Grace abounds

Just back from a week at the New Wine church conference (where the idea for this blog came from two years ago) and I thought I'd better report something. I'm sorry not to be able to report that this year I was on my feet dancing (see Could there be anything better than this?)..., but there were other things.

The worship music, as is the way today, was very high octane. I think the first bass drum beats scared the life out of the two guide dogs I could see! Certainly after that they left for the songs and returned to their owners for the talks! In fact most of the worship was led by Martin Smith, formerly lead singer of the popular group Delirious. He was very good at helping us to worship. I liked a new song from Australia called Oceans.

"You call me out upon the waters,
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery.
In oceans deep
My faith will stand.

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves.
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine.

Your grace abounds in deepest waters.
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me.
You've never failed and You won't start now.

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves....

Spirit, lead me where my trust is without borders.
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me.
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Saviour." 


Here it is sung in a Florida church: "Oceans" worship song. 

The line which struck me was "Your grace abounds in deepest waters". You'll understand why it appealed to me. It reminds me of St Paul rejoicing in his weakness because God's strength was made perfect in it. 

In her blog today, Bo Stern wrote something even more gritty. (She's the pastor whose husband has aggressive ALS/MND.) 

 "I wish I had a nickel for every time I’ve heard this cliche which is well-meaning, but not very good theology:  God will never give you more than you can handle.  I suspect it’s a mashup of I Corinthians 10:13 (which is talking about temptation and sin) and too much time in the Hallmark store.

Regardless of its origins, it drives me a little crazy because it implies there’s a supernatural safety valve and don’t you worry, because when this battle gets really tough, He’ll fix it.

But for me, it is rough and He hasn’t.  Fixed it, that is.  He’s been with us in it.  He’s gone before us.  He comforts us on the days when strength and hope are so far in the rear view that I’m sure they’re gone for good.  He has been with us in this fight and we’re so thankful but make no mistake: it’s is well beyond our ability.  Beyond, beyond.  Super beyond.

And that’s okay, because He excels at being God when I cannot and He has a pretty impressive track record.  Nearly every Bible hero I admire faced a situation far outside their weight class.  Come to think of it, so have the people I admire most in my world.  Something beautiful happens in us when we are outnumbered and in over our heads, so let’s not wish those moments away or pump platitudes at people who are suffering because we aren’t sure what else to say; let’s just be thankful that He will be in the fights that are most definitely more than we can handle.  Let’s, in fact, rejoicewhen we are given opportunities to live, love, battle and forgive in ways that far exceed our own abilities.

Jesus said, “In this world, you will have trouble…”  (and I’m pretty sure He’s talking about the Big Stuff — the Red Sea-meets-Goliath-meets-fiery-furnace type of trouble) but cheer up!   He has – ultimately and eternally – overcome the world.  Weeping may last for this moment, but heaven will have the last laugh.

Count on it."  Bo Stern's myth buster No 2.

There's lots more I could recount from the week, but I had better process it and let it sink in.

Glory in the cave

I've been thinking about Psalm 57 today. It's one of those psalms where David tells God just what he's feeling. I don't know whether I'd have put verse 3 like that, but the great thing he keeps affirming is that "the God of all the earth will do right", as Abraham put it. God's character is both just and loving. As St John said of Jesus, "full of grace and truth". No one else combines both of those to perfection. When we hear of awful human atrocities, or even experience minor injustices ourselves, our reaction is naturally one of anger, which may well be appropriate, but maintaining love is beyond us.

I preached last Sunday about the Spirit in Prayer (Sermons at St John's/28th July), and quoted Maureen Greaves' testimony. The widow of the organist murdered going to Midnight Mass in Sheffield, at his funeral, said she had decided to forgive the two young men as it was what her husband would have wanted: “It has to be a daily act of saying ‘I place them in your hands, God’, so that I don’t have to worry about them, I don’t have to hate them. After the massive shock and heartbreak, this was probably the most difficult thing I have ever had to do, to go down the path of forgiving them.
“It has been a wonderful release that I have not had the burden of hatred towards them. I have to do it every day so I don’t lapse. It is not an easy journey to look two men in the face who have killed the person you love most in the world and hang onto that.
“When you are sitting there in court and you see them and you are heartbroken at what they have done to you, they have taken from you the person who is still your soulmate, it is very difficult to sit there and continue to forgive them and want to forgive them.
“One thing I have comforted myself with is that the God I believe in had a son who was beaten as Alan was beaten. The God I believe in had a son who was resurrected as I believe Alan will be resurrected to be with God.”

Only God's Holy Spirit can enable us to prayer from our hearts: "Your will (not mine) be done.... Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who have sinned against us." Only the Holy Spirit can give us the attitude of gratitude which David maintains, even in the blackness of his cave. Come, Holy Spirit.

Let Your Glory Be over All the Earth

To the choirmaster: according to Do Not Destroy. A Miktam of David, when he fled from Saul, in the cave.

57 Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me,
    for in you my soul takes refuge;
in the shadow of your wings I will take refuge,
    till the storms of destruction pass by.
² I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who fulfils his purpose for me.
³ He will send from heaven and save me;
    he will put to shame him who tramples on me. Selah
God will send out his steadfast love and his faithfulness!
⁴ My soul is in the midst of lions;
    I lie down amid fiery beasts—
the children of man, whose teeth are spears and arrows,
    whose tongues are sharp swords.
⁵ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!
⁶ They set a net for my steps;
    my soul was bowed down.
They dug a pit in my way,
    but they have fallen into it themselves. Selah
⁷ My heart is steadfast, O God,
    my heart is steadfast!
I will sing and make melody!
⁸     Awake, my glory!
Awake, O harp and lyre!
    I will awake the dawn!
⁹ I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples;
    I will sing praises to you among the nations.
¹⁰ For your steadfast love is great to the heavens,
    your faithfulness to the clouds.
¹¹ Be exalted, O God, above the heavens!
    Let your glory be over all the earth!  (English Standard Version)