Not Our Peace

I was listening to some politician who was talking about the horrible events all over the world last week and he said something like "Don't forget that peace is not a natural state of affairs. Peace has to be worked at and in some cases fought for." It seemed a striking piece of insight from a politician but having looked around a bit (yep, that would be Google then) I found this. 


"The state of peace among men living side by side is not the natural state; the natural state is one of war. This does not always mean open hostilities, but at least an unceasing threat of war. A state of peace, therefore, must be established, for in order to be secured against hostility it is not sufficient that hostilities simply be not committed; and, unless this security is pledged to each by his neighbour (a thing that can occur only in a civil state), each may treat his neighbour, from whom he demands this security, as an enemy." Kant

So, Kant then  - not Liam Fox, either way, there is something here I think. We talk so much about peace and wanting peace yet, at the first opportunity everything seems to collapse into rubble and fighting. This can be on a world stage or in our personal lives. So I was struck by something that Jesus said.

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.John 14 v 27

It's probably significant then that when Jesus talks about the peace he gives he says it is nothing like the peace that this world talks about - which seems to be fragile and dependant on circumstances, mood, and whoever is around to take advantage of the vulnerable for money. Jesus is talking about something that only he can leave us because he is different to us, he can do more than us. It is HIS peace, based in him and who he is, thinking more, loving more and we are safe there. He left it with us to give us comfort and we should take comfort from it.

Absence

Apologies for absence. So much going on. I am shot through with admiration for people who manage to blog through life circumstances or when they are just plain busy. Witness Tracing Rainbows gamely blogging on the run in to her daughter's wedding, when she was insanely busy. The advantage, of course, of blogging in this time being that this is a great way to remember great events.

I take a slightly different approach when I am overwhelmed. I pull my knees up under my chin and rock a bit until it goes away. Not so helpful in Aldi, I will give you that. 
So in the spirit of putting great events on the Internet in order to keep a record of great events, I give you, in no particular order...the week past

• The shower broke, I couldn't find the bath plug.(Under my nose the whole time apparently) I was forced to use daughter's Pug-Plug. While I bathed and the pug in the lifebelt bobbed about by my feet, I wondered whether Grace Kelly had ever bathed like this. I decided, probably not. 
• FOW1 got his uni results. He got a First which has made us very proud. He has decided against doing a Masters this year mainly due to lack of funding but also because he might want to do it at another university. Ah, young people. The more sharp witted amongst you will have realised that this meant driving to York to pick him up and bring him and all his possessions back to the bosom of our home. Just to let you know that everything horrific they say about student house is correct and then some. Eight young men in the same house. At least a bad as you would expect.
• We now need to complete arrangements to go back to York again to see him get his scroll thingy. You can go off a place you know.
• We took delivery of a huge bag of relatives from the North. Always a pleasure - never a chore. I did tea for ten on the Saturday, we got back from York. I won't win me any Delia Cook of the Year awards but , everyone seemed to enjoy it and nobody was clutching their belly overnight.
• Went to the pictures. Nothing too deep - Jurassic World. Quite Loud. Very good though, if a bit squelchy in parts. I always feel sorry for the pig they are dangling over the dinosaur pit. Also, as an aside, I think a lot of the unpleasantness of the Jurassic films could be avoided by upping the security checks of the people working in the laboratories. There is always someone in there either selling secrets, combining the wrong genes in a forbidden experiment. Just a bit of advice for you if you are thinking of setting up any kind of genetically modified dinosaur theme park.

Mine

Guardian

Sooo, God and migrants. Any instruction from him or guidance about how we should behave? Possibly this? Ezekiel 47. Bit of a stretch I suppose but it made me think. Do I own where I live? Own it enough to deny the needy access to it? Not so sure I do to be honest.

Divide it up as your inheritance, and include in it the resident aliens who have made themselves at home among you and now have children. Treat them as if they were born there, just like yourselves. They also get an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the resident alien lives, there he gets his inheritance. Decree of God, the Master.

Timeless

Example One

Daniel - dealing with Medes, Persians, lions in hungry moods, friends in fiery furnaces, being sold into slavery, eating only water and vegetables, advising kings, being visited by angels, praying with the window open, visions of various apocalypses, fearing for his life, generally not getting much sleep. God sends an angel who tells him

‘Don’t be afraid, friend. Peace. Everything is going to be all right. Take courage. Be strong.’

Example Two

Nearly Martha - dealing with running out of dog food, spending too much time on Youtube, losing plug to bath and having to bathe with Pugplug (above), cancellation of three yearly mammogram because machine is broken, getting house visitor ready, not getting Liam's dollars to him in time for his New York jolly, fat hips not responding to virtual starvation diet, dog going all Stephen King at the window. God shows her something in the Bible that says.


‘Don’t be afraid, friend. Peace. Everything is going to be all right. Take courage. Be strong.’

The Message of God to us - Timeless.

My Twopenneth re Campolo

Tony Campolo.org

So Tony Campolo has come out (as it were) in favour of full acceptance of gay couples. This, I believe, has not been an overnight jumping on the bandwagon but has come after years of seeing his wife work in the gay community and much soul searching. Can I just say....(and I am going to because it is my blog and you can't stop me)

• Tony Campolo is one of the few Christian speakers I have heard that has made me laugh until I cried and then cry properly - both in the same sermon. I don't think I have ever heard anyone speak so convincingly about how much we are loved by God. 
• The vitriol that has come his way - by Christians - is shocking. What on earth is going on there? What about the command that people will know Christ by the way we love each other? (I am not seeing any brackets there that say as long as it is not at the expense of MY theology) I have never seen so many people writing "Open Letters" for which you should read "Public Takedown" Even his title has changed to "The Apostate Tony Campolo" 
• Most of the leaders, that I have read would no more minister to or even recognise a gay person that they would an alien with three heads. I am not sure why they think this gives them the authority to publicly give anyone a good kicking on this subject.
• And it is "leaders" who are having a go. People who have "followers". But where are you leading us? What are you teaching people? To be nasty, to fight in public, to humiliate? It is embarrassing for those of us who live outside the church bubble. Those of us who rub up against people who don't know God, every day of our lives . Do you know what they tell us? They don't say that they see an important theological debate being worked out. They say "Call yourselves full of the love of God?" "I have enough hassle in my own life thank you." or "Flippin heck there are some nasty pieces of work in your religion aren't there?" And yes, I think there are. 
• While these people are on social media being "important" the vast majority of Christians are out there trying to show people the love of God and rubbing the back of people's hands when it is needed - whoever they are. You are not helping and I tell you this, you are losing this argument. The next generation is slipping from you on this - partly because they don't see Christ in this attitude. We always lose when we don't show Christ.

For myself, I am no sure where I am theologically on this and those that know me know that I have personal reasons for working it through.  To be honest, it doesn't keep me awake at night. Worrying about real people does that more. But, I tell you this, after the events of the last few days I have never been more tempted to put on a pink feather boa and dance to Village People.