As I sit here writing I am scanning the BBC news website. It’s June 1^st 2010 and there is not a great deal on the website to cheer me up. You can read about the BP oil leak and the likely effects on wildlife. There are headlines about the Israeli raid on the Palestinian aid ships and the Kurdish rocket attack on a Turkish naval base. One talks about the killing of a prominent al-Qaeda leader and another the death of a UK soldier in Afghanistan. Closer still to home other headlines include the continuing work of police investigating the murders of three women in Bradford and the violence on British streets after closing time.

            You can’t help but think all is not well in this world of ours. All is not going to plan. We have been told by politicians and world leaders that we (meaning them) can make a difference. That they will work to produce an age where all will be better for everyone. That peace and harmony will be ours if we only just hope in them. We are promised that all we need do is trust them and the ills of the world will be vanquished to history. Each one of us will be protected from harm and have enough so that we will never need again. We are promised Utopia.

            Now that sounds great doesn’t it? A life given to us that means no more strife, pain, sadness, hate and need. I can’t help thinking something is not quite right. Now what is it? What can it be? Oh I know! I am beginning to see the flaw in all this. It may be a surprise to you but I am feeling a little uncomfortable with my conclusion. You see the biggest fault line in all this is ME. I am not being hard and down on myself but I have to recognise that I cannot leave these things to others. I cannot discharge my responsibility to others.  Am I capable of changing the world? That sounds a bit farfetched but when things aren’t great “No one could make a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could do only a little.”* If we are created in the image of God then we must be capable of some pretty amazing things don’t you think?

Love

Jason

The Man in the Manse

*Edmund Burke

June 2010

For some, and I am one of them, this month holds a great deal of excitement. To start with this June sees the beginning of the world cup in South Africa. Thirty two teams from all around the world playing sixty four games to decide which one is the best. It is said that it is the greatest sporting event on this planet. An event of wonder at the talent of individuals and the solidarity and hard work of eleven men. Millions if not billions will tune in to see the teams battle it out for the prize. Millions if not billions will be spent on advertising and sponsorship. Many players earning not only the accolade and admiration of their supporters but a few quid to boot! (do you like the pun there?).

            But with all my enthusiasm and expectation I can’t help but wonder how the players and supporters will react to the poverty and social deprivation seen in the country. No matter what we hear and what is actually said about the advances made in South Africa there are still great gaps between the rich and the poor. Between those that have and have not. The world cup will accentuate this with every game. In the end however, what we say or feel about the matter, the people of South Africa are ecstatic about the whole occasion. They see it as a chance to show the whole world they are changing; they are leaving behind old prejudices and years of hate and violence. Let’s hope their passion for the game and their country proves to have a positive effect on the rest of the world.

            The other thing happening this month is that I will be coming to the end of my three years at college. No more a minister in training. No more essays and assignments. No more trips to Oxford. It will also be marked with excitement and sorrow. I have learnt a great deal about myself during this time at college but more importantly the members of the Baptist church have taught me even more. We will be going forward with excitement and passion. Not quite on the scale of the world cup but still it is just as much a “funny old game”.

Love

Jason

The Man in the Manse

 May 2010

At the time of writing none of us are sure when the general election will be. All indications are that it will happen early to mid May. So have you been practicing writing your cross? Have you decided which party to vote for? Are you even going to bother at all? The last question is a crucial one. The lack of enthusiasm at the last election and the never ending scandals over recent months will lead many of us to think why on earth should we vote?

            Can I offer a thought? When my first child was born a wise man said to me “We get the children we deserve” I want to pose this question to all of us “Do we get the politicians we deserve?” With our children our hope is to steer them to the right kind of behaviour, to shape their attitudes towards others and to teach them to make a worthwhile contribution to society. Should we ask that of our politicians? In truth, for all the scandal, they are not all bad. The very behaviour, attitudes and character we wish to see in our children are seen in the overwhelming number of politicians of all colours, shapes or sizes. The real facts, when you get behind the screaming headlines, bear this out. That some have been caught with their hands in the cookie jar, so to speak, should not deflect us from what should be a driving force to change our society for the better.

            Often the manifestos offered by any of the parties are based on focus groups and forums. Who makes up these groups? Well us, the general public, those that they wish to ingratiate and therefore capture our vote. If we are honest we don’t vote to shape behaviour, attitudes and make a worthwhile contribution to society but we vote for our own interests. How different is that to having our hands in the cookie jar?

Love

Jason

The Man in the Manse

Carrying on from last month’s musings, boy am I glad spring is here. Gone are the dreary dark nights of winter. Gone are the cold winds laced with snow and ice. Gone are the gloves, scarves and heavy coats. Gone are the stark bear trees and the lack of colour.  Welcome the bright longer days. Welcome the warm sun and gentle breezes. Welcome the light clothing and easy ways. Welcome the splash of colour and life abounding. Amen and Hallelujah!

            It is no wonder that Easter appears on the scene in spring. I know the historical inaccuracies of when. I get the link with other religious observances. I understand the modern commercial intrusions. But it is no wonder that the need of humankind over the centuries has been to celebrate the new life that is so obviously expressed when spring comes. After the drab and gloomy experience of winter and the harshness experienced in the months before spring, you can’t blame anyone from wanting to celebrate what is a blossoming and much welcomed change of circumstances.

            And in Jesus Easter is about just that. When you know that things are not quite right in your world. When you are sick and tired of facing the coldness that life seems to throw at you. When you are weighed down with stuff that never satisfies. When you look and see nothing but monotonous and arid meaning. Welcome and celebrate the change that Easter brings. Welcome and celebrate the warmth and colour of purpose and meaning. Welcome and celebrate true satisfaction of knowing you are loved. Welcome and celebrate that at Easter God in Jesus Christ brings about a change of circumstance for every one of us. Amen and Hallelujah!

Love

Jason

The Man in the Manse

March 2010

Spring always follows winter. True? Yes well of course it does. Once the dark nights have given way, slowly and surely, to the bright mornings, the brain and senses seem to take on a new lease of life. Plants begin to get greener. Animals begin to get livelier. The upturn in life all around seems to gather pace. I for one will be grateful to see the sun. I for one will be looking forward to the warmth instead of the cold biting winds, ice and snow. Life is forever changing. There are always seasons and variety in the British climate. It isn’t all sun and it isn’t all cold and wet (although it might seem like it sometimes). 

            Over the last few months we would be forgiven in saying global warming? as the north pole had appeared to have taken up residence over the UK. The weather men got last year completely wrong. The promised barmy BBQ summer and mild winter never came to fruition. But when it comes down to it life without change and life without surprises would be a bit tedious. We may say we don’t like change but imagine it for a moment! We may say we don’t like surprises but imagine that for a moment!

            Just like the Great British weather and the changing seasons our lives would be pretty dull without diversity and challenge. The difference comes when we only have mistaken forecasts to rely on. When we have no point of reference, when things don’t go as we expect, we look for something to offer a firm foothold and find that the supplies of grit are not as readily available as we were promised.

Love

Jason

The Man in the Manse

“All you need is love da da da da da all you need is love da da da da da”.... and so on. I thought it apt this month to concentrate of what makes February sort of special-ish. St Valentine's Day is great for some and for others quite onerous. The time when we pledge our love for our nearest and dearest with gifts, cards and a little romance. We may buy into the profit-making onslaught or genuinely use the day to say “I love you” but I don’t agree with the sentiments of the Beatles classic alluded to above. “Foul” I hear you cry. How can a minister say such a thing and a minister of a faith who’s cornerstone is the demonstration of the greatest act of love shown to all men, that of Jesus Christ.

Well that’s exactly the point, the “demonstration” and the “act” of love. Christianity is not all about love in a commercial, wishy-washy and vacuous way. If love does not reveal itself in actions it means nothing. In the bible there are many references to the love God has for us being rooted in what He has done for us and what He is still doing. There are also many references to the love God expects us to exhibit. That we should not just wish others well but, in love, we should provide them with what they lack so that they will be well. For the widows and orphans real love expresses itself in action.

            True love also means a distaste of all that is wrong (1 Corinthians 13:6). In our relationships there may be things we find annoying and tedious (how hard is it to put the tops on things properly!!!) but that is not the root problem that real love is there to change. NO! We can fall foul of thinking that to love someone is to accept what they do. Who they are is not the problem, what they do is. God truly accepts who we are but does not love what we do sometimes. To change our actions and reveal the true price of love God sent Jesus Christ to DEMONSTRATE what love can do in ACTIONS. Actions which were not wishy-washy and vacuous but were both demanding and life changing. That kind of love is all you need.

Love

Jason

The Man in the Manse