The pain of passivity

This is a guest blog for Good Friday by Dr. Sarah Dunlop.

Jesus was a man of action. Throughout the Gospels we see him calling people to follow him. In order for the disciples to leave everything behind there must have been something about the energy and force of Jesus’ personality that compelled them to follow him.

The verbs that describe his activities are active – he heals, preaches, prays and goes here and there. If ever there was a man with a mission, it is Jesus.

But then the account of the passion begins and everything changes. The verbs are passive. Instead of being the initiator of the events around him, everything happens to him. He is arrested, led away, chained, flogged, interrogated, executed.

What was it like for someone of action to find themselves in such a passive role? Submitting to these outside forces must have been humiliating and painful.

My husband and I find ourselves in a situation characterised by forced passivity. Our second child is due in about a week’s time. But over the last few days I’ve had contractions that start small and then grow in frequency and intensity. It sends us into a state of nervous anticipation. “Is the baby coming now? Should we make plans to go to the hospital?” But then the contractions fade and life progresses as normal.  This situation leaves us feeling we have no control over our daily lives. Should we even make plans? We are left at the mercy of my body and the baby inside – just waiting until it is the right time for true labour contractions to start. Until then, we wait.

In the midst of this uncertainty, I draw comfort from knowing that God is control. He designed the human body this way and he is watching over us. I trust that he will bring this baby into this world at precisely the right time. Until then, I submit myself to his timing. And soon, when we enter the hospital, I imagine I will be subjected to the delights of forced passivity at the hand of the midwives and doctors. “Wait here. Lay here. We’re taking your blood. Giving you a jab.”

Why will I submit myself to this? Because of new life. The new baby will join our family soon – once we were three, now we will be four. Astounding!

And far more profoundly, this is why Jesus subjected himself to the indignity of a trial, beatings and execution. He too submitted his will to the Father and accepted what came to him. All this so that he could defeat death and bring new life – his own resurrected life and new life for all of humanity who turn to him.

Sarah Dunlop is visiting Research Associate at Kings College London, and a visiting tutor at Ripon College, Cuddesdon. Her ground breaking qualitative research uses the visual to unearth spiritual beliefs and has resulted in exhibitions at the Catholic Cathedral of St. Mary and St. Boniface, Plymouth, King’s College, London, and Greenbelt Festival in 2011. She is the author of one book, Visualising Hope, published in 2008.

Barnsley defender Bobby Hassell on his faith.

Barnsley defender Bobby Hassell talks about his Christian faith with Inspire magazine. He became a Christian in 2009 after saying that he felt empty inside, despite a good marriage and football career.

I started praying again [after about 5 years] and reading the Bible again, and six weeks later I told God that if he was real I wanted him to be a part of my life. Two days later the chaplain came into the club and said he was doing a Bible study and I went. I began to understand Jesus and realised that being a Christian isn’t about having a boring life but about living life and living it abundantly, as Jesus said. I had sudden peace come over me and I can’t explain the joy and freedom I felt.

I have always had a horrendous temper and everyone thought I would end up in prison when I was younger. But that aggression went instantly – it had to have been God.”

Praying for Fabrice Muamba

On Saturday I was at a training day with other pioneer ministers and the speaker said something which resonated:

One of the best things you can do for those who aren’t Christians is to teach them how to pray. Most people want to, but aren’t sure how.

On Saturday evening and through Sunday the truth of this statement became evident. People were wanting to pray.

In the forty-first minute of an FA Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur on Saturday 17th March, 23-year-old Bolton footballer Fabrice Muamba collapsed to the ground with no-one around him. It was immediately apparent that something serious had happened. The game stopped, later to be abandoned, as emergency medical staff ran onto the pitch. He had suffered cardiac arrest. The other played looked onwards. The Spurs player Rafael van der Vaart fell to his knees and started praying whilst a defibrillator was used to try to restart Muamba’s heart. One cardiologist who was at the game as a fan ran onto the pitch to assist. This doctor accompanied Muamba, Bolton manager Owen Coyle, club captain Kevin Davies and the Bolton and Spurs medical staff to the London Chest Hospital where his treatment continued.

At about the same time the twittersphere heard about the news and quickly a #pray4Muamba hashtag began spreading. People began praying. The family of Fabrice asked people to pray. Owen Coyle, a Christian, requested that people “keep him in their prayers“. The following day the Chelsea player Gary Cahill who is a former team-mate of Muamba at Bolton celebrated his goal after scoring by lifting up his shirt and revealing a t-shirt displaying the words “Pray 4 Muamba”. The twitter trend continued.

On Monday, British newspaper The Sun ran the headline “God is in control” in bold on the front page of both their print and online editions, quoting Muamba’s fiancé. The following day the London free paper Metro ran with “Your prayers are working“. That evening entire Sunderland and Blackburn teams displayed similar messages on t-shirts during their warm-up. Prayer and god was in the headlines in ways not usually seen in the UK.

We later learned that Muamba’s heart had arrested, the defibrillator was used 15 times to get his heart beating again – he had been effectively dead for 78 minutes before his heart started beating again without help. Peter Ould has done a bit of research and determined that the time Muamba’s heart started beating on its own again coincided with the peak usage of the twitter hashtag #pray4Muamba.

Since Saturday, Muamba has begun making a remarkable recovery. The consultant cardiologist, Dr Andrew Deaner who ran onto the pitch and accompanied his treatment said:

 ”If I was ever going to use the term miraculous it could be used here. He has made a remarkable recovery so far.”

Prayer was being talked about in the public sphere. People who don’t usually pray were praying.

Since Saturday, fans have also been turning up at the Reebok Stadium (Bolton) and White Hart Lane (Spurs) to lay flowers, cards, and shirts bearing messages of support. A minutes applause has also been given for Muamba before each premiership game since. As I watched this it struck me that these were the same rituals that football uses when commemorating the life of a player after his death. Fabrice Muamba was still, and is still alive. Surely we should have different rituals for those who are sick and ill?

People were talking about prayer and people are praying, which is great. But one thing is missing, one thing that I believe would make the rituals of ‘hoping he makes a recovery’ deeper, and that is public prayer. Why not, before each premiership match, lead the crowd in one succinct and to-the-point communal prayer, as they do before many sports events in the US? The prayer of the chaplain could then become the prayers of the people, if they want. He gives the words to use, he helps them to pray. Would this not offer the kind of communal concern that people seem to be after – one that is not indistinguishable from the rituals used in football for commemorating of the dead?

People want to pray, but often they do not know how to pray. Public corporate prayer may help those who struggle to find the word for themselves to resonate with the words of another, and maybe to start to form those prayer for themselves.

What’s in your hand? Rick Warren

Rick Warren is the author of the book, The Purpose Drive Life, which has sold over 25 million copies in the US alone and many more worldwide and which has been translated into over 50 languages. Here, he speaks to the TED conference about wealth, fame and happiness:

Christ in the present

 As Jesus was encountered, and missed or recognised then, so he may be encountered, and missed or recognised now, in the faces of the people we meet and even in ourselves, carriers of the signs of Christ’s presence. So look again at the crazy guy on the street, listen to the young student in the class, talk with the elderly woman at the bus stop, hear the excited kids and the playground. Christ may not be far from here.

Ian Adams in Cave Refectory Road

Rob bell on the creative process

Notes from Rob Bell’s talk on the creative process at Greenbelt Festival. Brackets are mine.

Creativity starts with how you see the world
1. God is already present – first assumption. At every time you’re on holy ground learn to observe.
2. Capture the moment remember. Write things down. Take note. Take a photo.
Turn your edit button off until the thing is written/ or out of the brain. Get it out first then edit.
It nay be rubbish but unless you get it out you’ll never know.
3. You make stuff because you have to, they’re in you. (passion and need?). Youdfont have control over how it is received. The reward is not that it is received well but that you were able to create it. (God given creativity accomplished)
4. creativity is exhausting. That’s ok and it is a cost of creativity. Take a break if or when ideas don’t come.

Questions. Creativity doesn’t have to be written or artistic. Could be organisational. (Just following spirit really)

I did then ask a question about church-planting, and, in particular how he planted his church, but he didn’t really expand on the beginnings of his church any more than he did in Velvet Elvis – namely, that he was an associate pastor in another church and a group of them thought there was a need for a church plant. They were offered the use of warehouse building for the rent of $1 a year, and five weeks later they began. Velvet Elvis says that on the first week nearly 1000 people turned up. I was a little disappointed that he didn’t go into more detail on what happened in those 5 weeks.

The BHA need to understand some basic things about the census

The British Humanist Association is once again getting its knickers in a twist over the wording of the religion question on the UK Census 2011 – the question is optional. They need to understand the difference between religious affiliation and religious practice and to get used to the fact that religion is not about to be made extinct.

From the BBC today

The BHA has [once again!] complained the wording of the optional census question about religion encourages people to wrongly identify themselves as believers.

…

He said: “This poll is further evidence for a key message of the Census Campaign – that the data produced by the census, used by local and national government as if it indicates religious belief and belonging, is in fact highly misleading.

Misleading? Or is it? How about we ask the people who wrote the question…

The Office for National Statistics has defended the wording of the religion question.

A spokesman told the BBC: “The religion question measures the number of people who self-identify an affiliation with a religion, irrespective of the extent of their religious belief or practice.”

via BBC News – Many people ‘are not religious’, suggests survey.

Ah, that’s what the question is about. All sorted then.

The Hallelujah Chorus – God Reigns Everywhere.

And He shall reign… in the food court

in the department store…

… and everywhere.

I love these flash mobs and random acts of culture as they declare the truth that God’s power, influence and sovereignty are not limited to church buildings or Christian experiences, but he rules over all things, everywhere, in every aspect of life. The food court example is especially powerful. God Reigns Everywhere!

Hallelujah!
For our Lord God Almighty reigns.
Let us rejoice and be glad
and give him glory! (Rev 19:6-7)

The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah,
and he will reign for ever and ever. (Rev 11:15)

The KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS (Rev 19:16)

John Wesley on being a Christian

In sermon 14 (from the 144 sermons)* Wesley nicely sums up the life and attitudes of being a Christian. Under the title “what is it to be born of God” Wesley uses the structure of faith, hope and love from 1 Corinthians 13, but taking a lot of his material from Romans 5-8.

What is it to be born of God? Such, if the appeal be made to the oracles of God, is “every one that is born of the Spirit.” This it is, in the judgment of the Spirit of God, to be a son or a child of God: It is, so to believe in God, through Christ, as “not to commit sin,” and to enjoy at all times, and in all places, that “peace of God which passeth all understanding.” It is, so to hope in God through the Son of his love, as to have not only the “testimony of a good conscience,” but also the Spirit of God “bearing witness with your spirits, that ye are the children of God;” whence cannot but spring the rejoicing in Him, through whom ye “have received the atonement.” It is, so to love God, who hath thus loved you, as you never did love any creature: So that ye are constrained to love all men as yourselves; with a love not only ever burning in your hearts, but flaming out in all your actions and conversations, and making your whole life one “labour of love,” one continued obedience to those commands, “Be ye merciful, as God is merciful;” “Be ye holy, as I the Lord am holy:” “Be ye perfect, as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (XIV.iv.1)

So, he says, you are born of god if you demonstrate (inwardly) these things: Faith in the death of Christ revealling itself in a humility before God and a peace with him; Hope in what God is doing and will do; and love for oneself, for God’s creation and for all around. These things, he claims, go to the heart and cannot simply be kept by following a few commandments. They demand that we continually come back to God, as his children, to re-receive God’s blessings.

May every one who prepareth his heart yet again to seek thy face, receive again that Spirit of adoption, and cry out, “Abba, Father!” Let him now again have power so to believe in thy name as to become a child of God; as to know and feel he hath “redemption in thy blood, even the forgiveness of sins;” and that he “cannot commit sin, because he is born of God.” Let him be now “begotten again unto a living hope,” so as to “purify himself as thou art pure;” and “because he is a son,” let the Spirit of love and of glory rest upon him, cleansing him “from all filthiness of flesh and spirit,” and teaching him to “perfect holiness in the fear of God!” (XIV.iv.5)

In other words, come to Jesus every day to renew our love and commitment to him.

* (In my copy, published by Epworth 1944, 23rd edition 2009, this is listed as sermon 14. ON the United Methodist global ministries website, it is listed as sermon 18. I don’t know why the numbering is different.)

Today’s underlying spirituality

I came across a quote from Caitlin Morgan in the Times from a while back (1st May 2006). She was discussing the default underlying belief system of those who say they have no faith…

“Talk to people under 50 and they all, by and large, have a religion: a consistent, recognisable set of beliefs. It’s just that it doesn’t have a name yet. It usually consists of a selection of the following: doing yoga; believing in reincarnation and karma, bit also heaven, so Nan as an and your dogs are there too; watching carols from Kin’s at Christmas; using recycled lee roll; intending to read the Koran at some point; knowing quite a lot of the score of Jesus Christ Superstar; a vague affinity with dolphins; trying not to use the word “spaz” any more; reading The Road Less Travelled; buying joss-sticks; considering colonic irrigation and/or fasting; looking for symbols of the rose on churches since reading The Da Vinci Code, buying make up not tested on animals (apart from Touche Eclat, because Boots Naturals just don’t do an equivalent); getting a bicycle; buying Fair-trade; occasionally wishing you were Jewish; never going to McDonald’s; sponsoring a child in the Third World; listening to the Bet of Cat Stevens; liking Shaker-style quilts; and not believing in a man up there with a white beard, but definitely believing that there’s some kind of global conscience, yeah”

All in all, it is a very ‘feel good’ system which doesn’t’ stand up to scrutiny but people like to believe in anyway. Just think of the finale of the TV series Lost for a demonstration of such a feel good view of heaven where you are surrounded simply by the people you love.