- Dec 30, 2014
I could, as this New Year gets underway, write a piece reminding you of the recent woes the world has seen. Then, if I was to go on and say that I couldn’t see any reason why 2015 should be any better and could in fact be worse, undoubtedly I would be labelled by many as a prophet of doom and gloom. If, on the other hand, I was to write a piece declaring that God is on his throne and that his purpose of securing everlasting joy are being worked out for his people, then some would sneer and move on to the next article.
Well actually this is just what happened when John the Baptist, a somewhat austere, doer and hermit-like prophet, preached about ungodliness, judgement and the need for repentance. Then, when he was silenced because of his uncomfortable message, Jesus came eating and drinking and socialising, while teaching about a Kingdom which consisted of hope now and with the best yet to come. Many sneered and dismissed him as either mad or even in league with the devil.
Both of these ways of bringing God’s message had their place. Those people who took exception did so because they felt the lives they had established were threatened. No one likes to have the fragility of their position exposed when it is all they have to hope for. Similarly, many will not want ‘pie in the sky when they die’ if it means risking the morsel of bread they already have on their plate now.
So do Christians or Muslims or Jews have the answers to the problems which will inevitably beset the world in 2015? ‘No’ is the short answer, though I hope that all will play their part in seeking to alleviate need and uphold justice. However, as a Christian I am banking on God’s one answer to evil, pain and all that has defaced his good creation. That answer is bound up lock, stock and barrel in the person of Jesus Christ.
In just what way Jesus is the answer will become increasingly apparent to us personally once we recognise the fragility of our own lives and are willing to let go of our morsel of bread and take Him seriously. As one’s trust in Jesus takes root and grows, we can expect to see our faith begin to express itself in practical ways which reflect God’s own interest in the needy and hurting world of 2015.
- Nov 28, 2014
The vast majority of people in this land will enter into the winter festivities which we call Christmas. People of various religions (not just Christian) and no religion will join in the general atmosphere of the festival. Lights, decorations, buying of presents, the singing of Christmas carols, food and drink, parties, time off work and the sense of anticipation, all make for a welcome relief to what might otherwise be a drab period in winter.
Christmas has its origins in the Christian church, dating from at least the 4th century; a time when the coming (Advent) of Jesus was to be both remembered and celebrated. Christians believe that at a particular point in time (about 4BC) and in a particular location (Palestine), the Son of God came into this world as a man. He came to carry out God the Father’s purpose, after which he would return from whence he had come. Up until a few decades ago, most people in this country would have been aware of what that purpose was, but these days such understanding of the Christian faith can no longer be assumed. So what was that purpose or mission which God assigned to Jesus – a mission borne out of God’s love for the world of men and women.
The apostle Paul summed it up as, ‘to save sinners’. The Christmas angel used a few more words when he told Joseph, ‘he (Jesus) will save his people from their sins.’
Allow me to make that relevant to us as 2014 draws to a close. A ‘sinner’ is the term used of people who do not have the capability of perfectly keeping God’s laws. Such people will, to varying degrees, commit sins simply because they are by nature sinners. I am one of them. Now, because sins are fundamentally an offence towards God, they are liable for his judgement. To be saved from sins means to be saved from the penalty a just God will otherwise issue.
Christians understand that the proper response to all of this is to be like the shepherds, who believed the message concerning Jesus, and to be like the wise men who sought him in order to worship him. If we embrace such a response we will be given the assurance that we too belong to his people, the very ones he came to save.
- everythingelse8
- Nov 5, 2014
This has been doing the rounds on the internet. I’m sorry I don’t know where it originated but I thought it was worth sharing.
