We Can’t Set The World On Fire – featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Uplifted” recorded by Bob Ross

Last week I have considered how we should respond to the suffering of others due to, for example hunger, poverty, persecution and imprisonment.

Of course many will say that there is too much hunger, poverty, persecution and imprisonment in the world for us, as individuals, to make any difference. In response I offer the featured song for today “We Can’t Set The World on Fire- (but a candle we can light”) together with one of the many versions of the wonderful “Starfish on the Seashore” story.

Once upon a time, there was an old man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach every morning before he began his work. Early one morning, he was walking along the shore after a big storm had passed and found the vast beach littered with starfish as far as the eye could see, stretching in both directions.

Off in the distance, the old man noticed a small boy approaching.  As the boy walked, he paused every so often and as he grew closer, the man could see that he was occasionally bending down to pick up an object and throw it into the sea.  The boy came closer still and the man called out, “Good morning!  May I ask what it is that you are doing?”

The young boy paused, looked up, and replied “Throwing starfish into the ocean. The tide has washed them up onto the beach and they can’t return to the sea by themselves,” the youth replied. “When the sun gets high, they will die, unless I throw them back into the water.”

The old man replied, “But there must be tens of thousands of starfish on this beach. I’m afraid you won’t really be able to make much of a difference.”

The boy bent down, picked up yet another starfish and threw it as far as he could into the ocean. Then he turned, smiled and said, “It made a difference to that one!”

Adapted from The Star Thrower, by Loren Eiseley (1907 – 1977)

“Shout for Joy “Featuring The Mustard Seed Girls Choir – Director Lucy Stimson- Maynard recorded at Holy Rood Church, Stubbington – unreleased

Thank you so very much to St Peter’s Church in Ravenshead who hosted Risen! The Musical so wonderfully on Saturday, May 14^th. The cast had a brilliant time, loved the cake and food you so kindly provided and most of all were chuffed with the fantastic comments received from you regarding how blessed you were with Risen!

The featured song today is another unreleased track from the “Vaults” and features words taken from Psalm 100.

For some weeks now I have been considering why there is suffering in the world and an aspect of this I would like to consider today is how we should respond to people that are suffering? Suffering can come in many forms and recently I read in the United Christian Broadcast’s (UCB) publication “Word for Today” how we should respond to suffering because of hunger, thirst, poverty and imprisonment (I would humbly suggest especially false imprisonment )

Jesus says in Matthew 25 – 35- 36 (New King James Version)“I was hungry an you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you took me in. I was naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you visited me. I was in prison and you came to me.” The early Church Father Chrysotom pointed out “We do not hear I was sick and you healed me or I was in prison and you liberated me.” So that does away with the excuse “How could I heal a sick person or liberate someone who is enslaved?” Jesus said “I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” These words of mercy are simple deeds and yet in these simple deeds we serve Jesus. So the truth is we serve Jesus by serving needy suffering people. Some of them are refugees or living on the streets. Maybe they’ve made mistakes or been caught up in circumstances they can’t control. You can’t help all of them, but you can help some of them. And when you do you serve Jesus.

All this reminds me of a famous story which I will tell next week.

“Let Every Creature in Heaven” vocals Lucy Stimpson- Maynard and friends – trumpet Jock McKenzie – recorded by Bob Ross – unreleased.

So if you are in the Nottinghamshire area please remember that Risen! The Musical is playing at St Peter’s Church in Ravenshead, on Saturday, May 14^th starting at 7.00 pm. Tickets can be obtained from 01623 478295.

The featured song today is another unreleased track from the “Vaults” and features words taken from the Book of Revelation Chapter 5: 13-14

Last week I began retelling the story of a family’s personal experience of suffering. Katey had progressive MS and through all the ordeal her and her husband placed God and the worship of Him at the centre of their lives. Katey’s husband says “Recently I marked the anniversary of Katey’s death. It was a difficult if glorious day as after 18 years of struggle with MS she stepped into the arms of the rising sun, her saviour and Lord. On reflection I recalled all the struggles, the moments of abject despair, disappointment and anger. Yet, I also was reminded of the sweet way God heard our prayers and those of others who prayed with us, and just how both Katey and I were able to worship in the heart of our hurricane and also to hear God’s voice and grow in our faith and understanding of God and his purpose. Everything is about God expressing the nature and character of his kingdom in the earth; we were fortunate to have a role to play, and like all actors, we were not in charge of the casting! “

Dr Micha Jazz expresses a similar attitude. “I believed that ‘nothing bad can happen to me if I am so faithfully following my God’. Here was a fault line that I had to trip over. Such an attitude reduced faith to a transaction. ‘I do right and God keeps me safe from harm’ – but this isn’t how it goes. God’s invitation is that I follow Him and try to I live out a God-filled life, thereby revealing the nature and character of the God I worship. Perhaps this is best illustrated in the story of Job; bad things happen to God’s good people. Each one of us who chooses to follow Jesus is actually declaring that we volunteer to become a conduit for the grace and love of God to find expression on the face of the earth. Sometimes this is best achieved through what we regard as tragic circumstances. It is relatively easy to sing songs of celebration when life is going well. Yet, the acid test of our faith comes when we are invited to sing songs of celebration in a foreign land.”

I recently read somewhere something like “ It is easy to take the glory but are we prepared to also take the cross?”

We can be asked by God to advance His kingdom in many ways and for some that may mean through their attitude and response to suffering.

St Peter’s Church Ravenshead – venue for next production of Risen! The Musical on May 14th

Patiently I wait for the Lord – featuring Debra Crowe on vocals with Lucy Stimpson-Maynard on piano – recorded by Bob Ross- not released

May I start with a plug for the next production of Risen! The Musical? It is at my brother Jack’s church, St Peter’s in Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire on May 14th starting at 7.00 pm. Tickets can be obtained from 01623 478295.
I have copied an account of one person’s attitude when suffering entered their lives.  The writer first refers to the story of Hezekiah in Isaiah 38: 3
Remember, O Lord, how I have always been faithful to you and have served you single-mindedly, always doing what pleases you.’ Then he broke down and wept bitterly.
He goes on:
Life is unpredictable! How obvious is that, and yet I, like many others, order my life around assumptions that tomorrow, next week, next year will be much the same as today. I plan for what I define as normal, and don’t anticipate changes. You may have heard the phrase, ‘constant change is here to stay’, a mantra that attempts to postpone an attitude of settling for the status quo. However, we still drop roots and establish all the trappings of permanence.
For Hezekiah, having proven faithful if somewhat double-minded, as most of us are, this meant a serious diagnosis of a fatal illness. The shock was real and he took himself off to plead with God for life. He reminded God of the many excellent things he had done in God’s name, and how he had proven faithful over the years.
As I accompanied Katey on her journey with progressive MS, hope for divine intervention, our first port of call, gave way to anger. How could a God of love allow this to happen? Eventually, we began to seek God in the heart of the storm that was rocking our world, and discovered a God who enabled us to approach life from a completely different direction. We were stretched so that we might grow and be better prepared for our eternity with the God who loved us more completely than we had ever experienced or imagined.
You may be faced with the most devastating news. Nothing can immunise you from the shock and the desperate pleading that God might take this from you. And he may. However, it might be that you have to find the tools to embrace this unwelcome reality and discover God in the very heart of it. Losing control over your life is devastating – yet it was never yours from the moment you surrendered it to God. God is at work in the most desperate of circumstances; you have to seek him out and connect. God will neither fail nor forsake you.
The story of Katey continues in next week’s blog.

He is the Image of the Invisible God! – taken from Colossians 1: 15-17 featuring Debra Crowe on vocals and Lucy Stimpson-Maynard on piano – recorded by Bob Ross- not released

The featured song is pretty much out of the “Vinyl Vaults” (a term I picked up from a rare listen to Classic FM.)  It must be at least fifteen years old (hence the odd scratch) and is recorded by Debra Crowe, an ex Crofton student who went on to sing with the D’Oyle Carte Opera Company. It has never been released and another unreleased track by Debra “Patiently I wait for the Lord” will feature next week. Bob Ross recorded the song s with Lucy Stimpson- Maynard on piano.

The featured photo was taken by Ross Gill of Global Fire Creative. It was taken on April 9^th during the performance of Risen! The Musical at the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.

The photo portrays the crucifixion of Jesus – the suffering He most have endured on that cross signifies that God is not indifferent to our suffering, indeed He was prepared to take on human form in order to suffer Himself.

This leads us, in part to consider that life is not just about the here and now – if God does exist then eternity is something real. With this perhaps in mind a story is recollected in Nicky Gumbel’s book “Searching Issues. “ Gumbel says that Gavin Read, Bishop of Maidstone until 2001 refers to a boy in his congregation who had shattered his back and who had consequently been in and out of hospital. When Gavin interviewed him, the boy remarked that God is fair. Gavin asked him how old he was and the boy replied seventeen. “How many years have you been in hospital?” Gavin asked – “Thirteen “ was the reply. Gavin then asked “So how can you think this is fair?” The boy replied “God had all eternity to make it up to me.”

Gumbel continues “God has indeed all eternity to make it up to us and the New Testament is full of promises about how wonderful heaven will be. There will be no more crying for there will be no more pain and suffering. We will change our frail, decaying mortal bodies for a body like that of Jesus’ glorious resurrected body. As Martin Luther once said “I would not give one moment of heaven for all the joys and riches of the world, even if it lasted for thousands and thousands of years.”

Gumbel concludes “We live in a materialistic world which has almost entirely lost its eternal perspective. We need to take a long term view and understand the suffering of this world in the context of eternity.” He quotes Alistair McGrath who states “ If the Christian hope of heaven is an illusion based on lies then this idea needs to be abandoned as it is misleading, but if it is true then it must be embraced and allowed to transfigure our entire understanding of the place of suffering in life.”

So that’s now twelve different jig saw pieces attemting to address this most difficult of questions “Why is there suffering in the world?” And there are more – so please take a look at next week’s blog.

“If You call His Name” featuring Lucy Rutherford from the album “The Season of Singing” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

In Romans 8: St Paul tells us “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.”

Now I am not suggested that God causes us suffering in order to bring out good from it- no what I am suggesting is that in this imperfect world bad things will happen but that God can bring good out of them. For example if we suffer bereavement we will be in a better position to have empathy for others who are bereaved. It is the same with illness – if we have suffered from an injury or complaint then we are better positioned to help and support others who find themselves in a similar position.

In comforting others we ourselves may find comfort, but can suffering actually help us become better people? When we go through bad times can this, in fact help us learn the importance of perseverance, make us stronger characters and help us appreciate more fully the good times in our lives?

I read somewhere that life is not about what happens to you but how you deal with what happens to you. It is going to be pretty much impossible to get through this life without having to endure some pain and suffering – somethings will happen beyond our control, however what we do have control over is the way in which we react. We can react positively or negatively to the bad things that come our way. On the loss of their baby Matt and Beth Redman wrote the song “Blessed be Your Name”

Blessed be Your Name when the sun’s shining down on me,

When the world is all that it should be,

Blessed be Your Name

Blessed be Your Name on the road marked with suffering,

Though there’s pain in the offering,

Blessed be Your Name

Selwyn Hughes says something similar in Monday’s Every Day with Jesus

The Christian faith is the most joyous faith in the world. It is not a Pollyanna type of religion that sees no evil; it sees the evil and recognises that God can turn evil into good. Buddhism looks at life and says “Life is suffering.” Christianity looks at life and says “Life is suffering- glory Hallelujah. Suffering can be transformed when God is invited into it.

I can appreciate that some will feel that this is unrealistic – it is looking at life through rose coloured spectacles- it is almost patronising to those who are suffering. I suppose it is back to what I said earlier – “Life is not about what happens to you but how you deal with what happens to you.”

One thing I would like to make clear and that is suffering is not easy to explain – there are no definitive answers and all I have been attempting to do in the past weeks is to try and make the issue less black and white – i.e. the only way to look at it is to say “How can there be a God if He allows suffering in the world?

“Revival” featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard taken from the album “The Season of Singing” recorded and produced by Ross Gill

Many thanks to all who supported Risen! The Musical,  performed and filmed last weekend at The New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth.

A massive thanks also to:

James and all the staff at the Brewhouse and Kitchen who hosted us so wonderfully well.

The staff at the New Theatre Royal, including Lexi, Steve, Martin, Luc together with James and all the box office staff.

The Risen! technical team of Adam, Darren, Lee, Zak and Doug.

Musical Director Joffy Girling

Ross Gill and the film crew from Global Fire Creative

Dr Graham Giles, James and Chris and all those on the merchandise selling team

And of course the fabulous London Touring Cast and Director Ennio Ficiur.

The Show was a huge success with comments that included “Phenomenal” “Magnificent” “Uplifting” “The Best” and “I was in a place of prayer from the beginning to the end.”

Where Risen! The Musical goes next will be published on this blog- we have another performance on May 14^th at my brother’s church, St Peter’s in Ravenshead, Nottinghamshire. After that plans are afoot for a UK tour. However next week I will return to the theme of “Why there is suffering in the world.”

“Because of Your Grace” co written with Darren Bovis- Coulter featuring Harun Kotch from The Season of Singing album recorded and produced by Ross Gill

The featured photo is of the New Theatre Royal, Portsmouth – iconic Victorian venue for Risen! The Musical to be performed by the fabulous London Touring Cast on Saturday April 9^th at 7.30 pm and Sunday April 10^th at 2.30 pm. Tickets are still available from www.risenthemusical.com and www.newtheatreroyal.com

I was not going to mention suffering, as in self -sacrifice, yet but I changed my mind are reading yesterday’s devotion in Every Day with Jesus. Selwyn Hughes, who is focusing on St Paul’s letter to the Philippians, wrote concerning Chapter 3: 10-11 “I want to know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings.”

I thought the link to Risen! The Musical which, of course, centres on the resurrection of Jesus was too strong to ignore. Selwyn writes:

So important are these verses- I want to know the … the fellowship of sharing in His sufferings. What can this mean?

It means holding shares in Jesus’ sufferings. The resurrection did not cancel out the cross, so that Jesus did all the dying, while we do all the triumphing. No! By raising Jesus from the dead God endorsed the whole self- giving servant lifestyle that had taken Him to the cross. So if we enjoy the power of His resurrection working in us- and by the Spirit we certainly do- then we must realise it is intended to empower us to enter into the fellowship of His sufferings in the real world, to carry the pain of rejection as He carried it, to bear scorn as He bore it. Nothing could be more relevant in today’s Church, especially those over – triumphalist sections that want all the glory, but may not necessarily be prepared to accept the cross.

The second phrase we consider is found in verse 11 in which Paul talks about attaining “to the resurrection of the dead.” Paul’s great anticipation – and indeed that of everyone who believes that Jesus rose from the dead- was resurrection. He knew the statistics concerning death are impressive- one out of every one dies. But his confidence was in the fact that through death he would eventually come out on the other side into life- endless life. Resurrection is the way God ultimately restores His people and demonstrates that they really are His. The whole of the message of verses 5- 11 can be summed up like this: the way of the cross leads home, the way of death leads to life and the way down is the way up. That’s the gospel.

So looking forward to seeing some of you on Saturday or Sunday at Risen! The Musical.

“This Is Not Heaven” – featuring Lucy Stimpson- Maynard from the album “Uplifted” recorded and produced by Bob Ross

Of course a plug first ! – Risen! The Musical at the New Theatre Royal on Saturday, April 9^th at 7.30 pm and Sunday, April 10^th at 2.30 pm. Featuring the fabulous 18 strong London Touring Cast. Tickets available from www.newtheatreroyal.com and www.risenthemusical.com.

In order to find another jig saw puzzle to help our understanding of suffering in the world this week I have turned to another book “Puzzling questions” by Paul Griffiths and Martin Robinson. They tell of a personal story -“Andy’s story.”

Andy was a Christian and first his best friend died in a motorbike accident and then his father became crippled after an unsuccessful operation. Andy says “I don’t understand the ways of God, but I am learning to trust that He is good. That does not mean that people who trust Him always come up trumps.”

He continues “A friend of mine lost one son to suicide and almost lost another to illness. She says something wise when you speak to her. She says that God is God and life is life. I think she means that bad stuff happens but it does not stop God being good. I know there are a lot of theological words that explain this more deeply, but what she says is good enough for me, because I’ve experienced the truth of this myself.”

Andy explains “Whether it is the tragic loss due to a flood or that of a devastating earthquake, pain is everywhere. It’s the way of the world, but I also see that God is everywhere too and His love and peace can be found in the midst of the pain and I guess what I am learning is that finding it may mean letting go of anger, blame and recrimination although that is easier said than done.

Another suffering jig saw puzzle next week and no doubt one final plug for Risen! The Musical as the New Theatre Royal production will follow two days later!

“My Beloved King” featuring Chloe Brokenshire from the album “Risen! The Musical recorded and produced by Joffy Girling

First I would like to point out the nice big poster outside the New Theatre Royal in Guildhall Walk, Portsmouth advertising Risen! The Musical. If you have already seen Risen! The Musical (not to be confused with Risen!- The Movie – see last week’s blog) then please come again on April 9^th or 10^th as the fabulous London Touring Cast now numbers eighteen and we also have a fantastic new stage set and revised script. If you are not sure if Risen!- The Musical is any good please read this Facebook post I have just seen.

I have seen Risen! 3 times and would love to see it again. It is a very powerful and emotional show, superbly cast and wonderful songs. I was really moved by the emotional performances of the talented young cast and was in tears several times throughout the show and it was the same at each performance. “My Beloved Kin” is a particularly emotional song being both uplifting and heart-breaking at the same time, just brilliant. Take lots of tissues, you will need then, but you will leave totally uplifted.

In last week’s blog I spoke of the belief that God understands and has empathy with our suffering because He himself has experienced it. Many find great comfort from the knowledge that God has endured human suffering and understands what we go through.

Of course tomorrow is Good Friday and we come face to face with God’s suffering – Jesus suffering the agony of the cross and yes it can be of comfort to us to know that God has suffered too and so knows how we feel. But there is more and Stephen Gaukroger offers another jig saw piece to help our understanding of suffering. He writes in his book “It Makes Sense”

Christianity is not pie in the sky when you die its life here on the ground while you are still around. It is about a relationship with someone who is with us in every difficulty and who promises to never leave us no matter how tough it gets. Furthermore God gives every Christian a guarantee that all unanswered questions will one day have answers, all wrongs be put right and life will be enjoyed forever without suffering of any kind.

I don’t know about you but both these thoughts give me great comfort – that when I am in trouble I have someone all powerful and all understanding to turn to for comfort and strength and that one day I will be with God, free from pain, trouble and suffering; enjoying His perfect peace.

All at Mustard Seed Songs and Risen! The Musical wish you a very blessed and happy Easter