Time

For something to start, something must finish

To have a now we must say goodbye to before

For tomorrow to come we cannot continue with today

The past is always gone, never to reappear 

The future is always just beyond our reach

We cannot stay the same, we are always changing

The world we once knew has drifted away 

And the world we now know will one day do the same

Our view of the past and our view of the future are always unclear

We can never accurately report on what has gone before

Nor can we accurately predict what is to come

The former and future are always hidden in the gloom of time 

Not even today is really clear

We are a tick of a clock in a stretch of time

We are a moment in the life of the universe

We are a speck of dust in a billion galaxies 

But this tick, this moment, this spec, oh how beloved, oh how treasured!

The creator of chronology

The architect of ages

The designer of durations 

Chose us before he created the world

Before time existed, before occasions, before instances, before intervals, before periods

God chose to give us a life, a lifetime, a life span

And he invited us into his own time frame, into his own eternity

A song from heaven

A song from heaven in perfect key

My ears didn't hear, and my eyes couldn't see

I would face the music and be set free

From the selfishness that made me, me

God humbled himself and his body bled

The tune went quiet and ground turned red

Silence grew as his notes were shed

The ballard of heaven soon was dead

In the tomb the harmony was still and mute

Yet the sound of God was resolute 

The melody awoke and saw the world salute

The Conductor's anthem his attribute 

I now will sing and play my part

Before this stage my life depart

The staves and bars their truth impart

My goal to know the musician's heart

Will I love you?

Will I love you when I'm old, when my body turns so cold?

Will I love you when I'm frail, when darkness brings its veil?

Will I love you when I'm tired, when my brain seems wrongly wired

I do not know, but I promised long ago

Will I love you if there's pain, when I no longer can explain?

Will I love you all the time, facing a new paradigm?

Will I love you when I'm sad, when all options seem so bad?

I do not know, but I promised long ago

Will I love you as I die, when I breathe a still goodbye?

When my eyes are closed for good, when my body's still like wood

Will I love you though it's strange, when I face the great exchange?

I do not know, but I promised long ago

Will I love you when I'm gone, when the kingdom starts to dawn?

The 'till death do us part' revealing our shared heart 

Will I love you now I cry, as eternity goes by?

I then will know, because I promised long ago

Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel

Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel are not just the words from a beautiful carol but a heart's cry for God to be among us. Not just 'come' but 'oh come.' Not just 'oh come' but 'oh come, oh come.' The writer wanted to express something of the urgency that the people felt, their desperate need, the depth of the feeling of their separation from God himself. 

God had visited his people at various times and in many ways, sometimes to individuals or to a few but at other times to the whole nation. However, for hundreds of years God had been mainly silent, his word was not heard. Did he still care? Did he want to dirty his hands in the mess of human life? Had he given up on his people? So many questions, so many prayers, so much longing, so many questions, so few answers

There is something in the heart of people that can only be satisfied by a present God. That is why it is so sad and heart breaking when God seems to have distanced himself. The longing is still there but no corresponding fulfilment, the yearning drives the feeling of isolation that cannot be overcome

This longing is seen again at the end of the Bible, John writes the last recorded prayer in Scripture 'Amen. Come Lord Jesus.' Revelation 22:20. Even though Jesus had lived, died, been raised from the dead, ascended back to the Father and poured out the Holy Spirit, there was still a yearning for him to come again, for God to reveal himself in a fuller way

In response to the cry of 'Oh come, oh come Emmanuel' came the Messiah himself, the response of God to the 'Amen. Come Lord Jesus' prayer will be the same, Jesus the Messiah coming to fulfil his father's eternal plan

Sister & Brother

So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

Hebrews 2:11,12

My very best friend, my sister

The one at his wits end, my brother

The party's nominee, my sister

The prisoner set free, my brother

The special forces elite, my sister

The prostitute on the street, my brother

The babe in arms, my sister

The worker on the farm, my brother

The native in the mist, my sister

The Islamic extremist, my brother

The child that's too loud, my sister

The actor before the crowd, my brother

The one who disagrees, my sister

The priest in the diocese, my brother

The aunt and the mother, my sister

The uncle and the father, my brother

The Witness of the resurrection, my sister

The Messianic perfection, my brother

True Worship

The warrior rode closer to the edge of the drop and saw the city in the distance, he gazed down from the high plateau. From this raised vantage point he could see the whole city surrounded by walls with buildings scattered like dice on a table. He wasn't a man to be intimidated but the size and the strength of the city meant that he had to get his thinking under control. He had a mission to accomplish and nothing could get in its way

The few men who were with him saw his anxious face but said nothing. They had been at his side for many years, they had seen him victorious on many occasions and trusted his judgement. Where he went, they would go as well. The warrior spoke to his horse who began to move on down the side of the hill, the men following. As the sun rose, they drew nearer to the city gates, huge timber doors surrounded by a large stone edifice. The watchman on the wall blew his trumpet and a few minutes later the doors opened, and the welcoming party rode out to towards the warrior

The warrior and his men looked around them as they were led to the guest's quarters. After their horses were stabled for the night, they were offered clean clothes and were led through to a dining room where food was laid out for them. After eating the warrior was taken to have an audience with the King, the reason for the long journey was about to be enacted

The warrior approached the King, every eye was focused on him. His reputation went before him and therefore the anticipation in the room was high. The King rose from his throne and walked down the steps towards the warrior, his dazzling robes caressing each step as he went. The warrior undid his belt buckle and slowly placed his sword on the floor. He had already been searched before he entered the room, this act was purely symbolic and emphasised his weakness before the King's strength

The King was flanked by his own body guards, each was dressed in rich robes and were heavily armed. Even the King had a razor-sharp weapon in a richly jewelled scabbard. The warrior approached the King and stopped in front of him. No words were spoken, none was needed. The warrior slowly dropped first to his knees, then laid at the King's feet. The warrior knew that this would be the key moment in ensuring that his mission be fulfilled

As he laid there, he could smell the King, his sweat mixed with fine perfume was almost overpowering. The stench of flesh and the aroma of wealth combined. He was totally in the hands of the most powerful man on earth. He could be killed or allowed to live, mutilated horribly or honoured, but the choice was out of his hands. In a strange way this act of bowing was true adulation, the warrior humbled and prostrate was laying his life voluntarily before his master

The warrior understood what it meant to give yourself to someone else, this was the ultimate example of ignoring your own status. He had not been forced, he had voluntarily submitted himself knowing it was what he wanted to do. He had lowered himself physically to demonstrate what he felt inwardly. It was almost an act of intimate connection as the two men occupied the same space, breathed the same air and focused on each other

He remained still for a few seconds, then the warrior grasped the Sovereign's feet in his hands and kissed them, lip to toe. This was an act of true worship

Note

The Greek word proskunéō; translated worship in the New Testament means to kiss, adore. To worship, do obeisance, show respect, fall or prostrate before. Literally, to kiss toward someone, to throw a kiss in token of respect or homage. The ancient oriental (especially Persian) mode of salutation between persons of equal ranks was to kiss each other on the lips; when the difference of rank was slight, they kissed each other on the cheek; when one was much inferior, he fell upon his knees and touched his forehead to the ground or prostrated himself, throwing kisses at the same time toward the superior. It is this latter mode of salutation that Greek writers express by proskunéō. In the New Testament generally, to do reverence or homage to someone, usually by kneeling or prostrating oneself before him.

The NIV Complete Word Study Bible

Presence

I will rest in your presence and seek to know your ways

To find that my heart grows soft and increasingly obeys

I will sit in your presence and seek to be at ease

Stop focusing on my issues and responsibilities

I will stand in your presence, secure and loved and true

Lifting up my eyes to you to gain a better view

I will walk in your presence as I make my daily way

Following in your footsteps, a lifetime to obey

I will gaze upon your presence and finally see your face

To know and be known by you, to dwell within your space

Standing with my family around your holy throne

My King is flesh of my flesh and bone of my bone

He could not change what he had done

He pushed the door and looked into the chapel, there was an old man in a crumpled coat playing a battered organ. Dotted around the pews were a handful of people trying to sing in time with the music but failing badly. The door creaked as he pushed it shut but no one turned around, he slid into the back row and picked up the hymn book. He asked himself for the umpteenth time why was he here, he hadn't been inside a place of worship since he was a boy

Then, he had been intrigued by the sounds and smells of the dark, gloomy building. He had no idea what was going on but somehow, in his young chaotic life, he found the slow formality of the service somehow reassuring. He only really went to get away from the violence of his home, this was his safe place in a dangerous childhood. He had sat in the same pew he now occupied, the smell of the varnished wood transporting him back the four decades. He remembered the sweetly smelling ladies who would approach him and a couple of other kids at the end of the service to see if they wanted a cup of squash and a biscuit. He always said yes even though the squash was so weak it was little more than dyed water

The ladies were kind to him and always asked him if he was coming the next week. His answer was always the same, he would be there if he could but wasn't sure. He never knew what home would be like from one day to the next, he couldn't be sure if there would be marks on his face that would prevent him from going out. Over the months his attendance at chapel decreased as the frequency of the marks increased, soon he stopped going all together

The hymn came to the end, the crumpled old man got up from the organ and slowly climbed into the pulpit and announced the reading. Hebrews chapter twelve, verses fourteen to seventeen. He had no Bible to look at, not that having a book would have helped as he couldn't read very well. And even if he could read, he had no idea what or where Hebrews was, he wouldn't have wanted to embarrass himself by asking for help 

He listened as the old man began to speak, he didn't really understand what the talk was all about. He relaxed into the hard pew and tried to concentrate on what was being said. His mind began to wander as the words went on and on and the radiators pushed out their heat, his eyes began to close, and he tried desperately to stay awake. After around thirty minutes he could take it no longer, he quietly got up and pulled open the creaking door and walked out into the cold winter's morning

He walked across the road and sat down on a bench facing a small park. It was cold but his thick, heavy overcoat kept in some of the warmth from the chapel. His mind wandered back again to when he was younger, this time he wasn't eight but eighteen. He had sat on this bench alone and frightened. His mother had walked out, no longer willing to face his father's drunken rages. He couldn't blame her except she had not taken him with her, he was left alone with his father. He had lasted only three weeks before it came to a head, his father had bought yet another bottle and watched the football. His team had conceded two goals in the last ten minutes and the rage returned. The punches and kicks landed leaving not just marks but broken bones and finally a broken heart. He left never to return

He looked up from the bench and saw an old couple arm in arm, coming towards him. They looked happy and content being together as they enjoyed the winter sun. He recognised the crumpled coat from the chapel and looked away not wanting to engage in conversation. However, the couple came closer and walked up to him. An hour later he was sat at their dining room table tucking into a plate of roast beef and all the trimmings. He found out that the old couple had retired to the area around twenty years ago and that gradually they had found themselves doing almost everything in the chapel. Over the years the older members of the congregation had died or were moved by their children into homes. As numbers dropped this couple took on more and more until eventually there was virtually no one else who could help

After the meal, sat in a cosy sitting room drinking coffee, he told them more of his story. After leaving home he drifted from street to street, sometimes sleeping rough other times, when his luck was in, he got a bed in a hostel. Unable to find work, unable to find a home, unable to find anything at all really, his life drifted into a frightening place. The booze inevitably became drugs and the drugs stole any perspective that he might have had

As the afternoon went on, the couple continued to listen to his sad story. They were good listeners, they only spoke to clarify certain points or to encourage him to continue. They were genuinely interested in not only hearing but understanding the details of his life. Even as the story got harder to tell he did not feel judged or condemned, but rather that they inexplicably accepted him for who he was. But more than that, they seemed to believe that he had a future, that his life was not over

The old man got up to switch on more lights and to pull the curtains. The afternoon was turning colder and darker, and his story was running in the same direction. As he continued the story, he became slower and slower, large gaps appeared between sentences. He told the old couple that he had got involved with a gang, that he started carrying drugs but ended up being the fixer for a small-time gang boss. Suddenly as the clock approached five, he jumped up, grabbed his thick coat, thanked them for the meal, opened the door and hurried out into the street and was gone 

The following Sunday, on their way to chapel, the old couple wondered whether he would return. They talked at length about his sad story and hoped that they would have the chance to see him again. During the service they kept their eyes and ears opened, but the door didn't creek. The old man preached again but didn't see the door open although he did see a shadow through the frosted rear window. He lost his train of thought and began to mumble bits of his sermon, nothing very unusual there but his wife noticed and understood

Four weeks passed until he was seen again, but this time was not in chapel but in a doorway with his thick coat pulled around him. The old couple were out shopping one cold afternoon when they saw a bundle in the doorway. The would have walked past but recognised the thick coat and soon were talking with him and again insisting that he come home for a meal. It took them longer this time to convince him but as the temperature dropped and the thought of a hot meal remained stubbornly in the front of his mind, he agreed

As he walked back to the couple's home, he tried to unpick the reason for accepting their invitation. For years since being let out he kept away from any kindness, preferring to keep others at a distance. The last person he had got close to, ended up, well, he pushed the thought from his mind. They were different, not like others who had tried to show him concern, but always looked down on him. They accepted him as an equal and seemed genuinely pleased to have him in their company. To them he was not a project that needed to be risk assessed, budgeted for and written up. But rather a brother, an uncle, a son who they wanted to be part of their family

He woke up suddenly, the room was dark but still vaguely warm. There was a faint glow in the grate as the embers tried to hang onto life but were gradually failing. He was slumped on the settee with a soft, woollen blanket covering him, his mind investigated the situation and he began to piece things together in his mind. Last night he had told them everything; the hit, the arrest, the court case, the sentence and finally the years in prison. They had listened without commenting, but their faces had encouraged him to tell the full story. Their eyes had welled up in tears as he talked of the beatings, the solitary confinement, the fear and finally the rapes. He told them of his feelings of disgust, his self-harm and his suicide attempts. He let it all pour forth, he held nothing back

This time he didn't get up before he had finished, he sat quietly waiting for their reaction. They both were silent for a few minutes, the clock ticking in the corner. Slowly and with great tenderness the old couple began to tell him of the forgiveness and reconciliation that could be found in Christ. They explained simply but clearly how God's purpose for him was to know Jesus and to commit his life to him wholeheartedly. As they talked, he understood very little but in a strange way, he realised that how he responded was to be the defining point of his life. He was stood at a cross road and the direction he now followed would affect everything

The winter gradually withdrew to make way for the spring, the seasons rolled into years and his life changed. The warm wind blew the curtains and knocked quietly against the window. He gradually woke and turned over and felt the warmth of his wife lying next to him. She sighed slightly and turned to face him, he kissed her gently before their bedroom door burst open and two bundles of life landed on their bed. A boy and girl both with their mother's look, giggling they snuggled up to mummy and daddy in bed. He pretended to snore loudly, and they tried to tickle him awake, eventually he picked them both up and took them downstairs and found breakfast

Later that day he gazed down from the pulpit, dozens of faces looked back at him. Many had been where he had been but now had found their lives transformed. He looked to the battered organ pushed away at the back of the chapel, how he missed the old couple who had made such an impact on his life. So much had changed over the years, he could hardly recognise himself. His family were on the front row, they had gradually got used to dad being the church pastor and they loved the chaotic community that had grown around them

The congregation began to sing the great Charles Wesley hymn, And Can It Be. He found tears welling up in his eyes as he sang these words:

My chains fell off, my heart was free

I rose, went forth and followed thee

So accurately did the words describe how he felt that he thought that they could have been written just for him. As the hymn finished, he led those gathered in repeating these words over and over again. The singing rose to a crescendo as many of the broken and damaged realised afresh that their past had been dealt with. The singing became quiet and finally finished with many wiping tears from their eyes

He announced his text, Hebrews chapter twelve. Unlike all those years ago, he knew that Hebrews was a letter in the Bible that had been written to Jewish Christians. He found it and read the passage, explaining the implications of rejecting God's love and grace. He spoke the language of ordinary people; the congregation knew of his past and loved him anyway. He was an example of how people could have their lives put back together. If only the old couple could see him now, they would be so proud of him, recognising their small part in God's plan for his life

The door creaked and he looked up, he had purposely not oiled the hinges. He wanted to be reminded of his visit to the chapel all those years ago when he first met the old couple. Over the years, the door had creaked many times during the meetings when the lost and the lonely had come looking for help. One of the congregation would always get up and sensitively welcome the guest, the chapel called them guests not visitors. Each one would be drawn into the community and invited to eat at one of the homes. The man who came in was a similar age to him and looked vaguely familiar, he wasn't surprised as he met lots of people during his work on the streets

He continued with his sermon but kept an eye on the new guest, he planned to get his family to invite the man home at the end of the service. They always prepared extra food for Sunday lunch, never knowing who would be invited home with them. As his sermon began to draw to a close, he noticed that the guest began to get agitated. This did sometimes happen as the need for a fix overcame their desire to not cause a scene. But this was different, the man was looking round anxiously, and then staring at him with real hatred. He was tapping his hand on the back of the seat in front, getting louder and more frequent. Suddenly the man jumped up and started walking towards the pulpit screaming at the top of his voice. "You f****** bastard, how can you stand there speaking of love.'" The congregation looked stunned, he looked down from the pulpit wondering what was going on. "You destroyed my life you sh*t, and you don't even know who I am!"

The man jumped up onto the stage and climbed the steps of the pulpit screaming obscenities and attacked John who stood there speechless and motionless. The blows landed without being parried and the spittle and snot from the man landed on his face. He was like a rabid dog foaming at the mouth. Two or three of the younger men in the congregation jumped up and pulled the man off their pastor. They firmly but carefully man-handled the man out of the pulpit, off the stage and down the aisle towards the door of the chapel

As he was dragged away, John looked down on the man he had beaten and raped almost daily over a period of more than a year. He glanced at the open Bible and read, 'See that no one is sexually immoral, or is godless like Esau, who for a single meal sold his inheritance rights as the oldest son. Afterward, as you know, when he wanted to inherit this blessing, he was rejected. Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.'

Limerick

There once was a godhead in glory

Who decided to start a new story

The creator he spoke

The atoms awoke

Mankind was a new category

When Adam saw Eve in the nude

He did not consider it rude

But when they first took the fruit

They of course got the boot

It was down to their bad attitude

There were prophets who came and who went

From God with a message were sent

They told what was right 

And got into a fight

The people refused to repent

For four hundred years it was quiet 

Then came John with a really strange diet

The kingdom is near

The Messiah is here

The response was nearly a riot

The Saviour nailed to a tree

He suffered so all could go free

The promise was this

Eternity bliss

To all who would bow the knee

The mission he gave would unfold

His story would now be retold

Every sinner and saint

Those scared who might faint

By the Spirit would all became bold

Jesus promised that he'd come again

Although nobody really knows when

We look to the sky

And are sure when we die 

Creation will shout it's amen!

The Biblical story in eight words

Creation

Separation 

Incarnation 

Crucifixion 

Resurrection 

Glorification 

Proclamation 

Coronation 

Creation - the word spoken

Separation - the word broken

Incarnation - the word arrived

Crucifixion - the word died

Resurrection - the word breathed

Glorification - the word received

Proclamation - the word renowned 

Coronation - the word crowned

Human being in a 'doing' world

I am a human being, in a doing world

As the work gets harder, and the stress unfurled

There are countless targets, there is always the grind

There are numerous jobs, can life be redefined?

There is loads to do, there is far to go

There are many to please, there's so much to know

There are umpteen problems, there's no end of stuff

There are hordes of issues, will enough be enough?

So, the work is watching how I act and do

Will I follow the multitudes or be one of the few?

Will I set a new direction or follow the trend?

Will the weight of work cause me to stumble and bend?

I long to stop the need to succeed and win

To prevent the stress getting under my skin

To change my focus by step and degree

And stop my doing and to simply be

So, I will sit and rest and wait and see

And find my place in Him not me

To build my life upon the saviour's grace

And cease to run in the human race

Blind faith

Now faith is to be sure of what we hope for and certainty of what we do not see

Hebrews 11:1

Sometimes Christians are accused of having blind faith, to believe in God without there being any evidence or justification 

To have 'blind faith' in anyone or anything is somewhat problematic, I am not sure that it actually exists. Blind faith implies that there is no reason for the faith and that surely cannot be the case. Who would be mad enough to have faith for absolutely no reason?  In fact wouldn't that be a definition of madness; belief and trust in someone or something without any reason? If we were to question the person who said that they just had faith I am certain we would find a rationale for their belief. It may not be clear or coherent, but it would still be there. 

The Christian faith is predicated on the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. On an actual person who was born on a specific day in history, who lived, died and was literally raised from the dead. If these things did not take place, then Christians are wasting their time. As the Apostle Paul said to the Corinthians, 'And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile.' 1 Corinthians 15:17

To return to the passage in Hebrews 12, this is not an encouragement to have blind faith but rather an explanation of what faith really is. To be sure of what we hope for is to hold fast to what we have given our lives for, what we confidently expect. To be certain of what we do not see is believing in the evidence even though it cannot be seen. For example, I have faith in God, even though I have not seen him, because I believe in the evidence that he exists. The certainty of God's existence for me is based on an inner witness and fellowship with him over many decades, and a confidence that Jesus was indeed raised from the dead. There are other reasons for my faith, a belief that God is the cause and reason for the fine tuning of the universe and the foundation of objective moral values and duties, but important as they may be, they are not fundamental for me

However, I don't want to commit my life to something that is not true, if I am wrong about God and his purpose then I want to be told, I want to know, I want to be corrected. However, I have lived with the reality of God's existence for over forty years and, although not complacent, I have faith that this will continue in the years to come

God is who he is

Irreversible 

Irrevocable

Irresistible 

Irreplaceable 

Irrefutable 

Irremovable

Irrebuttable 

Irreducible 

God is who he is whether I believe it, understand it, like it or acknowledge it. None of our response or lack of response to God changes him one iota. Atheists don't demean him, agnostics don't limit him, communists don't threaten him. God has always been, is always and will always be, God. We can decide whether to believe in him or not but whatever we think will not change the truth that he exists and that one day everyone will acknowledge it

God is who he is

Pivotal moments

Pivotal moments, unusual time

Same as forever or new paradigm 

How long is a moment, how long is a while?

No one is certain which one is the trial

Moments all different, each one unique

Joy for the future or a havoc to wreak

The decisions we face, the choices we make

Sometimes seems clear, sometimes opaque 

Look on disaster whether famine or feast

Temptation comes when you expect it the least

The smile on her mouth, the look in his eye

The poison released as inside you will die

One moment of weakness, one lifetime of pain

One decision so easy, how do you explain?

Generational heartache, you're playing with fire

The confusion of breakdown, what do you desire?

To seek pleasure is normal, to need purpose is fine

But to be satisfied with so little is not His design

A lifetime of searching and seeking his face

Will satisfy deeply as we know his grace

So pivotal moments will come and will go

How vital the option you might never know

Keep seeking to follow, make defence of your heart

And Christ will draw near, his life to impart

In the past

In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son

Hebrews 1:1,2

In the past God spoke to our ancestors; through Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obediah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, at many times and in various ways

The above are the prophets who wrote books in the Old Testament. However, there are many others who are either referred to as prophets or acted as prophets, for example, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Joseph, Moses, Aaron, Miriam and around thirty others

But in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son

In the past God revealed himself through letter, word, sentence and paragraph; through diction, noun, adjective and verb; through poetry, history, story and song. But now God speaks by flesh, bone, spirit and mind; by heart, voice, soul and body. The exalted Son revealing the Father of Heaven to the children of earth

Death, where is your sting?

Death, where is your sting? You are a snake that rears it's ugly head to strike but the venom is absent. You are a lover in the climax of embrace who has nothing to give. You are a boxer with the opponent on the ropes who cannot find the killer punch. You are the Wizard of Oz who finally comes out from behind the curtain and shows his true colours 

You scream and shout and threaten and condemn but that is all you have. You promise much but cannot deliver even a little. You are a failure and an embarrassment, there is nothing you can do to hide the real truth 

You totally misunderstood what you thought was your greatest triumph, the creator hanging on a cross. The nails were not only driven into his hands and feet but also driven into any hope that you had for further distructive gain. How could you not have known? How did you not realise? Why did you have such little appreciation of the Son of God?

Did you think that he could possibly fail, that his power was somehow like yours, limited, weak and brittle? Oh, how you overplayed your hand. You looked at him knowing that you had two pairs without realising that he had a royal flush. But you should have known, everything he had done, while you looked on, would point to your ultimate defeat. Was there really any reason to give you hope?

Your partnership with grave was over as the morning dawn began to break. You looked around for the dead Messiah but found nothing but strips of cloth. Oh, how the disappointment must have crashed into you. Oh, how the fear and the fury must have filled you in equal measure. Like a balloon losing air through a hole, your confidence must have dissipated as your strength seeped away

"Death, where is your sting" is not just a line written by a prophet and quoted in a letter written by one of his disciples. It would be a constant melody singing around in your head, with nothing you can do to bring silence. The grave cannot come to your help because it too has become impotent, with no possibility of victory

The words keep raising up in you like bile in the throat. You look around and realise that you will always be able to answer the question, "death, where is your sting?" You know as well as anyone that your sting has lost its venom and the point been blunted. And worst of all, you having been stripped of all power, will soon be dead forever - truely the death of death!

So, God

We could not become God so God became us

We could not overcome sin, so God became sin

We could not save ourselves, so God gave himself away 

We could not live for God, so God died for us

We could not understand truth, so God revealed the Word

We could not find God, so God came near

We could not delight in God, so God delighted in us

We could not walk with God, so God walked with us

We could not forgive ourselves, so God forgave us

We could not live a holy life, so God made us whole

We could not live for ever, so God gave us eternal life

Same family

Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.

Hebrews 2:11

The son of God and the daughter of ground, the same family

The seed of flesh and the one who's crowned, the same family

The resident of heaven and the resident of earth, the same family

The eternal midwife and those of new birth, the same family 

The one creator and the ones he created, the same family

The judge of all and the one indicted, the same family

The family head and his sisters and brothers, the same family

The source of all life and all fathers and mothers, the same family

The one on the throne and those on their knees, the same family

Those yearning for truth and the Word who decrees, the same family

The King of kings and the unnamed hoards, the same family

The dead and the buried and the Lord of lords, the same family

The everlasting saviour and the young and the old, the same family

Those looking for something and the one to behold, the same family

Maybe

Maybe we prefer rules because of the scandal of grace

Maybe we love law because we cannot cope with the freedom of God's love 

Maybe our own effort is easier to trust than Christ's finished work

Maybe we look to ourselves because it is difficult to focus on others

Maybe it is more straight forward to lose hope than to keep faith

Maybe staying the same might seem preferable to being transformed 

Maybe it is simpler to believe the lie than to acknowledge the truth

Maybe we prefer our own way in death than God's way in life

Good is good

God is good, all the time

Even when you've done the crime

Lying still within your cell

Feeling like you're stuck in hell

God is good, all the time

Even when you fail to climb

Future hopes and future dreams

The world is just not as it seems

Good is good, come what may

Body ageing, hair turns grey

No guarantee how long you've got

Mind slows down, loved ones forgot

God is good, through every hour

Expectations turning sour

Hope defers makes heart grow sick

Mist comes down, fog turning thick

God is good, for years to come 

The pain of loss to overcome

Beloved one for all these years

The end has come, the start of tears

God is good, I knew not why

With hatred deep within my eye

Deserving nothing I turned my back

My self-sufficiency would crack

For all that time my God was good

My depth of sin he understood

He welcomed me with smile of grace 

The son of God my soul embrace

 

God's still good whatever comes

If I fear what life becomes

Nothing ever changes this

The father stoops, bestows a kiss

Jesus Supreme

Jesus is the supreme apostle, the one from whom all apostolic calling and mission flows

Jesus is the ultimate prophet, the source of all prophetic gifting and utterance

Jesus is the chief evangelist, the reason that there is a gospel to proclaim 

Jesus is the foremost pastor, the fountain of all love and care

Jesus is the preeminent teacher, the embodiment of God's word

I am learning

I am not drowning, I am learning how to swim

I am not failing, I am learning how to suceed

I am not sleeping, I am learning how to rest

I am not falling, I am learning how to land

I am not missing, I am learning how to be alone

I am not flapping, I am learning how to fly

I am not screaming, I am learning how to sing

I am not tripping, I am learning how to jump

I am not mumbling, I am learning how to speak

I am not stalling, I am learning how to wait

I am not dying, I am learning how to live

I do not know

I do not know what this hour will bring

Will I groan a dirge or lift my heart to sing?

Will my spirit rise as a truth I hear?

Or the dark descend as I face my fear 

I do not know what this day will be

Will the clouds pull back and the light I see?

Will the air turn chill and the rain fall down?

Or the sky be blue with a sunshine crown

I do not know how I will face this week

Will I be at rest or the peace I seek

Will I get wound up or need to be wound down

Will my face light up or will reveal a frown?

I do not know how this year will fare

Will the months roll by and tears be there?

Will a change take place and my gaze to rise?

Or will hope now fade as it slows and dies

Can I be certain of anyone or thing?

As I seek to follow the eternal King 

His promises firm and all his word are true

I may not know but will still pursue 

Christ this minute, Christ this day

Christ this hour, come what may

Christ this moment, Christ every year

I will trust in him as I know him near

Muddy Messiah

Muddy Messiah, dribbler divine

Junior Jesus, clothes on the line

Sniffling saviour, story time hears

Hope of all nations, laughter and tears

A babe in arms leading the army of heaven

Growing through childhood at five, six and seven

Puberty beckons neither early nor late

The whole of creation awaiting its' fate

Out with his mates and friend of the sinner

Running to get home in time for his dinner

Brother to sisters and brother to brothers

Precocious child of his father and mother

Champion of heaven, Lord of all time

Falling asleep, the creator sublime

A teenage incarnate with spots and with stubble 

The redeemer who leads mankind from its trouble

Leaving his childhood his glory obscured

Leaving his father, their oneness assured

A carpenter's life with nail and with wood

A visitor in his own neighbourhood 

How could God come and live inside skin?

Made in his image his kith and his kin

No other way to fulfil God's great plan

Jesus the Christ had to become man

The genius of wire

We get so excited about wireless connectivity, how we can connect to the 'tinterweb' without plugging in our devices. I can have a egg McMuffin in McDonalds and whilst eating my breakfast can connect 'wirelessly' to the Washington Post's website to find out the details of President Trump's latest tweet. However, the truth is that this 'wireless' connection was in fact less than five meters of wireless connection followed by 2,700 miles of wire! Even with satellites and routers and mobile devices we still need wire

This is the genius of wire. Fibre optic cables can transmit data at an extraordinary pace, around 99.7% the speed of light. And the amount of data that can be transmitted is 2 terabytes per second (one million, million bytes - one trillion bytes). 

There is brilliance to wired as well as wireless connection, both can deliver unbelievable amounts of information in tiny amounts of time. However, there is something of significantly greater importance than how information is being sent or received, or what data is being transferred, whether wired or wireless. What really counts is what you are connected to, with whom you are joined

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God's people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-22

It is in Christ that God's people are joined together, the most meaningful of relationship in connection with the Saviour of the world. We are his building, his body, his temple, his kingdom, his dwelling. Our relationships are not so much for us but for him!

Saturated

Saturated by the word

Full of the spirit

Overflowing from the heart

Soaked in God's presence 

Plunged into forgiveness 

Washed in his blood

Drenched with insight

Immersed in contentment 

Submerged into friendship

Awash with revelation 

Permeated with peace

Brimming with confidence

Flooded with love

Steeped in grace

No longer try to understand

We have much to say about this, but it is hard to make it clear to you because you no longer try to understand

Hebrews 5:11

I want to continue to try to understand. I don't want to give up, to close my heart to fresh insight and revelation. I have understood enough to know that there is more to come, I have seen glimpses and I long for a better view. The writer of Hebrews is not only concerned that the readers of the letter understand what is written but that they continue to seek to understand more. They once tried to understand but they no longer do, once they were desperate to grasp the truth but now they had let their desire slip

My attitude to learning will strongly impact what and how I am able to understand. I cannot help but influence my understanding, the question is whether the difference I make will be positive or negative. 

Jesus makes a similar point. "Consider carefully what you hear,” he continued. “With the measure you use, it will be measured to you—and even more. Whoever has will be given more; whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”

Mark 4:24,25

How we respond will significantly affect what additional revelation we receive. Our attitude will either be a conduit for fresh insight and understanding or a blockage that will stop new revelation and eventual cause us to lose what we already have

The choice is up to us!

Culmination of the Ages

These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come

1 Corinthians 10:11 

Apex of all high points

Climax of creation

Completion of all strategies

Pinnacle of Christ's purpose

Crown of his kingdom

Finale of the drama of redemption 

Summit of all achievement 

Zenith of all things

Peak of all powers

Finalisation of God's plan

Conclusion to all crises

Finish to all opposition

Goal of his glory

Destiny of all desires

End of all separation 

Fulfilment of all promises 

Result of his sacrifice 

Consummation of the ages

My Story

Let the redeemed of the Lord tell their story

Psalm 107:2

It is not enough to just tell his story, I must also tell my story. To share how the greatest story ever told has changed the direction of my own journey. How the path of his life crossed the path of my life and altered forever the destination that I was seeking

Once I encountered him my life was different, my goals changed, even how I viewed my past was forever transformed. I could never be the same again, I never wanted to be the same again, something had changed deep within that would have everlasting consequences 

My story changed, not just the overall direction of my life or the plans that I would pursue, but every cell in my body and every second that I breathed would be rooted in another reality. I was, at the same time, both lifted high from the filth and grime of my self-centred existence and humbled low under the sheer weight of God's beauty and magnificence

I heard differently, saw differently, thought differently, walked differently. Everything else was still the same but now I interacted with my surroundings in a new way. Being captivated by my saviour changed how I saw everything else. The lens through which I saw had been re-engineered to enable me to see detail that I had never previously experienced. Blurred images became sharp, dark places were overcome by the light, I could see clearly for the first time and I liked what I saw

How could I not want to tell my story?

One Day

One day we will fully understand the destructive reality of sin

One day we will grasp the staggering depth of God's love

One day we will see how truly wonderful creation is without the spoiling and degrading impact of mankind's rebellion

One day we will appreciate the full weight of our sin that Jesus carried on the cross

One day we will be able to look into the eyes of our brothers and sisters and enjoy our complete and total unity

One day we will be completely aware of the vast separation that exists between God and those who reject him

One day we will be totally content with who we are as we grasp God's unconditional acceptance

One day we will no longer see just a reflection as in a mirror, we will see face to face

One day we will know fully even as we are fully known

One day we will experience nothing else but faith, hope and love knowing that the greatest of them is love

To see and be seen

To hear and be heard

To know and be known

To love and be loved

One day

The Other Sin

He did evil because he had not set his heart on seeking the Lord

2 Chronicles 12:14

He had not prepared his heart

He had not made his heart ready

He had not established his heart

He had not made his heart steadfast

He had not set his heart in the right place

...to seek the Lord

The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. Galatians 5:19,20

All of these (and other) sins are not in themselves the key issue, they point to a larger, more fundamental departure. Sins will never be overcome by trying hard not to do them, the heart needs a different attention, to be captivated by something or someone else

When Jesus was asked which is the greatest commandments, he answered to love God and to love your neighbour. He then went on to say, "All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:40. If we get these two commandments right then we will find ourselves fulfilling all of the rest of the law

Matthew 6:33 makes a similar point, "But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well." Fix your attention on the highest and greatest and you will find the rest of your needs being met

Seeking the Lord will have the same impact on sin, get our priority right in our pursuit of God and we will find a declining inclination to sin. Focus on not sinning and we will try to do it in our own strength and fail, focus on seeking God will result in us sinning less

Sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery have at their root cause a desire for pleasure that is not found in God. Idolatry and witchcraft are the rejection of the one true God for a god made in our own image. Discord and jealousy happen when we elevate ourselves in importance and lessen the importance of God. 

Fits of rage are the outcome of a life whose heart has not been softened by living in proximity to the Prince of Peace. Selfish ambition results from a heart that has a wrong focus, a heart that is not pre-occupied with seeking the Lord. Dissensions, factions and envy overflow from lives that are not focused on Christ and his kingdom. Drunkenness, orgies and the like will always occur when people get bored with life rather than set God as their life's goal

Whatever the sin is that causes us to stumble we should realise that it is 'the other sin' that is the real issue

Contradiction

A contradiction is not an event or an occasion or an issue or a complication, it is a place where we now live. We do not visit it, or travel to it occasionally but it is home, our dwelling place while we are on the earth. 

It is as if two competing truths are seeking to influence us. We are to embrace both, reject neither, welcome the confusion, seek to find clarity, yearn for understanding, trust God with each dichotomy. Knowing that to understand one truth needs the embracing of the other, rejecting one also means the rejection of the other

There are so many examples

• Living in the present but looking to the future
• The present kingdom and the coming kingdom
• The presence of Jesus and the Christ who will return
• Made holy by Christ but seeking to become holy
• Living in this world but not being of this world
• Being at rest but straining for something more
• Caring for our bodies as we wait to be clothed with our heavenly body
• Already made righteous but seeking to live righteously 
• Wanting to be strong but knowing strength comes from weakness 
• Knowing the hidden God and the omnipresent God 
• Caring for creation as we long for the new heaven and new earth
• Speaking the language of our culture as well as the language of heaven
• Embracing the now and the not yet

My faith is not straight forward, simple and neat and tidy, it is not meant to be. I need to learn the secret of being content, like Paul, in any and every situation. I want to be at rest in the theological, philosophical and practical contradictions in which I find myself. Content to trust God that at present 'I see through a glass darkly but then I shall see face to face'. My knowledge of God will be complete when I see fully

The curse of the expert

The leadership of the organisation had finished the discussion, there was a great need to pray for God's will not to be done. Although they came from different traditions, they was a singleness of purpose. Two or three got their diaries out to arrange a day for a prayer meeting, not easy with busy lives and responsibilities. One of the others looked somewhat bewildered, 'Why don't we just pray now?' He asked

There were two approaches to prayer, one complicated the other simple. One influenced by rooting prayer in everyday life, the other by the great praying saints of the past. Rees Howells, the founder of the Bible College of Wales, prayed ten hours a day, six days a week for nine months before the was able to receive an answer to his prayer. He and many others are wonderful examples of lives submitted to God. However, are we inspired by these 'great' saints or do they set a standard that we struggle to meet? Are they always a blessing or can they somehow be a curse?

A few years ago, I was asked to preach at a rural chapel, the minister was away on holiday and I filled his preaching slot. A couple of the members were going to lead the service and they were quite nervous about their responsibilities. Just before the meeting started one of them came up to me and said, 'I am so pleased, a visitor has just turned up and he is a professional worship leader and he has agreed to lead the service.'

After the meeting, very well led by this godly man I considered the morning. Bringing in a 'professional' to lead the meeting meant that we had a well-crafted and expertly led service. But we also had a congregation that had been shown that expertise is what is valued. That it is better to have a professional leader than to train and release the whole congregation into ministry. That, to be blunt, most of us are simply not up to the task

The priesthood of all believers has, for a long time, been in effect the priesthood of a few. Whether in Anglican or Catholic Churches or in non-conformist settings (pointy or non-pointy as we call them) there is a often a clear demarcation line between the experts and the others

I am all for leadership, I support the concept of ministry gifts, but not in a way that has led to the de-skilling and restricting the ministry of countless 'non-expert' disciples of Jesus. Paul in Ephesians says this:

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:13

I think that it is therefore reasonable to suggest that the purpose of ministry gifts is not to do the ministry but to equip God's people for ministry! It is the body of believers that should do the works of service leading to Christ's body being built up resulting in unity and maturity

Experts doing all the important roles demonstrates the opposite to the above and if not checked can become a curse to the church 

What are you reading?

This is the conversation I would love to have while reading my Bible on the train a few days ago. It didn't happen but I am ready if it ever does!

Question Much happening in the world?

Me Oh, I'm not online or checking Facebook but reading

Question What's the book?

Me It's a real classic, a sweeping story full of romance, political intrigue, war, heroism with a fantastic ending. It has parts with songs and poems and has a thread running through it that hooks you in and keeps you wanting more

Question Who is the main character?

Me Initially at the start of the book we see him as a shadowy figure, you are never quite sure who he is or when he will turn up next, even if he really exists at all. Towards the end of the book he becomes a more straight forward character, one who inspires and shatters in equal measure

Question Who wrote it?

Me That's a good question; interestingly it does not have just one author but many. All sorts of people from a nomadic tribesman to Kings in palaces, from government officials to people in food production, they all collaborated to write this masterpiece. It was as if an unknown power was somehow guiding them to write this book

Question Would you recommend it to others?

Me Absolutely, it is thrilling and uplifting but also deeply socking and challenging. Some parts are straight forward to read, others difficult to understand and some seem almost impossible. Not everyone will enjoy the book, some may even find it appalling, but it is very difficult to ignore

Question What is it called?

Me It has different names in different languages, but the English translation is called The Bible

Go Further

Sometimes the important can be obscured by the familiar

Sometimes the beautiful is hidden in the day-to-day 

Can our knowledge sometimes prevent us from seeking to know more?

Is our certainty a hindrance to digging deeper?

How is it that I can read beautiful passages of Scripture and fail to dive in and immerse myself in their transforming power?

Is my orthodoxy actually a hedge that prevents me from seeing to the distant horizon?

I may be able to quote the passage, but has it transformed my thinking and my living?

Is my knowledge of God provoking me to go further or am I remaining safe and secure where I am?

Made for God

You have made us for yourself and our hearts are restless until they rest in you

St Augustine of Hippo

Made for God

Birthed for his glory

Formed to display his grace

Shaped by the Spirit

Conceived within family

Fashioned in his image

Fathered for relationship

Brought forward to exalt 

Chosen for his fame

Loved for his renown

Created for his pleasure 

One

Jesus said, 'I and the Father are one' John 10:30 and 'Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father' John 14:9

What did he mean by these phrases, how are we to understand his words?

No distinguishing marks

No discrepancy of objective

No distinction of thought

No divergence now or ever

No disparity of outlook

No diversity of glory

No displeasure in relationship

No departure from a common life

No difference in experience

No dispute as to priorities 

No deviation from their purpose

No demarcation of nature

Betrayed with a Kiss

While he was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the Twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss him, but Jesus asked him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

Luke 22:47,48

Betrayed with a kiss

Deserted by a smile

Abandoned in the battle

Forsaken through embrace 

Crossed by a friend

Stabbed in the back

Given up for money

Deserted for expediency 

Jilted at the last moment

Marooned from relationship 

Sold out by a mate

Know and Do

Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

John 13:17

Jesus washed the feet of his disciples. The Son of God dipped a cloth into a bowl and cleaned grime from toe and heel and arch and sole. The build-up of dirt washed away by the saviour of the world. Muck meets Messiah and becomes clean

Jesus asks them if they understand what he has done, do they see beyond the act of cleansing? A drama has been performed, not just following the meal but throughout his ministry. This act of love helps to emphasise the importance of serving one another, not just seeing the example that was set by their Rabbi, but doing what he did

Jesus then highlighted the way to blessing; not just knowing a truth but doing a truth, not just appreciating but acting, not just understanding but putting into practice. Blessing is not just knowing something in theory it's knowing it in the everyday circumstances of life. It is being so excited about God's revelation that it demands that life must be lived differently. It is seeing the beauty of God's word and truth and being desperate to demonstrate that truth to others by incorporating it into everyday life

James 1:22 goes a step further when it says 'Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.' The very word that is meant to bring life and blessing, if not obeyed will actually lead to deception. God's words are too important to be simply understood they must be put into practice, lived out they will lead to us and others being blessed

The Saviour Son

The saviour son

The kingly child

The man of sorrow 

The friend reviled 

The hope of nations

The prince now crowned 

The fire from heaven

The Lord renowned 

The God of glory

The prince of peace

The one embodied 

The masterpiece 

The star of morning

The day belongs 

The sound of God

The Father's song 

The servant's master

The rabbi great

The life perfection 

The creator creates

The tale of history

The world in his hands

The peoples' belonging

The kingdom expands

The sight of all seeing

The voice of all word

The thought of all thinking 

The mission transferred 

Gold and Silver

Matthew 18:23-35

“Therefore, the kingdom of heaven is like a king who wanted to settle accounts with his servants. As he began the settlement, a man who owed him ten thousand bags of gold was brought to him. Since he was not able to pay, the master ordered that he and his wife and his children and all that he had be sold to repay the debt.

   “At this the servant fell on his knees before him. ‘Be patient with me,’ he begged, ‘and I will pay back everything.’ The servant's master took pity on him, cancelled the debt and let him go.

   “But when that servant went out, he found one of his fellow servants who owed him a hundred silver coins. He grabbed him and began to choke him. ‘Pay back what you owe me!’ he demanded.

   “His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay it back.’

   “But he refused. Instead, he went off and had the man thrown into prison until he could pay the debt. When the other servants saw what had happened, they were outraged and went and told their master everything that had happened.

   “Then the master called the servant in. ‘You wicked servant,’ he said, ‘I canceled all that debt of yours because you begged me to. Shouldn't you have had mercy on your fellow servant just as I had on you?’ In anger his master handed him over to the jailers to be tortured, until he should pay back all he owed.

   “This is how my heavenly Father will treat each of you unless you forgive your brother or sister from your heart.”

This is a parable that Jesus tells to show what the Kingdom of Heaven is like and in particular how forgiveness operates in the new paradigm. Jesus seems to demonstrate the huge discrepancy between the debt we owe God compared to the debt others owe us and the imperative of forgiveness in the new Kingdom

Whilst the issue is not really the exact difference in the size of the two debts, I thought that it might be interesting to try to put some figures on it. So here are my workings:

Price per ounce, not the value in first century Israel, but I have taken current prices that can be found online

• Ounce of gold £954 
• Ounce of silver £12.19

I have estimated that the bag contains 100 coins, bit of a guess but seems reasonable. I then checked the rough weight of coins and came up with the following:

• Gold coins weigh about 1.2 ounces
• Silver coins weigh about 0.9 of an ounce

Now for the clever bit, the maths, I am so glad I learned my times tables

• Gold - 10,000 bags x 100 coins x 1.2 ounce x £954 = debt of £1,145,000,000
• Silver - 100 coins x 0.9 ounce x £12.19 = debt of £1,097
• The gold debt is 1,044,000 times more than the silver debt

If you are still with me and haven't given up to watch paint dry. Our debt to God can be seen as over a billion pounds compared to the debts of others to us of a thousand pounds, I am indebted to God by a million times more, actually 1.044 million times, than others are indebted to us. How can I fail to forgive others when I recognise the enormous debt that God has forgiven me

The Gospel of Matthew sums it up:

For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 6:14,15