As you read this I am hoping that we will either be looking forward to celebrating England winning the Euro 2020 Championships and our first competitive competition since 1966 or we will have already done it! I use the word ‘hoping’ as at the time of writing, we have yet to play Denmark in the Semi Final so this might be yet another footballing false dawn. One of the inspiring parts of the Euro 2020 coverage is that it has shown again that one of the few things that bring us as a nation together is representative sport – over 80% of people watching any TV recently have been watching the England games.
During the recent Euro 2020 Quarter Final against the Ukraine, BBC Host Gary Lineker was getting worried that England were doing too well, and he summed up his feelings by saying: “It’s the hope that kills you”. For those not familiar with this football saying, it really means that as a fan you can get very close to success – winning a league title, avoiding relegation or in this case winning a major tournament, but quite often you get ‘pipped at the post’ or lose in the final- and that hope of achieving something is the killer.
In a lot of ways this sums up the British (and especially the English) national character – if you ask say, an American or an Australian how they are feeling and the chances are they will say something like “I’m feeling good”, “Things are good” or just “Awesome!”. Ask a Brit that and you will get someone saying “Not too bad” or “Could be worse” . We might call it ‘British understatement’ but in truth I think we tend to expect the worst and frankly we are not good when things go really well- for that go across the Atlantic. We tend to be at our best in a crisis when our backs are against the wall – think of Dunkirk, or The Blitz, or 1970s Power Cuts or maybe even the Pandemic, which often saw us excel in helping out our friends or neighbours.
As Christians though we flip that attitude on its head- because it is the Hope that not kills us but rather the opposite – it inspires and drives us on in our faith -St Paul talks about Hope as something that “…does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us” (Romans 5:5). To me, that means the promise that God has made to us is because He loves and cares for us, and we sense that through the Holy Spirit which we carry within our souls. That Hope is certain – for instance we can never be sure England as a football team will win anything substantial – but we are assured of our salvation through Jesus’ promise:
Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgement but has passed from death to life (John 5:24)
That promise is our rock and something we are assured about, and we want to others to hear that Good News so they too can know Jesus and his salvation- but a England Euro 2020 Championship win would also be ‘not bad’!
One of the most effective and joyous examples of Christian Discipleship has been the outstanding Jesus mini- series The Chosen as it has clocked up close to 200m views (its aim is to reach 2 billion views and it will surely get there), and it is having a real impact in transforming peoples lives. It has a mantra or mission statement if you will, of Get Used To Different.
I think that is really useful at the moment because, in order to heal the world’s many and multiple divisions, society has to understand and respect people who are ‘different’ in one form or another- as difficult as that may be to do.
For so many mainstream Christians, the idea of embracing someone or something that is ‘other’ can be really difficult and history has shown that. In the past the Church and Christians have condemned Rock ‘n’ Roll (“ sinful, deranged, demonic and ‘the devil’s music’”), in the 1960s the late great preacher Billy Graham campaigned against women wearing the mini skirt (for fear that it would tempt men too much), in the 1970s Christians formed the Festival of Light and with the likes of Mary Whitehouse attempted to ban things that ranged from episodes of Tom & Jerry & Dr Who (both too violent) to Chuck Berry’s song ‘My Ding-A-Ling’ (too naughty). In later decades, some Christians saw global diseases such as HIV AIDs as some kind of wrath that God had inflicted the world with, and then in the 1990s churches tried to ban and burn the Harry Potter series of books, despite the clear Christian influence in them.
The strange thing is that in the Gospels, Jesus was always ‘doing different’. He rarely went for the safe and trusted ‘traditional’ route. Look at the disciples He chose – a tax collector who was someone the local community would have hated as Matthew was demanding taxes on behalf of the Roman Empire who were despised as an occupying force. Fishermen who were people of the sea, rough and ready characters who were unlikely to be amongst the most learned of individuals. Jesus spent his time with prostitutes, Samaritans (also despised), lepers, people like Mary Magdalene who had severe mental health issues, paralytics -the list goes on.
Jesus was drawn to those in society who were forsaken, marginalised and who through their lives had stumbled and fallen. For those who were broken, Jesus loved, and He redeemed them.
If our faith and our church is to recover itself to allow us to help heal the world we need to embrace those people in our society who are ‘other’, who are ‘different’ to us in some way or another. That may be people not just of a different race, gender, sexuality, or (dis)ability. It could be someone who is adopted, bereaved, lonely, isolated, broke, or scared. As we look around our world in 2021, we should ask ourselves who are the tax collectors, the prostitutes, the lepers, the paralytics of our time?
Coming out of Easter, I think it is an apt time to reflect on the meaning of Jesus’ ultimate Victory on the cross and how people responded to the Sacrifice he made for all. It’s always struck me that the crucifixion scene is a tale of great doubt but also of amazing faith.
The male disciples were, nowhere to be seen. Their ‘rock’ (Peter) denied knowing Jesus 3 times rather than admit having ever known Him. The only disciple who may have been at the cross was “the disciple beloved by Jesus” (John 20:2) who is never identified but could have been John the Evangelist. What the Gospels do tell us though is that there were “many women” (Matthew 27:55-56) following and supporting him through his mission and who were there right at the very end. In fact, there could have been as many as 5 Marys present at the cross (Jesus’ mother, the mother of James and Joseph, the mother of Zebedee’s sons, Mary of Clopas and Mary Magdalene). And of course, the resurrected Jesus was first seen by 3 women (Joanna, Mary-the mother of James and Mary Magdalene), and they were also the ones to tell the disciples the Good News even though they again doubted.
It’s Mary Magdalene though I would like to focus on, as I think she is an incredible example of how Jesus transforms peoples’ lives if they just let Him. This especially hit home with the excellent and first ever multi season show about Jesus- The Chosen- which started its 2nd series over Easter and it is free to watch-so binge on Jesus!
As you can see from the video above or here: Mary Magdalene explains what Jesus did for her to Nicodemus the Pharisee - Bing video, this is the scene where Nicodemus the Pharisee sees Mary after he tried to heal her from her affliction (7 demons had been got out) , and then meets her a few days later delighted but surprised to see her fully restored and ‘born again’.
When Mary talks about what has happened to her she simply states:
“It was someone else (who cured her), He (Jesus) said ‘I am his-I am redeemed’”.
When Nicodemus asks who it was who healed her, she tells him:
“I don’t know his name but even if I did, I would not tell you…the time for Man to know has not yet come”.
Mary explains: “ I was one way and now I am completely different, and the thing that happened in between was Him, so yes, I will know Him for the rest of my life”.
For Mary she went from someone with little or no quality of life, possessed by demons, who needed to be exorcised, and became a new person. It has been a common but almost certainly false myth that Mary had been a prostitute but there is no evidence of that in the Gospels, and that instead she had what we would now call serious mental health problems.
Mary became a senior confidante and follower of Jesus and was hugely instrumental in the really big moments of human history- at the crucifixion, the burial and finally the Resurrection.
I am reminded of the kind of emotions she must have experienced, when she was redeemed, by the song I Don’t Know How To Love Him from the rock opera Jesus Christ Superstar (1971) where Mary sings:
“ I don’t know how to love him, what to do, how to move him. I’ve been changed, yes really changed. In these past few days, when I’ve seen myself, I seem like someone else”.
Those of us fortunate to have experienced the Lord will know how she felt, because we are transformed. Like Mary, we were once “one way” but now we are “completely different”. Say Amen to that!
I have often thought how remarkable it is that certain works catch on and take on a life of their own, and in time, they can have a deep influence on people and life. I think a very good example of that is the piece of prose simply known as ‘Desiderata’ (one definition of it is ‘things devoutly to be wished’). It consists of just over 300 words and many people have talked about how it has inspired and shaped their life.
It was written by a German Methodist, Max Ehrmann, around 1927, but not published until around WWII when he had settled in the USA- and although urban myth suggested it is of older (17th century) vintage it isn’t but was written to help people. It has been handed out by churches and psychologists to help their patients with its gentle and profound message. I find it continues to speak vividly to us today and which, I suggest is a splendid guide for a fruitful and peaceful life:
“Go placidly amid the noise and haste and remember what peace there may be in silence. As far as possible, without surrender, be on good terms with all persons. Speak your truth quietly and clearly, and listen to others, even to the dull and ignorant for they too have their story”.
These opening lines set out in simple terms how to find peace and that we need to avoid reacting to the “noise and haste” of our lives but rather seek out those places of quietness, stillness, and refuge. We should aim to be nice to those we meet, to hear their stories but also for us to speak our own truth- but in a way that is not loud or difficult to understand.
“Avoid loud and aggressive persons for they are vexations to the spirit. If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for there will always be greater and lesser persons than yourself. Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans”
I suspect we have all had experiences with some people who seem to sap our spirit and energy, and in modern terms are ‘toxic’ to us- Max Ehrmann is saying that we should avoid them for our own spiritual and mental health. Don’t compare yourself with others as that is unhelpful and can tempt you in thinking that you are less (or greater!) a person than you really are. Also enjoy your successes in life- cherish and embrace them, rather than continually making plans for another project or experience.
“Keep interested in your own career, however humble. It is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time. Exercise caution in your business affairs, for the world is full of trickery. But let this not blind you to what virtue there is. Many persons strive for high ideals and everywhere life is full of heroism”.
I think this part of the prose is important especially today. As individuals, we, for understandable reasons, think the best of people and can easily ‘believe their truth’ but of course as Max Ehrmann reminds us “..the world is full of trickery”. There are scams left, right and centre, and you only have to look at the awful tragedy of sexual abuse (and its cover up) in the Church of England and elsewhere, to realise that as a society we have to be more aware of the dark side of human nature and that means on occasions we have to be less trusting. I think a ‘healthy scepticism’ in life can be very beneficial- and a life saver for the vulnerable.
“Be yourself. Especially do not feign affection, neither be cynical about love for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment it is as perennial as the grass. Take kindly the counsel of the years, gracefully surrendering the things of youth. Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune, but do not distress yourself with dark imaginings as many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.”
Shakespeare in ‘Hamlet’ got it right when he said “To thine own self be true”. There is only ever one of us as we are all unique-God wants you to be you- not someone trying to imitate someone else. Be open to Love and avoid fearing the worst.
“Beyond a wholesome discipline, be gentle with yourself. You are a child of the universe no less than the trees and the stars and you have a right to be here. And whether or not is clear to you, no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should. Therefore, be a peace with God, whatever you conceive Him to be. Whatever your labours and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of life, keep peace with your soul. With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams it is still a beautiful world. Be cheerful and strive to be happy”.
In bringing ‘Desiderata’ to its climax, Max Ehrmann encourages us to be disciplined but gentle individuals and to realise our worth on this earth. That we should have faith in God that life is happening all around us and we should in a sense, ‘say yes to our universe’, to accept that rather than fight it. We need to be at peace with God and ourselves and aim to be content.
I used to have a poster of ‘Desiderata’ on my bedroom wall, and it meant (and means) a lot to me. I hope it will guide you too.
