Bp. Williams – Page 6

October 18, 2019

Enfolded

In the Summer of 2018, I conducted a number of adult baptisms at a nearby beach. Whether it was late afternoon, when the sun casts long shadows on the sand (and everyone promised me the water would be warmer!), or very early in the morning with the sun having taken its place in the east, we gathered at the shoreline and prayed together. Each baptism was unique, yet I could not help but notice that on each occasion, as we battled to make ourselves heard above the wind and the sound of the waves breaking, there was always a moment when a particular stillness broke over us, a very distinct peace that completely shielded and enfolded us. Of course, it could have been a timely coincidence and yet, by the end of the summer, I came to each baptism with the anticipation that at some point we would encounter this sense of being enfolded in His presence. I was never disappointed.

Isaiah 41:10 gives us a picture of what I believe we encountered at the water’s edge. The Lord reassures us, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.”

These words of reassurance actually begin with two commandments. The first is “fear not.” The second is “be not dismayed,” and the New American Standard Bible captures it this way: “Do not anxiously look about you.” To these commands God adds five footholds, five promises that undergird His encouragement not to fear or look anxiously about us. Within just this one verse, Isaiah 42:10, God promises:

I am your God.
I am with you.
I will strengthen you.
I will help you.
I will uphold you.

God expresses these promises in five different relations to us, through five different prepositions:

I am your God — over you.
I am with you — by your side.
I will strengthen you — from deep within you.
I will help you — all around you, from wherever the enemy comes at you.
I will uphold you — from underneath you.

David knew these “enfolding” promises when he wrote: “You [Lord] hem me in, behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.” (Psalm 139:5).

These same promises of being enfolded in God are reflected in the Prayer known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate and the hymn often sung on Trinity Sunday in Anglican Churches:

Christ, be with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me,
Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ where I lie, Christ where I sit,
Christ where I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me,
Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me.

I arise today – through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity…

This is a powerful prayer, set upon the foundation of God’s true and certain promise to enfold us in His presence, peace and protection. Here is where our experience at the water’s edge is explained. I am reminded, however, that I am invited to daily “bind unto myself” these promises, to enter into each day in anticipation of being enfolded in His love.

So this day, come in out of the storm (if that is the kind of day or week you are having), take a deep breath, be still and know that He is your God —over you, He is with you — by your side, He will strengthen you — from deep within you, He will help you — all around you from wherever the enemy comes at you, and He will uphold you — to be point of carrying you.

October 11, 2019

An Invitation to Rest

Paul reassures us that “we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:37-39)

I have always been encouraged and strengthened by this promise. It moves me to rest, when I’m agitated or afraid. My inclination, however, is to read these verses from an external perspective, to think about the measure of what could come against me if not for His protection. That’s not wrong. Jesus does stand over us to protect us. “Because he holds fast to me in love,” God says in Psalm 91:14, “I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.”

But today as I read Romans 8, I find myself drawn to the inner workings of this promise; specifically, what it means to be “in Christ”. We are more than conquers because Jesus both stands over us and lives within us and we, through the mysterious work of the Spirit, live in him. This is the foundation of our rest. Paul encourages us, in his first letter to the Corinthians, that we “are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption.” C.S Lewis wrote, “A live body is not one that is never hurt, but one that can to some extent repair itself. In the same way a Christian is not a man who never goes wrong, but a man who is enabled to repent and pick himself up and begin over again after each stumble – because Christ’s life is inside of him, repairing him all the time.”

British missionary to China, Hudson Taylor, wrote the following: “As I read I saw it all! ‘If we believe not, He abideth faithful.’ I looked to Jesus and saw that He had said, ‘I will never leave you.’ ‘Ah, there is rest!’ I thought. ‘I have striven in vain to rest in Him. I’ll strive no more. For has He not promised to abide within me – never to fail me?’ And He never will!” Surely, our struggle lies in putting our trust in the one who loves us, the one in whom we live and have our being. Through believing this, we are empowered to rest in the love that never fails and conquers all our enemies.

October 2, 2019

Fear on Mute

Just recently, I had a long drive home on a dark, rainy night. Alone in the car, my mind began to turn over an issue that was causing me some anxiety. With every swipe of the wiper blades my own internal conversation with my fears intensified. Finally it occurred to me that I had a choice: I did not have to listen to or converse with my own unhealthy fears! I felt a wave of peace break over me, but at the same time, I wondered if this strategy was perhaps denial?

The next morning, my question was answered as I was reading from the book of Isaiah. At chapter 36 we find the king of Assyria attempting to paralyze the people of God with fear. In verse 1 we learn that he had already conquered all of the fortified cities of Judah. Now his sights are set on Israel, ruled by King Hezekiah. The Assyrian king blasphemes to Hezekiah’s representatives, deliberately within earshot of citizens in Jerusalem: “Who of all the gods of these countries have been able to save their lands from me? How then can the Lord deliver Jerusalem from my hand?” (Isaiah 36:20). And yet, notwithstanding this terrifying propaganda, we are told, “the people remained silent and said nothing in reply, because the king had commanded, ‘Do not answer him.’” (verse 21).

There was the “mute button” that silences the fear that would seek to undermine our trust in God’s faithfulness. We don’t have to listen to this unhealthy fear going on and on. We don’t even have to face down our fear and win the argument. In God’s strength, we can ignore these false sirens. In just these circumstances, the Lord simply says, “Do not be afraid of what you have heard.” (Isaiah 37:6).

So, if I refuse to listen to or engage with unhealthy fear, what do I do instead? If not these false sirens, who should I be talking to? King Hezekiah refashioned his anxious thoughts into prayer. Pressing into the presence and sovereignty of God, we are told, “Hezekiah prayed to the Lord: ‘Lord Almighty, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth.’” (Isaiah 37:15-16)

The Lord’s response to Hezekiah’s prayer is worth noticing because we don’t see an instant fix. The Lord does not start at that place of removing Hezekiah’s foe – not because He likes to keep us waiting, but His heart for us is always so much more. God’s immediate answer to Hezekiah is the gift of restored hope. God reassures him, “This year you will eat what grows by itself, and the second year what springs from that. But in the third year sow and reap, plant vineyards and eat their fruit…The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this.” (Isaiah 37:30, 32b). This is a wonderful picture of God’s promise of faithful and abundant provision – provision that has nothing to do with Hezekiah’s efforts but all about God’s faithfulness; provision that is multiplied. In this way, God lifts Hezekiah’s eyes off of the taunting enemy in front of him and sets him on an upward trajectory of hope. Hezekiah must have surely felt God’s peace break over him.

Of such a hope, Peter wrote, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” (1 Peter 1:3 ESV). In times of challenge God will always seek to renew and strengthen our hearts with His living hope. I wonder how many times I have looked past this gift because I was preoccupied with wanting an instant solution?

Having restored hope, the Lord does answer Hezekiah’s prayer. God promises, “I will defend this city and save it.” (Isaiah 37:35). Contrary to fear’s propaganda, God is faithful. He both overcomes the king of Assyria and even turns the enemy against itself (Isaiah 37:36-38).

At the Cross, wrote Henry Blocher, “God turns [evil] back on itself. He takes the supreme crime, the murder of the only righteous person – [and makes this] the very operation that abolishes sin.” Because of this victory, Paul would both censor fear and restore God’s hope in each of us. “The Lord will rescue [you] from every evil deed and bring [you] safely into His heavenly kingdom.” (2 Timothy 4:18).

In Jesus, you don’t have to listen to or even engage with unhealthy fear. With the encouragement and power of the Holy Spirit, you can push that mute button. Instead of engaging with fear, God would have you engage with Him. Bring him all your burdens for He delights to breathe His eternal hope in you, and to defend and save you.

September 23, 2019

Denying the Self: Prayer and Fasting

I’ve been thinking a lot about fasting lately. In the Church of New England, we are about to begin a period of fasting and prayer for ourselves and others who may not know Jesus. Historically in the Church, prayer and fasting went together and both were built into our common practice through discipline. The fathers of the Church taught us that it was essential to fast and pray, to practice denying ourselves and turning to God as we wait for the Bridegroom to return. Over time, especially in the western church, this discipline has become optional and even altogether absent. It is foreign to our practice of Christian spirituality, and to get it back again seems harder than if it had been an expected part of our life with Christ. What are we to do, especially when it was such an important part of the people of God?

The first thing is to learn what it is and what it isn’t, which I want to outline here for the sake of those who may want to incorporate this practice into their lives, especially as the seasons of Advent and then Lent come upon us. The central idea is that fasting is the voluntary denial of an otherwise normal activity for the sake of God, and though you can fast from just about anything, it is usually about abstaining from food, our most basic need. In the Church, the tradition has been to partner fasting (self-denial) with the practices of doing good (self-giving) such as praying for yourself and others and giving to the poor. This is especially due to the warning given in Isaiah 58 on fasting without seeking the good of others.

The New Testament assumption is that all Christian believers will fast. Jesus did not say ‘if’ but ‘when’ you fast in Matthew 6:16. Jesus prophesied that his own followers would fast: ‘How can the guests of the bridegroom mourn while he is with them? The time will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast.’ (Matthew 9:15). When you look at the Bible, you get the impression that fasting was almost a routine.

Moses fasted for forty days and forty nights.
King David fasted;
Elijah fasted during his time of greatest trial.
Daniel fasted when he lacked God’s understanding.
The apostle Paul fasted.
Jesus famously fasted forty days and forty nights

The Old Testament frequently speaks of the people of God being called to prayer and fasting.

The people of Israel prayed and fasted on the Day of Atonement –Leviticus 23: 27, 29.
King Jehosaphat called for a time of fasting for Judah – (2 Chronicles 20:3)
The King of Nineveh proclaimed a fast following Jonah’s warning.
Under the threat of the Philistines the people of Israel fasted under Samuel’s leadership (1 Samuel 7:6).
The prophet Joel called for a fast in the light of disaster.
Ezra made tremendous claims about God’s power before his enemies and then felt the need to call people to fast. (Ezra 8:22)

In the book of Acts the early Church combined worship with fasting and the result was that God spoke and acted on behalf of his people as he had done in the Old Covenant. Paul and Barnabas saw prayer and fasting as the means by which God launched their strategic ministry: “While they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” (Acts 13:2)

So why should we pray and fast?

1. Our motive of honoring God.

Following Jesus assumption that we would fast, the first thing that Jesus said about fasting was about motive – Matthew 6:16-18 “When you fast, do not look sombre as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.’ Fasting needs to be because first and foremost we want to honor God, to earnestly seek Him.

2. To Express earnestness and urgency in our prayers.

You don’t have to fast to express earnestness and urgency in your prayers, but it is a good Biblical option that we are encouraged to take. Fasting says to God, through what we do with our body (rather than saying it only with our mouths) that we really mean business; is to give God our complete attention, even to the point of denying ourselves basic needs for a season.

3. Showing God that we are sorry.

In terms of the earnestness of our prayers, fasting can also be the means by which we express to God our sorrow over sin and our repentance. This does not mean we fast every time we sin, but when we feel a weight of guilt and a separation from God, or when we have sinned gravely, we can fast to deny our flesh and draw closer to God.

4. To Increase in humility.

Our hunger and physical weakness will remind us how we are not really strong in ourselves but only in the Lord. David writes, Psalm 69:10 “I humbled my soul with fasting.” Prayer and fasting – reveals the things that control us. We can cover up what is inside through food and other distractions. If pride controls us, it will be revealed almost immediately. Anger, bitterness, jealousy, strife, fear – if they are within us, they will surface during fasting.

The Christian writer Richard Foster says, ‘At first we will rationalise that our anger is due to our hunger; then we will realise that we are angry because our Spirit is angry within us. When we realise this we can then seek Jesus’ forgiveness and healing.’

5. To Recover a Godly balance in our lives.

Fasting can be the means by which we recover balance in life – it is all too easy for the non-essentials to take precedence in our lives. I have noticed that I have a higher desire for material things just after Christmas. I always spend more money on me just after Christmas; which is a disaster. It is almost like having received so much over the Christmas time that I have fired up an enduring habit of wanting more. We need the contrast to remind us of what we take for granted. A period of abstinence can break this habit. Fasting can have the same spiritual effect.

6. To acknowledge our dependence upon God

Fasting reminds us that we are sustained, ‘by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God,’ Matt 4:4. When the Disciples were concerned that Jesus had not eaten they said to him in John 4: 32-34: “Rabbi, eat something.” But he (Jesus) said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?” “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.’’ This was not a clever metaphor but a genuine reality. Jesus was in fact being nourished and sustained by the power of God.

It is the same for us – this is why Jesus says don’t be miserable when you fast because we will be nourished and sustained by the power of God.

7. To teach us discipline.

If we can refrain from eating food, which we would ordinarily desire, it strengthens our ability not to give into temptation and to say “No” to our body when it craves something it believes it needs right away. It practices self-control and puts off instant gratification through praying to God and seeking the Spirit when our body says it must be satisfied.

8. To Heighten our spiritual alertness to God’s will and God’s power.

We are instructed to know God’s will. Ephesians 5: 17, “Therefore,’ says Paul, ‘Do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.” We know that this is not always clear. Many Christians have found that a period of prayer and fasting helps them to clarify their understanding of God’s will. Fasting clears our minds of earthly desires and expresses to God our desire to be close to him and know His will for us.

In Daniel 9:3 it says: ‘So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.’ and 10:3 ‘I ate no choice food; no meat or wine touched my lips; and I used no lotions at all until the three weeks were over.’

Fasting also helps connect us to God so that we may draw from His power, once we know His will. In Mark 9:29 the disciples wanted to know why they could not cast out a powerful demon: ‘After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?” He (Jesus) replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting.”

In Church history some of the most faithful men and women of God have spent time in prayer and fasting when they have felt the need for more of God’s power. When our prayers seem unanswered, there is a Biblical precedent that shows us that God honors prayer and fasting by bringing us the clarity we seek and the power that we need.

Are there any cautions about fasting?

Yes. As written above, fasting while ignoring the good of others (fasting for the sake of fasting) doesn’t profit us anything and, in some cases when injustice is occurring through us without our concern or repentance, it can bring us judgment and discipline. Here are a few other more practical concerns:

Don’t fast if you have a health problem. God is not calling any of us to injure ourselves and we do and fast what we can when we can. He knows our conditions and our hearts: intent is what matters the most, over and above the spiritual benefits of the physical act.
Keep yourself safe when you fast. Do not fast without drinking at least water, especially if it is for multiple days.
Pray when you can as you fast, replacing food with being in the presence of God. As the day goes on, however, and you feel weak and irritable, be sure to remain in a spirit of prayer even if you no longer have the energy to pray. Sit or lie down in God’s presence – make fasting about drawing close to God however it is you can do it in any given moment.
Do not expect spiritual revelations or immediate answers to prayer from fasting. The results of this kind of practice are more long term than immediate. Let your focus remain just “being” with God your Father.
Do not be tempted to self-righteousness. Jesus warned against those who made sure others knew they were fasting so that they could be praised. And in Luke 16:11-12, he spoke about the Pharisee who: stood up and prayed about himself: `God, I thank you that I am not like other men–robbers, evildoers, adulterers–or even like this tax collector. I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’ It is another good discipline to refrain from telling people you are fasting and keep it between you and God.

September 20, 2019

The Wild Goose

Between the 5^thand 10^thcenturies, in a period historically identified as the “Dark Ages,” the Celtic Christians are an inspiring movement. Their passion to make the love of Jesus known awakened large parts of Europe. To Ireland, during the second half of the fifth century, came St. Patrick. At the end of the 6th century, Pope Gregory I sent a mission under St Augustine to “convert the Anglo-Saxons” and they duly arrived in Wales.

The Celtic Christians understood that our very human propensity to settle for what is comfortable or familiar has the capacity to limit both our experience of God’s love and inhibit the reach of God’s love. They had an intriguing name for the Holy Spirit; they called Him, “An Geadh-Glas” (or “The Wild Goose”). In their understanding, the Holy Spirit, as well as being the great comforter was also willing to disturb the status quo in order that we might go deeper and wider in God’s love.

The Celtic Christians lived out their faith by embracing this understanding. Often, when they set out on pilgrimage, they would get into a small boat called a coracle, hoist the sail, pull up the rudder, and go where God took them by way of the wind. Jesus told us, “The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.” (John 3:8).

I am not suggesting that we all go out and buy a boat and adopt this as an outreach strategy (although 5 River Road is conveniently close to the Mianus River and Cos Cob Harbour). But I do think that the Celtic understanding of the passion and purpose of the Holy Spirit – His great desire that the messianic agenda be advanced through us and in us – is worth holding on to.

The Celtic Christians knew that “The Wild Goose” could not be tamed – that in the Holy Spirit there is the fullness of God’s life, radical generosity, amazing grace, the capacity to soar to new heights, more joy, more freedom, and even the welcome air of adventure and unpredictability.

Could the Celtic Christians have ever imagined what their willingness to follow “The Wild Goose” would achieve? Centuries after the Celts had landed, in the year 1620, a band of pilgrims boarded a vessel and left the Isle of the Anglo-Saxons from a small town called Plymouth and crossed the Atlantic to a new shore. They went forth with the same leading of “The Wild Goose” and the world would be changed forever.

Our calling is no less. You and I were made to fly – to spread our wings and let the thermals of the Holy Spirit lift us higher and higher into the reaches of the Father’s love. We were made to feel the wind of God’s Spirit on our backs and the breath of God’s Spirit on our faces. “The Wild Goose” will always seek to mess up our hair and make our eyes wet with His tears. God is not calling us to be adventurous for the sake of being adventurous. “The Wild Goose” is leading us in the proclamation and hands-on delivery of the Gospel. Pain and poverty, disability and debt, injury and injustice have no place in the restored creation. The Holy Spirit is actively working against them now and He invites us to climb into our coracle, shake off the familiar and religion that is comfortable, and join with Him.