Week 44 – Money

Way back in the 1970s as i began to build up my vinyl record collection I was like a sponge soaking all different types of music, which is probably why i have such eclectic tastes to this day. I remember buying the seminal album “Dark Side of the Moon” by Pink Floyd to show off my musical credentials to my friends whilst secretly purchasing singles by Abba, who I thought wrote fantastic pop songs but were less cool!

Pink Floyd wrote a song called “Money” which was a caustic look at what money can give you. Around the same time Abba did a song called “Money Money Money” which boasted the line, “must be funny in a rich man’s world”. Now correct me if I’m wrong but I think that both Benny and Bjorn has got a few bob now because of their royalties, so I wonder if it is funny in rich man’s world?

It was in the 1980s that I ventured into the pop music world by being in a band that was moderately successful in the East Midlands, well we thought we were successful as we once signed some autographs after a gig! We decided to enter the money debate and so as not to copy Pink Floyd or Abba, we wrote a song called “Money Money” which echoed the same themes of being wary of what money would do to you. It’s ironic that we were actually trying to make money by recording songs like that but that is another story.

I get woken every morning by the news on Radio 5 Live and for many weeks now one of the main headlines has been related to money. For example, this morning the figure of £400 million was mentioned with regard to affordable housing and to buy 16,000 homes. Also, every day there is some report on what is happening in the Euro-zone which usually relates to Angela Merkel and Greece orItaly orFranceor whichever the next country will be.

I’m no economist but it appears to me that many of the countries around us are broke, they have no money. The reasons for this are many and varied and the solutions will provide even more chance for debate and discussion for our politicians, economists and anybody with a vested interest.

But, whatever the reasons and solutions may be, there is still an innate thought amongst modern society that money and the acquiring of it is an ultimate goal and important for all of us to live, exist and have a “happier” life. Much of the “Occupy” movement which is sweeping across America andEuropeis about asking people to rethink about the role of “money” as the driving force within our societies and the thought that money can solve all of our issues and problems.

Jesus has much to say about how we live our lives in relation to our neighbours and the society in which we are set and, although he never talked of the situation in the Euro-zone or a double dip recession, he did remind us that where our riches are, then that is where our hearts will be also.

Money never has been (and never will be) the panacea for all our problems. True hope is found within understanding again the nature of the love of God that values ALL people irrespective of their wealth and the apparent value to other members of our society.

Jeff Reynolds

Week 43 – Meeting people…meeting Jesus

At work, over the daily coffee breaks, a group of us are pondering the question “Where can you meet someone, of the type that you want to meet?”. The group is mainly made up of males in the 35-50 age range, a mixture of singles and married people, all of professional status. The singles amongst the group struggle to meet members of the opposite sex.

Collectively we have formed the opinion that hanging around in pubs is probably not going to lead to a lasting relationship, and going to various night clubs also seems to be unproductive. “Friends of friends” seems to sometimes work, although endless invitations to dinner when one is inevitably match made can prove wearing after a while.

Speed Dating is an attractive proposition, proposing a quick-fix to the whole problem. But those who have tried this form of introduction have found it to be unsatisfying, based as it is on a series of short, brief, chats. And it is most demoralising when, after 30 chats, no one wants to meet you again.

What has shown some success is internet dating. One of our number met his wife across an internet dating site, and is obviously an advocate of this method of introduction.  Others have found the succession of “first dates” to be wearisome and demanding. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle, with several internet sites offering different mechanisms, and different prices, to effect introductions.

The question remains open….

So how would you go about meeting Jesus?

I have been think and preaching a lot about Zacchaeus (Luke 19:1-10). He was a tax collector in Roman occupiedIsrael, and would have had a poor reputation amongst the Jewish people. He was based inJerichowhich was a wealthy trading centre, so it was likely that he had a position of some importance.  He presumably heard that Jesus would be passing throughJerichoand, since Jesus would have now gained some notoriety, Zacchaeus went to see him.

You can easily visualise the large crowd of people making their way acrossJericho, following Jesus with a mixture of awe and curiosity, much in the same way that we welcome celebrities to our towns today. Unfortunately, Zacchaeus was a small man and couldn’t see over the crowd. Many of us at this stage would go home mumbling that it was too crowded and we couldn’t be bothered, but Zacchaeus didn’t. Instead he formulated a plan where he would go down the route a little and climb a tree from which he would get a good view.

Sure enough, Jesus and the crowd came down the road, and Zacchaeus got his good view.

Zacchaeus probably thought that this would be the end of the story, but Jesus stopped, called him down from the tree by name and promptly went back to Zacchaeus’ house for tea … much to the amazement of the onlookers, and Zacchaeus I guess.

This meeting with Jesus changed Zacchaeus life. He not only paid back those he cheated (four fold), but also gave away half of everything he owned to the poor and probably had an abrupt career change and followed Jesus toJerusalem. I’m sure that was not what he had in mind when he got up that morning.

There is a recurring theme in the Bible that if we have a plan to meet Jesus and enact it, that Jesus will come and meet us, often in a way that we don’t expect. And this is my experience.  I have noticed words in a book that have a deeper significance than the writer ever intended. Chance comments have additional layers of meaning and odd thoughts appear unannounced.  Occasionally an event will occur that is unexpected and unexplainable, almost miraculous.

I have observed many times that an encounter with Jesus will change lives, sometimes in a small way and sometimes in a grand, Zacchaeus-like way.

Meeting people, and Jesus, sometimes needs a plan …

Mark Timothy

Week 42 – Buildings for all?

 

 

Are our church buildings for all or are they just for the ‘paying members’? 
Are we guilty of serving only those that attend regularly? 
Do we think about the other people we could be serving who need our building as much, if not more than we do? 
As communities, are we so worried about the possibilities of damage or mess to our church buildings that we become blinkered to the needs of the people in our surroundings?

As Christians we are called to ‘love one another’.  It sometimes feels that we only ‘love one another’ if it is safe to do so and if doing so will not make us feel slightly uncomfortable.  When did we last think about doing something risky and think out of the box a little? 

Our church buildings should be community buildings, and not be there just for those that attend regularly on Sundays.  That is not to discount the great need for keeping the property safe and fit for purpose, but this should not stand in the way of our Christian duty to serve those less fortunate than ourselves.  Could we not all look at ways in which our churches could serve our local community more?  Could we not all take a risk and think out of the box for a while? 

Leigh Reade