God is a DJ

Maxi Jazz, the vocalist with the British trip-hop band "Faithless", famously sang in 1998.

“This is my Church.
This where I heal my hurts….
…..for tonight, God is a DJ”

When I first listened to this track, I thought, hey this is blasphemy. To equate God with a disc jockey, the Church with a discotheque. But as I think about it, and as the night air wafts the sounds of Iron Maiden performing at the Super Bock Rock Festival at the north end of the Park through our bedroom window at half past midnight, I think to myself. Well, is he not just expressing the reality of how life is for thousands out there, jumping up and down by the River Tejo? We don’t know God, but we do know this! We connect together. We jump around. It’s awesome. We feel good.

July is the month of Festivals, Events, Concerts here in Lisbon. It gets totally crazy. You’re spoilt for choice – jazz (Diana Krall), rock (Bob Dylan), classical or whatever you want. No wonder everybody goes to ground in August!! But for now there’s something on almost every night. We’ve had the rock festival up the road from our apartment block over the last couple of nights. I’ve never been that familiar with the sound of Iron Maiden, but a quick surf of the internet washed up the lyrics of one of the songs they blasted out on the night air. And it’s intriguing. Entitled “Hallowed be thy Name”, it’s about a guy on his last night before facing the death penalty and it end with this

When you know that your time is close at hand

Maybe then you’ll begin to understand

Life down there is just a strange illusion

Maybe we need to work a little bit harder at connecting with this “church”, to find ways in, and to help make our God, the God we know, the God of love and compassion, who’s rich and unfathomable and holy, their “D.J.”, providing the authentic rhythms for their lives.

Almost Independence Day

Well 5th July was not so far off the mark. But since the 4th July fell on a Friday it seemed more appropriate to our American friends who live in the next block to throw a party in the forest of Monsanto on the other side of the Lisbon on the Saturday afternoon. So there we were, 40 or so of us including children and babies, all friends and neighbours of Ryan and Dana, plus friends from our little Church fellowship along with 5 kgs of beef for the hamburgers!! And apart from Ryan and Dana, not a single citizen of the US of A among us!

As it turned out, I ended up celebrating two Independence Days on the one day, if you can follow me. Surreal, I know. But it just so happens that, 5th July is also the Independence Day of the Cape Verde Islands (a former Portuguese colony off the west coast of Africa), and, with my love of Cabo Verde music, I jumped at the opportunity when neighbour Carlos suggested going to a Cabo Verdean club downtown to celebrate his country’s independence after we’d finished with the American one!!

Anyway back to the forest and the burgers patiently waiting to be fried. On arrival at Monsanto, a notice in the forest informed us that from 1st July to 15th August there was a strict ban on campfires and barbeques in forest parks due to the high incidence of forest fires in the summer months. A quick consultation and it was back to the apartment for myself, Ryan and José to fry up at home and blacken a few kitchens. But, all in all, it was great fun chatting and connecting with people. Oh, and by the way, after the official party ended, the music was good too, in Casa de Morna, at Alcantara from 11:00 to 01:30

The Cabo Verdeans are such that, you only have to set one down on a stool and put a guitar in his hand, and out comes this wonderful rhythmic music that combines Brazil with Senegal with Portugal, and all sorts of other sounds and rhythms in between. Carlos, himself is involved in a support group here that helps immigrants who come to Lisbon for medical treatment but need a lot of support. I am looking forward to helping him in some of the good work he does there.

Winners!

Madrid yesterday was awash with colour, welcoming home the conquering heroes of Euro2008. Life here in Lisbon, 7 hours away, goes on as normal. I think that people were happy enough for their neighbours, first cousins really, but felt that it really should have been Portugal up there on the podium.

But there can only be one champion, one team to raise the cup aloft, one team to bask in all the glory. And all the rest go away, as Anne Robinson would say in that terribly English accent, with nothing.

Well, whether, its Euro2008 or Wimbledon we’re used to the fact that, in sport, as in a lot of other things, that’s the way life is. But when St Paul, states that in a race “all the runners run, but only one gets a prize” * , and implies that he's talking about the spiritual life, we tend to throw up our hands and say, Hey, Wait a minute! If you’re talking living for God, finding the way into Heaven, are you saying that only one person will win in the end, and everyone else will be disqualified? That’s not fair! What about all my efforts, all my struggles? Don’t they count for anything? Is God going to exclude me because I didn’t quite make the grade?

Well, I thought about that for a bit, and it struck me, that yes, it's true. There is only one winner. Because the bar is raised so high that noone but the best can achieve it. The standard is perfection, God’s holiness, “no immoral, impure or greedy person will inherit the Kingdom of Christ and of God”.** There's no place for anything but one hundred performance. Otherwise, God's kingdom would be admitting weakness, faults, imperfection, When Andy Murray fought back from two sets down to Gasquet yesterday, he showed amazing strength of character, as well as huge ability and skill. But if he had not in the end got to Match Point and won the game, he would have been out. All of the effort, the training, the self belief would have counted for nothing. There would in the end be no reward. And that's exactly where we lie. All our efforts do not in the end bring us up to God's standard of perfection.

There can only be one champion. And there is!! His name is Jesus. And for us, in spite of all of our best efforts, the only way that we can enjoy the victory parade and hold aloft the cup is by being part of His team. Believing in Him, knowing that He’s a winner, and that He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him. ***

* 1 Cor 9:24
** Eph 5:5
*** Heb 7:25

On Sardines and Saints

Today June 13^th is St Anthony's Day here in Lisbon. And it’s a public holiday as well, though just here within the city limits, not in the rest of Portugal. Anthony of Padua is the patron saint of Lisbon and a hugely popular saint – somewhat on a level with how St Patrick is regarded in Ireland.

His feast is being celebrated here in style!! We went down yesterday evening to the City centre which was jam packed with people celebrating through the evening. The smoke of barbecued sardines filled the evening air. The sangria was flowing and people were dancing in the streets. And everywhere you went, you would see little figurines of this humble monk holding a child. It didn’t seem to blend in too easily with all the partying going on. I decided to do a little bit of research myself and it seems to me that when you peel away all the hagiography, there’s a true man of God behind the legend, a Preacher of the Word, a Disciple of Jesus, a Missionary of the Gospel.

Born into a wealthy family in Lisbon in 1195, Anthony rejected the opulent life he’d inherited, entered a monastery in Coimbra, where he also became uncomfortable with the complacency he encountered in that academic world. When a group of five Franciscan monks passed through on their way to Morocco, and when their martyred remains were returned to the monastery a short time afterward, he felt irresistibly drawn to a path of simplicity, of missionary outreach, and of devotion to Christ. That path took him to Morocco, Sicily, Italy and France, eventually dying in Padua after only 10 years of active ministry. He was renowned as a Preacher and a man who could open up God’s word and who was not afraid to challenge unbelief and hypocrisy wherever it was found.

........................................................................Hmm I think I’d like to be someone like that.

Oh, and by the way, about the sardines. Well, legend has it that, once when his preaching was not being received by the people of the city, that he went out and preached at the side of the sea. No sooner had he spoken a few words when suddenly so great a multitude of fish, both small and great, approached the bank on which he stood. All the fish kept their heads out of the water, and seemed to be looking attentively on St Anthony's face; all ranged in perfect order and most peacefully, the smaller ones in front near the bank, after them came those a little bigger, and last of all, were the water was deeper, the largest. The people of the city, hearing of the miracle, made haste to go and witness it. I'd say that is more about the hagiography and less about the man!!

About his preaching, St Anthony had this to say

"I ask that if you find anything edifying, anything consoling, anything well presented, that you give all praise, all glory and all honor to the Blessed Son of God Jesus Christ. If on the other hand, you find anything that is ill composed, uninteresting or not to well explained, you impute and attribute it to my weakness, blindness, and lack of skill."

Teamwork

Portugal v Czech Republic

Last night we (1) made it through to the second phase of Euro 2008 soundly defeating the Czech Republic 3-1

When Cristiano Ronaldo lined up the third of the three goals, there was only one man between him and the open goal. He‘s widely acknowledged as one of the best strikers in the world. He would also have a personal ambition to be top goal scorer in the competition. But he gave the goal away to someone else. Ricardo Quaresmo was hovering to his left unmarked and in front of an open goal. A quick pass, and the ball was in the net. And so it ended up 3-1.

Now there’s teamwork, I thought to myself. How tempting to try and tackle the obstacle yourself, because you know you have the ability, because you secretly would like the glory for yourself, and because you’re not sure you have faith in your mates to finish the job. No game is ever won that way. As in football, so in life

The battle’s won when you intimately know and can trust the others on your team.

The battle’s won when you’re thinking abut the end result of bringing people to Christ and glory to God and not thinking about your own reputation or what people will think of you.

The battle’s won when you remain highly aware of others around you, their potential and their positioning and you encourage someone else into a place of victory, while staying in the background yourself. Hmmmm, Wonder what other lessons in life this championship will bring forth for me….

(1) Hey, It’s hard not to be influenced by the infectious and enthusiastic nationalism on every side with red and green flags flying from every building and vehicle, and not to feel as much a part of this wonderful nation as everyone else around us!

Unfurl the unconquerable flag
In the bright light of your sky!
Cry out to all Europe and the whole world
That Portugal has not perished.
Your happy land is kissed
By the Ocean that murmurs with love.
And your conquering arm
Has given new worlds to the world!

From the Portuguese National Anthem!

Fifteen Seconds of Fame

Portugal v Turkey

Andy Warhol said once that in the future everyone will be famous for 15 minutes.
Well Anna had her 15 seconds of fame Saturday last night outside the Irish Pub down on the river front of Parques das Nações where we live.

It was approaching half time in the opening match of Euro 2008, and Portugal were playing Turkey and it was still a goalless draw. We were watching on the big screen with our friend Maria, and there was a TV camera there doing some shots of the supporters watching the match. As the whistle blew for half time, all of a sudden the TV presenter swung round to her and asked what she thought of the match so far. In moments like those you hardly know what to say, especially when you’re being asked in Portuguese. "Apparently I said that I loved Portugal, and that the atmosphere along the waterfront was brilliant. So I hope I got it right!! You can see for yourself if you follow the link below (you have to cut and paste into your browser to watch it). My bit comes about 5 mins into the news bulletin" (1).

And the atmosphere was really good. It helped that Portugal won 2:0, and even though there was plenty of alcohol flowing, somehow there wasn’t that belligerent intimidating atmosphere you often get with crowds of football supporters. It was fun to be out that evening. There's been a lot of negative news about, and most people are struggling financially, with the economy the way it is. So the huge interest in Portugal's fortunes as the Championship progresses is a way of thinking positively and taking your mind of your situation

June marks the beginning of the festive season here in Lisbon. Portugal Day happens tomorrow, 10th June. But St Anthony’s festival happening on 12^th and 13^th here in Lisbon is the BIG ONE. The city centre will be packed, we’re told, on the evening of the 12th. On our way back from watching the match, we bumped into St Anthony’s Day marchers which was very interesting. Every district of the city spends the whole year previous designing costumes for the grand parade through the city. Men, girls, little children - they all get involved. And the costumes and designs are all judged in a contest to see whose display is the best. That was what was happening on Saturday evening at 11pm, when we met the marchers from Alcantara District.

(1) http://sic.aeiou.pt/online/scripts/2007/videopopup2008.aspx?videoId={155D0A81-2B7B-4B6F-82C0-B07428291B68}

Knights of the Order of the Holy Cross?

Last weekend we had a totally refreshing and inspiring weekend in the small town of Tomar, about 2 hours away from Lisbon.

We had just finished language exams the previous week, and we just needed to get away and get our heads cleared. Some friends from the Lisboa Matrix, an Englsih language fellowship based in Cascais, were going there on a prayer retreat so it seemed like a great opportunity to join them there.

Quiet and sleepy, and steeped in history, the narrow streets of Tomar are overshadowed by a majestic medieval castle that stretches across the skyline. It's chief claim to fame is that it was the last stronghold of the Order of the Knights Templar before it was disbanded in 1314. My curiosity aroused, I had to research more on this mysterious medieval order, and found it to be formed as a band of brothers dedicated to the protection of the honour of Christ against the forces of darkness. At the time throughout Europe, of course, the struggle was between Christianity and Islam. The town of Tomar stood near the frontier in Portugal between the area controlled by the Christian King Afonso and the region controlled by the Muslim Moors.

Walking and praying through the cobbled streets and in the well laid out parks, brought to mind the fact that in the spiritual realm, we belong to a kind of Order of Knights as well. Maybe we're not out doing battle on silver steeds and in shiny armour but, we are, in a sense, a worldwide community of brothers and sisters dedicated to upholding the honour of the name of Christ and pushing back the darkness wherever it is to be found. And the Bible backs this idea up. Having already rescued us from the kingdom of darkness, and transferred into the kingdom of His son, (1) God has given us spiritual authority and power to tear down strongholds, and break down every proud argument that keeps people from knowing God in a fully personal way (2) . And to do is in the spirit and gentleness of Christ himself

Interestingly it was that old hymnwriter Saint Bernard of Clairvaulx who was one of the chief exponents and defenders of the military activity of the Knights Templar. In his writings, he can at one and the same time write of these knights as "truly fearless and secure on every side, for their souls are protected by the armour of faith just as their bodies are protected by armour of steel. Doubly armed and neither fearng demons nor men" and yet at the same time was able also to pen such words of gentle comfort as these

"Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills the breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in Thy presence rest."


(1) Colossians 1:13
(2) 2 Corinthinas 10:4