We have been graced with the presence of two cats, who have moved to Christchurch along with their human slaves (we all know who are the real owners in the human/ feline relationship).
Neither enjoyed the experience at first. In fact, one - Cairo - went so far as to hide under the house and meow pathetically at night - just to ensure we all understood how awful it was for her to be kidnapped away from her home. For three days, neither her human slaves nor my beloved and I could coax her inside. Things were getting desperate, or at least so it seemed to the women in the house. The cat was cold, hungry, sad: this was not how it was meant to pan out.
I am proud to say I came to the rescue. One the third night, I got up at 4:30am, opened the door and called the cat gently into the house; shivering myself, as it was wet and cold. And lo! Cairo the cat came in: snarling a little, but deigning me with her presence (the food bowl next to me may have helped: however as that fact may affect my hero status, I might have refrained from mentioning it to the others in the house). A happy ending; a saved cat, and a happy home!
The strange thing is that in Christchurch at present there must be hundreds, if not thousands, of hungry, cold and sad cats. Yet we have not gone to these same lengths to help them. Clearly, we only make such an effort for those cats we have gotten to know, and deem to be in some relationship with us. I'm not sure I would have hero status if I had proudly welcomed an unknown bedraggled feline into our home.
What is true for pets is true for people. It is hard for us to care for those we have not met and invested our emotions into. Something has to happen to move others from being 'people' (part of the crowd) to being 'persons' (part of our crowd). And here is the great weakness of many churches today: we invest all our time into those we already know, who so often are already in the house of God. These are persons to us: part of our crowd. But the people around us: the stressed KMart shop assistant, the bored child across the street, the lonely elderly neighbour; since we dont know them, we make little or no effort to invite them into the house of God. And so, like the stray cats in our city, they remain outside: cold, wet, unhappy, unfed.
This is not how Jesus called us to be. We are not meant to be inside the house, keeping warm and dry while others suffer. Instead, we are called to be people-whisperers; looking for the lost and the lonely. It's what Jesus commanded. Its what Jesus did. That means changing how we see the lost: changing them in our perceptions from people to persons. It starts by knowing their names; by discovering that the shop assistant is Julie, the child is Anji, the neighbour is Dorothy.
And it goes on to welcoming them into the house, where the air is warm, there is good food, and they know they have a place.
Time to shiver, just a little, to find the stray persons in our neighbourhood.
Showing posts with label my beloved. Show all posts
Showing posts with label my beloved. Show all posts
Monday, 3 June 2013
Monday, 22 April 2013
...of Fruit Trees, Puddleglum and a Donkey
When my beloved and I were about to get married we were given a most precious gift by another young couple. The gift has promoted communication, and spending time together. It has deepened our understanding of God, and of the world around us. When our children came along, we used that same gift to build relationship with them too. It wasn't quite as effective with them, but that was more about my impatience, not the gift nor the children.
The gift was the full set of Narnia books by +C.S. Lewis . C.S. Lewis was a gifted thinker and author in the mid-Twentieth Century, who converted to Christianity as a young man. The Narnia books are a series of seven stories written for children. Set in the fantasy land of Narnia, the stories recounted moments when people from our world entered that world, at the behest of Aslan - a great and mysterious lion.
We read them together, one chapter at a time, almost every night for a year. We loved the characters, the stories, and the magical way 'Narnia' cut to the very heart of key truths about Jesus Christ. We learned so much about each other, and about God. And when our children came along, we sought to share that experience with them as well. It may seem strange to a generation raised on amazing graphics and internet-based gaming, but the shared experience of imagination was a powerful bonding time. There was the fighting mouse; the giants of the North; a number of children from earth; an evil witch; and of course, Aslan. And mixed in were knights, kings, horses, and talking animals of all kinds.
Those nights huddled in or on a bed, with the rain falling outside, with my children (or wife!) asking for 'just one more chapter' remain some of my most precious memories. When people ask me how to build a relationship with their spouse, or their children, I always start by offering them 'Narnia'. "Just read them", I say. "And don't worry if older children tell you it is too baby-ish for them: make reading a chapter a required event straight after dinner (which, by the way, should also be a complusory family gathering time). Let the Emperor work His deep magic in your lives. You'll be surprised at the life-long benefits you will gain from such a simple family ritual."
I know I have been. Even today, I can't walk past the well-worn gift box in which 'Narnia' sits, without recalling nights as a family straining to see, hear and touch that Lion, that Witch, that Wardrobe.
The gift was the full set of Narnia books by +C.S. Lewis . C.S. Lewis was a gifted thinker and author in the mid-Twentieth Century, who converted to Christianity as a young man. The Narnia books are a series of seven stories written for children. Set in the fantasy land of Narnia, the stories recounted moments when people from our world entered that world, at the behest of Aslan - a great and mysterious lion.
We read them together, one chapter at a time, almost every night for a year. We loved the characters, the stories, and the magical way 'Narnia' cut to the very heart of key truths about Jesus Christ. We learned so much about each other, and about God. And when our children came along, we sought to share that experience with them as well. It may seem strange to a generation raised on amazing graphics and internet-based gaming, but the shared experience of imagination was a powerful bonding time. There was the fighting mouse; the giants of the North; a number of children from earth; an evil witch; and of course, Aslan. And mixed in were knights, kings, horses, and talking animals of all kinds.
Those nights huddled in or on a bed, with the rain falling outside, with my children (or wife!) asking for 'just one more chapter' remain some of my most precious memories. When people ask me how to build a relationship with their spouse, or their children, I always start by offering them 'Narnia'. "Just read them", I say. "And don't worry if older children tell you it is too baby-ish for them: make reading a chapter a required event straight after dinner (which, by the way, should also be a complusory family gathering time). Let the Emperor work His deep magic in your lives. You'll be surprised at the life-long benefits you will gain from such a simple family ritual."
I know I have been. Even today, I can't walk past the well-worn gift box in which 'Narnia' sits, without recalling nights as a family straining to see, hear and touch that Lion, that Witch, that Wardrobe.
Friday, 12 April 2013
...of rainy days
The Carpenters were a brother/ sister band in the 1970's, who had a string of hits. The brother, Richard, did most of the musical composition and arranging, while the sister, Karen, sang and - at least initially - played the drums. They wrote/ covered and sang a succession of top ten songs from 1969 to Karen's death in 1983.
One of their cover songs is "Rainy Days And Mondays", in which the singer describes how she needs a special someone on those 'feeling blue" days that we all experience. Nothing dramatic: just the need for that one good friend. It's a gentle reminder that we are not made to live alone. Connecting with other people is as essential as breathing. Not just for the days of high excitement, or deep despair; but for every day, including the 'life is quietly happening' days.
I'm reminded of that today, as the rain is gently falling outside. (Yes, we are in Perth and it is raining! The locals are stunned). We all need moments of solitude, to reflect on who we are, and how God has wired us. But, as it tells us in Genesis 1 and 2, we were created to be in community. Relationship is so intrinsic that even God chooses to reveal Himself to us in relationship. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
For most of history this was so obvious as not to require saying. But our uniquely 21st Century Western mind-set has so isolated us from each other that the obvious does need stating. We need each other. On good days, on challenging days. And on rainy days and Mondays.
No, it is not good for a person to be alone. And so, as I sit here, with the rain gently falling, I am thankful for my beloved, Rhonda, whom God brought into my life. And for my family. And for the community in Christchurch that God has placed us among.
One of their cover songs is "Rainy Days And Mondays", in which the singer describes how she needs a special someone on those 'feeling blue" days that we all experience. Nothing dramatic: just the need for that one good friend. It's a gentle reminder that we are not made to live alone. Connecting with other people is as essential as breathing. Not just for the days of high excitement, or deep despair; but for every day, including the 'life is quietly happening' days.
I'm reminded of that today, as the rain is gently falling outside. (Yes, we are in Perth and it is raining! The locals are stunned). We all need moments of solitude, to reflect on who we are, and how God has wired us. But, as it tells us in Genesis 1 and 2, we were created to be in community. Relationship is so intrinsic that even God chooses to reveal Himself to us in relationship. He is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
For most of history this was so obvious as not to require saying. But our uniquely 21st Century Western mind-set has so isolated us from each other that the obvious does need stating. We need each other. On good days, on challenging days. And on rainy days and Mondays.
No, it is not good for a person to be alone. And so, as I sit here, with the rain gently falling, I am thankful for my beloved, Rhonda, whom God brought into my life. And for my family. And for the community in Christchurch that God has placed us among.
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