Category: Articles

Lindsay and I are both early morning people, and we usually set our radio alarm for 6.30am, so that we can spend half an hour listening to the news before getting on with our day. Last Monday morning, therefore, made for interesting listening.

The 6.30 headlines were, firstly, about plans to close the Calais refugee camp, and secondly, the meeting of heads of the worldwide Anglican Communion. At 6.45am, however, there was a newsflash to announce the death on Sunday of David Bowie, following his eighteen month battle with cancer.

Next up was an interview with the Justin Wellbye, the Archbishop of Canterbury, about the future of the Anglican Communion. “Before we begin,” said the presenter, “what are your thoughts on David Bowie?” By 7.00am, the headlines had changed, with David Bowie top of the list. These headlines were followed by a report from Calais, which had to be cut short. The reporter had clearly put in a lot of work and was expecting to be given a longer slot. “Sorry we have to stop you,” said the presenter. “You may not have heard, but David Bowie has died.”

At the time, we couldn’t help but wonder – if this is how Radio 4’s flagship news programme is dealing with this, what is the mainstream media going to be like? Sure enough, for the rest of the day David Bowie’s life and achievements were given wall to wall coverage.

Don’t get me wrong. The vinyl collection in my attic includes four of Bowie’s first five albums, and over the years I have both enjoyed and admired his musical genius and artistic creativity. But, at the same time, I know that there were sides to Bowie’s character that I didn’t admire, and I would not have recommended him to anyone as a role model.

All this has caused me to reflect on what this says about our society today, and its relentless capacity to idolise.

The biblical definition of an idol is that it is something ‘man-made’ and attractive, but ultimately false, and which draws us away from God. If you’ve been one of the millions of people who have viewed Bowie’s final album, ‘Dark Star’, which was released two days before his death, you may well have been given even more reason to wonder about the motives behind it. Although already acclaimed as a masterpiece, it is hardly reassuring on the theme of dying. It does, however, appear to be a deliberate attempt by him to lay a claim to the notion of ‘Bowie the god’ – someone who, even in death, would welcome our worship.

By now David Bowie will have met with his maker, and will have had to look back on his life in the clear light of God’s truth. But what about us? Who and what do we worship, and where does God come on our list?

Much love, John

 February 2016

As we move through 2016 you are encouraged to take time each day and use the daily devotional guide –  we start by travelling through PSALM 119 and then take up Catching the Wave (the booklet proved by TryPraying) as we enter the period of Lent. The Devotions are one way to feed on God’s Word in the morning, at midday and in the evening….. to Pray with Him continually through your day…and even to share with others the treasures or hurdles that you discover along the way.

More information?  See the Daily Celtic Devotions posted….the magazine…..and the comments under the Prayer tab…..

A couple of months ago I wrote about how our generation is more open to exploring the ‘spiritual’ side of life than the generation before us, while at the same time we are not slow in asking questions and voicing doubts. I also said that doubt is not a bad thing. It forces us to go focus on why we believe something, and why it is important to us. It forces us to keep an open mind, and not get too set in our ways. It keeps us on our toes and keeps our faith alive.

For the past six weeks, with the help of Tim Keller’s book – ‘The reason for God’, we have been giving people the chance to explore some of their doubts at our SIX30 service on Sunday evenings. What has been on offer has been a safe place where, within the context of Christian worship, people can still voice their concerns and discuss things that puzzle them. These occasions seem to have hit the right note, as they have been well attended by Christians and non-Christians alike, and, as the weeks have passed, I think there has been a shared recognition that, whatever our doubts are, belief in God is still not an unreasonable thing to hold to.

But once someone is open to the possibility of spiritual belief, where do they start? How do they find their way through the myriad possibilities and worldviews that are out there? As a Christian, my response would be that the best place to start is with Jesus. Being a Christian is like being on a journey, where you may not know all that lies ahead, but you’ve found a guide you can trust.

For the next six weeks we plan to flip things round. Instead of exploring faith and doubt at our SIX30 service, we will now be exploring the second half of Tim Keller’s book, which is about doubt and faith. Having spent some time exploring barriers to belief, we are now going to be looking at the stepping stones which might help us on our way.

For example…

• What clues are there that help us to believe?
• Is it possible to truly know God?
• Why is sin such a problem anyway?
• How does ‘religion’ compare with the Gospel?
• Why do Jesus’ death and resurrection matter?
• What is the ‘dance of God’?

Once again, you can aim for 6.30pm, or you can come early. Everyone is welcome, and there will be plenty of time for discussion. The series begins on Sunday 8th November.

Hope to see you soon.

Much love
John