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Thought for the Week 24 January – The Conversion of St. Paul
A year ago there was a new advert on the
buses in England. The British Humanist
Association and other bodies spent £140,000 on a campaign launched by Professor
Richard Dawkins, and this was their message: “There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life.” Where does 'probably' come from? Richard
Dawkins doesn't 'probably' believe there is no God! We know that we can’t PROVE that God
exists, but there there’s plenty of evidence that He does. The universe didn’t happen by accident, and
plenty of eminent scientists are Christians – they don’t all get the same
publicity as Richard Dawkins. The slogan prompts two questions: 1.
Why would the absence of God remove our worries? 2.
Why would the existence of God prevent us from enjoying our
life? 1.
Why would the absence of God remove our worries? 'Stop worrying' is no comfort for those who
have lost their jobs or homes in this ecomomic recession. ‘Stop worrying’ is no help to the people of
Haiti coming to terms with the devastation of the earthquake. ‘Stop worrying’ is no reassurance to the
families of troops killed in Afghanistan, or those who mourn in Gaza. It’s often God, working through his
believers, who brings the greatest comfort and reassurance! 2. Why would the existence of God prevent
us from enjoying our life? Surely, we
enjoy life because each new day is a gift from God. Each new day is an opportunity to appreciate
the beauty of our surroundings, to gasp in awe at the power of the wind, to
be amazed at the quantity of rain that a cloud can hold – and drop on
us! Each new day we can delight in the
love of our nearest and dearest. Each
new day we can thank God for the skills and gifts he gives to each one of us,
hands meant for caring, lips meant for speaking words of encouragement and
praise. It seems to me that the
people who have cause for the biggest worries and least chance of really
enjoying their life are the people who refuse to look for God. Today’s readings give us portraits of two
very differing followers of God.
Jeremiah and Paul were like chalk and cheese. Jeremiah struggled while Paul appeared to
get the message in a flash. Jeremiah was a reluctant prophet. He didn’t doubt God – he simply didn’t feel
up to the job. “No, not me. Please, there must be someone else.” It’s not that Jeremiah, or the rest of us,
look for the easy way out. It’s just
that he, like many of us, had a strong sense of unworthiness. Paul was an entirely different
character. Once Paul got the message
he was out there doing the evangelist job 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Doubt or misgivings never appear to have
entered his mind. Very few Christians do experience
a Saul on the Damascus road conversion but we should never be dissuaded, or
think ourselves unworthy – after all, none of us are “worthy”. Paul was, by his own confession and the
testimony of others, an accessory to the murder of Stephen and others. He oppressed and persecuted countless more
besides – all in the name of religion. Some of us are like Jeremiah, reluctant
to accept God’s call. Some are like
Paul who was never backward in coming forwards once he’d got the message. All
of us can rejoice in the life God gives us even when the going is tough. Theos, a public theology think tank,
contributed £50 to the “Probably no God” campaign. Why?
Paul Woolley, director of Theos, explained: "We've donated the money because
we think the campaign is a brilliant way to get people
thinking about God. The truly wonderful thing about the campaign is that it
does that most un-English thing. It
mentions God in public. Campaigns like
this demonstrate how active atheists are often great adverts for
Christianity." Let’s hope and pray that this campaign
will cause many, many people to question their atheism. May their search bring them, like Jeremiah
and Paul, closer to God, stop worrying
needlessly and enjoy the life He gives to each one of us. Amen. Amen. June
Hutchinson: Assistant Curate, Anglican Chaplaincy of Midi-Pyrénées & Aude To return to main Thought for the Week page, click X at top right to close this window. |