Revelation: Literally Real, or Really Literal

Ok folks, it's new post time. I know you can hardly contain your excitement since the last, back before Christmas, but I am sure I can whet your appetites for the next couple of months...or maybe not!

Anyway, Christmas has been and gone. Grumpy times over. I am on my second haircut of the year (only another 2 or 3 to go), and life moves on into the monotony of routine.

So I got to thinking the other day about Revelation (that book at the end of the Bible). It's such a confusing and often misused book (there I said it!). It is confusing in the sense that it talks about Dragons and Beasts and horses and numbers. In some ways it seems like it is part of a trashy fantasy series written in the 50s. It is misused in that when people 'use' things they don't understand, mistakes/errors can be made and horrible things can be justified by such misuse! And to be honest, I think for a long time now the function and purpose has been misunderstood, and sometimes abused!

As some of you may know, my degree at university was in Theology. Interesting enough if you're into that sorta thing. I remember that one of my modules was on Revelation. It seemed like a good idea at the time of choosing modules, but when it finally came to my first class, I was filled with a not inconsiderable sense of trepidation. How on earth was I going to sit in an exam and write about REVELATION. I barely understood it, and found it really confusing (and weird). This sense was not helped by the lecturer, who right at the start of the first class suggested that we would end this module with even LESS of an idea about Revelation than when we started. He went on to say that studying Revelation was all well and good, but do not expect to receive enlightenment as the nature of the book can sometimes inhibit that! Needless to say, I was not filled with much confidence by this point. However, I worked through the material, did the coursework, sat the exam, and I passed.

Passing an exam on Revelation still left me with little clue as to the nature of the book. I left well alone for a few years, but it always seems to draw me back. Just what is this book all about? Is it a literal account of the end of time, where God will triumph over his enemies, and Jesus and the Heavenly Host will squash all opposition to God's will and rule? Or is it something else?

You see, on a theological level, I really struggle with the concept of a God who is all war and blood. Jesus suggested that we see the Father through the Son, and whilst Jesus did display anger on occasion, it always seemed to be aimed at the injustice perpetrated by society. He didn't seem to be very much in the game of 'winning' against his enemies. Indeed, he suggested that LOVING one's enemy was the proper course of action, and that losing was ACTUALLY winning. In some ways, comparing the Revelation story with the accounts of Jesus' ministry almost make one think that God is perhaps a bit bipolar!

But of course he isn't! Maybe this gaping chasm in personality can be attributed to how we read Revelation. For the record, I don't think Revelation is a literal account of the end of days, and shouldn't be read as such. It may well come to pass that there will be a human (or group of humans) who so personify evil as to be called Anti-Christ. It may well happen that disease and death and war and famine will hold sway over the earth (and this is not too hard to believe looking at the world around us). Will they ride horses...I personally think not! I believe that the book of Revelation is a metaphor for the world. It is trying to hold a mirror up for us to peer into and see just how WE have a role to play in this story of Creation.

You see, I very much believe that God called mankind into relationship with him at the beginning of it all (Adam, Eve, Garden of Eden etc). That relationship was strained, and throughout history, God has been working to restore and redeem that, the fulfilment of which was Jesus. Of course one of the significant things about Jesus was his death. However, let us not forget his LIFE. I believe that Jesus came to earth, not just to die but to show US how to truly LIVE. That by our actions, we could bring Heaven or Hell to earth and that building the Kingdom was a PROCESS, not a one of event with a floating city coming down out of the clouds.

You see, Jesus was all about justice. In fact, throughout the whole Bible we see God calling for justice and equality; for slaves, women, foreigners. In many ways, Revelation should be a call to action! It is more about what effect WE have on the world, than some beast rising out of the water. Can we honestly say that ALL war, death, destruction, famine, natural calamity, disease etc is the result of external forces riding about on horses? Is it possible that the personification of Four Riders is actually human activity in the world? That it is us, and our abuse of the world and all in it, that cause War, Disease, Famine and Death? Revelation is a call to the underground church, those who are oppressed and downtrodden, who seek justice and love for all. It is less about triumph over enemies and the destruction of the world and more about the restoration of the world, and the hope that God gives...even to those who may be his enemies!

Don't get me wrong, I do believe in a literal Satan (maybe I will write some thoughts on this sometime). I do believe that the world is building up to something-I mean look at how much the world has changed, even in the last decade, and we can see that. I do believe in anti-Christ, although I think that anti-Christ is not always a person, but can be an idea, or a system (basically anything that is against Christ). I do believe that God will work things out and there will be redemption, but I don't think we should be looking to that END, but rather should be looking to what we can do NOW. If anything, Revelation isn't an account of the end, but a wake up call for us here, now. What is YOUR role in creation? Will you be someone who builds Heaven through your actions, or someone who builds Hell? To me, THAT'S the message of Revelation.

It's been years since I studied Revelation at university, and I must confess to a certain degree of confusion, especially with some of the imagery portrayed there. It is uncomfortable and hard to understand. However, as the years have trundled by, I have become more certain that God is not an all-conquering warlord. He is a humble servant. And he invites us lovingly into this Great Task of building the Kingdom, of re-creating the world to the original design specifications. Revelation can be a call to war, or it can be an encouragement to keep going in the LOVE of God.

I guess it's really up to you!

'Merry Christmas your arse' and the hypocrisy of being a Christian

Yes, it is true...I am well known amongst my friends and family for being a cynical, miserly old git, especially in relation to Christmas. I wont deny this, and there are many good (and not so good) reasons for this. However, I have been feeling very challenged of late, due in no small part to the work I have been doing in the local High School. In the last few weeks, we have dealt with issues such as the plight of the refugee, genocide, natural disasters and conflict (of many kinds). In each area, one thing has held true-in every scenario, there are always people whose lives have been irrevocably changed by the events they have experienced. For many of these people, there is incredible loss and suffering on their part.

What has really troubled me is just how hard it is to really connect with these people in their suffering, not just on the part of the kids I teach, but also if I am truthful, for myself. Natural disasters like earthquakes and tsunamis don't happen in our wee corner of the world. Organised and mass genocide has not touched our shores. Even if we think of the Troubles, and the cost in both human and material terms, they pale in comparison to the troubles suffered in places like Rwanda in the mid 90s, and Sudan now (although that is not to belittle the suffering of the many thousands whose lives were directly affected by the Troubles). Needless to say, apart from the aforementioned Troubles, or wee country has got it pretty easy. It is such comfort that I feel numbs us to the plight of others!

At this time of year, thoughts inevitably turn to Christmas, buying presents, attending parties, eating food, enjoying the company of friends and family, crap television, and a whole host of other associated things. And yet as a Christian, I am deeply disturbed that for many of us, Jesus is no where near the top of our list (if he is even on it in the first place). I have come to ask the question 'what is the point of Christmas if Jesus isn't even in it?' Don't get me wrong, my understanding of God allows me to imagine the great delight he takes in when we encounter real and genuine community that happens especially at Christmas. This is a good thing and should be encouraged more often. However, in the same sense, I imagine his heart breaks when he sees us becoming so focused on trivial things.

The incarnation was such a dramatic and radical act within the span of human history. Here we have God himself, in the form of Jesus, coming to earth to exist as one of us, to live for us and show us how to live in turn, and then finally to die and resurrect for humanity. Such a profound and powerful act has been boiled down to what is essentially an orgy of selfishness.

As a Christian, I sometimes feel ashamed; not only at society at large, but also at myself. How can I have let myself, and those around me, focus on such selfish things. Is Christmas really about presents, or overeating food, or complaining about how bad television is? Is that what it has become? What happened to the radical and life changing act that was the original incarnation?

If you haven't already figured it out, you will by now notice my blog is often full of questions I don't always have answers too. By no stretch of the imagination am I trying to exist in an ivory tower passing judgement on others. I know I am just as complicit in the creation of a festival that is often as anti-christ as a coven of Satanists (or should that be Santa-ists?!). Am I suggesting we do away with Christmas, and have just a normal day (sounds nice!). Joking aside, of course I am not. However, what I am suggesting we do to do (Christian or not) is to set aside the self and consider the real reason of Christmas-that God would come to the world for mankind, to bring hope and redemption. There are an awful lot of people in this world who right now need a little hope and redemption. Perhaps we as a society and as individuals have an opportunity-strike that-a responsibility to ensure that such people find some hope. I hope that we can shake ourselves and hear the challenge to not become desensitised and numb to the plight of others whose Christmas will be more about surviving famine, or disease or death squads than it will be about buying presents, or complaining of what is on the TV.

Happy Remembrance of the Incarnation!

The arrogance of youth

I was getting out of my car one day, a week or so past, and I see this kid walking past me with his mobile phone out, and tunes blaring out of the damn thing. It was a funny moment, as his music was just pure AWFUL, but I didn't have the heart to say anything to the poor fella, who probably thought he was the 'dogs' as he walked past me listening to his totally radical music (or insert a more culturally relevant word than 'rad'-thinking about the 'Turtles' at the moment). Anyway, a very normal everyday occurance made some impact on me. You see, I have encountered this quite a lot-young people using their mobile phones as an open air disco, for all the world to 'enjoy', and to be honest, it strikes me as quite arrogant! I mean, what makes these kids think that I really want to listen to their music, which quite often has the musical quality of a hammer banging on a sheet of metal whilst someone runs a screwdriver down it! Don't get me wrong, I happen to think I have a pretty decent taste in music, and it is as varied as it is good! But kids these days?!!! Sheesh, most of them have an awful sense of what constitutes what makes 'good music'!

Anyway, I promise this is not a rant, and there is indeed some kernal of a point in this (apart from the 'grumpy old git'-esque rant on young people). As this kid walked past me listening to his music, I thought to myself, 'what the heck ever happened to earphones'?! I mean, I encounter this phenomenon quite regularly, where a young person will have the music playing over loudspeakers, and often think this. And on this occasion I came to the conclusion that it is because young people (and I do include myself in this) are essentially arrogant! Now, we could recriminate and justify and argue all we like, but I think that those of us under 35 can probably recognise a little bit of truth in this. Oh I am sure many of us continue to 'respect our elders', but we often consider that they are wrong on many issues, and we are right. I mean, as we shifted from modernity to post-modernity, many of us looked to our parents and especially our grandparents and sometimes consider their worldviews and experiences to be 'antiquated'! Come on, most people over the age of 50 struggle with common concepts such as i-pods, gaming on consoles; even tuning a VCR (which has itself become obsolete) is a struggle for some. Now I do stress that there are exceptions to the rule, but I draw on my experiences, especially with my parents, who seem to be almost pre-historic in their understanding of technology! So as we show respect to our elders, we often think that we probably are at a more advanced level in our understanding of the world and how things 'work'!

But is this the case?

I am not really coming at this with any concrete answers. However, I have seen that young people today have lost something of what I had when I was a 'kid'. I see young people spending all their time on computers, gaming, social networking. Whilst things like the internet and modern technology can be an amazing resource in drawing people together, I think in some ways it can create a massive distance. And I do appreciate the irony in saying this in a forum which can only be accessed by such technology. However, I feel that something has been lost in the last 15 years. As a kid, I often went out and 'horsed about'-the less said about this the better for my reputation-but I can honestly say these were important times in my life, and particularly in the formation of who I was to be. I often smile when I recollect stories of my youth, and whilst I made many mistakes, I think I got through things all right (depending on how you judge the 'end' product). So if thats how I feel in my mid-20s, how must someone in their 50s, 60s or 70s feel? Do they feel the world has changed for the better? And when I say better, I guess what I am really trying to assess is our level for true and intimate community with each other. As someone who believes that our reason for living is community, if something doesn't add to community, then it doesn't make things better.

Like I said, no answers, but more a case of having some thoughts to share. Perhaps what we can learn is that awareness that we haven't got it all 'sorted'! That in the 21st Century, there are perhaps things we can draw down from previous eras, especially in regards to community. And perhaps instead of being arrogant about our knowledge of technology or philosophy or any other thing ending with -y, that maybe, just maybe, we haven't got it all figured out...yet ;)

Peace

Communion?

Chatting to fellow youth worker and profound thinker Saint Martin Montgomery, I suddenly realised that I shouldn't have to start off every blog with the usual round of apologies for not writing for months...I mean, do you, the reader, really care? And to be honest, why should I write useless drivel for the amusment of the mob?! Simply put, I have not had much I wanted to say these last few months; of course thats not to say I haven't been thinking about a lot of issues/topics. I want to share some brief thoughts that have been swirling through the grey matter!

This time, its about communion. I have long held the belief that communion is a very significant act for the Christian. Strangely for a "Protestant" (and believe me, I do use that term lightly!), I have contended that perhaps our Catholic brothers are a little bit closer in their understanding of the significance of the act. Now, let me say that theologically speaking, I do not believe that the bread and wine physically turn into the body and blood of Christ. That is in no way to criticise Catholic theology on the matter, but rather to make my position clear (and not just as someone who has been brought up a 'Prod' in Ulster to disagree with everything Catholic, but as someone who has thought and reasoned the issue out for themselves).

Back to the matter...In communion, I believe something very strange takes place; whilst Catholics may believe that the bread and wine transubstantiate physically, I believe that it is more a metaphysical transformation. That is, there is a very deep spiritual transformation that occurs, that allows us to connect with Christ on the cross through the Eucharist. An act it may be, full of symbolism, but I think we do it a disservice if we leave it as just an act! On some very deep level, we are taking the body and blood of Jesus into us, perhaps not on a physical sense, but in a very real spiritual sense!

Being brought up as a Presbyterian, the Lord's Supper (wasn't much of a meal-sip of ribena, and a piece of bread) was always a time of reflection that inevitably had to be a guilt trip. Don't get me wrong, I love my Presbyterian brethren (the rest of my family still go there), and respect a lot of things about that church, but communion should never have turned into a guilt trip-where you feel bad about all the naughty things you have done, and feel so unworthy to partake in communion. Jesus never wanted us to go on a guilt trip when we take part in the Eucharist. Jesus wants us to remember him; to celebrate his life, and rejoice in his death and resurrection. When we take part in communion, it should be with a party atmosphere (at least in my thought). Of course, we should always enter into some self-examination and reflection, but it should never be self-recrimination. That is just not the Jesus Way!

And then there is a deeper issue behind communion; what does it mean to 'remember him'? I think that Eucharist should not just be a piece of bread and some wine (or Ribena for our Presby friends), but that Eucharist should be a 'lifestyle'. When we walk out of church, do we 'remember him'? When in work, do we 'remember him'? With our friends and our family, do we 'remember him'? With the poor, the hungry, the oppressed, do we 'remember him'? The etymology of the word 'Eucharist' stems from two Greek words; eú- "good, well" and kháris- "favor, grace"...Good grace! Hmmm, I wonder what this is trying to say to us? Is it that Eucharist is about more than imbibing and ingesting Jesus (whether physically or metaphorically)? Is it that communion is about more than a sacred meal that helps us remember the events of Jesus' life and death? All these things are extremely important for the Christian...However, maybe Eucharist is actually about our 'good grace' or good works after we walk out of Church. Maybe the true power behind communion is that it is not just for us, but it is for the world. As we 'remember' Christ, we live like him, and show him in our lives (speech and actions). And as we do that, people are drawn to the truth of the Gospel-that Christ came to set us free and give us 'real life'! Maybe it is that as we engage in good works, we need a little more of the body and blood of Christ within us, so that we can be more like him to the world? Perhaps that is the real power, the real purpose behind communion? Can it be that communion is so much wider and so much deeper than we every thought it could be? I mean, with anything of God, it is entirely possible that we have only just scratched the surface!

So, as you take communion, I encourage you to think about what this means not just for you, but for those around you (Christian or not)! I encourage you to recognise that a very significant and spiritual act, drenched in symbolism, but full of power, is taking place. I encourage you to think of how this act may be changing you, and how in turn does that change the world around you. And I encourage you to enjoy it!

Peace

How He loves

I have been spending a lot of time recently listening to a guy called John Mark McMillan, from America. I generally dislike 'Christian' music (as if the very use of the word Christian excuses it for being musically crap), but this guy is something else. I love his music, and I love the place it takes me...

The story about Steven at the start of the video is heartwrenching. However, one thing that strikes me about this story is just the committment Steven had; he prayed that if his death would mean something, then let it happen, and that night he died! Oh how I wish to have that passion for my God...

Here is the song in full, if you just want to listen to it

Taking a break from all your worries

Gosh, how the world seems to have changed over the last year! Everytime I switch on the news (be it ITV, BBC News 24, France 24, ABC) it all seems to be full of doom and gloom. This credit crunch (which I stil don't fully understand, especially when a lot of the downturn in the markets 'seems' to be caused by PEOPLE) has really instilled a lot of fear and worry. But since I don't have lots of money anyway, I don't have much to loose (well maybe my massive Star Wars novels collection). I just wish people in the media would stop focusing on the fear and worry; this creates more panic than what it is actually worth (although not to take away from the genuine worry posed by the current economical downturn). At least the price of oil has dropped, and petrol is now below the pound mark in the first time in AGES!

Anyway, enough of the despair; I am heading away this Sunday for a few days with some friends to the Slieve Donard. The aim here is to get a nice break from things, relax, and have some banter. I probably can't really afford it, but to be honest, its worth getting away for a couple of days, and Bag did manage to get us a pretty decent deal (well at least for it being the Slieve Donard anyway). So for the next few days, I am not going to be thinking about the credit crunch, or work, or all the other things that cause me headaches, but just relaxing in the company of good friends, and maybe for a couple of days, we can imagine the world is a great place with no worry!

That being said, I do have LOADS on at the moment. I am preparing to take a youth weekend with a Church in Antrim. I am looking forward to it, but seeing as it is my first time doing a weekend, I am more than a little apprehensive. But hey, the way I will look at it is just a series of conversations (which I am more than good at!). I also have to deliver a report to my bosses in the next couple of weeks. Now it is just a routine report (I try to give one every 6 months), but it will quite possibly dictate the direction the youth work, and possibly the Church, will take for the next few years. So I am feeling a little bit of the weight of responsibility, as I want to make sure I get everything I need to into my short 10 minute report, and try to show a glimpse of a possible way forward.

A New Season

Boy...summer flew in. I cannot believe that summer is over and people are getting back to school, uni, work. For once, I was part of a Church community that didn't shut up shop for the two months of summer! Don't get me wrong, it is good to have a break, and I certainly enjoyed mine, and it was sorely needed. However, it is also good (at least as a youth worker) to realise that there is a very real need for our young people. That for them, summer can be a long time, and if we do not engage with them, if we do not connect with them, it can be a negative time for them. I was so blessed to have certain things come together which meant that this summer, we had around 50 hours of engagement with young people in Crumlin, as well as Summer Madness, Impact (street reach) and a kids bible club. I think that is just amazing, and already I have seen so much benefit from just opening our doors for a couple of hours a week over the summer. Young people are asking questions, they are showing interest in being more involved, and the opportunity for some of our younger leaders to actually just get a chance to lead was great.

That being said, the challenge now is how we bring this into the new school term. Obviously (and rightly so) priorities shift; people focus on work, study etc. How do we continue to meaningfully engage with young people without facing burn out. This is the question I must answer in the next few months!

One other thing summer is good for is weddings! I have been at three this summer, and they have been fun times-opportunities to meet with old friends, and wish the happy couple well. I had a crazy weekend last week, with two weddings in two days. I would not want to do that too often, but by the end of the second wedding, I was just deliriously happy, to the extent I hated myself (those who know my cynical side will empathise!). I have also enjoyed spending time with a new arrival; Bag and Emma's son, Jude. It's been great getting to know him, and I really look forward to being a part of his life (Lord help the kid with me as his 'uncle'!).

So, a new season indeed. Looking forward and seeking God, trying to grow and move in the right way. It will be exciting, fun, scary and challenging. Times like these are what I live for (and hopefully Arsenal will win this season!).

Adieu