As the announcement is made that Rowan Williams is leaving his archbishopric for a return to academia, many are quick to pass judgement on his term of office and, worse in my view, on him as a person.  This little story, which has been around a few years now, once more landed in my in-box yesterday, and reminds me just why I admire this man (with the voice of golden syrup) so much...

A child had asked her father the ultimate question - who invented God.  It seems a letter was sent to various religious bigwigs, and the archbish replied thus:  

Dear Lulu,

Your dad has sent on your letter and asked if I have any answers. It’s a difficult one! But I think God might reply a bit like this –

‘Dear Lulu – Nobody invented me – but lots of people discovered me and were quite surprised. They discovered me when they looked round at the world and thought it was really beautiful or really mysterious and wondered where it came from. They discovered me when they were very very quiet on their own and felt a sort of peace and love they hadn’t expected.

Then they invented ideas about me – some of them sensible and some of them not very sensible. From time to time I sent them some hints – specially in the life of Jesus – to help them get closer to what I’m really like.

But there was nothing and nobody around before me to invent me. Rather like somebody who writes a story in a book, I started making up the story of the world and eventually invented human beings like you who could ask me awkward questions!’

And then he’d send you lots of love and sign off.

I know he doesn’t usually write letters, so I have to do the best I can on his behalf. Lots of love from me too.

+Archbishop Rowan

Today's readings grant us glimpses into the lives of two older men, Aaron and Nicodemus.  Each of them steeped in religious knowledge and entrusted with God's work.  Each of them flawed.

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Numbers 20:22-29
John 3:1-13

It is the Aaron story which drew my attention today.

The Aaron story recounts the last part of his story, he and Moses go to Mount Hor, along with Aaron's son.  There, the elderly Aaron is divested of his priestly garments, which are transferred to his son, and then he dies.  The people undertake a thirty day season of mourning - this is a significant death in their community.

There is one verse that stands out, verse 24 says:

Let Aaron be gathered to his people. For he shall not enter the land that I have given to the Israelites, because you rebelled against my command at the waters of Meribah.

Aaron is not permitted to enter the Land of Promise (neither, is Moses, but that's a separate story), the human 'happy ending' is denied him.

Why?

The reason is the sin of the community - you rebelled, the people rebelled - not personal culpability.  He had not brought this on himself, rather this is the consequence of corporate attitudes and actions.

So what's next for Aaron?

Hell?  No.  The ancients had no such concept, Sheol was not a place of punishment, but a kind of shady underworld where vague spirits existed.  No.  Aaron is gathered to his people - to those who went before him, his blood ancestors, his community forebears.

I suppose the thing that strikes me most is the implication of the sins of the community for the one person.  It is a small jump from here to some sort of vicarious atonement view, but I'm not convinced it's one that is justified.  More, there is a reminder of the implications of my action (or inaction) as part of a community on the here-and-now experiences of others.  Would that these were 'red and blue' or 'black and white' divisions; would that it were easy to see what is sin and what is not; would that I even glimpsed (mentally anyway) the Land of Promise, humanly speaking, towards which the journey is headed.

The stories of Moses and Aaron have long served to remind me that I may not see my dreams fulfilled, even if (miraculously) they align perfectly with God's will.  But today, I almost feel a sense of relief and release... it is not all down to me whether I do or not!  Whilst I am obviously responsible for my own choices, those made by others may irrevocably impact my experiences... for good or for ill.

But, come what may, God gathers in the tired, old, flawed servant, and God hands on the mantle, the role, to a new generation.

God of Aaron

You chose this man for service

Knowing the limits of his ability

And the likelihood that he would fail

You chose him,

And you did not reject him

Though he failed

And was caught up in the failures of others

God of [my name]

You have chosen me for service

Knowing the limits of my ability

And the inevitability that I will fail

You chose me

And you do not reject

Though I fail

And am complicit in the failures of others

God of Nicodemus

God of all who come by night

Longing for knowledge

Seeking for truth

Open our minds

Open our hearts

Breath new life into our being

That we all may live always for you

And, when life is past,

Be gathered by you

To eternal rest

Amen

Today the latest issue of BMS Mission Catalyst landed on my doormat.  It is one of umpteen Christian publications that do so.  It is one of the few I read cover to cover; one of the few that I can say I make time for.

This one is about the Bible and about attitudes to its inspiration, purpose and reliability, to name but three.  Now rocket science it is not, but it does have a level of honesty which some will find discomfiting, especially if they have managed to evade any proper Biblical studies, church history - or even failed to read the stuff that is printed in the back of the Good News Bible I've had since my teens or the beginning of the Lion Handbook.

Trouble is, I suppose, very few people will actually read it.  Those who have a more fundamentalist view will dismiss it as 'liberal' and those who accept probably already know what it says.  It needs to get past ministers (at whom it is aimed) to 'people in the pew'.

Anyway, if you are interested and don't have direct access to a paper copy, you can always read it on line here (though having just looked it hasn't appeared there yet!  It is issue 2/12.  Plenty of other interesting issues to look at in the meantime)

Whoops, I had two No 22 posts... and it seems either no-one noticed or everyone was too polite to comment (assuming of course that the comments are working at the moment...)

Anyway, it's Friday, I've had a great morning being very busy, and it's time for a break and a blog.

Today's readings are:

Psalm 107:1-3, 17-22
Daniel 12:5-13
Ephesians 1:7-14

Having played with the psalm already I'm not planning on a revisit.  The Daniel is just plain bewildering, and all attempts to explain it are probably wrong.  So that leaves the Ephesians passage which is well worth a little ponder...

For by the blood of Christ we are set free, that is, our sins are forgiven. How great is the grace of God, which he gave to us in such large measure! In all his wisdom and insight God did what he had purposed, and made known to us the secret plan he had already decided to complete by means of Christ.  This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head. All things are done according to God's plan and decision; and God chose us to be his own people in union with Christ because of his own purpose, based on what he had decided from the very beginning.  Let us, then, who were the first to hope in Christ, praise God's glory!  And you also became God's people when you heard the true message, the Good News that brought you salvation. You believed in Christ, and God put his stamp of ownership on you by giving you the Holy Spirit he had promised.  The Spirit is the guarantee that we shall receive what God has promised his people, and this assures us that God will give complete freedom to those who are his. Let us praise his glory!  Ephesians 1: 7 - 14 GNB

A very long time ago now, I read a book that challenged evangelical Christians to be more alert to environmental issues at a time when the received wisdom, at least in some parts of evangelicalism, was that (a) the earth was flawed and destined for destruction anyway and (b) it was there to be exploited in the meantime.  A couple of decades on, it is terrifying to think that people of good will and profound faith thought that way.  The little book I read all that time ago showed me a very different way of reading scripture, that showed God's profound love for the whole of creation.  Passages such as this one from Ephesians formed part of the argument the book put forward.

It is probably fair to say that most evangelical Christians, at least in Europe, have a reasonably good attitude to environmental issues.  We switch off lights; we turn down the heat; we turn off taps; we recycle sermons plastic, glass, paper... But it is also probably fair to say that the view that the universe is headed for perdition or oblivion is still quite widespread, very much contra scripture.

Reading this little extract, we begin with a nice evangelical statement - by Christ's blood we are freed from sin.  However, what we don't get next is something along the lines of 'and this is your ticket to heaven away from the nasty, hell-bound earth'.  No.  We get something more amazing and wonderful that is God's 'secret plan' (Don't you love that concept?  I do!)...

This plan, which God will complete when the time is right, is to bring all creation together, everything in heaven and on earth, with Christ as head.

What is, I think, challenging about this Ephesians passage is that it brings together in one place ideas held very dear by evangelicals and liberals, by universalists and whatever the opposite is.  There is a kind of both-and going on here, I think.  Yes, Christ died to redeem us from sin but also to redeem everything from sin... it is personal and universal in scope.  It is, I think a helpful reminder than none of us has the whole truth and that God's 'secret plan' is revealed only slowly (in human terms) as we begin to grasp the enormity of what it means both in the here-and-now and in a framework of eternity.

I guess the rub is that a consumerist use of the planet is sinful, and therefore necessitates the redemption wrought by Christ.  That gives me pause for thought.

A secret plan, God,

Do you really have a secret plan for all creation?

'Mysterious ways'

Is probably a more accurate rendering

But less enticing

Less exciting

Perhaps Francis of Assisi

Glimpsed this plan

In his canticle

All Creatures of our God and King...

Like the psalmists before him:

Tree clapping their hands

Stars singing

The heavens declaring...

How did we lose our way?

Become so utilitarian?

When did we forget this thread

Woven through

All scripture?

Teach me to love your creation

To tread lightly on your sacred earth

To work with you to bring all things together

Under Christ

Forgive my sins

Of wastefulness

And greediness

Of complacency

And criticism

Forgive me

Help me forgive myself

Help me forgive others

And

Having glimpsed your secret plan

Help me to work with you

To bring it to pass.

Anyone who has known me for any length of time knows I am a bit of the John 15-aholic.  Although it was the good people of Dibley who chose to make banners based on it, I'm sure my pre-occupation with it was influential in that decision.  And I don't think there is a congregation I've worked with in the last umpteen years that hasn't been subjected to my take on it.  So I was delighted to spot this on the Beyond 400 website which echoes so much I have pondered and thought and said.

Pruning is, I am sure, painful for the poor plant, but it is necessary for its health.  It is fruitful branches that get pruned, not unfruitful ones - we need to name and clebrate past 'harvests' rather than simply consign to the 'bin' activities or practices that are now obsolete.  Only if people feel their past work is valued are they able to embrace the new.  It's a lesson I remind myself of from time to time.  Maybe as BUGB (and BUS and BUW et al) move forward, we need to keep it in mind too?