21st Century, Instant Coffee and Not-So-Instant Faith

How long does it take a kettle to boil water for a cup of coffee? It would probably take less than five minutes. And if it took more like ten minutes, then perhaps we’d begin to think something was wrong with the kettle!

We are used to getting things done quickly. Everything in the twenty-first century happens with great haste.  But what does it mean to be a Christian in the midst of all this haste...? Perhaps that’s what John Wesley meant when he spoke about the process of sanctification, about slow, constant, lyrical transformation – a healing that might take a lifetime; about not running away from daily realities.

So much about living in the present age is instantaneous. We give thanks to God that we live in an age of great discovery but one of the issues is that we want everything to be made right immediately. We expect quick fixes, especially in terms of our relationships. But if we believe in the process of being transformed in Christ then we will know that the building of relationships is long-term and requires deep commitment. We need to live in relationship with each other that it will be difficult, and we will know that it requires discipline and humility. As well as allowing the Holy Spirit to work our inner transformation, we also have to engage in the process.

Relationship is key. It is about creating a place of sanctuary for all people. In the midst of this is the image of the cloister that I mentioned in an earlier post – a place of peace that calls us to leave our own agendas at the door. The cloister acts like a kind of filter, providing sanctuary but also set in the centre of things as a beacon, a reminder of what it is that we work towards in our Christian pilgrimage – balance, humility and grace. Healing in the Christian tradition is also about a commitment not to walk away from the realities of life. It’s about working with the pressures and stresses of modern day life, but also attempting to bring them into balance and living with the mysteries that are a part of life and faith....

Passages for Study:

Psalm 71

Matthew 5:13-16

Ephesians 3:14-21

Romans 6

Philippians 1:1-26

Isaiah 58:6-14

2 Timothy 4:1-5