Category Archives: Contemplative

Contemplative

Tragedies, Statistics and Real People

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Tragedies, Statistics and Real People

There is an apocryphal story which was sometimes told in Stalin’s Russia.

‘In Russia,’ the story goes, ‘it was often said that if there is an accident and three people are killed it is a tragedy. Yet if tens of thousands of people are deported or executed, that’s a statistic.’

Israel, Gaza, Ukraine, Russia, Armenia, Sudan, Eritrea, Yemen, Democratic Republic of Congo. The list, right now, seems endless. Our news feeds are full of horrific news, often presented as statistics. How easily we can become de-sensitised by statistics. We easily overlook the fact that behind every death, every injury is a real person. Therein lies the real tragedy.

Behind every individual number is a personal story. A maelstrom of physical and emotional trauma f or the victim, their family and their community.

As Christ wept over Jerusalem, so must we pray and stand up for nations and cities in their time of need. Christ looked upon the needy crowd and had compassion on them, and in our day so must we. Yet Christ dealt with individuals. He touched, blessed, encouraged and healed real people. And so must we.

Christ didn’t deal with statistics. He loved people for who they were. And so must we.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Contemplative

Adversity: A Reflection

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A Reflection about Adversity. 

When times are really bad, you will discover who your real friend is.
It will be someone  in whom you have invested time and energy.
Someone to whom you have given space and time.
You have confided in them – your hopes, your fears, your burdens:
You have made time to listen to them.
They have put up with you
They have challenged you 
Sometimes they have chided you.
Occasionally, you will have felt let down by them and you may even have turned your back on them
But later, when you felt the time was right, they have welcomed you back.
Their friendship has been strong. 
Their love has been profound.
They have encouraged you.
You have walked together through good times and bad.
That is the friend who will be there for you.
The One who will stand with you.

When you need them most, may you have such a friend as this.
May His name be Jesus.

August 2025, Horsham

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Contemplative

Twenty Years On: 7th July, 2005

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7th July 2005 started like any normal day.

I arrived at work early, as I usually did. I had travelled for a couple of hours from Essex, across the London Underground network to Kennington in South London.

Around 8.45am, I walked into the canteen and heard mention of some kind of power surge which had stopped parts of the Underground. I was interested, but not greatly concerned. My 19 year old daughter was also working in south London, and would be travelling through central London about then. She was used to the Underground. She’d be fine.

Then the story started to change. It wasn’t a power surge. It was an explosion. I rushed to New Scotland Yard to support the senior management team to whom I was Staff Officer. My major incident role.

I was in on the first briefings. Multiple explosions. Someone mentioned five stations affected. Sky News had mentioned Liverpool Street. My daughter would have been travelling through Liverpool Street. Now I was concerned. (It later turned out that there were three stations directly impacted. Liverpool Street was not one of them).

Next briefing. Terrorism. Suicide bombers. Three stations. A bus explosion in Tavistock Square. Many casualties. The entire public transport system of London was completely suspended. The public were told to stay where they were. This was not a normal day.

That morning, I held my breath. Everybody in London did.  We all dreaded the news that someone we loved was amongst the casualties.  My daughter wasn’t. She arrived at her office late. She was distressed, but she was ok. She was one of the lucky ones. And so was I. For thousands of others, a devastating nightmare had started. For too many, it would be a life sentence.

52 dead. 700 injured, many with life changing wounds. Every one of them loved – cherished – by family and friends. Thousands more emotionally scarred by being involved in some way. Passengers. First responders. London Underground staff. Most just did what they had to do, then walked away.

Today, I’ve heard some extraordinary stories. There was a desperately moving moment when the names of those who lost their lives were read out by survivors and relatives in St Paul’s Cathedral, voices breaking with emotion.

Today, twenty years on, we remembered. Today I rediscovered my  immense, overwhelming sadness for those for whom the nightmare started on 7th July 2025. A day which had started as such a normal day.

Today, I remembered that we were amongst the lucky ones. The lucky ones have no right to forget how lucky they are.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Contemplative

#BTW: Good Friday

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Milton Keynes: 18th April 2025

I’ve had a great week but I have been on the road a lot. Last night I found myself staying at a hotel in Milton Keynes. I use this place fairly frequently, and it’s normally reasonably quiet. This, however, is Good Friday. The Easter break. Quiet it was not!

Breakfast Time…
This morning, the breakfast room was very busy. There were lots of families, teenagers, grandparents. and  smattering of individuals and couples. Loads of people were browsing their phones, or tablets. One or two business people were keeping their heads down, tapping away at laptops. Not the quiet breakfast I had anticipated.

So, there I was with my second cup of coffee. I was reading the bible on my phone.  I was using Bible Gateway (other apps are available). I read the Good Friday passages in all four gospels. Well done me. Treasure in heaven.

I looked around the room, at all the busy-ness and chatter going on around me, people rushing backwards and forwards with drinks and plates of food. It occurred to me with a sense of heaviness that I might be the only person on this room who would even notice that would open my bible today.

Lesson One …
As I was reflecting on all this, I had this image of myself sitting alone in that breakfast room in a place of absolute stillness. I saw myself in focus, whilst all this other stuff went on around me in an out of focus blur. It was a special picture which sort of created an awareness of Christ’s presence in that room. (Psalm 46:10). God is there. Even in the busiest places.

It was a reassuring image. It felt good. Moments like that give me confidence. They build me up. But they occasionally have a context. Sometimes they have an edge.

Lesson 2 …
A short while later, I went for a walk and reflected prayerfully on this image I had seen. In my mind, I looked around again at the people in the room who were not reading the Bible. In my spirit, God sort of asked me who I thought I was to judge them? He reminded me that whatever I might think, His heart is for every one of these people. From the youngest (there was an adorable three month old baby very close by)  to the oldest (I was far from being the oldest). He reminded me that I am a very average judge of character. He reminded me that I knew nothing about these people or their relationship with Him. I am looking at them from the outside. Only he can see their hearts. (1 Samuel 16:7b) When will I learn? Ouch!

Lesson 3 …
Then, he kind of showed me the image again. This time it was sort of reversed. I was part of the rush and bustle. I was in the blur. Passing  the table where I had been sitting I saw myself as others would have seen me. ‘What do you see? Do you see an angel? Do you see a great and  unmissable witness to God’s saving grace?’ 

No. What I saw was a man in late middle age, sitting in a hotel breakfast room, surrounded by the debris of his breakfast, sipping a luke warm cup of coffee, browsing his phone. He didn’t look particularly happy. A man looking, now I come to think about it, pretty much like everyone else. (Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought: Romans 12:3)

The End Piece …
Well done me? Treasure in heaven? Maybe not!

One cup of coffee. Three lessons. I am a work in progress.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

Contemplative

John Rogers: Martyr

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4th February 2025: Horsham

I’ve been reminded today of the life and death of John Rogers. Rogers was an English protestant theologian who died as a martyr 170 years ago today. Whilst not a household name, Rogers was an important and influential figure in the history of biblical translation.

Rogers spent time in Antwerp and northern Germany working as a pastor and biblical scholar. He was acquainted with Tyndale and other European Reformation leaders, and developed a strong reputation as a translator of biblical texts.

Matthew Bible: Rogers is credited with the compilation of the ‘Matthew Bible’, so called because it was published under the assumed pen name of ‘Thomas Matthews’. 1500 copies of the work were printed and circulated in 1537. Having returned to England in 1548, during the reign of King Edward VI, Rogers was appointed as Prebendary of St Pancras at St Paul’s, London.

In 1553, following the Coronation of Queen Mary, Rogers reportedly preached against the return to the Catholic tradition which was being imposed at the direction of Mary. The new administration deemed his speech to be heretical and Rogers was arrested. Following a lengthy period of house arrest he was moved to Newgate prison in London, where he was charged with heresy. After his conviction in January 1555, he was condemned to death. Rogers was executed by burning at Smithfield on the morning of 4th February 1555.

End Piece: We easily lose track of how significant the translation of the Bible into European languages was for the development of the protestant Christian faith. John Rogers was one of many people who paid the ultimate price during the turbulent 16th Century to make the Scriptures available and accessible in living languages. His work contributed to the seismic shift in the relationship between the Church and society. We live in a culture where anyone who wants to read the Bible in their own language can do so. It’s good to remind ourselves that it wasn’t always so.

John Rogers rejected the opportunity of avoiding the death penalty by publicly recanting his protestant beliefs. He chose to cheerfully embrace martyrdom to demonstrate his beliefs and his commitment to making the Word of God accessible in the English language.

On his way to this death, Rogers was forced to pass his wife and ten of his eleven surviving children, but not permitted to speak to them. He was the first of 287 people, including 56 women, who were executed by fire, the penalty for heresy, during the 5 year reign of ‘Bloody Mary’.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Source: Foxes Book of Martyrs & Oxford Dictionary of National Biography

Accessible Information about the Reformation period in England and events leading up to the arrest of John Rogers is here.

Contemplative

Happy New Year: 2025

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Horsham: 1st January 2025

So. Here we are. Looking back at a year which has had more than its fair share of challenges, and looking forward to 2025. As this first day of the year draws to a close, I wonder how your New Year resolutions are going?

Some of us are excited – looking forwards in anticipation of good things this year. For others, this is a time of year when we look anxiously ahead to the year to come. I want to encourage you, this New Year, to set aside for a moment all the things which you can do nothing about. The big, national, international and global issues. The personal problems –  the things in your own life which you wish were different but you cannot change.

Step aside for a moment. Find somewhere quiet and on your own. Take a moment to be still. Put down all the stuff which surrounds you. Intentionally, take a moment to draw close to God. Breathe deeply and know that He is God (Psalm 46:10).

I want to offer you the Covenant prayer of Methodist preacher John Wesley. It is a prayer of commitment to follow Christ, whatever 2025 brings.

Read this prayer slowly. Pause for a moment, allowing the words to sink in, then read it again. Can you make this prayer your own? This this simple prayer of commitment be your resolution for this year, and for the rest of your life.


Those 2025 challenges we spoke about? When you’ve finished the prayer those problems are still there. You still have to face them. But in your covenant relationship with Jesus, you have the opportunity to face them with Christ at your side.

Be blessed and encouraged in Jesus.

Happy New Year.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Advent, Contemplative

Anticipating Advent – Feast of Christ the King

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27th November 2024, Horsham
Feast of Christ the King

Last Sunday, many parts of the western Church celebrated the Feast of Christ the King. This may sound like an ancient festival, but actually it was initiated in 1925 by Pope Pius XI. In 1969 it was moved by a few weeks from its’ original date in October and is now celebrated between 20th and 26th November, placing it immediately before the start of Advent.

‘Feast Days’ don’t get high priority in my calendar, but having been reminded of its existence, it seems to me that there is something rather special about this one. The 1920’s were a time when people were struggling. Europe was falteringly recovering from the misery of World War. Secularism and nationalism were on the rise. The introduction of the Feast of Christ the King was an attempt by the Catholic Church to respond to these cultural developments by restoring the sovereignty of Christ in a troubled world. As followers of Jesus, living in a troubled world where secularism and nationalism are on the rise, that should catch our attention.

Looking back…

Let’s face it, this hasn’t been a great year. Violent conflicts in Europe, the Middle East and elsewhere. Appalling violence in Nigeria, Yemen and so many other places. Violent and damaging weather patterns bringing hurricanes, floods and drought. Rapidly changing global political landscape, including a surge in right wing nationalism. It’s easy to look back with a sense of despair and disappointment.

The follower of Jesus is called to be God’s light in a this troubled world (Matthew 5:14-16), Christ belongs in the centre of my world, the centre of my life. Christ is the King of Kings (1 Timothy 6:15). We are his ambassadors, (2 Corinthians 5:20 )and he speaks through us. This celebration leads us to reflect on the fact that in the trials of the last 12 months, Christ has not been absent from the world. Though we don’t always see it, he, Christ the King , has always been there, in the centre of all this, filled with compassion and ready to pour out his love in the midst of the challenges and suffering. The Feast of Christ the King reminds us of that.

Looking Forwards

In a few days, the celebration of Advent begins. A wonderful reminder of the coming of  Christ. The child, Immanuel (which means God with Us) (Matthew 1:23). A child, born into a desperately violent and challenging world.

Of course this year will bring it’s own uncertainties, challenges and trials. But with Christ at the centre of our lives, we can look forward in anticipation of the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, as we step into this new season with hearts filled with faith, peace, joy and love.

The end piece..

The Feast of Christ the King. The sovereignty of Christ, Messiah, even in the desperate struggles in the year which has passed.

Advent. A message of hope, peace, joy and love. The sovereignty of Christ, Messiah, even in the face of desperate struggles and challenges of the year to come.

Together, a reminder of the eternal presence of God at the heart of his creation. Yesterday, today and forever (Hebrews 13:8).

Immanuel. God with us.

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

 

 

Contemplative

Halloween – Samhain

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31st October 2024: Horsham

It’s that time of year again. Many of my Christian friends are grumbling. It’s Halloween.

There are probably one or two reasons for Christian’s to be uncomfortable about the way people celebrate Halloween – although many of my Christian friends struggle to articulate them. They make vague references to evil. Spiritual darkness. Meddling in the dark arts. I’m sure that there is a grain of truth here, but when we look at ‘mainstream’ Halloween practices in the UK, are things really that bad?

I have a ‘pagan’ friend (that’s how he identifies) who loves Halloween, although he prefers to call it Samhain (pronounced Sow-in as he reminds me). He loves to accuse the Church of hijacking this ancient Celtic festival.  For him, Halloween encourages a step back to our roots. It connects us to something which was celebrated in antiquity. It reminds him of the ‘old ways’ before Christian’s came along and imposed change on everyone and everything!

Again, there’s probably a grain of truth there somewhere. Be in no doubt, there is evidence to suggest that Samhain was a thing and was practised in many forms across Britain long before Christianity was introduced here. The Catholic festival of ‘All Hallows Day’ or ‘Allhallowtide’ from which the word ‘Halloween’ is derived, seems to have appeared on the scene in 7th Century Rome, and was celebrated on 13th May. It seems that in the 8th Century it was extended across the Catholic world (which would have included Britain) and the date was moved to 1st November. I’ve heard several theories, but perhaps not surprisingly, the reason for this change is uncertain and lost in antiquity. However,  it clearly did bring Allhallowtide into a space which had, for generations, been filled by the festival of Samhain. I haven’t actually seen any reliable evidence to suggest that the purpose of the change was to disrupt Samhain, but I have no doubt that it was used with enthusiasm across the country for exactly that!

I’m far from convinced that modern Halloween is, for most people, a return to ancient tradition. Pumpkins and trick or treat (as practised today) are recent innovations which owe more to American commercialism and the film industry than anything else. It seems to me that modern interpretations of Samhain culture and practices, on the other hand, owe more to nineteenth century romanticism and fantasy than they do to reliable historical sources.

So, let’s just take a breath. Small children in fancy dress. Decorated homes. Spooky fancy dress parties. Small children ‘trick or treating’. Gnarled and warty squashes or carved pumpkins on doorsteps and windowsills.  Ok, I abhor the use of single use plastics and the wasteful cultivation of millions of pumpkins to be casually discarded in a world where people are starving, but the pumpkin face in my coffee did make me smile (thank you #CostaHorsham), and none of these things seem to me to be inherently evil.

I’m not speaking up for Halloween, it seems to me that it is part of our culture and I wonder why we don’t embrace it more readily. This is, after all, the world into which we, as Christians, believe we have been called.

Halloween. Samhain. These festivals point towards the stuff of life.  Life. Death. Mortality. The supernatural. These things are part of life. People have questions about them. Surely this is fertile ground for the evangelical. Rather than looking as if we just want to stop people having a bit of fun, perhaps we should be looking for ways to help people to engage with these issues. We have a perspective to share, and we struggle to find the opportunity to share it. Maybe we should be a bit more grateful for a season which just might be the conversation starter we’ve been waiting for.

Just a thought.

Information links you might find helpful

Council for British Archaeology website

Halloween and Samhain  on the BBC website

History.com review of Samhain is here

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK

Contemplative

Small Steps can be Life Changing. James 4:8

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Horsham: 21st August 2024

In your relationship with Jesus, small steps can be life changing.

When we think about changes in our life which might bring us closer to Jesus, we tend to think big.  Paul, after all, tells us to be ‘transformed’ (Romans 12:2), and that word suggests significant change. It is, says Paul, the transformation of your mind  which enables you to understand God’s will for you. The problem is that giant steps are serious and daunting. We think of people giving up their job and making huge personal sacrifices. Of course it’s awesome when people do that. I have been inspired by so many people who have made giant steps of faith!

I’m reminded that transformation is a process. It takes time. Children don’t learn to walk by taking giant steps. I’m reminded of the Chinese proverb that says every journey starts with one step. The most important steps we take in our relationship with God are most often the small ones. There’s always another step you can take.

The smallest changes you make to your lifestyle or behaviour may pass unnoticed by others, yet still be profoundly significant for you.

Every step closer to Jesus is important.
Every step closer to Jesus is transformational.
The smallest step closer to Jesus is a step on the path of transformation.
Small steps can be life changing.

James 4:8  ‘Come near to God and he will come near to you.’

Richard Jackson, West Sussex: LifePictureUK