“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a man planted in his field.
That seed is the smallest of all seeds, but when it grows, it is one of the largest garden plants. It becomes big enough for the wild birds to come and build nests in its branches.”

I think it is true that many of us look at injustices and wish things were not as they were.

Most transformations in society occur when a community decides to bring about change. If that is to happen, usually an individual has to make a stand and take the initial step of speaking out, or asking a question, or writing a letter. That tiny act, or seed of transformation, starts to grow as others with similar views join the initial person and a community of transformation is born.

AS I think back to the Burma protests I am intrigued as to how it actually started. Who was the first monk who dared to speak, and in doing so risked condemnation, oppression and even death. How did that monk feel?

If individuals do not speak out, things do not change.

As a Christian I am challenged to think about those instances where I have not spoken out, or taken a stand. Those times when I’ve known what the right thing to do is, but have chosen to ‘choose my battles’ and stay quiet. It’s honestly disturbing my complacency as its easy to pretend I’m living quite well if I do not reflect on how my life is in reality. I’m wondering whether the adage of ‘choose your battles’ is a cop out?

The words of Edmund Burke have been echoing in my head today:
“The only thing required for evil to triumph is for good men to (say and) do nothing.”

The Wednesday reflection during Advent is always about money. Today in particular my thoughts have focussed on how the west demands third world countries to restructure to receive aid. As many have became aware through initiatives like Make Poverty History, this restructuring does more than harm the country, it enables the rich western capitalism machine to continue to grow nd gain momentum while our poorer, hungrier, colder brothers and sisters become penniless, starving and dead.

We can help in these situations. We can give. We can campaign. We can purchase wisely and ethically.

Do we carefully give only what we will not miss, while we happily admire the widow who throws in her last two coins?

As Christmas gets closer, I feel uncomfortable today about how I use my money.

‘If we buy a Bible and claim it ‘mine’, we claim ownership and with ownership comes the belied that we can do what we like with what we own’ says todays Advent thought.

I have been mulling over the accuracy of this statement throughout the day. It is true that we can use the Bible to say what we wish it to say. Indeed in the past, and even currently, the Bible has been used to justify sexism, abuse of a marital partner or child, refusal of medicine or birth control, condemnation of sexuality.

I remember earlier in the year I had the privilege of being part of the congregation in Westminster Abbey at a service to commemorate the end of the slave trade. One of the the things I find most shocking about that horrible abuse of humanity is that mainstream church and government were able to justify such a trade by using the Bible.

That is shocking!
It’s hard to believe how they read that from the words on those pages.
It’s hard to believe how they could think a Jesus of compassion, love, with a preferential for the poor, would ever condone such an act.
But they did.

As I sat in Westminster Abbey I began to wonder how the Christians for the future would view us. What would they be amazed by? What would they be shocked by? Would they look back on us and ask ‘how on earth did they allow that to happen and justify it with the Bible?’

‘Do we use the Bible to oppress, or do we use the Bible to liberate?‘ asks Bodenheim. The problem is if we let the Bible be the only voice of God we hear we limit God again. The Bible is what God has said in the past and it is important for today, but God also continues to speak today and indeed for the future. Listening to just one aspect of God’s voice allows the abuses of history to repeat themselves and occur in our age.

If the Bible does not point us toward God, but instead speaks for God, then it has become our god. (Bodenheim)