Sermon - Sunday 10 May

1. The VOICE of the prophet

The prophet’s voice was, quite simply, the voice of God.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways… Hebrews 1.1

Now when the LORD spoke to Moses in Egypt, he said to him, "I am the LORD. Tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I tell you." But Moses said to the LORD, "Since I speak with faltering lips, why would Pharaoh listen to me?" Then the LORD said to Moses, "See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country Exodus 5.28-6.2

The connection between the Lord voice and that of the prophet was made possible by the Spirit of God.

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 1.20,21

The authority of the prophet’s speaking is emphasised throughout the OT hence:

o a typical prophetic word was prefaced by ‘Thus says the Lord….’
o the prophet is often said to have ‘stood in the divine council or to have ‘stood before the Lord’ e.g. 1 Kings 22.19f, Jeremiah 23.18, 21-22
o prophetic ministry was usually preceded by a ‘call’ e.g. Isaiah 6.1-8
o a prophet was frequently known as ‘the man’ or ‘the servant of God’
o the authenticity of the relationship between the prophet and the Lord was what determined whether a prophet was true or false

The thought I would like us all to take away from all of this concerns the nature of the inspiration – the Spirit’s breathing - that gave rise to the prophetic word. These men (and women) spoke authoritatively for the Lord – which is why we should listen to what they have so say - but they each did so in their own unique way and in line with their own personalities and circumstances. In other words, God’s Spirit did not operate like some sort of celestial Wi Fi or Bluetooth whereby the prophet was simply a mouthpiece for the word of God. Rather the Lord worked through the individual prophet to deliver His message.

For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 1 Peter 1.20,21

The word used implies being blown along.

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways… Hebrews 1.1

When we come to appreciate this, it

o firstly, makes scripture – and the God who inspired it – far more exciting. He had a lot of 'attacking options' and, like Alex Ferguson, used them all.

o secondly, raises the thought that maybe God’s work in our church life should have more variety c.f. Pentecost


2. The VISION of the prophet

The prophets, then, spoke a ‘word from the Lord’, but to what end? What was the aim and purpose of their speaking?

Basically it was twofold:

o Criticism

The prophet movement arose as counter to the abuse of power by vested interests – usually the kings - of Israel and Judah. IN other words, they are closely linked to the development of the monarchy e.g.

o who can forget Elijah as the ‘troubler’ of Israel and his encounters with Ahab and Jezebel?
o or Nathan as the accuser of David – ‘you are the man!’
o or Jeremiah and his battles with his fellow priests
o etc

A role reprised by the political interviewer today?

c.f. Radio 4 interview with Harriet Harman

They also sought to act as a check on the corruption in society occasioned by the drift away from God and towards self-interest, as people forget the Lord who had brought the nation into being and abandoned the instruction He had given for the well being of His people and for the good of the world e.g.

But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5.24

He has shown all you people what is good.
And what does the LORD require of you?
To act justly and to love mercy
and to walk humbly with your God. Micah 6.8

Theirs was, then, a call to repentance. Sadly, it was never heard

For many years you were patient with them. By your Spirit you warned them through your prophets. Yet they paid no attention, so you gave them into the hands of the neighbouring peoples. Nehemiah 9.??

o Comfort

But prophets were not simply ‘doom and gloom’ merchants

c.f. Private Frazer in Dad's Army

Mainly, but not exclusively, during the Exile and in the period following the prophets spoke words of hope and re-assurance to a people who had been shattered by the disaster of the loss of the land, the temple, and every else that they held dear and gave meaning to their lives. This was the other string to the prophetic ‘bow’ e.g.

Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.
Speak tenderly to Jerusalem,
and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed,
that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the LORD's hand
double for all her sins Isaiah 40.1,2

Though the fig tree does not bud
and there are no grapes on the vines,
though the olive crop fails
and the fields produce no food,
though there are no sheep in the pen
and no cattle in the stalls,
yet I will rejoice in the LORD,
I will be joyful in God my Saviour. Habakkuk 3.17-19

c.f. also Ezekiel 39, Jeremiah 33 etc

Summarising, then, the prophets to use the well worn phrase ‘afflicted the comfortable and comforted the afflicted’ the difference in the message being related to the circumstances in which they ministered and with, at all times, the ‘big picture’ being the Lord’s ongoing purposes.

There is a huge amount to learn from all of this. What I will take away and reflect on is

o firstly, the courage of the prophets. They never shied away from asking the hard question
o secondly,their zeal for God e.g. Eli - Jah
o thirdly, their concern for social justice

Stott poem

o fourthly, the need for wisdom in our dealings with others – when is the hard word appropriate and when the word of comfort?

3. The VOCATION of the prophet

Today is Vocation Sunday, in other words, a time when the church encourages people to think about their call to ministry – in part the licensed or ordained ministry, in part the ministry to which we are all called by virtue of baptism and confirmation.

In what did the prophetic vocation consist?

o anonymity
o abuse
o stress & anxiety
o rejection
o apparent failure
etc

Quote from Wright p.81

Not dissimilar to baptism!

However, this is a job that needs doing and Christians should be doing it and I’m not sure that we are. Not that we are prophets in the OT sense, that our words will be written down for future generations, but guided by the scriptures and filled by the Spirit, we are called to speak God’s word both in the church and in the world.

'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams. Acts 2.17f

What the church can learn from Woolies

The above picture shows the old Woolworth's store in Stockport. Walking past it the other day left me with a distinct feeling of loss (the feeling might have been greater had I not remembered to cash in the £50 or so vouchers from a particular Aunt which had accumulated from the kid's birthdays over the last few years).

The 'glory' has departed and with a vengeance for, once upon a time, FW Woolworth was a bye word in retail innovation and profitability. So much so that in 1913 Frank Woolworth, the American founder, was able to pay cash for the Woolworth building in New York (pictured right) - the world's tallest skyscraper until 1930.

What's all this got to do with church? Precisely this. A business commentator said on Radio Four's Today the other week with reference to Woolies, 'Great name, bad business model.' In other words, Woolworths was a company people wanted to do business with, both customers and suppliers (that same week the CEO of Lego was lamenting its loss), but it had been unable to organise itself in such a way that it could operate effectively in the world of the 21st Century.

Much the same might and has been said about Blue Peter, the great British Pub,Top of the Pops, political parties etc. However, the church is different - its loss from the 'high street' of our society would be catastrophic. It would also be criminal given that, I believe, people, deep down, still want to do business with God and therefore engage with the beliefs and values we represent. All is not lost, of course, for new models and new ways of being church are developing. Now, then, is not the time to throw in the towel, but rather to explore those new models and new ways for all they are worth.

Listening out for the prophet's voice

At the start of my sabbatical I suggested that the role of a minister involves both priestly and prophetic functions, that is being one with, alongside, the people but also, at the same time, at a distance from them. This in order that one could offer a different perspective. Not different for the sake of being different, but different in the sense that God was able to speak to the people of God through you.

Now this probably sounded a little aloof and autocratic, which is possibly why it prompted one of the few comments that I have received on the blog, so let me clarify further. The role of prophet is not one that is confined to clergy! In many ways we are the least likely to exercise this ministry even though we are called to it. No, this is a role for the Christian community and particular individuals within it.

In my time I have heard a number of public 'prophecies' and, to be honest, they have been either tepid and predictable or completely barking. In a similar vein, a couple of years ago I read one on the internet posted by a local Christian ministry informing us, amongst other things, that the UK was the 'apple of the Lord's eye' and that revival was about to break out yet again. I emailed to say that I had been reading Deuteronomy that day, a section about false prophecy, and that I hoped it didn't apply to this one. Clearly it did.

However, there is such a thing, I believe, as real prophecy and it is usually either worrying or irritating or both. For example, at the start of my time in Cheadle someone called at the house to say that the story of Jesus' cursing of the barren fig tree and accompanying parable applied to St Cuthbert's and that we had only so much time to get back on track - scary. More recently, a man known to many of us who is pretty much on the margins of church life started informing me and then, later, insistently reminding me, about the possibility of a mental health project at our church - irritating. But in time the 'Its OK Club' was formed. I think I've said enough for you to get my drift and if you didn't, why not read some Old Testament prophets and discover what angular and awkward characters they could be.

What, then, does this mean in practice? That we have to make time and room for such people's voices to be heard, not least by those of us in leadership and that we have to encourage those who have the gift. After all, prophecy is the grit that might just produce the pearl.

NB above is the prophet Jeremiah in action

Why I ran the Wilmslow Half Marathon

Simon Barnes of The Times said it all on Friday with a brilliant article about the Boat Race, but with a much wider application. Enjoy.

Sport is supposed to be a sorting process, one that separates winners from losers, first-raters from second-raters, champions from also-rans. The Boat Race tells another story: 16 faces alike in distress, two crews united in the democracy of pain.

Winning is bad enough. To lose the Boat Race is perhaps the most devastating defeat in sport.

There is no consolation. There is no money for coming first, let alone second. There is no fame. The Boat Race offers nothing but the staggering drudgery of training, impossibly combined with some form of academic work, and the return to obscurity. Boat Race oarsmen pass from nonentity to nonentity through a brightly lit valley of pain.

And if you happen to be watching the Boat Race with the wrong sort of person, say a would-be intellectual smartarse or a girlygirl without sensible shoes, you know what follows: “Why do they do it? Why? What on earth's the point?” One answer - if you don't know, I can't tell you.

But let's look a bit farther. Most of us who read the sports pages will be sympathetic to the view that there is a point in rowing yourself stupid and feeling agonies you never thought possible. But all the same, what is it?

It's not a bloke thing. I remember, years ago, standing at the finish of the Devizes to Westminster canoe race, an event that makes the Boat Race look like a paddle round the Serpentine. It's 125 miles, takes 20 hours if you're good and if you're less good the agony lasts a great deal longer. Men and women take part and I met woman after woman leaving her slight boat with extreme difficulty and saying: “Never again!”

“The first time it's a challenge to complete the run,” one contestant told me. “You don't even consider doing it twice. Then around Christmas you say to yourself, 'The old DW is coming up again...'” And they're back again, and they paddle again and they finish again, and they step from their boats and what do they say? You've guessed it.

So here are some of the things that bring a person to an extreme event like the DW, like the Boat Race - bearing in mind that women have a Boat Race, too, and it hurts just as much and they don't even get an audience.

Beauty

Rowing feels good. Each stroke contains a beautiful, stretchy moment when, as you withdraw your blade, the boat glides on. It's as if you get more for your effort than you put in. Most sports are in some senses lovely to do: to kick a ball, to run, to ride a horse or a bicycle - these are things people do for the simple pleasure of it. Being very good indeed at such things makes them feel better.

Pain

Your smartarse and your girlygirl will look at the rictus of agony on the faces of the dying oarsmen and sneer: “They must be masochists.” This is a shorthand term we use without much thought, meaning someone whose wiring is wrong, someone who finds pleasure in things a normal person would find intensely disagreeable. But pain proves you have done something. Pain tells you that you have done the best you could. Pain tells you that you have pushed your limits and probably shifted them a bit. Pain is a validation.

Team

Some social anthropologists explain that the English love sport because it is a social facilitator. We use it to get over our awkwardness and relate to other human beings. It's an excuse for intimacy. While I would reject a lot of this (see beauty, especially), it is certainly true that for many people, being part of a team is a supreme experience.

If you share an experience of great intensity, you have links with that person for as long as you both live. A chance meeting with old members of the Tewin Irregulars is not a trivial matter to me. Sharing big matters is a powerful thing. I remember, a few months ago, sharing an evening of quite extraordinary euphoria with a group of strangers after an incredibly close encounter with bears. Sport unites.

Competition

Sport gives you someone to beat. It gives you a simple and irrefutable reason for doing something. In order to be part of us, you need a them. It is a concept that brings life down to a brutal and glorious simplicity. Sport divides.

Elitism

To take on something a little out of the ordinary is to promote yourself. You do something special and you are a little bit more remarkable. You have taken the road less travelled by; and that makes you slightly special. People will run the marathon for that reason. No one runs the London Marathon for charity. Rather, charity is the beneficiary of the urge to be a little special. Raising a lot of money for a good cause by running a very long way - it's an incredibly potent combination.

Addiction

As you push the beauties of doing the thing to a higher level, so you find a new kind of beauty. In rowing, in running, in endurance riding, you find a self-hypnosis, a meditation, a way of stepping beyond yourself that is as near as we get to meditation in the West. It is not purely a matter of endorphins, either. It is the setting aside of self, the ultimate simplification, in which you do not take on a task, you become that task.

Ambition

When you do something that matters to you, you want to do it better. If you run for exercise, you want to improve your time. If you cook, you want the next meal to be the best. If you watch birds, you want to improve your field skills. The desire to do things a little better is part of the pleasure of doing them. You want to go beyond your own boundaries, and as you do so, you are inspired by the thought that you can do still more. You find twitchers who want to see every bird in the world, you get athletes who want to set world records. If you are good at rowing, you want to row still better. A great event, and better, a victory in that event, is a peg on which such ambitions can be hung.

Self-knowledge

There is a strange attraction in the idea of testing yourself. You really don't know whether or not you will pass. You want to be the sort of great person who doesn't break, but in order to find out, you have to put yourself to the test.

Anti-death

All these matters come down to this last. All the guff about dreams and challenges and honour and glory come down to this: the seeking out and accepting of an opportunity to live more intensely. It's about being alive, about knowing you're alive, about celebrating being alive. Look at the losers in their agony - they look as if they're dying, they feel as if they're dying, but they have never been more alive. So don't sneer. Don't pity. Envy.

I'll leave you with a tale told by Sir Michael Parkinson: “We were sitting together watching the World Cup on television and Holland were awarded a penalty. The taker scored but was ordered to retake it because of a technical offence. As he placed the ball on the spot looking nervous, the commentator said: 'Who would want to be in his shoes at the moment?' 'Oh, I would,' said George Best. 'Oh, I bloody would.'”

NB If we're looking slightly jaded its because this was taken after the finish and we'd had to squeeze into the MX5

Tell me a bit about yourself?

John Drane in The McDonaldisation of the Church - the third of his books I have read this Sabbatical - describes how he often ask people he meets to say a bit about themselves. The response, from Westerners at least, is almost always couched in terms of work and other 'externals' and never, normally, in terms of relationships, beliefs, values and the like.

This got me thinking. How would I describe myself? Vicar, Padre, owner of an MX5, climber, runner, lover of red wine. Or would it be father, husband, friend, Christ follower, pilgrim etc. How shallow so many of the former self-references appear, resting as they do on the surface and in no sense probing the depth of the person that is Mike Newman.

Perhaps I, we should learn to be more open and more reflective?

The church's greatest strength - the capacity for renewal

This Sunday I visited Firwood Church in Oldham which, I suspect, is typical of a whole breed of new, though not necessarily 'emerging' churches. I say not emerging because, when you probe beneath the surface a little, and you find a very traditional theology.

Various things stood out from the couple of hours or so I spent there:

* direction and purpose - there is obviously an effective leadership team
* community and belonging - the church has been in existence only a few years and everybody clearly feels themselves to be a stakeholder
* humanity and humour - no silly traditions or rituals to get in the way of normality
* commitment to evangelism - Firwood runs two PHUD outreach teams (Proclaiming His Undying Love)which talk to and pray for people in the town centre on Saturday mornings plus a range of other intiatives. We don't exist to be a club, but to witness to Jesus Christ and win disciples for him was the message that came over loud and clear.
* preaching and teaching - perhaps an over-commitment here as sermons typically last ONE HOUR. Doubtless OK when the Pastor is preaching, not so OK as this week when it is the Youth Pastor. A lovely manner and some good illustrations, but otherwise many tangents and significant rambling, albeit on a tricky passage (Psalm 127)
* involvement of a sizeable body of youth drawn in by, for example, football held after church on a Sunday evening.
* sensitive engagement with the local Muslim community - no demonising going on here
* the effective use of new technologies e.g. video projector, website, vodcasting etc. (the latter is like podcasting but with video - I had to guess :-) )
* most impressive of all was the fact that here in what appeared to be a fairly run down part of Oldham a church was prospering by doing traditional church, albeit with a contemporary edge, very well. But isn't what the church had always done. 2000 years old and still in business.

The picture that says it all about Tough Guy (and friendship)

This one just in. Myself and best mate Simon grinding it out in the desperate last stages to the toughest ever Tough Guy. Yohimbe!