The Reckoning

The Reckoning staring Steve Coogan as the infamous Jimmy Savile is for some not an easy watch. Whilst it is triggering for those who have been victims of sexual crimes (so please don’t watch if that’s you) I would recommend you watch it. 

Coogan’s portrayal of Savile is superb capturing his mannerisms, voice, and subtle manipulative ways. It focuses our attention on the way that we the public and his victims were groomed. Chilling in many ways it helps to bring what is in the darkness into the light. It is so easy so sweep these things under the carpet, something the BBC did for years despite warnings by some, such as John Lyndon aka Johnny Rotten of The Sex Pistols fame. 

The Church has sadly failed to address its own calling in protecting those who are vulnerable and have fallen victim to those of a predatory nature. Maybe we do not want to admit these things, or people, exist? But if we are to live out Micah 6:8 ‘He has told you o mortal what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.’ then we cannot turn a blind eye to injustice, the needs of the voiceless, and those who have been abused. 

Do perpetrators of sexual crimes also need to know the love of God? Yes. God is merciful and his love and forgiveness are available to all. Maybe you want such people to be put in jail and the key thrown away? Maybe that would be easier but occasionally people do show remorse and try to change. For me, God is the judge and only he knows if individuals are truly repentant or not. I believe in the hope of the gospel that is Jesus. I hope that sex offenders do change and live in that hope. Having worked in the prison system I am also a realist. For many they don’t change and continue to be manipulative seeking out unsuspecting victims, even in prison. 

What we can’t do is ignore someone’s past behaviour and put them in the middle of the sweetie jar without a contract of behaviour in place. Saville seemed to have lots of different sweetie jars to choose from: hospitals, Top of the Pops, Jim’ll Fix it, parties, anywhere where people knew of his fame. The world must have seemed one big sweetie jar to him and that saddens me. We, society, let him. We are all culpable in that regard. Some of course more culpable than others. This is a world problem. This sadly, is a problem in all our communities.

Coogan is a master of the detail. Comics live on the detail and finding the funny side of life. Word play, idiosyncrasies, and visual humour are all part of the comedians tool box. Here Coogan uses his skills to show us the nature of grooming. How one minute Savile plays the crowd charming those around him picking out his victim and then we see the turn and how he is behind closed doors. Then we see that his victims are people just like me and you. Not enough is said about grooming and the controlling natures of those who commit sexual offences. I hope that this program continues to flag this type of behaviour. If you are a church leader or work in an area where safeguarding is important do give this a watch but actually I would say everyone should watch it because after all if we all looked after one another the world would be a much safer place and people like Savile would no longer be able to operate. We can only live in hope.

 

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2023/oct/09/the-reckoning-review-steve-coogan-is-chillingly-brilliant-as-jimmy-savile-bbc?fbclid=IwAR0lAfp_xcI3uu_X1QJ46Gy4QzACiyq2RmyA6HzGE_mzeNOrTT1Wfdm-R2k_aem_ARqlLeI6tfIIL85OAU2YCTJQRkgBw7-zD_AYGT9i2Lvr6KyDcNQHZm6CfnoKE4SSY-M

The church and covid-19

These are strange times that we are living in. Covid-19 has meant all of us having to adjust to new ways of living. Many of us are fearful for loved ones and ourselves. Many of us are anxious about being able to get our every day needs, medicines, food, toilet rolls. Toilet rolls! Who could have predicted the scarcity of toilet rolls. Things we have taken for granted have had to change. No more cups of tea with our friends. No more greeting each other with a friendly hug or a kiss on the cheek. No more driving down to the coast to paddle in the sea. No more holidays abroad for the foreseeable future. For some, no more work. Life has become clinical and regimented. Washing of hands, disinfecting surfaces, the use of hand sanitizer. Keeping two meters apart from those we meet. Self-isolating, shielding ourselves from harm, living in quarantine and morning what has been.

But what about the positives? Time to stop and evaluate our lives. Time to do those things we have been putting off. Time to learn an instrument. Time to read. Time to write that book. Time to potter in the garden. Time to spend more time with the kids and homeschool them. Homeschooling! Who would have thought that would be such a thing for so many of us. Time to just be.

We are use to racing around and filling our time. Many of us are still doing that. Filling our time with social-media and Zoom or Skype conference calls. What do we feel the need to be so busy? 

Church gathering have had to stop, no Sunday service, no weddings, no mid-week meetings. Funeral services are ever evolving and can no longer be attended by everyone. Some by no-one, some by only five, or more with mourners spaced out. The death tolls continue to rise. We await the change in tide.

Life ebbs and flows and the tide will change again. What will be left on the shore after all of this? What will be washed out to sea? What and where is God in all of this?

God is here with us. He hasn’t and won’t leave us. Has he gone quiet? No, he’s making us think. What’s important to us? Or rather, who is important to us? And what is church?

On Sunday 22nd March 2020 I woke up with the word ‘pivot’. A pivotal day in church history. A day that we had been asked by the UK government not to gather as church. This is the day the church realises it is much more than a building. A day that the church stopped and prayed asking for Covid-19 to be eradicated. It was a pivotal day for the UK church. She has had to wake up.

God is calling for our attention he is speaking. If we stop we will hear his voice. 

21st Century Church

What is 21st century church?  What does it look like?  How is it different?  Church is the gathered body of people who come to worship Christ.  It is not the building, although where the church meets does effect the way in which church happens.  If the building is set out formally with pews and pulpit then no matter how informal you try to make a service formality will still exist because of the suroundings.  The church in Stroud where I am a member is very formal in structure although the services have become less so over the years.  I guess a set of drums and a worship band brings an uptempo lift.  


As I complete my MA in missional studies I wonder what God requires of me as far as my next step in the journey is concerned.  Sometimes I feel frustrated that he only every tells me the very next step and not what the future holds.  Although that does not stop me dreaming.  I dream about a church where young and old meet together in harmony.  Each appreciating the gifts, energy, and wisdom that they all bring to the body of Christ.  I dream of a church that hungers after God.  That steps out in faith even when the path is unknown.  A church that loves one another, and forgives each other's faults and weaknesses.  But most of all, I dream of revival and an openness to the Spirit of God.  There is a fire that burns inside of me and longs to be let loose.  In God's time I pray that revival will come to this land again and I pray that we will all be ready for it.    


In the meantime, I wonder what I can do to engage people in the gospel message.  Jesus is very much alive for me but for many he is a figure of the past.  How can I be Jesus to those who have yet to find him?  How can I preach the gospel in a real way that brings Jesus back from the dead for those who don't realize that he has been ressurected and lives today.  I know that in my own small way I can do my bit but together we can make a real impact.

I must admit to being a bit of a treckie at this point.  I do have a love of science fiction and particularly like the Star Trek Voyager and the Next Generation series.  I was relaxing yesterday watching an episode where the crew of Voyager where trying to sneek onto a borg ship.  The borg, for those of you who don't know, are a collective which means that they think as one body.   I wonder what the church would look like if we all thought the same and did the same thing.  Personally, I think life would be rather boring.  As they say variety is the spice of life!  Whilst we may fall out from time to time over issues such as, women in ministry or the place of homosexuals in the church, difference of opinion is healthy.  It is what we do with our differences of opinion that really matters.  We may choose to stand on our pedestal and say you are wrong and I am right or, we can come together and discuss our opinions and discern what Christ would do in our situation.  Jesus is the one who invites us to come into relationship with him, despite our faults.  He loves us for who we are, just as we are.

The borg cube travels through space looking for unsuspecting people whome the borg can assimilate and turn into creatures just like them.  On meeting a spaceship or planet the words, 'We are the borg, you will be assimilated.  Resistance is futile.' are heard.  Whilst the church's role is to make disciples of all men and women it's role is not to assimilate them and make them into drones as part of the collective (as the borg do). But, rather to disciple people and show them the ways of Christ by pointing them in the right direction.  Whilst we journey together our own walk with Christ is a personal one.  One where the journey is often lonely and frightening and not always easy.  However, as I have pointed out before, Christ journeys with us.  For me 21st century church is one which embraces the outcast and loves the individuals that comes through its doors as Christ loves them.  It is a church that reaches people in a relevant way.  If that means doing church differently - great - lets do it!  Church is for me about supporting one another, loving one another, worshiping together and journeying together.  We may not get it right all the time, that's OK - the point is that we keep on going until we get it right and have some fun along the way.

Hmm... nearly time for another episode of Star Trek, must go!!