Ministerial Meanderings: Faith in Christ for Salvation

Ministerial Meanderings: Faith in Christ for Salvation: Faith in Christ for Salvation Here are the sermon notes for a sermon preached on 9th October 2016 at Underhill Methodist Church, Port...

Faith in Christ for Salvation

Faith in Christ for Salvation

Here are the sermon notes for a sermon preached on 9th October 2016 at Underhill Methodist Church, Portland, Dorset on the theme of "Faith in Christ for Salvation" as part of a series on FAITH.

It is based on Ephesians 2:2-10 and John 14:1- (full readings at the bottom).

Ephesians 2:8-9a For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast. 

The Problem of Sin

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins 

We have a problem Houston! My daughter has not along returned from the World Methodist Conference and Council in Houston.  Accurately I believe the words were “Houston, we’ve had a problem” uttered from the Apollo 13 flight which went wrong although thankfully the crew made it back alive.

There are some problems which are killers. We have a problem.   

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins 

We’re going to define a number of words that we use as we go through this.

Sin = both moral and ethical failure and putting ourselves at the centre of the world instead of God.

The problem with sin is it cuts us off from a Holy God and it does that not just now but for eternity.   It would be like trying to pour some dirty water into a bowl of strong bleach.  The dirty water could not exist in an environment of powerful cleansing and so would be consumed by it.

Sin/transgressions have a devastating effect on our relationship with God and our spiritual life now and for eternity.

What contributes to that sin, what helps to cause it?

3 things mentioned in this reading from Ephesians.

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts.

The World – which lives to different priorities.

The Devil – Fighting against us.

The Flesh – our own desires that well up from within.

We have a problem.  It makes us dead!

Also, in the words of the reading, we were by nature deserving of wrath

That’s the bit about God not being able to tolerate sin – like the powerful bleach cannot allow dirt to live alongside it.

So that’s a mess.

We decide we don’t need God.

We decide we know better.

We end up apart from God.

We face that state for eternity.

We deserve the wrath of God.

That’s what we deserve, but….

In the same way that a loving parent would try to find a way to help their children if they were in trouble; in the same that a loving parent might try to reach out to their children if there was a broken relationship; in the same way that a loving parent might try to help clear up the mess of a broken wounded life, so God reaches out to us, to try to help us in trouble, to heal a broken relationship, to clean up the mess.

we were by nature deserving of wrath. But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved

We may have deserved the wrath of God for the way we have turned from him and made a mess of life and the world but God has this difficulty.  The difficulty is this – that although God hates the sin he loves the sinner.  And he does reach out to us. He acts out of grace – it is by grace you have been saved

Definition of Grace = the unmerited favour of God towards people.  His grace arises out of his mercy.  Mercy = compassion or forbearance shown towards an offender.

This is a doctrine which goes to the heart of the Protestant Church and has been a touchstone since the Reformation. The main tenets of the Reformation have been gathered into five "Solas£ (meaning "alone" or "only" in Latin).

 - By Faith alone

-  By Scripture alone

-  Through Christ alone

-  By Grace alone

-Glory to God alone.

These were not written down as a list at the time but have been used since to summarise those things central to teh Reformation. 

And so moving forward to verses 8 & 9 of Epehsians 2, For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so that no one can boast.  This says it is by God’s unmerited favour that we have been saved through faith and this is all because of God – nothing to do with what we have done.  It is the gift of God.   And it is the only way to be reunited with God and to be assured of eternal life with him.

What are we “saved” from?  Sin and death.

And so we have the Problem of Sin but we also have

The Promise of Salvation

Salvation by grace, through faith – all from God, and nothing to do with our works.  We cannot earn salvation and eternal life, we can only receive it.

Billy Graham said “Salvation is an act of God. It is initiated by God, wrought by God, and sustained by God.” And that is accomplished though Jesus and him alone.    The Christian faith says there is a problem (of sin) that cannot be overcome by anybody except God.  The way he does that is through Jesus who in his life stands against sin and conquers death and when he lives in us he plants the seed that enables us to live life for him and to reject sin.  he also brings the seed of resurrection life so we can know God’s love in eternity.  That is why we have the reading from John 14 today – because Jesus challenges to hear these words:

⁶ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 

All of this through faith in God whom we see and encounter in Christ.

Definition of Faith = complete trust.  Complete trust in Jesus who died for us, who wants to live within us, who wants to lead us in this life and into the next life.  Your life in his hands.

In 1981, a Minnesota radio station reported a story about a stolen car in California. Police were staging an intense search for the vehicle and the driver, even to the point of placing announcements on local radio stations to contact the thief. On the front seat of the stolen car sat a box of crackers that, unknown to the thief, were laced with poison. The car owner had intended to use the crackers as rat bait. Now the police and the owner of the VW Bug were more interested in apprehending the thief to save his life than to recover the car. So often when we run from God, we feel it is to escape his punishment. But what we are actually doing is eluding his rescue.

Unknown.

The thief had nails through both hands, so that he could not work; and a nail through each foot, so that he could not run errands for the Lord; he could not lift a hand or a foot toward his salvation, and yet Christ offered him the gift of God; and he took it. Christ threw him a passport, and took him into Paradise.

D. L. Moody, "Day by Day with D.L Moody," Moody Press.

 ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. 

Bible Readings

Ephesians 2:1-10

As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, ² in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. ³ All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh^[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. ⁴ But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, ⁵ made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions – it is by grace you have been saved. ⁶ And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, ⁷ in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. ⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

John 14:1-7

‘Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God^[a]; believe also in me. ² My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you?³ And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. ⁴ You know the way to the place where I am going.’

⁵ Thomas said to him, ‘Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?’

⁶ Jesus answered, ‘I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. ⁷ If you really know me, you will know^[b] my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.’

The Ceremony of the Keys, Portland in Dorset

My Address at the Ceremony of the Keys on Portland in Dorset as the Community gathered in Easton Gardens to observe and share in this traditional annual event.  

Welcome Honoured Guests, Visitors and members of the Community.

As we gather to share in this simple but important ceremony we use it to remember and value the importance of our communities and all that safeguards them.  This safeguarding and protection of the community of Portland is represented by keys today.  The four keys relate to the castles and citadels of Portland.

Keys have a resonance for all sorts of reasons.

Does someone have the key to your heart?

Have you lost a key lately?

It was the custom to get the key of the door at the age of 21.

There is the Master Key that can unlock every door.

I wonder what you think of when you hear the word “key”.

One thing I think of is doors.  Doors that can be locked, with a key or bar or bolts.  Or doors that can be unlocked.  Then I think that keys and locks are not just about physical doors.  They can be about societies and communities and individuals that might want to shut something orsomeone out or let them in.  I wonder how many relationships have heard the words “You keeping shutting me out!”.  No actual door or key but the effect can be just the same.

I want to tell you a story.

In 1492 two Irish families, the Butlers of Ormonde and the FitzGeralds of Kildare, were involved in a bitter feud. This disagreement centred around the position of Lord Deputy. Both families wanted one of their own to hold the position. In 1492 this tension broke into outright warfare and a small skirmish occurred between the two families just outside the city walls.

The Butlers, realising that the fighting was getting out of control, took refuge in the Chapter House of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral. The FitzGeralds followed them into the Cathedral and asked them to come out and make peace. The Butlers, afraid that if they did so they would be slaughtered, refused.

The Earl of Kildare concluded that the fighting was foolish.  Here were two families worshipping the same God, in the same church, in the same country trying to kill each other.  As a gesture of good faith the Earl of Kildare, Gerald FitzGerald, ordered that a hole be cut in the door. He then thrust his arm through the door and offered his hand in peace to those on the other side.  Upon seeing that FitzGerald was willing to risk his arm by putting it through the door the Butlers reasoned that he was serious in his intention. They shook hands through the door, the Butlers emerged from the Chapter House and the two families made peace.

Today this door is known as the “Door of Reconciliation” and is on display in the Cathedral’s north transept. This story also lives on in a famous expression in Ireland “To chance your arm”.

It seems to me that communities and individuals could draw some very important things from that story.  We have choices to make about whether we put up barriers, shut people out, prolong conflict, escalate disagreement.  Or we can choose to chance our arm, to reach through barriers and show that we really are serious about building a relationship.

Every day we make decisions as individuals and communities about whether we are going to be welcoming and hospitable or try to keep those strangers out.

In our Methodist churches on Portland we are spending a number of weeks on the theme of Generous Living.  Linked with that is Generous Hospitality.  It may be something that is not so natural in this country compared to yesteryear.  For my part as a Christian I have a God who makes me welcome and I want to try to reflect that in my life.

Keys are funny old things.  You can turn them and lock someone out or turn them and welcome them in.  I pray that wherever possible we might do the latter.

Belly Buttons – Innie or Outie?

Whoops! I got mixed up.  It’s not about belly buttons. It’s a European Union Referendum.  Mind you the quality of the debate hasn't been that spectacular and arguably there has been plenty of navel gazing.  Innie or Outie?

I have found the posturing and shouting statistics at one another a pretty poor way to handle something as important as this.  Yah boo politics which we still see far too often in the House of Commons really does not work within the outside world of public engagement.

I am pleased that locally we had a debate that was a very different flavour with great respect for each other from both sides.  Try listening to it if you like Portland European Union Referendum Hustings

As a Christian I try to come at the question of whether we should be part of the European Union prayerfully and mindful of some general principles in the Bible.

For what it is worth I share those thoughts here.

Jesus seems to have been about breaking down barriers rather than setting them up.  In John’s gospel in Chapter 4 Jesus encounters a Samaritan woman.  The Jews and the Samaritans did not like each other.  In this case though Jesus crosses many cultural and religious boundaries as he talks with the woman. This was a theme that was picked up in the letter to the Church at Galatia where we read “There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Galatians 3:28).

God deals in community not just individuals.  We see this throughout the Bible.  God meets individuals and individuals express their faith in him.  Yet God also raises up a people for himself to be his representatives and to be a light to others.  In the New Testament of the Bible Jesus called disciples to himself.  One might have thought that the Son of God could have gone it alone, but he does not.  Instead he shares with others.  God relates to communities as well as individuals.  Similarly we need to place great value on communities.

God created a world.  We are told about that in the book of Genesis.  (Whether you think that literally is not the point.)  The principle is one world.  As such we need to find ways to be connected and to care for the world as a world.  We are called to care for the world whether rich or poor.  By distancing ourselves from others, as individuals and nations we may undermine that.  Maybe we need the challenge of many people wanting to come to this country to remind us of the way that we have helped to ruin so many others countries in so many ways that the people that live there do not want to do so any longer! The world is global is to state the obvious.

The Kingdom of God is a space for all to rest.  In Mark’s Gospel Jesus speaks about a mustard seed growing and becoming huge so that the birds can rest in the shade (Mark 4:30-32).  If the Kingdom of God makes room for people to rest and shelter then that is a good example for us to follow.  How hospitable are we?

Jesus said the two greatest commandments are to love God and to love our neighbour.  It seems quite hard to me to love and neighbour and hold them at arm’s length – well Channel’s width in our case!  It is partly about a mind-set.  As Christians should we be looked for ways to hold out a hand of friendship wherever possible or to push people away?

For all these reasons and more I shall be voting to remain in the European Union.

I do not vote to remain in the European Union because it is perfect.  Cleary there are things that might be improved. It is easier though to work for change from the inside.  This is what Jesus did.  He came to Earth, born as a man so he could change things form the inside.  When Jesus did it he dealt with sin and death and brought change and victory in those areas.  Working from the inside!  It’s not a bad model.   Jesus could have stayed separate from us safe in heaven in case he was soiled by us or in case it was not in his best interests (arguably it wasn’t – he was crucified).  But that risk was worth taking because it is always easier to change something from the inside.

The Church needs to act responsibly and not align itself with scaremongering or spurious unsubstantiated claims – particularly the type that circulates around Facebook.  The linking of the European Union with various Bible texts about End Times and the Devil are usually not open to serious scrutiny.  Many of the links they make have been used routinely over the years with many other things that equally have proved not to be about the End Times or the Devil.

There is nothing wrong with understanding and valuing our own tradition, culture, country or religion.  However it is good to then build bridges with others rather than barriers.  To leave the European Union would mean burning a pretty big bridge, and one that will not be rebuilt. For those who think they will take back control.  You won’t.  It will be the politicians that have control.  Just as they do now.

My greatest worry is that people do not vote and whatever the result is it will remain contested in conversation, minds and politics with attempts at an early revisit of the question because there is no clear mind or decision.  That would be a mess.

When someone leaves a marriage and there is a subsequent divorce even the most amicable are long drawn out affairs, expensive, and usually painful.  There is no reason to think that leaving the EU will be simple.  It will be long, drawn out, divert resources to the work that will have to be done, create confusion and not create independence because the world is interlinked in so many ways already.

So I am an Innie.  Might I invite you to be an Innie also?  But whatever you think please do not be a navel gazer on Thursday.  Do vote.  May God guide and bless us.

Alleluia! Christ is Risen.

Luke 24

On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  They found the stone rolled away from the tomb…

While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead?

“They found the stone rolled away”

What a shock or surprise!

You see the women had gone expecting death.  They were surprised by life.

I wonder if too often we expect death.

Death of a way of life.

Death of the church or maybe at least the ones we know.

Death of a faith.

It is possible to hang about the places of death.

To expect the things of death.

To speak the language of death.

To even be dead ourselves – oh yes there are a lot of dead men (and women) walking – and I don’t mean zombies.

No I mean those who have never discovered life.

The women went to the tomb, prepared for death, ready to deal with death, ready to mourn death.

And they were surprised by life.

That is the message for us today. That people can be surprised by life. Those who feel life is hopeless and a dead loss – Jesus can surprise with life.

Those who feel that the things they hold dearest are dying – Jesus can bring transformation and a new perspective – a perspective of life.

Those who picked up a cross at this site where we stand and thought they had destroyed what Christ and Christians stand for because they had taken or thrown it over the cliff– they can be surprised by life.

Those who feel that faith is hard or non-existent – they can find the life that Jesus brings.

Those who feel there is no hope for the church –can find the life that Jesus brings.

Those who think death - they can discover life.

Those who think the Christian faith outdated, old fashioned, all in the past, a dead religion with a dead leader can find He is Risen and that life is there.

Today we acknowledge that we are not people of the tomb, those who deal in death, but rather those who proclaim the risen Lord, victor over sin and death and the one who brings life.  The Life Giver – who sends us into the world to be life givers also.

L: Alleluia, Christ is risen

R: He is risen indeed, Alleluia

A Summary of this was preached at the Easter Day Sunrise Service on the Isle and Royal Manor of Portland on 27^th March 2016.

Portland Methodist Circuit Covenant Service Sermon: Stay Disciplined! Stay Open! Stay Connected!

Chris Briggs and a rather feeble attempt
at pretending to be a boxer

Here are the notes from the sermon at the Portland Methodist Circuit Covenant Service held on 10^th January 2016 at Easton Methodist Church, Portland, Dorset.

The sermon is based on the following readings

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Jeremiah 31:31-34

John 15:1-10

Each section of the sermon relates to one of these three readings.

We started though with me making an appearance dressed as a boxer, entering with my “training” team to the sound of the Rocky Theme Music and introduced as “Chrissss Briggggggggsssss – Spiritual Lightweight of the World”.  You can listen on line at Portland Methodist Circuit Sermon Library under the date 20160110, but here is much of the text.

Stay Disciplined  1 Corinthians 9:24-27

So Chris Briggs – spiritual lightweight of the World! Portland does of course have a Boxing Club.  Maybe I’ll nip along next week and ask whether they can fit me up with a match?  That’s ludicrous of course.  In addition to being a coward, I am also very averse to physical violence – especially if directed at me.  If I wanted to box then I would have to do more than put on a costume and jump around a bit.  The thought of Rocky Briggs probably doesn’t even begin to ring true.  If I want to be a Boxing Champion I had better learn to box, train on a regular basis, hone my strengths, find ways to deal with my weaknesses and aim high.

This is true of so many areas of life.  You can’t hope to get very far in anything unless one develops one’s abilities, skills, resilience…..  Could it be though that we do not easily learn this lesson in the Christian life, in our spiritual walk?

Do we pick up our discipleship here and drop it there?

Do we think that we can be close to God and draw on the resources of God; that we can grow in holiness; that we can be effective in the world as salt and light just when we feel like it?

If you wanted to grow and become better and have an impact you wouldn’t do that in other areas of life.

I swim on a regular basis.  If I have a gap though it becomes harder to start again, to go the distance, to break through the boredom barrier or pain barrier or whatever.

If you are a runner you can’t suddenly pick it up and do it.

I used to run regularly – longer distances.  Then I didn’t  - then I did – then I didn’t.  A couple of years ago I went to take part in the Dumble Bimble around Portland.  I thought “It’s not far. I’ll run rather than walk.  I ought to train first though.”  Well, I had been walking back and forth to Weymouth so my stamina wasn’t bad, but I realised I needed to train.  So I did.  The night before I went for a run.  I ran out of my door, down Wakeham, got to the bottom and then nearly killed myself trying to get back up.  In the end I walked the Dumble Bimble while my wife Nicola ran some of it!

Discipline is essential to growth and development in virtually every area of life, whether physical and practical or more theoretical.

Oh dear!  It gets worse!

Paul knows this (1 Corinthians 9:26-27) “I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.  No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave”.  He is not talking of beating oneself literally as some monks and others of old have done.  He is talking about training and discipline.  Paul knows that discipline is part of the Christian life – that discipleship is linked with discipline.  Discipline and disciple share the same root word. The concept is that we surrender ourselves to something or someone, similar to an athlete surrendering his will to a coach.  Our coach is Jesus.

As we renew our covenant with God so we cannot escape discipline – in the basics – in worship, in Bible, in prayer, in community, in putting faith into action.  Not when we feel like it, but when we don’t feel like it too.

Stay open  Jeremiah 31:31-34

The reading from Jeremiah shows us that God is to do something new.  God has given the Law to help us know the way to live, but it is difficult for us.  We break rules too easily.  Our tendency to sin means that rules are not enough to keep us close to God.

God reveals that he will bring a new Covenant promise for his people.  The promise is that God’s ways, will, heart, is to be buried in the heart and mind of the believer.  In other words he plants himself within.

”I will put my law in their minds
    and write it on their hearts.
I will be their God,
    and they will be my people.”

Romans 12:2 says something similar, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

What is this talking about?  It is talking about relationship rather than rules; relationship rather than ritual; relationship rather than religion.

Note this is about individuals having their heart touched by God – remade from the inside you might say, but also a people.  I will be their God and they shall be my people.  Which is why doing this together today is so important.

As we are invited to renew our Covenant with God today – the important thing is that God says he wants to be in relationship with us – a relationship of love.  He invites us to respond by saying we want to be in a relationship of love with him.  It is out of this that all else flows, our works, our service.  But again the way we stay close is a way of discipline.  That might sound odd but it’s not.  We need to work at relationships not just rely on how we feel.  That is so with marriages.  I suggest one reason so many marriages break up is because once people don’t feel in love they tend to distance themselves, but love is not dependent on feelings – it is also an act of will.  We are not always lovable but that doesn’t stop God loving us.  God is always lovable but sometimes our feelings are not that loving.  So when we don’t feel close to God the answer is not to drift off and do our own thing but be disciplined in our devotion – making time for God and making sure we focus on him and seek to stay in his will.

How can we be open in our own individual lives?

How can we be open as God’s people here on Portland?

Which brings us to the other point.

Stay connected (to Jesus and each other)  John 15:1-10

We will share communion as part of this service.   In Methodist parlance we will share the juice of the grape (non-alcoholic) and remember the blood of Christ.  We won’t see the actual grapes that have been used for the red grape juice.  But if we did have them here then we know that once grapes are off the vine then they will eventually begin to go off.  “Remain in me, as I also remain in you.”  Not only that, but the grapes won’t happen in the first place if they are not connected to the vine.  “No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”

This is not rocket science – it is viticulture!!  It’s not complicated.  Be separate from the source of growth and nutrition and you shrivel and die.

So are we blossoming, growing, bearing fruit as Christians?  Or are we shrivelling?  Not a bad question to reflect on as we hear the Gospel reading from John and think about our relationship with Jesus.

Are we shrivelling? Have we shrivelled?

^“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.”

Stay connected.

That means all those things that are basic again and which I mentioned a few moments ago when I said  “As we renew our covenant with God so we cannot escape discipline – in the basics – in worship, in Bible, in prayer, in community, in putting faith into action.”

And so we come full circle.

It is in the discipline of these things that we can encounter God and grow.

It is openness to these things that enable us to find that God wants to make his home within us, in a real relationship something so much deeper than religion or rules.

It is through these things, and in other ways that we stay connected and bear fruit.

And as we prepare to acknowledge God’s Covenant with us we are invited to respond to the challenge to

Stay Disciplined.

Stay Open.

Stay Connected.

The Methodist Covenant Prayer

I am no longer my own but yours.

Put me to what you will,

rank me with whom you will;

put me to doing, put me to suffering;

let me be employed for you or laid aside for you,

exalted for you or brought low for you.

Let me be full, let me be empty,

let me have all things, let me have nothing.

I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things

to your pleasure and disposal.

And now, glorious and blessed God,

Father, Son and Holy Spirit,

you are mine and I am yours.

So be it.

And the covenant made on earth,

let it be ratified in heaven.

Amen.

Are Pumpkins the only thing we grow at Halloween?

Some of us in communities around the country, and a number of us within the life of the Church, have been celebrating Harvest time over these past weeks.  Gathering in the harvest reminds us of the bountiful provision that many of us have, encourages us to give thanks for this and challenges us to remember those who do not have enough in such a way that we take action to help.

The gathering of a harvest is an end product following the sowing or planting of something, together with the nurture that is lavished on the seeds or plants which enables growth and fruitfulness.    At this time of year there are a lot of pumpkins around.  I am going to astound you with a bit of knowledge. Here we go!   To grow pumpkins you have to plant pumpkin seeds.  Yes I know that is astonishing, but honestly it is true.  I have it on good authority that if you plant apple seeds you will not get pumpkins.  I know that if you plant grains of wheat then it is wheat that you get not pumpkins.  Be aware of what you plant.

This lesson that we reap what we sow is found in the Bible.  In Galatians 6:7 it says just that - we will reap what we sow or harvest what we plant.  That’s a great lesson for agriculture and horticulture and the like, but the interesting thing is that the Galatians passage is not talking about agriculture and horticulture.  It is talking about things we sow into our lives which can produce good fruit or harvest or bad fruit or harvest.  You see if you plant pumpkin seeds in your life don’t be surprised if you grow pumpkins!

Maybe what works in the world of agriculture and horticulture also works in our personal lives and indeed society.  It would be possible to look at various societies and see the way that good or bad things come out of them because of the building blocks, or seeds, that lay at the basis of society.  There are societies that seem to be compassionate and others that seem to encourage territorial conflict and even ethnic cleansing.  It might be partly because of the kind of things that are planted and nurtured in the minds, lives, and actions of their citizens.  If, for instance, from an early age children are brought up to hate certain groups or types of people then we should not be surprised at violence against and between such groups.  If so we should be cautious of sowing the seeds that encourage the darker things of life, physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually.

That I think is where the difficulty with Halloween lies.  It is not the dressing up.  It is not the games.  It is not even the pumpkins!!!!  But it is a seeming fascination with darker things when there could be games and dressing up and food (including pumpkins) which encouraged light rather than darkness.  Of course with shops having an eye to profit there is unlikely to be much discerning from them about what might affect society in a positive rather than negative way (after all look at the sales of cheap alcohol that cause problems up and down the country).

Is British society going to be irretrievably harmed by the “celebration” of Halloween?  Are children that dress up going to be traumatised?  Let’s face it that is unlikely.  However, taking the longer and wider view maybe we plant seeds into society that are not entirely good for it and which might produce fruit that is not good. 

I am pleased that in churches up and down the country there will be “Light Parties” which will seek to emphasise the positive and enable children and parents to enjoy something wholesome.  I am grateful to those in my own churches who are putting in work to ensure that we run a Light Party on 31^st October.  After all there are some really good positive things to celebrate.  These seeds are good seeds and as they are nurtured they can bring a really good harvest for society.  I hope parents might think of ways in which they can encourage the positive at this time of year. Halloween (or All Hallows Eve) coming just before All Saints Day (1^st November) and All Souls Day (2^nd November) lends itself to focusing on a deep appreciation of those who have gone before us.  That is of special significance within the life of the Church but then isn’t that something precious in many families and communities as well.  Parents, grandparents, the innovators and inventors of history, those who have built our communities might all prove to be a good positive focus for us rather than that which is dark, even if it disguises itself as a bit of harmless fun.

Let’s be careful what we sow at this time of year.  After all it might be more than just pumpkins that we grow!