A World in Need

"A Christian is someone who holds a Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other." I want us to pause and think about the world we are living in, British society, Western 21st century culture, in which we are called to be disciples. What would you say are its key characteristics?

Here are a few negative things:

• Information overload – how do we handle it all?
  
• “Technological alienation” – that is, we spend a lot of our time communicating through machines rather than real people.
  
• Materialism – the world tells us “you are what you own”, a sickness someone has called “affluenza”.
  
• Consumerism – “you are what you buy” or “I shop therefore I am” (“Tesco ergo sum”?)
  
• Trivia and celebrity – whatever that means!
  
• Obsession with image.
  

What does such a society really need? A recent survey called “The earnings of the British Soul” resulted in the following five aspirations being expressed time and again: Wisdom for life, Authentic living, Adventure – rather than mundane existence – Awe and Loving relationships.

Think about how much these yearnings are met by the gospel of Jesus Christ! Yet we are often fearful of venturing into that world of need as Christians. An old map of America in the 1500’s shows uncharted areas marked “Here be giants”, “Here be fiery dragons”, and the like. A later owner had scratched out these entries and written “Here be God”. We should believe that God is already at work in His world ahead of us, so that we never go into places where God is absent. This should encourage us when we are fearful.

In the Bible story of Ruth, the employer and landowner Boaz believed that God was interested in his daily life. The greeting we use in church “The Lord be with you”, he used at work to greet his employees! (Ruth 2)

I invite you now to think of those places outside of church, places where you are engaged and occupied. For many, you may be the only Christian in your street, your department, your college or your club. For many people, “we are the Bible”, because we are their only contact with the Christian story. What do you think it would mean for you to truly and specifically pray: “Lord, your kingdom come in my street, workplace, home or leisure pursuit”? What could you pray for, what could you do to make a difference? How can you bring “Shalom” (peace, love and wholeness) to these places? Shalom is much more than just an absence of conflict. It means healthiness in every way: productive work, good relationships, wholesome environment, human flourishing.

If we are to live as agents of Shalom we will need to start being more open and real in our dealings with others, less judgemental, offering simple acts of kindness and doing our work to God’s glory. One Christian, working in an office where no one spoke to each other, decided to take cakes in for everyone on Fridays and left a note in each work station. It transformed the way people related to each other in that place.

Being a Witness

Sharing our Faith

Of course there will often be opportunities to say something about our faith as well as to show it in our actions. This can make us nervous because we all know a colleague or friend who has said the wrong thing or been insensitive in sharing their faith, and it’s made us cringe! But that is no reason not to try to do it better.

The late Jonathan Bailey, former bishop of Derby, used to say: “If a bishop says he believes in God, it won’t create a stir; but if you in your daily life say it, it will have an impact.” It’s not a matter of preaching, but of bringing God into our conversation; not about being a good debater (most of us are aren’t), but sharing what we know and have experienced of God; not forcing a conversation around to God, but taking opportunities when they arise (see Colossians 4 verse 5).

At the end of the Second World War, the Church of England produced an important report called “Towards the Conversion of England”. It contained this key statement: “We are convinced that England will never be converted...” – thankfully it didn’t stop there! – “...until the laity use the opportunities for evangelism daily afforded by their various professions and occupations.”

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