Question Corner
Questions and Answers from the Revd John Morgan
Why are so many churches full of statues etc., and some people bow and cross themselves when the second commandment says plainly: ‘Thou shalt not make any graven images’…?
Certainly we are commanded not to offer worship to any object, but only to worship God alone. However, worship does not necessarily come easily to everyone and aids are often useful – such as to view a crucifix or to concentrate the mind by making the sign of the Cross – as long as they do not become obsessions and replace real worship.
God has created a wonderful and colourful universe and this can be rightly reflected in the beauty with which churches are adorned, whether with pictures and murals, statues and stained-glass windows – after all, we do the same to our own homes, why not ‘the House of God’?
Two very ‘uncluttered’ buildings have impressed me: strangely in the quiet emptiness of the vast Muslim mosque of the Golden Dome in the heart of Jerusalem I felt very close to God, but in the plain Anglican Pro-Cathedral in Malta I felt nothing but cold and soullessness.
I find the same with regard to ritual: it can be a great aid to worship and an expression of the divine wonder of God. The danger in this is that too much ceremonial can become an end in itself and turn one away from worshipping God.
In parliament the members ‘acknowledge’ Mr Speaker’s Chair and I am told that Masons do the same with regard to the Worshipful Master’s Chair. And why on earth do so many people ‘touch wood’ or cross their fingers, etc?
Do you have to go to church to be a Christian?
Oh, yes you do! A Christian is by definition someone who seeks to follow our Lord Jesus Christ’s teaching and life. This, by any standards, is not easy, however glorious it may be. Being our Saviour, he knows only too well how much help we need.
His teaching, and his own life, were based on the Jewish Faith and this highlighted a ‘community’ or ‘family’ nature. In this he was regular in attendance at his local synagogue (church) as well as making important visits to the Temple, and he taught his disciples to pray together (Luke 4:16; Matthew 6:9).
To this end we, too, are baptised into a ‘Heavenly Family’ in which we are able to share our own God-given talents and abilities and to receive the support and encouragement of our ‘brothers and sisters’. Moreover, to ‘charge our batteries’, our Lord has provided power through his Holy Spirit, through regular ‘conversations’ in prayer with him (both individually and corporately), reading the Bible and hearing it explained, and especially through the Holy Sacraments which are administered 'in the Body'.
Yes, we are called to be a family, a ‘gathered people’ of God, and so to encourage one another in life and in worship and in mission. For all its failings (and I am aware of quite a few, not least those of which I am guilty!) the Church remains ‘Christ’s Body on earth’ and through baptism a Christian remains an active and participating part.
Shall we meet up with our loved ones in heaven after we die?
I don’t know – and I don’t know anyone who does know! And if I did meet such a person, I don’t really think I would believe them! This is not a problem for me.
Our Lord Jesus spoke in ‘spatial’ terms of preparing dwellings for His disciples and He assured the penitent thief on the cross that he would join Him in Paradise shortly. I am sure this was a poetic way of assuring the disciples that by His sacrifice life would be restored to its primal ‘eternity with God’. What exercises my mind and life is rather to know and enjoy God’s presence here and now. If I am unique in my own creation, God will love me for ever. By His grace I will be able to dwell in that love beyond the limitations of this present life.
The Bible tells us very little of the life hereafter, presumably for our own good; but no doubt it will be very different from any kind of life we know now. If every person proceeds from God, it is not hard to believe that all will return to God! He will be the ‘be all and end all’, the centre of existence – and all I desire is to be granted if my life is ‘swallowed-up’ into His life of eternal love. Nothing else really matters. It will be real life and real living!
‘Father of Jesus, love’s reward,
What rapture will it be
Prostrate before Thy throne to lie,
And gaze and gaze on Thee!’
(New English Hymnal 410)
Is there any point in praying for things, if God knows everything anyway?
I think it is quite natural to ask for what you want or would like. I do it with my fellow human beings, so why not with GOD. Who said: ‘Ask and you will receive’? But prayer is more than just asking. In the classical pattern of prayer – A.C.T.S – we can see several types of prayer:
A=Adoration: This should be the opening of all prayer – to worship the very being and nature of Almighty GOD as revealed to us. Use the simple forms of ‘Gloria Patri’, ‘Te Deum Laudamus’.
C=Confession: Recollection of the Divine Nature quickly highlights our own sinfulness, and so we seek Our Lord’s forgiveness in absolute trust.
T=Thanksgiving: So often we neglect ‘thanks’ in our lives; but there is so much in nature, family and society for which we should thank our heavenly Father. Why not use the ‘General Thanksgiving’ in the Prayer Book?
S=Supplication: Having properly addressed GOD, we can now ‘ask’ for others, as well as for ourselves – again in the certainty that we shall be heard by GOD and receive in abundance.
A further, deeper sort of prayer is to be found in Meditation, when in quietness we allow our minds to dwell upon some special attribute of GOD – and this can provide a real chance for GOD to speak directly to us. So, don’t just ‘plague GOD’ with requests; try to ‘converse with Him’ over everything. You will never be disappointed. Remember, just as a healthy diet is good for the body, so a balanced prayer-life is equally good for the soul!
Is there a proper code of dress for attending Church services? People seem to differ.
Definitely not! There is no ‘Mosaic’ law about it, but a lot rests on how one was brought up and what is most comfortable. I am sure that our Lord Jesus is always more concerned with what is inside a person, rather than with unnecessary externals. For me, it is a matter of ‘attitude of mind’. I need to prepare for worship and not just ‘let it happen’! This affects my dress, too. I would not have dreamt of turning up at a wedding in casual clothes, nor for an important meeting or interview. When summoned to both Downing Street and Buckingham Palace ‘proper dress’ was rightly expected.
In Church, I believe I take part in some small way in the worship of the ‘High Court of Heaven’ and am there at the specific invitation of the ‘King of Kings and Lord of Lords’. To be dressed ‘properly’ for such an occasion not only helps me mentally but seems to me to be correct. But, of course, you may not agree!
We believe that the Parish Church of Saint Mary the Virgin, Godmanchester, exists to build up the individual and corporate spiritual life of our Church and to spread the love of Christ through word and deed, by enabling those who live and work within our town to come into contact with God’s love and come to faith in Christ.