Religion – Page 2 – Stephen Thorp

What do Boris Johnson, Prince Andrew and Novak Djokovic all have in common?

They all believed that they were free to do as they wished with little thought of the consequences or how their actions might be felt, perceived, or viewed by others. Sue Barker, the BBC’s tennis commentator and presenter, was spot on when she spoke to Radio 4 about Novak Djokovic being thrown out of the Australian Open because of his lack of vaccination status.

“We wanted the No 1 player in the world. He could have been there by being vaccinated. I know he’s chosen not to and that is his right, but it is also his choice and with that choice come consequences and this is why he is where he is now.”

Novak Djokovic may have felt that he was entitled to play, but his choice not to be vaccinated led others to think otherwise. Boris Johnson may have felt that behind the closed doors of Number 10, there was little difference or distinction between meeting for work or for drinks, but when it became public knowledge against such a stark background of the pandemic and its restrictions, many were aghast that the Prime Minister and his colleagues should think that they were above the rules. Prince Andrew’s story is still unfolding, but with his military titles and patronages already stripped from him, along with the use of his HRH title, it is clear that the consequences of previous choices and company are profound.

It’s easy for us to point the finger and accuse others of hypocrisy, but in truth how many of us haven’t bent or ignored the rules from time to time to suit our own dreams, desires and convenience? We all have a natural tendency to put ourselves at the centre of the universe and expect the world to obey us. Sometimes our misdemeanours are frivolous and of no real consequence, but sometimes they become huge, affecting not only ourselves but also others. The Bible calls this waywardness ‘sin’, and perhaps the word sin should be spelt with a capital ‘I’, because so often the causes of sin are the pursuit of ‘me, ‘myself’ and ‘I’. In other words the putting of myself first, spoiling our lives and those of the people around us.

The Christian will be aware that God hates sin, but he loves us and through the loving and selfless actions of Jesus Christ and his death upon the cross, God takes the tremendous pain and consequences of our sin upon himself and offers us, in exchange, the forgiveness of sins, freedom to start again and the hope of a new life – a hope which is eternal.

Let’s be clear, in this life none of us are perfect or ever shall be, but in Christ we are given a new life and a new perspective, one which helps us to be a bit more loving, thoughtful and considerate not only about the people around us but the consequences of our choices and the way we behave.

“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

Christmas – A beacon of light and hope across the years

“None of us can slow the passage of time; and while we often focus on all that has changed in the intervening years, much remains unchanged, including the Gospel of Christ and his teachings.”

With such words, the Queen addressed the inaugural meeting of the Church of England’s General Synod, although due to ill health, her words were spoken by her youngest son Prince Edward. The Queen also acknowledged that for many 2021, had been ‘a time of anxiety, of grief, and of weariness’ as we continue to struggle with the coronavirus and its terrible effects upon individuals and society at large. “Yet the Gospel has brought hope (she declared) as it has done throughout the ages.” The Queen’s words carried a weight not only befitting her status as the Monarch, but of a woman who had also suffered grief during the year and was now contemplating her own mortality, and yet still – the Gospel has brought hope!

There are many occasions in the Gospel story when Jesus also contemplated his own human mortality and spoke to his disciples about it; “I am with you for only a short time” he had said “before I must go and return to the Father” (John 7.33ff), meaning by his forthcoming death upon the cross. But what hope can there be in death? Well, usually not much – but the death of Christ was different, because his very purpose was not just to live but to die for the ‘sins of the world’, bearing within his own body all the terrible consequences of our broken and fallen world caused by our sin and general inability to live as God would wish – that waywardness which not only spoils our relationships between ourselves but with God himself. A waywardness that even knocks the natural order out of balance. However, his death is not so much a sign of God angers towards the human race, but of his great love and compassion for it, for at Christmas, Christians celebrate the fact that God did not remain aloof, distant or uncaring, but in the person of Jesus, stepped into this world of ours as a small baby, that he might live and die for us, so that ultimately we might escape that dreadful ending and be forgiven. Yet the story does not stop there, because his death was not the end; three days later he rose again, and his resurrection (as witnessed by so many of his friends) was the proof that new life was possible for all who put their faith and trust in him, not just in this world but the next, just as he had promised. Therefore – we have hope! A hope that is reflected in the fact that Jesus described himself as being ‘the light of the world’. So, whatever your circumstance, whether it be joyful or sad, hold on to this hope – and light your candles, light up your Christmas trees, and plug in your candle arches as we celebrate our eternal Christmas hope together.

May God bless you all this Christmas and be with you throughout the new year.

“I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8.12

Remembrance Sunday – Are we in danger of forgetting?

Later this month we will be observing Remembrance Sunday, the annual occasion when we as a nation can come together to mark and remember with gratitude all those who gave their lives serving their country throughout two world wars and other conflicts. This simple act of remembrance is supposed to encourage us to strive for peace as we appreciate the incredible cost of war and the damage that it does to all concerned. Yet it seems as if the world in which we live is more fragile than ever, not only in terms of the environment marked by the COP26 climate conference, but by the volatile nature of world relations. Although we may have got used to the almost routine launching of missiles by North Korea over the seas of South Korea, the world was shocked by the belief that China had launched a hypersonic missile that flew around the world at five times the speed of sound. Senator Lindsey Graham said, “If in fact, the Chinese have developed a hypersonic missile that can deliver a nuclear weapon, it’s a military game-changer when it comes to nuclear forces – God help us all”. “We have no idea how they did this,” another US intelligence official is quoted as saying. Despite the fact that the Chinese may simply be developing their space technology and that respective nations are still seeking investment and wishing ‘to do business’ with China, the International Institute for Strategic Studies has concluded that its global ambitions are clear, for in terms of tonnage, China has launched more submarines and warships than any other nation, equivalent to the entire Royal Navy every four years.

And yet, as recent events in Afghanistan remind us, military take overs by dictatorial regimes do not always lead to greater freedoms, security, prosperity or peace. We seem to be in danger of forgetting ourselves and the terrible cost of war and hostility. Surely, the heart of the problem is the problem of the human heart! – especially when people, countries and nations seek to manipulate, gain control and take advantage of those around them. The Christian will be mindful of the words of Jesus, who reminded the crowds that “out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts, .. theft, murder, .. greed, .. arrogance and folly” (Mark 9.21-22). The recent death of Sir David Amess was a tragedy, but his family were absolutely right when they called for a change of heart. “Our hearts are shattered,” they said. “We ask people to set aside their differences and show kindness and love to all”. Jesus had said something similar when he had commanded his disciples “to love each other as I have loved you” (John 15.9). Loving like this requires a real change of heart, mind and perspective; one that does not seek to simply better oneself, but puts the other person first so that collectively we might all live better lives of freedom, love, joy and peace. These are the goals, values and ambitions that we should strive for and those that previous generations fought so hard to protect at great cost. So let us all take a moment to come together this Remembrance Sunday – ‘lest we forget’.

Be careful … that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Deuteronomy 4.9

Afghanistan – A Story of Broken Hopes, Promises and Dreams

As I write this letter the Afghan city of Kabul has fallen; there are chaotic scenes at Kabul airport, as both US and UK governments desperately fly in to rescue and retrieve their respective citizens and those Afghans who have worked with them. Despite billions of pounds and dollars being spent on building up the Afghan army (and numerous lives lost), the whole thing has collapsed like ‘a pack of cards’ and Western governments have been left reeling at the speed at which the Taliban have conquered the country. The Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, called the BBC’s Yalda Hakim live on air to “assure the people of Afghanistan, particularly in the city of Kabul, that their properties, their lives are safe – there will be no revenge on anyone”. This was of little comfort to the people on the ground who were clinging to the sides of aircraft in order to escape. Neither did it sit well with simultaneous reports received by the United Nations Security Council of mass killings and mounting human rights violations against women.

Twenty years ago, following the 9/11 attacks on New York and Washington, things had been very different. The anti-Taliban forces of Afghanistan’s Northern Alliance with the backing of the US and other Western nations had pushed the Taliban out of Kabul and were gaining the upper hand over Osama Bin Laden and his al-Qaeda movement. With this advance came political and social progress; businesses were allowed to prosper and flourish; girls and young women were able to study by going to school and university; and democratic processes became a part of electing governments. None of these things were perfect, but they were like a breath of fresh air to those who experienced them. Unfortunately, President Trump’s desire to ‘bring troops home’ and have a foreign policy success which would appeal to voters at home, has led him and his successor President Biden to make decisions that are disastrous for Afghanistan and arguably for western nations as well. The Bible encourages Christians to be as ‘wise as serpents and as innocent as doves’ when living amongst wolves (Matthew 10.16). Unfortunately, not a lot of wisdom was shown here, as we were really ‘blind as a bat’ in this case, only seeing what we wanted to see rather than what was the potential reality. This is a dark day for US/UK foreign policy as our credibility is shot to pieces; we can only hope that we have learnt our lessons.

However, there may still be a glimmer of hope, that God will work in the hearts and lives of all those who have experienced a better way of life and freedom, that one day they will encourage their society to turn their back on all the things which harm, impede, pull down and destroy and reach out for something better. Let’s pray that this may be so.

Dare we Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem?

“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem … may there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels” (Psalm 122.6-7). Yet it is with great sadness that we see anything but peace and security in Jerusalem at the present time as conflict increases – at the time of writing it is believed that 213 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza with 12 on the Israeli side. As Hamas fires more rockets into Israel, and as Israel prepares another night of ‘intensive’ strikes against Hamas’s network of underground tunnels, President Biden joins calls for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian militants – and yet this seems like a forlorn hope as most commentators know that Israel will always defend itself whenever it is attacked, whereas Hamas sees the Israelis as an oppressive occupying force and has threatened to continue firing rockets into Israel for months. But assuming peace was possible – what should it look like, and what should we pray for?

For many years, successive American administrations have favoured a two state solution, but this vision has been constantly hampered by the frequent building of Israeli settlements in disputed sectors, and more recently by President Trump’s decision to move the American Embassy to Jerusalem, implicitly recognising Jerusalem to be ‘Israel’s undivided capital’. This has upset Palestinians who want East Jerusalem to be their capital of any future state. This was the backdrop to the current crisis which was sparked off when Israeli forces stormed the Al-Aqsa Mosque to quell Palestinian rioters who were using the sacred site to store rocks and fireworks to throw at Israeli officers.

This rapid escalation of violence has confirmed for many the view that a two state solution is now impossible, and yet the ‘winner takes all’ mentality of both Muslim and Jew will only lead to even more violence, pain and suffering – so, how should we pray?

Well, perhaps Christians have something to offer here! Judaism, Christianity and Islam are all Abrahamic faiths, believing that God gave the land to Abraham and his descendants, but if you only look at the land purely through the eyes of the ‘Old Testament’, you might understandably perceive this ‘giving’ to be a ‘right’ (and therefore something to be fought over), but the Christian doesn’t just see this story through an ‘Old Testament’ lens but a ‘New Testament’ one as well. Viewed through this lens, the Christian understands that the giving of the land was not a right nor an end in itself ‘lasting forever’, but a ‘temporary’ gift through which the love of God would ultimately be revealed, as it was – in Jesus! For ‘in Christ’, God’s love for the world was not only revealed to Jews, but also to every nation and tribe in the world. It is therefore no coincidence that Jesus’ statement ‘blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness’ is immediately followed by ‘blessed are the peacemakers’. So incredible as it may sound, and as difficult as it may be, perhaps we should not be working towards a two state solution, but praying for a one state solution, where all those who hunger and thirst for righteousness can also learn to live, love and respect one another. Surely it is only in this way that we can truly pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it. Psalm 24.1

Our Churches are Open – And You’re Invited!

I’m delighted to be able to say that our churches will be open from the first Sunday in May (2^nd) and you are all warmly invited. It can be difficult to explain to people who don’t come to church why those of us who do find it so immensely valuable and rewarding – after all it’s not a perfect institution and neither are we, the people who attend, and yet despite its weaknesses and imperfections it provides us all with a sense of common faith and community which can be very warm, very uplifting, very engaging and supportive, even in the most difficult and darkest of times.

The church of course is a ‘religious institution’ but it is also so much more than this – it is a family, a fellowship and a community of faith built around the concept that we are all children of a loving God, who despite our failings demonstrates his loving concern through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Perhaps these ‘religious phrases’ are a mystery to those who have no concept of them or don’t really understand their significance, but faith comes from hearing, which leads to understanding – maybe not all at once, but over a period of time, perhaps by hearing a bible passage being read, a sermon being proclaimed, a prayer being uttered, a song being sung, a liturgical phrase being said, a conversation with a Christian friend or a quiet moment of contemplation. In our busy, modern, chaotic world, many people just don’t give themselves this opportunity when in fact, it may be the very thing that helps to lift and sustain them.

During the past year, the coronavirus has had a huge impact upon us, and many folk have either lost loved ones, or experienced a change in their circumstances. Thankfully, as we come out of lockdown it looks like things may be getting back to normal, but what sort of normal do we want? Today is a perfect moment for us to think, reflect and reset our lives, and who knows? Maybe a visit to church will help you to do that!

During the past year, many of us have benefitted from our online services and prayer meetings, but they are no substitute for the loving fellowship that we experience when we come together, and we would be delighted if you would join us!

(But please bring a mask!)

The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song. Psalm 28.7

Easter – A New Day Dawning!

There is no doubt that this past year has been a very difficult time for us all, and for those who have sadly lost loved ones it will be a year which they will never forget. Although no one would pretend that the government has got everything right when it comes to the coronavirus pandemic, it’s roll out of the vaccination program with nearly 25 million people receiving their 1^st dose of the vaccine as I write this letter, has been well received and applauded. This wonderful progress gives us all a sense of hope, that there is indeed ‘light at the end of tunnel’ and that hopefully one day soon our lives will be more like normal. Which is why the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccine in at least 13 countries across Europe seems strange. Fears that the vaccine may cause blood clots has prompted the EU to follow ‘the cautious principle’ and restricts its distribution until they are confident that it is safe to do so, despite the fact that both the World Health Organisation and indeed Europe’s own European Medicines Agency has consistently said that there is no evidence that the AstraZenica vaccine is unsafe, and with only 40 suspected cases of blood clotting being reported out of a distribution pool of 17 million, the rate is less than that you might expect to find in the population generally. With many scientists feeling baffled as this development, the general conclusion is that this move is more politically motivated than data driven.

But of course, any delay in vaccine distribution has the potential to sadly cause more suffering and death.

However, this sense of jumping to a conclusion without due consideration of the evidence is precisely how many people behave when it comes to thinking about Easter. They like the trappings of being with family and friends (in normal times) as we move into Spring and the Easter holidays, complete with chocolate treats and Easter eggs, but they don’t give any more serious thought to the significance of Easter than they do the ‘Easter bunny’! But this is a shame, because, if they were to really consider the Easter story, and contemplate the significance of the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, They would discover that not only is there a compelling case for Jesus to be the Son of God and the Saviour of the World, where the ‘facts’ speak for themselves, but the debate is much more significant, lively and robust that they would imagine. In fact, it’s life changing and life-giving! For you see, at the heart of the Christian gospel is the ‘Easter story’ which brings light into the darkness, life over death, and hope where there is despair. For many it would seem ludicrous to pass over the hope of a life-giving vaccine simply because one had been failed to give due weight to the evidence or come to it with some form of unfounded prejudice. It’s my hope that you won’t treat the Gospel story with the same distain, but allow a new day to dawn in your heart as you consider the evidence, ask all the right questions and come to it fresh and with an open mind.

May I take this opportunity to wish you all a Happy Easter.

Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. John 20.8

Will the Church Survive the Coronavirus Challenge?

The challenges of the past year have indeed been heavy and obvious – apart from the terrible loss of life caused by the coronavirus and the pain felt by grief-stricken families, we are all aware of the immense stresses and strains that have been placed upon other sectors of society, ranging from the NHS and schools, and through to the economy. But recently people’s thoughts and attention were directed by various news articles and items to the state of ‘the church’. This is because the church, like the rest of society, was strongly encouraged to ‘stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.’ With a natural concern for their communities and indeed their congregations, many of whom are elderly and vulnerable, the church wanted to do the right thing and protect its members. Unfortunately, this meant that the public ‘face’ of the church was strongly curtailed, as many churches felt obliged to close their churches for public worship, and numbers for weddings and funerals were heavily restricted. In many ways this posed a serious challenge, as many usual church activities, home, fellowship & prayer groups, lunch clubs and school activities came to a halt, and along with it all the usual fund-raising activities. However, surprisingly, for churches here within the Necton Benefice, we have managed to provide a pre-recorded online service every week since last March which has been very well received, with folk who aren’t online able to request a DVD or audio CD. Parochial Church Council meetings have continued via Zoom, and most wonderfully people have continued to meet, support and pray with and for each other and their communities weekly by Zoom since last March, which has been a great source of fellowship and encouragement. However, churches across the benefice have seen a drop in their financial income because of the pandemic, and this is true both at diocesan and national levels as well, leading to press speculation that the church is in decline and will find it hard to survive post pandemic. When articles such as the one that appeared in the Church Times (4^th December 2020) report that Chelmsford Diocese had formally proposed to cut 61 stipendiary clergy post by the end of this year, it is clear that the national Church is having to ask itself some difficult questions, prompting The Spectator (6^th February 2021) to ask whether the Church of England would become a ‘Holy Relic’ post-pandemic. This led to a spirited response by both the Archbishops of Canterbury and York (Justin Welby and Stephen Cottrell) in the next issue, who whilst acknowledging the financial difficulties of the current situation, rightly reminded the reader how its priests have buried the dead, comforted the bereaved and both prayerfully and pastorally supported families throughout this pandemic. Yes, the times are changing, and no doubt the parochial system as we have known it will have to change too, and some stipendiary posts will be lost, but the church is not dead, nor dying. There have been more people turning to God and finding faith in Jesus Christ than ever before. “This year, we have seen the biggest rise in ordained and lay vocations for a quarter of a century,” the Archbishops said – which of course neatly reminds us of the church’s greatest asset and ‘not so secret weapon’ which is of course it’s laity. The church is not a building or even a collection of buildings – it’s people, a people who together do not simply put their faith in mere structures or some lauded institution, but in God and his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

So, will the church survive the coronavirus challenge? Yes, of course by the grace of God and with your help!

“I long to see you … so that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith.” Romans 1.11-12

Christmas lights, Candle Arches, Comfort and Joy

This year, Christmas is going to look and feel very different to others. Although the vast majority of us will no doubt do our best to enjoy the festivities (especially now that university students will be able to return home), for some it will be a sad and painful experience as they contemplate Christmas without loved ones who have sadly died during the year because of the coronavirus or other associated issues. Which is why the Church of England’s Christmas campaign ‘Comfort and Joy’ is so aptly named, because although the title comes from the traditional Christmas carol ‘God rest ye merry gentlemen’, its essence is to be found in the Bible which speaks of a God who so loved the world that he was prepared to step into it, in the person of Jesus Christ. The baby born at Bethlehem was therefore God’s one true light, ‘the light of the world’ (John 8.12) who shines not only into the darkness of our world, but also our hearts and minds, and brings us life – life in all its fulness (John 10.10). This comes as no real surprise to the believer because as John so wonderfully reminds us in his Gospel, ‘in him was life and that life was the light of men’ (John 1.4). The nativity story therefore reminds us that however dark the world might be, God still loves and cares for us. It is this knowledge that the Bible describes as good news and which provides us with so much ‘comfort, hope and joy’ as we celebrate the fact that in Christ, God is with us.

The ancient Jew also believed that God was with them, for deep within the Temple there was the menorah, a golden lamp with seven branches which burned oil from evening to morning. Although several of the outer branches were allowed to burn out, the central branch was always kept alight as a symbol of God’s presence.

I know that many people like to celebrate Christmas by decorating their houses with Christmas lights and decorations, but in this most particular, peculiar and stressful of years, I would like to encourage as many people as possible to place a ‘candle arch’ in their windows, as a little act of prayer and blessing for their neighbours, families and friends, to remind us all that although this Christmas period may be different – the meaning of Christmas is still the same – that God is with us.

May I take this opportunity on behalf of my family and the parishes I represent, to wish you all a very Happy Christmas (full of comfort and joy) and a peaceful (coronavirus free) New Year.

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” Luke 2.14

The Battle For Britain – Body, Mind And Soul!

“Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few” said the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill on the 20^th August 1940; a momentous speech that has gone down in history as capturing the essence of the British struggle against the German Luftwaffe during that period known as ‘The Battle of Britain’ (chiefly from the 10^th July – 15^th September 1940, although ‘The Blitz’ continued until the end of October). The battle was significant because it was the first battle to be conducted solely in the air and the only battle to have ever taken place in the skies of England. The Prime Minister’s words were of course spoken at a time when it wasn’t clear what the outcome would be, but now 80 years on we can all give thanks that they prevailed and gratefully remember the huge debt this nation owes to the bravery of the nearly 3000 British, Czech and Polish airmen of the Royal Air Force who fought during the Battle of Britain of whom only around half survived. Their average age being only 22. Although this article concentrates on the RAF and the airmen Winston Churchill referred to as ‘The Few’ it would be wrong to forget the soldiers and sailors who took part in so many other battles around the world during the First and Second World Wars, and other subsequent conflicts defending the nation. Nor should we forget the support given by so many others in so many various auxiliary and supportive positions (including that of family and friends) – and in this particular instance the thousands of volunteer plane spotters whose vigilance, alongside radar, gave us advanced warning of German air attacks. Naturally, Churchill was right to say that ‘never … was so much owed by so many to so few’, but equally ‘the few’ depended upon the efforts of ‘the many’ to keep them airborne with the best possible fighting chance. The nation was at war and they were in it together.

Once again, we are today at war, facing a period of great fear, upheaval and uncertainty – but this time our ‘enemy’ is largely hidden and unseen; and depending upon where we live, the threat against us may be ‘medium’, ‘high’ or ‘very high’. Once again we rely upon ‘the few’, doctors, nurses, medical staff and care workers to keep us safe and alive, but in this ‘battle for Britain’, we all have a part to play, and whether we be young or old, we all have a collective and individual responsibility to be vigilant and diligent, playing our part to keep one another safe. We are in this battle together!

In this period of difficulty and uncertainty, it’s only too easy to become anxious, fearful and depressed, but actually we have a great deal of power. We can defeat this virus if we choose to do the right things and obey the rules. ‘Love’ they say, ‘makes the world go around’, but the Christian will know that the greatest source of love is actually God himself, who ‘so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life’ (John 3.16). The tremendous thing about God’s love is that regardless of the circumstances, whether they be good or bad (and whether we feel it or not), God’s love is constant and totally reliable. ‘Never will I leave you nor forsake you’ he says in Hebrews 13.5 which can be a great comfort to us all, and especially to those who feel lonely, anxious or afraid. So as we pay our tributes and respects this Remembrance Sunday, let us not lose heart but be inspired by those who gave so much for us and with God’s help do our best to faithfully follow their example and win this new battle – together!

… faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

Hebrews 11.1