Happy Halloween...?

'The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.' John 1

There's been loads written about whether Christians should or should not participate in celebrating Halloween. I know, I've read most of it in an effort to work out where I stand. I don't have all my theological ducks in a row but here's where I'm at.

I like dressing up and I like sweets. My kids like these things even more than I do.

Bats and spiders are ok I suppose.

I cannot bring myself to like costumes of devils, witches and other truly scary stuff. I suppose the bottom line is that I believe there are things in this world which are evil.

Even more do I believe in the one who has defeated all evil.

It's a 'now and not yet' thing.

So my kids can dress up if they want. And when they actually get round to noticing Halloween and realise there are SWEETS involved no doubt they will have something to say.

In the meantime we will paint and carve pumpkins and talk about the Light of the whole world.

Because I will take this, and every, opportunity to celebrate Jesus.

'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.' John 8

The day between

Joseph of Arimathea. Remember him? He turns up in the gospels just after Jesus has died. We don’t know much about him, but his story of faith matters to God.

He was a member of the Council, that is, one of the Jewish leaders. The same Council that a few verses earlier had condemned Jesus to death. But not Joseph. He had not agreed with their decision. He was a follower of Jesus, but in secret, for fear of the Jewish leaders.  He was waiting for the kingdom of heaven. *

But after Jesus’ death he breaks his secrecy, and ‘boldly’ goes to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body. Then he and Nicodemus prepare and bury Jesus’ body according to Jewish law. Nicodemus seems to have followed a similar path to Joseph; we first see him, a teacher of Israel, coming to Jesus in the dark of night, wanting to know more but wanting to remain secret. Now he too is willing to come out of his secrecy to bury Jesus’ body, presumably at risk to themselves. After all, Jesus’ disciples have run away for fear.

I wonder if Joseph was a Pharisee or a scribe? I wonder what he felt and how he acted when groups of his fellow leaders set out to trap Jesus with their questions? Did he stay behind wanting no part of it, or did he go, not to trap Jesus but to really hear what he had to say? Perhaps when those groups of hostile leaders met and argued with Jesus, perhaps there was one at the back listening, really listening. His heart leaping with hope as he realised that the kingdom of God- the Godly King was here. I wonder if his eyes caught Jesus’ for a moment, and Jesus found faith there among this group of leaders for whom he had such hard words.

How did he feel as his fellow teachers interrogated Jesus and found him guilty and set about convincing Pilate to sentence him to death? Did he want to speak up but didn’t have the courage? Or perhaps hearing the words Jesus spoke before the council was the last step of faith for him, when he realised exactly who was standing before him.

Something happened to give him courage, to move him to act so that Jesus’ body would be buried properly. And for that his story goes into the history books.

I love that God’s redemption story is made up of the stories of individuals and their moments of faith and of doubt, their great moments and their failures, and their relationship with their loving Father God. Joseph, a Jewish leader and secret believer (of which there are many around the world.) Rahab, a prostitute, and David, a King. Hannah, longing for a baby, and Mary, a teeenage mum. Ruth, a stranger who loved her mother-in-law, Gideon, hiding, scared, in a barn, and Daniel, an exile who rose to great heights. All woven into God’s big story.

And he still does this, still uses individual stories of faith to encourage and to build his kingdom. Corrie Ten Boom, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, C.S. Lewis. Who are your modern day Christian heroes?

Then there are the less famous. The ones who write the blogs that I read, bravely sharing their stories and showing that God turns up in every circumstance of life. And the friends who share their stories over a latte in Costa.

It seems amazing to me that God can take those moments when we choose to say yes to him and weave them into his ongoing tapestry of redemption. He can take our small stories and blow them sky high.
And you. Are you facing a crisis of faith right now? What is your story? Who could it help?

‘Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written.’ John 21:25

*(John 19:38-39, Luke 23:50-53, Mark 15:42-43, Matt 27:57)

Running on empty

It's been one of those days. Well one of those weeks. And I feel incredibly weary. My friends and family have all been encouraging me and urging me on, telling me I'm a good mum. I really appreciate it. But then none of you saw me yelling at my kids this morning, not having a clue how to persuade them to get out of the door to school. They yelled, I yelled back. It was not pretty.

My children's needs outstrip what I have to give them. It's probably the same if your kids don't have special needs, I don't know. And I run out of patience and energy.

I follow a lovely blogger who posts verses from the bible every day to meditate on. This week she was talking about how God sees our hidden moments that no one else sees. I think she meant it to be encouraging, that he sees those moments of everyday serving. The nappies or the shoes tied or whatever your everyday looks like. Trouble is, he sees the less pretty moments too. He saw our horrible morning.

And yet he still loves me. 

On days like today I am oh so glad that he takes my wrongdoing, my anger and hard words and casts them away, as far as the east is from the west. *

And what do I do about my weariness? How do I find the resources to do another day?

'My strength is made perfect in weakness.'*

I'm not particularly strong or resilient. I just know a strong God. The thought that I have to find some kind of inner strength to manage on, to rely on myself only, is pretty scary. But luckily I know a God who never wearies, never leaves, who promises strength and peace and joy. In finding my own limits I am forced to turn to him and say, 'enough! Now let's do this your way.'

I have been reading Joni Eareckson Tada while sitting in various corners of Alice's nursery. How has it taken me so many years of being a Christian to read her books? They are wonderful. Today I read the following words, which actually belong to George Matheson. I could gush about them but they are so beautiful that I am going to let them speak for themselves.

               O Love that will not let me go, 
               I rest my weary soul in Thee;
               I give Thee back the life I owe
               That in Thine ocean depths its flow
               May richer, fuller be. 

              O Light that foll'west all my way,
              I yield my flick'ring torch to Thee;
              My heart restores its borrowed ray,
              That in Thy sunshine's blaze its day
               May brighter, fairer be.  *



(Psalm 103:12; 2 Corinthians 12:19; George Matheson, (public domain, printed in 'Heaven: Your real home by Joni Eareckson Tada )