During our recent time away we spent a week in a Resort on the Kwai River a couple of hours north of Bangkok. It was very much a Thai resort and clearly Westerners are not common guests there. Very few spoke any English and it was always an interesting time communicating. This particular region had a great deal of natural beauty and was well enough away from the nearest township to be a very peaceful oasis.
One of the key historical interests in the area for us was the knowledge that in this region during World War 2, the Japanese forces had built what became know as the ‘Death Railway’ from Bangkok to Burma, with the ultimate plan to drive through to India and ultimate victory. Ronnie and I were able to visit two of the three War Cemeteries in the region. One in ChungKai held the remains of 1,740 Allied soldiers. This place was particularly sobering as it was the actual burial ground of troops during those awful days of brutality and death. The other main Cemetery was in Kanchanburi and became the central burial ground after the war when special units located bodies up and down the railway and re-interred them at this spot near the prisoner of war camps. Here there are just short of 7,000 men from Australia, Britain and The Netherlands buried. One of the more moving moments of the trip was probably when Ronnie was taking a photo of the gates as I stood outside the Cemetery and an elderly Anglo lady hearing us both talking asked if we were Australian. Entering into conversation and noting that she had flowers in her hand I asked if she had family buried here and she told me, ‘Yes’ My father is here.’ That made it even more personal!
One day we travelled out to Hellfire Pass and walked along the railway cutting where it is said that for every sleeper laid a soldier died. This was in many ways a ‘holy ground’ experience for both Ronnie and I as we walked through deeply mindful of the human cost. It is estimated that 16,000 allied prisoners of war died building this railroad along with a little published fact that some 100,000 Asian labourers also died. Hellfire Pass has not been used as a railway for many years and apart from several hundred metres that are maintained as a permanent memorial the jungle has reclaimed it; but other parts of the death railway are still used today carrying passengers down to Bangkok.
I came across a quote from those terrible days at Hellfire Pass: ‘When you go home, tell them of us and say we gave our tomorrow for your today.’
It has been interesting in recent years to see the growing importance among young people of ANZAC Day. Hundreds gather at ANZAC Cove each year now for ANZAC Day memorial services. This new impetus is a fairly recent phenomenon. I wonder what it is that has provoked this new interest in all things ANZAC? Is there something as a local church that we can learn from this?
One of my theories is that as life becomes more and more packaged, predictable and privatised, many people – and very much the younger population – have an idea that there is something much bigger, and they yearn for it. The spirit of ANZAC and the amazing stories that flow from it inspire and encourage hope. It gives them a vision of something much bigger than themselves. I think we all need that.
I like the bit where Jesus makes his first resurrection appearance to the disciples as a group:
‘On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!”
After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.’ John 20:19,20
This is an interesting sequence for the ‘cosy, me, me, me’ church of today. Peace does not come through finding a safety zone and staying there. It comes by taking a risk and becoming vulnerable to others. Peace will not be found by saving ourselves; but by giving ourselves to the call of saving others. Peace has a cost. The Bible says that ‘without vision people perish’. Maybe that vision can be our gift to our children and grand children into the future?
Cheers - John
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Listening
On Sunday I began a new ‘mini series’ called ‘How then should we live?’ Week one, for those that missed it was focused on Leaving. One of the dangers of any public speaking is that you might throw out some really grand sounding ideas but don’t actually give people something practical to bring the idea into view. I thought as part of my musings this week I might offer a simple practical tool to help us in our spiritual journey.
One of my favourite Psalms is very easy to find and also fairly easy to memorise and work with. Psalm 1 is just before Psalm 2 at the very beginning of the Book of Psalms!! It’s so small that I can even spoil you and put it in right here:
A man named Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy once said: ‘As soon as the gospels were written , speech without experience began to dabble with the new facts proposed by the Church … People tried to think the new life without being touched by it first in some form of call , listening, passion or change of heart.’
Psalm 1 is useful for us to slow down and begin the process of ‘spiritual listening’. It begins with ‘Happy’ or ‘Blessed’ are those who do not ..’ There is a progression of ‘follow, take, sit’. Another progression calls us to delight and meditate while one more gives us tree, fruit and prosper.
I would encourage you to spend some time reflecting on this simple little Psalm. You might ask yourself the question: What is it that I give my attention to? What do I follow after, what path do I take and where do I sit and immerse myself most easily? What is it that gives you pleasure and what are the keys that guide and control your life?
This Sunday I am looking at the matter of listening. We sometimes read the Bible without really listening to it. We try to enter into the story when somehow we need to learn how to let the Story enter into us!
Can I encourage you to spend time with Psalm 1? It can be a very useful opening to what is known a ‘lectio divina’ – divine reading. Too often we read the Bible simply as a means of learning something. It is a gathering of information and once gathered we move on. It is worth the effort to learn to chew things over – meditate! Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus in John 3 is a good yarn but is worth ruminating over for more than the few minutes it might take to read the story: ‘The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ It’s worth a few minutes to let your mind wander over these words.
If you are thinking, ‘John, I don’t have time, I’m too busy.’ Then you may be right – you are too busy!
Cheers - John
One of my favourite Psalms is very easy to find and also fairly easy to memorise and work with. Psalm 1 is just before Psalm 2 at the very beginning of the Book of Psalms!! It’s so small that I can even spoil you and put it in right here:
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the
wicked
or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of
mockers.
But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and
night.
He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in
season
and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does
prospers.
Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows
away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly
of the
righteous.
For the LORD watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked
will perish.
A man named Eugen Rosenstock-Huessy once said: ‘As soon as the gospels were written , speech without experience began to dabble with the new facts proposed by the Church … People tried to think the new life without being touched by it first in some form of call , listening, passion or change of heart.’
Psalm 1 is useful for us to slow down and begin the process of ‘spiritual listening’. It begins with ‘Happy’ or ‘Blessed’ are those who do not ..’ There is a progression of ‘follow, take, sit’. Another progression calls us to delight and meditate while one more gives us tree, fruit and prosper.
I would encourage you to spend some time reflecting on this simple little Psalm. You might ask yourself the question: What is it that I give my attention to? What do I follow after, what path do I take and where do I sit and immerse myself most easily? What is it that gives you pleasure and what are the keys that guide and control your life?
This Sunday I am looking at the matter of listening. We sometimes read the Bible without really listening to it. We try to enter into the story when somehow we need to learn how to let the Story enter into us!
Can I encourage you to spend time with Psalm 1? It can be a very useful opening to what is known a ‘lectio divina’ – divine reading. Too often we read the Bible simply as a means of learning something. It is a gathering of information and once gathered we move on. It is worth the effort to learn to chew things over – meditate! Jesus’ meeting with Nicodemus in John 3 is a good yarn but is worth ruminating over for more than the few minutes it might take to read the story: ‘The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.’ It’s worth a few minutes to let your mind wander over these words.
If you are thinking, ‘John, I don’t have time, I’m too busy.’ Then you may be right – you are too busy!
Cheers - John
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Wake up o Sleeper!
Ronnie and I have experienced so much in recent weeks while travelling through parts of Vietnam and Thailand that we are probably capable of boring you to death very quickly!! For my first communication in a while, allow me tell you one story and then see where it takes me.
During our first week we were based in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Our guide took us on a tour of the city and at one point we arrived at the War Museum, recollecting the conflict during the 1960’s and 70’s. The Vietnam War has always been an interest of mine, mainly because I was of an age at that time where it was purely the luck of the lottery that my number did not come out for service during the days of conscription. Indeed I know several of my peers who did serve in Vietnam, one of whom did not return.
A common sight in our travels was that of beggars and unfortunately you had to steel yourself to push past them because there are so many needy and sad sights. As we were moving through the grounds of the museum I was aware of someone closing in on me; but typical John, I was focused on where I was going and not taking much notice. It took my lovely wife to pull me up as I pressed forward and point out that it seemed this heavily scarred man wanted to shake my hand.
So I stopped and it was then that I took real notice. Yes, clearly this man did want to shake hands; the only problem was that he didn’t have any hands. Indeed, what was left of his arms ended just before where his elbows should have been. Thankfully and with hopefully very little hesitation I took a hold of his right arm and greeted him and allowed him to share his story in halting English. As a young man he had accidentally triggered a land mine that blew away his hands and arms and disfigured his face. Now he spent his time wandering around the museum selling a variety of trinkets and telling his story to anyone who will take the time to listen.
That day early in our journey has stayed with me and will probably stay with me forever. A couple of things struck me. Firstly, but for fate or whatever you put it down to, I could have been this man’s enemy. I could have put that mine in place. We took hundreds of pictures on our holiday but you will find very few of this museum. Some of the images we found too hard and had to turn away from; such was the horror – on both sides!
The other thing that I had to consider was just how easily I can force unpleasant truths onto the periphery of life. Our trip was great for a whole bunch of reasons but a major learning curve was to discover what it is like to be among the marginalised. We were very much foreigners, through appearance, language and culture, yet enjoyed so much through the grace, care and patience of others.
The time away has been very fruitful in reaffirming my ministry. I believe very deeply in the church but also recognise that we have been asleep for way too long and at times almost totally unaware of what is going on right under our noses. I commit myself once again to being a part of a faith community that is willing to risk living the way of Jesus in our local places, whatever that might look like.
Paul Mercurio plays the part of a brilliant young dancer named Scott in that great film Strictly Ballroom. Scott is intensely frustrated by the old rules of the ballroom dancing competitions and yearns to dance his own steps. In one highly charged scene Scott screams out ‘What we dance is crap!’ It was an Aussie film, but in pure Hollywood it of course ends with Scott and his partner dancing their own steps.
I may not be as young as I was but I am frustrated and tired of dancing to someone else’s steps. I am seeking to be even more aware of those on our edges and am keen to find out just what steps they might be dancing.
Cheers - John
During our first week we were based in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. Our guide took us on a tour of the city and at one point we arrived at the War Museum, recollecting the conflict during the 1960’s and 70’s. The Vietnam War has always been an interest of mine, mainly because I was of an age at that time where it was purely the luck of the lottery that my number did not come out for service during the days of conscription. Indeed I know several of my peers who did serve in Vietnam, one of whom did not return.
A common sight in our travels was that of beggars and unfortunately you had to steel yourself to push past them because there are so many needy and sad sights. As we were moving through the grounds of the museum I was aware of someone closing in on me; but typical John, I was focused on where I was going and not taking much notice. It took my lovely wife to pull me up as I pressed forward and point out that it seemed this heavily scarred man wanted to shake my hand.
So I stopped and it was then that I took real notice. Yes, clearly this man did want to shake hands; the only problem was that he didn’t have any hands. Indeed, what was left of his arms ended just before where his elbows should have been. Thankfully and with hopefully very little hesitation I took a hold of his right arm and greeted him and allowed him to share his story in halting English. As a young man he had accidentally triggered a land mine that blew away his hands and arms and disfigured his face. Now he spent his time wandering around the museum selling a variety of trinkets and telling his story to anyone who will take the time to listen.
That day early in our journey has stayed with me and will probably stay with me forever. A couple of things struck me. Firstly, but for fate or whatever you put it down to, I could have been this man’s enemy. I could have put that mine in place. We took hundreds of pictures on our holiday but you will find very few of this museum. Some of the images we found too hard and had to turn away from; such was the horror – on both sides!
The other thing that I had to consider was just how easily I can force unpleasant truths onto the periphery of life. Our trip was great for a whole bunch of reasons but a major learning curve was to discover what it is like to be among the marginalised. We were very much foreigners, through appearance, language and culture, yet enjoyed so much through the grace, care and patience of others.
The time away has been very fruitful in reaffirming my ministry. I believe very deeply in the church but also recognise that we have been asleep for way too long and at times almost totally unaware of what is going on right under our noses. I commit myself once again to being a part of a faith community that is willing to risk living the way of Jesus in our local places, whatever that might look like.
Paul Mercurio plays the part of a brilliant young dancer named Scott in that great film Strictly Ballroom. Scott is intensely frustrated by the old rules of the ballroom dancing competitions and yearns to dance his own steps. In one highly charged scene Scott screams out ‘What we dance is crap!’ It was an Aussie film, but in pure Hollywood it of course ends with Scott and his partner dancing their own steps.
I may not be as young as I was but I am frustrated and tired of dancing to someone else’s steps. I am seeking to be even more aware of those on our edges and am keen to find out just what steps they might be dancing.
Cheers - John
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