Human Rights

Much of contemporary debate is framed in terms of Human Rights.
But what if someone says there is no such thing as Universal Human Rights? This might be because they reject 'western values', or perhaps because they believe that nothing is 'Universal'.
We are stumbling into this again and again in the UK. Debates about schooling and values and the place of women in society come immediately to mind.
But "Human Rights" don't help in other areas either. In the Euthanasia debate someone might assert their 'right' to assisted suicide. But others assert the 'right' of the weak to protection from undue pressure. The language of Human Rights doesn't really help solve the dilemma.
This problem is that the idea of Human Rights is at the end of the day mere opinion. And if someone disagrees (as Adolph Hitler would have) then "Human Rights" has no answer.
We here reap the fruit of excluding God and Christ from our public life. Only if our values are rooted in someone or something beyond this world, in something or someone eternal, can there be an objective reason for values. When Christians urge one another to do good to all, this is based on the belief that indeed, 'Love Conquers Everything'. And this is based in the death and resurrection of Jesus.
The House We Have Built, is built with the bricks of Human Rights. There is much, a very great deal, that Christians will want to support.
But we will also want to point out that the House has no foundations. And then we can get on with some underpinning.

Big Lunch

I give thanks to God for an overwhelmingly wonderful day on Sunday 25th May at the Big Lunch. One measure: over 500 plates were used – and even allowing for some using two plates that is still an enormous number!

Thank you to everyone who contributed – it was a wonderful team effort by loads of people with huge generosity, most of it hidden and unsung. You can see some photos in our Magazine.

Recently I have been reading the feeding of the 5000 (Matthew 14:13-21). One thing strikes me is how Jesus wanted the disciples to realise that their meagre resources of bread and fishes were, by God’s grace, ample.

This is what happened on the 25th. I think of those serving the meals. I don’t think anyone quite knows how we did it – but done it was, with good grace and humour- and strengthened by cups of tea!

What made the difference in the Gospel story was Jesus giving thanks and blessing the loaves and fishes. As we offer all that we are to God – even when it is not very much – God can do amazing things!

The John Piper mosaic at St Paul’s can remind us of this whenever we see it. Christ blessed the bread when he sat down with his disciples for the meal at Emmaus.

In a country worried about an uncertain future, we can offer those around the security and trust and love that comes from knowing God is in our midst and that he provides. But Christ meets our deepest needs and knits us together. Our Communion services picture this for us.

This God offers as gift and good news to the world. And the Big Lunch was part of that.