Good News Rediscovered         Word on the Week          27^th February 2021.

As zoom meetings go there was one this week that worked well!   It’s not that the technology behaved perfectly, it didn’t, or the ‘breakout rooms’ served their purpose, I lost my video screen and had difficulty recognising the voices but the content was what we needed to hear!

The content took us back to when Jesus was being harassed and hounded by the Chief Priests and Elders of the People.   Rather like the media. They always turn up and often get the message wrong!   Now having dealt with the Sadducees (Matthew Chapter 23 verse 34).  The Pharisees, confronted by truth, stopped asking any more questions (Matthew Chapter 23 verse 46). Somewhat like today with the religious in Ireland silenced.

It seemed that all the frustration which had built up over the previous three years of teaching was channelled into one sustained outburst of home truths from Jesus’ lips which St Matthew recorded for us in Chapter 23 of his book.   It was a full frontal attack on the religious of his day!  Sometimes known as the seven woes.

The sermon begins with a confirming word acknowledging the role the Pharisees received from Moses recommending obedience to the law.   The problem was the Pharisees had added to the law and the 10 Commandments now added up to 612 rules and regulations!   They did not keep the laws themselves!    Not much has changed today.   There is still a lot of hypocrisy around (St Matthew Chapter 23 verses 1 to 36).

Chapter 23 ends with an invitation.   Not to go to the Priests nor the Temple.   But to come to Jesus. This was in line with the other invitations Jesus gave – to his disciples to ‘follow me’ and to the weary to give him their burden (Chapter 11 verse 28).  

This is a passionate invitation from one who could see where Jerusalem was heading “Jerusalem, Jerusalem! She who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her. How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, yet you were not willing”!

This is the last appeal Jesus gave.   He was bypassing the religious system which had been abused by its leaders.  His plea has no strings attached.   It is to all – unlimited.  Even to those who had been unwilling to trust in his words.  God’s omnipotent grace!  As the hymn puts it; “His love has no limit, His grace has no measure, His power no boundary known unto men. For out of His infinite riches in Jesus, He giveth and He giveth and He giveth again.” ~ A. J. Flint.

Time Flies                        Word on the Week               20^th February 2021.

“I’m not as young as I used to be” said the Chinese Christian worker.   I had failed to recognise her (it had been some years). Then came the obvious reply “none of us are as young as we used to be!”   Psalm 39 verse 4 reminded me of these thoughts.   It reads, “Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is”.

It would be nice to know how we will end up and how soon that end will come!  The added comment on the brevity of life hardly needs to be made let alone sung about as this indeed is a song of King David.   It’s one of a number he composed for Jeduthun who, with his sons, played the trumpet, cymbals, harp and lyres.   A musical family!

Of course, for those who have, by God’s grace, become followers of Christ the Apostle Paul says we are already dead to these thoughts.   As the song puts it, “For me to live is Christ to die is gain”.   Words inspired by the text in Galatians Chapter 2 verse 20 which says “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me”.

I had a boss whose management style was pugnacious!   His personal outlook was “People are problems”!    We were together on a long car journey and I thought it would be a good idea to share Galatians 2:20 with him.   His immediate response – “What’s that in English?” was not too encouraging!

It did highlight for me the ‘great gulf’ there is between the lover of Jesus and the communicating of that life-changing love to another.   Explanations may go some way but a note of incredulity creeps into the other’s voice which it requires the gift of faith to remove.

Lydia was a business woman but also a woman of prayer.  Women from Philippi met for prayer outside the city on the river bank.   As St Paul writes “The Lord opened Lydia’s heart to respond to Paul’s message”.   She then ‘took the plunge’ and was baptised in the river demonstrating visually her death to the old life and her rising with Christ to the new life in Him.

The very expression ‘time flies’ is loaded with regret and in itself speaks of a longing for eternity.   And that is exactly what every child of God looks forward to.   For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (St John Chapter 3 verse 16).    God’s gift solves the time problem!

Faith needs an Object               Word on the Week          13^th February 2021.

The object in these parts is the national Rugby team!   Without four of their outstanding players as a result of injury or misdemeanour they go to face the French this weekend.   Supporters require a lot of faith to believe they will win!

The object of their faith is quite clear.   It may be misguided but what are supporters there for if they do not show faith?    There was a slogan which appeared in a Guinness advert which enigmatically said “Believe in Better”.   In this case the product was so well known that the owners could indulge in a nonsense phrase with a positive tone to it!

‘Keep the Faith’ is an expression associated with a religion so well known that those using it can omit the object and be perfectly understood.   Faith in this case is assumed to be the whole body of doctrine.    It often was directed at me during my working life and in an effort to supply the object I would add ‘in Jesus’ to the slogan.   Sadly, I have little evidence that I was understood!

Perhaps the most quoted portion of the Apostle James’s book is in Chapter 2.   It is the ‘dead’ faith which didn’t produce good works and is mentioned in verse 14.   James is looking for something more than mental assent.   He wants to see obedience. He then cites Abraham’s offering of his son on the altar as Abraham carried out God’s instructions to the letter Verses 21 to 23). In doing so he raises the bar to its highest level.   Little wonder God credited righteousness to Abraham – the ‘Man of Faith’.

Of course faith does not come naturally to us.  It’s not the normal way we live Doubt comes naturally.   Unbelief can take us by surprise!   Worry comes with the territory we inhabit.   But faith, apart from our time of infancy, is not where we are at.

Nor is it something we can obtain if we put our mind to it.   Like the determination to ride a two wheeled bike!   Faith in Christ is how we see Jesus.   To be working at its best it should not be added to by ceremony other than prayer.    It is its object – Jesus – who is all important.  We walk by faith (2 Corinthians Chapter 5 verse 7).

But to be able to walk we need to receive the gift of faith.   This comes from God and is by his grace not by our merit.   This means that every person who receives this gift is a special work of God.   His Spirit will show you what tasks he has for your short time on earth (Ephesians Chapter 2 verses 8 to 10).

Have faith in God (St Mark Chapter 11 verse 22).

Behemoth                         Word on the Week                     6^th February 2021.

There are a number of human Behemoth’s flourishing financially in today’s world (Job Chapter 40 verses 15 to 24).   They go by names like ‘Amazon’, ‘Apple’ or ‘Google’ etc. and, like the Biblical Behemoth are known for their size and strength.  

Perhaps they are more like Leviathan (literally that which twists around) the great mythological serpent (Job Chapter 3 verse 8 and 41 verses 1 to 34).    These companies have grown to have a dominating position.   Their growth is stimulated by recording details of each customer on their data base and using the information to focus advertisers to match the customer’s details.

Just as Leviathan has multiple heads (Psalm 74 verses 12 to 14) these Companies have, with the exception of Facebook, each has had a new chief executive.    The latest to step down it Jeff Bezos of Amazon.   His income is growing at the rate of €160 million per day or €1,850 per second!

Covid has helped Amazon.   It has caused Governments to lockdown whole populations who become dependent on companies like Amazon to supply their needs delivering them to their door.   They are following this up by building large warehouses which they stock with product which they know from their data are what the customer wants.

This all started years ago by selling books!   There has been talk of taxing these companies with a ‘windfall tax’ to redistribute the profits made out of trading during the Covid pandemic.   The difficulty is that they scarcely pay any tax at present as they trade globally and locate their ‘Registered Office’ in the country with the lowest tax.    Like Leviathan they are hard to control!

The Bible speaks of something which is far more precious than the wealth of Amazon and that is our salvation.    It is not money but the life’s blood of the crucified Christ that is the most precious thing on earth.    And it is so because it alone can transform a sinner to a follower of Jesus with a new life on earth and a future inheritance in heaven (1 Peter chapter 1 verses 17 to 21).

Salvation comes in three tenses.   The believer can say “I have believed” recalling the time he first committed his life to Christ.   “I am being saved” recognising that God continues to work in him.   “And I will be saved” looking by faith to the inheritance in heaven.

The Apostle Peter, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, gives us a wonderful summery of this salvation in 1 Peter Chapter 1 verses 3 to 9.  

Amazon may be able to deliver the goods but only Christ can satisfy the heart.