Holy Joe by Rev. Trevor Jamison

23/11/2009 by idavidsonblog.

Holy Joe 

I really enjoyed Holy Joe as a way into the Christmas story. Holy Joe was the primary school production for Christmas. Parents, family and friends packed into the church that adjoined the (non-church) school to watch the presentation. Written by one the teachers, Holy Joe was a retelling of the Christian Christmas story in words and song, but told from the perspective of Joseph. Perhaps the teacher had been reading Matthew’s Gospel in particular as the story there seems to see things more from Joseph’s point of view. Perhaps that would also explain why the wise men rather than the shepherds got such a starring role that year (Luke’s shepherds and heavenly host of angels got rather pushed into the background). Not that this was a traditional re-telling of the tale, as the magi’s theme song suggests: “We’re three wise guys on a star-trek enterprise”!  How far can you go and how much liberty are you allowing in re-telling the Christmas story? Productions that fail to mention Jesus entirely have probably missed the plot as far as most Christians are concerned. After that, however, all’s fair in love and nativities. It’s not as if what we call a “traditional” nativity play is entirely biblical. No one thinks that all those involved in the original events were children, though Mary may not have been many years beyond childhood if normal marriage customs were being observed with regards to the average age of brides at this time. Nor, as John Bell, the Scottish hymn writer has mischievously suggested is it compulsory for her to wear blue just because she is expecting a boy rather than a girl. Neither, do the two gospel writers who tell us stories about the birth and childhood of Jesus, suggest that the Matthew’s magi (wise men) ever even glimpsed Luke’s shepherds, never mind gathering all together with Mary, Joseph and various animals around a baby in a manger, though this will not prevent us setting out such a tableaux in many churches.  Not only is it permissible for Christians to have some fun with the plot (angelic messengers as “men in black”, suitably suited, eyes concealed by fashionable shades for example) but it is almost mandatory. We all know how reciting the Lord’s Prayer in church every Sunday can lead to the point where we are saying the words but have disengaged our brains (and possibly our hearts) from the content of the prayer. Just reading the very familiar Bible passages year upon year can begin to have a similar effect and a new twist or change of perspective could be just what we need to make us pay attention once again. If all the parts in church nativity plays were taken by adults this year might we find ourselves reminded that Christmas is not just for the children, but for everyone? I’m not suggesting we try this as I don’t think I could handle the conflict that might arise, though even that might remind us that this a story where King Herod plays a major role and it is set in a place (Bethlehem) where conflict is a very present reality. Oddly enough, I think it is Christians who are best placed to depart from the basic biblical story. In fact, only those who know the original story are capable of departing from it, much as you can only compose a variation on a theme is you are acquainted with the theme in the first place. That is why that during Advent and the Christmas season churches will not be totally dependant on nativity plays for remembering and re-rehearsing the Christmas story. We will hear the prophetic words from the Old Testament, the narratives of Matthew and Luke and the theological commentary of the opening chapter of John’s Gospel that “The true light which gives light to everyone was even then coming into the world,” (John 1: 9) In addition to the message we hear through the words I hope that there is also a nativity play, a Christmas movie or theatrical production, a Holy Joe, a personal or family memory or some other trigger that makes us re-think and re-discover the meaning of Christmas for each of us today.

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Too many cooks ……. or too few?

21/10/2009 by idavidsonblog.

Let’s not fool ourselves. The Christian Church in the UK faces a big challenge, but how big is that challenge and how optimistic do we feel about it? I ask this because I have just been watching the television programme, Master Chef: the Professionals. For those who don’t know, this programme features professional chefs who aspire to cook at the highest level. They compete against each other to impress two judges who have exacting standards. On some occasions they cook to order, on others they produce dishes from their own repertoire. Master Chef is of course only one of a whole host of cookery-related programmes that have filled up the schedules in recent years: everything from Ready, Steady Cook to Great British Menu and several shows in between. What is striking though is that as the nation’s appetite for cookery programmes has increased in recent years the same nation’s inhabitants cook less and less for themselves, and when they do an increasing proportion of the meals cooked consist of processed food rather than dishes produced from scratch with raw ingredients.

 

I think of this situation every time I feel over-optimistic about the spiritual health of the nation. In the face of the Church’s numerical decline and diminishing social influence some people argue that interest in religious matters has not really declined all that much, it has simply migrated to less traditional areas of spirituality. Such commentators point to the growing interest in eastern religions and a whole host of spiritual practices, often labelled as “New Age”. Today’s spiritual seeker, so the argument goes, does not feel tied down to one tradition and is open to explore many different religious practices, sometimes even several at the same time. This large group of the population are spiritually open to the Christian faith if only we can find the argument or attraction that will make them choose our particular brand of religion. Even as I listen to this argument I think of the cookery programmes. Interest in cookery programmes does not translate in to getting into the kitchen and cooking. Interest in religions need not translate into commitment to Christian faith which combines both explicit belief and distinctive lifestyle.

 

So far, so pessimistic, but it does not have be all bad news. The Christian faith does retain some hold on the popular religious imagination. We are getting close to Christmas, the time when that influence seems strongest. Can we help people translate a sentimental attachment to childhood memories or the Dickensian image of a Victorian Christmas into a sense of deep joy that in Jesus’ birth and life God has stepped into the world we inhabit? At a local level our congregations retain a measure of good will among their many contacts – worshippers, friends, family, users of church hall and participants in church social projects. At a recent Elders Meeting at Billericay URC a quick totting up of people currently in contact with that congregation produced a figure of five hundred and fifty contacts! During the last year we have used material from the URC Vision4life Bible Year and soon we move into the Prayer Year, with the Evangelism Year coming along immediately behind. Perhaps our relationships with the people our congregations already know could form part of our exploration of prayer in 2010 and that in turn can inform our thinking about evangelism in 2011. Let’s hope we can turn our interest in prayer and evangelism into more actual praying and sharing good news in the coming days.

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What is it to be reformed? By Trevor Jamison

20/09/2009 by idavidsonblog.

Well, I’ve (finally) staggered into the twenty-first century and now have a page on Facebook, the internet site where “friends” chat to one another and share information about themselves (sometimes with alarming openness considering that this may be viewed by people from all around the world). You can also take fun personality quizzes which claim to answer questions such as which city you wish to live in (Seattle – must be for the coffee) or which famous author you most resemble (James Joyce, another Irishman who spent large periods of his life living elsewhere). As a theologian apparently I am a reincarnation of the American Puritan Jonathan Edwards. If I was transformed into a church denomination I would be Presbyterian (big surprise) and if I exemplify one of the traditions that preceded the United Church of Christ (a

U.S. denomination with similarities to the URC) it would be the Reformed. 

But what does it mean to be Reformed? This seems a reasonable question to ask for a United Reformed Church minister of three URC congregations. John Leith^*, an American Presbyterian suggests the following list of nine attributes that combine to provide the ethos of the Reformed Tradition. I wonder whether you would respond with a ‘yes’, a ‘no, or a ‘maybe’ to some, most or all of these: 

1. The majesty and praise of God2. Opposition to idolatry3. Working out divine purposes in history (and so involved in world as well as church)4. Living a life of holiness (as a response to God’s grace, not a means of obtaining it)5. The life of the mind as the service of God6. The importance of preaching7. An organised church with a system of pastoral care8. The disciplined life (responsible to others for how we live)9. Simplicity  

My guess is that not every one of us enthusiastically endorsed every one of the above. Others may feel that things have been missed out (where is the freedom in worship or freedom from state control so important to parts of the tradition that come into the URC?). Given that other Christians from other denominations would say they believed these things too perhaps we are talking more about a movement that crosses denominations and emphasises particular aspects of church. In any case, most URCs I know have many, many members who started out in other Christian traditions and then enriched our Church’s life by joining our congregations. 

We can go on talking (I’d be delighted if anyone wants to respond to me about this) and exploring together, Ministers and members, Elders and fellow worshippers which would be a very Reformed way of going about things.

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There is no escape by Revd. Trevor Jamison

24/08/2009 by idavidsonblog.

There is no escape!  There is no escape from Job, at least not as far as I am concerned. Like many people, my knowledge of this Old Testament book was pretty sketchy before I became a church minister. I knew that it was about suffering. I knew that Job was supposed to be a good person to whom bad things happened. I was aware that he had some friends to advise him, the proverbial “Job’s comforters”, and that they were not a great deal of use to him. I may have known that when confronted with God, towards the end of the book, Job receives a lecture on God’s majesty rather than an explanation of why things happened the way they did. I then managed to make it all the way through my ministerial training without my relative ignorance being much disturbed, except perhaps to discover that it was one of the Old Testament books that get described as “wisdom literature”, along with others such as Proverbs and Ecclesiastes. Then I agreed to tutor some people for the United Reformed Church’s Training for Learning and Serving Foundation Course and discovered that we spent an entire term, six meetings, using Job as the main biblical resource for our discussions. As a tutor, every other year, for the next few years I found myself having to return to Job. There really was no escape. By the end of this period I would warn course members, “Next term will either be the

high point or very lowest point of the course for you: we are going to explore Job.” Very few people felt neutral or unmoved by Job. Either they hated every moment, wondering how this book had been allowed to wander into the pages of the Bible or they were astonished and overjoyed to find a biblical book helping them to grapple with life’s big issues concerning pain, suffering and injustice.

 Upon moving South, to this pastorate I gave up Foundation Course tutoring and thought that I had managed to leave Job behind me in the North-East of

England – no such luck. Within a month of my arrival into the new pastorate the readings from the Revised Common Lectionary were inviting worship leaders to preach on Job and I duly obliged, not only in the three pastorate churches but even at Hutton and Shenfield Union Church. Still, I thought, that’s Job out of the way and I can get on with preaching from more cheerful stuff, like Leviticus and Lamentations. Wrong again. The RCL is a three-year cycle of readings and, believe it or not, I have been Minister in this pastorate for three years, so guess who’s coming to church on Sunday once again?

 Next month, October, it is time for Job to make a reappearance and those responsible for leading worship in at least two of our congregations will be gearing up for the challenge. I’m looking forward to coming back to Job just as we are all “coming back to church” after the summer break and somehow this feels appropriate. After all, why do we come (back) to church? Yes, firstly, we come to worship God but we also come for all sorts of human reasons, many of them good ones. We come for fellowship and friendship; we come for rest and recuperation from life’s stresses; but we also come in order to be better equipped to live life abundantly during the rest of the week. Exploring Job together is a real opportunity to face life’s realities together, a resource for living in the today’s world, just as troubled with pain and suffering as it was in the days when the Book of Job was written. Like Job, we may find few definitive answers but I’m confident that we’ll grow as seven-day-a-week disciples in the process of discovery and discussion.

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Sticking to the Rules by Rev. Trevor Jamison

27/06/2009 by idavidsonblog.

Sticking to the Rules 

The summer holidays cannot have come too soon for some Westminster MPs. Perhaps, they think, with parliament no longer in session; with members scattered around the country rather than presenting one large target in

London; perhaps the bad publicity and the public anger at MPs’ expenses will die down or even go away. Whether that is wishful thinking or political reality remains to be seen. 

When the whole scandal broke several parliamentarians took refuge in a defence that was quickly revealed to be inadequate and unacceptable: nothing was done wrong because everything was done within the rules. Now both society in general and Christians in particular are in favour of rules. All societies need rules, regulations and laws in order to function. So, for example, the weight displayed on the scales must reflect the true weight of the fruit and vegetables purchased and the pedestrian crossing the road in a built-up area knows that approaching traffic will arrive at a speed closer to 30 mph than 100 mph (at least most of the time). And how can a religion which has championed the Ten Commandments claim not to like rules, especially when its representatives never tire of pointing out that the Christian religion has provided the underlying basis for many of the laws of this land? 

What matters is that the system of rules that a society constructs is intended to facilitate human flourishing, not simply to enforce conformity to the outlook of a political elite or those in authority. Jesus made this point during debates with others over the correct interpretation of Sabbath regulations: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.” (Mark 2: 27) Nor, of course, are we supposed to approach rules and regulations with the purpose of obtaining maximum advantage for ourselves at a cost to others, especially if they are not in a position to respond. The trick is to look at the rules and discern what they are intended to achieve in a particular situation. 

It is very easy to become all too self-righteous about the expenses claims of some of our MPs. Many of us conform to the expectation of the group within which we move or the place where we work about what is or is not acceptable behaviour. Jesus’ other comments about making sure not to complain about the speck of dust in one person’s eye whilst having a great plank sticking out of our own are relevant here. (Matthew 7: 3) For all that, however, we expect our members of parliament to be people of ethical discernment (to be able to figure out right from wrong rather than just quoting rules at us) and that is how they portray themselves when putting their names forward for election. 

In some cases political careers will justifiably be brought to an end. In others we will look for evidence of repentance and changed behaviour if careers are to continue. Finally, I wonder if this experience will affect how some of our MPs expect our laws to be framed for and enforced upon those who enjoy much less powerful or financially rewarding positions in life: strictly and heavily or with humanity and mercy? Will they seek to do unto others as they hope the electorate soon do unto them? (Matthew 7: 12)

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Worship in many parts by Trevor Jamison

26/05/2009 by idavidsonblog.

Worship in Many Parts 

What is your favourite element in worship? Do you thrill to the hymns, long for the time of prayer or most appreciate a really good sermon? Of course you are allowed to enjoy all of these aspects of worship but if you could only have one which would you choose? I’m willing to guess that different people in a congregation would give different answers and that this is true whether the congregation is a vast gathering in the hundreds or literally just “two or three gathered in his name,” 

As I write this letter Christian Aid Week is under way and tomorrow I’ll be trekking up and down garden paths to strangers’ doors, asking them to make a contribution to the collection. If asked to design a Christian event that will maximise public participation few of us would think to choose the offering as the element of worship most likely to get a good response. As it happens though, even more people than the number comprising the audience of Songs of Praise choose to take part in this event. 

In worship, with the possible exception of church treasurers, the offering is unlikely to get many votes for “Most Popular Moment in Service.” As far as men are concerned a recent survey of four hundred male readers of the magazine Sorted revealed that for them the most popular part of the service was the talk or sermon (72%). Although 60% of those surveyed liked singing in worship they had a clear preference for proclamational hymns rather than emotional love songs. Those surveyed did not like hugging, holding hands or sitting in circles discussing their feelings in church. 

Some readers of this letter (men or women) may be saying a fervent “Amen” of agreement to all of those views. Some (men or women) may be in total disagreement. Others may love the sermon almost as much as they are attached to hymns that qualify as “emotional love songs” or want more time given to proclamation in our singing but less to listening to proclamation from the pulpit. Just spare a thought for our worship leaders who have to create a service that meets the diverse needs and preferences of a congregation made up of men and women, younger and older, coming from a variety of social and ethnic backgrounds. 

Worship should reflect some of our preferences because they flow from the sort of people that we are and it would be strange to worship in a way that is totally alien to our identity. At the same time, however, since we are a mixture of people, individually and culturally, we cannot expect worship to suit our individual preferences all of the time, not taking into account the different preferences of our fellow worshippers. Also, all of us need to remember that although worship is essential in forming us as people we are not the object of worship. God is the object of our worship and trying to discern what is worthy of a God of creation, love, mercy and justice affects the content and the style of our worship: 

Lord of all good, our gifts we bring to thee,Use them thy holy purpose to fulfil:Tokens of love and pledges they shall beThat our whole life is offered to thy will.                                                A F Bayly (1901-1984)                                                Rejoice and Sing 404Trevor 

The survey of male worshippers is reported athttp://www.telegraph.co.uk:80/news/newstopics/religion/5278040/Male-worshippers-like-to-sing-macho-songs-in-church.html

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Christ, the unseen guest at every meal, by Rev Trevor Jamison

26/04/2009 by idavidsonblog.

“Christ is the unseen guest at every meal, the silent listener to every conversation”, or so ran the wording on a plaque which adorned the dining room wall in the house to which I had been invited to dinner. I suppose I should have found this sentiment a comfort but I must confess that at the time it seemed a little sinister to me. Not only was Christ keeping an eye on my table manners – mouth always shut when I chewed, no elbows on the table – but he was eavesdropping on every comment shared and any aside uttered by me during the course of the meal. At least I had been given fair warning but what about my manners and conversation on all those previous occasions when I had shared a meal and no notice was affixed to the wall? Perhaps it is better to have Christ as the unseen observer rather than some of the alternatives. The

UK, it is claimed, has more CCTV cameras per head of population than any other country in the world: 4.8 million cameras in 2005 and no-one really knows how many now. Next time you are up in central

London pause for a moment to consider that in Westminster Council’s CCTV control room someone may be watching you on one of forty-eight screens that control one hundred and sixty fixed cameras plus dozens of wi-fi-connected mobile cameras. This “state of the art” centre is frequently visited by representatives of police forces from around the world, impressed by cameras that can “id” you from seventy-five metres away. They may then choose to transmit your picture to the relevant police control room. So if you do pause to think about this try not to do so in a suspicious looking manner.

 It may be true that the camera does not lie but sometimes it does not tell the full story. Recent pictures of some G20  protestors breaking the windows of the Royal Bank of Scotland building in London show almost more photographers present than protestors so how representative was the image of what was going on that day? Likewise, images of police officers appearing to assault protestors may be made to stand for the behaviour of the whole police force for the whole of the day. On the other hand the camera can uncover truths otherwise unavailable to us. In 2007 I witnessed a “smash and grab” raid at a jewelry shop in central

Cambridge. As the robbers emerged from the shop they were confronted with a small army of passers-by, all holding up their mobile phones to take pictures of the faces of the perpetrators. Likewise, the photographs and videos taken by police, demonstrators and city workers (including at least one church member from this pastorate:www.flickr.com/photos/26916199@N03/) may be a force for good, uncovering truth and restraining poor practices and bad actions on future occasions. How we feel about being observed is greatly influenced by the view we have of the observer. Some feel reassured to know that “the forces of law and order” are watching over us. Others are worried that “big government” is watching our every move. Likewise, how you feel about being watched over by Christ depends not only on what you have been up to but what image you have of God. The picture of God as some irritable old guy, living only to catch us out in misdemeanors and possessing unimaginable powers to punish us, dies hard. The insight that “it was not to judge the world that God sent his Son into the world, but that through him the world might be saved” (John 3: 17) should help us here. God observes us and our failings, then acts to save or redeem rather than to condemn or punish. The instigators and operators of CCTV systems, however, are not God but human beings like us, prone to our failings and shortcomings. We might do well to be cautious about these unseen observers yet more trusting of the divine, unseen guest at each meal and in every life.

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Easter By Revd. Trevor Jamison

02/04/2009 by idavidsonblog.

April is a month for us to keep our feet firmly on the ground until the moment when we jump for joy. The problem is that we are tempted to leap too early. We need to keep our feet firmly on the ground, even on Palm Sunday. Apart from Jesus, who was riding into town that day,

Jerusalem was treated to the sight of a bunch of pedestrian disciples, walking along, cheering their man on as he entered into the holy city. It’s not to say that excitement was absent, with all the cries of “hosanna” and the route carpeted with greenery and clothes. (Mark 11: 8-9) It’s natural and right to get caught up in the atmosphere of anticipation and celebration since following a notable ministry this prophet is coming to

Jerusalem, the centre of affairs to sort things out. It’s natural and right that we should reflect all this in our Palm Sunday worship but it would be premature to jump for joy.

 It would be premature to because Palm Sunday, for all its excitement has, lurking in the background, the prospect of Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. On both these days our feet are kept firmly on the ground. On Maundy Thursday we gather in the evening to worship, to share bread and wine as Jesus and disciples once shared bread and wine in a borrowed room in

Jerusalem. Our feet are on the ground for this is an occasion where material things are to the fore – bread and wine, the material products of God’s material creation – even though in the hands and words of Jesus they are employed to speak also of other things. Our feet are kept on the ground through observing mundane, human failings. Judas leaves the room and company of Jesus, both literally and metaphorically, as he departs to betray Jesus to the human authorities.

Jumping for joy must also be deferred on the following day, Good Friday. Not only are our feet kept on the ground but we wish the very ground might swallow us up. No cause for jumping about in celebration as we remember and re-enact the suffering and death of Jesus, both in our shared acts worship and walks of witness. One of my most uncomfortable Good Friday experiences was when I found myself drafted into a choir that was then directed to sing joyful Christian hymns at an ecumenical gathering on Good Friday. In our singing we were inviting one and all to jump for joy, but doing so in a setting that demanded sadness and sombre contemplation. Even the belief that God is using this horrific event to bring about reconciliation with the world is tinged with sadness that it should take this to achieve the goal. And then, at last, comes Easter Day.  The political and religious tensions, the human failings and transgressions that were in the background the previous Sunday and which resulted in Jesus’ crucifixion are shown not to have the last word as far as God is concerned.  Disciples who had used their feet to walk into

Jerusalem and to flee when Jesus was arrested are now, one and all, jumping for joy because they are convinced that dead though he was he is now alive.  This Palm Sunday and Holy Week we are all invited once again to make the journey, feet on the ground, grounded in the material, even dragged down to despair.  Then on Easter Day we are invited to experience, along with the disciples, the full impact, the contrast, when Jesus who was crucified, died and buried is raised to new life by God.  In their company it would be very hard not to jump for joy on Easter Day.

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What sort of bread? by Rev. Trevor Jamison

18/02/2009 by idavidsonblog.

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry.” (John 6: 35) So, if as he says, he is the bread of life what sort of bread is Jesus? In other words, if you were asked to imagine Jesus as a loaf of bread what sort would it be? There are many possible answers to that question and if you come up with one that I do not mention now please be sure to let me know what I missed out. For the moment, however, here are four suggestions for your consideration.  Let’s begin with the most popular type of bread on the supermarket shelf – the sliced loaf. This is presented to us, neatly packaged, with predicable, safe servings. It will not offend our sense of taste (for it has little or none) and is easily digested, though containing little in the way of nourishment. This is the Jesus of popular Western European imagination in our day. Like the sliced loaf he is usually experienced as white and unchallenging. He is reduced to the role of “good teacher”, with all the demanding bits about his life removed; the messiness concerning his death bleached away; and the challenge presented by his resurrection never added to the recipe. In this undemanding form Jesus enjoys an amazingly long shelf life. Nor is this Jesus absent from the churches. Recently I sat in a meeting in a room in a recently refurbished church. The walls were decorated with pictures relating to Victorian missionary work and a couple of large images of the white, fair haired, tastefully bearded Jesus surrounded by adoring children of different races. It may be that these were hung on the wall as an ironic comment on how we used to perceive Jesus but I’m not confident that this is the case. The United Reformed Church Jesus (in as much as the URC agrees on anything) is, of course, the wholemeal loaf. This brownish Jesus, more appealing to the right-thinking middle classes than any other group, is certainly nourishing. For some reason the wholemeal Jesus remains a minority taste, possibly because wholemeal, whilst it is perceived to be nourishing is seldom regarded as exciting, a duty rather than a delight. Both society and church would do well to remember a third possibility – the matzo bread Jesus. If you are ever in

Amsterdam and visit the brilliant Jewish Museum then making matzo bread is one of the children’s activities on offer there. In other words we all do well to remember that Jesus was a Jew, not a Christian (a Christian is a follower of Christ) and therefore be reminded that he is not just like us Western European Gentiles. This difference points us towards the fourth and final type of bread that might represent Jesus – a non-existent bread. To be like Jesus this bread must be popular amongst those who consume it, nourishing yet exciting at the same time, Jewish bread that sustains Gentiles as well. Whatever bread appeals to us for everyday eating, whatever bread is placed upon our communion table it can help us to remember Jesus, to experience Jesus’ presence in the here and now. They are all helpful signposts and experiences of Jesus though none tells the whole story. The wonder is that when we share bread and wine in worship they can become the vehicle through which we enter into the presence of God as we remember Jesus. And as for what sort of wine Jesus would be …

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Men are such liars by Rev Trevor Jamison

07/01/2009 by idavidsonblog.

Men are such liars … 

Nearly half of all men have lied about what they have read to try to impress friends or potential partners, according to a survey reported by the BBC in November last year.* A poll of 1500 people undertaken on behalf of the National Year of Reading Campaign found that they are most likely to lie when it makes them appear intellectual or romantic. Women (one third of who had lied about their reading habits) thought men should have read Nelson Mandela’s autobiography or Shakespeare. Men, on the other hand, would be most impressed by women not only reading Shakespeare but also news websites and song lyrics. Among teenagers, three quarters of those interviewed were prepared to lie about their reading habits, particularly about social networking websites and song lyrics. 

What would your choice be if, like one in five of those polled you chose to read a book whilst waiting for your date to arrive, in the hope of impressing him or her? Perhaps it would be a heavy tome on quantum physics or a serious work by a prominent political leader. Maybe you would be engrossed in the most recent Booker Prize winner or “re-reading” one of the classics of English literature. Whatever your choice, my guess is that unless you know it will go down well with the particular person you are meeting you are unlikely to be reading a Bible in order to impress. 

Wouldn’t it be fun (and possibly instructive) to commission a poll of 1500 Christians and ask them under what circumstances they have or would be prepared to lie about their Bible reading. Would a potential partner swoon upon finding that a man was well versed in Lamentations? Would you be impressed (or depressed) by discovering a woman well acquainted with the letters of

St Paul? Can you envisage circumstances in which you claim to have read all those Old Testament prophets, even the ones whose names you can’t quite remember but think might begin with the letter ‘Z’? 

In conversations held in the three congregations of this pastorate, undertaken as an introduction to the URC Vision4life process, many of us agreed that we do not know or use the Bible as well as we might. One intention for 2009 is that these issues will be addressed during the course of the year. Of course the responses of those polled on behalf of the National Year of Reading Campaign reflected social pressure to claim to have read something they have not. Christians, except in church settings, are more likely to be under pressure to deny having read something from the Bible, even if they have done so. In either case, however, reading or making claims about reading in order to impress others does not do justice to a book, biblical or otherwise. It short-changes the author, the book’s subject and whatever or whoever inspired it. A book only receives full value when we actually read it, open to the possibility that it might influence the way we think, change the way we see the world and make a difference in our lives. 

Time to curl up with a (the?) good book. 

Trevor 

 

* From BBC News http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/education/7776046.stm Published: 2008/12/11 02:47:26 GMT

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