Memories

The Dead Sea from Masada

Miroslav Volf commented that “The past is always present with us”, when speaking at the BMS Catalyst Live (Event Website) event.  He went on to outline how we need to remember rightly if we are to find a pathway to reconciliation.  The event ended with Martin Accad form the Arab Baptist Theological Seminary in Lebanon focusing upon the current turbulent situation in the Middle East that is a product of the failure to cope with memories of the past. 

During the day a post from the Elders.  This group of global leaders was first brought together by Nelson Mandela and is currently chaired by Kofi Annan with the expressed aim of working together for peace and human rights.  Last week their website shared a post ( The 'Elders' Website article ) that highlighted the problems of a ‘conflict of narratives’ and a ‘clash of victim-hoods’ in understanding the Israel/Palestine situation today.  These two conflicting memories lead to a harmful polarising of opinion across the world, and give rise to conflict that spills over into the rest of the Middle East. 

Returning to Marin Accad, I was encouraged to find that he held onto hope for the future in terms of some fundamental values shared across the religious divides of the Middle East today.  He pointed to the silent majority for whom violence and hatred were not a religious inevitability, but rather they share a desire to live at peace with their neighbour.  This reminded me of my own childhood growing up in the period of “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland.  It seems that the voices for peace of the majority in both Loyalist and Republican communities were ultimately heard, and the conflicting memories in some way have moved towards reconciliation. 



The Wall of Jerusalem

Some years ago I travelled to Israel/Palestine leading a group from our church in Glasgow.  One of my most vivid memories is visiting Yad Vashem, the museum commemorating the Holocaust, and speaking afterwards to our Palestinian guide.  When asked how he felt about the place and the message it gave, he said that something terrible indeed had happened to the Jewish people but that the Palestinians had not been the perpetrators of the crime, yet had suffered for it.

My prayer is that there may be an abandonment of the memories of victim-hood that leads to polarisation of opinion and violence, and that a way of peace may be found that enables the memories to be shared and different communities to live side by side.

Reading the Bible through a mission lens

There is a danger that we domesticate our reading of the Bible.  What I mean is that we read it from a self-centred and self-interested perspective.  The lens that we read it through is can become exclusively pastoral, looking for personal blessing in a self-focused way.  This is not to say that the Bible does not speak to us in a pastoral way that brings us a fullness of life that is intensely personal way.  However, my concern is that if we only come with this lens we miss out on much more of the richness of scripture.

Studying at All Nations Christian College was a significant part of my journey in reading scripture in a different way through more of a mission lens.  In all of our biblical studies we were encouraged to read with a focus upon the underlying story of God’s mission, his continual reaching out with mercy and compassion to humanity.

More recently I was invited to speak at a commissioning service of a family going out with BMS to serve in India.  I am always delighted to be at such special occasions, and usually focus upon certain passages that have a very obvious mission focus.  However, on this occasion I was asked to stick with the lectionary reading from Judges 2.  Initially I was a little concerned as to how I would approach this without twisting the text to say something that wasn’t there.  My fears were quickly allayed as I read the text and saw again that great mission narrative shining through in clear and obvious ways.  There was God’s continual seeking and saving his lost people even when they stray far away.  Then there was God’s pattern of calling and sending out his people as his messengers of grace and love.

Can I suggest that when we read any passage we do so through a mission lens and ask what God is saying about his mission to the world and our part in this great adventure.

Tell me a story!

Telling stories brings back happy memories to us all.  For me sitting on my grandfather’s lap and listening to the ‘Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe’ in his cosy living room is one of my happiest childhood memories.  Then there is sitting with my children and trying not to doze off as I read ‘The Elephant and the Bad Baby’ for the umpteenth time.  Story telling seems to be a vital part of all cultures.  It serves to entertain, to build relationship, to share truth and to instil values.

Travelling recently in China I was struck again by the power of stories.  Firstly there was the case of the missing suitcase!  One of our cases was lost enroute and took 4 days to be reunited with us.  I shared with my hosts how this reminded me of another story of a man who lost a sheep (Luke 15:1-7) and how that story teaches us about the love of God.  Our translator was so interested that she shared the story at the final banquet with our hosts from the college and hospital, who shared a common historical story with a BMS missionary from the late 1800s.

Later on our trip we visited the historic city of Weifang where Eric Liddell, of ‘Chariots of Fire’ fame, died in a Japanese Internment camp during the Second World War.  It was good to spend time with a friend who regularly visits the recently opened memorial park to share something of the remarkable story of Eric Liddell.

All this led me to reflect upon the story-telling of Jesus throughout his ministry.  He used stories to great effect, to impart wisdom, to challenge thought, to share values and to encourage faith.  All this has left me encouraged to make better use of stories in sharing faith with others. 

 

Whole Life Discipleship

In my last blog post one of the issues that I commented on was that the Christian faith needs to be moved from the margins back into the centre of life.  Being a follower of Jesus is about the whole of life and not simply what we do on a Sunday or when retreating from the world.  Faith is for the whole of life.

In rural Africa a programme called ‘Farming God’s Way’ (Link - Farming God's Way in Uganda) seeks to draw together good farming practice with Christian discipleship.  In a context where people frequently scratch a living from the land, lives are being transformed in more ways than one as men and women are taught the basics of good agricultural practice from a biblical perspective.  Seeing that faith engages with the whole of their lives is transformational, not just in the fields, but beyond that, to whole communities encountering something of the fullness of life that Jesus offers.

The question for each of us to ask is what is our equivalent of ‘Farming God’s Way’?  What does it mean to conduct business God’s way, to practice in the health service God’s way, to be a neighbour God’s way, to be a student God’s way, to shop God’s way……?

Let me share a small example from my own experience – While I cannot claim to be the chief shopper in my family, I do have occasion to go to the supermarket.  With my items in the trolley (carefully chosen with ethics and fair trade in mind!), I head each time for the same person on the check out, I greet her in her language of origin (all I can do in that language, but a few words go a long way!) and engage in conversation.  We share about our families and our lives in a relatively brief exchange, so as not to make those behind in the queue too irate. It is so easy to simply put the goods on one end of a conveyor belt and pick them up from the other, without even acknowledging the presence of the assistant.  Valuing someone, showing an interest in them, expressing appreciation, are simple expressions of following Jesus.

When the Apostle Paul addressed slaves and masters in his letters, he did not encourage an escapist attitude, but rather one of engagement with Jesus, in the places where they could more naturally have perceived him to be absent; ‘Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord’ (Colossians 3:23).  If we live as though Jesus is absent, then our ears will be closed to hearing his voice, and our lives will be unresponsive to doing his will; if we live life to the full and acknowledge his presence in all that we do, then we will hear him speak in new ways, seek to live as he would have us do, and find surprising opportunities to share his love.

Discipleship from a global perspective

The church has experienced dramatic growth in the global south over the past century, in contrast to much of the Western world.  Yet there remains a challenge in terms of discipleship, as highlighted by the example of Rwanda.  The country had an estimated 90% of the population in 1994 and yet went on to experience the horrors of a genocide that left nearly 1 million dead, and a nation ripped apart.  Some of my good friends come from Rwanda and Burundi and carry personally the scars of this conflict in a supposedly Christian country.

Nevertheless there are lessons for us to learn from discipleship in the global south.  It was encouraging to be able to share some of this at a recent gathering of mission leaders in the UK so that the lessons can inform us.  A few of the lessons shared were as follows:

1.       Discipleship needs to be contextual – it needs to relate to the context in which people live and breathe, rather than be imported from an alien culture.  It needs to address the issues and context in which people live out their lives.  So, for example, if people live in a context of fear of evil spirits, then it needs to address that issue.  Does our UK discipleship relate to the changing context in which we live e.g. lack of commitment, materialism and individualism?

2.       Discipleship needs to be intentional- it doesn’t just happen but rather needs to be worked through with strategic intent. So, for example, a church planting movement in India has a detailed plan of teaching that is drawn into the life of new churches at various stages of growth.  Do we build, with strategic intent, discipleship into the life of our Christian communities e.g. what are we expecting disciples to look like and how are we going to get there?

3.       Discipleship needs to be built around the community of a family or small group – it needs to be relational in nature as modelled by Jesus and his band of followers.  This seems to happen more naturally often in other cultures where the family and community is more closely knit.  Do we neglect the smaller expression of Christian community at the expense of focusing upon the large gathering? - More relational discipleship provides for accountability and a depth of relationship that the larger church gathering does not.

4.       Discipleship needs to address the whole of life – it cannot simply be the preserve of a Sunday or church activity, but needs to infiltrate the whole of life.  So, for example, a programme called ‘Farming God’s Way’ brings together faith and farming in a transformative way in many places in sub-Saharan Africa.  Does our discipleship help to equip people for the workplace and the whole of life? - The real frontline of mission is found in the places where we live our lives day by day.

Just a few thoughts to which much could be added….

Setting prisoners free

Paul ands Sarah Brown serving with BMS in Bangkok

On recent trips to India and Thailand I had the privilege of spending time with folk setting prisoners free.  They was not jail breakers, but people engaged in mission to help women escape from the imprisonment of prostitution.  The women are not imprisoned because of wrongdoing on their part, but rather because of the context into which they are born.  So, for example, young girls in Murshidabad, West Bengal find themselves sold into prostitution and sent to the city of Kolkata.  One area alone in Kolkata is home to an estimated 10,000 girls and women trapped in the sex trade.  The story is similar in Thailand where I travelled to next to see the challenges for many women in Bangkok serving the sex trade.

I am reminded of Jesus words at the outset of his ministry in which he sets out his manifesto for the Kingdom.  In this he talks of ‘proclaiming freedom for the prisoners’, and surely he had people like the women of West Bengal and Thailand in mind. 



Kolkata, India

The picture could be one of gloom and hopelessness, but there are signs of light in the darkness as Christians rise up to challenge the system and bring release to the prisoners.  This release takes different expressions in the differing contexts.  So in Kolkata we find a factory making bags and T-shirts employing over 200 women and providing alternative employment, healthcare and a message of grace and compassion.  In Murshidabad we find a new venture trying to move up the supply chain of trafficked women to provide alternative employment in rural areas.  In Bangkok we find a factory producing jewellery and now fancy cakes that helps many women find a new start and an opportunity to encounter the love of God.

It was moving to worship Jesus in a community of women released from the captivity of prostitution and to see the new freedom and hope that they have found.  Jesus is still about freedom for the prisoners and he invites us to join in.

When is a gift not a gift?

Providing aid at a time of crisis is a regular part of BMS work across the world as UK churches respond to the needs that hit our TV screens.  Recently we have been actively involved in responding to the aftermath of the typhoon striking the Philippines, and we continue to help with the drawn out crisis in Syria and the immediately surrounding countries. 

Having visited Lebanon most recently and come face to face with some of this response I have faced questions as to how best to respond in the face of a crisis.  A partner there posted a helpful blog (Link to IMES blog) that highlighted some of the pitfalls as well as indicating an appropriate and distinctively Christian response.  It is helpful to be reminded that a true gift comes with no strings attached, and so in the context of giving relief we should not exploit our relative power and impose a religious belief. 

Yet the act of offering a gift as a Christian is a prophetic act and as such a message needs to be articulated.  Our acts of service and kindness demonstrate the kingdom of God and it cannot be assumed that by merely observing the act people will know the King.  I suppose that how that message is communicated about the King needs to be thought through in the particular context, but even in the West we are often too reticent in speaking of Jesus.  I want people to know me more than just being a good bloke or neighbour, but rather to see beyond that to Jesus.  I need to be courageous in speaking of the King from whom the gift really originates.