Category: Thought for the week

GK Chesterton was asked by The Times newspaper to write on the topic “What’s wrong with the world?”. He simply wrote: “Dear Sirs, I am. Sincerely yours, GK Chesterton”.

It’s easy to identify things that are wrong, or that we don’t like, in others. However, when I accept that maybe “I am” the problem, I get closer to answering that question. You see, despite all my good intentions and best efforts, I have a natural inbuilt tendency to get things wrong, to mess things up.

Jesus spent a lot of the time saying, “I am”. “I am the Bread of Life”, “I am the Good Shepherd”, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life; nobody comes to the Father except through me”. He got into a lot of trouble for saying “I am”. The religious authorities knew that he was deliberately using the very words that God used to describe himself to Moses and that by saying “I am” he was claiming to be God. So, eventually they killed him. But three days later, he who had also said, “I am the resurrection and the life”, was standing in front of his disciples with his new resurrection body that could eat fish but also appear and disappear at will.

Because of all that Jesus has done, I have a new life and can sing the lyrics from one of my favourite songs: “I am a new creation, no more in condemnation; here in the grace of God I stand”.

Andy Osborne
King’s Lynn Christian Fellowship

In 2007 at the age of 68 I became a Christian, a long story, but, it actually happened through me taking up photography. I love seeing the beauty of this world and recording it in photographs.
Recently an idea occurred to me that as Christians we are very much like a camera. (Camera is originally an abbreviation of Camera Obscura, Latin words that mean “A Dark Chamber”) You see a camera is basically a box, the heart of which is dark, and which contains a sensitive surface, a sensor or photographic film and nothing happens until the shutter is opened and light enters that chamber.
Our hearts can be very much the same, until we open up our hearts to let in God’s Light our hearts can be a pretty dark place too.
How wide do we open that shutter, what kind of picture are we getting…. is it a broad landscape or a minute detail, and what is much more important is it in focus?
If that opening of our heart is not wide enough or is not open long enough we get only a dim image (1 Cor 13:12 For now we see in a glass, darkly ………..), if we are not truly getting God in focus then we are easily distracted by the things of this world.
Now summer is almost here, lots of us will be out with our cameras, so please think on when taking pictures, are you letting God’s Light into YOUR Dark Chamber? Is your lens focused right, on Him?

Bill Lee. King’s Lynn Christian Fellowship

Have you been watching Britain’s Got Talent? I think this series has even more variety than usual. That’s why I love BGT – it’s not just singing, it has magicians, hula hooping, roller skaters, singing dogs and even a hypnotic dog! What I’ve enjoyed most have been all the dance acts. People of all ages from children to older people have come to dance in all kinds of different ways. The two dancers that have stayed in my mind most were two separate young lads, who performed on their own and each danced in their own unique way to express themselves.
It reminded me that we can express ourselves in so many ways, not just with words. I’ve been thinking recently that I’d like to find new ways to pray. Praying is simply talking to God and it isn’t about being ‘holy’. I usually talk to God out loud throughout the day but, inspired by these young dancers on BGT, I want to use other ways to express myself to God. I found an art book of intricate patterns praising God which I’ve really enjoyed colouring and listening to music helps me too. I’m trying to look for God and pray in the everyday things like playing with my puppy or holding him when he’s all sleepy! God knows what’s on our hearts already so sometimes a wave or a huge smile whilst dancing to S Club 7 is enough!

Laura Baker
Curate of King’s Lynn Minster

Last week’s election result was a surprise. I was expecting another coalition with some wrangling and battling to get a Prime Minister. I guess England got nervous of a Labour/SNP pact and voted Conservative. At least there can be no cries of voter apathy this time!

Are you cynical about politics, disappointed with the last government(s)? What do you do? Grumble, moan, or become apathetic? The Apostle Paul commands us to “I urge, then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for all people— for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Saviour.” I like a quiet life, so I pray, I pray for my family, my friends, my town and for the government.
Paul want us first to make petitions, prayers and intercessions for them – ask God for favour for them, wisdom for the, courage for them to rule wisely and with justice.We are not told to pray them out, Paul urges us to pray for them so we would live in a stable, peaceful society that allows freedom of worship. Then Paul urges to be thankful in our prayers for them. Thank God for the good. And stop moaning! Don’t forget Paul wrote those words to Timothy when Nero was Emperor – he was a first century Stalin or Hitler.

Andy Moyle
The Gateway Church

About 7 years ago I retired after 38 years in teaching. Oh yes! Sit back and enjoy all that free time. And today? I am currently a full-time paid prison chaplain. I never saw that one coming!
Sudden illness or a bad diagnosis, losing your job unexpectedly, an unexpected pregnancy or winning the Lottery! Not all surprises are unwelcome – but they are surprises. And often life-changing, or at least, life-style changing.
The more we plan – the more we can expect upheavals. Not that there isn’t a place for planning but we can’t anticipate every eventuality. Being prepared – a great Scouting motto (and an Aston Villa one! – well I am a Brummy) is only sensible – Being prepared well in advance is also a cautious and wise move. But there are the ‘what ifs’.
I am a great fan of the ‘back-up plan’. Don’t take a pen – take two. Make sure the phone is charged and the wallet handy – just in case.
Sometimes though the course we set ourselves on is not necessarily the right one. The ‘round the corner’ surprises may be an attempt to get us onto a more sensible course. Illness – are we overworking? Debt – are we overstretching ourselves? The unexpected though can be nothing to do with how we live our lives or of the plans we have made. A loved one hit by a debilitating illness may not be due to me but it definitely impacts on me.
So how do we see what’s coming round the corner? Well, quite simply, for those occurrences that are not of our making, we can’t. What matters is not avoiding them – it’s dealing with them.
Perhaps I’ll explore that next time!

John Belfield
Kings Lynn Roman Catholics

Aurea mediocritas is not a phrase in common use. It has nothing to do with being mediocre. Its English translation ‘the golden mean’ has no link either with being stingy. It means finding a balance in all things. It was a concept debated by the ancient Greek philosophers and found also in most major religions.
Obviously, a person should avoid extremes. To be too generous is as reprehensible as being too miserly. In our modern world it is easy to see groups going to extremes. Christians executed by jihadists for their beliefs; people driven from their own country for being of a different race or tribe.
Does this country carry out a policy of fairness and equality? The government spends billions of pounds topping up the incomes of low-paid workers; food banks help workers to survive. Here, as in other respects, there is a lack of balance.
The most pressing area where we have to find a balance is how we vote in the coming general election. Each party issues its manifesto and it is difficult to distinguish among the statements and promises where the common good is being sought and where particular issues are being promoted, where partisanship is uppermost and where just measures are put forward.
In all the debate that is taking place, we should act with reason, asking ourselves why certain policies are being pushed and what would happen if these proposals were realised. Above all, we must consider balance – the aurea mediocritas.

John Cairns, King’s Lynn Catholic Church

The need to speak out
The full story of Jimmy Savile’s record of misbehaviour is the latest of numerous scandals where appalling neglect or abuse have been conducted for years by people in positions of trust, without exposure to the public. Mid Staffs and Rotherham especially come to mind. Each revelation has led to a national outcry, a public enquiry and a report ending with a declaration that the misconduct concerned ‘must never be allowed to happen again’.

It shouldn’t have been allowed to happen in the first place. The prime reason why these stains on our society were allowed to continue for so long was a failure by individuals who knew what was happening to speak out. It’s understandable that few people would choose to court unpopularity or risk losing their job by being known as a whistleblower, and some of us may even recall the shame of being called a ‘sneak’ at school. But there’s a balance to be struck, and there may be times when we need to expose hidden misconduct to prevent it spreading and affecting many others. It takes courage, but that’s better than ducking the issue and thinking afterwards “I should have done something about it at the time”.

In the Christian faith we follow someone who as a man was not afraid to speak his mind, or even take physical action, when he encountered injustice close at hand. Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was Love personified, but when the need arose he could be very different from the ‘helpless babe’ lying in a manger whose birth into our world we celebrate at Christmas. He called Jewish religious leaders ‘a brood of vipers’ because they appeared outwardly to be men of great virtue but in fact endorsed widespread injustice. He even overturned the tables of the moneychangers when he found the temple courts, the most sacred space in Jerusalem, being desecrated as a public market.

Jesus paid for his courage with his life. Following his miraculous resurrection which Christians will celebrate next month at Easter, he is still very much alive and loving us today.
By Tony Kendall
The Church in the Woottons