, then we realise it also includes late nights and washing up and giving up our opinions/habits/quirks and doing things 'cos we are committed to them and not necessarily because they are inspiring/rewarding/fun any more. We have to keep choosing our choice. That's when the heart response is more help than the letter of the law.

WWJD?

It is popular to wear WWJD wristbands, which are supposed to provoke us to think "what would Jesus do?" and then act accordingly.

But Jesus did not live in the UK in the 21st Century, so we can't in practice limit our behaviour to exactly what we read in the Bible. Jesus lived when there was no such thing as electricity or cars or computers or telephones or even books or buttons. The popular quoted answer to this is to "live according to the spirit of the teaching we find in the Bible".

So, how do you get on with these........

• What would you do if you found £10 in the street
• How much work time do you spend doing personal (or non work related) things
• When there is a naff job to be done, do you do it or delegate it?
• Do you always drive according to the speed limit?
  
• Do you ever jump a red light? Or speed up to get through an amber light?
• Do you always tell the whole truth and the absolute truth in every situation?
  

And...... do you have any scriptures to back up your answers????

Political Correctness

I was talking to a good friend last night, and realised how much I hate political correctness, and how much it has crept into the way we think and talk in the church.

Political correctness means we cannot describe persons of other races as being from different races, or even persons of different genders as being of different genders. It means we cannot say something is good without also having to say the alternatives are also good, and nothing is allowed to be the best. It means we cannot say something is wrong, just that "it is not best for me". Political correctness has meant that Christians in this country have bowed down in "multifaith" services 'cos we are so tolerant of other religions that we are scared to say Jesus IS the way and IS different and Christianity is NOT "the same as all the others really".

How it gets into the church is when we find we are not able to celebrate each others differentness.

Here's one example:
God created a man and a woman and intended them to be different. He did not try to make another man, go a bit wrong, and decide to call this new being a woman. Adam was made in the image of God, he reflected the fullness of God, part of Adam was taken to make Eve, so each then contained a part of the image of God. Each reflected God, but each had something the other did not. Neither was inferior. They were equal and different.
Men and Women in the church are equal but different. We don't need to be defensive. We don't need to get into women's rights. We need not be insecure about male leadership. The world has tried to make "equality" and the result (allowing for a bit of exaggeration here) is butch women and weak men.
We are not perfect in the church 'cos obviously we are not in Eden any more, but we should be able to allow the genders to be who they really are in God. To let men be strong and lead and express God the Father to a fatherless generation. To let women express their femininity and the more sensitive side of God's nature.

This is another example:
We make quite an effort in our church to include and motivate young people. But then we end up stereotyping them and assume that all young people want noise and drama and excitement. Maybe they do, but be prepared that maybe they don't
And the older generation. Don't presume that after a certain age people are only fit for the armchair. Some folk are fit and active well into retirement, but also be prepared to accept that old age does bring limitations, and don't be too scared to go a bit slower to care for those who need it.
The thing is, don't be so politically correct that you cannot celebrate the energy of youth without feeling the older folk will feel left out. And don't be so scared of calling some folk "old" that you cannot help people enjoy the blessing of their senior years and share their wisdom from long lives spent with God.

And other hot potato: Marriage versus Celibacy.
Why does it even have to be "versus"? They are different callings. They are both blessed by God. OK, so choosing one excludes the other, but because you have got married does not mean you cannot support and esteem celibacy and being celibate does not mean you look down on people who have got married.
I have chosen celibacy because for me I believe this is the path God wants me on. I believe I will achieve more as a celibate than I would as a wife and mother. That does not make marriage and motherhood inferior.
I know some amazing married people, and some people who really struggle with married life.
I know some amazing celibates, and some people who have given up on celibacy.
I seen celibates who are scared to share the wealth of their gifting because somone will feel inferior and shout them down saying "marriage is just as good you know"
I have also seen married people who felt guilty and spent all their time wondering if their marriage is just a compromise and they should really have been celibate 'cos it is "the higher way".

God is big.
When we say something is "best" we mean it is "better than...".
When God calls someone to "do their best for Him", He does not mean that they are "better than" anybody else. We can all be the best we can for God!