Devil May Care, Sebastian Faulks

Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is a long, long time since I read the original series of Ian Flemming books, but much less time since I have seen some of the films. The first thing to point out is that Bond in the films is a different character than in the books, so it is important that the character comes across correctly. I think Sebastian got this just about right. The plot of the book is good too, before writing this I had a look at a couple of other reviews, and I have to say I didn't pick up on the similarities that were mentioned to the previous stories while I was reading the book. It starts with a woman, which is always a good start for Bond. The plot has a nice twist at the end which is well hidden and well explained. After that intrigue the plot slows for a while. The violence and fight scenes are much more realistic than in the films, as they are in Ian Flemming's books, but here the physical limitations of the human being are not respected as much as they should be. A dislocated shoulder does not heal in a couple of days!

Overall this is an enjoyable book and well worth a read, but is not up there with the classics.

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Spotlight Introductory Article - being a Reader

Spotlight, the once monthly magazine of Christ Church has recently been resurrected, although it is only published 3 times a year.  I was asked to write about being a Reader as the introductory article.

I’m so pleased to be writing for Spotlight once again. I have been ask to do a piece on ‘being a Reader’, of course the brief was a lot more detailed than that, so I’ll start with the calling. Many of you will have heard some or all of this story before.

It starts way back in ’92 in earnest, although it goes back further than that really. That was the year I started the Reader training course, after having finished the Course in Christian Studies (CCS). I had attended a vocation day, seen the vocations advisor and even had a talk with the Bishop, who rather reluctantly agreed that I could go forward for training. The following year my Dad died, and I withdrew from training. There followed a few years not really knowing what to do. Then I was asked to run help in Explorers. Well, teaching had always been my aim, but not children that young.

It turned out to be great, and I also enjoyed leading Pathfinders for a few years, until Paul Hinckley suggested I got on with Reader training. I took a while to decide that it was still the right thing to do. Then I started training – through CCS once again, through vocations and selection interviews again, and finally starting, and this time completing two tears training.

I was licensed in October 2007. Then the real work began. Reader ministry is a preaching and teaching ministry. I had been preaching occasionally for a long while under Paul’s leadership, but now I had been trained, and in training a full text is required, so I had become used to having the full text in front of me, I still do, although I don’t always follow it and occasionally get lost! Now it is quite formal, I am on the rota and have a working agreement which indicates how much I should do.

Being a Reader is not about being on the rota though. It means that I have the privilege and responsibility of sharing God’s word with all the congregation. It means I have to have a sense of what God is saying to the church, sometimes that is obvious through the reading, more rarely it is part of a planned series, almost always it is a combination of prayer and study.

It’s a privilege because you sit patiently and listen to me. There are not many, if any, other places where a person can speak, and not be subject to questions, either immediately, or later. When I listen to a sermon I am trying hard to pay attention, and sometimes making notes, but generally I take very little of it away with me. Occasionally something important is said, as sticks with me while I work it through with God. I know from conversations that I’ve had that this is also true for my hearers. That’s OK, I understand that a sermon is not primarily about teaching the facts and beliefs that are in the Bible, but helping people to live them. That is a kind of teaching too.

It’s a responsibility for two reasons. Most importantly because it’s God’s word, and James warns us that teachers will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). God doesn’t want his word corrupted, so we who present it have the responsibility to present it as accurately and as truthfully as we can.

It’s a responsibility also because it is my calling, so I want to be as true to it as I can be. That means not just presenting accurately and truthfully, but in a way that communicates what is being said and engages the listeners. I’m still learning, and occasionally experimenting!

Jesus said “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19), he didn’t say “make converts” – which is great for me, because I’m not good at making converts. I can help those converts to grow, and as I learnt leading the young people, watching people grow into true disciples is a marvellous thing.

I seem to say quite a lot “There’s always more with God”, so when I asked Him during New Wine a couple of years ago, “What now?” I not should have been expecting the answer “just get on with being a Reader”. Instead I thought he said “Something big is coming”. I didn’t understand, perhaps it related to retirement – I’m almost old enough. Earlier this year there was a general request for Readers to help with CCS. When I saw that I was pretty sure that I now knew what God was meaning. It’s big (for me) – a lot of work, but so far I’m enjoying it. If you don’t see me on Wednesday evenings – that’s where I am.

That’s a part of me trying to be true to following Jesus wherever he takes me. A question I got asked a lot was about ordination, but that’s not something that I have been called to. At least not yet.

Peace be with you

15 April 2012 at Christ Church Billericay

John 20:19-22

Introduction

The theme this morning is “Peace be with you”. I suppose you can see that the disciples needed God's peace, they had locked themselves away because they were frightened that the Jewish authorities were coming to get them.

Lets remind ourselves of how they got here.

They were all young men. They'd given up their careers to follow a man called Jesus. He was a charismatic leader and had a view of the world that was new and different. While they had been with him they had seen and done some extraordinary things – healings, even bring people back from the dead. They had become convinced that Jesus was the Messiah – the person God had promised who would make the Jews right with their God. Some of the teaching they had received had been difficult for them to understand – so they hadn't really taken it in. Then just a couple of weeks ago they had been preparing to go into Jerusalem for the Passover festival. There were always huge crowds at the festival. Jesus had chosen to ride into the city on a Donkey. The crowd realised that He was fulfilling a prophecy. Here comes the Messiah! They all knew it – every one of them! There was cheering and praising God, the crowd were in great spirits. The next day Jesus had gone into the temple and thrown out all the traders who were ripping off the people. It was the first time the disciples had seen him really angry.

They shared a Passover meal together, and what Jesus had done there had seemed very odd. After the meal Jesus was in a strange mood, and kept insisting they stayed awake. Then soldiers had arrived with the chief priests and Judas. Jesus was arrested.

The disciples had followed him at a distance, but kept quiet about who they were because they thought they would be next.

Then Jesus had been crucified like some common thief and the disciples had fled.

But Jesus never was predictable and after the Sabbath – the day of rest when no work is permitted – they had reports that He was alive. His body was certainly missing from the tomb.

They had quickly got together all those they could find. They carefully locked the door. No doubt they were already under suspicion of stealing His body. They were expecting to be arrested and face the same fate as their former leader.

“What are we going to do now?”

[How would you answer that question?]

Then a voice said “Peace be with you”. Not just and voice – Jesus' voice.

Peace was the one thing they most certainly didn't have. You can't have peace when you think that someone is about to arrest you and crucify you!

[Pause]

Or could you?

What does peace look like?

[Candle demo]

Candle is you – lit is being alive.

Fan outside events that you have no control over) puts you out (kills you inside)

shield is like peace of God and protects you from the effects – not the events themselves]

What does peace look like?

[Peace picture sequence]

Well they are certainly peaceful, but do they really represent God's peace?

Philippians 4:4 – 4:9

^{Phil 4:4} Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

^{Phil 4:5} Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

^{Phil 4:6} Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

^{Phil 4:7} And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

^{Phil 4:8} Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

^{Phil 4:9} Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

What peace is not?

According to Paul the peace of God is deeper than we are capable of understanding, but that does not mean we cannot get closer to understanding it.

Sometimes it is easier for us to understand what something is by looking at the opposites.

Here are some things that the peace of God is not:

Fear

Anxiety

Worry

In-action

Resting

Sleeping

Why did the disciples need peace (2)?

Let's have another look at why the disciples need God's peace.

What can't you do?

A man attended an interview for the job of Financial Director. It was a long and difficult interview, the panel asked some difficult questions. At the end of the interview the main interviewer said “I'm sorry, we are not going to offer you the job, but we would like to offer you the Managing Directors job, which is also vacant”. The man considered for a minute or two and replied. “It's very kind of you, but I really don't have the right skills and experience for that job”. The chairman replied “we think you have the right attitude and approach, and will provide you with the expert support you need”.

[Is there something you have been asked to do that you thought you could not do?]

Lets go back to the passage and look to see if there are other reasons that the disciples needed God's peace.

In verse 21 Jesus said “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

So their immediate problems of being caught by the Jews are not so important. They are to take over Jesus' job. Then he breathed on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit”. Now lets read verse 23, because Jesus has not finished what He is saying. “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

That's the job Jesus expects his disciples to do – they are to pronounce the forgiveness of sins. They are to decide who to forgive and who not to forgive. It is about the hardest thing that you could possible be asked to do.

If you forgive them, they too can have eternal life. If you don't forgive them they are condemned.

Jesus said on the Cross “Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing”. It is no easy thing to forgive when you have been wronged.

That's the reason we have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the powers of discernment so that we can see things from God's point of view, and have the power to forgive.

These are excerpt from a report on Forgiveness in the Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/vicar-struggles-to-forgive-the-terrorists-who-killed-her-daughter-468960.html

Acts of forgiveness are tremendously costly. One of the most celebrated of the last century was that of Gordon Wilson, who was standing at the war memorial in Enniskillen for the annual Remembrance Day service in 1987 when an IRA bomb exploded. Eleven people were killed, including Mr Wilson's daughter, Marie. The world was touched when, in a voice cracking with grief, he told of how he clutched her hand as they lay beneath the rubble and then said: "I have lost my daughter and we shall miss her, but I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie. She loved her profession. She was a pet. She's dead."

Rev Julie Nicholson said

"It's very difficult to stand behind an altar and lead people in words of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness when I feel very far from that myself.". She was announcing her intention to resign as vicar of St Aidan's church in Bristol. What has estranged her from one of the most fundamental tenets of her Christian faith is the killing of her daughter, Jenny. The 24-year-old, a gifted musician, died in one of the four terrorist bomb explosions in London on 7 July 2005.

Poor Julie clearly did not have any peace. To have and to hold on to the peace of God there can be nothing causing anger and resentment. Anything that gets through the protection that God's peace provides and blows out the flame must be immediately forgiven for God's peace and active life to return.

Let's share a sign of peace together.