Did You Hear that Differently?

A handy tool to use when talking with a friend or acquaintance about Christian faith topics is (when it seems appropriate) to tell a simple story that Jesus told. Many can be told in less than 60 seconds which means you can use it within the flow of your conversation (it also means you can record as a YouTube short or TikTok video!). An open and inviting question to then ask is: "What does this story tell you about God and people?".

Be totally cool with the fact that their answer may be nothing like what you expect!

That's especially true if they are coming from a different culture or religion. Not long ago I had the opportunity to share the story of the 'Lost Coin' with three different people. For each I asked the same inviting question. Two of them said (independently) the same answer: 'If you go looking for a god, you will find it'. I was fascinated, because that is 180 degrees from our classic understanding of God searching for lost people! For one of those I played with the concept with them to see if they could hear the story flipped back round, but their understanding really remained in the 'search for a god' mindset.

Both of the people are originally from a southern Asia culture and religious background, which entertains a plurality of gods. This is where storytelling is so useful: it is effectively a universal communication channel that can be used across the globe - we all like to hear & process stories. Stories invite others to process and think for themselves, which is better than us trying to download truth-content to others, because ultimately people need to receive spiritually, and not simply assent to your faith statements. But while stories are a universal comms channel, the exact meaning heard by the listener will be unique to them, and heavily influenced by their own background and understandings.

The good news is that in a friendly conversation, whatever their answer may be, it gives a starting point from which to dialogue further, even if it seems to be quite different to the Christian textbook response. Remember that Jesus started from where people were at, and then journeyed from that point ...

Interestingly the third person I told the story to was a young person with a White British background with a fair degree of Christian influence. Although their answer was pretty much the classic one, they also offered an alternative similar to my first two friends, saying: 'If you search for God, you will find God' - echoing (without realising it) Deuteronomy 4:29, 1 Chronicles 28:9 and 2 Chronicles 15:2.

Meandering in the Fields

As per previous posts, the 'Four Fields' model is a way of understanding our approach to witnessing and potentially starting something new. The work goes on and weeks tick by. For now we still find ourselves effectively in fields one and two.

A key thing to remember is that we don't get to control the timescales: this approach goes at the pace of the people we meet, albeit with our intentional encouragement for people to move towards Jesus! It is not a fixed programme, with set sessions or timescales. Nor does it revolve around inviting people to set events hosted by a church. No this is long and deep alongside investment in people with the gospel news & hope as our motivation.

But that also means that it is not straight-forward linear progress! We have to accept the reality of 'a step forward, a step or two back, plus many other steps sideways ...'. A person we perceived to be engaging might not continue with us down the track, or suddenly become unavailable for reasons unknown to us.

While these ups and downs are happening in the field two of gospel sharing, we are still meeting other new people: field one activity! That means we meander between the two fields from one day to the next, depending on what we are doing or who we are meeting. That is the nature of our work!

For those who like predictable outcomes it is a recipe for much frustration - but Jesus in His parable of the sower clearly implied a liberal scattering across the whole terrain. Sadly some seed will be lost and other seed may not thrive, but we continue with the meandering (yet intentional) process in the hope for that eventual crop that bears much fruit.

Moments of Public Outrage

We know from the Biblical prophets that God hates injustice. He favours the underdog - the 'small people' downtrodden by unjust powerful people and systems. We also know that Jesus gave attention to the marginalised, and called out people of power when their systems of power held people down in misery.

The call of mission for a follower of Jesus therefore includes listening to the marginalised and thinking against all the odds: "they might just be right ...".

Most ordinary members of the public also have in-built senses of justice. They may get distorted, or lost in the confusion of competing factors ... but sometimes they come to the fore at least at the local level.

Very occasionally, a collective outrage at injustice emerges at a national (majority of population) level. This past week has seen just that with the Post Office scandal, brought into the spotlight by an ITV drama. Viewing figures have exceeded all expectations, and people have been moved to combined tears and anger as they have watched the drama of ordinary people being belittled, gas-lighted, harassed and prosecuted by an intransigent big power institution that continually failed to allow any kind of mirror or light shine onto its stance or practices.

People in their hundreds of thousands seem to have instinctively felt for the ordinary folk who suffered at the hands of what had become a corporate monster, and naturally identified with the underdog undertaking a 'David and Goliath' type battle. The collective public response should give us hope: consciences are not dead, and people do have underlying principles of 'right and wrong' even in our highly secularised post-Christendom culture!

The trust in the computer system was a fundamental mistake by the Post Office, and needs to act as a warning light as society embraces further technological advances such as AI and 'intelligent' automation. Its not that these things are always evil, but for us Jesus-followers we have to keep in mind that they are human created systems, and therefore caught up in the brokenness and flaws that we find ourselves in these 'now but not yet' times. Trust God - not the systems we have created!

The nation now holds its breath, waiting to see how this corporate Goliath might actually fall. We know that such battles are not won by wearing heavy armour, but in the spiritual by God enabling well-placed deliverance.

Ezekiel, Jesus, Sheep and Shepherds

God has a habit of using everyday scenarios and language to communicate with His people. Among the wide variety of imagery used includes vines, sheep and their shepherds, prostitutes, breasts, nakedness and much more besides. Don't believe me? Check out the book of Ezekiel!

Jesus also used down to earth stories involving scenarios people could easily imagine as real and relate to. He also picked up on these same themes from Ezekiel (and the other prophets). This must have spiked the religious leaders - was Jesus in effect saying to them: 'look at what Ezekiel described ... have you learnt nothing from those days? Have you not moved on at all?'.

Take sheep and shepherds for example. Read Ezekiel 34 and make a note of how many parallels you see with Jesus, his stories and dialogue with the fractious elements of the crowds.

Jesus told the story of the Lost Sheep - check out Ezekiel 34 verses 4 to 7 and 11 to 16. Note also the theme of healing and helping those injured or broken and correlate it with the practical ministry of Jesus among the crowds.

Verses 7 onwards talks of the need for a Good Shepherd, with verse 11 saying 'I myself will ...'. Now read what Jesus says (direct to the Pharisees) in John chapter 10! Return now to Ezekiel and verses 23 - 24.

Back-tracking a bit to v17, Ezekiel talks of judgement between sheep and goats. Jesus picks this image up in his famous depiction written up by Matthew (chapter 25). Note how the bad ones are making life difficult for all by trampling the pasture, muddying the drinking water, pushing/shoving/butting out the weak - driving them away. That's the reverse of God's intent, which is why they must be replaced.

Ezekiel chapter 34 verses 25 to 31 present a different vision: with God (Jesus) as their shepherd there will be a new age of thriving and blessing. The old yoke will be broken (ah ha - Jesus picked up on that too!), paving the way for the wonderful declaration of v31:

You are my sheep of my pasture, and I am your God.

Let Jesus be your Good Shepherd, learn to follow and take on the work that He gives you as one of his under-shepherds, joining the work of spreading the blessing, caring, healing, and gathering in other lost sheep.