Sinéad O’Connor             Word on the Week                     29^th July 2023.

It was on Wednesday morning that the police found her body in her London flat.   Sinéad O’Connor, the icon of the Irish music scene, was no more.   A huge groundswell of appreciation has poured from the media which shows no signs of stopping.

Songwriter, poet and singer where among her accomplishments but it will be largely for her singing that she will be remembered.    Her voice was unique.   Her singing was from the heart.   She put her whole soul into her songs and the audience entered into the full weight of their meaning.

She had a troubled childhood which resulted in her being treated in St Patrick’s mental health service over a period of six years.   What she experienced in the residential institution, An Grianan, where elderly Magdalene Laundry women went in their old age, was formative.

She was characterised by her honesty.   She did not do nuance!    This resulted in her outspoken-ness sometimes being misunderstood.   One occasion which lives on in the collective memory was her ripping up of the Pope’s photograph on stage.   This was part of her persona as a protest singer.   The protest was before its time as child abuse by the Catholic Church had not yet been revealed.

Her shaved head was in response to a record company’s executive wish to cash in on her beauty.   He wanted her in high heels and a short skirt!    She appeared in a dress and boots!

The death of her vulnerable son, Shane, last year at age 17 had a profound effect on her.    She was strongly protective of him so his suicide was doubly hard.   One of her last postings on social media spoke of her living as an “undead night creature since….he was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.”

Sinéad had tried out the world’s major religions.   She went wholeheartedly into them, adopting their distinctive dress and attempting to copy their rituals.  It seems that she found comfort in ‘bardo’ latterly.   This is the state between death and rebirth that is practiced in Eastern religions.   

Perhaps she also knew that Jesus has said: – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life.   Whoever believes in me, though he dies, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die (St John 11 verses 24 to 26).

May it be so for Sinéad.

The Chosen                     Word on the Week                     22^nd July 2023.

It was Tony from The Shed who drew my attention to “this film on the life of Jesus”.   He added the thought that I would like it.   Sad to say the icon for The Chosen languished on my smartphone untouched till it disappeared from sight with the purchase of a new phone.

It has come to prominence during the current Hollywood strike. It is being produced by one of the smaller independent film companies which have been permitted to continue filming, without considering to be breaking the current strike.   It is presently working on season four out of a total of seven.

Apparently this is the first time there has been an episode-based portrayal of Jesus that could be “binge-watched” like shows on streaming platforms such as Netflix.   Dallas Jenkins producer, director and co-writer intends to produce a unique portrayal of Jesus by crafting a story arc that focuses more on the people who encountered Jesus and viewing him through their eyes.

He appears to be succeeding in reaching a wide audience as the first two seasons have been viewed by more than 400 million people.   It has a global appeal as shown by its subtitles in 62 different languages.

The finance has been raised by crowd-funding.   This has been promoted by a passionate fan base who pay to be “extras” in the various biblical scenes.   The result has been the most successful crowd-funding series ever.   74,346 people raised $10 million for the first season and $45 million for the second!   It is the most successful crowd-funding series to date.

Dallas Jenkins is an evangelical Christian.   His main concern is to make Jesus Christ available to people who obtain their information via image rather than the printed word.   The film title ‘The Chosen’ refers to Christ (Isaiah 42 verse 1).

Even Jesus’ enemies knew He was the ‘Chosen One’ (St Luke 23 verse 35).   The Apostle Peter writing to believers refers to them as ‘a chosen race’ (1 Peter 2 verse 9).  

So we have the Chosen One, Jesus, calling out those of faith ‘a chosen people’.   The hymn writer puts it well: –                                                         Chosen not for good in me,
Wakened up from wrath to flee,
Hidden in the Saviour’s side,
By the Spirit sanctified,
Teach me, Lord, on earth to show,
By my love, how much I owe.

Restoring Nature             Word on the Week                              15^th July 2023.

Everyone agrees it is a good idea to restore nature.  The problems arise over the methods employed to the restoration.   These could have a negative impact on farm incomes.    Some farmers say a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush in opposition to the ecologist who would prefer to see the birds in the bush!

Matters came to a head in Europe this week when the debating ended and a vote was taken.   The result was a narrow win for those wishing to see nature restored 336 votes against 300 who opposed any change.   All the Irish MEP’s voted for the law although in its final form it was gutted of its most significant conservation measures to achieve the victory!

These measures were lower targets and more flexibility than originally proposed with increased support from the EU Nature fund.   Urgent action is required if Ireland is to live up to its emerald Isle green image.

We have never been good at dealing with waste.   A concerted effort has reduced the amount formally dumped in country lanes and Council wheelie bins have greatly helped in segregation and waste disposal.

An ongoing problem has been the lack of regular inspection of septic tanks.   These may be installed correctly but through time malfunction polluting the area and its water courses.   We seem blighted by fish kills as none of our rivers are immune from these discharges of waste.

But these are relatively minor incidents.   It is the restoration of the landscape to its former wooded glory that is part of the solution.   The watercourses merely indicate health or otherwise.   The safeguarding of declining flora and fauna requires much attention.

The seas, once teeming with fish, are badly overfished.   Methods of catching fish have increased the catch beyond what sustains the species.   The salmon is an example of a fish which has to be farmed.   Wild salmon, once plentiful, will soon be a thing of the past.

The Bible indicates where the responsibility lies.   It was given to humankind at the beginning (Genesis 2 verse 15).   We are to act as God’s stewards to tend and care for it.    The psalmist writes of this work in Psalm 8 part of which reads: – You have given him dominion over the works of your hands;
    you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen,
    and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas. O Lord, our Lord,
    how majestic is your name in all the earth!                                                            May we accept this responsibility.

House Martin                   Word on the Week                     8^th July 2023.

It happened again last Thursday.   The conditions were just right.   Humid, gentle rain and a gusting breeze.   The sky was leaden and the birds were hopping!    It was a Martins food fest like no other.   It lasted for ages!

The wind was ensuring a constant supply of aphids and flies were blown out of the trees and into the path of the cavorting Martins.    The birds had lost all fear of humans and darted past my head at a speed of 36 feet per second.

None flew in straight lines but cavorted about seeking food, their mouths wide open and their small triangular wings beating at just over 5 beats per second.   The mouth has a wide gape which the bird used to scoop up the food in flight.   It even drinks in flight skimming the surface of a pool of water.  

The short legs and feet are feathered white like the other underparts.    The bird cannot easily take off from level ground that is why it perches on houses and gets its name.    Its favourite nesting place is under the eaves.   The nest is built of soft mud which is plastered into a half sphere against the building with a small entrance hole at the top.    It is lined with moss and feathers and they may lay two or three broods each year.

It has a weak but melodic chirruping twitter which during the food fest was reduced to a single ‘tseep’ presumably because their mouth was full!   One thing which distinguishes them from their near relation, the swallow, is more fluttering punctuated by short periods of gliding when they look like the paper aeroplanes we made in school!

Like the swallow they leave us late September having spent 5 months in Ireland.   The head South, following the food, and end up wintering in sub- Saharan Africa.   

William Shakespeare was clearly describing the house martin when Banquo brings the nests and birds to the attention of Duncan at Macbeth’s castle, Inverness.    Martins also appear in a coat of arms being part of the heraldic emblems on the shield.   Their near relation, the swallow, is mentioned in Scripture Psalm 84 verses 1 to 3. 

How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts!   My soul longs, yes, faints

for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God.

Even the sparrow finds a home, and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may lay her young, at your altars, O Lord of hosts, my King and my God.

May we too long for the living God as we encounter Him in creation and in Jesus in redemption.

Tubgate                            Word on the Week                        1^st July 2023.

At first we thought RTE, our public service broadcaster, had got its numbers wrong when publicising the salary paid to its star performer, Ryan Tubridy.    An error perhaps caused out of embarrassment at the enormity of the sums required to retain his services.    How wrong we were!

Ryan stepped back from the conversation.   After all he was not responsible for the way RTE doled out information on the salaries of its top brass.  In addition, he had resigned a week or two before the scandal broke!

As is usual in these matters we were only looking at the tip of the iceberg.   The Director General, perhaps the best equipped to take us to the murky waters below, also resigned!   In addition, she turned down the invitation to account for the discrepancies pleading ill health.

Items have surfaced during the week telling of a Barter Account which made ex gratia payments in the form of loyalty bonuses, trips to matches and new cars.   This account was completely outside RTE’s normal financial controls having outgoings invoiced as ‘consultancy’!

How the Barter Account, or slush fund as it has come to be known, was itself funded remains something of a mystery but the public who fund RTE through licence fees and taxes are fairly clear that it came out of their pockets!

When your salary is being overpaid by a six figure amount over a period of years as Tubridy’s was you would have thought he would have remarked upon it.   It appears that greed is insidious in that it goes largely unnoticed.

Tim Keller, who recently went to glory, illustrated this fact by contrasting the sin of greed with adultery.  He remarked that no one ever says “Oh, you are not my wife” whereas greed invariably has to be brought to the attention of those guilty of it.

In the Bible the sin of greed is listed in a number of places alongside adultery as in 1 Corinthians 6 verses 9 to 11.    Elsewhere, Jesus warned against covetousness in the parable of the rich fool.   In it He pointed out that our life does not consist of the abundance of our possessions but in the richness of our relationship with God (St Luke 12 verses 13 to 21).

It does not come easily to draw attention to something which will penalise you. In fact, doing the ‘right thing’ often requires a lot of backbone.   Usually it is deferred until silence means consent!    In the Bible’s demonstration of sin bearing, carried out on the cross, it cost Jesus his life.   He did the heavy lifting.   We only need to abandon our sin and greed and entrust our life to him (2 Corinthians 5 verse 21).

Ocean Grave                   Word on the Week                     24^th June 2023.

This week tragedy befell the submersible, Ocean Gate, when it imploded deep under the surface of the Atlantic Ocean.   Sadly, for the brave passengers, their expedition to the hulk of the Titanic was cut short with the loss of all on board.  

They understood the risks.   Indeed, it was partly the risks which drew them into the expedition.   The submersible had been there twice before.   As they signed the waiver (relieving others of responsibility) the high octane thrill of risk would have coursed through their veins.

Mountaineers know all about it as indeed do those ground breaking astronauts who hitch a ride on a rocket to outer space.    But while we have conquered mountains and somewhat conquered space, the ocean depth is proving more challenging for the present.

Not that there is a lot to see down there!   The expedition was bound for the wreck of the Titanic, itself a graveyard for many of its passengers and crew. One theory is that the previous trips had weakened the carbon fibre hull which collapsed under the extreme pressure of the ocean depth.   In true adventurer fashion the man who warned against repeated use of the craft was fired and further testing dispensed with!

But those who perished were by no means the first to ignore lifesaving advice.   The Bible tells us of one, Jesus, who descended from heaven to the lower earthly regions on a rescue mission – that the Gospel may be known through all the earth (Ephesians 4 verse 9).

He also knew what it was like to have good advice ignored by those who should have known better (St John 5 verses 36 to 40).   It’s not knowledge that we lack, it is the recognition that we can do nothing on our own.   We are dependent on our ‘mother ship’ not the Polar Prince but the Lord Jesus Christ.

We learn that the submersible lost contact with the mother ship when they descended into the abyss.   The Bible, referring to fruitful lives, states that without Jesus we can do nothing (St John 15 verse 5).   When we stop praying and reading the Bible we so easily lose contact with Jesus and imagine we can handle things on our own.

‘Light of the world You stepped down into darkness
Open my eyes let me see
Beauty that made this heart adore you
Hope of a life spent with you.’

Chris Tomlin’s song is a prayer for that communication which is the Christians life.   By faith in Jesus it can be yours.

Pride Month                     Word on the Week                     17^th June 2023.

Indicative of the long way the LGBT community have come in Ireland is the fact of June being designated as their month.   It is interesting to see the name ‘pride’ has been adopted to give those involved a feeling of self-worth.

Perhaps it has been lacking in the past where members of the LGBT have tended to be looked down upon by Cisgender people.   Cisgender is the term applied to those who have retained the gender assigned to them at birth. 

There is no doubt that the sexual revolution of recent years has forced some rethinking of issues previously put on the long finger.    The bizarre dress code of a Gay Parade is not so much a cry for help as a demand to be noticed and accepted – without trying to change them.

Previously acceptance was on traditional lines as LGBT people endured the difficulties of being part of our Christianised society but now with the fair wind of secularism at their backs those difficulties are disappearing as laws are changed to accommodate them.

The appearance of the rainbow flag of the community in many public and commercial places shows how much progress has been made in their ideology becoming accepted.   Before the Covid closedown, four years ago, 60,000 were attending the Dublin Gay Parade.   Next Saturday’s event in the city will probably exceed that number.

When the Apostle Paul was at Athens he was greatly distressed to see the city full of idols.   His reaction was to preach in the market place the good news of Jesus and the resurrection (Acts 17 verse16 to 31).  The good news was that Jesus the Son of God had shed his blood for sinner’s redemption (Romans 5 verse 8).  

The resurrection means that no matter how broken we are, LGBT or Cisgender alike, one day we can stand complete in Christ.    As the Apostle Peter puts it Jesus gives us new birth into a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead (1 Peter 1 verse 3).

The gospel does not offer us a change of gender but a new birth.   This is not tinkering with our humanity but recognising that it’s the heart it is the source of our troubles.   Jesus said out of the heart come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, pride and folly (St Mark 7 verse 20).   That’s why we need a new birth.

And it’s available on placing your trust in Jesus.

It’s an Ill Weather                   Word on the Week                         3^rd June 2023.

It’s an ill weather, (or is it wind?) that does nobody any good!   Like underachieving children our Government makes climate promises which go unfilled.  In this case the promises of a carbon-free future are not enough to focus our minds on the target of 51% reduction in carbon by 2030 which, according to the EPA, we do not look like we are going to meet.

According to our Central Statistics Office the economy is growing.   This should be encouraging news but the Environmental Protection Agency has warned that increased activity means increased carbon making our targets, which we are failing to meet, already too low!

Apparently most sectors have underperformed.   The EPA names the usual suspects; Agriculture, Industry, Transport and Energy.   The two check points arise, one in 2025 and the other at the end of this period in 2030.  

If the measures already agreed were put in place, we may only have a small amount of carbon credits to buy from Nations who have a surplus.   On the other hand, if we continue as we are going, which is in the wrong direction, the cost could be very considerable.

It is not all bad news however.   The rising temperatures in the rest of Europe is making the climate unbearable in mid-summer.   We can expect tourists from the hotter parts to head for the more temperate regions, perhaps coming to our shores for their holidays!

There is a recurring video used by our Television suppliers of a cliff, composed of ice and snow, spectacularly collapsing into the sea.   It graphically represents the thawing of the ice cap at the North pole.   It is shown as a reminder of the loss of land to the sea in the arctic and is already encroaching upon citizens of poorer countries globally who live at the coast.

Do I hear someone say, “It’s not the end of the world” – no, it’s coming and in the meantime we have a moral duty to care for those who lose their home from rising tides.    They become someone’s refugees.

Unlike us, “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise as some understand slowness.   He is patient with us not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3 verse 9).  We are told that the end will be fire not water so we are not there yet!   We are asked to live holy and godly lives as we look forward to the day of the Lord and speed its coming (verses 11/12)

Donald McLeod                     Word on the Week                         27^th May 2023.

The death of Professor Donald McLeod last Sunday added to the pantheon of Christian exponents who have recently been called to higher service!   ‘Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints’ (Psalm 116 verse 15).

He leaves a legacy of sermon recordings and writings which he sets out with sparkling clarity.   It’s not for nothing that he has been called ‘The People’s Theologian’.   God gave him the ability to make difficult things seem simple, without compromising their profundity.   He will be sadly missed.

He was born in the outer Hebrides on the Isle of Lewis in 1940 into a Christian family and educated in the renowned Nicholson Institute in Stornoway.   He did his theological training in the University of Glasgow.   I remember at the time he completed his doctoral thesis at the Free Church College in Edinburgh, that it was questioned whether there would be scholars qualified to assess his paper!

After serving as Minister in the remote village of Kilmallie near Fort William for eight years, then he was called to the large free Church in Glasgow known in 1972 as Partick Highland.   From there he was appointed professor of systematic theology at the Free Church College in 1978, a position he held for some 33 years.   During that period, he trained virtually all the Ministers in the Free Church!

As happens with people of ability there were those who took issue with him in his desire to modernise the Free Church.   They also took him to court over his conduct with women.   At the end of the lengthy trial the court found that “the women had all lied in the witness box to further the ends of Professor Macleod’s enemies in the Free Church of Scotland.”   This happened in 1996.

In 1999 McLeod became Principal of the Free Church College, a position he held till his retirement in 2010.

His writing was not without humour.   Reminiscing about his origins in the West Highland Free Press he claimed “At birth, the Maker dealt me a real duff hand.   I was born a Gael, a Calvinist and a Wee Free, a crippling triple whammy!   He overcame many challenges to produce great books!

‘Christ Crucified’ published in 2014 deals sublimely with the doctrine of atonement.   To conclude with an example from it of Christ’s substitution on the cross where literally ‘He died for me’.  The work is done.  He did it once for all time (Hebrews 7 verse 27).    Salvation!

Donald McLeod has completed his task and made it easier for us who follow.

Tim Keller                        Word on the Week                     20^th May 2023.

In the passing of Dr Tim Keller this week the evangelical community has lost a towering figure.   His stature came from his close walk with Jesus whom he portrayed in the most compelling language and actions.

Few can forget the superb Gospel illustrations he gleaned from the contemporary world of the arts, film and drama with which he presented the truth of Christ to a New York congregation.

Redeemer was the name of the church he planted, boldly stating the reason why Christ came to earth.   He gathered his congregation by travelling weekly from Philadelphia to New York to lunch with a contact.   During the meal Tim would share the Gospel and his vision of a new church specially for people like his new friend.

He would conclude by asking for two visiting cards.   These would be of people the diner thought would appreciate meeting Tim over lunch the following week.   This was how he built up a community and with the prayers of his friends in Philadelphia, Redeemer came into being.

His method of training disciples was also Gospel centered.   Candidates were invited to become part of the Redeemed staff for a year during which time they were to make their church planting plans known and encourage any in the congregation to join a new work.

Perhaps Tim is best known through his books and taped addresses.   He was a popular conference speaker who, along with Don Carson founded the Gospel Coalition.   The vision they held was that Gospel churches had more in common with each other than with their denomination.   The Gospel Partnerships these churches formed was a way to foster the Lord’s work without necessarily leaving their denomination.

Another part of his vision was the ‘City to City’ ministry.   He understood the similarities which exist between large cities.   Often they have more in common with each other than they have with their hinterland.    We have an example of this work in ‘The Third Way’ in Smithfield Dublin – a Christian space for Gospel work.

Perhaps the greatest asset in all his endeavours was his wife Kathy.   She shared her vision with Tim and the Lord used them greatly.   Our sympathy goes to her and their three sons on their great loss.

Then the king said to his soldiers, “You must know that a great leader has fallen in Israel today (2 Samuel 3 verse 38).