I've been thinking this morning about reactions to 'troubled times' and Jonah's reaction to the call of God to go with a message to the people of Nineveh.  Jonah ran away 'literally' (see earlier post to understand use of quote marks) but there are other common repsonses to unpalatable readings of the signs of the times (part of the prophetic task) which are tantamount to running away...

'Someone Else's Problem' - the SEP field invented (discovered? ;-) ) by Douglas Adam's in Life the Universe and Everything was, as I recall, used to remove Lord's cricket ground when it was in the way of some intergalactic issue.  It is an easy response to tough issues, and can emerge as a blame culture (someone else is at fault) as a a 'them' culture (someone else ought to put it right).  Denial of our own responsibility (and accountability) is a form of running away.

'The Noble Order of the Ostrich', as it is known in my family.  If we ignore it, or pretend it isn't there, it will simply go away.  Denial in its simplest form - denying it exists or will happen.  Running away by hiding.

'Arranging Deckchairs on the Titanic' - avoidance strategies, tinkering with the bits that can be done rather than facing the real issue.

There must be others that could be added, but three is enough for any sermon!  Truth is that, more often than not, it seems that there are ostriches arranging deckchairs at Lord's cricket ground.

The prophetic task is not just to look outwards at the world and upwards at God, but also inwards to our own attitudes - and that sometimes this is almost more scary than the others.

This is the season of Baptists (and others) having Covenant services.  It is also a season of troubled times - globally, nationally and locally.

Our Covenant Service takes place this Sunday afternoon, and one of my jobs today was to develop a suitable liturgy for a troubled times.  This is what I ended up with; interlinear exegesis is permitted, speculative eisegesis isn't!

A Covenant for Troubled Times

There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.

These are troubled times

Times of violence and hatred in a world marred by war

Times of anxiety and uncertainty in a world wounded by greed

Times of sadness and loss in a world of vulnerability and finitude

Times when we must face tough questions with unpalatable answers

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no ill, for you are with me, your rod and your staff they comfort me.

These are dark times

Times when we need to be reminded that God is with us

To guide our feet, one step at a time

To illumine our minds with new understanding

To protect us from despair, isolation and emptiness

To enable us to ‘prove’ our faith in resilience and fortitude

Now the dwelling of God is with human beings, and he will be with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe away every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

These are, mysteriously, hopeful times

Times in which the promises of a faithful God offer encouragement

Times in which new possibilities can be glimpsed

Times in which we must live the hope of eternity

Times when past, present and future meet.

So, let us profess our faith:

We believe and trust in God, creator of all, whose promises are faithful

We believe and trust in Jesus Christ, who redeems all, and who calls us to follow

We believe and trust in the Holy Spirit, who inspires and sustains us in hopeful service

Recognising that these are troubled times, let us covenant with one another and with God

My brothers and sisters in Christ, I covenant to walk together with you in faithful discipleship for as long as God shall so direct and lead us

Faithful God, as a community of your people, we covenant to walk with you, individually and corporately, in ways we know and in ways that you will show us

Grant us courage to face the challenges

Strengthen us with faith, hope and love

So that we may walk faithfully in the footsteps of him whose name we bear

Christ, our Lord.  Amen.

Next week I am going into school to "do" 'Baptism Today' with Year 4.  I will use some Baptism clips downloaded from Teddington Baptist church who have a superb selection (watch the minister age!) and also some resources from RE:Quest which are excellent - even an overview introduction to Baptist history, albeit a bit too precise, with photos of Loughwood Meeting House, Taunton and Metropolitan Tab.

This annoyed me though...

A Baptist church is led by a Senior Minister, who is normally a man. You may have other Ministers with different jobs, it depends on the size of the church.

You also have Deacons, who often look after the church building and the money that comes into the church. Money is given largely by the members of the church each week.

In my church we have a Leadership Council who look after the people and what they believe. In most churches these people would be called Elders.

Senior ministers are usually men, it is true, but most Baptist churches don't have a senior minister and plenty don't have a minister full stop.

In most Baptist churches deacons do what this person's Elders do.

I am assuming this is a (laudible) attempt at asking a young person to tell the story, and I'm sure it is a correct reflection of thier experience.  It's just not quite accurate - and so loads of people are fed a not-quite story that gets more "not-quited" over time.  Sigh.

I am currently using the Northumbria Community psalter/prayer book/daily office whatever you wish to call it, to start my day.  I tend to have phases of using this interspersed with other resources and, er well, none (I'm an honest kind of a minister!) for morning prayers.  At the moment, I'm using the Aidan cycle of readings and reflections and have been very much struck by the pertinence of those based around the Iona hymn, sometimes referred to as 'Stumbling Blocks and Stepping Stones':

Unsure, when what was bright turns dark
and life, it seems, has lost its way,
we question what we once believed
and fear that doubt has come to stay.
We sense the worm that gnaws within
has withered willpower, weakened bones,
and wonder whether all that's left
is stumbling blocks or stepping stones.

Where minds and bodies reel with pain
which nervous smiles can never mask,
and hope is forced to face despair
and all the things it dare not ask;
aware of weakness, guilt or shame,
the will gives out, the spirit groans,
and clutching at each straw we find
more stumbling blocks than stepping stones.

Where family life has lost its bliss
and silences endorse mistrust,
or anger boils and tempers flare
as love comes under threat from lust;
where people cannot take the strain
of worklessness and endless loans,
what pattern will the future weave -
just stumbling blocks, no stepping stones?

Where hearts that once held love are bare
and faith, in shreds, compounds the mess;
where hymns and prayers no longer speak
and former friends no longer bless;
and when the church where some belonged
no more their loyalty enthrones,
the plea is made, 'If you are there,
turn stumbling blocks to stepping stones!'

Ah, God, you, with the Maker's eye,
can tell if all that's feared is real,
and see if life is more than what
we suffer, dread, despise and feel.
If some by faith no longer stand,
nor hear the truth your voice intones,
stretch out your hand to help your folk
from stumbling block to stepping stones.

John L Bell (born 1949) and Graham Maule (born 1958)
© 1989 WGRG, Iona Community, 4th floor, Savoy House, 140 Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow G2 3DH, Scotland

There seems to me to a beautiful broken honesty about the words, a hope that somehow survives when all seems overwhelmingly hopeless - and a final call upon God to lead us on, in all the precarious vulnerability of using stepping stones, into the future.

Many years ago I recall crossing the stepping stones at Dovedale in Derbyshire with members of the Girls' Brigade we'd taken to camp.  Some boldly strode over - even the wobbly one no obstacle - but most needed encouragement, and some needed either an adult walking ahead of them to show it safe or - more challenging as some stones are fairly small - someone to hold their hand.  Reading this hymn/poem today I find myself wondering where God is for each person I know as they step out into their future.  On the far bank, arms open in ready embrace, calling them to come over?  One step ahead, showing the way, showing that even the wobbly bits are actually copable?  Alongside, holding tightly to their hands, teetering with them on the edge?  Behind, urging them on?  In the water to rescue them if they do fall in?

Tomorrow evening we have a Church Meeting, as part of which we need to kick off our annual process for election of Deacons (joy!).  This year there will five vacancies (out of eight) because we elected none last year; on balance of probability the two who conclude their term this year won't wish to stand again - one has already said not, the other is still making up her mind.  We are a teetering, tottering little church and tomorrow's meeting could be challenging.  But my prayer is, that as we share this poem (we'll read it) we will find comfort and renewed strength to step onto the next stone.

A final thought that's just popped into my head!  I wonder which step we're on in our life stories, individually or collectively?  Might it be that my little church has only one or two more steps to go before it reaches the far bank, the embrace of the waiting parent and journey's end?  I find it a more hopeful metaphor than some I hear.

Just been re-reading the story of Jonah ready to start writing my sermon for Sunday as part of our Covenant service.  I happened to be reading a Good News Bible and was very struck by the way it renders Jonah 5:11:

How much more, then, should I have pity on Nineveh, that great city.  After all, it has more than 120,000 innocent children in it, as well as many animals!

I was curious, so looked at other translations 'in the flesh' and online (alas I couldn't read Hebrew if I had it)

The use of 'children' is almost unique to the NIV, most versions have 'people' sometimes referred to as childlike, whilst in most translations rather than 'animals' it is 'cattle.'  What is striking is God's care not only for the people (adults or children) but for the other living creatures who surely cannot be blamed for human sinfulness.

Despite having been brought up on this as a factual story, I'm no longer so sure: like Job its style doesn't 'fit' the historical texts and it reads more like the 'wisdom' literature.  But what matters surely is not the absolute historicity (that it literally happened like this) but what it tells us about God's character of grace and mercy.  Lots in the story to think really hard about - and I don't have time to do that now - but the Jonah story is a great one to wrestle with a while; I just hope I might be a little more appreciative of shady trees than him!

But the last word from God in this particular book seems to be 'I love cows' - which is mildly funny as well as profoundly significant.