Our Church, Our Place, Our Community

Reflections from Rev’d Warner Wilder

Listening to God

A man who operated an icehouse lost a good watch in the sawdust. He offered a reward, and men went through the sawdust with rakes, but they were unable to find the watch. When they left the building for lunch, a small boy went into the icehouse. A few minutes later he came out with the watch. They asked him how he had found it, and he replied, ‘I just lay down in the sawdust and listened. Finally, I heard the watch ticking.’

One of the most effective ways of communicating with God is to just be quiet and listen for his presence. In the hustle and bustle of life, this is not easy to do, but do try it. You might be surprised.

‘Be still and know that I am God.’ Psalm 46:10

The Real Spirit of Christmas

The story is told of a small boy who was chosen to play the innkeeper in the Christmas nativity, telling Joseph and Mary that there was no room for them at the inn. But on the night of the big event, he stood on stage, looked into the faces of the audience, froze in fear, then smiled and announced, ‘I’m not supposed to do this, but come on in anyway!’ The audience broke into thunderous applause.

That boy got it right. He reflected the real spirit of Christmas. Put it this way, if Jesus himself had been in that position, what would he have done? I don’t need to tell you the answer.

If we really want Christmas to mean something, then we need to pause and reflect that Christmas heralds the beginning of a life that changed the world; the beginning of a life that has impacted on millions of lives in a myriad of ways over two thousand years, and continues to do so today.

Influence of the Bible

A Russian teenager, living in Paris around 1930, was aggressively anti-Christian and hated everything to do with God. After listening unwillingly to a talk by a priest, he decided to read a Gospel to check whether the priest’s picture of Christianity, which the young man found repulsive, was supported by the gospel account.

Not to waste time unnecessarily, he chose Mark, the shortest Gospel. Before he reached the third chapter, he suddenly became aware that on the other side of the desk stood the figure of Jesus. His hostility crumbled and he became a disciple of Christ. He became the Metropolitan Anthony, the Russian Orthodox Archbishop of London.

We may not have such a dramatic experience when reading the Bible, but it is good practice to ask God to speak to us before we read the Bible. It is surprising how often he does speak to us if we are open to his word and his presence.

Service

A motorist drove into a ‘full service’ station. Three attendants charged out to meet him. The first washed the windows, the second checked under the bonnet, the third checked the tires. When they had finished, the motorist paid for the 30 litres of petrol he had ordered and drove off.

Three minutes later he returned. Once more, the attendants charged out. ‘I’m embarrassed to ask you this,’ said the motorist, ‘but did anyone put petrol in my car?’ The attendants looked at one another rather sheepishly. In their rush to serve, they had forgotten the rather important petrol.

As we rush through life, it is important not to forget what our priorities should be – to serve where the need is greatest.

‘Dear friends, let us stop just saying we love each other; let us really show it by our actions.’ 1 John 3:18

Welcoming our King

As the story goes, Queen Victoria was out walking one summer afternoon near Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She wanted a rest and a drink of water. She passed a couple of houses and knocked on the door of one of them. There was no answer. The woman inside was busy and could not be bothered answering the door. The Queen walked on home.

The neighbour across the road saw all this through her window. In the evening, the two women chatted as they pottered in their gardens. With more than a hunt of jealousy, the neighbour said, ‘I see that the Queen called at your place today.’

The other woman had no idea and was bitterly disappointed at missing this opportunity of having the Queen in to her home. So for the rest of her life she waited for the Queen to return. She never came.

On Palm Sunday the crowds welcomed their King. At any time of the year we need to ensure that we are not too busy, too preoccupied with day to day distractions, and so neglect to let God into our lives. You will not be disappointed.

‘As the scripture tells us, “Anyone who believes in him, will not be disappointed.”’ Romans 10:11                                                                     

  Values

In ancient China, the people desired security from the barbaric, invading hordes to the north. To get this protection, they built the Great Wall of China. It’s 9 metres high, 5 metres wide and 2,400 kilometres long!

The Chinese goal was to build an absolutely impenetrable defence. But during the first one hundred years of the wall’s existence China was invaded three times.

It wasn’t the wall’s fault. During all three invasions, the barbaric hordes never climbed over the wall, broke it down, or went around it; they simply bribed a gatekeeper and then marched right in through an open gate.

The purpose of the wall failed because of a breakdown in values. Any society or community can be ostensibly rich in materialistic terms but if the values of righteousness, honesty and charity are not adhered to, then that community will fall apart. The Roman Empire is an example, albeit on a rather grand scale. We have seen religious organisations/communities falter and fail because the very values they promote have not been abided by. We are human!

On a personal level, integrity, compassion and humility are invariably the hallmarks of a person who has mana and is held in high regard, not the size of their bank balance or any power they might wield.

‘Stand your ground, putting on the sturdy belt of truth and the body of armour of God’s righteousness.’ Ephesians 6:14