Where is God on Monday?

Our church recently changed the format of the evening services. Instead of having a 'one sermon fits all' approach we have experimented with 'Mosaic'. Each night when it comes to the time of teaching there are three seminars happening at the same time. Each person chooses which they would rather go to. Currently we have, "A Potted History of the Church", "Issues in Contemporary World Mission" and "Where is God on Monday?". Guess which one I went to...

So, where is God on Monday? Good question. Through these sessions our group has explored the theology of work; the way the church supports its members in their day-jobs, the emphasis and importance placed on our employment as a mission field, the theological place and value of work and the ethical questions raised by Christians in the work place. So far this has proved most helpful and useful as I'm currently exploring the ethics of my own work in the pub. Although there are two more sessions to go, I thought I'd post my reflections thus far.

Church and the work place: Statistically a very low percentage of Christians say that their church supports them in their work (meaning their employment or 'day job') and that they have never heard any specific teaching devoted to faith in the work place. This is an issue which needs to be tackled, as we spend a large proportion of our waking hours (sometimes 12 hours a day or more) at our work. It is imperative that the church examines it's priorities where the employment of its members are concerned. Is the work they do in the church on a voluntary basis any more important than what they do every other day of the week? Do we see the potential and importance of our work as our mission field? I suspect that often we don't. I also suspect that for most Christians, their work place is where they have the greatest contact with people of no or other faith. Why is it then that we spend the weekend fishing in puddles when every day we work in a pond? That is; why do we seem to focus our attention on the limited amount of time we spend working in our church when we spend a proportionately larger length of time in our work place? We need to step up to the challenge of witness in the work place and this means that churches need to be fully supportive and aware of what this requires. How do we support one another in fellowship concerning our work?

The theology of work: A very important distinction made in the last seminar was that of the difference between work and toil. 'Work' by its very nature requires action and effort but it can also be enjoyable. God created us to work (Genesis 1:27-28 ... Genesis 2:15) However, toil is a different issue. It a the mundane, difficult, unenjoyable aspect of working. I have had a few part time jobs which to me were simply toil. I did it because I had to, I worked without enthusiasm or care and every day I looked forward to 5pm. However, my current job I still consider as 'work' but it is work that I enjoy. Even though I get tired and occasionally have a bad or stressful shift, I'm happy to be there and happy to work. We all have to work, but it doesn't always have to be toil. Another important biblical principle is that of rest. The pace of our society is getting increasingly faster as people get busier, deadlines get shorter, expectations get higher and people are beginning to burn out. God gave us the principle of rest and sets His own example for a reason. We need it.(Genesis 2:2-3 ... Exodus 20:8-11... Leviticus 23:3) This is a lesson which has resonated with me several times since the summer. I am one of these people who likes to be doing things, who likes to see my day filled with productive things to do. Sometimes I take on too much and don't leave enough time for rest. This, I have discovered, brings no merit. We get too tired or unwell to do our work properly and we eventually become miserable. Rest is important.

I found my visit to Italy a few years ago an interesting culture shock. At lunch time everything shuts down and people have a good few hours rest. They meet their families and friends for a long and social lunch or go down to the beach for a swim. They rest. I also noticed that, minus one McDonalds, there was no fast food in the town. There were no pre-packaged sandwiches or salads, no quick-fix meals. Why would they need it? They took time to rest and eat. I think they have the right idea. God gave us rest for a reason.

Ethical Issues: This was only touched on briefly in the last session and will be explored in more depth on Sunday. One ethical issue relates to the above point - should we work on a Sunday? Or even if we have to work on a Sunday should we ensure that we have at least one day every single week that devoted to personal or family time? I think so. Someone also raised a valid point about Christians setting an example of a balanced working life which sometimes might mean that yes, we refuse to do so many hours of over-time so that we can see our families or that we really do leave the office at 5pm because we have done a days work.

Another issue is the divide between serving our boss and serving God. The bible instructs us to work for our boss as though working for God - doing our best, being respectful and following given instructions with care. (Ephesians 6:5-9) But what happens when our employer puts us in a compromising situation or puts our integrity at stake? Where should our priority in work be - expanding our business or expanding the Kingdom? On another note there is the issue of suitable work field for Christians. This one I found particularly interesting as people followed two specific lines of thought. One involved working in finance. Is it wrong to make copious amounts of money? I don't think so although I believe it's how that money is used that is of importance. There was some question over people working in finance and their responsibilities. In this time of financial and economic unrest how should Christians in such jobs respond? Is there anything they can do to promote more ethical working in their sector? There was also questions over Christians working in pubs. Haha - that got my attention. Questions such as, "Is it ethical for Christians to be selling alcohol in a nation with such a high level of alcohol addiction and abuse?" were asked and a few more besides. They are right, there are many issues in my work I've had to consider and to me it's still an unstable terrain. I'm not quite sure where my principles rest with my various responsibilities. Even working on a Sunday is a new thing, one I've not had to do before, and I'm currently working out my position on this. I have my thoughts which I may share at another time. There are some jobs which will be seen as unethical but if we feel strongly that it's where we are called to be can we ignore that? There are many people who have given up their employment on the basis that it is to compromising to their faith to continute, and well done to them. For others it's not so easy. Some people have very little choice over where they work, they simply have to get a job. How do we decide which careers are ethically, morally and theologically acceptable. How do we work out orthopraxy in relation to our beliefs?

Questions, questions, questions. Perhaps I shall soon have some answers.

Update: Further to the discussion on Sunday I've been asked to be part of a question panel in the next session, allowing people to ask questions about my work; how I wrestle with the theological, ethical and moral issues surround the nature of what I do. I'm looking forward to it because it will certainly get me thinking and pose more questions that I may not have thought about already.

Role-Model Education

"No printed word, nor spoken plea can teach young minds what they should be. Not all the books on all the shelves – but what the teachers are themselves."
Rudyard Kipling


role model: n. A person looked to by others as an example in a particular role or situation. (Concise Oxford - 9th Edition)

I am currently trying to work my way through a short essay on teaching and learning. Can't say it's the most exciting way to spend the Easter weekend. Still, while doing some research I came across the above quote, used in this article. Some of the results in the research mentioned, though unsurprising, are certainly interesting and relevant to educators and Christians alike.

The research from the article expressed the fact that most children and young people identified their role models first and foremost as the people closest to them in their circle of family and friends. Celebrities and media figures came after these in terms of significant influence. Daniel Rose suggests that this is because, "The gap between theory and practice is bridged, as ideological concepts become realities before the eyes of the students. Once they have truly understood an idea, because they have seen it at first hand...they are only then in a true position to judge its validity to their life, and then make the relevant lifestyle decision." An interesting and somewhat scary thought. After reading this I considered the most significant role models in my life and, agreeing with the research of Anton Bucher, I found that these were in fact the people closest to me in my circle of family and friends. These people are from whom I have sought help or advice from, talked to about their values and have then seen for myself the validity and integrity of what they do in practice. This has then in some shape or form influenced the decisions I have made in my own life. I think that teachers, as Rose suggests, can have an incredible influence over their pupils and not one that they should use without consideration. With ACfE focusing on values and lifestyle pupils will seek to establish role models and identify the connection between theory and practice in the lives of their teachers. This is a huge responsibility, because if the practice of the teacher cannot be justified according to the values they are trying to pass on, their integrity will lie in tatters and I imagine that the pupils' respect will be lost. However, this also has huge implications for us as Christians too. The words that we say and the faith that we profess can be powerful, but those who wish to inspect our faith more closely will probably seek to evaluate the link between our thoughts and our actions. If this link is somewhat tenuous then not only will our integrity be at stake but our witness could be catastrophically tainted.

Rose says that, "Children, especially during adolescence – their most vulnerable and impressionable age - are in need of role models, and take them from all areas that are close at hand". This then begs the question, what kind of role models do our children find in church? A scary question and when children are honest in their opinions we sometimes dislike the answer. Children will not only look for role models in individuals but will also look at the church corporately. I suspect that they will notice where the church as a whole fails to put in to practice the value of children that they profess to have. I suspect that they will notice when a commitment to making church enjoyable and accessible to younger people is lost in translation between word and action. We can teach them about the example that Jesus sets, but I feel that the integrity of our teaching can be seriously diminished where we as individuals and as a church fail to live this out in our own lives. A case study I recently examined showed that a primary 5 pupil knew that, despite the teacher talking about fairness and equality, she only directed questions to children who were likely to know the answers. If children can spot the difference then we are presented with a huge challenge - a challenge not only for those who work with children. If we wish to be good role models for our children, in church and in life, then it requires integrity, honesty and commitment. Let's be the kind of role models that Jesus taught us to be. Perfect? We are not. Honest? We can be. Good role models? Let's find out.

The Road Ahead

At last!

At last night's members meeting the church (KBC) voted through the decision to employ a part time Children and Families Worker. Everyone was supportive of the decision and recognised the needs of our children as a separate entity from the youth. I am SO pleased about the potential for our children and families to get the support and vision that they've been needing for so long. God is gracious and does not forget his children. Thank goodness the church hasn't either. I have an optimistic feeling that this is the start of great journey for the children and families in the community of Kirkintilloch...

Planning Our Journey

For those of you who pay enough attention to education these days, you will know that the national curriculum guidelines are changing. Out with the old and in with the new. It's about time for a change and although there is no guarentee that the Curriculum for Excellence will be as wonderful as it claims, it's child-centred approach is one I'm all in favour of. The plan is that those who teach under ACfE will support and enable their students to become Confident Individuals, Successful Learners, Responsible Citizens and Effective Contributors. If all this works and the 'yoof of today' is transformed in to such things I would be mightily pleased. (Sarcasm? Me? Never.) Still, despite reservations, I think that the key principles of working with our young people to help them become all these things are good. Rather than ticking boxes I think that CfE allows teachers and pupils to go on a journey together and to observe more rewarding progress. With the ever-present power of 'linking-thinking' this led me to think about the journey that we plan for our children in our churches. What exactly do we hope for them to become? How do we envision their growth? Do we actually have a plan?

All too often I have seen Sunday schools whose primary focus is on getting through the service and getting through the material. Week by week each tick box is complete as another worksheet is done and another story is told. In all of this, what is it that we intend our young people to be doing? In what way do we see them growing?

I think it's important that, just as we do for our church and sometimes our youth, we set out a coherent vision for our children and their place in the church. We must define our key strategies for enabling this vision and ensure that we have team who is working well towards achieving it. If we don't our kids are left floundering and bored with the little opportunity for growth that sunday school provides. I would also suggest that working towards an agreed vision rather than through an agreed material allows far more space for individual leaders to exercise their creativity. I believe there are many people who can communicate wonderfully with our children but are restrained by the step-by-step, worksheet-by-worksheet regime that currently exists. I have a vendetta against worksheets being a main resource but I will admit that on occassion they do have their place. I'm more in favour of an experiential type of learning; taking our kids out and letting them experience God in a whole variety of contexts. That means not just learning stories and verses (which is of course important) but actually doing and seeing and trying and thinking. So, in a very students-with-placards way, I'd like to say: "Abandon the worksheet! Let our children grow!".


We want to see spiritual growth in our children, that they may become confident individuals in themselves, effective disciples to their peers and welcomed contributors to the life of our church. It may well require more thought, more preparation, more trial-and-error but let's give these kids the opportunity. If we don't, we'll lose them younger and quicker as church slowly turns them away from Jesus or at least away from church. I have seen kids as young (or even as old...) as Primary 7 truly worship and weep with love for Jesus. It's possible! So let's plan a journey with our children and let's be part of it. Let's prepare our kids for knowing Jesus now and just when they're 'older'. Let's enable our kids to be diverse, creative, expressive and loved as we nuture their growth and uncover their potential. Let's provide genuine opportunities for our children to engage in worship, to wrestle with scripture and to walk with the whole church. Let us never underestimate what our children can teach us about God - if we only let them.

"Therefore go..."

For those of you who browsed my blog a while ago you may have noticed that on my "Currently Reading" section I had posted Vaughan Roberts' book 'Distinctives'. The book did not sustain my interest although generally I liked and agreed with the concept of each chapter. However, the other day I was flicking idly through it when I came across a small paragraph which seemed to click in to place with a lot of my recent thinking. The chapter title is, "Certainty in a world in which everything is relative" in which Roberts explores our response to the Great Commission set by Jesus (Matthew 28:19-20)

Here Roberts makes what I found to be a very acute observation of church evangelism.

"It is tempting to respond to that pressure by limiting our evangelism to the 'Christianized' - those who have a church background but have drifted away from church activities. That, in effect, is what most churches have done. Evangelism means inviting those on the fringe of church life to attend an event in our building. We have turned the 'go' of Jesus' Great Commission in to a 'come', and we interpret the 'all nations' as 'those like us'." (p.85)

How right he is. It would seem that sometimes in a desperate attempt to prove our evangelistic capablities we are tempted to reach out soley or mainly to those on the periphory of church life. Why is this? Perhaps it is because we know they are already familiar with the gospel and we can skip over explaining 'the basics'. Perhaps it is because they are less likely to put up a resistance to hearing the message and we can appeal to their already-Christianized nature. Let me be clear that it is important that we should continue to reach those on the edges of our church as they are no less important. However, if we are to be following the Great Commission as it was given then we must be going out before we start inviting people in. The word 'mission' translates from Latin roots meaning 'to send'. Therefore the Great Commission was not a command to invite others to our church but to take the church to the community and the nation.

As Roberts points out very few people in Britain are actually church-goers now compared to the last century. Church is an unfamiliar, uncomfortable place and many would rather not darken our doors. Why then is it that we expect them to come to our place of worship to hear the gospel? How ineffective waiting around inside the church may prove to be if this our only strategy for mission and evangelism.

All of this struck a chord with me because of the aforementioned challenge from Luke, where the disciples went out to the place Jesus sent them to catch fish. Jesus did not say, 'Sit about in the boat just here and I'll herd the fish over to you'. No. Jesus said, 'Get out there - I know you don't think it's going to be productive, it's not a likely place for a catch, but get out there!'. If we followed such a command with even greater faith, we truly could be 'fishers of men'. We cannot simply wait in our comfort zone and expect Jesus to send the nation to our doors. No. We must go to the empty places, or indeed the places where there are so many other destructive pressures that there hardly seems to be room for the gospel. If we go out, commissioned by Jesus, we need not fear that our efforts will be fruitless. The fishermen were sceptical yet Jesus displayed his power despite their doubts. How much more could Jesus do if we went out, encouraged by such a message and inspired by such a commission?

Roberts, V. (2005) Distinctives. Milton Keynes. Authentic Media.

Miscommunication

Communication, it would seem, has been greatly aided by all the modern technologies of the 21st century. If we wish to contact someone, even someone a great distance away, it only takes a call, a text, an email or even, dare I say it, snail mail. It would seem that communication is so easy and that we as a church or as Christians should have no trouble in getting ourselves heard in sharing the gospel. However, in church this morning David Gordon brought about the concept of noise as viewed by communication theorists. In a world where communication seems so clear and easy there are a variety of ways in which 'noise' - whether it be physical, semantic, psychological or cultural - interferes with what we are trying to communicate and what is actually heard. He then brought about the reality of this concept by relating it to the passage in Luke 11: 37-54. Here Jesus challenges the Pharisees about what they are trying to communicate, what is actually being communicated and the 'noise' which is interfering with the whole process. In this case, the noise preventing them from clearly communicating the gospel is that of their 'religious protocol'. Jesus challenged the Pharisees on the way in which their pedantic obsession with external matters was greatly deflecting the reality of Godly living. By creating an uneccessary need for perfection they were distracting people from hearing the real message of God that they were trying to get across. They created too much noise to communicate clearly.

By exploring the passage we find that not only did Jesus challenge the Pharisees on their actions and attitude but He also challenges us with six very important issues.

1. Our priorities. Are we more concerned with ensuring that we have given enough of what is demanded of us to withhold our reputation or are we concerned with the matters of justice and salvation? (v.42)

2. Are we too concerned with our own importance and place within our church community? (v.43)

3. Are we modelling Christian living in a way that will have a positive effect on those around us? (v.44)

4. Do we burden others with our high standards and demands or do we help them to carry their own load? (v.46)

5. Are we listening to God? (v. 47-51)

6. Are we a help or a hindrance to others in terms of bringing them to faith? (v. 52)

Jesus presents the pertinent example of the bowl - clean and shiny on the outside (which is nice but doesn't help) and filthy on the insde; the part which has a greater impact on the effectiveness of it's use. Such is the nature of hypocrisy that our appearance and importance soon outweigh the importance of our heart and our faith; the parts which make all the difference to the effectiveness of our witness. It is easy to focus on external issues such as reputation, importance and being seen in the right places with desirable people, however, this will not only deflect the heart of the gospel but it will fail to engage the community around us.

God is in the process of challenging me about my 'image' or the persona that I try to convey, with particular relation to where I'm seen and who I'm seen with. A lot of opportunities have come up for hanging out with non-church / non-christian people in a variety of places which some would deem as 'unsuitable' places for a Christian girl to be seen. However, what this passage confirms for me is that no matter the external image which is presented, what God is concerned about (and indeed what the church should be concerned about) are the motives and the attitude upon which our actions are based. No matter how shiny we are on the outside we can be in tatters, barely clinging to our faith on the inside. If this is the case, how then will we communicate as effectively with the world around us?

Vapour in the Wind

I tumbled out of bed this morning and was less than amused at the thought of going to church in my half-wakeful state. I remember once leading a discussion on preparing our hearts before going to church and being ready to receive God's word that today. This morning I was not in the mind or mood for preparation but thanks be to God that He can speak to me despite my human disgrace. Anyway... This morning David Smith from ICC was speaking at our church. The first thing I noticed as he got up to speak was that, alarmingly, he had no power-point. Sometimes in the morning, having failed to prepare my heart and mind, I rely on the power-point to guide me through and I could tell that this morning was going to require extra effort. Good on him for keeping my attention.

This morning's passage was from James 4. A mixture of verses, in particular v. 13 and 14. These verses are echoed in the song 'Who am I?' by Casting Crowns and as soon as the words 'vapour in the wind' were read I found myself hearing the song. David's whole interpretation of the passage embodied the attitude of James that we must realise and accept our own mortality. As he pointed out we are living in a day and age which seems to deny and prevent the very process of age and refuses to speak of death for fear of being pessimistic. We live in an age which encourages us to map out our lives from one step to the next, always pushing us forward at every opportunity and barely - if ever - allows opportunity for God's will to the deciding factor, however unpredictable it may seem. Although, as David pointed out, the relevance or credibility of the writing of James has previously come in to question I found the passage valid and encouraging.

Always debating the precariousness of my current situation and the fact that I am very vague about what the future holds other than God's leading, it was an encouragement to have my attitude verified. My mother is ever in favour of taking practical measures and having a plan A, B and C. At the moment I seem only to have a sense of God's leading to step one and am as yet unaware of step two or three. Sometimes I wonder if this is just me being the 'hippy' that I would like to be - leaping in to the future with uncertainty and enthusiasm and I wonder if in fact I should become the level-headed, plan-ahead person that my mum is. However, David's message this morning convicted and encouraged me once more that, although practical measures for the present must always be in place, there is no predicting what God will do today or tomorrow. I have one life and want to live it for the kingdom - for what other cause would be worth devoting a life time to? As Elliot said, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose." Money, power and status are becoming a priority in this life. While each in their own right is not a bad thing, our vision must be set beyond these for in a life as frail and unpredictable as this, what good will any of them do? Previous to David's sermon I had been listening to a song by one of my favourite artists, Nicole C. Mullen. Her song " When Heaven Calls" just about sums up James's attitude to the nature of this life and the vision of eternity.

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"When Heaven Calls"
Nicole C. Mullen

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"Much faster than the blink of an eye,
Lightning will flash and he'll split the sky.
Nobody knows the day or the time,
The trumpet shall sound and we will arise.

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When heaven calls and this life is over
We'll stand before our God and Saviour.
When heaven calls
We must be ready
To trade these mortal things
For immortality
When heaven calls.

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For every man there is a time
To love and to laugh, to live and to die.
So I'm living for the one who is Love
And I'm dying to hear Him say 'Well done'
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When heaven calls and this life is over
I'll stand before my God and Saviour.
When Heaven calls I will be ready
To trade these mortal things
For immortality
When Heaven calls."

A Soft and Fluffy Jesus

I am a harsh critic of Sunday Schools or "Children's Church" as the terminology goes these days. It frustrates me. There are many elements including teaching, training of volunteers, the planned and unplanned curriculum and the investment in resources, which all frustrate me. However, I'm not going down that road today. Today I want to contemplate the warning bells which have been ringing in my mind recently. Those bells are bringing to surface my concern that in our Sunday schools or "Children's Church" today we are painting for our children a soft and fluffy Jesus. Even more concerning is the thought that we may be painting a soft and fluffy easy-reading bible which has become a book of helpful hints for Christian living. Do we white-wash our stories and leave them devoid of any unpleasant reality to make it more than digestible to our sensitive youngsters?
I grew up in the church with the stereotypical image of Jesus that plagues many non-christians today: He was a nice guy who loved everybody, did miracles and had great hair. While our children may be too young to understand the social, political and cultural implications of what Jesus did in great detail, neither must we lead them to underestimate just how radical his actions were.

It was only in my teenage years that I began to understand how radical he was. In a video interview my friend described Jesus as radical, "someone who always makes us think outside the box and challenges us to do things differently". In all my years of Sunday school I never thought of Jesus like that - I thought he was just a really nice, gentle, loving guy who died a gruesome death to save us from our sin. (This is not a debate on how graphic our projection of that death should be as our children grow up - that again is a discussion for another time.) Never did I realise then that his ministry and the life he lived as told in the gospels was every bit as radical as the death he died. I thought that he caused a little upset here and there but everyone loved him. Again, I didn't realise that he caused huge political and social shifts where-ever he went and was extremely unpopular for breaking social taboos and defying the political pressures of the time. My concern is that we bring up our children in the church, whether consciously or not, to put Jesus in to a nice fluffy box, portraying him as the guy that everybody loved and that in turn may cause them a struggle to unpack such images later in life.

One small step...

Following my recent post about sundays, their purpose and a day of rest I made a small step of progress. That is; I didn't go to church on sunday morning. I didn't simply opt not to go and waste my time doing nothing - that would achieve little and be a pointless exercise. Instead, I chose to have morning coffee/lunch with my best friend as she was home from Dundee for the weekend. Sunday morning was the only time I could really see her. Usually my response would be 'Well I'll see you at church' and we would try to squeeze in some time for chatting before and after. However, this time I decided that quality time with my closest friend seemed more important at the present moment. It was wonderful. We had lunch, relaxing and chatting and for me, actually resting before the business of the rest of day commenced. For once, I didn't feel guilty. I am not ruled by the sabbath - my sense of urgent obligation to attend church is slowly being released. I have not lost interest in church and neither am I become slack in my attentiveness to the teaching of the gospel. I am simply learning to rest.