The upside-down kingdom

Here's the reflection that I shared in today's Eucharist at St Andrew's Wickford:

In 1997 guests at Spring Harvest, an annual teaching and worship event, created a set of alternative beatitudes, which read as follows:

Blessed are the wealthy, because there is the Dow Jones index. 

Blessed are those who enjoy a good party, for they will drown their sorrows.
Blessed are the assertive, for they will get to the top of their career.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after chemical stimulation, for designer drugs are more widely available with every passing year.
Blessed are the ruthless, because no one will get in their way.
Blessed are the cold of heart, for they won’t get hurt when relationships break down.
Blessed are those who are involved in the arms trade, for theirs are the best deals in developing nations.
Blessed are the directors of privatised utilities, for theirs are the fat cat bonuses.

(created by Spring Harvest guests, 1997, compiled by Rob Warner)

That was a set of beatitudes for our times, a set of beatitudes which are the complete reverse of those which Jesus gave us (Luke 6.20-26). Wealth replacing poverty, partying replacing mourning, assertion replacing meekness. That is the way of the world. That is the way we are told to live today. It is the way of selfishness not the way of saintliness and Jesus calls us to something different. He calls to live as saints.

Jesus’ radical heartbeat can be sensed in every word of the Sermon on the Mount. The core of the sermon is a call for God’s people to be entirely different. One writer identifies the key text of the sermon to be Matthew 6: 8, “Do not be like them.” Like lights set on stands (Matthew 5:14), like flavourful salt (Matthew 5:13) or like saints, the children of God are not to take their cue from the people around them but from God, and to be known by their radical lifestyle.

Some of the greatest examples of the call to be different are found in the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes give us a sense of the radical kingdom lifestyle that Jesus calls us to. It is as if Jesus has crept into the window display of life and changed the price tags. It is all upside down. In a world where ‘success’ and ‘self-sufficiency’ are applauded, and ‘the beautiful people’ are ambitious, accomplished and wealthy, Jesus teaches: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Our culture encourages us to discard guilt and the sorrow that accompanies pangs of conscience. Happiness is everything, entertainment is king but Jesus teaches: “Blessed are those who mourn.” In our competitive world, self-help seminars teach assertiveness and power is to be sought and used but Jesus teaches “Blessed are the meek.”

Donald Kraybill writing about this upside down kingdom says: “Jesus startles us … good guys turn out to be bad guys. Those we expect to receive the reward get a spanking instead. Those who think they are headed for heaven land in hell. Paradox, irony and surprise permeate the teachings of Jesus. They flip our expectations upside down. The least are the greatest. The immoral receive forgiveness and blessing. Adults become like children. The religious miss the heavenly banquet. The pious receive curses. Things aren’t like we think they should be. We’re baffled and perplexed. Amazed we step back. Should we laugh or should we cry? Again and again, turning our world upside down, the kingdom surprises us.”

The difference that Jesus highlights, David Oliver and Howard Snyder argue, is between Church people and Kingdom people. Kingdom people seek first the kingdom of God and its justice. Church people often put church work above work, above concerns of justice, mercy and truth. In the church business people are concerned with church activities, religious behaviour and spiritual things. In the kingdom business, people are concerned with kingdom activities, all human behaviour and everything which God has made, visible and invisible. Church people don’t usually like parties, alcohol or bad people. The King of the kingdom liked all three. When Christians put the church ahead of the kingdom, they settle for meetings and spend increasing amounts of time with the same people. When they catch a vision of the kingdom of God, their sight shifts to the poor, the orphan, the widow, the refugee, the wretched of the earth, and to God’s people. They also see with real insight and fresh vision the stressed, the fearful, the hopeless at work and both their heart and time reach out. If the church has one great need, it is this – to be set free, for the kingdom of God, to be set free to become relevant exactly as God intended.

We are called to be kingdom people, called to be saints who act out the upside-down values of the kingdom in all of our life and work. God calls us to turn our backs on the kingdoms of this world and simply maintaining the churches and piety of this world and to embrace an upside-down home. How will we respond?

Based on King of the Hill, Spring Harvest 2001 Study Guide by Jeff Lucas

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Delerious? - Love Will Find A Way.

In the world, but not of it

Here is my reflection from today's Choral Eucharist at St Martin-in-the-Fields:

Jesus prayed that his followers might be in the world, but not of it (John 17. 11-17). What might he have meant? The following alternative Beatitudes provide one starting point for reflection: 

'Blessed are the wealthy, because there is the Dow Jones index.
Blessed are those who enjoy a good party, for they will drown their sorrows.
Blessed are the assertive, for they will get to the top of their career.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after chemical stimulation, for designer drugs are more widely available with every passing year.
Blessed are the ruthless, because no one will get in their way.
Blessed are the cold of heart, for they won’t get hurt when relationships break down.
Blessed are those who are involved in the arms trade, for theirs are the best deals in developing nations.
Blessed are the directors of privatised utilities, for theirs are the fat cat bonuses.'

(created by Spring Harvest guests, 1997, compiled by Rob Warner)

That was a set of beatitudes for our times, a set of beatitudes which are the complete reverse of those which Jesus gave us. Wealth replacing poverty, partying replacing mourning, assertion replacing meekness; that is the way of the world - the way we are often told to live today. It is the way of selfishness, not the way of saintliness and Jesus calls us to something different. He calls to us to be in the world, but not of it.

Jesus turned the received norms of his culture - his day, his time, his world - upside down. He rejected the temptations of wealth, power and celebrity. He taught that those who were blessed were the poor, the merciful, the persecuted. He reinterpreted the Mosaic Law in unexpected ways. He laid down his life in service of others. He died that others might live. He was in the world, but not of it.

Some of the greatest examples of his call to be different are found in the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes give us a sense of the radical kingdom lifestyle to which we are called by Jesus. It is as if Jesus has crept into the window display of life and changed the price tags. It is all upside down. In a world where ‘success’ and ‘self-sufficiency’ are applauded, and ‘the beautiful people’ are ambitious, accomplished and wealthy, Jesus teaches: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Our culture encourages us to discard guilt and the sorrow that accompanies pangs of conscience. Happiness is everything, entertainment is king but Jesus teaches: “Blessed are those who mourn.” In our competitive world, self-help seminars teach assertiveness and power is to be sought and used but Jesus teaches “Blessed are the meek.”

The Kingdom of God is a place of happiness for those who know they are spiritually poor, a place of comfort for those who mourn, a place of receptivity for those who are humble, a place of satisfaction for those whose greatest desire is to do what God requires, a place of mercy for those who are merciful, a place in which God is seen by the pure in heart, a place in which those who work for peace are called God’s children, and a place which belongs to those who are persecuted because they do what God requires.

So, for Jesus, the world is all that he turned down when he rejected the temptations to accumulate power, wealth and celebrity. When we live life as though its purpose is our personal gain or that of our people or tribe or nation, then we are in the world and of the world. It is when we renounce such claims that we are in the world, but not of it.

Lyrics from a song written for the alternative worship service in West London called grace sum up what it means to live in the world but as though we are not of it. We do this by living counter to the culture, going against the flow, finding new directions because the kingdom of God is upside down.

In today’s world for us here at St Martin’s this may mean praying that our nation comes to find a kinder, gentler way of talking about immigration. But even if it does not, praying that St Martin’s may remain a place of hospitality and belonging to those on whom our society has turned its back. It may mean praying that the UK returns to a place of seeking to become a model of tolerance, diversity, and respect, but even if it does not, praying that St Martin’s continues to be a place that seeks to be a blessing to all in our country. It may mean praying that our democracy discovers a way to vote not in fear and self-interest but in hope and pursuit of the common good, but even if it does not, praying that St Martin’s continues to be a community that judges democracy by how safe it is to find yourself in the minority. It may mean praying that the church in this land will come to be regarded by all as a home for the outcast and a refuge for the least and the lost, but even if it does not, praying that here, at St Martin’s, we continue to worship a God who in Christ is made known in the hungry and the stranger.

Jesus’ prayer for us is not that we will be taken out of the world, but that we can be in the world and yet not belong to the world; that we are in the world, but not of it.

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Grace - God In The House.

Called to be saints

Here is my sermon from Thursday's Eucharist at St Stephen Walbrook (based on King of the Hill, Spring Harvest 2001 Study Guide by Jeff Lucas):

Blessed are the wealthy, because there is the Dow Jones index. Blessed are those who enjoy a good party, for they will drown their sorrows.
Blessed are the assertive, for they will get to the top of their career.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after chemical stimulation, for designer drugs are more widely available with every passing year.
Blessed are the ruthless, because no one will get in their way.
Blessed are the cold of heart, for they won’t get hurt when relationships break down.
Blessed are those who are involved in the arms trade, for theirs are the best deals in developing nations.
Blessed are the directors of privatised utilities, for theirs are the fat cat bonuses.

(created by Spring Harvest guests, 1997, compiled by Rob Warner)

That was a set of beatitudes for our times, a set of beatitudes which are the complete reverse of those which Jesus gave us. Wealth replacing poverty, partying replacing mourning, assertion replacing meekness. That is the way of the world. That is the way we are told to live today. It is the way of selfishness not the way of saintliness and Jesus calls us to something different. He calls to live as saints.Jesus’ radical heartbeat can be sensed in every word of the Sermon on the Mount. The core of the sermon is a call for God’s people to be entirely different. One writer identifies the key text of the sermon to be Matthew 6: 8, “Do not be like them.” Like lights set on stands (Matthew 5:14), like flavourful salt (Matthew 5:13) or like saints, the children of God are not to take their cue from the people around them but from God, and to be known by their radical lifestyle.

Some of the greatest examples of the call to be different are found in the Beatitudes. The Beatitudes give us a sense of the radical kingdom lifestyle that Jesus calls us to. It is as if Jesus has crept into the window display of life and changed the price tags. It is all upside down. In a world where ‘success’ and ‘self-sufficiency’ are applauded, and ‘the beautiful people’ are ambitious, accomplished and wealthy, Jesus teaches: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Our culture encourages us to discard guilt and the sorrow that accompanies pangs of conscience. Happiness is everything, entertainment is king but Jesus teaches: “Blessed are those who mourn.” In our competitive world, self-help seminars teach assertiveness and power is to be sought and used but Jesus teaches “Blessed are the meek.”

Donald Kraybill writing about this upside down kingdom says: “Jesus startles us … good guys turn out to be bad guys. Those we expect to receive the reward get a spanking instead. Those who think they are headed for heaven land in hell. Paradox, irony and surprise permeate the teachings of Jesus. They flip our expectations upside down. The least are the greatest. The immoral receive forgiveness and blessing. Adults become like children. The religious miss the heavenly banquet. The pious receive curses. Things aren’t like we think they should be. We’re baffled and perplexed. Amazed we step back. Should we laugh or should we cry? Again and again, turning our world upside down, the kingdom surprises us.”

The difference that Jesus highlights, David Oliver and Howard Snyder argue, is between Church people and Kingdom people. Kingdom people seek first the kingdom of God and its justice. Church people often put church work above work, above concerns of justice, mercy and truth. In the church business people are concerned with church activities, religious behaviour and spiritual things. In the kingdom business, people are concerned with kingdom activities, all human behaviour and everything which God has made, visible and invisible. Church people don’t usually like parties, alcohol or bad people. The King of the kingdom liked all three. When Christians put the church ahead of the kingdom, they settle for meetings and spend increasing amounts of time with the same people. When they catch a vision of the kingdom of God, their sight shifts to the poor, the orphan, the widow, the refugee, the wretched of the earth, and to God’s people. They also see with real insight and fresh vision the stressed, the fearful, the hopeless at work and both their heart and time reach out. If the church has one great need, it is this – to be set free, for the kingdom of God, to be set free to become relevant exactly as God intended.

We are called to be kingdom people, called to be saints who act out the upside-down values of the kingdom in all of our life and work. God calls us to turn our backs on the kingdoms of this world and simply maintaining the churches and piety of this world and to embrace an upside-down home. How will we respond?

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Jon Foreman - All Of God's Children.

Spring Harvest (3)

A couple more reflections on Spring Harvest from friends can be found here and here:

• "I was pleased to hear the message that we can be real as Christians, allowing ourselves to cry and to laugh, rather than thinking that we need to maintain a facade of being completely sorted."
• "Quote of the week 'It's logical to be eschatological', though it caused those doing sign language a bit of a headache!"

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Chris Tomlin - Everlasting God.

Spring Harvest (2)

I was interested to find that, as in my blog reviewing Spring Harvest, Dave Walker had also noted a number of significant changes at Spring Harvest in his Church Times blog. Walker found a less dogmatic branch of Christianity to the one he remembered from previous visits.

A couple of examples that stuck in his mind included:

• Other religions. When asked about people of other faiths in a 'heaven and hell' question and answer session the reply from the speaker surprised me with its inclusiveness. Something along the lines of "I don't know. But I think God will be more merciful than we expect him to be" (not an actual quote) "We will not regret God's decision" (an actual quote).
• Opinions about hell. Universalism, or at least 'restorative punishment' is mentioned in the Spring Harvest notes as being an alternative to eternal conscious torment or annihilation. Of the three options eternal conscious torment seemed to be the least favoured (so to speak) by the people at the front.
• He felt there was a greater willingness to leave questions unanswered, criticise past failings within the Evangelical movement and allow non-literal understandings of certain Bible passages.

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Gavin Bryars - Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet.

Spring Harvest

Spring Harvest is coming of age. In terms of James Fowler’s Stages of Faith it stands between stages four and five, where what was once unquestioned is now subjected to critical scrutiny and a "bigger picture" is glimpsed which makes room both for mystery and a new sense of justice.

Over the past three years Spring Harvest has been redefining itself through its ongoing theme of One God, One Church and this year, One Hope. As illustration of this ongoing redefinition, here is a selection of things said and done around the Skegness site in Week 3:

• Recognition of hypocrisy within Evangelicalism - “There has been something of the Pharisee about us; we have been protective of our theology and selective in our targets.”
• Revised understandings of scripture i.e. “Scripture is reticent on the mechanics of the atonement but profoundly insistent on its reality”; “Taking the Bible seriously does not mean taking the Bible literally”; and revised understandings of hell ruling out eternal conscious torment.
• Importance of facing issues of inclusivity in the Church i.e. an apology to those people with disabilities who have been told by their church that they don’t have the faith to be healed or that they must have unconfessed sin in their lives because they have not been healed; and stories of being on reality TV alongside a representative of a gay and lesbian group to oppose a fundamentalist group claiming that “God hates fags”.
• Need to be real about faith - “raw and real in prayer”; dangers of self-congratulatory or romantic worship.
• Respect for the great world religions. No ‘no-go’ areas in interfaith, relationships can be built with side by side conversations on issues of the common good and intra-faith conversations on issues of belief.
• The Kingdom of God is about rehumanising the dehumanized and involves God in renewal of the whole world therefore salvation is not just about me and my sins but also about the overthrow of oppression.

Some things, of course, have not changed. Worship remains upbeat, uptempo and uplifting. There are moments of reflection, often when some sort of response is called for, but emotions are quickly lifted or whipped up once again. Dance, drama and painting are also fully utilised in worship with the drama during this week being particularly apposite.

Spring Harvesters continue to love an emotional appeal and, as a result, took to first-time Big Top speaker Andy Caldwell who became so caught up in the passion of the moment that he forgot the third point of his sermon which, as a good Baptist, he had earlier promised to us. No one else seemed to notice or mind, least of all the hundreds who knelt on the creaking boards of the Big Top to renew their sense of astonishment at the Son of God.

Caldwell was clearly being groomed in the standard style for Spring Harvest sermons; the after-dinner sermon which aims to combine humorous anecdotes with punchy bible-based points. Jeff Lucas is the star performer when it comes to the after-dinner sermon and he did not disappoint on the final evening with stories and delivery equivalent to a stand-up comic combined with direct and poignant teaching drawn directly from the passage. In this case, the story of Jesus turning water into wine which afforded great scope for reflecting on humour as a symbol of joy, including a quote from the Pope on the subject.

The Anglican input was particularly marked this year with the Bishop of Willesden, Pete Broadbent, delivering the daily Bible expositions and the Bishop of Durham, Tom Wright, lecturing, preaching and in late night discussion. Pete Broadbent moved rather ploddingly through the Isianic Servant songs and, although he outlined the exilic background of these passages, seemed to miss a trick by choosing not to make the link to the situation of the post-Christendom church. Instead, we were asked to think mainly in terms of other generic experiences of exile like migration or a house move.

Tom Wright, however, was a whirlwind of Biblical connections as he explored the centrality of Christ to creation and the impact of his crucifixion and resurrection on the coming of the Kingdom of God. In his lecture and sermon he gave a vision of a Kingdom that overthrows the oppressors to bring forgiveness and wholeness to all. This vision was received with spontaneous applause but to what extent it was fully grasped was unclear from the late night q&a where the questions asked – Christian political parties, belief in a fiery hell, cremation versus burial - were mainly peripheral to the content of his talks. My question about his use of the five act play as a way of imaging salvation history drew from him an image for the work of the Kingdom which still lies ahead; that of the jazz musician listening deeply to the structure of the music in order to improvise his or her individual contribution.

Wright’s image could stand as an appropriate metaphor for Spring Harvest itself as it seeks to equip the Church in a way that is open, compassionate, humorous, self-deprecating, passionate, transforming, uplifting and evangelical.

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Albert Ayler.

The Harbour Lights

This year’s Spring Harvest introduced me to The Harbour Lights, a band who merge the English folk tradition with a lusciously gentle pop sensibility. Their first album, Leaving Safe Anchorage uses the imagery of sailing to reflect on the challenges of venturing out on the sea of faith.

Biblically, boats feature as a metaphor for the life of faith in the story of Jonah, the Galilee experiences of the disciples and in the journeys of Paul. Celtic-rock bands like Iona have used the voyages of Celtic saints like Brendan for inspiration (see their album Beyond these Shores for example) while Gaelic-rock band Runrig (in ‘Lighthouse’ from the Mara album) picture our lives as being like a shipwreck with the lighthouse of God’s love being our salvation.

For The Harbour Lights the song of the old sea road comes with the turning of the tide calling its hearers to search for Holy Ground. The call to freedom means leaving safe anchorage and praying for the light of God to lead to the distant shore and guide through the rocks that guard the bay. Leaving Safe Anchorage is both an exhilarating call to venture out upon the sea of faith and a whisper of assurance that we will finally be brought safely to the last port of call.

Also at Spring Harvest and drawing on folk roots to find a similar inspiration was Moya Brennan, a pioneer of Celtic-rock as lead singer with Clannad. Her latest album Signature, which tells the story of her life and conversion, charts similar waters to The Harbour Lights as she sings about travelling on a stormy road to reach a place of beauty, hope and encouragement.