Forgetting what lies behind...

The England v Germany fiasco was abysmal. While the country mourns the apparent footballing death of the 'golden generation' we must look now to the future. What of the Euro's in 2012? What of the next World Cup in four years time?

The fact is the curtain has fallen for the likes of Gerrard, Lampard, Joe Cole, John Terry and Gareth Barry. They've had their chance and they've failed to fulfill their potential on the main stage; 2002, 2006 and 2010 all promised much and delivered nothing but disappointment. All of them will be over 30 in 2014. If there were concerns that the team this year was too old it is certainly time to retire the old guard before the next tournament!

Instead, focus on the new players.

In 2014, for the World Cup in Brazil, we could have a team that looks like this:

Joe HART (27)

Micah RICHARDS (26) Michael DAWSON (30) Joleon LESCOTT (31) Leighton BAINES (29)

Aaron LENNON (27) Tom HUDDLESTONE (27) Aashley YOUNG (28)

Wayne ROONEY (28)

Theo WALCOTT (25) Gabriel AGBONLAHOR (27)

With the likes of Shawcross, Milner, Johnson and Bent on the bench there is the makings of a good sqaud; a squad that can be enriched by the next batch of young talent - Jack Wilshire, Jack Rodwell and Danny Wellbeck.

If the England manager begins playing this kind of team now it gives them four years to gel, to learn to play together, to develop the team spirit that was evidently lacking from the current group of talented individuals. Play them through the qualifiers and, hopefully, finals of the European Championships in 2012. Let them feel what it's like to play at a big tournament.

If the current players genuinely want to be a part of the England setup let them play a role similar to David Beckham this year; a mentor, a morale booster, a voice of experience and encouragement.

I reckon this is the way forward. Who's with me?

I don't want to be an England player.

In the aftermath of yet another disappointing world cup for England I, like many other football fans, begin to reflect on what went wrong.

According to some of the leading players the training was perfect, the preparations were perfect, the hotel setup and arrangements were all perfect. So how was it that a group of the best English players failed to play to their full potential? failed to play as a team? failed to live up to the expectation that was put on this 'golden generation'?

The million pound question is surely this: How can our top players have excellent seasons for their clubs and not continue that good form in an England shirt?

The England team that were utterly outplayed and ultimately knocked out of the World Cup by a Germany side that, in all honesty, we should have beaten, featured players that we the key to successful seasons for Chelsea, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa and others. Our strikers alone scored, somewhat ironically, sixty-six goals between them this season for their clubs, and yet the England team managed only 3 (plus that one that was not given).

We didn't even score against Algeria.

This is the inquest that will continue for a long time to come. I don't have all the answers. But one thing I am sure of is that I don't want to be like an 'England player'.

I don't want to be inconsistent.

Whatever role I'm playing, in whatever context and whatever situation I'm in I want to operate with integrity, creativity and passion.

I don't want to give people an opportunity to accuse me of never giving 100% in any area of my life. I don't want people to see a 'club' and 'country' distinction in what I do. I want to play well.

David Beckham remains to this day one of my all time favourite players. He has been criticised in more recent games he has featured in for not being quick enough or being too old. In truth, Beckham has never been particularly quick, at least not compared to Aaron Lennon or Theo Walcott. But Beckham's strength is in his work rate. His passion in an England shirt is inspiring. His professionalism is second-to-none. He still has an ability to give those around him a boost. There was rarely ever a 'club vs country' dilemma for David Beckham. Even off the pitch he has proven to be a good father and a faithful husband, despite the media speculations and tabloid attempts to break up his marriage and family.

I'm sure in August all the players will return to playing for their clubs and have a great season. I'm sure there will be more England games and more disappointment and debate over players not transferring their club form onto the international stage.

But I don't want to be an 'England player'.

I want to be consistent.

Where have all the miracles gone?

There whole area of spiritual gifts, miracles and signs and wonders is a weird and wonderful minefield in Church circles. There is a broad spectrum of stances from a full on focus on the supernatural – Praying for Revival, Healing Ministries, Speaking in Tongues, Moving in the Prophetic, a lot of the stuff on God TV – right through to focus on the natural – Incarnational Church, Missional, Relational – and there are Churches that genuinely believe that Spiritual Gifts don’t happen anymore; that God simply doesn’t do that these days.

It’s a huge subject that theologians and churches have wrestled with for years. (HTB recently hosted a brilliant conference about the Holy Spirit in the World Today) We could never do justice to it in a short talk and a panel discussion so what I’ll do tonight is a very brief overview of what, I believe, our focus should be as the church today, and then we can get into some discussions afterwards.

Spiritual Gifts are obviously a work of the Holy Spirit.

Firstly, the Holy Spirit is alive and well and working in the Church today. Now, the Spirit doesn’t seem to get as much attention as the other two in our teaching. We don’t seem to know as much about him as we do the Father and the Son; he (or she) is a bit more difficult to get our heads around. While it seems that we don’t see many supernatural miracles in the same way as they’re recorded in the New Testament, we do see His work in the church. He is the same Spirit, He is God, He never changes, He is always faithful and He is always engaged with His church.

We often treat the Holy Spirit like the Genie in the Lamp. A quick rub of the prayer lamp and He’ll get on and do whatever it is we ask because it says in the bible ‘ask and it will be given.’ The Spirit prefers to work with people and through people. He mediates the will of God. He inspires and guides and uses people to bring about God’s kingdom in the life of the Church. Which is why there are gifts of the Spirit. the message of wisdom... the message of knowledge... faith... gifts of healing... miraculous powers... prophecy... distinguishing between spirits... speaking in different kinds of tongues and... the interpretation of tongues. We see them displayed in Acts, at Pentecost, the Spirit using people to spread good news by speaking in different languages, in the early church the Spirit used the apostles to demonstrate God’s love to people by healing them.

Do we see the same gifts now? Yes we do.
Are they manifested in exactly the same way? No, not necessarily.

Ultimately, Spiritual Gifts are given out for the building up of the church, for the common good. (1 Cor 12:7) I personally don’t speak in tongues. And I’ve been in Churches were they seriously doubt you’re a Christian if you don’t speak in tongues. This attitude doesn’t build up the church. I’ve been prayed for for healing and nothing seems to happen and I’ve been accused of not having enough faith or having unconfessed sin. This doesn’t build up the church.

At the end of 1 Corinthians 12 Paul, who was probably ranting by this point, says: Are all apostles? No. (I’m filling in the answers here) Are all prophets? No. Are all teachers? No. Do all work miracles? No. Do all have gifts of healing? No. Do all speak in tongues? No. Do all interpret? No. But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way...

Now, whoever divided up the chapters missed a trick here, because Chapter 12 is meant to flow seamlessly from into 1 Corinthians 13 (the 'wedding' passage).

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.

Even stopping there makes no sense because it carries on: Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became an adult, I put childish ways behind me. Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

It’s not about weddings at all it’s about being church and it’s about spiritual gifts. It clearly states that prophecies will cease, tongues will be stilled, knowledge will pass away when perfection comes, when Christ comes again and heaven comes to earth. We’re not supposed to focus on the gifts we’re supposed to desire the greater gifts of Faith and Hope and above all Love.

When we focus on these three, it’s amazing how many miracles start happening. Everyday Miracles. We focus of Faith, Hope and Love and opportunities miraculously appear.In the Hebrew language there is no word for 'spiritual' because there was never a seperation between spirit and secular. There was never meant to be. When we focus on Faith, Hope and Love in our everyday life we reunite spiritual and secular; we begin living again in the power of the Holy Spirit and the spiritual gifts start flowing more naturally. Faith, Hope and Love, and the greatest of these is Love.

Target Practice

The end of my final year at Spurgeon's College is rapidly approaching. One lone exam is all that stands between me and my Spurgeonic freedom. Three years of studying, learning, experiencing, will soon be behind me.

For each one of those three years five coke cans have been positioned on my windowsill in front of my desk. (It has not been the same five cans, but there have always been five cans there, except for a short period when they were replaced with beer bottles.)

Many visitors have enquired about the cans; were they there just because they look quite cool? was there a deeper, more significant purpose for their display?

The reason is rooted in the story of David and Goliath.

Remember the story? Small Boy vs Giant Man. Giant Man is big warrior with huge sword and lots of armour. Small Boy is small with little slingshot. Small Boy shoots Giant Warrior Man with little slingshot and small stone. Small stone hits Giant Warrior Man in head, sinks into Giant Warrior Man's skull... Giant Warrior Man dies. Small Boy saves the day and becomes hero.

It's a great story. But I heard a sermon that put it into a bit of perspective for me.

Yes, David, the small boy shot Goliath with one smooth stone. One shot, one kill.
But if we honestly think that was the first shot David had ever taken we are seriously mistaken and deluded.

David was a shepherd boy. He spent hours in the field, probably alone, looking after sheep and protecting them from bears and lions. This was David's training ground with God. He spent hours getting to know the voice of God in the quiet of the field - in the surroundings of his training ground. David wasn't just being super-spiritual, sitting on rocks playing his harp and singing and writing psalms all day; his training was practical.

Imagine David, on his own, lining coke cans up on a fence and shooting them, one-by-one, with his slingshot; his accuracy improving with every stone. When every can had been knocked off, he'd run over to the fence, line the cans up and start over again.

Imagine then, the day a lion or bear came looking for a sheepy-snack, David takes another stone and fires... he's on target because of the coke cans.

Imagine again, the day a Giant Man arrogantly challenges God's people...

David takes five stones... he knows from experience which ones fly better, faster, truer, so he picks the smooth ones... he looks at the warrior and as he does he begins to go through a routine he's practised hundreds, thousands of times before... he loads the stone effortlessly... he takes aim perfectly... he fires precisely... he's confident the stone will hit exactly where he wants it to because of the practice he's had in the sheep field (he's confident but he's not cocky, remember, he's still got four stones left as back up and I'm guessing he probably had the second stone loaded, just in case, before Goliath even hit the floor)

My coke cans have been a visual reminder for me that this is my training ground. I have no doubt that God was with David during his battle with Goliath, but I also reckon God was with David while he was in the field shooting coke cans; Preparing him. Sharpening him. Inspiring him to better himself. Firming up good habits. Developing skills that would seriously come in handy later.

I don't know if or when I'll face my giant(s).

But what I do know, is that my college time has been the training ground God has used to prepare me for it. I've spent three years 'shooting coke cans.'

Home

home (hm)

n.

1. A place where one lives; a residence.

2. The physical structure within which one lives, such as a house or apartment.

3. A dwelling place together with the family or social unit that occupies it; a household.

4.

a. An environment offering security and happiness.

b. A valued place regarded as a refuge or place of origin.

5. The place, such as a country or town, where one was born or has lived for a long period.

6. The native habitat, as of a plant or animal.

7. The place where something is discovered, founded, developed, or promoted; a source.

8. A headquarters; a home base.

I've been wrestling with the concept of home lately. In the past couple of weeks I've needed to fill in official forms which ask the standard and, usually, simple question of 'Address'. Usually this isn't a problem. If I've bought something and want it delivered I have it sent to the college, where I live... but is it home?

My bank statements and voting papers and other official bits and bobs get sent to my parents' house... but is that home? It was for a number of very happy years, and in a sense it still is but it also isn't anymore.

I've lived in Geneva and in a tent in a campsite in France, neither of which were ever really 'home'. I don't feel 'at home' in the city where I was born, I don't feel I fit anymore in the towns I grew up in. All this has left me wondering where is my home.

I'm rapidly entering a period in my life where some huge changes are going to take place. In September, Kat and I are getting married. And this throws another huge aspect of home into my equation. We get the opportunity to create a new home, our home. We're not sure where that will be but, actually, it doesn't matter too much because 'home' will be where we both are. 'Home' is not necesarily a place.

C.S. Lewis wrote "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world." Ultimately, I am a citizen of Heaven. I'm an alien in a foreign land and perhaps my quest for home will never be fully realised until the day God brings heaven to earth.

In the mean time my 'homelessness' continues... here's a video of me singing 'Home' by Michael Bublé.

Fifty

Fifty-two days ago Jesus was crucified.

Fifty-one days ago Jesus was dead in a tomb.

Fifty days ago God rasied Jesus from the dead.

The following forty days was like Jesus: The Resurrection Tour. He travelled around appearing to people to show he was alive. Ten days ago he left his disciples on a mountain top outside Jerusalem. He told them to go back to the house and sit tight because a few days later he'd send his advocate to them.

Today he did just that.

A sound like a hurracaine filled the place, like an express train thundering around them; something like fire spread across the room and just seemed to rest on them. Suddenly they could speak in foreign languages - they hadn't learned them, they weren't academics or linguists, the Holy Spirit gave them the words to say and they just said them. They couldn't contain themselves and burst out into the street causing havoc - a holy hullaballoo! (I love that word!)

They started talking about Jesus to anyone and everyone; the locals, the foreigners, tourists, business men on their way to work, men, women, children, anyone who would listen...

And so the Church was born.

3,000 people joined the Church that day. The believed Jesus died and was raised to life. They apologise for living self centred lives, for looking after number-one, and said they would live for Jesus from now on. They were baptised to publicly show the change in their lives. Things were different now.

2,000 or so years later, that movement, that inclusive community of people is still around. It looks very different now, lots of different styles and traditions but ultimately the purpose is the same. To tell people that Jesus died for them and was raised from the dead. That if they apologise for living self centred lives, for looking after number-one, and say they would live for Jesus from now on, they are saved and they too can have the Holy Spirit.

This is my fiftieth blog. It seems fitting that it lands on Pentecost, the day the Spirit first came to inspire the Church to do great things... and I don't think he's finished with us just yet!

Happy Holy Spirit Day.

Thoughts on Communion and the Church Part II

Communion is Inclusive

When Jesus shared the last supper, who was there?

The disciples.

The disciples were an odd bunch. And Jesus invited them to share communion with him. He knew exactly where they’d come from, what they’d done, what they were like as people, even what they were going to do... and he invited them to share with him.

Communion is inclusive. His message was always about including people and communion is no different. Peter was going to disown him; deny he ever knew Jesus. Thomas was going to doubt he was raised to life. They were all going to abandon him when he was arrested... but Jesus included them in the meal.

Some churches are guarded about who can or cannot take communion. They used passages like ‘if you eat/drink in an unworthy manner you drink judgement upon yourself’ as proof-texts to keep their exclusive communion for the ‘righteous’ few.
I think that’s missing the point. Those scary passages are all about inclusive communion not exclusive communion. Yes it’s about taking communion seriously and not letting familiarity breed contempt. A guy called Paul, one of the early church leaders and pioneers; he wrote those ‘judgement’ words to one particular church group in Corinth who were misusing communion. They were having every-man-for-himself communion: some were eating all the bread and leaving others hungry, some were downing all the wine and being carried out drunk... this is clearly not right! They’d missed the community aspect of communion.

Communion is inclusive: the invitation is for all who believe and want to remember what it is that Jesus has done for us. But when we celebrate communion it’s interdependent and it’s inclusive. Communion is Involved Firstly, it involves all us individually. Jesus calls us, elsewhere in the bible, to Love God with all your heart soul mind and strength. In communion he gives us a practical way of expressing that.

We love Jesus and He loves us – that’s our heart, that’s the intimacy we talked about earlier.
It is a spiritual thing – God is spirit and we engage with him in communion, that’s our soul.
We actively remember the Cross and the Resurrection – That’s our mind.
It’s physical food and drink – That’s our strength. We’ve shrunken the meal down somewhat from New Testament times [honey, i shrunk the sacrament]. This would’ve been an actual meal rather than the nibbles we use today.

It involves us completely.
Heart soul mind strength.

Secondly, The act of communion is hands on. This is not a spectator sport.

We actually eat and drink and remember and engage and in doing so we live out our faith in this action. And that living out our faith doesn’t stop as soon as the service is finished... we remember Jesus in communion and we are reminded of everything he taught and everything he did and we should be inspired to live it out every day of our lives in every aspect.

Communion is often called ‘Mass’ in other traditions. And Mass [is not the Motor Accident Solicitors Society, which is what appears if you Google it] literally means ‘Go’ or ‘Mission’.
Communion is our inspiration to live like Jesus lived. Involved in our wider communities, not a holy huddle in this building or hiding in small groups but active and meeting with people outside the church in the estates and the schools and in government and down the shops and on the tube or the bus... living the Jesus story... Communion is Involved.

Communion is Influential

And communion is influential. It’s about remembering everything Jesus has done for us. But it’s also looking forward. It’s the hope we live for. When Jesus said this is my blood, he said it was the seal on a new covenant between God and people. It was the invitation for a fresh start. Believe in Jesus and he’ll take your old, crappy sin stained life and give you a fresh new one that’ll last forever. And that life doesn’t just mean you’ll go to heaven when you die. It can start now.

Communion is influential; it gives us a hope in Jesus that can change the way we live right now, the way we vote, the way we make ethical decisions included. This is more than just bread and just wine/grapejuice.

This is an intimate expression of Love between you and Jesus
This is a meal that builds friendships and communities
This is a meal that welcomes anyone who wants to share in it
This is a meal that involves everything you are and inspires us to live out our faith
This is a meal that can change things.

It can change me and you... it can change this church, it can change this community, it can change this country...

It’s already changed the world.