|
|
|
At present (July '03) there is only one hymn which has been agreed to be used at the blessing of Peter & my marriage later on this year. The problem, you see, is that Peter is not a christian. In fact, he is an atheist1. The tune is one that you probably are well familiar with, most of us will have sung Lord of the Dance at some point, and in fact it was sung at Peter's first wedding2. However the words which will be used come from an old Shaker hymn, tis a gift to be simple. I've written them below.
There is something which, I feel, calls to the heart of all of us in these words. Simplicity of life is something which is very hard to find as we hurry about our daily toil. We have to balance work and home lives, families and friends. We are told what our roles in life should be, how much we should weigh, what clothes we should wear, and in all of this our hearts cry out for some peace, some simplicity, that we may find that 'place just right'. How are we to find that place, that valley, where we can breathe free and achieve rest. If you look at the actions of Jesus, he too lived in a time where the ability to find rest was hard. The land of Israel was occupied by the Romans. The laws which they wanted to live by were interpreted by men who wove such walls around them that they became impossible to achieve. Focus down on one particular time3, Jesus is preaching to a crowd, telling them about John the Baptist, but the crowd were unable to hear what he was trying to tell them, because they were bound up in other things. Jesus quotes Isaiah at them, saying "We played the flute for you, and you did not dance; we sang a dirge, and you did not mourn." He then lays into the cities who had rejected him, and then he starts to talk to those people who wanted to hear him, despite their burdens. "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Here we see a glimpse of the simplicity which is at the heart of the gospel, the good news. The gentleness and humility of our Saviour, that even when the crowd had been unable to hear, he still called to them, spoke to the heart of the problem, and offered to take the burdens they had. Let us look at the religious leaders of the time, the Scribes and Pharisees. Some of them were honestly trying to do the right thing, to keep the commands of the law, and lead the people in their charge according to what they knew (or their revealed light as some would say). How come that despite their best efforts, it had gone so far that they held the Living God as their enemy. First you have to realise that all humanity tends to wrong. We have all sinned, and fall short, not just of God's glory, but of honesty, truth, goodness, gentleness. All these things are from God, and unless God grants them to us, we are bound to fail in our endeavours to do good. Even the best man is not good enough. Yet the good news of God is that He has provided a way. The way of simplicity, gentleness, humility. The Scribes and Pharisees were wise men. They spent most of their time arguing over what the scriptures meant, and how to apply it to the situation they found themselves living in. However, rather than learning to ensure they knew how to help their fellows, they say learning as an end it itself. They saw that it some people tended to be bad, and so refused to be associated with the "tax collectors and sinners". They saw that the law said you should tithe, and so spent all of their time collecting a tenth of the herbs in their gardens, and failed to see the prophets cry for justice for the poor and opressed, mercy for the sinner. They allowed themselves to be side-tracked from the core of the old testament to their detrement. The core of the word of God is love. Many people have said God is love, and there is a deep truth in this. The most defining of God's characteristics is surely and certainly love. There is absolutely nothing which you or I could do which would stop God loving us, and wanting the best for us. This is not some wishy-washy, I love you, so do what ever you want, kind of love. This is the real, deep, heart-felt, I want the best for you, no matter what it will cost me, kind of love. The love which held Jesus to the cross was closer to the love which causes a parent to discipline his child, than that which allows his child to drink underage. This is the love which God has for us. Love which compels him to act for our best. And thank God that he knows enough to be able to judge what is best for us. He sees from eternity, and longs for us to join him there. This may involve some hardship now, but he knows what is best for us, not we for him. So, in this time of trouble and stress, where we are attacked without warning, and taken to war without consultation, how should our leaders act? Speaking out to those who are charged with the spiritual welfare of our souls, should you be spending your tiime in discussing the whys and wherefores of homosexuality, women bishops and re-marrying, or should you be offering rest to those who have been hurt and misjudged by so many? Jesus was one who ate with sinners. Speaking to those who are charged with our earthly well being, should you be seeking to maintain your own power, or to aid the powerless in society? Should you be trying to keep your seats in the House, or housing those without home? Should you be trying to increase the economic wealth of the country, or the hapiness and health of its citizens? Remember, you will all be called to account one day, and have to answer for your actions. The heart of the gospel, the good news, is simple enough that a child can understand it. It calls to the depths of their hearts and says God loves you, and wants you to love him. He will deal with everything which can get in the way, trust him, and do what he says, and you will be all right, no matter what happens. This is the message of love which Jesus spoke, this simplicity calls to our stressful lives, and says be a peace, let God handle the problems and troubles which you face daily. Be peaceful, be calm, and trust him. Don't you think it's time we all had a day of rest from hatred and fear? Surely simplicity and love can conquer the divisions in our church which have come from too many learned discourses and disagreements on translation. I call now to the methodists, the catholics, the protestents, the baptists, to all who hold Jesus Christ as God and Man, as Sacrifice and Saviour, as King, Lord, Brother and Friend. Let us tear down the divisions and accept that we have One Lord, One God, One King. There is One Spirit who leads us all, and One home to which we all belong. Turn now to those who you have been told are not in communion with you, and say I love Jesus, you love Jesus, that is all that matters. The arguements of the Pharisees led them to fail to notice Jesus when he came the first time. I pray now, that our leaders, and those who earnest seek the knowledge of God, would not let the seeking of knowledge blind them to his presence today. Churches of the World unite. You have nothing to lose, and everything to gain. For the saints of God, and for the Lamb, let it be so. Footnotes
|
