I’m proud of good old-fashioned English understatement… our ability to face both disaster or triumph with equanimity- so, when asked “How are you? How’s things?” the classic response is “Not too bad, really. Things could be worse.”
On a day where the wind blew straight through you and the crackle of ice under foot as the snow froze could be heard, this golden retriever was as happy as Larry. Snow was sent for playtime not for being miserable. Dogs are probably hardier than we are! Every single human being was heading for the cafe or back to the car. But I reckon at least some of those dog owners would have said “Things could be worse” even as the Arctic clouds dropped another load of the white stuff on their heads.
This phlegmatic Britishness is quite admirable in its own way. In times of national crisis we have often faced horrible things with a smile provided there’s still a cup of tea on the table. Is that enough? It’s a pretty “low bar” to say things could be worse.
As people of faith, we surely have a better basis for confidence. Here is a short list!
God is Sovereign, so we can trust in the ultimate outcome.
Jesus has promised to be beside us in life and death.
The Lord often finds human “plans” amusingly futile.
Our hope in Christ is eternal and certain.
The Love we have received can be passed on to benefit others.
These verses (below) are a Bible basis for our positivity:
Exodus 20 v2-3
Matthew 28 v20
Psalm 2 v1-4
Hebrews 6 v19
1 Peter 4 v10
These are just a taste of the sweetness of Christian hope. Why not search out some more examples of the BETTER way of faith?
It’s Polling Day in the USA: and there is justifiable concern about the outcome in a very polarised, deeply divided electorate. Probably half of the electorate will be upset/furious whatever the result. The result will have consequences, at this stage not entirely predictable.
Most of us will have opinions about one or both candidates: and though the best choice seems blindingly obvious to me, there will be sincere voters who won’t agree!
I don’t have a vote, anyway.
My hope and trust is in God, the Eternal Three in One, whose Will shall ultimately be done (however this election and the current world political brouhaha turns out).
As Jesus taught us to pray, “May Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Alongside that prayer, I’ve chosen a photo that displays something of the wonder of this world: bright scarlet autumn rose-hips with a small Shield Bug crawling after food or shelter. Even as winter draws on, life continues with flora and fauna blissfully innocent of human politics. Although vulnerable to change and “chance,” this world- so far- has a good record of surviving human dramas (though we seem to be trying to spoil that record through greed and injustice!).
The Sun will rise in the morning. It will set tomorrow evening. And the American election result will NOT have shaken Heaven’s foundations, nor given God a horrible surprise. All things are ultimately in the Best Hands… the hands that were marred by nails on the Cross. That was a dreadful Day: and it was followed by Resurrection. Life finds a Way.
So, Father God- as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord Jesus every day. Please grant us peace and faith, even in our fears and the uncertainties we face. Keep pouring out Holy Spirit truth and compassion. Have mercy on Your troubled world- which we have diminished and defaced. May Your Will be done on earth as it is in heaven. May Your Kingdom come! Come soon, Lord Jesus, and rule as King of Kings and Master of Presidents and politicians. Amen.
“Stand with the Sun behind you and you’ll get a nice photograph.” Safe advice, often given to new photographers… I think that film manufacturers wrote something similar in with the rolls of film (I’m assuming some of you remember “film” for prints or slides). It was not cheap, and developing costs for prints were quite high. In the Era B.D. (Before Digital) poor hobbyists had to work hard, and not take too many chances. Playing safe saved money! Quite often the results were predictable, and frankly often boring.
Taking a photo like the one above was a big “no-no”. Risky! Measuring the light (or guessing the exposure) was an arcane exercise. Although, from the 1970s onwards technology was progressing and in-camera light meters reduced the odds of failure.
Experience gained (often from making mistakes) helped; and whole books were penned about “correct exposure” and effective composition. A steep learning curve and an expensive hobby!
Today’s photo is of frosted grasses and weeds, just beginning to thaw in early morning sunshine. The sunlight was at 450 towards the lens, backlighting the droplets and splintering the light. I used a low crouching position to shield the lens from direct sunlight, preventing flare and sunspots. Clever stuff! (I won’t spoil the effect by telling you how many other attempts of scenes like this were failures.)
Taking risks and seeking out “learning moments” will shape us into better photographers. Capturing light and interpreting it is the very heart of photography. Funnily enough, the principle is very similar to good theology! Looking at the Light of revelation, and trying understand and apply it to life- what we know about God, and what difference it makes.
We can “play safe” with faith, carefully colouring in between the lines and avoiding tricky questions. Predictable, satisfying, unobjectionable. We can learn “our” party line, listen to “safe” speakers, and hide safely in the crowd. For a while at least, that can be good enough.
But when BIG questions come up, when tragedy rocks our foundations, when moral and theological issues impact “our” small world, we have to go looking for insights from a fresh angle. We look into the Light, squinting and blinking, and discover that splintered Light illuminates in a newly beautiful way. In taking a risk, we are stretching out in our faith- and always seeking to draw closer to God Himself. The essential “Good News” (the Light itself) is unchanged; but moving our viewpoint helps us see MORE.
Perhaps learning more about the Bible itself from scholars and mature believers; or opening ourselves to “Go on going on being filled with the Spirit” (Ephesians 5 v18). The great Reformers and Puritans had a saying “The Lord has yet more Light to break forth from His Word.” When we stop learning, we stop growing.
Jesus took his Twelve disciples on a three-year journey of discovery. They learned about God, about the Scriptures, about themselves- and a whole load of experiences and puzzles that stretched their minds and spirits until they became more and more like Jesus. They took risks, faced impossible odds, saw God at work in unthinkable ways: they wept at the crucifixion and were astounded at Resurrection. They then received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost… and their story journeys through the centuries to join our own.
Faith and photography are simply “learning to see Light.” Then the Light reveals Life, and drives out the darkness. “Faith” and “photo” can both be spelled R-I-S-K.
(c) 2024, Richard Starling. First posted on reflectionary.org on this date.
Two aspects of Light: the first photo is taken inside Linz Cathedral, showing the colours from the stained glass windows on the stone wall. It reminds the worshipper that God is Light, the Saviour who brings freedom and forgiveness. The cathedral is clean, peaceful, and beautiful.
Second: a memorial Cross made from the timber of the old barracks in Mauthausen Concentration Camp, a few miles up the road. What is left of the camp has been turned into a Memorial Centre which tells the stories of some of the 90,000 prisoners who died there. It is a place of grief and remorse- but the Christ who was crucified understands suffering. That cross belongs there.
So close together- a building designed for worship, and another building built for mass murder.
This is the human dilemma in a nutshell. We are capable of love- and also capable of immense cruelty. Some would prefer to have a faith without a Cross- others would like to cover up the evidence of brutality. Without these reminders, we could ignore the chilled conscience and say “I didn’t do it, I didn’t know, I’m not to blame.”
Jesus shines Light into the darkness, invites our response, and says “I have come to bring LIFE in all its fullness.” (John 10:10)
When we come to the Cross, we begin to walk in the Light.
Enshrined in bronze… meet the Press. How astonished a Press photographer from the Fifties would be if they were given a modern camera. If that new camera were digital instead of film, I don’t think they’d believe it was real.
Old but beautifully machined; accurate shutters, decent lenses, lovely leather bellows for focussing. And that flash unit! Explosive combustion of glass bulbs- one blast of light which might singe your eyebrows. Then having taken a photo on light-sensitive plates or sheets of film, off to a lab for chemical processing and hard-won wizardry to produce expensive prints or glass slides.
Modern technology and engineering has changed the process of photography beyond measure.
Yet the goal is the same: to capture the “decisive moment” of an action or object, recording it for posterity. Photography aids our memories, records moments of history or newsworthy events; it preserves beauty and can tell a powerful story of life events and relationships.
OR the photographer may cut off the head or feet of the subject, blur or shake the image, or just take mind-numbingly boring pictures that no-one else wants to see! (Taking a photo of a statue of a paparazzi taking a photo, for example…)
Photo = light, graphy = writing… Writing with light. Isn’t it a shame that photography hadn’t been invented when God started “writing with Light” at the incarnation of Jesus, the Light of the world!
To see pictures of Mary & Joseph, scruffy shepherds, assorted Wise Men, and a sulky Herod? To record forever the angels who told of the Blessed Child, and then gathered the legions of Heaven to rejoice over Bethlehem… and, of course, the baby pictures of Jesus at birth, one day old, a week, a month. If only.
If Jerusalem had newspapers and a horde of reporters… has God missed a trick? If Jesus were born today, the news would be all round the globe as soon as the broadband was switched on!
But since the media frenzy has the attention span of a gnat, the story would be dumped by Tuesday. Instead, Almighty God sent a messenger with Good News and a promise. Luke 2:37 says “For no word from God will ever fail.”
Two thousand years later, the story is still current. “In the beginning was the Word… and the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us” is how John’s Gospel begins.
A very British treat… a stroll along the pier. You can’t hide a pier! It sticks out very obviously.
What shall I do at this pier? Perhaps an ice cream, and then sit relaxing as the sea performs its gentle mesmerising dance. Afterward, at low tide, a walk on the sands- and a revelation. Underneath is very different- and not “pretty” even though there are strong patterns.
Girders, support pillars, tension bars. Strong enough to see off a hundred winters, countless storms, and (mostly) the lack of maintenance. Such a harsh and unforgiving environment- and such a careful design by the engineers. Our pier may look a bit scruffy, but it’s surviving and giving pleasure to many visitors. Still.
Now, let’s consider the structure that makes a strong character- more specifically, that supports an enduring Christian character.
Our foundation must be Jesus Himself. Eternal truth and love who took humanity upon himself, and displays God to the world. To spend time BY CHOICE in His Presence is key.
What practical pillars does a mature Christian life depend on? Honest trusting faith, submission and obedience, plus a growing Bible knowledge and understanding. Being an active part of a community learning and loving together is essential. All these things are strong supports.
Then there is humility, selfless love, a willingness to forgive and be forgiven. Praise and prayer, spirituality with integrity, developing self-discipline, the attitude of gratitude, and more- all these add up to a life that becomes worship.
When we look at a Christian we respect and admire, we may at first only see the “public face.” However, unless there is strength and resilience beyond the public image, their faith may be hollow… Look more deeply.
One of the greatest gifts a mature Christian can “give away” is to honestly reveal their inner soul, and the practices that support the whole person. I have been privileged to have had some great role models who have been open (even about their struggles). After all, no-one scores 100% all the time!
St Paul was brave enough to tell others to “imitate me as I imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11 v1).
Jesus put it even more simply: he said “Follow me.”
Twelve disciples spent three years sharing life with Christ. Eleven gradually built strong and faithful character. One betrayed Jesus.
How am I going to build my living faith today? That’s always a really good question. How would you answer it?
Great pic, isn’t it? Eagle Owl, Dartmoor, near Princetown. All my own work: could start a rush of twitchers heading for Devon!
Except this is a way of telling truth to mislead. It is an Eagle Owl, I did take the photo. So far, so good. It is Dartmoor in the snow- I took the photo. All true. So what’s the problem?
I combined the two pictures so the owl had a more “natural-looking” backdrop. I haven’t lied, but I wasn’t 100% accurate.
My intention matters. If I have just melded two photos for a better picture, that’s OK. Were I to present myself as a wildlife whizz, discovering Eagle Owls in Devon, then perhaps selling the image to a news agency in exchange for fame and fortune, that is unethical and dishonest. And WRONG.
“The camera never lies” says the old proverb. But it may mislead, even present corrupted truth (in other words, a LIE). This is a huge problem in journalism, advertising, politics… “Deep fake” pictures are created and used to destroy the victim’s reputation, or as the lever for blackmail. Bits of truth selected deliberately, then mixed into untruth. A complete rejection of integrity.
Unless we are careful to act with integrity, there is even a danger that “picking bits” of the Bible then jamming them together will mislead or misdirect people who are seeking God. This coming Sunday, I’m preaching at our church. I have a heavy responsibility to tell the truth truthfully: or I risk putting words into God’s mouth, or persuading people into misunderstanding. A stern warning from the New Testament: “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.“ – James 3 v1
James points out the risk that teachers and preachers take on. Matthew’s Gospel records words from Jesus about the required heart-attitude, the integrity, of those called to serve through leadership and preaching. It must be real, and honest, and true- not a crafty construction of bits of truth. If I cannot preach out of humility and integrity, I should not preach at all.
“Everything they do is for show. On their arms they wear extra wide prayer boxes with Scripture verses inside, and they wear robes with extra long tassels. And they love to sit at the head table at banquets and in the seats of honour in the synagogues. They love to receive respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi.’ Don’t let anyone call you ‘Rabbi,’ for you have only one teacher, and all of you are equal as brothers and sisters. And don’t address anyone here on earth as ‘Father,’ for only God in heaven is your Father. And don’t let anyone call you ‘Teacher,’ for you have only one teacher, the Messiah. The greatest among you must be a servant. But those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” – Matthew 23 v5-12
Please pray for me- and any other preachers and teachers you know.
Our journey towards faith always requires that we seek a way through the unknown, through mysteries that ask more questions than we can answer. But God WILL make a way. He always has.
Consider Joseph and Mary… a long walk to Bethlehem at what must have seemed a MOST inconvenient time. Pregnancy offers challenge enough! Wretched Romans, making life more difficult.
As if that wasn’t enough, there is a jealous king with homicidal intent who will be responsible for the death of children- so another journey as refugees finding shelter in Egypt. How ironic- Joseph working as a labourer in the land where Israel had been enslaved. Then after Herod’s death, a return from exile into the Promised Land: bringing the infant Saviour with them.
Angels, Magi, shepherds and fulfilled prophecies. That’s the way God made. The way of the unexpected, the foretold, the surprising, the spectacular, the ordinary, the unthinkable, the wonderful. One humble brave girl, one courageous, gentle and devoted husband. One Word spoken before the beginning of Time, echoing through the centuries until the End of Time. One Word enrobed in human flesh, one Love embracing and reconciling a lost world. God has made a way.
“See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland…” – Isaiah 43 v19
This way, this Word, is what we celebrate at Christmas.
It wasn’t that we were “lost”, exactly… But reading and understanding the signs was tricky. To make it more urgent, an Alpine thunderstorm was heading our way: and we were up an Alp looking for the way back to Scheffau. Scheffau wasn’t on the signpost as a destination.
A little bit of guidance would be nice! By the way- we made it down OK.
“We spend too long in our life trying to figure out where God wants us to be … instead of just allowing God to do something with our life where we are.”(Author unknown)
Christians agonise over finding God’s guidance, and we worry so much that we don’t actually DO anything until we are certain of God’s Will. At the risk of upsetting some fellow believers, I’m going to say that when we live like that we may be getting it wrong!
Does God have a perfect plan for our lives? Yes- but not necessarily in the way we think. Our life purpose is wrapped up in something much bigger: God’s purpose. Consider the Book of Esther in the Old Testament. Esther, the Queen, faces a dilemma. The Israelites are threatened with death. But for Esther to help, she has to take an enormous risk. Esther 4:14 is interesting. “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to royal position for such a time as this?”
We usually quote the last part of the verse: note it says “Who knows?” It’s a question. They weren’t sure. They knew God wanted to save the people- His larger purpose. They knew Esther had been told of the plot. But did they know for sure what Esther was supposed to do? Apparently not!
There will be times when you’ve gathered all the information, you’ve prayed as well as you know how, you’ve sought godly advice; what you are doing is not sinful … but there is something inside of you that’s still not sure. WE have to trust that if we are following God and seeking His purpose, HE will work out the rest! Don’t wait to be 100% convinced: just be 100% available.
This guy is a serious fisherman: he is passionate about his sport, has invested in the correct equipment, and studied his subject.
On top of that, he has the patience necessary to get results.
I find it fascinating that Jesus chose fishermen to be the first disciples. Used to a tough life, skilled at their trade, and unafraid of patient hard work- and obviously with an open heart, willing to listen. They hoped that God might do a new thing in their day, and encountering Jesus changed their lives forever.
Others listened to Jesus- up to the point where “following” was proving difficult, disappointing, and dangerous. Jesus even asked if his closest followers wanted to leave as well.
Peter answered on their behalf: “Master, to whom would we go? You have the words of real life, eternal life. We’ve already committed ourselves, confident that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68-69 The Message Translation)
Having such commitment and determination meant that those disciples would live at great risk- for a great vision, a purpose worthy of life and death. Many of them died violently.
Such obedient faith is much more than believing some facts about Jesus. It is be willing to go to great lengths in the expectation of world-transforming results: putting trust in the words of real eternal life spoken by Christ. Jesus went to a terrible execution so that all things might be reconciled to God. Another of the extraordinary followers of Jesus described Him in these terms:
“He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” (Colossians 1 v17-20)
So, what is there that I will believe in, put into practice, and expect God to do through my life and passionate discipleship? The way I answer that question sums up what I might achieve through the presence and power of Jesus!
Look, See, Pray 