2004 Reflections

JUST ANOTHER NIGHT?

The animals were restive, pricking their ears at the intermittent bursts of sound coming from the little town at the foot of the hill slopes. Tallow torches and oil lamps gleamed fitfully in the night air. The aroma of cooking pots drifted upwards with the laughter, the raised voices, the clatter of hooves and the music of flute and harp.

The inns were full to overflowing. Every family dwelling became home to distant relatives, and the stables were crammed with weary beasts of burden jostling for space and respite.

Just another night in Bethlehem.

The dancing girls moved quietly into line, their coloured veils fluttering over painted faces and the bracelets and ankle bands tinkling against skin made fragrant with oils and essence of flowers.

The drums began to beat in hypnotic rhythm and the dancers became a swirl of gold and blue, scarlet and emerald. The king was well pleased. His guests would be banqueted, indulged and amused.

Just another night in Herod’s palace.

Far away in another land, some men of wisdom gathered at the appointed hour to gaze up at the aperture in the roof of their meeting place. They regularly studied the night sky. Charts were consulted. Fingers pointed at the heavens. There were murmurs of assent, agreement was reached. Nothing unusual to report. Just another predictable pattern of stars overhead. Just another night.

But was it? It might have been just another ordinary night if something extraordinary had not happened.

Can we imagine how different everything would be, if Joseph and Mary had not made that weary journey to the ancestral home, the place of prophecy?

Could we roll back the story and leave the shepherds dutifully tending their flocks, never feeling compelled to rush with pounding hearts and surging joy to seek out a new- born child. Could we contemplate a group of sages turning from their astrological charts, never riveted by a sudden brilliance in the sky, so dominating and awesome that they made haste to leave their homeland?

What would the world be like if Jesus had never been born that night?

We would never have read the four Gospels, for the stories of Jesus would not exist. We would never have opened a New Testament, for it would never have been written. The Old Testament would be confined, in all probability, to Jewish communities, for the great commission of Jesus would not have been given.

Shepherds would just be sheep tenders, the Magi some ancient astronomers, and Herod an obscure king. Gold, frankincense and myrrh would never have been linked in that mysterious and significant triangle.

So many of the laws that have given us security and freedom would not have been founded on biblical wisdom. The churches, spires and cathedrals would disappear from our landscape. Our libraries would have great empty spaces on the shelves and the art world would be deprived of some of the most masterly and inspirational paintings. Our vocabulary would change, our memories and global history would blur into something unrecognizable. Where would we find assurance of forgiveness of sins, the hope of resurrection to eternal life, or the sweet comfort of the companionship of Jesus in our daily lives? Could we bear to be silent and discard the rich heritage of music and lyrics in our hymnbooks? Can we just forget about the original Christmas?

The commercial world answers, " Yes, we can."

Santas, trees and robins decorate our cards. Stores have become temples accepting our gold offerings with eager anticipation. We sing jingles about snow and sleigh bells. We talk about Winterfest and seasonal greetings.

Think about the implications. It MIGHT have been just another night, but it was not. The whole of eternity came into focus that night when the Son of God came amongst us, Jesus, our salvation.

Celebrate JESUS and may you have a very happy Christmas.

Iris Niven (Dec 2004)

A LONE VOICE

From the stage of the school assembly hall, came the haunting, lilting sound of a single mouth organ, playing the opening notes of " Light of the world, you stepped into our darkness."

Then a solitary violin took up the theme, so poignantly alone until someone began to sing, and other voices, other instruments added harmony and volume, to send ripples out over an audience that began to swell the music to a great tumult of joyful affirmation, " Here I am to worship."

A single, tiny voice had initiated a huge wave of song that pulsated out into the evening air.

George Dillon is an actor who appears alone for ninety minutes on stage delivering an extraordinary performance as he recites the key passages of the gospel of Matthew.

In simple white trousers and tunic, he brings charisma and fresh revelation to words and stories that are so often read with wooden and familiar monotony.

His solitary voice is expressive, mesmeric and dynamic, sending audiences home with a new eagerness to check out the teachings of Jesus for themselves. " Did Jesus really say these things? Yes he did! Wow! I never noticed that before," they will say.

There are no props on stage, only a series of brilliantly designed lighting sequences and computer graphics. A great circle of colour swirls downwards, decreasing to a point at the end of a whirlpool, reminiscent of that moment when Jesus, the Light, the Eternal Word, left the vast resources of heaven, to descend to become a minute speck of human life. That solitary voice at Galilee began a movement amongst human souls to change history for this world and to populate eternity. How often it is the single, lone voice that starts an avalanche of change, a reshaping of attitudes and a new direction for society.

" Let my people go! " pleaded Moses at the courts of Pharaoh.
" Abolish slavery! " cried Wilberforce at the courts of Parliament, thousands of years later.
" Prepare the way of the Lord! " thundered John the Baptist in the wilderness.
" Open your hearts and minds to Christ," called Billy Graham in auditoriums around the world.
" The just shall live by faith, " quoted Martin Luther. Centuries later, Martin Luther King gave us that unforgettable speech, " I have a dream. "

That tiny seed of conviction, initially so weak and alone, gained power and substance from God, the source of all our needs, to become potent, unstoppable and life changing.

Do you wish sometimes that you could speak out about something important, but feel inhibited, alone and of little consequence in the grand scheme of things?

Talk to God about it. Talk to other people about it. Democracy dies when free people fall silent. Fires smoulder to cold ashes when no one fans the flames.

When Elijah the Prophet muttered darkly in his complaint to God that he was alone in the land, standing for what was right and good, God assured him that there were many others of like mind hiding and keeping a low profile.

Standing at the mouth of a mighty river, looking out over a vast stretch of water where busy ships constantly ply their trade, one is reminded of the tiny lochens, the trickle of fresh rainwater, or the hopeful little waterfall that signalled its origin.

A lone voice can be dynamic, challenging and inspirational.

Could that voice be yours?

Iris Niven (Sept 2004)

SHARING THE OIL

As we move into June, we look forward with cheerful anticipation to another Holiday At Home, following our previous, happy ventures of recent years.

A week of varied activities will encourage us to participate in crafts, entertainment, outings and fellowship. There is no financial profit, but the bonus in blessing is beyond calculation when unity of purpose invites us to focus on the good things we share.

Community offers us the opportunity to put the best of ourselves into action. It is the soil in which humanity blossoms. Here we learn to match our talents with local needs and to donate our energies to the common good. Whether secure or oppressed in circumstance, community compels us to find purpose and self worth.

The recent BBC production Born and Bred, evoked a time when village life was integrated and meaningful. Through a series of unlikely but gently humorous plots, the characters worked out their differences, shared resources and rubbed along together. Families knew each other from cradle to grave and local history was cherished and preserved by oral tradition.

If our shared interests and concerns are allowed to nurture love and care instead of selfish ambition and pursuits, then our community will be healthy.

Michel Quoist, the French writer commented, " Only love enables humanity to grow, because love engenders life, and it is the only form of energy that lasts forever". The amazing faculty about love as a power source is that it increases as it spreads, rather than the reverse. It is not dissipated to the end of its resources. There is an endless supply because love begets love.

Since the affluent 60's we have had four decades in which families have scattered asunder. The yuppie culture of the 80's further promoted a self-centred, self-fulfilment attitude to life, leaving behind a plethora of broken hearts, vulnerable children and the creeping malaise of loneliness.

Now the BBC proposes to bring back The Waltons, the homespun family of three generations all living under one roof.

Apparently it reflects a growing domestic trend as grandparents struggle with the economic restraints of retirement and young couples despair over an inflated housing market. Necessity is bringing families together again. We need to pray that love, tolerance and co-operation, rather than impatience and resentment, will be the dominant features of family life.

In the time of the prophet Elisha, a little widow came to him in distress. Her life was in crisis. She had nothing left to sell, and now her late husband's creditor was going to take her two sons into slavery. What could she do? Elisha knew where to find a solution, prayer and community. Under God's guidance, Elisha asked the widow to collect empty oil jars from all her neighbours. She obeyed, and a miracle happened. The small quantity of oil that remained in her home was multiplied until every available jar was filled. The sale of the oil paid her debts and finally enabled the family unit to remain intact and financially secure. The whole community witnessed the abundance of God's loving provision and his willingness to engage with those who trust him. 1 Kings ch.4

A rabbi was contacted by a man apparently suffering from depression. He listed his woes and ills. Having read the letter, the rabbi simply circled all the numerous " I " words and returned it to the sender. The message was simple. Instead of looking inwards, look upwards and reach outwards. With this in mind, let's make our summer Songs of Praise a truly rousing sound of thankfulness and unity.

Iris Niven (May 2004).

The Shattered Cross

Mel Gibson's Film, " The Passion of the Christ", released in time for Easter, is reportedly so violent and brutal in its depiction of torture and crucifixion, that viewers have left cinemas sickened and weeping. The camera lingers on flayed flesh and physical agony. It leaves indelible images on the mind, and may, for some people, constitute a life-changing experience. In complete contrast, the painting by Salvador Dali, "The Christ of St. John of the Cross", erases all signs of torment from the scene. It was, in fact, based on a sketch by the 16th Century Spanish mystic, St John of the Cross, after he received it in a trance. Painted in 1951, it became at the time of its purchase, so controversial that it was slashed by an irate visitor. Now hanging in the St. Mungo Museum of Religion beside the ancient Cathedral of Glasgow, it continues to attract admirers from around the world, to stand in awe and wonder at the aestheticaly beautiful vision before them. It is a picture of utter serenity.

Time has been suspended as the cross hangs between heaven and earth, surrounded by the darkness of space. The bowed head of tumbling hair bears no crown of thorns. The feet and hands are not restrained by nails. There is no blood or laceration, no spear wound, no agony of expression. Golden light seems to emanate from the body, surrendered to death, and shafts beam downwards to illuminate the tranquil Seal of Galilee and an empty fishing boat.

Confrontation with the visual depiction of the Crucifixion of Christ is always an emotional experience. Inevitably the response asks and answers deeply personal quations about our relationship with the Lamb of God whose atoning sacrifiece is central to Christialn faith. Jesus explains that he must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him. John 3 v.15.

Yet both of these contrasting presentaitons lack an essential element. The cannot possibly enter into the spiritual agony of the Holy One, who knew no sin, being made sin for us. "The punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." Isaiah 53.

None of us, even if we have suffered the humiliation and hurt of false accusation, can ever experience the anguish of soul that Jesus endured when, in the darkness, he became the sin-bearer for us all. We live in a world where hideous crimes are committed daily, where mercy and love are kicked aside by hatred and brutality. How must it have felt to bear the load of such sinfulness? The suffereings of Christ are beyond our comprehension.

But the cross is empty now.

Our Easter meditations bring us to the resurrection of Juesus, to the empty tomb, and the road to Emmaus with its glorious revelations of the risen Christ. Salvador Dali followed his beautiful, mystical paininting, with sculptures of precious gems.

The Twig Cross moulds two sections in gold like young tree branches, mantled in a shroud of white diamonds. The twigs are alive, budding with emerald leaves and weeping with blood red rubies. It speaks of regeneration, resurrected hope and the promise of eternal life.

The Light of Christ is a cross of gold, rough cast like the unpolished wood of a Roman cross. From the centre, a brilliant cluster of diamonds explodes outwards on shards of platinum like rays of dazzling light. So powerful is the burst of energy that the wood is shattered for ever, scattering teardrops into space.

Jesus said, "I am the light of the worrld. Anyone who follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life." John 8 v.12. These works of art are human depictions of an event that took place in history. The impact of our spiritual contemplations will change our own life's history.

There are eternal consequences resting on our response. May we all somehow this Easter, embrace the true spiritual liberation of forgiveness, and be blessed by resurrection, hope and regenerated power in discipleship. This is not a fluffy rabbit and chocolate egg story. It is infinitely, divinely, eternally more dynamic and significant. It could create an explosion of joy.

Iris Niven (April 2004)

Held in Place

A great sea monster raised its head above the ocean waves and spied an island lush with verdant foliage and fruit trees of every kind.

"The island is so heavy with delights, it is a miracle that it floats," he said. "Someone must be holding it in place."

A little bird was winging overhead. He looked at the stars and the clouds in the heavens.

"The sky is so full of wonders," he said. "It is a miracle that it does not fall down. Someone must be holding it in place."

The wind ruffled the sea until it was white with froth and spume. It blew fitfully across the sky and sent the clouds scudding over the horizon.

"Fools!" said the wind "You are so limited to your own dimensions that you cannot see beyond them! I blow where I choose around the entire globe. I bring heat and cold, rain and hurricane, to rule the activities of all mankind."

"Ah yes," replied the little bird," but when the Lord of all the universe was in a fishing boat, tossed by the waves, he ordered you to be still. Someone is holding you in place."

The little bird was right.

In the incident recorded in Mark 4 v. 39, Jesus said, " Peace be still. " The wind ceased to blow and there was a great calm over the Sea of Galilee.

We are entering another new year, and the world is not at peace.

In scripture, the sea is often used as a symbol of humankind, turbulent, uprising, fickle and destructive.

Last month, we celebrated the birth of Jesus who was called " The Prince of Peace. " We are much in need of his presence now to calm the storms around the world. We long for a time when his peace will be evident in our midst, when wars will cease and disputes will be amicably and judiciously settled.

In the meantime, and especially at the beginning of a brand new year, we are each called upon to be ambassadors of peace.

" In as far as it is possible, " wrote the Apostle Paul, "live at peace with everyone. "

In family life and in our communities, there is pressure and tension on a daily basis. We sit in traffic queues, cope with deadlines and make difficult decisions. We manage fractious children and teenagers with exam fever. We meet old people who fret with frustration over the increasing limitations of age, and young people who are financially stressed. We face major health and relationship traumas.

Yet Someone is holding us in place to bring the peace of God into these situations.

There is another question that we must address if we are to be effective in our role. Have we made our own personal peace with God? Is his peace able to flow through us as water flows through a clear channel?

When the heart and mind answer in the affirmative, then the peace of God will become a reality as we encounter all the unknown situations of this new year.

Phil 4 v. 6. " Do not be overanxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. "

Iris Niven (Jan 2004)