As the light of dawn heralds the end of the night, the moon is setting above a calm sea at Porthleven. Suspended from the pole at the end of the jetty, the green light guides mariners into the shelter of the harbour.

It is not always as tranquil as this. When huge storms roll in off the Atlantic the red ball is hoisted up the pole to warn people to keep away from the stone pier as the danger of being swept away is very real in this spot; it also serves to signal to boats that the outer harbour is not safe to enter and that the inner harbour is closed.

Guidance and warnings: both are designed to keep us safe and both are essential. Both are the result of previous tragedy and of painful lessons learned.

The same is true when it comes to our journey of faith and particularly of how we approach the bible. It is important to ‘frame’ the scriptures correctly at the outset, with care and attention, just as I do when framing a photograph in my mind and subsequently in the viewfinder of my camera. By this I mean if we come to the bible with the expectation that we will find ourselves measuring up against a dreadful spirit-crushing compendium of rules, regulations, and prohibitions, with the attendant guilt, shame and judgement that ensues, then such negative framing is right off. If we come to scripture expecting to find our own story and sense of self-worth transformed by the love and grace of God, then we have correctly framed the content positively.

The guidance and warnings are there for our benefit, to protect us and help us to thrive and flourish, not to make us feel rotten and dejected about ourselves. Because God loves us so much, God provides pathways through which we can grow rather than shrivel. So when we are told the following about Peter

With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Acts 2:40

it is clear that he offers these unnamed warnings precisely out of his care for those in front of him. He does not want them to be hurt or to hurt one another. The whole thrust of Jesus’ teaching about the kingdom of God and the way in which he lived it himself, frames the point perfectly. A combination of welcomes, guidance and warnings characterise his outlook, but somehow the welcome bit gets lost where the framing of Christianity in the public sphere is concerned. Far from a freeing sense that ‘all are welcome’, I suspect that for the unchurched majority there is a hazy framing of our faith along the lines of ‘all are wrong’. They see the red warning ball of judgement hoisted on high by a seemingly accusatory deity, and the welcoming green lamp of grace is overlooked, even though it is the one that is always lit and visible.

It is imperative that the church counters this misapprehension with as much love and grace in practice as we can muster. The only way to embed a different narrative in the public mind is for those of us who follow Jesus to embody God’s welcome at the heart of our being. From that intentional grace-full framing it is then possible to hear the guidance and warnings in a positive way, and to fashion a way of life that is centred upon being a blessing to others and being blessed ourselves.