Trinity 10. St Bartholomew

'I confer upon you a kingdom', says Jesus. I wonder what those disciples must have felt. A kingdom. Like Herod's? brutal, grubby, compromised?
Or like the mighty Roman empire - whose power touched the disciples' lives at every point?

A kingdom of our own! The thought of it must have been pretty tempting..... And I think that many of us may well know that temptation at first hand.
For which of us hasn't at some point sat around having a drink with friends, or watching the evening news on TV and seen the state of the world and thought- even fleetingly - 'Isn't it obvious what needs doing? I think I could do better than that'. Such is human nature.

Yet... Well, a kingdom! King Peter. King John. Queen Mary Magdalene. Very nice. A chance at last to do things properly!

And then, of course, after the initial sense of euphoria and surprise, reality kicks in... Ah. What games is Jesus playing with us? What does he really mean?
Not an earthly kingdom! A spiritual one. A heavenly one. We knew that all along...... What a pity!

I have a great fondness for stories. And the idea of the knight - or simple stable boy - undertaking an impossible quest is a mainstay of fairy stories and folk tales around the world

Bring me back a rose flowering in winter.....
Bring me back a happy man's shirt....
Bring me back the chalice of the last supper....
Dance for me, Herodias....
.....And I will give you half my kingdom.

But God does not do halves. With him the goblet is always full to overflowing, with more in abundance. For the kingdom of God is not indeed like other realms.

The spiritual quest of the Christian is a journey of exploration into the kingdom/queendom of God. And from the disciples of then to the disciples of now
people have striven to find a way in. They have given their eye-teeth, given their right arm or leg, even, like Bartholomew, given the skin off their backs,
to find their way to the elusive kingdom. Scholars have studied. Saints have prayed. And adults have become again like little children....

How has your journey been so far? What clues, insights, advice, tips and inklings can you share with us? How near have you got? What kingdom recipes have you discovered?

The trouble with people today is that they want it handed on a plate. Not only that - many people get nervous around too much talk of spirituality. And after all - spirituality is the currency of the kingdom. People think that spirituality has to be something difficult or complex, meant only for really holy people.

And living as we do in a culture that tells us that for every need or want there is a plan or a programme that can help fix it, some people seem to want the church to give them a five point action plan for living the good life, as if spirituality were a diet or the Bible a self help book with all the answers to life's problems.

But the truth is that kingdom spirituality is far simpler and yet far more challenging than that. Each of us has a spiritual side, each of us has spirituality. And for each of us, that spirituality is made up of all the things - great and small that reveal to us the presence of God in our lives.

For some it is the love of family or friends that most shows them God at work.
For others it's a walk in the garden or the country, marvelling at God's creation
For some it's music or art or human creativity.
For others it's liturgy and for others it's silence.
For yet others it's the sunshine. A child's smile. A cat's purr. A good book.

These things - which we so often take for granted can be part of our spirituality, because they are all things that take us beyond ourselves, that allow us even only for a fraction of a second to be reminded that the world is good, and life is precious and God's is the hand that shaped it all.

So the task for each of us is to discover our own spirituality, find out what brings us to a closer awareness of God, and to learn to make time and space to nurture those things. This is how we grow in faith.

But for those of you who would still prefer to have an action plan, here's a Kingdom Nutrition plan, free of charge, and not available in the shops..

Step one.
Begin with prayer. If your not sure how to pray ask someone. (That's what clergy are for.)
Find your own place to pray that suits you - walking in the park, sitting somewhere quiet or doing the washing up.
Find your own way to pray - exploring silence, imagination, set forms of words, or using candles, incense, music.
And be honest in your prayer - God is not only interested in your good and holy bits, but loves your doubts and hurt and fear too.

Step two.
Learn to laugh - especially at yourself. Laughter is food for the soul. Try to laugh every day, even when your laughter is mingled with your tears. God has a sense of humour, that's why he made us in the first place. Po-faced Christians are the worst possible advert in the world for the God who in Jesus went to parties and turned water into wine.

Step three.
Use the Bible to inspire you and to guide your prayer - but don't use it to judge, exclude or harm others. The bible is not a weapon to be brandished at others or used as a text book for right or wrong. It is living word to be engaged with, searched, chewed over and above all made real in our lives. Don't be afraid of it - if it seems hard work to read, get a better translation. Read the Gospels and let the living Christ leap from the pages and walk besides you.

Step 4.
Share your faith with others. There is no easier way to grow in faith than by being with other people who feel like you do. Being a Christian isn't always easy. So find companions on the way. Worshipers have been statically proven to be happier than other people. Come to Church every week and not just when it's convenient or you feel like it. Get involved with your church and don't just sit on the sidelines. Take part in discussion groups, prayer groups and that service you don't normally come to and let your spiritual horizons broaden.

Step Five.
Make time for all those things that make up your spirituality. Dig the garden. Stroke the cat. Enjoy the company of friends. Do whatever makes you feel whole and holy. You are not wasting time. You are making prayer.

Step 6.
Say sorry for your mistakes and then let them go. The dark parts of the tapestry give your life it's richer tones. Try to cherish them. Trust your sorrows to God's greater healing. God loves you as you are! None of us is worthy of his love - but he gives us it free anyway. All of life is a gift and a blessing.

Step 7.
Spend time with children. Children are closer to the kingdom than adults. Let them teach you its secrets and reveal its ways. Failing that - get a cat. Cats know all about relaxing and just being. Every spiritual home should have one.

And finally - Step 8.
Share each week in the Eucharist. Here, in this service, God offers us food that isn't fattening but will restore us.
Food that's free to all who love him Kingdom food that never runs out. To sustain us on our quest, through long valleys of darkness, across barren deserts of indifference over windswept peaks of pain. Until he meets us at the gate
and bids us 'Come, friend, enter.'

Terry Biddington

 

St Peter's Chaplaincy is a resource for exploring the life of faith. It seeks to be inclusive, open and welcoming, offering companionship on the Journey
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