Urbanisation and dependence

“²⁷ So every carpenter and workmaster, that laboureth night and day: and they that cut and grave seals, and are diligent to make great variety, and give themselves to counterfeit imagery, and watch to finish a work: ²⁸ The smith also sitting by the anvil, and considering the iron work, the vapour of the fire wasteth his flesh, and he fighteth with the heat of the furnace: the noise of the hammer and the anvil is ever in his ears, and his eyes look still upon the pattern of the thing that he maketh; he setteth his mind to finish his work, and watcheth to polish it perfectly: ²⁹ So doth the potter sitting at his work, and turning the wheel about with his feet, who is always carefully set at his work, and maketh all his work by number; ³⁰ He fashioneth the clay with his arm, and boweth down his strength before his feet; he applieth himself to lead it over; and he is diligent to make clean the furnace:

³¹ All these trust to their hands: and everyone is wise in his work.

³² Without these cannot a city be inhabited: and they shall not dwell where they will, nor go up and down”

(Sirach 38:27-32)

Cities are inhabited by tradesmen - urban centres are full of business.

Psalm 107 speaks about the need of a city to settle in – that without God the Israelites had no city of their own. I live in a city – in fact, more than half the world’s population now live in urban centres – as opposed to rural. It is expected that 70 per cent of the world population will be urban by 2050. This is staggering! Take a look around your nearest city and consider the way it has grown – from what humble beginnings did it start? Where is there growth? New estates of houses? New shopping complexes? New business?

The idea of building is used in one of Jesus’ most famous parables – the Wise and Foolish Builders. In this parable, Jesus suggests that wisdom comes from coming to Him, hearing his word, and putting them into practice (Luke 6:47). Good foundations come from this wisdom. If you’re going to build, Jesus says, do it properly. Of course, this is an obvious point; as ever designed to make His listeners laugh.

‘Why on earth would you not lay good foundations??!? ’

‘Exactly!’ replies Jesus.

This idea of diligence is quite common in the Bible. The second Rogation Day is focused (traditionally) on commerce and industry. Effective tradesman/businessmen are those who are diligent and hardworking. I watch The Apprentice and love the simplicity of success – put your back into it…well it works most of the time!

The passage from Sirach (also called Ecclesiasticus) refers to three specific trades: carpenter, metal smith, and potter. It suggests that it is God who is at work in their labours. Labours that form the foundation of a working society, a successful city. Do you work in a trade? I have great admiration for plasterers (I once tried it...messy wall isn't even close), electricians, and plumbers. There is a strange beauty in the way complex issues are resolved in smooth walls, light-fittings that issue no shock, and a shower that is both warm and wet... Tradespeople may not find God in their work, it may feel quite 'secular', but I believe God is present in their endeavours.

Isn’t it fascinating that God is described as all three tradesmen in the passage from Sirach …he is the Potter in Jeremiah 18, God is described as plucking Israel from the iron-smelting furnace (again Jeremiah 11:4), and of course Jesus himself is a carpenter. God endorses and operates as a tradesman.

The purpose of Rogation Days (from the Latin, Rogare, meaning ‘to ask’) is to prompt specific prayers of petition to God – asking him to bless the seasons and crops, commerce and industry, and the environment in general. Historically these were far more popular in an agricultural society that depended so much more on good weather. We really don’t have an appreciation of plague, famine and drought…our forebears did. Society then was deeply local and often rural.

We live in a deeply urban world, where jobs are in service industry, online, retail and hospitality. And in this world we are often made to live for ourselves – to become more and more independent.

That said, we currently live in some of the most turbulent economic conditions known. We are realising, perhaps too late, that we are dependent in deeper, more profound ways with our European neighbours as well as our next-door neighbours. As Greece looks into the abyss, there is a real chance that botched economics, flawed commerce will create even tougher living conditions globally…

This RogationDay we should stop and join in the words of the collect:

Almighty God and Father,

You have so ordered our life

That we are dependent on one another:
Prosper those engaged in commerce and industry
And direct their minds and hands
That they may rightly use your gifts in the service of others.

Rogation Days remind us that we depend on one another, on the land, on the weather, on animals, on the world we live in.

And of course, ultimately, we depend on God – the one who fashions and shapes us, who brings us through the tests and trials of life, who as carpenter took up a wooden cross to give us life.

We pray to show our need.

Do it!

Obedience to God's will

I like it when God speaks very clearly to you in the Bible. Today feels like one of those days.

The three passages for morning prayer today were Psalm 77, Jeremiah 43, and Mark 3:19b-end.
The final passage ends with Jesus stating, "Whoever does God’s will is my brother and sister and mother" (Mark 3:35). Knowing God's will can sometimes prove tricky - we pray and seek guidance, hoping that He will make plain his path for us.

However, I think we get rather hung up on the unknowns for shame of our disobedience in the knowns. We are all guilty, me especially, of simply not doing what I know I should.

Jeremiah was faced with a similar situation. The remnant of the people of Judah had watched their puppet king/governor, Gedaliah, assassinated. (I want to write more about the brilliant drama from Jeremiah 35-45 in a later blog) In response to the assassination the ring-leaders of the insurrection come to Jeremiah and ask him to seek God's will. However, they had already decided what God's will should be for them. The Babylonians were bad, and posed an ongoing threat to those who remained in Judah. There was the chance they might come back and take more people away. Therefore, what was more obvious than the need to retreat to Egypt? It makes perfect sense.

"No!" - says Jeremiah. God asked the people to simply stay put, live in the land (Jer 42).

But this is not good enough - say the people. Indeed, they accuse Jeremiah of lying - of inventing the prophecy, which is rank lunacy when you consider how spot on Jeremiah had been up until then.

But isn't this so often the case. We hear the command - we fail to act. And the failure is so often because we don't like the command - it doesn't fit in with our agenda, or our understanding of the situation. It isn't, as we like to think, that we don't know God's will; we do know it, but fail to walk according to it.

I am so often amazed that I behave in this way. And as I read the Psalm this morning I saw a way out of this pitfall:

"I remembered you, God, and I groaned;
I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.
You kept my eyes from closing;
I was too troubled to speak.
I thought about the former days,
the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
My heart meditated" (Psalm 77:3-6, TNIV)

Four simply words that we can use to help us discern, and (more importantly) obey God's will. And in the main it involves remembering how he has acted in the past. When I'm asked for evidence of God I can point to the historical reliability of Scripture, but I also point to my personal, real experience of God's activity in my life.

So we firstly remember (v.3). We take time to make a record of our memories. I, for instance, keep a journal, that is a permanent reminder of all that I have done. The sins especially remind me of my need of God, but his faithfulness and the settled pattern of increased holiness is a precious reminder that God is with me. Each day I commit to setting down on paper what has happened to me, the highs and lows. I think it is also important to 'count our blessings' to simply list and number the myriad ways God provides for us: homes, cars, clothes, food, sometimes good food, health, the NHS, education, free schooling, friends, family, husbands, wives, children, brothers and sisters, Doctor Who (LOL), cinema, music, ale, curries, etc, etc...on it goes. When we enter into worship we should always take with us the profound sense that God is for us; not against us.

Next we meditate. Both on God's word, but also our daily lives. I'm not very good at meditating on Scripture, and I think I need to work on it. However, just lately I've found myself writing my diary with greater purpose. I want to see past the facts and try to see what was going on in my heart and soul when I said this, or did that: meditating on life, if you will. And what I find is that God is constantly at work around me. I have found, for instance, that stopping to record what my wife said to me, and reading more closely into the feeling and emotion that surrounded what she said, can lead to some fairly straightforward insight into how my behaviour has affected her. As a result I can ask God, by His Spirit, to heal, to forgive, to guide, and especially strengthen me to remedy bad behaviours. I also see missed opportunities when I meditate - the person I should have simply chatted with to dispel feelings of sadness and loneliness; the new acquaintance who would have welcomed a discussion about God; the neighbour who needs me to be more supportive...on it goes...

Next we call to mind (the RSV uses this phrase in place of the second remember). This implies something more interogative, which for me means re-remembering. I forget LOADS from my recent past. So as well as writing a diary, I need to re-read it, going back years, months, and even days, as a reminder of how I need God and what I need prayer for. My wife is astonished I remember so little of my past, so I need to do this. Now I'm not advocating a navel-gazing introspection that immobilises us. Introspection of this sought drives us into prayer and praise. We also - I think - become more confident in accepting God's will when we see how our lives are shaped when we do or don't.

Finally, I ponder...which reminds me of the hymn lyric, "ponder anew, what the Almighty can do" (from Praise to the Lord, the Almighty). And I think this is about turning our mind to the challenges that face us now. What can we learn of God's previous faithfulness that might inspire greater trust and confidence in his future activity - even when the way seems dim, or dangerous. We also have to ask ourselves - are there any areas of my life where I am knowingly disobeying God - either his revealed will and purpose for my life, or His Word? If there are then we should apply to our resistence to His will our knowledge of all he has done, not least the work of Jesus on the cross, who presents to us, the perfect example of obedience.