The UK ship of state has become rudderless. There is no one at the helm. The crew are in disarray. Those on the bridge have abandoned the ship!
Europe seems an attractive place by comparison to the unfolding mess in the UK. Much of the arguments prominent in the debates during the Brexit Referendum are now seen to be either flawed or telling only half the story. The notion that the “Leave” people have that the UK will continue to have free access to the common market is delusional. In fact to regain access to the market they will be required to have an open border policy – something the “Leave” side voted to reject.
The trigger for leaving the EU is the invoking of Article 50 which would require to be done by a vote in the House of Commons. How this can be achieved when the vast majority of M P’s wish to remain in the EU is just one of the challenges awaiting the next Prime Minister. Another is the needs of a pro EU Scotland and a Northern Ireland which does not want to reintroduce border controls.
From an Irish perspective the overland trade route to the EU will be cumbered by border checks at entry and exit points. The free flow of goods and services, which we have taken for granted, will be impeded whilst in the offices the paper-work piles up.
To add to the irony of all this we have, this week, joined with the European Nations in commemorating the centenary of the “War to end all Wars”. This idea of a peaceful Europe was one of the foundational planks of the founding fathers of what became the EU. It grew out of the destruction of the 2nd world war and has been largely successful in achieving that aim but not without huge inequalities in wealth and employment currently existing between the nation states.
Jesus said, in a pivotal passage recorded in St Matthew Chapter 16 verses 13 – 23, where St Peter is commended for his insight in recognising Jesus as the Messiah – the Son of God who is alive, unlike the pagan gods whose statues surrounded them in Caesarea Philippi, “I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it”.
Jesus is alive today, unlike the modern gods who have no salvation, and the church prospers by his power. The gates are the strongest part of the city walls but they will not withstand the onward march of the church. Hades is the place of the dead. Jesus is saying that nothing – not even death will overpower the church.
And that ‘nothing’ includes Brexit and its aftermath!

This coming week the UK will decide by referendum whether or not to remain in the EC. Always a reluctant member, reflecting perhaps its long history of wars fought on European soil and a general mistrust of the “foreigner” this debate has degenerated into violence with the killing of Jo Cox the Pro Europe Labour MP.
Apparently the older people in the UK want out and the younger want in. The old see the problems and the youth see more opportunities in a united Europe.
The debate is being fought on immigration, swollen by refugees and economics based on selfish national interests.
But how well has the vision of a united Europe been realised? Its founders knew that European integration would fail if the political ends of the project ever came to be dominated by the economic means. Its priority had to be people organised in democracies relatively free from corruption with participation in central decision making designed for the common good.

This ideal has been tested by the flood of refugees from war-torn countries coupled with a reluctance to accommodate the free flow of economic migrants from Eastern Europe. When a small number of militant Islamists are added the mix gets toxic and democratic freedoms are in danger of being swept away. The social cohesion will be severely tested if Brexit takes place.

Monetary union, which served Ireland well initially, put us into a straightjacket when, through reckless banking, we went broke. Having landed in hoc to our European Bondholders we could not devalue our currency to reflect our bankrupt state and had to climb out of recession using the Euro, a hard currency. This illustrates the difficulty we had with the Euro.
Conversely the Euro, weaker relative to the old Deutschmark, enabled Germany to trade abroad at a massive advantage which has been calculated at being worth €1,500 billion to that country. By contrast the absence of wealth in Spain, Portugal and Greece, who are in financial difficulties similar to Ireland, portrays a Europe with great financial inequalities.
The only solution would appear to dismantle the Euro returning control of their currencies to the individual countries. This would enable the Southern European countries to deal with their high levels of youth unemployment by stimulating foreign trade.

Scripture shows the nation state of Israel separate in order, amongst other things, to reflect God’s laws to the Nations. They were identified by a distinctive language (to restrain evil Genesis Chapter 11 verse 6) and throughout the Bible people are differentiated by their culture and national identity.
It is in the Kingdom of God that we come to see the fulfilment of the Gospel in individual lives and corporately regardless of colour or creed. It is a Kingdom where God rules in the lives of its subjects who have entered, not by crossing a physical boundary but by answering Christ’s call to repent and believe the Gospel (St Mark Chapter 1 verse 15).
It encompasses all of us who have grieved over their sins enough to bring them to Christ in prayer that He might graciously give you the grace to repent by turning from them and trusting Him.
It is a Kingdom that will outlast the EU or a Brexit!

To have the body like that of Muhammad Ali in his prime was the wish of every young man a few decades ago. Bodybuilding has come into vogue again in the form of workouts in the local gym coupled with a course of performance enhancing drugs.
In the old days the Charles Atlas adverts appeared in many magazines. They showed a picture of a bloke flexing his muscles with the caption, “You too can have a body like mine”. Many skinny fellows tried in vain to alter the way nature had made them. Now it’s possible to inject anabolic steroids into the muscles to promote growth and produce a body that would make Charles Atlas proud!
Of course it does not happen by itself. Workouts at the local gym 5 nights a week along with plenty of jogging are part of the mix. Then there are the protein bars sold in filling stations along with protein-based snacks available in convenience stores.

It’s illegal to procure anabolic steroids without a prescription but tablets can be bought on the internet and can be obtained in many gyms. The side effects include liver and heart problems as well as aggression and mood swings which can become hard to control. The treatment is similar to the hormone implants in cattle which increases muscle weight and makes them behave like bulls. The practice is banned in this country.
The Bible does not have a lot of time for strong men. There was only one Samson and he is not one to emulate! In fact when the Prophet Samuel was looking for a King to succeed Saul he was led to David with the instruction “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature…for the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance but the Lord looks on the heart” (1 Samuel Chapter 16 verse 7).
This is further emphasised when Zerubbabel is instructed that the Lord works, “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” (Zechariah Chapter 4 verse 6). So it’s not muscle power but prayer and petition to the Lord that brings about change.
Speaking of Jesus, Isaiah says that there was no beauty that we should desire him. He was destined to carry our sins, be smitten by God and afflicted for us! But it is with these wounds, made at the cross, that we are healed (Chapter 53 verses 4 & 5).
When St Paul thought he would be a better Apostle if his body was in better shape his prayers were not answered in the way he had hoped. Instead the Lord said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, (wrote St Paul) I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians Chapter 12 verses 9 to 12).
Many things in God’s economy are the opposite of the world’s values. In God’s Kingdom his strength comes via our weakness. The only workout the Bible speaks of is in Philippians Chapter 3 verse 12 “Work out your own salvation in fear and trembling for it is God who works in you, both to do and to will his good pleasure”.
The perfect body comes in the glory!

The drug war clocks up 20 years since the murder of ace journalist Veronica Guerin. She gave the drug barons no respite with her reporting on them and eventually paid for it with her life.
Recently feuds between two rival gangs have produced seven murders since last September, the most recent occurring this week.
The area the crimes have taken place is the Northside of Dublin, more recently narrowing down to an area within Dublin 1. Considerable numbers of armed Garda patrol the area and there are numerous checkpoints on the roads.
Despite this high level of security the most recent murder took place under the noses of the patrols.
Those involved are the Kinahan and Hutch families. The likely victims are known to the Garda and one of the suspect gang members recently handed himself in for his own safety.

There was a time when the Criminal Assets Bureau were successfully confiscating the proceeds of drug money but it has been getting progressively more difficult as the drug money has been used to buy businesses. Sales of luxury motor cars have been a popular way to spend drug income. The proceeds from the businesses are paid out as salaries but the tell-tale signs of very expensive cars being driven by unlikely people indicate where the money trail is.
Arrests are being made but getting witnesses to testify in the existing climate of fear is difficult.
The organisers of drug crime have moved to places like Spain where there are many international mafia groups. They control the Irish trade through family members’ resident here. Their assets are safer in Spain where CAB cannot reach them and, unless there is a Spanish conviction, their assets cannot be seized.
It is well known that drugs create addictions which destroy the body and confuse the mind. The short term relief they give is a poor exchange for the craving for more which they inflict on the body.

Jesus equated his body with the temple; the place where God dwells. He also realised it was but a temporary dwelling and that it would be destroyed. Jesus said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews misunderstood him and said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken (St John Chapter 2 verses 19 to 22).
St Paul writing his first letter to the church at Corinth reminded them that believers have God living in them. “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple (Chapter 3 verses 16/17).

The good news for the drug user is that by trusting his body to Jesus he can be delivered from his addictions and have his mental and physical health restored.
The invitation Jesus gave is still open to anyone who sees their need. “Come to me, all who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (St Matthew Chapter 11 verse 28).

Egypt Air Flight 804 disappeared this week over the Mediterranean Sea whilst on a routine domestic flight from Paris to Cairo. The plane had touched down in a number of North African countries before its 50 minute stopover in Paris. The question on everyone’s minds was, “Is it sabotage”?

All the 59 passengers and crew of the Air Bus 320 are missing presumed dead. Some wreckage has been spotted near the place where radio contact was lost. Radar tracking of the flight showed a 90 degree turn to the right then a 90 degree turn to the left and finally a 360 degree turn as it lost height before it disappeared off the screen. Monitoring devices recorded smoke alarms going off immediately before contact was lost.

First reaction has been to call the disaster a terrorist attack. A bomb could have been placed on board at any of the airports where the plane touched down prior to arriving at Paris. Because of the brief 50 minute stopover in Paris the plane’s crew were responsible for checking security there.

The passenger list showed 15 French and 30 Egyptians were on board. These represent two countries which ISIS has shown particular hostility. Recently there has been a shift in the preferred method of violence from gun attacks to placing bombs in heavily populated places. The resultant fear has a destabilising effect on the population and with major tournaments scheduled for this summer there will be plenty of opportunities for disruption.

Whether or not any terrorist organisation is involved the crash will make people think twice before flying. The empty beaches in Tunisia and the Red Sea testify to the fear factor bringing about the outcome the terrorist desires.

Jesus was aware of the fear factor. The land was occupied by Roman armies. Their brutal law was added to the largely man-made religious laws so there were plenty of things to worry about.
It was against this background that Jesus revealed a God who cared.
“Do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (St Matthew Chapter 6 verses 31-33).

In other words if we put first what God sees as important – God’s rule and righteousness in our lives – then we can confidently leave the rest of our needs to him.

For those apprehensive about boarding that plane or attending that football match and are not sure how much God cares listen to St John “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him” (Chapter 3 verse 16-17).

Let faith in Jesus drive out fear.

The rather tranquil world of motor insurance in Ireland has had a few wake-up calls recently. When Setanta, who had artificially driven down premiums, went to the wall, instead of the Government going down the usual track of imposing a levy on the industry to pay the outstanding claims the job was assigned to the Motor Insurance Bureau.
The Bureau, which was designed to pay the uninsured driver or unidentified car (hit and run) claims, was in the limelight again this week when six blokes came out of The Ref Pub and into John McGinley’s taxi which was to be involved in a staged ‘accident’.
While driving through a housing estate McGinley was directed to take a left turn upon which his taxi was hit in the rear by a red Toyota Aventis. The car limped away from the ‘accident’ but not before McGinley noted its registration number.
Surprisingly none of the passengers saw the car and none had a mobile phone. All claimed injuries and in due course the scene was attended by ambulances, fire engine and Garda who took the men’s particulars although they were well known.
At hospital there were the usual thorough examination, ex-rays etc. but all were later allowed to go home. Subsequently they visited their doctors with back and neck complaints and were given pain-killers. They also visited their solicitors O’Hanrahan & Co situated next door to the pub and each filed claims for €60,000 damages arising, it was alleged, from pain and suffering as a result of the ‘accident’.
As the ‘accident’ was caused by an ‘unidentified’ car the claim was dealt with by the Motor Insurance Bureau. The Bureau decided to fight the case and a team of insurance investigator interviewed the six men whose recollection of the ‘accident’ was very vague. McGinley, the taxi driver, was very clear. He had even gone the day after the event into the estate, found the Toyota and photographed it.
In court under cross-examination the case fell apart and the men withdrew it.
The Judge commented that “there was a set-up”! The men walked away!
A fraudulent claim had been thwarted. There were however considerable costs to the State, the Court and the MIB. It is hoped that the Garda may prosecute but with staffing shortages it is unlikely.
There is a culture which looks upon Insurers as ‘fair game’! They have large reserves and, in a good year, make substantial profits. The temptation to inflate the value of one’s loss can prove irresistible. Unearned money, lotto, dogs, horses or insurance claims seems sweeter! Winnings are celebrated wages are not!
The Bible is very basic here. Its commands are “Thou shall not steal” and “give us this day our daily bread” (Exodus Chapter 20 verse 15 and St Matthew Chapter 6 verse 11). Keeping your hands off what is not yours and looking to God to supply your needs a radical change of heart.
Jesus would agree. He said “You must be born again” (St John Chapter 3 verse 3). A day in a Court of Law will not do it. Six months in the slammer will not do it. Only hearing and obeying the message that gives life will have the desired effect.

The Bible says there is no difference between them and us – It’s the same Lord over all who richly blesses all who call upon him – Everyone who call on the Name of the Lord will be saved (Romans Chapter 10 verses 12-13). Your record does not stand against you as Jesus has expunged it. Have faith in Him.

When a global pop-star produces an album with a name I can understand it becomes intriguing. The singer, songwriter, record producer and actress Beyoncé did just that last week. The album sold 485,000 copies in its first week so, look out, she is coming to Croke Park, Dublin in July!
The inspiration for the title “Lemonade” has been attributed to her granny and her husband, Jay Z’s granny. On the latter’s 90th birthday she recalled that in her life she was served lemons but she made lemonade!

The album is accompanied by the release of an hour long film which is divided into eleven segments. These are named Intuition, Denial, Anger, Apathy, Emptiness, Accountability, Reformation, Forgiveness and Reconciliation. There are probably quite a few lemons to be found in there!

The visuals provoke complex and at times cryptic ideas about race, gender, power, marriage, infidelity, parenthood, and the experience of black women in America. The group “Black Lives Matter” are represented by three mothers holding pictures of their deceased sons who had been gunned down by the authorities.

The Washington Post called the album a “surprisingly furious song-cycle about infidelity and revenge”, comparing it to the classical genre defined in German lieder by Schumann, Schubert and Brahms.

The artists comment is simply that those who have been served a lemon in life need “lemonade”! “I am about faith and spirituality more so than religion. Doing right by others and not judging. The thing that keeps me grounded is knowing that I’m always protected and that God is in control of things. Even the name of our group, Destiny’s Child, we got out of the Bible,” she said.

The influence of the Bible can be seen and is acknowledged in the artist’s life.
Her physical beauty and very considerable talents need to be dedicated to Jesus in order that they may be multiplied for His glory. In this life talents, used for their own ends, bring diminishing returns!

We cannot sing with any conviction of forgiveness unless we ourselves have had our sins forgiven by Jesus coming from the pardon for sin which He purchased on the cross (Ephesians Chapter 1 verse 7). Then we can sing forgiveness out of our forgiven-ness (Ephesians Chapter 4 verses 32).

When by faith we see the mountain of our sin removed we can truly make peace and reconciliation out of the lemons we have been given by others because the living and reigning Jesus has done so much more for us. Just as Jesus turned the water into wine at the wedding feast in Cana (St John Chapter 2) we can take the lemons which were meant for our harm and see the Lord make them into something good – better than lemonade….the finest of wine!

The semi-final of the FA Cup between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest took place in Sheffield on Saturday 15 April, 1989. The Liverpool fans were allocated an inadequate portion of the ground in an effort to keep them away from Nots Forest supporters both inside and outside the stadium.
In the ensuing crush 96 died and 766 were injured.
The police, in the most monumental cover-up in their history, blamed drunken fans.
A number of enquiries failed to get to the facts until 2014 when after 300 days of evidence the verdict of “Unlawful Killing” was handed down this week.

The enquiry revealed 164 police statements had been altered and 55 Officers changed their statements in an effort to exonerate themselves and incriminate the fans.
The Chief Constable of South Yorkshire Police has been suspended. The Chief Superintendent, a novice in policing Football Stadiums at the time, admitted he had lied.

The “Sun” who vilified the fans on their front page in 1989 published an apology this week on page 10. The paper’s circulation in Liverpool never recovered and it seems never will!
The Independent Police Complaints Commission were thorough. They interviewed 1,444 serving and former police officers in their efforts to uncover the truth. It is now over to the Crown Prosecution Service to see what remains to be done by way of justice for those who have suffered.

“Woman, I do not know him.” Peter’s retort to the servant girl who recognised he was a follower of Jesus St Luke chapter 22 verse 57). He had been courageous enough to enter the High Priest’s courtyard where Jesus was being tried. He had prepared himself for that ordeal. But he was not prepared for the accusation that he was guilty by association to his Master.
The default mode of our lives is so often denial. Confession does not come easy.
When faced with the evidence of our guilt we look around for someone else to pin it on.
You ask the child why his sister is crying and he will tell you she must have hit herself!
When we do something wrong we point to something or someone outside ourselves as the reason for our lapse in behaviour…the traffic was brutal…she knows how to rub me up the wrong way…the boss brings out the worst in me!
The cause is always outside of me, whether it’s burning the toast (who turned up the toaster?) or creating a calamity at a football stadium (it was the drunken fans) we pass the buck!
So if the problem is not outside of us it must be inside. Someone has said “the heart of the problem is the problem of the human heart”!
King David, who was no slouch when it came to guilt-shifting, after being confronted with his crime, saw his desperate need of God’s grace, repented and prayed “create in me a clean heart” (psalm 51 verse 10). It’s the heart that needs to be changed and that is what the gospel is about – “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel Chapter 36 verse 26).
Twenty-seven years is a long time but hearts are hard (we should know) and man’s justice is slow. God’s justice is not so slow that it is certain. King David models well for us and we have an advocate in King Jesus – go to him (1 John Chapter 2 verse 1).

When a figure bursts through the bubble in which each of us live and reveals an amazing talent, which a large section of the music world appreciated, it becomes necessary to belatedly engage in a crash course! Fortunately Prince’s music is available on every waveband. The sad part is that Prince is dead.

It is quite possible to have lived through the last 35 years of his prolific output and never heard one of the 39 albums he released. An exception is his famous 1984 film “Purple Rain” which Steve gives an airing at our Christmas karaoke session! “Purple Rain”is widely considered one of the best and most influential music films ever. The accompanying soundtrack spawned the No. 1 hits “Let’s Go Crazy” and “When Doves Cry.”
Sinead O’Connor became famous with his song “Nothing compares 2 U”.
He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2004.

During his colourful career he had one or two changes of identity. In 1993 he changed his stage name to a combination of the male and female symbols. His agents had to send copies of the correct font to every media outlet which wanted to mention his name!

His life knew sadness. He was twice married and both marriages ended in divorce. His only son, by his first wife, died in infancy back in 1996.

Unlike Michael Jackson, a contemporary of his who also died recently, Prince was a very private person. He was something of a workaholic and was performing on tour up to last week. His sales exceeded 100 million records and his annual income of $56 million made him the highest music earner in the world.

We don’t know how tragedy struck at the young age of 57 but he had been in hospital with the flu earlier this week and that may have weakened him. Sadly he died alone in a lift. Many will mourn his passing. The ‘Purple Reign’ has ended.

It is early in the Bible that we are introduced to the reality of what has been called the ultimate statistic – one out of one dies! In the Genesis account of the first inhabitants we read of their lifespan in years then comes the refrain “and then he died”. Apart from Enoch who was the exception (the text reads “God took him”) all had a funeral. Interestingly Enoch and sometime later Elijah were the only two who did not pass through death.

When Jesus told Martha, “I am the resurrection and the life” he was attending her brother’s Lazarus funeral. Jesus does not merely say that he will bring about the resurrection or that he will be the cause of the resurrection (both of which are true), but something much stronger. “Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die” (St John Chapter 11 verse 25/6). Resurrection from the dead and genuine eternal life in fellowship with God are so closely tied to Jesus that they are embodied in him and can be found only in relationship to him. Therefore “believes in me” implies personal trust in Christ. “Yet shall he live” is the confident expectation of the believer.
In Christ Prince may yet live.

Our friends the swallows arrived on the farm this week. At least six of them constituting the advance guard. They remember where their old nests were located and will set about repairing them. With all the rain we have had, finding mud for the repairs will not be a problem!

These swallows have come from sunny Africa where they spent the winter enjoying the warmth. This in turn produces an abundance of insects, their food supply, which they catch in flight. Their mouths are wide enabling them to pick their food out of the air. Their wings are narrow and pointed giving great manoeuvrability. On a warm summer’s evening, when there has been a large hatch of insects, a flock of birds can produce an amazing aerial display.

Right now the food supply here is scarce. I expect it may be a week or two before it gets warmer and more swallows join the six that are here. When they arrive they congregate on the electricity wires which cross the fields. Their short legs make them ungainly on the road so they prefer perching at rooftop level.
All over the farm the wild primroses are growing in larger numbers than usual. Their yellow colour lends a freshness to spring and adds to the daffodils brightening up the farm road. The grass too is growing after a slow start but the softness of the land due to the large amount of rain means that we have still around half the herd of cattle in the sheds.
The lambs are stronger now and enjoying the fresh grass to augment their mother’s milk. The new born calves are perhaps less adventuresome keeping closer to their mothers.
So the recurring cycles of nature synchronise programmed by the Creator, each at the right time and in the way that its Maker intended.

Isaiah, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, wrote to comfort God’s people as they returned from exile and incredibly encapsulated in one verse the thoughts that God is the Creator with a filial relationship to his people whom he has redeemed!
“Your Maker is your husband, the Lord of hosts is his name; and the Holy One of Israel is your Redeemer, the God of the whole earth he is called.” Chapter 54 verse 5.

We are more familiar with St Paul’s development of this thought in the Ephesian letter as it is often referred to at weddings (Chapter 5 verses 22-33). There he states that the marriage relationship between a husband and a wife portrays Christ’s relationship to the people of God now called the Church. The picture of redemption also comes more sharply into focus, post cross and resurrection because it was at the cross that Christ accomplished redemption. The price was paid in Christ’s lifeblood.
Writing to the church at Colossae, and using language more familiar to Old Testament Jews, St Paul extends the promised inheritance to his Gentile readers “Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” (Chapter 1 verses 12-13).

The God who guides and provides for the swallow will provide and guide his trusting people until they have accomplished all that he wants them to do for him on earth.