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We live in a broken world. I’m sure you’ve either used this expression or heard it used. You’ve probably read it too. It’s almost become a cliché in the church. We are broken. But is that the right word to use when describing the world in which we live and the condition of humanity? I’m not sure. I have a daughter who studies linguistics; I’m a novelist; my family reads a lot, so words matter to us. A lot. Some might call me pedantic, and I’m fine with that. Words and their meanings are endlessly fascinating. Word usage reveals a great deal more than many people realise. Especially when it comes to a word as loaded as “broken.” It’s used both inside and outside the church, but I’m not sure we’re all using it in the same way. First, does it accurately describe our condition? Well, it certainly appears to. When something is broken, it no longer fulfils the purpose for which it was designed. A dishwasher that is broken can no longer clean my dishes. The purpose of a human being is to worship God. We are no longer able to do this according to our original design. So “broken” seems to be an appropriate term. So far, so good. However, when you think about the meaning of “broken” a little more deeply, problems arise. First, why do things (or people) become broken? It is true that some things can break by accident. Many who raise children will discover how easy it is for ornaments to break “by accident.” It wasn’t me! It broke by accident! Certainly, accidents do happen. However, even when they do, they occur due to agency. So when I bump into your occasional table by accident, I am, sadly, responsible for the loss of your rather tasteless rearing dolphin glass ornament. Perhaps I lacked the intention to break your dolphin, but I was responsible. I was the one who broke it. Agency. The capacity to act or exert power. So says the dictionary. We live in a broken world, but who is acting here? We are. That should be obvious, but because of our use of the word “broken”, this isn’t clear. Indeed, the word is sometimes used to avoid responsibility. Often when I hear the word used, I feel myself dragged back into the nature-nurture debate. Am I behaving badly because of my genes or my environment? It must be one of those, surely. GENES We’re all dealt a hand, aren’t we? Some of us are tall, others short. Some love numbers, others adore letters. Some are extroverts, others are introverts. Our genetic makeup is not deterministic, but it has a huge influence on the kind of people we become. No question. ENVIRONMENT Some of us live in poverty, others live in lovely big mansions. Some eat healthy food while others eat white bread and butter for their tea. Some of us were beaten by their parents, others were not. Some people lived in medieval times when most women had almost no autonomy. Some are European, others African or Asian or Pacific Islander, all of us living surrounded by a different cultural background. Environment has a huge effect on the lives we lead and the people we become. And all of us are broken. Both our genes and our environment are broken. We’re broken inside and we live among others who are equally broken. That’s how we’ve ended up over-using this phrase, “We live in a broken world.” But can you see the problem here? We’re victims. We were given our genes at birth—they’re not our fault. Nor did we choose our environment. So, we’re victims of our circumstances. Indeed, these two—genes and environment—seem to explain human behaviour in its entirety. No wonder we’re broken. And it’s really not our fault. In response, it is essential to acknowledge that genes and environment are hugely influential. Imagine being raised in the Hitler Youth or working on a plantation in the Deep South during the nineteenth century. We cannot ignore the impact that our cultural and family backgrounds make on the people we become. However, and it’s a big “however”, the Bible never portrays our environment—still less our family background—as a reason to exonerate us. Instead, the Bible begins with a story of human rebellion. We started well, enjoying an unbroken relationship with our Creator, but then we broke it. We were the ones who did the breaking. No one else. It was not our genes or our environment that was responsible for our choice—we lived in a beautiful garden. And though the snake (Satan) was clearly a character in the story, we chose disobedience. We turned away. As the prophet Isaiah puts it so eloquently, “We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way.” The word to describe our human condition isn’t “broken”. There are other more suitable words. Here are a few. Rebellious Sinful Idolatrous Guilty Shameful. I make no apology for how these words make you feel. Indeed, we need to feel them in order to respond appropriately. “Broken” won’t do it. “Broken” easily becomes the means by which we seek to avoid responsibility. I’m not arguing that everyone hears the word this way. Some may continue to hear it as a synonym for “sinful”. And, of course, I have no way of knowing how prevalent this subversive interpretation may be among those who attend your church on Sunday. But I suspect that it’s becoming ever more widely interpreted this way. The reason is perhaps because we have reached the point where the very concept of “sin” is disappearing. Time was when our culture, while not explicitly expressing an evangelical view of Christ, did at least operate within a Christian moral framework. We knew what sin was. Sin was a thing. No longer. Now the world rejects the very idea of “sin” and visitors to your church on a Sunday morning may not understand its meaning. That’s why I’m writing on brokenness. I think it’s a subversive attempt by the enemy to tempt us into believing that we’re not really responsible. That there’s no such thing as sin. We’re all victims. Not only are we born broken, we’ve been broken by external forces. It’s not our fault. So what is the answer? Well, we could start by using the word “broken” the way the biblical authors use it. A related word is often used to express the pain of suffering people. It is for these people that the gospel is such good news. The word is “broken-hearted.” Hence this beautiful passage that Jesus recites in Luke’s gospel when he quotes from the prophet Isaiah. The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, Because the Lord has anointed me To bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to captives And freedom to prisoners; Luke 4.18-19 God’s compassion is extended to people who suffer, and the word “broken” never implies a lack of responsibility for sin, but an acknowledgement that we live in a vale of tears, that we face heartache and pain. Often, believers speak of “brokenness” in this way. We feel broken by the loss of a relative or the sickness of a child. Such brokenness sends us to our knees, and so it should. This is a brokenness we all feel at some point in life, and when it causes us to grow in faith or cry out to God, then such brokenness has a transformative effect on the soul. REPENTANCE Most important, however, is the way the bible uses “broken” to express repentance. Here’s one of my favourites. My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise. Ps 51.17 David’s use of “broken spirit” communicates the depth of his confession, the strength of his repentance. To be broken is to accept responsibility for sin. Indeed, the uniform teaching of the Bible is that when human beings are broken—meaning they have reached the point where they know they cannot save themselves—then God in Jesus is there to repair them. Make them new. Make us new. We need fixing, and only God can fix us. Only he can restore us. So, may I ask you to think carefully before you use the word “broken” in your church services? Ensure that when you use the word, you are crystal clear about your meaning. Make sure that “broken” can never be misinterpreted to mean “not my fault.” Instead, lead your people to the beautiful, life-giving truth of the gospel, which is that God is close to the broken-hearted, and he mends the broken when the broken confess their sin, their rebellion. He restores and repairs those who fear him, who confess their sin and repent. For it is in acknowledging our sin with a heart broken before the cross of Christ, that we receive God’s grace. From such confession, we are made whole. No longer broken, but restored and made new.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. After his customary greeting, these are the first words the apostle Paul writes in 2 Corinthians. They contain profound truths about God and about the nature of Christian ministry. God is “the Father of mercies” and “the Father of compassion”. Our Father is the source of all compassion. When we feel compassion towards another person, our heart is beating with his. He is also “the God of all comfort”. Our Father’s compassion is not static and unmoving. He does not watch our suffering from a distance, aloof and unresponsive. He brings comfort to those he loves. How does God, our Father, bring us comfort? We may instinctively say that he does it through his powerful promises. The apostle Paul would certainly agree. In Romans 15.4, he speaks about “the comfort of the Scriptures”. God gives us comfort through his Word. But that is not Paul’s focus in 2 Corinthians 1. Here, he speaks about the experience of God’s comfort in the midst of suffering. This is the Word lived out. It is the presence of the Promiser. What, then, is Christian ministry? Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 1.6, “If we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; and if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which you experience when you patiently endure the same sufferings that we suffer.” This definition is not comprehensive—preaching and teaching are surely also important—but it is certainly a vital aspect of it. Christian ministers suffer alongside people in a way that reminds them of the comfort of God. As we walk with suffering people, we represent God to them. Literally, we re-present him. We present him again to them. We help them see how the promises and presence of God bring comfort in suffering. As Paul describes his own suffering, he does not hold back. He says, “We were so utterly burdened beyond our strength that we despaired of life itself.” (2 Cor 1.8) Had Paul asked me to edit his letter (scary thought!) I think I would have said, “Now Paul, I think we need to tone that down a bit. Take the edge off. You don’t want them thinking you were a complete ‘basket case’”. My apostolic namesake would undoubtedly have rebuked me, and led by the Spirit, he would have left his words exactly as we read them in our Bibles. Paul did not hide his suffering. He did not pretend it was less than it was. He put it out there for all to see. Why? Because his aim was to help the Corinthians follow his lead, to learn what he had learned through his experience. To “rely not on ourselves but on God who raises the dead”. This aim works in two ways. Those we care for need to learn to rely on God rather than on themselves. They also need to learn to rely on God rather than on us. The apostle Paul did not want the Corinthians to be dependent on him rather than on God. His appropriate self-disclosure about his own weakness was part of ensuring they wouldn’t. As ministers, we must not give a false impression that we are strong, thereby encouraging people to trust in our strength. Put more bluntly, we must remember we cannot raise the dead! Only God can do that, so anyone putting their confidence in us is bound to be disappointed. You might conduct a nice funeral and people might appreciate it. However, the God of whom you speak at the graveside is the one who will reverse death itself. He is the one who will raise a believer to life in an imperishable body. That’s the compassionate Father who delivers us from deadly perils and carries us tenderly in his arms. Even when deliverance comes through death, the God of all comfort will hold us. This is our hope for those we pastor, and, like Paul, this hope is unshakeable. Leadership goes wrong when we encourage people to depend on us instead of guiding them towards a greater reliance on God. It goes wrong even more profoundly when we turn those entrusted to our care into a source of our own comfort. We feel insecure and so we feed on others’ need of us. We need to be needed. We like to be liked. Paul’s openness can help us guard against this tendency too. The comfort we need is not found in an admiring congregation, but in our great Father. As you care for others, seek your comfort in the God of all comfort. At the same time, Paul models to us a healthy two-way relationship between a minister and a congregation. He will not feed on the Corinthians, but he does ask them to pray for him. (2 Cor 1.11) He knows further trials await him down the road. He knows that God will deliver him. Yet he also knows that God works through the prayers of his people to bring blessing to others. Paul’s confidence in prayer should challenge us as leaders too. The greatest thing you can do for people in your community is pray for them. That is not to say that sitting with them, listening to them, giving guidance and at times caring for their material needs is not important. Of course these things matter, but they must all be underpinned by prayer. When we intercede for others, we reveal our ultimate source of hope in the God of all comfort. “Spiritual love”, writes Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “will speak to Christ about a brother more than to a brother about Christ”. Of course, this works both ways. The greatest thing your community can do for you is pray for you. So, it is right to ask your congregation to pray for you. At Living Leadership, we pray for you too. If you would like us to do that by name, please email us. If you would value being part of a praying group, why not join Refresh Network Online? Or if you would like one of our Associates to walk with you and pray for you, then request support. Ministers of the gospel, remember you are comforted comforters. You are not worthy of the task to which you are called, but that is not a source of shame. Absolutely not. Your weakness and your lack of ability to provide all comfort is the whole point. You are dependent on God and you are helping others to see their dependence on him too. As your Father comforts you, bring comfort to others.

I remember how soft his hands were. I don’t routinely hold the hands of other men, but I do when the man is blind. In fact, we all did. We all held his hands, because this is how we guided him through a cluttered newsroom. And we helped him down the stairs to the cafeteria. That I remember very well. Then we sat with him as we ate our lunch together and enjoyed the company of one of the most extraordinary men I have ever met. Oh yes, I remember how soft his hands were. For the users of braille, soft hands are essential for comprehension. They allow a blind person to feel the bumps in the paper. In the 1990s at BBC Radio Solent, I worked with the man with soft hands, one of the best broadcasters of his generation. He presented a whole variety of programmes before moving off to big-ger things in London. He now presents programmes for the disabled and is one of the presenters on BBC’s flagship consumer affairs programme, You and Yours. His name is Peter White. First, the expertise. Broadcasting is hard. Even when you’re sighted, it’s hard. There is an enormous amount of pressure. Deadlines approach every hour. The news at 3pm is never presented at 3.01pm. You must be ready. The idea of broadcasting as a blind person would turn most people to jelly. What if I’m not ready? How do I work in a world designed for sighted people? To Peter White, however, it seemed effortless. I used to be in awe of his ability to prepare himself. He would sit at his desk and listen to his producer dictate the cues (introductions) and links. His machine was a big clunky metal device not unlike an old-fashioned typewriter, and it stamped its mark on paper with the bumps of braille. Peter would scoop up his pile of paper with five minutes to go and someone would lead him into the studio. I used to think, “What would he do if those pieces of paper got mixed up?” He would be lost. But he was never lost. Ever. He was the consummate professional, running his fingers along the paper, reading his cues and then conducting his interviews with that smooth, silky, beautiful voice of his. He had a way about him—an extraordinary ability to connect with another person. There are so many things I learnt from Peter. Here are some. IMAGINATION AND COURAGE I’m not one of those who believes the modern myth, “you can do anything you put your mind to.” Or “Anything is possible if you just believe in yourself.” I would love to run the 100m at the Olympics or play in a Wimbledon final, but sadly, that is never going to happen. No matter how much I train or “believe in myself.” And no, my inability to achieve these goals is not related to my lack of self-belief. It’s due to my age and my limited athletic ability. So, no to positive thinking as an answer to all our problems. Peter didn’t think like that. He didn’t pretend that he could see. He knew he couldn’t. However, he possessed great belief in his abilities and he had great imagination. He didn’t look at broadcasting and say, “I can’t do that.” He looked at the obstacles he faced and figured out ways to overcome them. That requires both imagination and courage. We all face obstacles in life, and some of us just get stuck. We succumb to our fears. We don’t exercise our imaginations to a sufficient degree, so we just stay inside the realm of possibilities we’ve always known. When facing a challenge, we often give in, because we lack imagination. And we lack courage. We can do better. I know I can. HUMILITY Peter White knew he was blind. He didn’t pretend that he could see. He, therefore, knew that, at times, he needed help. When we went to lunch, Peter could have used his stick to make his way down to the cafeteria. He could have worked his way past the obstacles, bumping his stick against chairs and desks to find his way through. But it would have taken time, and we didn’t have much of that. So he happily offered his hands, and we guided him down to the cafeteria. It was this gentle humility he possessed which marked him out as a person worthy of admiration. I think this was a character trait that made him such a good broadcaster. His humility and gentle demeanour made him approachable, and that is a great quality to have when you’re interviewing people. FAITH Peter trusted those with whom he worked. Broadcasting is all about working in teams. For every presenter you hear, there is a whole team of people in the newsroom doing research, editing scripts, coming up with ideas, not to mention all the tech guys making sure the equipment is working. At BBC Radio Solent, I remember marveling at Peter’s ability to talk and listen at the same time. Even in the middle of an interview, the producer would talk to him through his headphones. Ask him about school investment. Ask her about what happened when she was lost at sea. He hasn’t answered that last question. Ask it again. These words would be filling his headphones at the same time as he was conducting the interview. And the listeners didn’t have a clue. He never hesitated, never became impatient, never gave any indication that he was both talking and listening. It was remarkable. He trusted those around him. He trusted his producer to be there each morning with the scripts all ready to be typed up. He trusted those around him who brought him his tea, who made sure he could get to where he was going. He trusted the team who surrounded him and made him the great broadcaster that he was, and is. This is a skill—and a character trait—that all leaders need. We all know about our need to trust God. That goes without saying. But what about our need to trust others? The truth is, when we trust others to speak, lead and take on tasks normally assigned to the leader, it’s possible that they will fail. It’s possible that they’ll mess up. But no good thing comes unless we’re prepared to set people free to develop their gifts. At some point, the chick must leave the nest and fly. This is scary but essential. As I’ve watched church leaders over the years, one of the most serious deficits I’ve observed is insecurity. The insecure leader causes a great deal of harm to a community. Why? Because the insecure leader won’t let go of power. The insecure leader must always be the centre of attention. Yet it’s essential to trust others with tasks that take away your spotlight. You were never supposed to be the focus of that spotlight in the first place. What did I learn from Peter? That you cannot truly thrive unless you trust others around you. Indeed, when you do, you all thrive together. I’ve written many times about the task of leaders to equip and release, but I make no apology for doing it again. Here is your job description in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up. Eph 4.11-12 In the realm of story-telling, it is not uncommon for scriptwriters (authors) to create blind char-acters with exceptional wisdom. The unsighted see more than the sighted, and it’s often be-cause of their disability that they develop the ability to “see” more than others. When we read of such characters, or see them on screen, they often shame us. Our lack of faith, our pride, our insecurities are exposed by the simple faith they demonstrate. They see more than us, when we’re the ones with eyes. In his letter to the Corinthians, Paul writes these well-known words. For we live by faith, not by sight. 2 Cor 5.7 They are words with multiple applications. This verse comes in a section in which Paul is contrasting the life to come with the life of the body, and the suffering that must be faced by the believer, yet with eyes on the prize to come. It is a rich “body-and-soul” passage. We live by faith. Isn’t that the essence of what it means to be a follower of Jesus? We must trust him, for our security is found in the Lord Jesus, and in him alone. Only he can supply our deepest needs. Only when we live by faith will we be ready to let go of our insecurities. And when we do, we ourselves will be released to become true “equippers and releasers” of his people. Sometimes, we cannot see the way forward. We are blind to our own failures, to our insecurities. Yet we live by faith. To live by faith means trusting the One above. And in community, it often involves trusting those around us. So, when I hold someone’s hand, anyone’s hand, I’m reminded of the man with the soft hands. His name is Peter, he is blind, and he taught me a lot about imagination, courage, humility, and faith. Especially faith. And for that I’m grateful.

This is Pastoral Refreshment Conference season. These annual conferences for leaders and leadership couples were the genesis of Living Leadership and they remain the highlight of our year. This week one has been running in Hertfordshire (PRC Central) and next week we have two in partnership with Keswick Ministries in the Lake district (PRC Lakes). Over the years, we have heard story after story of how the Lord has used these oases of refreshment to rekindle joy, pinpoint sin, restore marriages, sustain ministries and renew vision. We pray this year will be no different, especially for those leaders who are in the midst of deep challenges in their families, congregations or denominations. An annual conference to refresh ministers is a wonderful thing (I think that’s not merely organisational hype!) but I’m sure most of us are aware of the dangers of relying on conferences to sustain us. They serve like a spiritual injection of adrenaline. We come away full of zeal and hopefully with some substance to fuel it, but they can only carry us so far. The high is often followed by a low. We must not become conference junkies, lurching from one gathering to the next and never knowing how to sustain spiritual health in the valleys. That is why Living Leadership has a programme of Refresh Ministries that are available around the year. Twice a month we have one hour on Zoom on a Wednesday morning in Refresh Network Online. The format is simple – 20 minutes of input followed by time in groups facilitated by Living staff and Leadership Associates to discuss, share and pray. For spouses we have a monthly online Spouses Community. We are also developing Refreshment Days a couple of times a year in regions of the UK and Ireland, allowing leaders and couples to take a day away to be fed and encouraged. We have dates planned or in planning in May and June for East Anglia, Ireland (north and south), the Midlands, Scotland, South East England and Yorkshire. Full details are (or will soon be) here. Around this rhythm of opportunities for refreshment, our Associates and ministry staff are available to provide one to one refreshment through mentoring and pastoral care for leaders when they need it. If you would appreciate that support, please contact us here. Living Leadership exist for one simple aim – to help Christian leaders live joyfully in Christ and serve him faithfully. Our staff team and growing network of Associates in the UK and Ireland and Affiliates in other European countries pray this for leaders regularly. The following prayer is the kind of prayer we pray for leaders. Perhaps you could join us in praying it for each other or for your leaders (just change the word ‘we’ to ‘they’ throughout)? Loving Father, Almighty God, You are the One who refreshes our souls. Your Words are like sweet like honey to us They are perfect and revive our souls. You have poured out your Spirit on us like water on a thirsty land, He springs up to eternal life in us and flows from our inmost being. Yet we are often weary, Father. We do not draw on you, the spring of living water, but dig broken cisterns. We look for consolation and security in false gods not in you, the God of all comfort. Even in our service for you we succumb to selfish ambition or self-preservation. We are prone to fear and please people rather than you. We are tempted to give in to temptation or give up the fight. Father, we cast ourselves on you again. We love you because you first loved us and in this we find security. We trust you and your promises and so we offer ourselves to your service. We hope in you to renew our strength so we can run and not grow weary. Father, do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. May we seek your kingdom and righteousness first. May we watch over the souls of your people as those who will give account. May we labour faithfully among your people for the sake of the gospel. We confess our limitations and our tendency to transgress them. Teach us to rest in you and to work hard in your strength. Teach us to care for the bodies you gave us and for the people you call us to serve. Teach us to obey you as your beloved children and to love your children well. Our joy in in Christ Jesus our Lord, In whose name we pray, Amen.

A note to our loyal readers: Hello, my name is Richard Collins. I write most—but not all—of the blog posts on our Living Leadership website. Next week, from 30 Jan to 1 Feb, we’re holding one of our Pastoral Refreshment Conferences at High Leigh Conference Centre in Hertfordshire. I will be there. If you’re a regular reader of our blog, please find me at the conference. I would love to thank you for being one of our regular visitors to the website. Thank you. Here is this week’s post. There’s a cost-of-living crisis. This is not news. You already know this. The cost of living has spiked severely over the past few months. The war in Ukraine hasn’t helped and nor did the mini-budget late last year, but let me stop here for a moment before I enter the political sphere and become devoured by those on both sides of the aisle. Let’s just start with the simple truth that many are struggling. On Wednesdays, I volunteer at a food bank. Each week, I sit at my computer and greet our guests, who come to us with manifold different needs. We prepare a food parcel for them, and yet we are barely scratching the surface of their need. To those on the outside, we are helping people who are struggling with the cost of living. In truth, we are helping people with the cost of surviving. They’re surviving, and when all your focus is on surviving, it’s hard to focus on living. Surviving is not living. It’s, well . . . surviving. Here are a couple of definitions from the dictionary. To endure or live through. To remain or continue in existence. Not “live” but “live through.” So, not really living, but continuing in existence while you pass through something. That’s not much of a life, is it? It’s not supposed to be that way. So, to my first point. In these straitened times, think carefully about how you can support those who are just surviving. I have written previously about the subject of social action. Re-read one of my posts here. Has anything changed since I wrote these back in 2020? The basic principles are the same, but the sheer number of people struggling has increased considerably. Churches cannot hand out money, but they CAN find ways to help the cold and hungry. This is a mandate, not a possible option, and it often requires sacrifice. For leaders, it may also involve stepping out in faith, calling on people to serve who don’t normally serve. But that’s the cost of living. In Genesis, after creating the first humans, God gives this command. God blessed them and said to them, ‘Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.’ - Gen. 1.28 Be fruitful. Increase. Fill. Subdue. Rule over. These are the words not of surviving but thriving. Another word might be “flourish.” Humans are to flourish on this earth. We are to live before the Lord in a manner which brings him glory, and when we flourish, we thrive. And yet . . . Cost of living. That’s where I started. If living means thriving, then that can be achieved in an almost infinite number of ways. We can create beautiful works of art, build cities, businesses, families, care for people, protect people, solve problems, explore the earth, the list could reach to the moon. However, for all those who follow Jesus, all of these activities are submitted to the Lord. And all our desires and goals are offered to him for his glory, and should be performed according to his ways, to his will. When we do this, we thrive. And yet . . . Cost of living. To truly live, there is a cost. It puts me in mind of this wonderful quote that has been attributed to William Wallace. Every man dies. Not every man really lives. As you may know, William Wallace was the inspirational leader of a ragged band of Scottish warriors back in the 13th century, leading his men to victory in several engagements against the English. For him, living meant sacrifice, and if necessary, the ultimate sacrifice. Which, as you may know, he paid. When we watch a movie like Braveheart, it is impossible not to be reminded of the Lord Jesus, especially when the filmmaker decides that his main character, once captured, will be brought into a castle with outstretched arms, as though on a cross. For our God, “really living” requires sacrifice. To live, we must die. Jesus said it best. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. - Matt 10.38-39 Whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. That is the cost of living. That’s what it costs to live. Truly live. And to do that, sacrifices must be made. We must be brave and bold, like William Wallace. We seek to follow Christ, who faced the ultimate sacrifice, and though he agonised in the garden, submitted to his father in heaven. When you consider the phrase “cost of living,” I wonder if you’re challenged. Have you “gone soft?” Do you always play it safe, or do you step out in faith? Is your eye on what others think, or will you follow the Lord’s leading? There are no formulae here. There is no “one-size-fits-all” that I can offer, except to point you to Jesus. His life, his example, and most importantly, his Spirit who leads you, and whom you are called to obey. That one applies to us all, and it especially applies to leaders, because surrounding all leaders are voices demanding, complaining, pestering, urging, pulling, pushing. The one sure thing is that the leader who seeks to please all people will please no one. Leadership requires conviction, wisdom, courage, and faith. Because that’s the cost of living. It’s the cost of thriving. If we want to thrive, we must be ready for sacrifices, and when they’re demanded, we must be ready to obey. We must be ready to die to ourselves, for by so doing we are joined to Christ in his resurrection. St. Paul writes, For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. - Rom 6.5 We have been united with him in a death like his. If you’re a believer, you have swapped death for life, and are called to die each day to your old life. Your life no longer belongs to you, but to God, who will raise you up on the last day. For he alone has shown us the true “cost of living.” Christ himself paid that cost at Calvary, in order to give us life. His cost, the ultimate price, has been paid and we are the beneficiaries. Give thanks today for the life you’ve been given by your kind and loving God, who gave up his Son so that you might live. Then go and die for his sake, so that you might express his resurrection life in yours.

After leaks, interviews, and much brouhaha, the book is now out. Yes, that book. Spare, by Harry, Duke of Sussex, is now available in all good bookstores . . . and well, it’s everywhere, isn’t it? All over social media, on TV, on the newsstands, and never far from a comedian’s witty repertoire. This is a story which just keeps on giving. At least it is if you sell scandal and enjoy gossip at a level “never-before-reached.” This is not just a family tearing itself apart, but one of the most famous families in the world engaging in internecine warfare at its worst. No one is winning. Both sides are losing. (It could be argued that only one side is fighting, but that’s a minor detail. This one will run and run. Sadly.) Are there warnings here? Is there something we can learn? So, first a confession. I have found myself caught up in this story. It has not drawn out the best in me. We all have a little schadenfreude inside us and this story unlocks mine with alacrity. That’s not good. I have found myself at war with my own darkness. We should never enjoy others' suffering. So, here’s my first warning. Be careful of judgementalism. There is a lot to judge here, and it’s just so easy to feel superior when engulfed in the grisly details of the super-wealthy, super-celeb[1], super-privileged. It's easy to forget that Harry and Meghan are just human beings. Fallen like us. Sinful like us. So are William and King Charles and the rest of the royal family. They never have been blameless. A quick read through the history books will soon uncover a family line capable of horrors. Just like our own, probably. So, no to the judgementalism. Better, surely, to look to the Bible and seek a little wisdom. Because this story is reportedly about sibling rivalry. That’s the source of the pain. That’s the source of the anger, the outbursts.[2] Why him and not me? Harry, meet Cain. Harry, meet Ishmael. Harry, meet Jacob. Harry, meet Joseph. Harry, meet the prodigal son. You get the drift. First, this isn’t just about primogeniture. Not all those listed above were second-born. Some were, but not all. CAIN The account in Genesis is sparse, sufficiently sparse that we often speculate as to why Cain felt so hard done by. What was wrong with his sacrifice? The Apostle John doesn’t waste time messing about. His words are damning. Do not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own actions were evil and his brother’s were righteous. 1 John 3.12 Whoa. So what does Genesis give us? Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.’ Gen 4.6-7 Cain was the firstborn, but there is nothing in the text about his relationship with his brother. There is no information about sibling rivalry. He’s just so furious that he turns on him. It appears that Cain was consumed by fury over God’s rejection of his offering. If John is right, then he had permitted himself to be governed by Satan. That’s a strong charge. What had gone so terribly wrong? Without wishing to speculate too much, it certainly looks like his pride had been offended. Let’s leave him there. JACOB I have serious issues with Jacob. Okay, I’ll confess. I don’t like him. At least, I don’t like him at the beginning of his story. Who would? Conniving, deceitful, his name means “deceiver.” At least that’s what I thought until I did some reading. The actual meaning is closer to the word “supplant.” It also means “to follow, to follow behind” and then has connotations of “circumvent, assail, overreach.” Talk about a man living into his given name, Jacob is slimy and manipulative. Yet, I have been challenged by God’s perspective and his work in Jacob’s life. Jacob’s story is absolutely saturated with the grace of God. The Lord’s mercy towards him is truly extraordinary, and Jacob responds. You can see that when he agrees to meet with Esau and reconcile. He is a changed man, and God is the architect of that change. JOSEPH A favoured son, Joseph appears a little naïve when he shares his dreams with his brothers.[3] And as you know well, he pays for it. But again, it is the Lord whose character shines most brightly as we read. He takes a man in despair, and works to restore him at the same time as using him to save an entire nation. Like Jacob’s, Joseph’s story reminds us of God’s purposes. God alone is sovereign over him. He never abandons him (though he languished in prison for two years), but instead fulfils the words we read at the end of Genesis. But Joseph said to them, ‘Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. Gen 50.20 God intended it for good—never a truer word spoken, but just as importantly—Am I in the place of God? Joseph correctly identifies the one who is sovereign over all their lives. THE PRODIGAL SON I don’t need to rehearse this story. It’s one of the most powerful in the Bible, capable of touching the most resistant of souls. Here I think we are in Harry territory. The younger son who leaves home to pursue his own goals. No social media or book deals for this younger son, but if there had been, the Father would have been roasted. And as we know, it doesn’t go well. He didn’t have a $20m book deal to fund his partying, or TV talk show hosts to tell “his truth.” He was starving. I wonder if one day, Harry will find himself starving. Not physically, but starved of familial connection. He is no different from us all. The love of family is immensely precious and he appears right now to have lost it. Those bridges will be hard to repair. So, I tell myself, less of the judgementalism, and a little more compassion is needed. From all of us. ISHMAEL I’m finishing with Ishmael, but his story is not so much about him as his mother. We learn little of Ishmael, though he is there at the burial of his father, Abraham. He is called “a donkey of a man,” not exactly a compliment, but the Scriptures focus, of course, on his brother, Isaac, the son of the promise. These are the Hebrew Scriptures, after all. So allow me to turn to his mother, Hagar. Her story is one of the most heart-rending in the Bible. She was a slave, and that meant that when Abraham “took her as his wife,” he was using her for his own ends. What was he thinking?! That’s abuse, plain and simple. She was an abused woman. Abraham and Sarai act shamefully in this story. We know little of Hagar, though it’s recorded that she mocked Sarai at the weaning celebration of Isaac. However, the core of the story is the way she is treated by others. Where was God in all this? What was he doing? Hagar, it turns out, is the only person in the Old Testament who encountered the angel of the Lord twice. Twice. To my knowledge, no other person can claim that. As she was running away, alone in the desert, she met the Lord.[4] Here are the key verses. Then the angel of the Lord told her, ‘Go back to your mistress and submit to her.’ The angel added, ‘I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.’ Gen 16. 9-10 The story is filled with pathos, especially when, years later, she lays her son under a bush and awaits death. She encounters the Lord who is described as “the Lord who sees me.” Notice in these verses that the call to submission is followed by “I will increase.” As Hagar submits, the Lord responds with enormous blessing, for one’s descendants were of great significance in the ancient world. And that’s where I’ll leave her. What is the unifying theme in all these stories? God’s grace, naturally, but also God’s sovereignty. I think we hear it when the angel says to Hagar, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” There is no self-realisation in these stories. Every individual is subsumed within the great plans of God for his people. And not just his people, Israel. Ishmael is also the father of a nation. In fact, whenever a character chooses to force the issue—kill a brother, steal a birthright, claim an inheritance early—things do not go well for them. Each man who overreaches ends up suffering greatly. Yet in all things, God. His ways, his plans, his purposes—they are never thwarted. The story of his people continues to unfold just as he planned. And so I return to those words above: Why him and not me? Why indeed? Why are any of us dealt the hand we’re dealt? I cannot say, but when we force the issue and rail against what is given to us, things often turn out badly. What about you and those you serve? Our nation is going through a lot of anguish right now. “Why me?” may well be on the hearts of your people. Though it is a hard lesson, we can choose to complain, or we can accept what we’re given and give thanks. Gratitude is one of the most precious forms of submission. So give thanks for life and all its many wonders. Go back to your mistress and submit to her. After her encounter with the angel of the Lord, I wonder what life Hagar was given. Perhaps not an easy one, but I believe after she had submitted to the Lord’s will (and returned to her mistress), she would have lived her life remembering “the Lord who sees you.” She and Ishmael were not forgotten, and nor are we. No one is “spare.” For God’s sovereignty and his purposes are eternal. No birth order can change that. 1. Super-celeb – a word I made up. 2. Harry’s behaviour is also driven by intense anguish over the death of his mother. 3. Scholars disagree over Joseph’s motives in sharing his dreams with his father and brothers. Some say he is arrogant; others say he’s foolish. At a very minimum, he seems naïve, but you must make your own decision and base it on the text in Genesis 37. 4. I won’t speculate on his identity here. Angel or pre-incarnate Christ, he was God or God’s representative to Hagar.

“So, you’re saying we should be consistent in our murders?!” My Living Leadership colleague looked at me askance . . . then laughed. The comment was a reflection on something I shared from 2 Samuel in the opening devotions of our staff meeting. It’s one of those roller-coaster reads, charting David’s story after the death of King Saul. We were focusing on the first four chapters, that I’ll summarise here. Chapter 1 A young Amalekite comes to David, bearing Saul’s crown and armlet. He claims he killed the former king. It is a lie. Saul actually took his own life after being wounded in battle with the Philistines. It seems the Amalekite hopes that David will reward him for this news. David, however, orders the man’s execution instead, asking “Why weren’t you afraid to lift your hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?” It’s the same principle David followed in 1 Samuel when he repeatedly refused to kill Saul. Chapter 2 David becomes king over the tribe of Judah while Ish-Bosheth, son of Saul, reigns over the other tribes. Civil war ensues; David’s armies are led by his nephew, Joab. Ish-Bosheth’s are commanded by Abner. After David’s army is victorious in battle, Joab’s swift-footed brother, Asahel, pursues Abner as he retreats. Abner tries to warn Asahel off, but he won’t be deterred. Eventually, Abner hits him with the butt of his spear, presumably not intending to kill him, but Asahel dies. Chapter 3 Abner recognises his side is losing, so decides to negotiate peace with David. As he returns home from the negotiations, Joab goes after him, tricks him, and murders him. David curses Joab in strong terms and makes a public show of his own innocence in the matter—gaining favour with the people—yet he does not call for Joab’s execution. Chapter 4 Two of Ish-Bosheth’s commanders assassinate him and bring his head to David, expecting his approval. David reminds them of the precedent he has set (see chapter one) and commands that they too be executed because they killed “an innocent man in his own house and on his own bed”. So, these chapters spotlight seven deaths with four different causes: · Three executions—the Amalekite and Ish-Bosheth’s two killers. · Two murders—Abner and Ish-Bosheth. · One suicide—Saul. · One accidental killing—Asahel. In our staff devotions, I presented David as a lesson in integrity. Hence my colleague’s quip. Of course, my focus wasn’t on murder, but on consistency, a sign of integrity. There were murders in the story, but David was not responsible for either of them. He was the one who commanded execution twice. But he was inconsistent in letting Joab off with a nasty cursing that was not backed up with actions. In this, David lacked integrity. I’m glad I don’t have the power to call for executions – not even of cheeky colleagues. Nor do you. At least I hope your code of conduct in ministry doesn’t include that provision! But there is a lesson here. We also need to be consistent in our executions – our “follow through” for want of a better phrase. Integrity means doing what we say we’ll do, and acting consistently with what is true and just. Was David right to carry out the execution of the killers of Ish-Bosheth and the Amalekite who falsely claimed to have killed Saul? I’ll leave that to you to decide. While the principle of capital punishment for murder is clear in the Law of Moses, we may have questions about the legitimacy of David’s judgement in these specific cases. Joab’s murder of Abner, however, is a very different case. It’s clear-cut. Abner did not deserve to be executed. He accidentally killed a man who was pursuing him from a battlefield. And he did it through an act of self-defence. Yet Joab murders Abner in a cold-blooded act of vengeance without trial. David knew Joab’s action was unjust. He cursed him in the strongest terms. Yet David didn’t order his execution. His impressive words were not matched by actions. Why not? I can think of three potential reasons. Joab is the son of David’s half-sister Zeruiah. Is this a case of “blood running thicker than water”? Does David hold back because of family loyalty or nepotism? Joab was powerful and influential. After David curses Joab, we read, “And today, though I am the anointed king, I am weak, and these sons of Zeruiah are too strong for me. May the Lord repay the evildoer according to his evil deeds!” It seems David was afraid of Joab and uncertain that he had the power to have him executed. Is this a case of “fear of man” holding David back from acting justly? Joab was useful to David. Later, David instructs Joab to arrange the death of Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah, to cover up David’s sin. Had David identified a useful “henchman” to do his dirty work? All three factors may have played a part in David’s inaction, although the text particularly emphasises his fear of Joab. It is tragic to observe this in a man capable of such greatness. David, who composed such beautiful psalms . . . who killed Goliath . . . whose love for his friend, Jonathan, was legendary . . . who refused to take Saul’s life . . . who waited patiently for God’s promise of kingship to be fulfilled. This same David succumbs to the base human instinct for self-protection. He is enslaved to nepotism, fear of man, and corruption. The sordid tale of chapter eleven (adultery with Bathsheba and Uriah’s murder) will show how far David will fall, but already in chapter three, we see cracks appearing. Integrity is precious. I have seen many examples of people who, lacking integrity, have reaped devastating consequences. I am sure you have too. The poisonous fruit of compromise often takes time to ripen. Later in 2 Samuel, Joab will murder again, killing his cousin, Amasa, while greeting him with a kiss. Sound familiar? And then he ends up plotting against David over the king’s succession. David knows this guy is no good, so in his dying words to Solomon in 1 Kings, he tells his son and successor to be sure to get rid of Joab. Solomon does so through a man called Benaiah. How sad that the man who faced down a Philistine giant as a lad would permit this dangerous and destructive man to wreak havoc in his kingdom for so many years. And perhaps sadder still that he leaves Joab’s execution to his son as an inheritance. God is calling for leaders who will stand on principle. To be sure, we must be careful that our principles are his, but when they are, we must stand firm. God wants people of conviction who have the courage to speak truth in humility. Leaders with backbone. It seems to me that many leaders today tolerate what they should not because of what they call “compassion” or “pastoral sensitivity”. More likely what’s happening is they allow emotion to lead them and they cave in to the fear of man. It seems easier in the short term, but it only hurts more people, and creates more headaches in the longer term. Misguided “compassion” may be one of the world’s most destructive forces. Integrity can be painful. It may mean you lose out. Confidentiality has a cost. It means you cannot explain yourself. You resign because something is wrong while others seem quite happy to hold on to their position despite knowing what you know. You may suffer loss because of integrity, but it is worth it. Integrity pays dividends in this life—protecting others and gaining trust—and in eternity. After all, one day we will give account to the God of total integrity. I realise no leader can claim absolute integrity. That certainly includes me. Praise God for his grace which covers us when we confess our sins. We can hope for restoration where we have failed. That may not be fully possible in this life, but it will certainly be perfected in glory. So, if you realise you have compromised your integrity, repent and seek God’s forgiveness. Then act to bring restitution, where you can, to those your failings harmed and to limit future ramifications. It is not enough only to confess it to God. True repentance, as it did for Zacchaeus (Luke 19), spurs us to make recompense. As you look ahead to this new year and beyond, maintain your integrity. Have the courage of your convictions. Resist nepotism and all other forms of favouritism. Say no to convenient pacts with people of poor character just because they are “gifted” or can offer something to your cause. And do not let the fear of man motivate you to do what is wrong, or to refrain from doing what is just. Stand strong in God’s strength and for his glory. If you want to explore the theme of integrity, especially in leadership, I recommend Jonathan Lamb’s book entitled Integrity: Leading With God Watching (IVP, 2006).

The beginning of a new year. The end of a very difficult and painful year for many. I watched the new year celebrations on TV and I thought I was living in some sort of dystopian novel. The presenter was talking about how wonderful 2022 had been, and I was wondering what he’d been smoking. Or drinking. 2022 was hard. No question. So much suffering for so many. And more on the horizon. Yet here we are, looking forward at the start of a new year. So, let’s consider what we find in the Bible when it comes to beginnings. In the beginning God . . . Gen. 1.1a In the beginning was the Word . . . John 1.1a The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God Mark 1.1a In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach . . . Acts 1.1a The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah. Isa. 1.1a I’m sure you can see a theme here. It’s not hard to spot. In the Scriptures, it is God who initiates, who acts. He is the one who leaps forward, who creates, speaks and stoops to do business with his creation. He is the supreme initiative-taker. We are the recipient of his creative acts, his redemptive work, his ongoing mission to restore the world, to save it, to make it new again. He calls out his people, leads them, dies for them, sends his Spirit to live and work all things to his glory. SEEK GOD WHERE HE IS ALREADY WORKING At the beginning of the year, it is very tempting for leaders to think of new initiatives. To look “leaderly,” some leaders believe they have to be seen to be doing new things. New projects. New groups. New, new, new. This is because they believe—falsely—that good leaders should be out front being seen to initiate. First, let me recognise that there is nothing wrong with initiating new activities, new ways of doing things. I don’t wish to quench the Holy Spirit’s leading if, as a leader, you believe God is calling you to start up something new. However . . . I remember some wise advice from a godly leader, delivered to me many years ago. The best thing a leader can do is seek out where God is already at work and go and join in. Thunk. That one has sat on my soul for a long time. Think about it for a moment. Where God is already at work. Instead of feeling the pressure to lead by initiating, a good leader seeks out where God is already at work. That’s because . . . well, I just quoted some examples above . . . God is the one who initiates, who acts, who speaks, who leads his people. Christ is the head of the church (Colossians) and by his Spirit, he works within the church to lead it and helps its members grow. What does that mean for leaders? LISTEN TO YOUR PEOPLE A lot of churches have formal ways for people to serve and grow. Coffee serving, kids’ groups, home groups, food banks, prayer nights etc. These are all well and good. They are important. However, if a leader only thinks of God’s action taking place in these formal spaces, then that is a mistake. God is at work in many ways that are outside the formal set-up found in many churches. God groups people together to reach his world and teach his people that don’t fall into the formally recognised structures presented by the church. Therefore, a good leader needs to become a good listener. Listen to your people and seek out where God is working both inside and outside your formal structures. Some leaders are threatened by God’s work taking place outside formal structures. This is both a misunderstanding of godly leadership and a sign of immaturity and insecurity. Other leaders, upon hearing of activity outside formal structures, are tempted to co-opt this activity and set it within recognised, formal structures. The men’s bike group, the women’s hang-gliding club (!), the food bank volunteers who decide to go off and pray for the homeless—once these people are identified, they are then told to name their group and submit a paragraph for the website. Following that, they are invited onto the stage at a Sunday service and interviewed. Wow, just look at us, our leader is starting up such amazing outreach activities! This is all done in the name of “support.” May I encourage a different approach? First, when you identify something exciting taking place outside formal structures, simply stand back and worship your initiating God. He is the one who has sent those three families down their street with cookies at Christmas for the neighbours. You didn’t do that. He did. So please don’t be tempted to formalise the activity by creating a “Neighbourhood Christmas Cookie” group. Just leave them alone to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit without taking this activity and publishing it on your website. Second, “and go and join in.” How can a leader join in? Didn’t you just say keep away? Actually, no. I think a leader can join in by exercising some humility and asking a simple question, “What can I do to support you?” Don’t force people to publicise what they’re doing, but do offer whatever support they believe they might need to follow their calling. To make more cookies, we could do with some extra hands in the kitchen. Great. I won’t give yet another notice on Sunday, I’ll ask the Lord to lead me to people who might help. After all, the Lord is leading his people, he’s not asking you to take over and lead. He’s already working! He’s already raising up his people to serve, heal, teach, love his world. And he doesn’t need publicity on Sunday or a spot on the website. He’s quite capable of achieving his goals without your help. So, as we start this new year, may I encourage you to keep your eyes and ears open for God’s initiatives in your church community. He’s already at work. He never stops leading his people. Leaders must remember that the Lord’s activity is beyond the control of their programmes, their announcements, their websites. Invisibly, within his followers, the Lord leads his people by his Spirit. So, don’t quench the Spirit. Instead, be encouraged when you hear of wonderful things happening that the Lord is doing. After all, the Church’s purpose is to give glory to God, not the leader. But I’m sure you knew that. Be encouraged as you begin this new year. The Lord is already at work! Give him glory.

It’s Christmas! Treasure and ponder it. How did Christmas come upon us so quickly? It’s a question we often find ourselves asking in this busy season. You don’t need me to tell you—you’ll probably say it to your churches—we are at risk of missing the true significance of Christmas amidst all the activity. So, this is a simple call to learn from Mary, the mother of Jesus. In a recent Living Leadership staff meeting, my colleague Claire Reynolds asked us to consider Mary as she is portrayed in Luke 1. She shared how she felt when she first found out she was pregnant, (something I could never do, for obvious reasons!) Then she challenged us to think about the uniqueness of Mary’s experience. A teenage girl listening to an angel tell her that her son would be the Son of God. Claire cautioned us not to hurry through these verses. We should let the wonder and the majesty of these great truths sink in. That made me think about those famous words in Luke 2.19; they come after the shepherds have visited to worship her newborn son. Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. I love that verse. Two verbs. 1. Treasured. Literally, “keep with” or “guard closely”. The things Mary saw and heard, she took deeply into her heart. But she isn’t just focused on breastfeeding or nappy changing—the routines of caring for a newborn—she’s got a lot more to treasure. Imagine all these thoughts tumbling through her head. The angel’s announcement. Conceiving a child while still a virgin. The journey to Bethlehem, a place of royal and prophetic significance. The visit of the shepherds and their reports of angelic visitations in the fields. All these things she kept with her, guarding them closely. As Mary responds to these wonders, she becomes a model for us. Of obedience and trust. Over Christmas, we will hear many words. Some will be meaningless jingles we hear in the shops; others will be significant as we share memories with family and friends. Still others will be weighty with eternal meaning as we sing carols and read Scriptures. Will any of these words find a place in our heart? Will we treasure them—counting them as precious—ensuring we preserve them so they do not flow over and out of us like wisps of cloud? And will we let them sink deep into our hearts? Will we take time to work out their implications, savouring them with our imaginations? This Christmas, make sure you treasure the wonder of the Incarnation. Like Mary, allow it to lead you to worship the Christ-child. 2. Pondered. Literally, “throw together” or “meet with”. Mary did not simply file away what she saw and heard. She sought to bring these things together in a meaningful way. She drew up her memories often, reflecting on them. Her inner dialogue had a theme and his name was Jesus. Again, we might expect this of a new parent, but Mary’s experience was unique. She was not merely considering if her son would be healthy or an introvert/extrovert, she was wondering about the many prophecies he would fulfil. She was probably mulling over his future as the Son of God, conceived by a virgin. So many extraordinary unknowns, as she lived within this remarkable story. Again, Mary is our model. The words we read and sing over Christmas are familiar to us. We could easily let them roll off our tongues without thinking. We might also get a warm feeling from their familiarity. We may even be impressed by their truths. But even if we treasure these truths, we may not ponder them. The work of faith is never simply to embrace a principle. It is to hold it before our minds, and consider its meaning in our own lives. If God became human, how does that change the way I live my life? If God put on a human body, what should I be doing with mine? If the incarnate Word came in weakness to the marginalised, what should my priorities be? If an angelic army declared peace, how can I live as a messenger of the gospel of peace? These are not theological principles to be valued and protected. They are life-transforming truths that must inform every aspect of our lives. The gospel isn’t remote and separate from life. It is at its very heart, changing the way we live, and giving us purpose and joy as we share it with those we meet. This festive season, make sure you “treasure up in your heart” the truth of the incarnation. But don’t just treasure it—ponder it, so that Jesus becomes the centre of your world as he was for Mary on that first Christmas Day.

Editor’s Note: This post contains plot spoilers for the movie, Kingdom of Heaven. I love the movie Kingdom of Heaven. I’ve watched it many times, and at times, I’ve wondered why I like it so much. I’ve come up with a few ideas, and I think they might be helpful to you as leaders in your communities. THE STORY Kingdom of Heaven, set in 1184, follows the story of Balian, a blacksmith who travels to the Holy Land during the Crusades. He is an intelligent warrior, who defends Jerusalem against the Muslim invaders. I won’t give away the ending. A battle is involved, as I’m sure you expected. It is not historical, it is fiction. It may be set during an historical period and contain historical characters, but it is a fictionalised version of events. As a result, the controversy over its depiction of the crusaders is, at least for me, a lot of hot air. I am much more interested in the characters and their relationships than in historical accuracy. For example, I enjoy The Crown. I rest my case. So what intrigues me, or moves me, in this story? CHRISTIAN-MUSLIM RELATIONSHIPS The depiction of Christian-Muslim relationships may well be historically inaccurate, but a key relationship in the story is true simply because it contains a gospel truth. It is about mercy, and I find mercy (and its cousin, grace) to be one of the most powerful themes in any movie. It’s a concept that should move us and inspire us. In Kingdom of Heaven, Balian encounters two Muslims on horseback. They want his horse. One fights him, loses (and is killed), after which the other one is forced to surrender. We expect Balian to kill them both, but he is merciful towards the final defeated man. The man says this, Your quality will be known among your enemies, before ever you meet them. It turns out that the speaker is Imad, Saladin’s[1] right-hand man. His cryptic response bears fruit later when Balian is defeated in battle, and surrenders. Imad appears and is merciful to him, allowing him to leave the battlefield. The one shown mercy is now merciful. Mercy. Grace. Kindness. Love. All of these can be found in Kingdom of Heaven. The importance of mercy is addressed by Jesus in the Parable of the Unforgiving Servant. A man who has received mercy refuses to show mercy. And is punished. In Kingdom of Heaven, we see that a person’s character counts for much. His instinct to show mercy results in him being shown mercy. Do we not long for such a world? And do we not long for a world in which Christian and Muslim could forge a solid bond over the idea of mercy? We do. So when Muslims, Hindus, Atheists and Jews enter our buildings and join our groups, we offer hospitality. We lay our lives down to show them the great love and mercy of our God. We invite them to see Jesus, who out of mercy, forgives the repentant heart. And portraying mercy as compassion, we serve food to the hungry and offer kindness to the needy. The church is full of mercy, which is as it should be. YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CHOICES YOU MAKE Often script-writers will write a piece of dialogue to express their ideas about the story they’re telling. You can almost hear the director saying, “Right here, this is the core message of the movie. This is what the story is about.” In Kingdom of Heaven, King Baldwin speaks to Balian, knowing that he himself is on the verge of death. A King may move a man, a father may claim a son, but remember that even when those who move you be Kings, or men of power, your soul is in your keeping alone. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus." Or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that. King Baldwin, Kingdom of Heaven Why is this so important? Moral responsibility requires courage. Later in the story, Balian refuses to act immorally to gain power.[1] He just won’t do it. He has internalized King Baldwin’s injunction. Declaring “virtue was not convenient at the time” is no defence before God. Balian is a leader. You are a leader. Balian is brave and noble.[2] Do you aspire to such things as courage and nobility? Will you lead your people or follow them? Will you display courage, walking an unpopular path because it’s the right thing to do? Christian leadership is for those who are prepared to take up their crosses. It is not an easy life, but it is one worth pursuing when all is laid before God’s throne. For a crown awaits those who live wholeheartedly for their Saviour. KINGDOM OF HEAVEN So why is the movie called Kingdom of Heaven? Because the crusaders believed that by occupying Jerusalem, they were building God’s kingdom on earth. The director, Ridley Scott, himself a sceptic in religious matters, gives his response to this in the mouth of Balian. It is a kingdom of conscience or nothing. Balian, Kingdom of Heaven Balian certainly seems to follow his conscience. Some have noticed that he opts for moral absolutism, eschewing the utilitarianism presented to him. He will not act “for the greater good” by killing his adversary, instead believing that a person’s morality is absolute. It’s noticeable also that this statement about a kingdom of conscience places the kingdom within the person. For me, it’s a clear echo of Christ’s words. Nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17.21 God’s kingdom is indeed within us, and I would happily explain to Ridley Scott that this conscience of which he speaks is the voice of God, who gives each person an inbuilt (though often badly damaged) sense of right and wrong. For Christian leaders, the message is clear. God’s kingdom cannot be assessed by how many turn up to our Christmas services, or how many attend our groups. Nor can it be seen in the fame of the leader or the supposed influence we have within society. It is within, where the Holy Spirit lives, giving us life and strengthening our spirits to live holy lives. It cannot be seen and measured as earthly kingdoms can. There is solace in this truth, but there is also danger. If God’s kingdom is unseen and Christ is its king, what need for a leader to do anything but humbly refer everything to the one in charge? A passing of the buck shrouded with false humility. Enter Balian. INSPIRE YOUR PEOPLE TO ACT BRAVELY I’m sure you’ve seen The Wizard of Oz. You may remember the scene where the wizard, recently revealed to be a charlatan, addresses the scarecrow, tin man and lion. He gives the scarecrow a diploma, the tin man a heart and the lion a medal. He does this to inspire them. Do these artefacts give them courage or intelligence or feeling? Of course not, so why are they changed? Because of how they feel about themselves and what they believe about themselves. Exactly the same thing happens in Kingdom of Heaven. Balian is challenged by a corrupt priest, who says, “But you have no knights!” Balian immediately asks every able-bodied man and boy to kneel. He gives a stirring speech and knights them all. They rise as knights. No training, no new weapons, but suddenly they experience a huge burst of courage and self-belief. That’s because Balian is a leader. His words matter to them. He himself gives them the courage which was lacking. The enemy is the same, their weapons are the same, but they are not. They have been changed by how they see themselves, what they believe about themselves. Balian is asked if this charade (of knighting everyone suddenly) will change them. His answer: Yes. A great leader must not only be brave, and show it, a leader must also be able to inspire his people. Really inspire them. This is why vision casting is so important. (See my post on casting vision). It is true that Christ is the head of the church, but he uses leaders to communicate his vision. He fills his leaders with his Spirit so that people can see what a servant-heart actually looks like, and hear again and again the wonders of his gospel. Leaders create the culture of their churches, because people look to them to understand what it means to live out the Christian faith. Hear Baldwin’s words once again. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I was told by others to do thus." Or that, "Virtue was not convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that. Allow me to adjust this slightly for leaders. Here is my version. When you stand before God, you cannot say, "But I thought I should just play it safe.” Or that, "Some members didn’t like change, so the plans prayed over and agreed by the leadership team, well, they weren't convenient at the time." This will not suffice. Remember that. It is certainly true that leaders can throw their weight around, pushing through change propelled by their own hubris. But by contrast, others are too fearful to lead at all. It is this second group I have in mind. To this group I would say this: Declaring that since Christ is the head of the church, we as leaders have no responsibility for the health and growth of the church, that too won’t suffice. Christ is indeed head of the Church, so we must serve him fearlessly, bravely and with undying commitment. Imagine the courage of the one, who leaving behind his heavenly father, was born into a humble home. Aspire to be like him. Bold and brave. Model him, share him, and lead. Lead your community—and all the visitors they bring to your Christmas services—to the glorious truth that God was with us in Bethlehem, he walked by the Sea of Galilee, and he is still with us today. He is here right now. For all who have ears to hear, let them hear! 1. Saladin (Salah Ad-din, Salahu’d-Din, Ṣalāḥ ud-Dīn) is the great Muslim general who commands a vast army. He is an historical figure, of course. 2. Balian is not without fault. His sexual ethics—he sleeps with another man’s wife—are certainly questionable.

I used to be indecisive, but now I’m not so sure! I’m sure you’ve heard that one. Doubt seems to be part and parcel of the human condition. And that’s why we need to talk about Thomas. He was one of Jesus’ closest friends, and yet, fairly or not, we know him best as Doubting Thomas. Capital D for Doubting. A bit harsh? WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT THOMAS Sometimes doubts arise from our temperament; we’re more Eeyore than Tigger. Each time Thomas appears in John’s story, he sounds like an Eeyore. First, there’s this verse. Let us also go, that we may die with him. It’s from John 11.16. Not the kind of comment to boost team morale! Then there’s this one from John 14.5. Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way? Hardly an expression of confidence. But we plumb the depth of Thomas’ doubt in John 20, post-Resurrection. If temperament contributes to Thomas’ doubt, so does a heart-breaking sense of disappointment. He really did think Jesus was the Messiah. He’d spent the best three years of his life with him. He’d seen it all. Heard it all. Believed it all. Or, at least, he thought he had. But that’s his problem. In Thomas’ mind, Messiahs win, they don’t get nailed to a cross. Thomas’ doubts are almost certainly intensified by loneliness. When Jesus shows up on Easter Sunday evening, Thomas isn’t there. How often doubts drive us into the wilderness of isolation. And now his friends are trying to persuade him that Jesus is alive. Really? Thomas just doesn’t have a category to deal with this. In his day, he probably scoffed at people who thought the prophet Elijah was walking around town. He was far too down-to-earth to fall for anything like that. I don’t know about you, but my sympathies are firmly with Thomas. I struggle with doubts too. And one of the hardest things is facing up to them. There are times when I doubt pretty much everything—my marriage . . . my friends . . . my sanity . . . and definitely my cooking! Is it so very strange that I sometimes doubt my God? The Psalmists certainly do. Listen to this tirade from Asaph in Psalm 77. Will the Lord cast off forever? And will He be favorable no more? Has His mercy ceased forever? Has His promise failed forevermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? Has He in anger shut up His tender mercies? Psalm 77.7-9 And there’s plenty more where that came from. How do we feel about questions like these? Aren’t they treacherous expressions of unbelief? Not at all. They’re the anguished cries of a man who’s taking God seriously. Seriously enough to ask some tough questions when the gap between his expectations and his experience becomes unbearably wide. There’s a world of difference between doubt and unbelief. Doubt is questioning what you already believe. Unbelief is a determined refusal to believe what’s staring you in the face. Doubt is the unsettling struggle faced by the believer. Unbelief is the settled condition of the sceptic. Thomas is suffering from doubt, not unbelief. It’s not that he couldn’t care less. Far from it. He loves the Lord Jesus and longs to believe that his Lord has risen. We know this because the next time Jesus shows up, Thomas is there. So, how does Jesus handle Thomas’ doubts? Notice his first words. Peace be with you! Don’t you just love that?! Don’t run away, Tom! I haven’t come to condemn you. I’ve come to lead you out of the dark into the light. I want you to be at peace in your heart. This is what Jesus is saying. I’m pretty sure Thomas never gets around to touching Jesus’ wounds, but he does stop believing his doubts and he does start believing what’s in front of him. This is what he truly believes and he embraces it. And just as Mary threw her arms around Jesus in the garden, so Thomas falls at Jesus’ feet in that upper room. My Lord and my God! One of the greatest lines in the Bible, this is a light-bulb moment in every way. Now, in view of the resurrection, everything Jesus has said and claimed about himself starts to make sense. My Lord and my God! John starts his Gospel by affirming that Jesus is Lord and now he ends it with Thomas’ confession that Jesus is Lord. But there’s a subtle difference. At the start, Jesus is the Lord of heaven and earth in a cosmic kind of way. Now, at the end, in the experience of this doubting man, we see something personal and transformative. He’s become the Lord of Thomas’ heart. And what is it that changes his mind? A personal encounter with Jesus, risen from the dead. And so it is, or can be, for each of us. But what about John 20.29? Thomas, you’ve believed because you’ve seen the evidence; there is a deeper better kind of faith . . . a faith that doesn’t require evidence. Is that what the verse states? No, not at all, though it has been read that way. Let’s look at the actual words. Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.” John 20.29 There is no comparison here between those who have seen and those who haven’t. There is no “better” here. But second, Jesus doesn’t downplay evidence at all. Quite the contrary. Why ask Thomas to place his hand in his side if he thinks that faith without evidence is “better?” Faith isn’t leaping into the dark, it’s weighing the evidence and stepping into the light. John makes this clear in the way he completes the chapter. Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20.30-31 None of us will have the privilege of seeing what Thomas saw. But don’t worry, says John, I’ve given you all the evidence you need to reach the same conclusion—including Thomas’ confession. Read it . . . weigh it . . . respond to it. We believe in Jesus because we’ve been persuaded. Stop and reflect on this whole episode with me. Jesus knows everything about Thomas. He knows where Thomas has been and what Thomas has said. He knows all about Thomas’ doubts and fears. And yet, he still wants him to be his disciple. He’s not ashamed to call Thomas his brother. And, I’m thrilled to say, he’s not ashamed of Doubting Me. In times of doubt, it’s not more faith I need. It’s more of Jesus. And as he reveals more of himself to me, as he did to Thomas—maybe through my listening to his word or through prayer or through words of life from a friend—then, maybe even in spite of myself, my faith will be revived. Maybe, as I focus on him, my doubts will be relieved . . . reframed . . . even redeemed. And it may just be that the path of doubt turns out to be the Lord Jesus’ way of bringing me—like Thomas—to a deeper, richer experience of himself.

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favour rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. - Luke 2 verses 8-20 Jesus was born at night. That’s not surprising. Studies show that spontaneous births most commonly occur between midnight and 6 am. But the timing of Jesus’ birth in the hours of darkness has a symbolic significance beyond the statistics. His birth shone God’s light into the darkness of human sin. This three-part early Advent series began with Isaiah’s prophecy of a great light shining in the darkness and the challenge to step out of the darkness of sin and into the light of Christ. The second post reflected on the image in John 1 of the light of life shining through Christ’s deeds and words of grace and truth and the challenge for Christians, as children of light, to be the light of the world, through good deeds and gospel words. Having thought of the light of Christ shining on us and in us, this final post will think further about the light of Christ shining from us. The glory of God is often described in terms of light. Luke 2 describes it shining around the shepherds. It was an absolutely terrifying experience. When the light of God’s glory shines, the natural response is awe and even fear. We find our internal narratives of our own goodness or greatness exposed as the figments they are. The sin we had hoped to excuse and ignore is revealed. Caught in the spotlight of God’s majesty, we are bedazzled. The situation only seemed to worsen for the shepherds when they discerned within this light of glory the shape of an angel. Angelic appearances were not, it seems, commonplace among first-century shepherds. To understand their terror, we need to peel back the memories of school nativity plays with cute little girls in ballet dresses and tinsel. An angel is a warrior of heaven, so impressive that those who saw them in biblical accounts were often tempted to worship them. For a shepherd – not known as the most upright members of society – this seemed like bad news indeed. How wonderful then, that the angel declared not bad news, but good. The angelic army (for ‘army’ is the proper meaning of ‘host’) that appeared with the first angel had come not to wage war but to declare peace. A delegation from heaven announcing favour to people on earth. And not to respectable people in palaces or synagogues, but to marginalised shepherds in the fields. The subversive nature of the gospel is clear. God’s glory would shine not merely in the salvation of those who were regarded as righteous but supremely in the rescue of the ungodly. This is the wonder of the incarnation. Have we forgotten it in our familiarity? The shepherds’ response was swift. They hurried to see the sign of the baby lying in a manger. Having seen him, they went on the first New Testament mission trip, telling everyone who would listen what they had seen and heard. Through these unlikely evangelists, the amazement spread, although we do not know if anyone else visited the manger in response. What we do know is that this experience was transformative for the shepherds. They went back to their work with a renewed attitude – “glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen” (Luke 2:20). Ministers of the gospel are supposed to be like these shepherds. We are people who sat in darkness until the light of God’s glory shone upon us in Christ. When we heard the gospel, we came to gaze on Jesus, not lying in a manger, but hanging on a cross and emerging from a tomb. That experience changed us so that we glorify and praise God, and go to tell others. At least, this is how it should be. I suspect it is how it was when you first trusted Christ and when you started out in gospel ministry. What motivated you was the wonder of the gospel and the joy of God’s undeserved favour. If it is not that way now, it can be again, but only by gazing on Jesus. Jesus was born at night. It was also night when he was betrayed. John 13 verse 30 tells of Judas going out to betray Jesus and adds, “And it was night”. It was night time both literally and metaphorically. Luke’s Gospel records how Jesus called the moment of his arrest the hour “when darkness reigns”. He was crucified in the daytime, but the sun refused to shine for three hours as he bore the wrath of God for our sins. Then his body was laid in darkness in a tomb of rock sealed by a stone. On the Saturday that followed, the gloom enveloping his followers was heavy. It seemed that the light of the world had been extinguished. But in the light of Sunday’s dawning, they saw an empty tomb. He was risen! The light of life could not be overcome by the darkness of death. If the shepherds of Bethlehem could not help sharing the wonder of what they heard and saw, can we refrain from doing the same when we have seen so much more? Gospel ministry is telling others about the glory of God in Christ. We preach Jesus Christ as Lord, presenting God’s truth plainly, knowing that the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness in creation shines his light in the hearts of people to bring new creation. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 4, when Jesus is proclaimed people see the “light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ”. Our motivation to preach the gospel is our joyous discovery, like the shepherds, that all we were told when it was preached to us is true. We find Jesus to be all that he was claimed to be and more. Captivated by his majesty, we tell others about him. Those of us who preach regularly from Scripture must remember this is our task. We must show people Jesus and lead them in glorying in God through him. Our preaching is primarily an act of worship. It has more in common with the man who extols the virtues of his wife to his friends than the lecturer who explains the intricacies of his subject to his students. If this is not your experience as you preach, there is no remedy other than returning to gaze on Jesus. Discouragements and unrealistic expectations from others, perfectionism and people-pleasing, personal sin and unfulfilled ambitions, frustration with the shallowness and hypocrisy of much that passes as Christian, a feeling of embattlement from the world (and perhaps even within our denominations). All of these can rob us of joy in Christ, but all pale into insignificance when we consider Jesus. I hope that as Christmas approaches, you can find time to glory in him so that when you come to preach about his birth you can do so with the eagerness of the shepherds.