Thou Shalt Shoplift

You may want to read that again.
I know I had to the first time.
It does indeed say “Thou Shalt Shoplift”.
And it was a BBC News Headline this morning, quoting a Priest in York.

A priest from North Yorkshire has advised his congregation to shoplift if they find themselves in hard times.
Father Tim Jones, the parish priest of St Lawrence and St Hilda in York, said people should steal from big chains rather than small businesses.
He said society’s attitude to those in need “leaves some people little option but crime”.

I don’t know that I’ve heard anything quite so ridiculous in a long time.

Surely, this goes against so many Biblical principles, anyone can see it’s not the way to go about solving peoples money woes!

Jesus said we weren’t to worry about material goods but know that God will provide for us. Maybe he should be telling his congregation to pray.

And isn’t the entire point of the church to support one another in faith but, I would say, materially too. Acts 4 says the believers shared all things in common. If we’re not going to do that we should at least have a system which enables us to support people who need it, whether they be congregation members or not.

Father Jones later said on the radio, “If one has exhausted every legal opportunity to get money and you’re still in a desperate situation it is a better moral thing to do to take absolutely no more than you need for no longer than you need”.

I’m sorry Father but the better thing would be for them to know that they can turn to the church who will make sacrifices in order to love them like God, who made the ultimate sacrifice and gave the ultimate gift.

I feel you’ve missed the point a little.

Theologians

The modest task of those of us who are theologians is to help contribute to the discussion of what Christians ought to think by thinking as clearly as we can. But the theologian must always remember, as well, that those who are not schooled in theology will often lead the way.

- Stanley Hauerwas

I tend to think that all Christians are called to be theologians – we are, after all, all trying to think clearly about God and his will and how it should affect our lives. Therefore, we must all remember, you don’t have to have a degree to lead the way.

Church 2

How about this definition?

The church is by nature and commandment an apostolic community which exists for the sake of announcing the Gospel to all nations and of making them disciples of Christ.

H. Richard Niebuhr The Responsibility of the Church for Society

Church

The mission of the church is found where the celebration of the Lord’s Supper and the creation of human fellowship are indissolubly joined. This is what it means in an active and concrete way to be the sacrament of salvation of the world.

- Gustavo Gutierrez, The Church: Sacrament of  History, Essential Writings (Orbis Books: Maryknoll NY, 1996) p.247

Is that all the church need be? Is it sufficient?

What do you think the Church should be?

Freedom

A Christian man is the most free lord of all, and subject to none; a Christian man is the most dutiful servant of all and subject to everyone.

- Martin Luther, The Freedom of  Christian

Spurgeon on Preaching

Some great quotes, over at Miscellanies, from Charles Spurgeon about the importance of preaching being Christ centered.

I like this part especially:

No Christ in your sermon, sir? Then go home, and never preach again until you have something worth preaching.

More here.

You who are God’s servants are living in a foreign country, for your own city-state is far away from this city-state. Knowing which is yours, why do you acquire fields, costly furnishings, buildings, frail dwellings here? Anyone who acquires things for himself in this city cannot expect to find the way home to his own City. Do you not realise that all these things here do not belong to you, that they are under a power alien to your nature? The ruler will say you do not obey my laws, either observe my laws or get out of my country. Take care lest it prove fatal to you to repudiate your own laws. Acquire no more here than what is absolutely necessary. Instead of fields, buy for yourselves people in distress in accordance with your means.
- Hermas 140 AD

(as quoted by Shane Claiborne & Chris Haw in “Jesus for President” from Eberhard Arnold’s “The Early Christians: In their own words”)

1 John 2:6

Those who say they live in God should live their lives as Jesus did.

Praying Together

No matter what objections there may be to prayer together, it simply could not be any other way. Christians may and should pray together to God in their own words when they desire to live together under the Word of God. They have requests, gratitude and intercessions to bring in common to God, and they should do so joyfully and confidently. All our fear of one another, all our inhibitions about praying freely in our own words in the presence of others, can diminish where the common prayer of the community is brought before God by one of its members with dignity and simplicity. Likewise, however, all our observations and criticisms should cease whenever weak words of prayer are offered in the name of Jesus Christ. It is infact the most normal thing in our common Christian life to pray together. As good and useful as our scruples may be about keeping prayer pure and biblical, they must never the less not stifle the free prayer itself that is so necessary, for it has been endowed with great promise by Jesus Christ.

- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together p.69

Christianity is an invitation to be part of an alien people who make a difference because they see something that cannot otherwise be seen without Christ. 

- Stanley Hauerwas and William H. Willimon, Resident Aliens, Abingdon Press,U.S. (Jan 1993)

Friends: people to whom you can spill your heart, knowing it won’t get trampled.

Jeremiah 29:7

But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the LORD on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.

I’ve spent so long focussed on verses eleven to thriteen of this passage, I completely missed this wonderful part just before it. Thanks to Tom for pointing it out!

The probability of one individual being born, out of all the possibilities, is astronomical. That we are lucky to be alive is a massive understatement.

- John Hick, Death and Eternal Life

Longing for God

From A.W. Tozer’s The Pursuit of God:

O God, I have tasted Your goodness,
and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more.
I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace.
I am ashamed of my lack of desire.
O God, the Triune God,
I want to want You;
I long to be filled with longing;
I thirst to be made more thirsty still.
Show me Your glory, I pray,
so I may know You indeed.
Begin in mercy a new work of love within me…
Give me grace to rise and follow You up from this misty lowland
where I have wandered so long.
In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Found on Between Two Worlds)

Encouragement Required

People need to be encouraged.

Here’s your challenge: send an email this week that the recipient will not delete. Send a note in the mail that will be saved for years. Leave an encouraging voice mail that will be saved for a long time. Go up to someone and just do whatever you can to encourge as an expression of Christian love.

- Leith Anderson

This is today’s entry in my inspirational thought thingy. I like it. I want to challenge you to go ahead and do it. I’m trying to figure out how I will.

I have a number of emails, texts, cards and letters that I’ve kept over the years because the sentiments within have meant so much to me. When I’m having a really bad day, it’s good to have something I can go back to and be encouraged and strengthened by.

Go on. Encourage somebody. Make their day, even their week. Remind them how much they mean to God and to you.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Encourage each other and build each other up”