I was reading a collection of essays on the legacy of H Richard Neibuhr - in an attempt to acquaint myself a little better with his theology of history, something that was only marginally successful.  Nonetheless, the book has a few useful quotes and this one that made me smile...

"We shall in any case need to rely, from time to time, on the more tedious textbooks.  But we prefer vision, or even a little magic.  Teachers as well as students will continue to gravitate towards works that embody those qualities."

R F Thieman, (ed) The Legacy of H Richard Neibuhr, Minneapolis, Fortress Press, 1991

 

It is one of those little quotations that makes me smile because it is true - and it makes me dare to dream that just maybe it might be possible to inject a little 'magic' into the writing of Baptist history.  Which probably means one of the sections in my current paper may end up with the word 'magic' in its title...

Having lots of fun today typing up what I have so far of my essay... will be about 3-4k words when done, so a good day's work I think.  Once this is done I need to read and note take the last part, type it up, then go back and make the whole thing look like an academic exercise and less like a chat.  That will be a few more weeks' work of course...  I'm really enjoying it this year, so that's got to be good news.

Off to Manchester tomorrow for a couple of days DPT residential thingy and back next week for supervision.  Also looking forward, after this weekend to having three, yes THREE, non-preaching Sundays in a row - one off, a joint service at D+1 and then observing a ministerial candidate preach for us.  This is good - it means time to read and time to relax (and to get my kind friends off my back ;-) ).

Lots going on here to keep my feet firmly on the ground (why in small churches does almost everyone under 70 decide to have major life crises all at once?).

Right, back to typing!

Tonight I have to complete two particularly yukky jobs - the annual 'Minister's Report' for the AGM and the monthly 'from the minister' bit for the newsletter.  The good thing is that if they are done I can start to write an essay tomorrow!

The former always strikes we as a minefield - I'm bound to miss someone or something out, and you can be sure that whoever or whatever it is, it will matter.  It has been a tough year for my little church and we're all tired - I am pretty sure that comes through in what I've written, but it needs to be honest, albeit with necessary circumspection on some topics.  In the end, I opted to begin it with some words from an old hymn and end it with some words from a new song.  These two bits I have confidence in, the rest, well, people will have to make of it what they will.

So we begin...

Through many dangers, toils and snares

We have already come;

Tis grace has brought us safe thus far

And grace will lead us home.

 

John Newton

And we end

Lord of mercy, You have heard my cry;

Through the storm You’re the beacon,

My song in the night.

In the shelter of Your wings,

Hear my heart’s reply,

Singing what a faithful God have I.

 

What a faithful God have I,

What a faithful God.

What a faithful God have I,

Faithful in every way.

 

Robert & Dawn Critchley.  Copyright © 1989 Kingsway’s  Thankyou Music

 

I have yet to write the monthly bit, but I expect it will draw on some similar ideas.  There is a lot that is good in our life together but at the moment the storm clouds do seem to be gathering, so reminders of Gods faithfulness and protection in (not from) the storm are pretty important!

(-odemus)

Today I have been re-re-reading the John 3 story of Jesus and Nicodemus, which starts to feel like one of those Two Ronnies sketches where one of them is answering the question before last, or some such...

Nic - hello, we all know you're a great teacher and must be Godly because of what you're doing

Jesus - you must be born again/from above/whatever to see the Kingdom of God

Nic - how can a person go back into his mother's womb and be born all over again?

Jesus - flesh gives birth to flesh, Spirit to spirit, the wind blows where it will...

etc, etc

I think I'd have got confused too.

So, after thinking and puzzling my way through this story and what some clever scholars say about it here's where I ended up.

Nicodemus came to see Jesus at a time of day when they were unlikely to get interrupted - they both had a 'day job' of some sort and night might well have been a good time to meet.  It might be highly symbolic, it might not.

Nicodemus believed Jesus to have something going for him, and he came to find out more.  What we don't know, because the conversation took a very strange turn.

Nicodemus wasn't afraid to question Jesus when he spoke in riddles (which he does most of the time in the fourth gospel).  Nor was he afraid to say 'no, I still don't get it.'

The story more or less peters out by mid-chapter, there is no sense of resolution, so presumably at some point Nicodemus went home.

Nicodemus makes two more, equally brief, appearances in the gospel, and each time his nocturnal visit to Jesus is alluded to, so I half wish I really could crack the code and discern the significance of 'by night.'  In chapter 7 Nicodemus seems to me to be speaking up for Jesus when he asserts "does our law condemn people without first hearing them to find out what they are doing."  Then he accompanies Joseph of Arimathea to bury Jesus, bringing with him about 75 pounds (almost 5 stone) of myrrh and aloes.

I know that some people think Nicodemus is a 'type' of at least some of the religious leaders and not a real person; I also know that most people give him a pretty bad press, asserting he was an unbeliver, one who came by night to trap Jesus; I know others think that he never came to 'new birth' because he didn't undertsand the words of Jesus.  I'd like to take a more positive view of him, as someone who was earnestly seeking, someone who was sufficiently humble not to think he knew all the answers, someone open minded enough to hear what Jesus had to say and brave enough both to ask questions and admit his own inability to grasp concepts.  His presence at the tomb for me suggests that he remained at least curious about Jesus, and the provision of anointing spices suggests much more.

What I like about Nicodemus is his humanity and his frailty.  I also think his encounter with Jesus is a helpful model for the rest of us when faced with some of the more mysterious and ambiguous things recorded in the gospels - taking time, asking questions and admitting to confusion.

Not for those who are easily offended!

Thanks to Graham for this example of the nadir of Baptist preaching.  I was not sure whether to laugh or cry when I watched/heard it.  How on earth the preacher got from his text to his conclusion I really cannot begin to fathom.  Still, credit where it's due, he got away with using a word in worship most of us would never be able to jusitify (unless of course we reverted to the KJV).