johnfredadams' blog

Travelling with JFA....Don't do it

2009-08-20T13:27:00.000+01:00

Let me relate a recent travel experience to you. Just over two weeks ago, Emily and I set off for Switzerland to spend a very restful 4 days or so by a Lake with my parents. Travel in itself is usually pretty exciting anyway, but this particular journey had the added excitement of being in my hands – my administratively rather slippery hands. The excitement, or risk, depending on one's perspective, involved when travelling with me has to do with a peculiar phenomenon, namely a completely unfounded voyager's confidence that seems to grip me as soon as I drag my wheelie suitcase out of our front door. Whilst many adopt a traditional, look up, write down, check, then check again approach when it comes to knowing where to go, how to get there and when to leave, I seem always have an overwhelmingly strong feeling that I know the answer to those three questions, even though I haven't checked it, no one has told me it, and if I did once have the information I have either forgotten it, or my brain has quite inconveniently adapted it almost beyond recognition.

The day started badly with a late wake up and a quick discovery that our flight was leaving an hour earlier than I had so confidently advertised. General pre-flight stress levels rose markedly in the house. Next I found myself trying to check in online, only to fall foul of Ryanair's rather cynical idiot-punishing money extraction strategy, whereby if you leave your online check in too late you have to pay a hefty sum. Emily was annoyed, patient and very forgiving. By this stage you would think my gung-ho approach would have mellowed slightly, but I was still going strong. We arrived in Italy and took the bus to Milan where we would board the train to Switzerland. As we entered I saw the departures board with the two trains that Mum had mentioned to me, but they were over an hour away: my eyes fixed on a similar kind of train leaving at exactly the same time as the other two – a quarter past the hour. We approached a ticket machine and bought two tickets, although it seemed to me that this foolish device was refusing to acknowledge that there was an early train available that would spare us another hour in the station. Unperturbed I insistently pointed at the departures board where the Turin train was soon to depart. 'That's Italy for you', I thought. This was obviously the right train, I thought, since I thought I faintly recalled my mum saying something about Turin, or some Italian city, or what is a German one?, possibly in connection with trains, at some point in some conversation over the past few months, perhaps . Sufficiently reassured by this extremely vague memory, I dragged Emily onto the train not permitting a moment to buy some refreshment, and we headed off.

After a few minutes' travel, I picked up the phone with a certain pride, ready to communicate to Mum that we would be arriving earlier than planned.

Mum who is always very positive, was her usual self until I mentioned Turin. That's Western Italy, she intoned – you're going in completely wrong direction.

We'd been travelling for 10 hours at this stage, and because of my earlier blunders I was already right out of brownie points anyway, and contemplated briefly how I would explain this to Emily. I decided to go for the 'don't give me problems, give me solutions' approach, and bee – lined for the conductor to work out what the damage was. He said we'd have to get off at the next station, 30 minutes from then, wait for an hour, go back another hour, in order to be back in Milan. From there we could get the last extremely slow train of the day to Switzerland, not have any reserved seats and share our extended journey time with 10 bicycles a couple of prams, and some deeply unimpressed-looking interrailers in the luggage overspill section at the rear of the train. I returned to our seats and ate humble pie, and had seconds as well. Eventually, we arrived on the train of shame, just under 3 hours later than planned, pretty scratchy and grateful that we no longer had to sit on an aluminium bar anymore.

Das Märchen vom Seewind

2009-05-25T11:24:00.002+01:00

Here is a story written by my Grandmother in 1944, charting allegorically the path of her childhood.

Der Seewind, ja der Seewind! Er ist der Diener eines mächtigen Herren, eines Großen Königs, von Ihm hat er sein Lied gelernt. Wer unter seinen Flügeln groß geworden ist, der kann sein Lied nie vergessen, nie.

Es war einmal ein König und eine Königin, die lebten in einem wunderschönen großen weißen Schloß. Und wenn sie abends auf ihrem Dach unter den blühenden Lilien und Kressen und Margeriten saßen und sich vom Regieren ausruhten – denn der König und die Königin waren fleißige Leute – so strich der gute, salzige Seewind über sie hin und hunderte von Silbermöven kreisten über ihnen und sammelten sich für den abendlichen Heimweg nach den Inseln im Meer.
Das Königreich war ein fruchtbares Land, seine Einwohner stille, saubere, fleißige Menschen. So herrschten Zufriedenheit und Eintracht im ganzen Lande, von den wohlhabenden Städten bis zu den kleinen Fischerdörfern am Meer. Ja, es war ein schönes Land, wie ein einziger großer Garten, so gut gehalten und so voll von Blumen war es. Und der Seewind blies über das Land hinweg, jahraus, jahrein und sang sein uraltes Lied von Freiheit und Ferne, von Größe und Weite; und in jedem Baum, der sich vor ihm neigte und in jedem Menschenherzen klang das Lied fort.
Ein großer weicher Himmel wölbte sich über das Land, höher wölbte er sich als über den anderen Ländern, das sagten jedenfalls die Fremden, die hierher kamen. Und es kamen viele Fremde in dieses Land und auch in das Königsschloß; ja, es war selten, daß nicht ein Gast mit am Mittagstisch des Königs saß. Dies ist auch nicht verwunderlich, denn die große Gastfreundschaft und weite Bildung des Königs, die Schönheit und Güte der jungen Frau Königin und das weiße Schloß mit seinen vielen, vielen Blumen waren bekannt bis über die Grenzen des Landes hinaus.

Man kann sich wohl denken, daß es bei all den verschiedenen Gästen, so bunt durcheinander wie sie kamen, Maler und Dichter, Musiker und Gelehrte und kluge Staatsmänner und Weitgereiste, nie langweilig wurde im weißen Schloß!
Der König und die Königin hatten drei Kinder, den Prinzen Molch und seinen beiden jüngeren Schwestern, Prinzessin Eichhorn und Prinzessin Mops. Prinzessin Mops war als drittes Kind das wohlgeratenste der Geschwister, ein kluges, ruhiges Mädchen, das alle Weisheit schweigend in sich hineinsammelte. Sie sprach nur selten, aber – das wußten alle – was Prinzessin Mops sagte und behauptete, das war so.
Prinz Molch hatte es nicht leicht mit der Erziehung seiner Schwestern, die ihm als vornehmlichste, brüderliche Aufgabe erschien. Die Prinzessinnen waren auch wirklich so töricht und dumm, daß man sich in der Öffentlichkeit einfach ihrer schämen mußte. Später, nach den ersten harten Jahren der Erziehung war er dann ihr bester Freund. Er hatte ein offenes Auge für alles Schöne und alle Kunst auf dieser Erde, einen fleißigen, klugen Kopf und einen starken Willen, mit dem er auf sein Ziel hinsteuerte. Vielen war er ein guter Freund. Allzu früh kam Bruder Tod und nahm seinen Freunden und seinen Schwestern den Freund weg. Noch eines erzählten die Leute von Prinz Molch: daß meistens Katzen und kleine Kinder hinter ihm herliefen, weil sie ihn liebten.
Der Prinz und die Prinzessinnen verlebten goldene Jahre im Schloß der Eltern; der König lehrte sie die ritterlichen Künste: reiten, jagen und schwimmen; die handwerkliche Kunst schätzte er aber ebenso hoch und gab die Kinder zu den besten Meistern in die Lehre. Bei der Frau Königin lernten sie Werke und Weisheit der großen Menschen kennen, die früher über diese Erde gegangen sind; sie lernten alles Leben achten, Menschen, Tiere und Pflanzen, sie lernten die Augen öffnen für Schönheit und Schmerz, Freude und Leid dieser Welt.

Aber was der König und die Königin ihnen nicht lehren konnten, was kein Mensch einem anderen lehren kann, das lernten sie vom Seewind. Freiheit umgab sie und der Seewind behütete sie, sie entdeckten die tausend Wunder der Dünen, des Meeres und des Himmels, während der Wind sein wunderbares Lied von der Macht und der Liebe des Großen Königs sang.
Die Prinzessinnen hatten das ganze weite Land lieb, am liebsten aber waren ihnen die Dünen. Hier lebten ja ihre Freunde, die Kaninchen. Die Möwen und Austernfischer brüteten hier und erzogen ihre flaumigen gescheckten Kinder im warmen Sand unter Strauchhafer und Kreuzkraut; hier sang im Frühling die erste Nachtigall und der Kuckuck, die Birken blühten zu Ehren des heiligen Georg, und später der Maidorn, Liguster und Jelängerjelieber; hier ließen sich im Herbst die Scharen von Zugvögeln auf dem Stranddorn mit seinen leuchtenden Beeren nieder.

Nicht alle Menschen wußten von den tausend verschiedenen Blumen der Dünen, denn sie waren so klein, so winzig klein, daß man sich zu ihnen auf die Erde legen mußte, um sie zu erkennen, den Steinbruch, Vergißmeinnicht und Frauenhaar und alle ihre Brüder und Schwestern.
Hier ging die Sonne am schönsten auf und hier zog der Abend mit so viel Frieden auf das Land herunter, daß man wußte, daß der Große König selbst sie geschickt hatte.
Hier hatten die Prinzessinnen mit vielen anderen Kindern des Landes dem Großen König ihren Dienst versprochen und seinen Ritterschlag empfangen.
Wer im Winde der Freiheit und Ehrfurcht vor dem Leben seinen ersten Flügelschlag getan und später fliegen gelernt hat, dem muß jede Verletzung der Freiheit wie eine Wunde am eigenen Körper erscheinen. Fremde Gesetze waren in das Land gekommen, Gesetze, die vom Menschen kamen und nicht vom König kommen konnten; sie vermaßen sich, die Menschen nach ihrer Gestalt und ihrer Farbe zu scheiden, die einen zu erheben, die anderen zu verachten. Wer waren diese Menschen, sich dieses Richterrecht zu nehmen? Viel Schmerz haben sie ins Land getragen, Freunde getrennt. Wie konnte Prinzessin Eichhorn das verstehen? (Denn wisst Ihr, was ein richtiger Freund ist, ein richtiger Freund? Es ist etwas sehr seltenens auf dieser Erde und man hat wohl nicht viele im Laufe des Lebens.)
Der König und sein ganzes Haus liebten das Land als sei es ihr Vaterland; das war es aber nicht, denn der Vater des Königs war in einem anderen Land geboren; dort hatte der König auch ein Schloß; dieses andere Land liebte er, weil es die Heimat seines Vaters und seines Großvaters gewesen war. Und die Kinder liebten es, aber den Seewind konnten sie auch dort nicht vergessen.
Viele schöne Jahre waren dahingegangen. Da zogen schwarze Wolken am Horizont auf, böse schwere Wolken und ballten sich zusammen über dem lieben Land. Und die Menschen schauten voller Angst zum Himmel. Der König hatte schon ins Horn geblasen, gleich als das erste schwarze Wölkchen sich zeigte, denn er war ein wachsamer König, der jeden Tag auf seinen Turm stieg und mit dem Perspektiv den Horizont besah, rundherum. Der König wußte sich keinen Rat, er holte sein Pusterohr vom Kamin und blies nach Leibeskräften hinein, und wenn gleich viele seiner Untertanen es ihm gleich taten, was vermögen hundert, ja sogar tausend Pusterohre gegen eine Gewitterwand? Der Sturm brach los, ein böser Sturm. Die Häuser stürzten ein, die Deiche zerrissen und das Wasser strömte über das Land und brachte Tod und Verderben mit sich. Die Menschen schauten verängstigt in die schwarze Nacht hinauf. So dunkel wurde es über dem Land,daß sie den Sternenhimmel nicht mehr sahen, und so wild brauste der Sturm, daß sie den Seewind nicht mehr hörten. Nur wenige, ganz wenige Menschen behielten das Licht der Sterne und das alte Lied des Windes in ihrem Herzen.
Als der erste Blitzschlag von der Gewitterwand zur Erde fuhr, mußte der König das Land verlassen; denn so lautete der alte Vertrag mit dem Land seiner Väter. Ein merkwürdiges, unverständliches Gesetz, daß er, der König im Augenblick der Not, sein geliebtes Land verlassen mußte. So wollte ihm beim Abschied auch fast das Herz brechen.
Wie oft hatte er auf schwarze Wolken geblasen, wenn sie sich am Horizont zeigten, wie oft hatte er sie vertrieben! Nun waren sie doch gekommen.
Der König stieg zum letzten mal in seine Kutsche, wie im Traum tat er es, und er zog die Gardinen vor die Fenster, denn es wurde ihm zu schwer, von seinem lieben Land Abschied zu nehmen. Die Fahrt war nicht lang, nur wenige Tage dauerte sie, denn die vier Pferde, die ihn zogen, waren jung und schnell. Aber als der König in seinem anderen Schloß ankam, war er ein alter Mann geworden, sein blondes Haar hatte sich weiß gefärbt. Armer, alter König!
Von dem Schmerz der Frau Königin und der Prinzessinnen über die Not ihres lieben Landes weiß das Märchen nichts zu sagen, wohl weil man über den Schmerz einer Frau nicht spricht.
Wir wissen nur, daß die Königin im neuen Schloß gleich wieder an die Arbeit ging, daß sie auch hierher Freude und Sonnenschein brachte und dem neuen Land eine gute Mutter war.
Das Lied vom Seewind hat aber weiter in ihr gesungen und viele Menschen haben es gehört und sind fröhlich davon geworden.
Prinzessin Mops und Prinzessin Eichhorn aber waren groß geworden, mit dem geliebten Land hatten sie auch ihre goldenen Kinderjahre hinter sich gelassen. Wer so viel Gutes empfangen hat als Kind, von dem wird sicher das Leben einmal mehr fordern als von anderen.
Nun zogen sie in die Welt hinaus, damit das Leben selbst sie weiter lehrte.
Sie kamen durch ferne Länder und wußten, daß sie niemals den Gehorsam gegen den Großen König vergessen und nirgends den Menschen ihre Hilfe versagen durften.
Und die Welt, die weite Welt war so wunderschön, daß man sich an ihr gar nicht satt sehen konnte. Wenn auch großes Leid sich in den Häusern und Hütten, unter Mensch und Tier verbarg, so war doch die Freude immer stärker als das Leid und heller als die Dunkelheit.

Nun weiß das Märchen noch etwas von einem Prinzen; er lebte in dem anderen Land, im eigentlichen Heimatland unseres Königs. Er war ein Prinz, nicht wie andere Prinzen, denn wo er hinkam, zündete sich ein Lichtlein an, auch wenn’s in der dunkelsten Höhle dieser Erde war.
War er so schön? War er so klug? War er so gut? Wir wissen es nicht und niemand hat davon erzählt. Wir wissen nur, daß auch er im Dienst des Grossen Königs stand. Die Leute erzählten sich, daß er Prinzessin Eichhorn lieb hatte und daß sie ihn lieb hatte und daß ihr großer Wunsch war, gemeinsam dem Großen König zu dienen. Was aus ihnen wurde? Wir haben es nicht erfahren, denn das Märchen ist hier zu Ende.

Wir wissen nur eins bestimmt, daß der Seewind weiter weht, daß die krummen Kiefern noch immer sein altes schönes Lied singen und daß dies Lied auch in den Menschenherzen weiter klingt; denn die es einmal gehört haben, die können es nie vergessen, nie.

A short discursive forray into science and religion

2009-05-15T08:41:00.001+01:00

A Short Essay on Science and Religion, neatly outlining some of the crucial points, written by my friend and scientist Dr. Ed Brooke

Here is my long-awaited missive on some views on science and religion for your reading pleasure! Use/destroy at will...

So, for any that know me, I am going to be arguing for the merry coexistence of science and religion, but I should say that I have been on several sides of this debate through different stages of my life, and know and love people on all sides of it, so I hope that I have a pretty wide view of the topic.

Also, one subject I won't go into is the whole faith vs religion argument. I will be treating it in a very ill-defined way as having a set of beliefs in some kind of god/God that then has some effect on how one lives one's life. Of course many (including people of 'faith') view 'religion' as a set of exclusive clubs that just excuse the right to be nasty to members of other exclusive clubs. I will hold to the more optimistic line...

I will not profer more than my own personal views here - you can look up plenty of other points of view from both sides of the coin online or in many many (too many?) books.

OK, now we have the stage set, let's get down to business.

The subject of 'evidence' has been mentioned, so let's start there. In this science v religion argument, those making the most noise are unsurprisingly the ones at the extremes. But it is worth mentioning that the quiet majority actually sit quite happily in the middle - that is to say that there are many many scientists who have faith and many people of faith who have no problems with the tenets of science. And we are not talking shoddy or fluffy scientists here, but of all levels and abilities. I have heard it say that in university Christian Unions, there are more scientists than artists.

I personally think that scientists like to put a framework on things, and many have found that there are parts of life that no scientific framework will help you solve. So they search for another, and for many the religious framework fits quite nicely.

And so it is for billions of people across the world. Now if there were obvious upsides to being religious then this would be a pretty moot point. But given that some of these people undergo considerable opposition and harm because of their views, then we have to think rather more seriously about this. Why on earth would you believe in something that causes you harm, and that there is little empirical evidence of, unless you actually believed that (a) it was true, and/or (b) it gave you some benefit to your life? Now of course we are not all martyrs, but I think they raise some interesting questions.

Let us return to the point of 'parts of life that no scientific framework will help you solve'. I like to take the example of music here (as it has rather less emotional attachment). Now as any physicist will tell you, music is just a bunch of vibrations in the air particles of various frequencies. The biologist could tell you about how the eardrum picks up the vibrations. The biochemist could tell you how the signal is transferred along the auditory nerves to the brain. The experimental psychologist could tell you about the general behaviour of the parts of the brain that are stimulated. And I am sure there are others who could talk about the importance of music in the development of humankind in terms of reinforcing identity and hence strengthening the group, therefore increasing the likelihood of survival. But none of that makes the slightest bit of difference to the feeling you get when you listen to Beethoven's Fifth, or 'Born Slippy' by Underworld. Nor is it necessary for the enjoyment the same (although I am sure that there are physicists whose enjoyment of music is enhanced greatly by the appreciation of the subtle complexities of interference involved). So I think it is plausible to state that 'an appreciation of music' and 'science' are mutually exclusive.

And I think, dear reader, you can see where I'm going from there. We could apply the same arguments to love, where an understanding of the vaguaries of oxytocin and vasopressin will do nothing to change the effect of the most powerful experiences in one's life. Similarly, understanding the behaviour of pack animals won't change how a person relates to their family and friends. So it is clear to see that in many parts of life, while science already provides a lot of answers to the questions of 'how', that does not necessarily help an individual, scientist or not, to deal with those situations.

That is not to say that there is anything wrong with the science involved - I hold the members of my profession in the highest esteem. It is just that the scientific method is not designed to answer such questions. A useful phrase I have heard is: 'science deals with the what, how and when, faith deals with the who and the why'.

To finish off this line of argument, let's say that science did have all the answers to life's questions. What would that mean for the human race? Firstly you would expect scientists' lives to be 'better' in some way. Well, I think a quick look around would suggest that this is clearly not the case. I know just as many intelligent people who struggle with drink, drugs, affairs, divorces, emotional pain and heartache as I do less intelligent. Being bright is a very useful tool and used wisely can really help to alleviate some of the problems that this world can throw at you. But, and I speak from personal experience here, it is not the be-all and end-all, and resting too much on one's own abilities can lead you down some pretty damaging alleyways. One can say exactly the same about money - there are probably just as many divorced parents at the affluent school that I teach at than at the local comp (if not more).

We are very good at conning ourselves that our lives are better than for those who are less fortunate than ourselves. However anyone who has travelled to what used to be known as the third world would know that the people they meet, often totally uneducated, are just as warm, just as friendly, and just as happy as anyone at home. I know a man who takes UK businessmen to help out 'third world' businesses to aid local development. His observations were that, while the visitors may have had much more in the way of personal wealth, those they were helping tended to be much better off 'spiritually' (i.e. in there sense of wellbeing etc.). So I think that this shows that education (scientific and otherwise) and money, while incredibly useful tools, are not the route to happiness. I think it has been interesting to see that in these economically troubled times, people's satisfaction in their job has actually improved. For once, people are seeing what they have, and are being thankful. Interesting.

Anyway I have digressed far too far. Hopefully I have shown that there are many questions in this world that science can't answer. And I have also shown that being a scientist or educated does not in itself help you navigate your way through this life. Note (and I apologise to my consulting friends) that the evidence is not necessarily of the type you can plot on a graph. But I hope that you will find it as compelling as I do.

I would hopefully think that we are now at the stage where the phrase 'scientific discovery will make religion redundant' now sounds as ridiculous as 'scientific discovery will make music redundant'. It is worth noting that this phrase was first thrown about hundreds of years ago, and religion doesn't seem to be going anywhere. While in the public press there is much talk of the demise of religion, in fact there is no such thing - for Christianity in the UK a general decrease in the 'traditional' churches has been more than compensated for by an explosion in the newer 'evangelical' churches (I use the term very loosely).

Having spoken at length about science, let's have one quick comment on 'faith'. Some people would suggest that actually not believing in a god is as much a statement of faith as believing in a god. You are still making a comment about how you believe the world works, with little evidence to support the matter. But then we get into the 'Miracle on 34th Street' situation of arguing about whether the onus is on the faithist or the anti-faithist to deliver the proof. And that seems a little silly to me. The big problem is that different people will require different levels of proof. And as mentioned before, these are questions that rarely support graphs or experiments, so the proof provided by one side will rarely be accepted as valid by the other. And this is why we end up always returning to this argument.

And the science vs religion debate has been going furiously for a hundred years with little progress being made on either side (I expect this message to make little difference too...)

A quick word to the scientists. Those who know about the philosophy of science will understand the phrase 'there is no truth in science' (for my mathematician friends, I am fully aware that there is plenty of truth in maths). Science is just a bunch of theories constructed to help us understand the world around us. Let's take the development of gravity. In ancient history people understood that things went towards the earth, and the Romans constructed complicated aqueduct systems based on an understanding of such. Then Newton formulated his theory of gravity, allowing the formulation of equations to predict motion, and eventually the launch of man into space. Now the talk is of gravitons and things of which I know very little, helping us to understand the deepest workings of the universe. Each stage in this development was useful, and each stage modelled the world more accurately. But I don't need to know about gravitons to understand that my teacup will fall to the ground and smash if I let go of it. So different levels of theories are useful for solving different problems. I should know - I teach Chemistry, where from GCSE to A-level we have to completely re-learn how atoms work, and then re-learn it all over again at University! Science changes, it ebbs and flows. As more evidence comes to light previous theories get re-evaluated and new ones get formulated. I don't expect this to end anytime soon.

I think scientists should thus be cautious at putting too much stock in their science, as I saw one internationally reknowned scientist do at a recent talk at school. Great scientist, but a touch misguided in my view.

And a quick word to the anti-scientists (put a scientist and an anti-scientist together in a room and you get an almighty explosion!). Most anti-scientists will at some point have driven a car, taken some aspirin, used a computer, carried a plastic bag, listened to an ipod, made a phone call, eaten food and worn clothes. They need to be aware that everything they do in their daily life has been modified and developed by scientists, all in order that their lives may be easier and more comfortable. And to focus on my own area of expertise, if you get ill you are going to be more indebted to the medical and pharmaceutical scientists than you know. So I think it is curious that these folk should try and poo-poo some areas of science (take, say, evolutionary biology) while being so totally indebted to the rest of the scientific community. It is the same spirit of exploration, discovery and evidence-based research that is being used in each - if you trust in the method in one area, why not trust it in another. Conversely if I were to try and understand the theory of gravity, or how to make plastic, by reading the Bible or Koran, that would be a mistake.

So where are we left up?

Well I hope that I have argued a decent case for the merry co-existence of science and religion (and I am quite chuffed that I have only used the term 'god' a couple of times!). And I hope that I have fired a few warning shots across the bows of both parties lest they get too close to fighting each other. Perhaps I should get a job with the UN peacekeepers.

As with all conflicts, perhaps what I would hope for is that each side would seek to understand the opposition better. I think each would see that there is actually much more common ground between the two than they realise. Both scientists and people of faith want to improve the world in which we live. We all want to feed the poor, heal the sick, share relationships and care for the broken-hearted. We each have our ways of rationalising the world in which we live. So we should hence be a touch careful before we polarise ourselves too far in one direction or the other. If my life is perfectly happy without understanding evolution than that's fine. And if my life is perfectly happy without any kind of faith then I would respect that too. But each side may never know when they might need the other.

And above all, we are all human and make mistakes, and I apologise if I have made any errors here. In this argument each side will naturally try to focus on the weaknesses of the other, but this would be an all too common error. In fact the weaknesses of humanity is one area where faithists (certainly Christians), game theorists and biologists are all very much on the same page!

A good read for understanding other arguments for the middle ground is 'The Language of God' by Francis Collins, top scientist and Christian. Also Cardinal Cormac O'Murphy wrote a good article in the Times on the same subject, prompted by the anniversary of Darwin.

Barabbas : Grace

2009-01-11T15:30:00.001Z

Luke 23:13-25

13Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers and the people, 14and said to them, "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."[c]

18With one voice they cried out, "Away with this man! Release Barabbas to us!" 19(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for an insurrection in the city, and for murder.)

20Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate appealed to them again. 21But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"

22For the third time he spoke to them: "Why? What crime has this man committed? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore I will have him punished and then release him."

23But with loud shouts they insistently demanded that he be crucified, and their shouts prevailed. 24So Pilate decided to grant their demand.

My Topic today is the Death that brings life. Nowperhaps you're a little like I was at the age of about 17, and you reckon you're done with hearing about Jesus death. I'd been going along to the Christian Meeting at my school for a couple of years, and I'd noticed that the talk schemes seemed to come back round to talking about quite familiar themes, particularly Jesus' Death. I'd been to Iwerne in the summer as well, I'd heard quite a similar talks program there a couple of times in a row, and so I went up to Paul Williams who was running the meeting at the time. "Mr. Williams, I feel like the content of the Christian meeting is a bit samey, and I think we should move onto some more complex issues. You know I'd really fancy a couple of philosophical, intellectual theological (those were the longest words I knew at the time) debates, you know, throw a couple of ideas around, instead of constantly talking about this Jesus' Death bit, which, to be frank, I'm sort of done with now".

I wonder, does anyone here feel like that.

If you do, just before you switch on the Autopilot, hear me out for a second. You see the Good news about Jesus death is the big story of History and it is the big story of every Christian life. I'll also dare to say that though we think we've heard it all before we don't fully understand it. Now don't get me wrong, you're all bright young sparks who probably got the technicalities in a couple of seconds. I sin, Jesus died on the cross, takes my punishment in my place, I have eternal life yadayadayada.

But knowing about Jesus death is not just technical knowledge. It's not just a question of getting how it works. It is a truth that has deep deep consequences. Consequences that we spend our lifetime discovering.

Knowing about Jesus death is a bit like waking up at school on Monday morning and looking at your watch to see 9:30am on the dial.

First you look at it. 9:30. Nice. Half way in between 9 and 10. Hmm.

Your rub your eyes, scratch your head, look back at your watch.

NINE THIRTY!!!! AHHH! I've missed Biology with Mr. "I'm going to eat you anyway because you still haven't handed in your coursework" Smith, I have approximately minus 20 seconds to get all my clothes on find my Spanish folder from in front of the dining hall, learn for my vocab test, run back to my room to get my pen, and then turn up a dishevelled wreck ready for a beating in L3 on the second floor of the language block.

The technical bit you get straight away – you realise what the hands mean. But 9:30 means a bit more than just, I just slept 10 hours. It takes a while for your brain to get fully into gear and work out the consequences, that you are up trouble creek without a paddle.

Jesus death is more than just technical info. It has life-long life-changing consequences. So we're going to meditate on Jesus now. Not in the arms outstretched lotus position 'om' sense of meditation, but in the Christian sense. We're going to think about it, but properly, So I'm going to pray, and ask God to soften our hard hearts that so often think they've heard it all before, and allow us to know a new sense of wonder and awe at the death of our Lord. And if you want that please pray for yourselves with me, as I pray that God would prepare each one of us to understand more deeply what it means that Jesus has died for us.

READ

Jesus death is a ludicrous exchange. The innocent is killed and the guilty go free.

Firstly. The innocent is killed.

Now Jesus has already done the rounds, he'd been to a Jewish court, been to see Herod, Now he's back, the case is no further, but Pilate must make a decision on Jesus' fate.

Pilate stands to speak, follow it in verse 14 "You brought me this man as one who was inciting the people to rebellion. I have examined him in your presence and have found no basis for your charges against him. 15Neither has Herod, for he sent him back to us; as you can see, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16Therefore, I will punish him and then release him."

Jesus is innocent. It was clear, after considerable consultation Jesus was clearly innocent of the charges brought against him. But The people shout again, v18 "Away with this man,". No says Pilate, verse 22 he says he finds "no grounds for the death penalty" v23.

Nevertheless the people persist, and their shouts prevailed. 24So Pilate decided to grant their demand.

Extraordinary, Pilate condemned an innocent man to death.

His innocence:

But there's more. Jesus is not just not a criminal, as Pilate had found him to be. the Bible says "he knew no sin (2 cor 5:21)" and that he was "Tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin (Heb 4:15)". Not only was he innocent of insurrection, he was innocent of any crime, social or moral that there has ever been.

His punishment:

And his punishment. It was more even than a Roman cross. He wasn't just going to suffer the agony of asphyxiation, He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree" says the apostle Peter. So in his all our sin was condemned in him. – a bit like Big bang theory –the world is meant to start with all mass concentrated on a tiny extraordinarily heavy point , so in Jesus' death all our sin was condensed and the full weight borne in him. Right there on the cross.

A ludicrous exchange – the innocent is killed.

But then there's more to this ludicrous exchange. The innocent is killed for a purpose, namely that the Guilty go free.

The guilty go free

the guilty go free.

Barabbas was guilty, look at verse 19, in prison for insurrection, the very same crime of which Jesus was accused, and he was a murderer. He had taken another man's life. Crucifixion was the punishment he deserved.

But the crowd shout out in verse 18 "Release Barabbas to us", and despite Pilate's remonstration, v23 "their shouts prevailed".

So a convicted criminal, terrorist, freedom fighter, murderer facing certain crucifixion is released.

Our guilt:

And Of course it isn't just the guilty Barabbas who goes free.

We are guilty. Guilty as hell. The Roman law had found Barabbas wanting, but far less wanting than we are in the face of the heavenly law. You know, even before we get into the detail of what is required of us we know we fall short. Jesus summed up God's commands as wholehearted love for God and for our neighbour. But let's be honest that's just not us. We fail spectacularly at loving those around us for a start. We forget them, we ignore them, we take them for granted, we use them. And as for God – we treat him even worse than our mates, well let's just imagine we treated our friends like we treat God. We resolved to speak to them, but then fell asleep while doing so? We resolved to listen to them speak, but often end up staring into the middle distance dreaming about the guy or girl we fancy instead. We asked for their help, but rarely remembered to thank them for it. That would be a bad way to behave toward a friend, let alone God our creator. And yet, that is how we are, through and through.

Like Barabbas, we are guilty.

Our freedom:

Yet in this ludicrous exchange the guilty go free.

Imagine being Barabbas standing there in front of the baying crowd, manically jeering and heckling Pilate, scoffing at Jesus and asking for your freedom. On the face of it, you're the worst person on the stage, You can still see the face of the man you killed. And yet you're the one getting the VIP treatment, you're the flavour of the month, and this guy Jesus whom you hardly know, but you can see enough of to know he's no criminal is going to get it. In fact that piece of wood that you were going to carry on your shoulders, his lifeless body will be pinned to that by evening, the whips hanging up in the barracks right now, that were going to burn into your back, they'll be for his now.

Can you imagine it? But that is us. Walking free with the taunting shouts of crucifixion directed at Jesus in the background. Free. Free from sin, free from punishment, free from death, free to serve, free to live, free to know God.

Jesus, The innocent is killed so we, the guilty go free.

The exchange

That's it – the ludicrous exchange.

It's like if you were holding your mobile phone somewhere in Notting Hill and randomly George Clooney or Angelina Jolie came up to you and said, I'm really sorry, I 've just got to make a phone call home, and I've forgotten my mobile, so I was just wondering whether if I give you 5 million pounds, and you can come to any of my premieres for free forever and mi casa es tu casa I could just borrow you phone.

Erm. 5 millions pounds, premieres forever, and tu casa es mi casa. In exchange for my phone? (count up on fingers) Sure.

A ludicrous exchange. Just like Jesus' death

Let me ask you, before we go any further Do you know that to be true for your life? It's simple – Jesus is willing to forgive all who put their trust in him. Have you done that.

But for all of us, that message is what we need to know, deeply, not just technically. As in not just ah it's 9:30am how unusual. But its 9:30 – get out of bed, find my Spanish folder etc.

And If realising it's 9:30 when you wake up has consequences for the whole day, knowing Christ crucified changes the whole of life.

There is so much to say, but I would just like to look at two aspects:

It means no pride, and it means no disgrace. Or to put it more directly a slap in the face and loving arms.

So firstly no pride – or – a slap in the face.

For those with false confidence the cross neatly whips the carpet of our own self-satisfaction out from under their feet. It's a slap in the face for the proud.

You see my pride would like to have the following obituary in the heavenly times; "Basically jfa was born, went around being a seriously good bloke, and Jesus and God took note of him, and all he'd done and said. Jfa's a good bloke he can join our good bloke posse up in heaven. And that's it - because of everything that jfa is and everything that he did, he ended up with eternal life – all thanks to jfa". That was I look really good.

But Jesus death leaves no room for pride.

No pride because It doesn't matter who you are

It doesn't matter who you are.

The cross means that as far as getting into God's good books it doesn't matter who you are. You could have a Christian family, go to a Christian school, be house prefect, CU secretary, that person whom everyone thinks is a really good bloke / blokette honestly.

Someone like Patricia Proud.

Hi I'm patricia I'm so fun, I'm so cool, everyone wants me at their party. God you would love to have me at yours as well. I have 1 million 432 thousand, 605 facebook friends and they all asked me to be their friend before I even touched my mouse.

I am brainy. You know I am going to one of the Christians where everyone goes, man – so cool and a Christian. Wow!

And I am seriously humble, like all that stuff I just said, that was only stuff other people told me anyway. Hang on – must go, so many texts to write so little time."

The cross is a slap in the face of Patricia's pride, there's no doubt about it. You see the real truth about her life is that she is so sick, so depraved in her being that Jesus had to die for her, no other way could she be rescued. Ouch!

It doesn't matter what you've done.

Secondly, no pride because it doesn't matter what you've done

Jesus isn't going to forgive you your sins because you've been on camp since you were 2 and you're been to every single reunion/ houseparty/ Christian Union meeting since then. Although if you have, that's an insanely good effort. Even if you have sat through more time in church than most people on the planet put together. That's not your qualification for heaven.

But I give blood, I always answer my texts, I pray, I read the bible. Sometimes.

And I'm good. I mean I'm so loyal. I have only one boyfriend, and we're going to marry, and I don't sleep with him, and I won't until we do.

Those things are not going to save us. To think that God accepts us because of them, To put our confidence in them is like serving up a cow pat for supper and thinking it'll be eaten just because you put some icing on the top.

This is what the cross teaches us. Like an icing sugar coated cow pat we may look sweet on top, but we are all disgusting inside. That is exactly why Jesus had to die.

Jesus' death means no Pride. A slap in the face. Ouch

No disgrace

But Jesus death also means no disgrace. The loving welcoming arms of God. You see for all the moments when we are so puffed up we're about to take off, I think there are just as many moments where we live in fear and humiliation.

Like: I'm just not in with the right crowd, I don't look as good, my Dad hasn't got as much cash as they have, I feel like I look frumpy not attractive, No one would stay in a room because I was there. I can't live up to the expectation of my parents and I know I'm going to disappoint in my exams. When people look through me or talk over me, I get the message. I am not needed on this planet.

We've all felt something of that at some time, have we not. And yet the cross means there is no disgrace., we never need to feel unwanted again. Once again, it doesn't matter who you are, and it doesn't matter what you've done.

It doesn't matter who you are.

It doesn't matter who you are. At the cross Jesus died for all. He died so that while we trust in him there is nothing in us that could ever be big enough to disqualify us from eternal life. No amount of self-hate can ever prise away the loving arms of God.

'But I could never be one of those keen Christians – every time I come on Iwerne I'm surrounded by all these sorted keanos who thunder around full of confidence, I have the faith of a mouse, and a not very persuaded one at that.'

So we might think.

But let's not forget the exchange on that cross wasn't just for sorted white stuff wearing Iwerne keanos, it was for all including the very worst, the Barabbases of our world, which is everyone if we're going to be honest

Jesus' death means, no disgrace It doesn't matter who you are.

It doesn't matter what you've done

And it doesn't matter what you've done.

Do you remember the guy you eloped with at that party you wanted to sleep with, and you thought it fine at the time, but now you wince at the thought? Do you remember that web of lies you spun when you stole that thing, and your best friend still doesn't know. Do you remember the rage you got into last term, how you insulted that younger boy. How about when you were drunk the other weekend and your friend asked you what you were doing in the holidays and you deliberately said 'I'm going on this thing with my mates' so as to avoid mentioning that it's Christian because you're so ashamed of belonging to Jesus? Well I remember doing all of that sort of thing.

Perhaps we get so nervous – Will I get my A? Will I be picked for that team? Will I make it to head of house? Will I get into this posh university with all the colleges, because, my dad, my mum my grandpa and my dog all went there and if I don't my life will be a ruin and I'll just have to curl up in the corner of the great cave of mourning and groan for forty years.

Stop worrying, foolish heart. Because of Jesus death there is no disgrace.

Now I think that is just wonderful, because quite simply it lets me be real. At the cross, the very worst of me is laid bare for my heavenly father, the greatest moral authority there is, to see, and dealt with in Jesus, forever.

I can be real - I don't have have to convince myself that what you have before you is a model citizen product of the best education system in the world with the whole world at his feet. No this, is a fowl excuse of an existence saved by the blood of Jesus. I know, because I have done what this body has done, and I have thought what this body has thought. But I can be real, because I'm not afraid of reality. What ever you learn of me, The judge of all time knows worse, and yet still STILL, I will be spending eternity with him.

Let's remember it then. The Innocent Jesus was killed, but guilty, you and I go free. That is and always will be the big story of our lives. We'll leave today, we'll help our mum do the washing up one day over Christmas and think all of sudden that we're the noblest thing since the round table – Bam No pride - You were born, you sinned, Jesus died for you. Down you come. And then probably some relative will ask you at some family luncheon what you did on this conference, and you'll say something weedy like I had a lot of fun it was very interesting, and you'll go up to your room and think what a missed opportunity to share the gospel, Head up. It's for wretches like you that Jesus died so you could go free. And just because he loves you. That is and always will be, the big story of our lives. Let's know it, and know it deeply

Talk @ Radley Chapel Mid week :: Gayle Williams

2008-11-30T16:22:00.001Z

Imagine if helping someone out, let’s say explaining to them what’s for prep, or helping them to understand something they missed, involved a 10% chance of losing a pound on your shop account. Would you still do it?
Or how about, Imagine if community service on Wednesday actually cost you extra. Let’s you had a 50% chance that you’d get kicked out of your rugby team as a result. Would you bother doing community service?
How about if you wanted to help out children with disabilities to learn to live with their disabilities, but it involved living with no protection in a war zone, in a culture where people like you are murdered every week. Would any of us do that?
Perhaps you’ve guessed today’s famous Christian already. Gayle Williams said yes to that last question. Only two weeks ago the British aid worker was alive, working with the poorest and most unfortunate of the children in Afghanistan, young boys and girls who had lost limbs to landmines and bombs, teaching them the basic skills needed to survive in a harsh and violent land.
10 days ago she was murdered by the Taleban while walking along a quiet, tree-lined street in Kabul on her way to work.
Gayle Williams dedication was remarkable. She lived to serve the people of Afghanistan. Her mother said, "Gayle was serving a people that she loved, and felt God called her to be there for such a time as this,"
Unlike many aid workers, she believed in living among the people she served, staying in a modest private house, shunning an armed escort in favour of using her own two feet. She made an easy target for the two gunmen who had been lying in wait for her.
Gayle Williams was committed to serve a country not her own and prepared to pay the price. Committed to such an extent she had already made clear her wish to be buried there. In the 19 th century missionaries would head off from England to Africa with their possessions packed in a coffin. There was no doubt they would not be coming back. and I suppose Gayle Williams was the modern equivalent.
But why? What would drive a person to such immense sacrifice. Many of us, I suppose would find it hard to live our whole lives abroad in France, let alone a 3rd world muslim culture, let alone one where life is far more precarious commodity. Why did she do it?
The Chairman of her Charity, Mike Lyth said: "We are Christian - that is what gives us the motivation to go into a dangerous and difficult country to try to help”
The words we have just read in our reading, I imagine were quite familiar to Ms Williams. “
5Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
6Who, being in very nature[a] God,
did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
7but made himself nothing,
………
he humbled himself
and became obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

Why did she do it? I can see at least three reasons in those verses. A role model and reason and a resource for her sacrifice.
A role model in Jesus Christ. Gayle Williams’ Lord had relinquished the glory of heaven to come down to earth for mankind. Couldn’t she relinquish the comforts of her materially wealthy and secure existence for the people of Afghanistan. I wonder couldn’t we?
A reason. Another famous missionary once said, “If Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him”. I wonder can we identify with that?
A resource. Surely very few men or women could pluck up the courage to do this alone. Her mother again. Gayle “died doing what she felt the Lord had called her [to] and she is definitely with him”. God had called her and equipped her to do the job. She found it not in herself but in Christ to do this thing.

Talk @ Saygo :: Jesus is King :: 2 Samuel 7

2008-11-30T16:07:00.007Z

The Promises of God

This term we’re looking at God’s promises through the bible. You could say the bible is a record of God’s faithfulness. It’s all about how God makes promises and keeps them.

In the first week we saw how powerful God’s words alone were. He spoke the universe into being. Then we saw his promise that after Adam and eve rebelled against him in the garden, they’d have to work the ground hard to get food out of it to survive, there’d be pain in child bearing, and they would eventually die. Since then we’ve heard about how God promised to Abraham to bless all people through his offspring beginning to reverse the effects of what happened in the Garden, how God later promised to save the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, and then he did. We’ve learnt how God promised to be with his people in the desert. Every time God makes a promise he keeps it.

Today we’re jumping forward a few hundred years forward and we’re going to look at a promise, God’s promise to David, king of Israel.

I want to focus just on verses 12-13 today.

This is what God said to king David.

When your days are over and you rest with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, who will come from your own body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He is the one who will build a house for my Name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.

So there’s going to be a son of David whose kingdom will last forever. There’s going to be a son of David whose kingdom will last forever.

Great news for God’s people.

But hang on. God said there’s going to be a son of David whose throne will last forever. Forever, as in starting from when he said it to now – and then on until forever in the future.

Can any one see an obvious problem there?

What kind of a man was ever going to fulfil that? How was God ever going to fulfil his promise of a King if he had to chose from among men?

Well that promise has not remained unfulfilled. The kingdom of David will remain forever, because Jesus has taken up that throne never to relinquish it. Jesus is the promised King. [SLIDE][SLIDE]

That’s my main point this evening, and if you take nothing else home with you this evening, remember that. JESUS is KING. [SLIDE]

How do we know it was Jesus God was speaking about? Well Jesus is the fulfilment of the Old Testament. He said that about himself, and the apostles believed that about him too. [SLIDE] Look at what Paul says. “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ” 2 Cor 1:20. The OT is full of promises waiting to be fulfilled. Questions waiting to be answered. Jesus is where the promises come true, he is the answer to every one.

Take this for example. What did God say to David about the promised King in verse 14? “I will be his father, and he will be my son”. Hmm. How about when Jesus rocked up. As he came out of the water after his baptism, a voice rang out in from the heavens “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."

Still not convinced this verse in 2 Samuel is fulfilled in Jesus? Well look at verse 12 ‘I will raise up your offspring to succeed you’. And Jesus is indeed a son of David. Have you ever wondered why there are long lists of who was whose father and so on in the bible? [SLIDE] It’s because the writers want us to know that Jesus is in David’s line. Jesus’ great great ….grandad was David. It all fits into the promise. But there’s more. God had said “I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.” No man could fulfil that. But[SLIDE] Jesus burst through the grave and out the other side to live for ever. There will be no end to Jesus. Jesus is the one who rules on God’s throne, for ever.

So [SLIDE] Jesus is King. [SLIDE]And that has some big consequences.

Let’s get back to our far away island, Archibaldina and Enry the extra terrestrial.

There’s no doubt in your mind. You Archibaldina know the Arrival of a Monarch requires action. [SLIDE]Her position, [SLIDE]her presence and [SLIDE] her power demand you do something. Because of where she is in hierarchy, because of who she is as a person and because of what she can do, the Queen requires a particular response. When the queen comes, you can’t just [SLIDE] whack on your swimmers and go and do beach yoga like nothing’s any different.. [SLIDE] Oh no

[SLIDE] It’s the same with Jesus. If Jesus is King because of his position, his presence and his power, because of where he stands in the order of creation, because of who he is and because of what he can do [SLIDE] we can’t just ignore him and carry on life as if he didn’t exist. [SLIDE] Jesus is King and requires a response. We’re going to look in turn at these three

So firstly, Jesus the King’s position.

The Queen arrives at the hotel, and the first thing you notice is that before you see anything of the queen loads of other people start flooding the building. The PAs and administrators making sure that all the right people are lined up for when she comes. The peculiar lady who comes and checks the loos are decent for when the queen gets in a spot of gastronomic bother. Each one of them carrying out the Queen’s wishes.

You see the Queen has a privileged position. Because of where she is in hierarchy, it is her place to give orders. The whole Island belongs to her. You just do what she says.

And so with Jesus. [SLIDE]Jesus has the highest, most privileged position. (you and me for comparison) He’s the King over all the earth. On that basis alone, because of his position, because he is so much higher than us, because he is so the top of the pile and we so aren’t, because every person, indeed every molecule owes its existence to him. [SLIDE] We should obey him.

Let me ask, do we believe Jesus is King? So are we prepared to obey him? For example, though of course this isn’t all there is to say, Not to join in the gossip about others at school, not to laugh at those who are weak, not to have sex until we marry, not to get drunk with our mates? Or actively, to sit next the person everyone else has written off in class, to honour our parents decisions, to take care of the new kids this year. Put it this way. If Jesus says do one thing, and I want to do another. Which one do I end up doing? Because of Jesus position we should obey him.

[SLIDE] Second, Jesus the King’s presence.

This was something you, Archibaldina really struggled to explain to enry the extraterrestrial before the queen showed. ‘You’ll just feel it’, you said, ‘she’ll have an aura, a sort of force field around her. Wherever she goes there’ll be like an invisible cloud of significance all around her. People tend to stare, they go wobbly at the knees and make ridiculous sentences with words in the wrong order. They know they’re in the presence of greatness, and that makes everything different. You feel you owe her something somehow. You catch yourself automatically bowing your head in honour…”

Well if that’s a fair description of what it’s like in the presence of an earthly monarch, how much more being the presence of God’s King. And actually that’s where we are now, and at any time in fact. Perhaps you’ve had a glimpse of what it’s like to be in the royal presence of King Jesus.

I wonder, do we [slide] honour Jesus in his presence? Or do we talk of him lightly even dismissively. For Christ’s sake, Jesus Christ. That’s the name of our ruler and judge were dialling up there.

Now don’t get me wrong it’s good not to take ourselves too seriously, we don’t want to prim and proper hypocrites, but do we ever make a joke of Jesus? Perhaps we’re tempted to laugh about his words in the bible, perhaps we joke about prayer, far more likely we’re just indifferent, unimpressed unmoved when he speaks. Does that honour Jesus? Have we ever sat there listening to his word, but our thoughts are somewhere else completely. Have we ever been challenged by him but instead of responding ignored him.

Jesus presence means we should honour him.

[SLIDE] Finally Jesus the King’s power.

Jesus is powerful.

Modern monarchs may be fairly powerless when it comes down to it. These days they command respect but not armies.

Not Jesus. Jesus is truly powerful. The bible says that he will come back not in humble form of an infant, but on the clouds of heaven with authority, glory and sovereign power to judge all peoples. [SLIDE] We may not see that now, but there’ll be a day [SLIDE] when there will be no doubt[SLIDE][SLIDE] Those who have recognised his rule, he will spare but those who don’t he will say I do not know you and throw them where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. [SLIDE] Jesus is truly powerful and we are right to fear Him. We don’t need to scared, not frightened because his awesome power works for those who fear him, not against them, but we should fear him.

I couldn’t put it better than C.S. Lewis when he describes how Eustace met the Lion Aslan. Aslan is the Christ figure in the book.

Eustace, who has been cursed and made into a dragon says, ``Well, anyway, I looked up and saw the very last thing I expected: a huge lion coming slowly towards me. And one queer thing was that there was no moon last night, but there was moonlight where the lion was. So it came nearer and nearer. I was terribly afraid of it. You may think that, being a dragon, I could have knocked any lion out easily enough. But it wasn't that kind of fear. I wasn't afraid of it eating me, I was just afraid of it - if you can understand. Well, it came closer up to me and looked straight into my eyes. And I shut my eyes tight. But that wasn't any good because it told me to follow it.''

``You mean it spoke?''

``I don't know. Now that you mention it, I don't think it did. But it told me all the same. And I knew I'd have to do what it told me, so I got up and followed it.

[LAST SLIDE]

God promised a King whose kingdom would never fall. Jesus is that King. Let’s obey him, honour him and fear him.

PRAY

Talk @ Radley. Tempus Fugit - Do what counts Matthew 6:19-21

2008-11-30T15:58:00.004Z

Imagine you were going to be dead in two years from now. Each minute of your existence eating into the 730 remaining days of your life on this earth. If you knew your life were going to end at that point, do you think you would have behaved differently today.

Would you still have had a lie in? Would you have gone to shop and bought a chicken roll for your mate as well? Would you still have worked on your coursework? Would you still not have worked on your coursework? Would you have played more or less cod? Would you have rung up the girl you’ve never rung up but always wanted to? Would you have prayed more or less? What would you have done differently if you knew time was short?

My cousin-in-law Johnny was a strapping lad just like you lot. Tall, strong, good looking, a great sense of humour and I guess many would have said, with the world at his feet. Not three weeks before his funeral he had been on a beach holiday celebrating his A level

results, looking forward to a fun-packed gap year in South America .

On coming home he fell ill and tragically died a few days later in late August this year. He was 18.

Johnny’s death hit us hard as a family, but it left its mark even beyond the heart wrenching grief of losing a loved one. It gave a profound sense of “Tempus fugit”. “Time flies” or better translated “Time flees”.

2 years is about the average distance in age between you boys and Johnny. It’s possible that one of us here has only 2 years left. And when an end is insight boy does time fly. Think of those dying minutes for Australia v Wales on Saturday. After that last minute try the wallabies must have felt every last slippery second of that match run away as they looked for just three more points before the whistle.

The fact is whether we have 90 minutes, 2, 20 or 80 years left, it makes no difference. At some point in life we will be counting the days, and asking ourselves what we’ve done with what we had.

“Tempus fugit” and That begs the question. What is it that really counts? What are we to do with all these minutes that we have? What constitutes a moment well spent and what’s a moment wasted?

On the rugby field it’s pretty clear what counts. There a few rules that say stuff like if you chuck the inflatable oval thing on the floor and then boot it and it goes through the middle of the great big poles you get three points on your score board, Bottom line - what counts is the score at the end. A good minute is one that adds to the scoreboard.

How about in the game of life? What if anything, is the stuff that really counts? When the final whistle blows what are we left with? What will be forgotten and what will remains?

Is it possible to get it wrong? Like the skills show off in a game of football. You know how annoying it is, you’re out for an intersocial game of footy down the stro, and it turns out you’ve got the guy who’s obsessed with his own skills. Every time he gets the ball, he’s got plenty of options, he could lay it down the left wing, cross it over to the gap on the far side, but it’s head down and off he dribbles. I mean he’s not bad, he manages to shimmy past a couple of defenders but in the end he always holds onto it for too long and you lose possession. It’s just frustrating isn’t it? The point of the game is to score. When you go back to social no one’s going to ask you how were your skills. You don’t get points in football for leg work, it’s balls in the net that count.

How about in the game of life? Is it possible that in some way we live life like the skills show off, missing what counts. It looks good, we’re skilful, the centre of attention, in fact better than many people at a whole load of stuff, hockey, partying, lying, going to church, schmoozing, bantering, philosophising, sacrificing, what ever it is, but we don’t ever get what really counts. So we get to the end of life and the scoreboard is empty.

What is it that counts in life?

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

So there are things that last. There is a final scoreboard, so to speak, and it’s different from what we see and get now.

There are “treasures on earth” stuff that we want that looks good, but doesn’t last. Fortune, Fame, Fashion. Fortune -We can’t take our cash, our car, or our castle with us when we die – even if we give them to our kids, they can’t either. Fame - even the coolest, most popular, most well known amongst us, even if they manage to escape besmirching by the sun will eventually be forgotten, and Fashion? well just like shell bedtime when you get to heaven you have to leave your ipod and your phone in a box at the door and no one really minds whether you have a David Beckham Mohican or not.

On the other hand, said Jesus, there are “treasures in heaven”. Stuff that you or I can do now which lasts for eternity, stuff that ends up on the final scoreboard of our lives, and from which we will benefit eternally. Treasure in heaven is what really counts.

How do I get it? I’m out of time, so perhaps you could take that one on yourself. May I humbly suggest you start your search with this book.

Gentlemen, let me wish you a happy, meaningful, Christmas, where we all learn to fill the elusive time of your lives with things that count.

Finish with Prayer

“Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the wolrd, from everlasting to everlasting you are God. You turn men back to dust, for a thousand years in our sight are like a day that has just gone by, or like a watch in the night.

Teach us to number our days aright that we may gain a heart of wisdom”

Christianity & Sport. Radley College Chapel Feb 08

2008-03-24T20:08:00.001Z

It was the night before final team selection. I had been training with the Oxford University boat club for four months. We had started a month before the beginning of term and since then we had trained six hours a day, six days a week, every week. Early morning training on six out of seven days meant signing away any semblance of a social life, and all this for the sake of rowing success.
I had always made the team at school and rather fancied myself as a rower, but now I wasn’t so sure. Tomorrow was the final cut, and I was one of the four under the knife. For the two that didn’t make it, that would be the end. No consolation prize, no reserves team, just a quick word from the coach and then they wouldn’t be seen again. The atmosphere during training had a bitter edge, there was a little polite conversation, but you could see that inside everyone was nervous: the next days’ results would decide the success of their year, even of their time at Oxford.
From then on, how would they answer the question, “How’s the rowing?”? Would it be, “Great I made the team” or would they have to mumble out “I got dropped, I wasn’t good enough”?
For many, success in this world decides whether they feel accepted. And so everyone wants to be an achiever so that they will be accepted by be it by their teachers, their friends, their, parents, even by themselves. I wonder is that you as well? That was certainly how I worked. Everything, and everyone around me told me that life was about achievement, and if I wanted to be accepted I needed to be an achiever.

But over the course of my time at school I became a disciple of Jesus, and so when I sat on my bed that December, on the last night before team selection, as a follower of Jesus, I was able to open up this psalm and read with confidence, “O God you are my God, “. I cannot tell you what a joy it is to be able to speak those words and really mean them. You see for most in the rowing team, rowing success is their god, for others academic success is their god, or image, or relationships. The whole world around us tells us that life is all about GCSEs, sports teams, then A levels, University, degree, a massive salary, a nice big house, a beautiful wife or husband. The world tells us those are the goals of life. That is what really matters.
Sure, it’s good to give your all but achievement is a terrible thing to worship What if everyone thinks quicker than I do? What if they remembers more than me? Run faster? Make more money? Have a bigger house? are better at music? more popular? Looks better?. What if I’m never going to achieve?
The wondrous news for the followers of Jesus, however, is that achievement and acceptance by others just doesn’t need to be a worry, I don’t need to live with those goals. I knew that December evening that I need not worry about whether I get into the first team or the second team or even if I get dropped altogether. I don’t need to worry about acceptance by others. You see that’s not what life is all about.
You see, I can say boldly that I have been accepted by God, and that my ultimate goal is not boat race success, nor success in all my exams, nor getting on the rich list, or any other achievement, but my ultimate goal is heaven, eternity with God, where there will be no tears, no death, no mourning and no pain. And because of his amazing loving kindness, God takes me as I am, full of pride, hate, bitterness and godlessness, rowing blue or not. I can say that boldly not because of anything I have achieved, but because of what Jesus Christ achieved, dying on the cross to take the punishment for my sin. I can look forward to everlasting life, because God, the merciful, loving God of the universe, is my God. I pray that the same may be true for you.

Shell 5 version of Thine be the Glory

2008-03-15T10:02:00.001Z

May the praise be yours immortal victorious Lord

your winning battle over mortality is unstoppable

godly people in colourful robes moved the rock aside

left Jesus' bandages where he must have slept

Don't worry about a thing,

cause death will never overcome our Lord

Oh the saviour comes to us, resurrected from his death bed

Kindly he sees us spreads fright and death

Let the chapel with happiness songs of winning proclaim

and now Jesus is alive, life is still better than dying

We do believe you now, wonderful Son of God.

There is no point in living in your absence, help us in our weakness

Let us rise above the risen, using your eternal forgiveness and love

Guard us on our journey to your sacred place above

Holiness:: Radley Chapel 24.02.08

2008-02-24T16:21:00.004Z

Text: 1 Pet 1:13-16

Present Cheese to unsuspecting first year.

"what is this?"

“what adjectives could you use to describe it?”

"what are these? (holes)"
What adjective would you use to describe it therefore ("holy")
I'll give you a clue this is a characteristic which according to popular
opinion this cheese probably shares with the pope.
That was, I admit, a painfully cheesy joke, but at least I have your
attention.

I want to talk to you about holiness.

In the desert after they had escaped from Egypt, God told his people the following:

he said, “Be holy, because I am holy”. Be holy, because I am holy

Now there is a problem. Whilst I hope only a limited number still think I am talking about cheese, many, I would suggest, are nevertheless confused about holiness. You see, I think holiness, just like Britney Spears, gets a bad press. We are going to conduct a quick social experiment in chapel to see if that is true here.

I would like everyone to think of someone, one person in particular, who they think is holy. You have 10 seconds to think of someone holy.

Now, in order to conduct my quick social experiment, I need everyone to raise their right hand in the air.

Put your hand down, if the person you thought of was the pope.Now put your hand down, if the person you thought of was over 25 years of age.

So that’s pretty bad news. Basically no one here thinks of young people when they think of ‘holy’ people, and a whole load of you think immediately of the pope – who indeed seems very holy, but he’s not exactly an easy role model to relate to. But God said to all his people Be Holy. And that includes people like you and me under 25.

To clear up the confusion, let me tell you what holiness is not:

It is not religiosity,It is not being dreadfully solemn

It is not being boring, It is not wearing white robes, holding your hands constantly pressed together in the prayer position and taking ridiculously small steps so that it looks like you’re actually floating along, Holiness is not being old. It is not being ‘holier than thou’, you know, one of those people who walks around looking down on everyone else telling them with every glance how desperately immoral they are. It is not reserved for monks, nuns, vicars, popes nor indeed for cheeses.

Holiness means simply this:

It means being set apart. holiness means being set apart.

In fact, pretty much every one of you is wearing an illustration for me. We’re all in our Sunday suits. That’s one piece of clothing that’s set apart from the rest. It’s different and it stands out.

So being holy means just the same. It means being set apart. It means being different. Standing out from the crowd.

And holiness is what God wants. He said to his people “Be Holy, because I am Holy”

But, JFA, I hear the Radleian remonstrate. Why are you telling a bunch of adolescents to stand out from the crowd. If that’s what holiness is all about what kind of public school boy would be interested. I spend my life trying to fit in, trying to wear the right piece of clothing, say the right thing, not say the wrong thing, listen to the music that’s makes me cool, and go to the same holiday destination as everyone else. My life is about blending in, not standing out.

I’m a teenager, man, why do I want to be ‘holy’, ‘set apart’, that's social suicide?

In many ways, no one likes to stand out, to be different.

And you know, I’m pretty sure that’s why many people don’t want to follow Jesus. They associate Jesus with all sorts of weird things. They think becoming a follower of Jesus, becoming holy is going to mean obligatory sandal and white sock wearing. They think it means being boring, and having no fun. And quite frankly if that’s the kind of holiness God is suggesting I wouldn’t be interested either.

But being holy is more than just being different for the sake of it, it’s certainly not about being odd. Holiness means being set apart, yes but it means set apart for a special purpose. In fact just like your Sunday suit. It’s different but in a good way. It’s smarter than everything else in the wardrobe. It has a special purpose.

God said to his people “Be holy, because I am holy”. In other words, be set apart, be different, yes, but for a special purpose. That special purpose is to be like him, like God. Be holy, because I am holy.

Sure we often don’t like to stand out. But standing out for something special is everyone’s dream. Imagine your name gets read out by the warden in warden’s assembly for successfully getting into Oxford or Cambridge. You’re standing out for a special purpose. There’s no shame in that. And so it is with those who want to follow Jesus. God calls us to stand out for a special purpose, namely to be like him. What nobler purpose could there be than that?

To see what that looks like, we only need to look at Jesus. He was totally different from all those around him. In a culture of retribution he said love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. To those who treat sex casually he said sex is sacred and should be kept within marriage. To those who think money is all we need, he said that love of money is likely to exclude us from his kingdom. Finally, for all those who rejected him, scorned and mocked him in life, he, God’s chosen King, went to die on a cruel Roman cross so that whoever believes in him would not perish but have eternal life. That is the kind of special purpose Jesus proposes for his followers.

Let me give you a few more recent examples of radically different Christian living.

Jackie Pullinger is a remarkable Christian lady, with an upbringing perhaps not too dissimilar to ours. She had a vision in which she felt God was calling her to help those in the walled city of Hongkong. Against all the advice of those around her she left with little money and only a single ticket. Hongkong was nothing like the wealthy metropolis it is now. A part of the town, the walled city, was effectively out of police jurisdiction and ruled by the triad gangs. There were enormous problems of Heroine addiction and prostitution. When she arrived she got a job as a primary school teacher and started a youth club for the local kids. She earnt very little money and was in constant danger. Some of the Triad gang members came to her youth club. As many accepted Jesus, they found that he set them free from their addictions. The work has continued to grow in scope to this day. Jesus reached out to people with the Good news of forgiveness and a relationship with God. Jackie did the same.

That is a holy life, a life set apart for a special purpose, God’s purpose. Wouldn’t it be great if the world had more holy people like that?

Or take William Wilberforce. Brought up in the second half of the 18^th century in a privileged family in the North and educated at Cambridge. He lived in at a time where slavery was still upheld as morally acceptable, but when he began to follow Jesus, he became convicted that he should use his political power to fight it. After his conversion he channeled every part of his energies into campaigning for the abolition of slavery, which indeed he did see through.

He certainly stood out, indeed was ridiculed by some. Just like Jesus he believed all men had equal value irrespective of their race or upbringing. He was a holy man, living with the priorities of God, not of man.

Finally, an example closer to home. When I was thirteen and had just started public school, I went to the equivalent of Christian forum. A chap called Henry in the lower Sixth came up to me, welcomed me, asked my name and generally set me at ease.

I couldn’t believe it. You didn’t do that. You never talked with lower years, it would undermine your status. Where would your respect be. But this one boy decided that it was better to stand out, and obey God’s command to love his neighbour, than to follow the crowd. That is holiness too.

Who could say, whether Christian or not, that we wouldn’t be better off with more Holy people. More people who have set their lives apart for a special purpose: to love the outcast, campaign for justice, welcome strangers?

In each case they obeyed the call to “be holy, because I am holy”. I wonder what purpose you have determined for your life at the moment. It might be Olympic athlete, property magnate, banker, or simply a comfortable existence with a nice car and a nice house.God says “be holy, because I am holy”. I wonder, will your life stand out?

Talk to Saygo (st. andrew's youth group) 2 Timothy 2:1ff

2008-02-10T12:15:00.000Z

Do you ever wonder, “what’s the purpose of it all?”. Do you ever question, “why on earth am I actually here?”

SLIDE This happened to me not so long ago as I was in a couple of feet of water. I was in Scotland and it was my first ever fishing experience. I was salmon fishing on one of the best stretches of river the British isles have to offer, at enormous expense to my incredibly generous father-in-law who had invited us to join him there.

It’s not hard to figure out the point, you say. The point, surely, is to catch salmon, is it not? Well yes and no, you can of course go to waitrose and buy delicious salmon without having to put any waders on, without standing in the shop for 14 hours, without waving your arm rhythmically back and forth for a good part of the day, and without the lottery aspect that you might not actually come home with anything at all. + it costs £2.50 a pop rather than about £100.
Now that fact does demonstrate the excessive simplicity of an answer like “catching salmon is the point of salmon fishing”.

I wonder do you ever get a similar confusion when it comes to bigger questions of life, and faith. Perhaps you’ve come to saygo with exactly that question. You’re not sure what you believe in, and you’re wanting to find out. What does Christianity say is the purpose of life? What is my purpose? What am I meant to be doing while I’m here on this earth? Those are fantastic questions, and I hope today you’ll get a little closer to answering them. Then again, perhaps you’re from a Christian family, or you’ve been coming to saygo for a while. You’re pretty sure you believe, but you still, feel, like me with the fishing, you don’t quite get it. You can see people around you, even people your own age, at saygo perhaps, just like mustard keen fishermen, who are so involved, they’ve got such a clear sense of purpose in their faith, they’re living all out for Jesus, but you can’t really see why you should want to do the same. You wonder, what is it that they see, and I don’t, which means they’re so keen, but I’m not really.
Perhaps you believe in Jesus, but instead of energising you, giving you a reason to live, you find that your beliefs are just a bit of a drag really. You come to saygo because you feel you should or because it keeps your parents happy, or because your friends are here, but to be honest you often catch yourself thinking “what is actually the purpose of being Christian?”, “what difference does it actually make?”, “I believe, but so what?”. “Why am I even here?”
I hope this evening you’ll hear some answers.

SLIDE
Let’s read verse one of chapter two. 1 Timothy is a letter written by the apostle Paul to his rather timid disciple Timothy as a spiritual encouragement and a guide to what he should be doing with his life as a Christian. What he writes to young Timothy he could easily have written to us.
“You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”. x2

Young timothy may have felt like a bit of a spiritual weakling, as indeed we might, but God says “be strong”. Take your spiritual spinach. Or the way I would like to put it is “plug in to the grace of God”. Get connected to the grace of God so that it powers you up. We need some electricity to get our spiritual lives going – look at verse 1, “you and I need to be “strong””. How? verse 1 again “In the grace that is in Christ Jesus”. – we need to crank up some strength by hooking ourselves up to the ultimate power source - God’s grace SLIDE in Jesus Christ.
It’s like a lamp. Look at this lamp. A lovely piece given to us for our wedding. Beautifully crafted with a smoothed, swirling engraved wooden stand, natty lamp shade and velvet base to avoid scratching the table I put it on. Lovely.
But, let’s be honest, fundamentally pretty useless on its own. That is, until you plug it in. If you want this bad boy to it’s job you’ve got to plug it in. And when you do, boy it’s a beauty.
It’s the same with you and me. Ok we’re a bit different on the outside, I’m pretty ugly you’re all quite good-looking put by God’s standards, none of us is really any good at all if we’re not plugged in to his Grace. If we are to do our job properly, to fulfil our God given purpose we need to be strong or plugged in to the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

So what is Grace, and how can we plug in to it?

A good way of remembering what Grace means is this acronym SLIDE God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.
When we speak about Grace we mean all the wonderful things that we do not deserve, but God gives them to us, because Jesus Christ got hold of them for us in exchange for his life. God’s Riches At Christ’s expense.

It’s like this. God created the world, and put us in charge to rule over it and live off it. He gave us his laws to obey, and to show us how to relate to him, the one who thought up every cell in our bodies and every word on our tongue before we were even born.
But we don’t like that. You only need to watch a five year old being told to eat brocolli to realise that disobedience is our standard response to rules. We hate the idea that someone else should call the shots, and so we love to hate God and his laws. [SLIDES] We lie, we cheat, we show favouritism, we hate, we kill, we gossip, we manipulate, we ignore men and women, we are greedy, blind to our mistakes, quick to criticise another, impatient, obstinate, unfaithful, intolerant, foolish, full of sexual lusts, perverted, superficial, but above all proud, self-promoting, and self obsessed. SLIDE From our point of view we consider there is only one ultimate reality in life – that’s me, not God. There is only one King in our lives, that’s me not God. There is only one rule in my life,SLIDE mine, not God’s.
All that is what the Bible calls sin.
And it has consequences. Just like when you get £5.50 per hour in wages for stacking shelves at Sainsburys, the wages we get for sin is death. That’s what the Bible says. And after death, because God is just, we are destined to suffer eternal punishment in hell.
I find it hard talking about this, and if you’re anything like me, it’s hard listening to it. But that doesn’t change anything, does it? If I’m drowning in quicksand and you say to me “you’re drowning in quicksand”, and I say “that’s a bit harsh isn’t it, I don’t like that idea”, that doesn’t change the fact that I’m drowning in quicksand.
It’s tough to take, but the bible says we deserve to go to hell.SLIDE x 4

And this is God’s grace:
Just imagine a mass of billions upon billions standing with their back to God each wearing the crown of his life on his own head. there’s me … God says “despite what each of these has done, I love them so much I want them to live and not to suffer that punishment which they fully deserve.” So he puts into action the biggest rescue mission of history. He parachutes down himself in human form, Jesus Christ God the son, & lives a perfect life, and although he is completely clean from sin, SLIDE God the son gets up onto a cruel cross to bear the wrath, the anger of God the Father which was originally intended for us. And now each one of that massive crowd can turn back to God without fear of recrimination.

That is Grace.

And God commands us to be strong in that Grace. SLIDE To plug in to it. Plugging in to the Grace of God, just means knowing it. We need to know God’s grace. We need to know it deeply, in our minds and in our hearts.
So may I ask you, “Do you know the Grace of God?”
Have you ever known the wonder of complete forgiveness for all your sins, past present and future?
Have you ever looked in your mind’s eye at Jesus hanging on the cross, and thought, “he did it for me!”?
Can you say confidently, without hesitation, that despite your wrong doing you know you will not go to hell because you know Jesus has freed you personally from sin?
Are you SLIDE plugged in?

Perhaps you have, well, fantastic you’re plugged in, keep learning about Jesus, and you’ll be stronger and stronger with each day.
Or perhaps you were once plugged in but you feel like you’re not any longer. You’ve lost interest: to be honest Jesus doesn’t mean much to you at the moment. You could wake up tomorrow and find out he’s not there anyway, and it wouldn’t really make much of a difference to your life.
Perhaps you’ve never know this Grace properly. In fact this whole supposedly live-giving thing is a mystery to you. it seems completely new.
Keep coming here to saygo, find out more about this remarkable man Jesus, join a discussion group, ask Christian friends some questions, or pray. If you are one who feels like this you could even speak to one of the Christian staff after this. It’s hard to look at Jesus very long and not be gripped by his grace.
It might be that there is one other type of person here. You’ve understood understood what it means that Jesus died, but it’s not personal yet. You know Jesus died for all sinners, but you don’t yet rejoice to know that Jesus died for all sinners and that includes me! All you need do is ask God that you would benefit from that grace. Just pray to him and ask him. If that’s you, it would be a great idea to tell a friend or a leader so that they could pray with you.

That’s purpose 1. Don’t worry no.s 2 and 3 will be a lot quicker.

Look at verse 2 again,
entrust what you heard me say1 in the presence of many others as witnesses2 to faithful people3 who will be competent4 to teach others as well

Paul says to Timothy, that now that he’s plugged in to the Gospel, “what you heard me say” he needs to pass it on to faithful people who in turn will teach others as well. He’s saying Timothy needs to pass on the news about the Grace we just heard of.
If we think of it in terms of my lamp. Plug in, and then shine brightly. When you plug in and power up a lamp, it’s not just plugged in for its own benefit, it’s plugged in so that it can give everything around it’s light. It should be the same with us. We should shine brightly as Christians, and the light we shine should be the bright news of Jesus Christ who came to save every man. So we should shine brightly. In fact Jesus once said that a Christian who keeps the news about Jesus to himself is about as good a lamp that keeps all its light to itself.
If we feel we’ve got our head round grace, but we still can’t see why being a Christian should change our lives, we still don’t feel a strong sense of purpose. Here’s one way Jesus will never let us be the same again. This is God’s purpose for you – to shine brightly the message of Grace to your friends family and your community.
How do you do it?
Well, we can start by asking friends to saygo. This is a great place to hear the good news about Jesus. But they’re unlikely to come unless we invite them. In fact, that is God’s purpose for us.Thaddeus story.
Another great place to hear the gospel are the summer camps. That is exactly how I first understood about God’s grace. It was in the summer, when I was 14. How grateful I am that one person took the trouble of inviting me.

Plug in , shine brightly and Finally, a third purpose. Last the course.
Look at verse 3 “endure suffering as a good soldier in Christ”, or verse 10. “endure”. To endure means to last a long time. It’ll be tough being a Christian but God wants us to last until the end. Like a soldier we to stay focused on the battle , like an athlete we are to complete the race, like a farmer, we’re to work hard until the very end of the harvest.
There’s one more thing that’s key to a good lamp. The bulb has got to last. It’s no good if it stays on for while and then pops just as you’re trying to get your contact lens in. Put in the long lasting bulb.
That’s why I’m putting in a long lasting bulb. A bulb that will last the course.
Are you finding it hard to keep going in the Christian life. You’re not the only one, it’s never been easy. But ask the soldier, the athlete, the farmer, is it worth lasting the course? Yes they’ll say, always worth it. Paul’s third purpose for you and me Last the course.
You then, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
Plug in, shine brightly, and last course

The Prodigal Son for Radley Confirmation

2008-01-29T13:52:00.000Z

Harry was just a little more rebellious than your average Radleian. He was a little bit cheekier than the norm in the shell, a little bit more streetwise in the remove, a time when he spent more than the average amount of evening down at the 'stro, and his character continued developing in the same direction from then on. He was deep into the dark tunnel of adolescence by the beginning of the fifths, and stared stubbornly into the middle distance when his French teacher told him he had got 0 out of 20 in his coursework.
In fact that was the year that things really did begin to go badly wrong in Harry's life. He came home at Christmas to his parents house in Chelsea - his mother was at home as usual and his father at work in his chambers - he was a barrister. Both were worried. They had heard from his tutor that he'd had a rocky term. When the reports arrived his Father called him up to his study, something he had only ever done once before when he deliberately hit his sister in the face using his x-box as ball and chain - punishment for her eating his last rolo.
They read through a few reports. It was a sorry tale through and through. Harry remembered a few catch phrases: "with great opportunity comes great responsibility", "It's only because I care for you, that I'm telling you this". but they were the same old, tired, tidy ideas of living life by the rules, thinking of the future, making the most of what he had been given, what he'd heard every single end of term for three years with increasing annoyance.
It was during that conversation that Harry decided he couldn't be bothered with all of this any longer and that he was going to leave home, and school as well, for that matter.
The next morning he looked up flats to rent in Fulham found one and arranged to be there at 12, threw some things into a bag, told his mum he was leaving until further notice and left the house.
His parents didn't hear from him for six months, he refused to answer their calls. He moved again so they wouldn't find out where he lived. He worked as a waiter for a year and then stacking shelves until he was eighteen. In all that time Harry had no contact with and no time for his Dad and his way of life at all, but his Dad was still useful for one thing. His Dad was sitting on Harry's inheritance. After he'd got that from him, he could break off contact forever. His Dad might as well die for all he cared. So One day he arranged to meet up with his Dad at his office and said "Dad, I'm eighteen, I want my share of the inheritance." That meant the flat that they were letting in Notting Hill. His Dad tried to reason with him but it was no use. Within a month the house was on the market, and in two Harry had an extra £200k in his bank account.
As he turned to walk down the steps outside his Dad's office it was as if he was turning not just to leave the place, but to break away from the person too. His back, his eyes, his mouth, and even his mind were turned away from his father and turned only towards his own life from now on.

He set off for Bangkok, Thailand, apparently the Sloane square of the East but without any prying parents, and resolved to live it up. He invited friends out there to stay with him at his own expense. He could be found in the best clubs and bars, buying the most expensive champagne, living the high and wild life with anyone he could find. In fact the wilder the activity the more he wanted to do it. He would pay for the most expensive prostitutes, and when he got bored of that he tried marihuana, and when that wasn't enough he went onto harder drugs, each time pouring the inheritance his father had given him into the bottomless pit of his own pleasure. He came back one morning from an all night full moon party and went to a cash point to get some money. But it was gone. As quickly as his life had changed, his balance had emptied.
He was thrown out of his living quarters, and had no money even to eat. Finally he convinced the local municipality to give him a job clearing up rubbish after the midnight revelers. His pay was just under a pound a day. He wanted to eat the remains of the discarded cold kebabs from the polistyrene boxes strewn across the beach each morning just to save himself from hunger.
After around three months and a particularly cold and wet night under some palm trees on the beach, Harry got to thinking for the first time about home and his parents, probably sitting around a warm fire with mum's carrot cake at that very moment. Suddenly he was overcome with longing to be back there, in the safety and warmth of home. but how could he? He had closed those doors for ever he thought. Effectively, asking for his inheritance so early, he'd wished his father dead, he'd rejected pretty much all that his family had fought for in his education, and all that they stood for. If that wasn't enough, he had squandered all that his loving father had prepared for him in his inheritance. He could never look his father in the face again.
No he couldn't go home. Not as a son. But he just couldn't face carrying on here either. Perhaps he could go back as gardner, just ask his Dad for the minimum wage, keep his head down and live his life out quietly.
In that moment he decided, just as he had so resolutely turned away at the steps of his father’s office, to turn back. He realised his mind had already changed, he no longer wanted the life he had made for himself out there, life without his family, focused only on himself. And so just as his mind had turned back to his family, so he himelf stood up and turned back to go to the city. There he sold his last pair of jeans and paid for half an hour to email home and ask, well, beg for some money for a flight home. Even before he logged off he had a reply from his father. “I’ll be in Bangkok airport tomorrow evening. Meet me there”. He got together his meagre bunch of remaining possessions and headed off to the airport the next day, rehearsing in his mind the words he would say to apologise and ask his Dad to employ him. “I’m sorry Dad, I’ve wronged you, I’ve rebelled against you, in fact I’ve done so much wrong, I’m not worthy to be called your son anymore, please just give me some menial job around the house, I can’t stand this any longer”.
No sooner had he entered the building, his Dad threw his arms around him and as stammered out “I’m sorry Dad, I’ve wronged you, I’ve rebelled against you, in fact I’ve done so much wrong”. But you couldn’t hear the end because his father’s embrace stifled it.
Harry’s father could hardly control himself for the joy of seeing his own son return to him. He calmed himself just long enough to ring his wife and tell her to get all their best friends around, get hold of a marquee, splash out on some top West London catering and get the celebrations going by the time they got home. He shouted ecstaticly down the phone, “Harry’s here, we lost him, darling, but we’ve found him again.”

Perhaps we’re thinking, a nice story a good yarn, particularly good for the real reprobates. But let’s face it we’re not going to run away from home, and we might not get on with our parents perfectly, but we’re certainly not going to ask them for the inheritance early.

But when Jesus told an almost identical story he wasn’t talking about family unity. He was talking about the relationship between man and God.
We may never have asked for the inheritance from the parents, but we’ve certainly all taken what God has given us in creation without so much as a whisper of acknowledgement. We may not have moved out of home, but we’ve certainly made sure we don’t spend too much time in conversation with God our creator. Perhaps we’d never think of turning our backs on our parents, and yet have we not all, so often treated God as if he did not even exist, turning our backs, our eyes, our ears, our minds and our hearts away from him?

We’d perhaps not squander the education our parents gave us like Harry did, but could any of us say that our hands, our lips, our intellects, our time has been consistently devoted to the God who gave them to us? Could we honestly claim that all that he has invested in us we have turned back to him?

Even if our physical reality is very proper and orderly, our spiritual reality is, metaphorically speaking, in Bangkok living the highlife far away from God.

So there we are with Harry I would like us to ask ourselves where we stand in that narrative that I have just related. It might be helpful to consider three stages.
Stage 1 Perhaps we are still in the heady days of independence from God. Just as Harry was, cashing in those cheques for whatever made him happy, completely oblivious to the one who had given him all that he had. If that is where we are, we need to repent. That is one of the three things you will declare on Sunday, “I repent of my sins”. It means change your mind. It’s like the moment that Harry looked around himself on that cold beach and said, this can’t go on, I’ve got it wrong, I need to do a complete u-turn.
So perhaps we need to repent.
Stage 2 Perhaps we identify more closely with Harry after he had changed his mind. Still looking around us, knowing we’re in a mess, knowing even how much better it would be to return to God but not sure what to do next. We’ve repented already, now what? If that is where we are, we need to turn to Christ. That’s another one of the three public statements you’ll make on Sunday. “I turn to Christ”. Just as Harry got up, and turned back towards the city, back towards contact with his father, indeed asked him for forgiveness and restoration, so we should turn to Christ. Despite all our guilt and sin, all that we have done against God, because of Christ’s death on the cross we can be forgiven.
In the parable it’s clearly a no brainer isn’t it. Harry had the option Stay there in the cold eating rotting kebabs or go home. You don’t need to think too long about which one to go for. Harry’s Dad’s part-time gardener had is five million times better than he is, let alone his brother.
It was better even to renounce completely his status as son, to go home as a lowly gardener than to stay in Bangkok, such was the misery. If it’s worth coming back to God even as a servant rather than living for ourselves, how much better would it be to return to him and be welcomed as his son. That’s what he promises. God is not waiting for you to return for him to slap you on the wrist, look you sternly in the eye, and let you in with an ‘alright then, just this once’. Go and sit over there with the naughty ones, and keep quiet. His arms are open wide longing to see you return. As the parable says, he’s longing to put a robe on your shoulders and a ring on your finger. To welcome you. So it’s a sort of soggy apple versus 5 courses in the ritz kind of situation – it’s just a no brainer. You’d go for the ritz, and you’d go for turning to Christ any day. So if that’s us then let’s simply ask the Lord Jesus to save us. Ask God to be part of his family once more. He has promised “ I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.”
Wherever you are, send that spiritual email, pray to God and ask to return. He loves to welcome his children home.

Finally, perhaps you have repented, you’ve turned to Christ, and now you wonder what happens next. Perhaps that is a recent thing. This particular parable doesn’t touch on this aspect really, but the bible study we have just done illustrates it powerfully.
The third thing you will declare on Sunday is “I renounce evil”. The parable stops before we find out, but my guess is Harry doesn’t wait for the end of the party only to nick another grand from his Dad and get back to Thailand. He has a new life back with his father. Wasn’t Zacchaeus remarkable. When he met Jesus his life was completely changed, he renounced his former most likely corrupt and treacherous ways, gave half his possessions to the poor and gave back four times the amount he had defrauded. When a person meets Jesus he cannot remain the same, the change may happen slowly or quickly but he will long to renounce evil. That is the third thing which you will declare on Sunday. Let’s ask ourselves, have we yet made that commitment to live a life under Jesus’ rule, rejecting the example of the world around us, even our close friends at times, and renouncing evil.
So those are the three stages, and that is what you will be declaring on Sunday. I repent of my sins, I turn to Christ, I renounce evil. Let’s examine ourselves, can we say those things not just with our lips but also with our hearts?

Pray.

Change my life? OR “Morality is like Art. It’s a matter of Taste”

2008-01-29T13:49:00.000Z

What is Christian morality, and why should I embrace it?
Consider: a few popular approaches to morality, contrast them with Christian morality
Ethical Hedonism
Perhaps the most common, least complicated and therefore most accessible moral system is Hedonism. It makes pleasure the most important pursuit of mankind, and in most cases, my pleasure.
So how do I know whether something is right or wrong?
Well the question is will it make me happy?
I don’t know if you looked at a self help book in WHSmiths recently, but they give us a real indication of what this will look like. You should do whatever will make you feel good about yourself. Are you feeling oppressed? Don’t be. Be confident and you can always get your way. Are you feeling angry? Don’t let it get the better of you, get it off your chest? Are you unhappy with your marriage? Don’t suffer needlessly, get a divorce. Are you unhappy with being pregnant right now? Don’t let it worry you, have an abortion.
The problem with this approach is that pleasure is a great by-product of life, but a dangerous goal.
I read part of Eric Clapton’s autobiography in the Sunday times a few weeks ago. It became so apparent that here was a man who, in all things had pursued unadulterated pleasure, and he had the tools to do it with as well. So he had a string of beautiful women, whomever he fancied at the time, whether he was married to them or not. He drank he took drugs, lived the high life, any pleasure that money could afford, and it left him a destitute man in the end, because no pleasure was sufficient to cure his yearning, and indeed many pleasures he obtained a great cost, a cost to his family and private life which he only paid later. The fact is an individual may get through his own life unscathed but the mess he will leave behind in other’s lives is untold. So pleasure is not a good one to live for.
Moral relativism – cultural morality
Secondly there is moral relativism. An individual guides himself not by any greater, higher moral principles but often, though not exclusively espouses a cultural morality, that means he chooses the path of least resistance according to the society he is in. He hates the apparent arrogance of those who believe there is one absolute idea of right and wrong. Who are we to lay exclusive claim to morality. What is right for one person may not be right for another. But since we have to choose some kind of code, he’ll go for the society’s consensus. If everyone seems to like the idea of giving to charity, sure he’ll give to charity. If it’s acceptable to dodge taxes, he’ll dodge taxes, If people around him are ganging up on the Jews, he’ll join in, if slavery is the norm in society, who is he to argue?
It’s attractive. The moral relativist doesn’t have to think much – because if morality is relative it doesn’t matter too much. No one can categorically say that what you do is wrong. So you don’t need to beat yourself up thinking about it.
The problem has already been highlighted. Without moral absolutes, ideas about right and wrong that are true for all time and all places, societies very quickly implode morally. The Moral relativist could not say, for example, that there was anything wrong with flying planes into the twin towers, cannibalism, the holocaust, or child labour. You see all these ‘crimes’ were committed by individuals who, according to him, have just as much right to decide what is right or wrong as he does.
You might be thinking, yes but how about moral relativism, only with a couple of unchanging ground rules, like don’t murder, don’t oppress etc.
But that isn’t moral relativism. The moral relativist who signs up to the Human rights Charter is no longer relativist. He is a moral dictator, an absolutist, he is not tolerant at all. The fact that lost of people agree with him does not make him any less absolutist.
Moral absolutism
So that leads us onto moral absolutism. That is laying down a code claiming it is the truth, living by it and justifying intervention in the affairs of others if they transgress against that moral code. This can be horrific, or quite acceptable. The Taleban in Afghanistan prohibited women from working; from wearing clothing regarded as "stimulating and attractive," including the "Iranian chador," viewed as insufficiently complete in its covering); from taking a taxi without a "close male relative"; washing clothes in streams; or having their measurements taken by tailors.
The fact is we are all in some way moral absolutists. Whether we call ourselves tolerant or not, whether we recognise it or not we all have some basic beliefs about right and wrong which we do not believe are cultural, or socially derived but are always true.
The problem is. Which moral absolutes are right. For example, why can you say it is wrong to kill someone because of their faith? What authority do you have over any other person?
But now it really matters. We are all absolutists of one kind or another and the bible says that is because we have God’s laws written on our hearts. Deep down, even if we differ on the rules, we all know there is right and wrong and we want to do right.

Christian Morality
This is where Christian morality comes in.
I believe it answers all those questions and more.
Christian morality has absolutes. But they are not just plucked out of the air, they are God’s commands. The only one in a position to make absolute, uncontestable judgments.
Why do Christians say murder is wrong? Not because they think they are clever, but because God says it.
Why do Christians believe sex is for marriage? Not because they think they are clever but because God says it.
Of course this is wonderfully liberating. Following the majority is an awful way of deciding what is right (imagine being a German during the 2nd world war), it’s just inconsistent to say that you don’t care about morality because everyone makes value judgments weighing up the good and the bad. So how should you live, well what better way than to live the way that the creator designed you. Imagine a monkey got hold of an excellent bottle of wine and went around hitting other monkeys with it because he knew no better. What a waste! How much better to do with it what the maker intended and drink it. In the same way, from our perspective we could easily make a mistake in the way we live because we do not understand what we were created for.
But Christian morality is far more than that. It’s not about following another set of rules, it’s about a whole new purpose.
Imagine you’re an extra terrestrial and your earthling friend invites you to a wedding. Unfortunately your rookie pilot took a wrong turn at the milkyway so you arrive late, only to hear the vows. You hear the following comfort her, honour and protect her,
and, forsaking all others,
be faithful to her as long as you both shall live?
Your English isn’t that good and so you miss the next bit until you hear “to have and to hold, for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health, till death us do part” Now you have no idea of the background of the event and you can’t read human emotions Illustration about marriage.
You think marriage is just a bunch of rules. Getting married means committing to doing certain things and not doing others that’s all.
Well that’s a gross misrepresentation. Sure there are rules, but marriage is not about rules, the behaviour described in those rules is the outworking of a relationship. And they can’t be separated from the relationship. So, in a marriage relationship for example you can’t go and have sex with someone else who isn’t you spouse and then claim that’s ok because you thought married people are meant to have sex. It’s not just what you do, but who you do it for.
You can’t separate the action from the recipient of the action. It’s the same with Christianity. It is not simply a standalone moral code, which can be bought into according to choice.
Which means following a commandment in isolation doesn’t make you a Christian. It doesn’t make sense to say he’s nice to people and therefore is a Christian anymore than it makes sense to say he’s always doing romantic things for all sorts of different women therefore he’s a good husband.
Christian morality is not just following rules, it is embracing a whole new purpose. That purpose is to live in relationship to him and to live in honour and praise towards him through our moral decisions.

So – hedonism – doesn’t come up with the goods, and spells chaos for the world
moral relativism – an illusion, and who wants to say for example that genocide is a question of cultural context
moral absolutism – great but where do you get your ideas from?
Christian morality – wouldn’t it be a shame to be a monkey missing out on what life is all about because we failed to read the maker’s instructions.

Do you admit you've done wrong?

2007-05-17T21:04:00.000+01:00

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10"Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11The Pharisee stood up and prayed about^[a^] himself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13"But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14"I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

To some schoolboys who were quite confident that they were doing frightfully well and that God was chuffed to bits with them and who rather looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable on a Sunday evening one summer: "Two Etonians went into chapel one morning at 8.40, one of them, menzies-menzies-rotherington was in E block, in Junior Colts firsts for rugby and cricket, had already been tipped for pop, had just aced his Spanish GCSE oral which he had done early because he was so indescribably clever, and was already looking forward to helping people out on his gap year with raleigh international because he was such a nice bloke; the other was a shabby looking contemporary of his, in the same house, who was in tardy book for the fourth week this term, had just cheated in his french coursework, was on a rustication warning for bullying and was dreading seeing the lowermaster on the bill the next week . They stood up, mumbled their way through the hymns, as only etonians do, and then sat down for the prayers, the first boy cast a quick glance around lower chapel and prayed about himself: "God, I thank you that I am not like other boys, - Harrovians, Haileyburians, Wellingtonians, indeed, or even any of these lesser Etonians like scrumpington mi here (that was the second boys name). I am very popular, I've got good banter with the potential poppers in the year above already, I'm highly talented at rugby and cricket, and will probably be a serious hit in the starring role of the lower school play later this summer. I'm generous too, - I'm already thinking about giving my precious time to go on a gap year with raleigh international to build a house in Timbuktu.

But the second boy didn't look around: he buried his head in his hands. He would not even look up to heaven, but clasped his hands together in such frustration at all that he had done wrong that his temples hurt, and said "God have mercy on me, a sinner".

Now how does the next bit go?

"I tell you God was chuffed to bits with the very sporty super trendy loads of mates budding popper as well but he didn't think much of the other bloke?...

wrong actually, it finishes like this

"I tell you that this boy, rather than the first, went away justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.

So hang on. Did I just say what you think I said? Did I just say that God prefers scrumpington mi, that living wreck of a child over the brightest and best of E block? Did I just say that God accepted the rebel rude boy over the really talented thoroughly good chap. Am I really suggesting that God goes for the fool who knows he's wrong instead of the future captain of rugby who thinks he's the best thing since sliced bread?

Well, yes I did and yes I am.

Only don't take my word for it. What did Jesus say when he told this parable. A little background: The Pharisees were really good blokes. Everyone looked up to them as an example of good living. They were people like RERD. And this pharisee that Jesus mentioned was no exception, he gave ten percent of all he had to the poor. Just imagine the kind of guy who goes to Tudor stores, and for every quid he spends on lemon sherbet dippers he puts 10pence in the charity box. And Tax collectors on the other hand were bad, like an ultra evil and corrupt version of a traffic warden.

And Jesus says that the tax collector went home justified, that is accepted by God, rather than the Pharisee.

So basically the parable is saying those who look good to us, are not necessarily those who look good to God. Or, if we transfer that into this environment, that means those who look good at school, the popular ones, the respected ones, are not necessarily those who look good to God. So just think for a moment, who are the people that everyone thinks are great in your year. Who are the people who are particularly religious in your year. Jesus is saying that they are not necessarily the people whom God accepts.

Now the lower master is shifting anxiously from side to side, wondering whether I am going to leave it at that. So I better explain myself.

There was one crucial difference between these two men that completely cancels out all the rest.

Who here has watched the apprentice with sir Alan Sugar who is this mega angry mega rich guy. My wife Emily and I have become apprentice addicts, and along with two other friends we religiously gather every week to watch it. If you're not a fan, basically what happens is that every week an ever dwindling number of wannabe apprentices get given a task to do, in two teams, and at the end they get called into Sir Alan Sugar's boardroom where he makes them explain their incompetence. Every week one person on the team that loses gets fired, but not before they've had a thorough dressing down from Sir Alan Sugar. Eventually all but one will be eliminated, and Sir Alan Sugar will have his new apprentice.

Well, the thing is, God is basically the opposite of Alan Sugar. Alan Sugar basically runs everyone over the coals in the boardroom and accepts people who are over confident, fight their corner, never give in, and who show their superiority over those around them.

God is the opposite. There is only one criterion for being accepted by God: you've just got to admit you've done wrong. Alan Sugar wants people who think they're right and have the confidence to stand up for themselves under pressure. God on the other hand wants only those who are actually prepared to recognise they're not always right and they've messed up. That tax collector was a moral failure, but God accepted him, because he realised he'd done wrong and needed forgiveness. The pharisee thought he deserved a medal and a couple of birthday honours for being such a great bloke, and God rejected him.

One thought he was God's gift to the world, the other realised he had nothing to give and could only receive.

One of them thought he was a credit to God, whilst the other realised that he was in eternal debt.

One was sef-righteous, the other self-condemned

But in the end, the One who exalted himself and was humbled, the one humbled himself and was exalted.

So do you see, it didn't actually make a difference what they had done with their lives on the outside, whether Pharisee or tax collector, whether budding popper or scrumpington mi, the big issue is: Did they admit they had done wrong?

So you'll be pleased to hear, and so will the lower master, that I'm not saying that if you're talented and popular God automatically doesn't accept you, nor that if you're a troublemaker God automatically does. In the end it's a question of heart attitude.

Whether you are successful in the eyes of Eton, in the eyes of your peers, in the eyes of the world or not, what matters is your attitude to God. Do you come to him humbly with regret for the ways you have rebelled against him, or do you come to him, like David Beckham from Madrid to the Los Angeles Galaxy, thinking, boy he must be chuffed to bits to have me on his side.

After all It could have been the other way round after all. It could have been that the popular guy was actually very humble, and realised that for all his talents he was well short of God's standards, it could have been that scrumpington mi was arrogant to boot, that he didn't recognise he'd done wrong at all, nor feel any inclination to change. In any case what matters is Do we admit that we have done wrong.

I think Jesus' parable would have us ask a few questions of ouselves:

Firstly, If you do not believe Jesus words are true, which of course each man must decide for himself, how is it that we gain acceptance by God, and how do you know whether you are right?

secondly, if we trust Jesus' words, Have we ever come into chapel, or prayed anywhere and beaten our breast in sorrow and repentance. Now I know we're Brits, and we're Etonians, and upper lips probably don't come any stiffer, but you get my point. Have we ever, like that tax collector, like scrumpington mi, felt deep pain and regret at our wrongdoing against God. Have you ever shed a tear when you come to God? If not, will we not remain unaccepted by God, just like the pharisee?

thirdly, Have we ever felt like that tax collector, recognised that we are rotten, broken through and through, and perhaps been tempted to think that God could never accept us? Let's be reminded, that whether we are the Pharisee, the tax collector, menzies-menzies-rotherington, scrumpington mi, Alan Sugar, David beckham or anyone else, God's love in the cross of Jesus Christ covers, washes away the greatest of our wrongdoings, if only we would ask for his mercy.

Talk for Apprentice conference Christmas 06/7 1 Thess 1:3-12

2007-02-26T22:50:00.000Z

Intro

Many people think praying to God is a bit like writing to Santa Claus for your Christmas presents. This is now the fifth year that I have performed Santa’s duties for the children of some family friends and so I feel rather like I have my finger on the buzzer as these things go.

Thus, not long before Christmas I received the following from Alexandra

Dear Santercluse (this is not in fact a reference to my private detective but to me directly)

The last line is indeed a little concerning as if I am the best santa in the world that suggests that Alexandra understands there are ‘other Santas’, this, along with the fact that she asked me whether it was cold at the North Pole – suggests my cover is about to be blown.

Anyway that is not the point. The point is that when we talk to God, if we’re not thinking too much about it, we tend to speak to him rather like a letter to Santa.

Dear God I want to pass my exams, I want the rugby lads who sit on the back row in Maths to think I’m cool and I want my loaded friend Jeffrey to take me on another awesome summer holiday to Barbados and if that’s not possible I wouldn’t mind a family holiday to the Costa del Sol. Oh and keep mum, dad, sis and the tortoise safe.

But what does God think of that? How would he have us pray? We’re going to take our lead from the apostle Paul and look at how he spoke to God. His prayers in 2 Thessalonians are rather different. Not that it is always wrong to talk to God about the things I just mentioned, concerning ourselves, or the safety of our families, but there are other more important things that Paul talks to God about.

But before we dive in and have a look at what he asks for, we should take a little while to take in the apostle’s Paul’s general outlook, or perspective on life.

Perspective: What’s the real need? What’s the real solution?

Right perspective -> right prayer

What Paul says to God all comes from his perspective - the way he sees our future. He knows where we’re going and so he knows what to ask for. If we know where we going, we’ll know what we need too. A right perspective will lead to right prayers.

Illustration – my rowing crew last year

It’s a bit like sport. Take my rowing team, for example. I am the coach and have to convince my boys to train hard all the way through the next term in order that they are fit enough for the races in the summer. So when one of my boys is flagging and thinking why do I need to lift this weight for the hundred and third time this session, I’ll say to him – “I know you feel like your lungs are about to burst and like you need to chill out with a long cool refreshing beverage but you have to race in the summer – just imagine you’re half way through a big race and you’re neck and neck with your strongest opponents – this training is what will keep you going – without it you’ll lose -you need it!”

Knowing the goal – the race, means these rowers will know what they need. In the same way if we Christians know where we’re heading, we’ll know what we need.

What’s our perspective?

Paul’s perspective is the knowledge that he, and every single person alive, including us is heading towards God’s judgment and after that, eternity either with him or without him. There it is in verses 6 to 10. READ. It is clear that there will come a time when God will judge. Look at verse 8. Those who don’t know God will be punished, and verse 9 they will be shut out from the presence of the Lord. The Christian perspective focuses on man’s eternal destiny whether with or without God.

So what do we need?

If that’s where we’re going, then faith in Jesus is our greatest need. According to Paul those who haven’t put their trust in the Lord Jesus will be punished for eternity. PAUSE But wonderfully no one needs to suffer that fate. Those who do put their trust in him can look forward to heaven. Look at verses 9 and 10. READ If this is what happens to those who don’t believe we can also say confidently that those who do believe can look forward to being in God’s presence, where they will worship him forever. The one who made us and loves us so much that he gave his son Jesus for us will be our eternal companion. Anyone who has faith in him, will be with Jesus forever.

That’s the right perspective: we need faith in Jesus.

Praise: Thank God for other Christians

That perspective seriously affects how Paul talks to God, and how we should as well. We’ll look at two aspects, Praise and prayer

First of all Praise. look at the way Paul praises God. See how he kicks off in verse 3. We ought always to thank God for you brothers Paul praises and thanks God for these wonderful Christian friends he has in Thessalonica. What does he thank God for in particular? You might think he’d praise God that they were still alive, what with them being persecuted, but no. Remember Paul’s perspective, he’s got eternal life and death in mind. So he thanks God for what really matters, for the amazing faith of his brothers in Christ. Look what he thanks God for in particular:

growing faith

going somewhere, what does it mean for faith to grow? -> greater trust, greater enthusiasm

First of all, their growing faith: verse 3 We ought to thank God for you brothers because your faith is growing more and more. “O Lord,” says Paul, “thank you so much for giving my friends’ faith in you, particularly how it keeps getting stronger – they trust you more, they’re more excited about being your people. You’ve given them the thing they most need – and loads of it!”. I feel the same way when I see you lot, and I’m sure you do too. Isn’t it an encouragement to see a friend’s faith grow. Perhaps after a conference or a summer camp, or just over the course of time, He trusts God more, he’s loves God more, he’s more excited about the good news of Jesus, he’s bolder when his friends challenge him and is encouraging others to do the same. That really is the very best thing he can have. I ought to thank God for him. Which of your friends have you seen grow in faith recently? All that is God’s work, why not start off your prayers by thanking him.

increasing love

care for others – Harry – how was this possible

Secondly, he thanks God for their increasing love. When I was 14 I was a pretty uncool schoolboy with a side parting that started right over here, who spent most of his afternoons playing snooker on his own, and so I remember I just couldn’t believe it when this guy called Harry in the top year actually spoke to me at the Christian meeting, he took time to see to my needs, and even invited me to come to the prayer meetings. Where I was at school, you would never do that for someone younger than you. Who is the person here at Radley or wherever who first showed you Christian love. Have you thanked God for him or her?

Prayer: Pray for other Christians:

Only after he has thanked God and acknowledged what he has already done, does Paul go on to ask him for things. Only after the praise, does Paul move on to the prayer.

So, prayer: Lets jump to verse 11. With this in mind we constantly pray for you, that our God may count you worthy of his calling and that by his power he may fulfil every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith.

Paul prays two things for his friends; that they would behave worthily and that God would prosper their godly plans..

behave worthily

Illustration of Prefect / misdemeanour of some kind – to explain worthy behaviour

Firstly he prays God would count them worthy of his calling. It’s like this; imagine one of you gets made a school prefect, a great honour and a great responsibility, and you’re happily going about doing all the right things, smile at all the teachers, being nice to the younger kids, generally being upstanding citizens: you are behaving worthily. Your behaviour is worthy of a being school prefect. That’s how school prefects should behave. Then suppose that you woke up one day and in a fit of complete madness you decided pour some cement onto the steps in front of mansion, stand ankle deep in it until it set and then wait to see what happened. Then the warden would come up to you and in the morning and say Look here Symington-bloggesville major, you’re meant to be a school prefect; that kind of behaviour is unworthy of who you are. Act like a prefect.

Now Paul prays that his friends in Thessalonica would behave in a way that’s worthy of their calling as Christians. God has saved them freely and now he asked that they would act like it - be the honest, loving, pure, god-fearing, humble, holy, bold, joyful, compassionate kind of people that God has called them to be. We could do the same.

“Dear Father please make James humble and loving”

“Dear God, give Andy the boldness to stand up for what he believes to be true when his friends ask him about why he trusts in you.”

“Dear Lord, help my brother to be holy and pure, even when his friends put him under pressure not to be”

But hang on, you might say, is that really what our friends need? I mean, is that what Paul’s friends needed? Paul, have a heart these friends of yours, the Thessalonians, are having a rotten time of life, being done in for being Christians etc. why aren’t you asking for peace, and a stop to the persecution. But - remember Paul’s perspective – when he’s praying he’s got his sights fixed on eternity with God, what these Christians really need is stuff that will last forever, and what could be more permanent than pleasing the God with whom you spend eternity?

God would prosper their godly plans

Secondly, and lastly let’s pray like Paul that God would prosper their godly plans. verses 11-12 we constantly pray for you that out God…by his power may fulfill every good purpose of yours and every act prompted by your faith. We don’t know exactly what they were up to, but clearly the Thessalonians’ growing faith had lead them to make all sorts of great plans to serve God. Paul prays that God would let those great plans work out. We could do the same

Now pick a close Christian friend. What good purposes, what godly plans have they decided upon recently. You could start by asking them that very question. Have they resolved to go to church more regularly, or to start reading the bible, have they decided to go and visit some poorly or elderly people regularly? Have they decided they really want to speak to their friend about Jesus? Why not ask God to fulfil those purposes?

“Lord Jesus, give Hugo the self discipline and the desire and joy to read your word regularly”

“Heavenly Father, please would Simon be able to tell his friend the good news about Jesus”

and so on.

Top Tips

Finally, 2 top tips. I don’t find prayer easy, particularly when I want to pray for others. If I just sit down randomly and start praying, I tend to say something like this to God, I don’t know whether you can relate to it:

“Dear God, I really pray for George, erm… be with him and help him…in his work, which, come to think of it, I have quite a lot of at the moment…but I’ll do that this afternoon after lunch, when I have a bit of time…erm…hang on, have I had any breakfast…what? Where was I… oh yes Dear God, I really pray for George…and I really should check my email as well etc.”

So I always find 2 things useful: Read and write:

1^stly read: I always find my prayers are more focused, if I start off by reading a verse from the bible. That way I’m more likely to have the right perspective.

2ndly write

I find I need to write down the people I want to pray for on a list. A list focuses my attention on what I am praying about, reminds me who to pray about, and I can write down what to pray for them as well.

summary.

So, in summary, When it comes to speaking to God about our friends – let’s get the right perspective, let’s praise God for all he has done in them, and pray that he would continue.

Sermon to Benenden 26.02.07 Mark 10

2007-02-26T22:48:00.000Z

As Jesus started on his way, a girl ran up to him and fell on her knees before him. “Good teacher,” She asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life? My name’s Samantha, I’m from Benenden which is rather a nice school in the South of England.”

“Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No-one is good– except God alone, not you, not mother Teresa nor anyone for that matter. You know the commandments: ‘Do you prep thoroughly, don’t lie about your coursework being dropped in a puddle, don’t sleep with your boyfriend, don’t be adolescent with your parents don’t gossip about the other girls behind their back, don’t steal peoples’ jewelry or clothes and be nice to first years”.

“Teacher,” Samantha declared triumphantly, “all these I have kept since I started at Benenden, look here are my reports. English is particularly good.

Jesus looked at her and loved her. “One thing you lack”, he said, “Go, sell your pearls, your precious stoned jewelry, your prada shoes, your dinky black tie handbag, your ipod, your Chanel watch, your Johnfrieda shampoo and conditioner, your UGG boots, your favorite ball gown, your ghd hair straighteners, and give the money to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

At this Samantha’s face fell. She went away sad, because she had several ipods in different colours and they even had her name engraved on the back, and she’d never be able to go out again without her ghds.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for girls from Benenden to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children how hard it is for who trust in riches to enter the Kingdom of God. In fact it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of needle than for someone rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “If it’s that hard for a girl from Benenden who then can be saved?

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God”.

Depending on your outlook on life you will have found that story either incredibly depressing or wonderfully uplifting. In fact there might also be a few people in this chapel who really didn’t like that story. They might say it sounded very negative. They might be thinking ‘who are you to come into this chapel and judge? Are you trying to say you can’t be a Christian unless you’re poor.’

If you’re thinking that may I suggest you didn’t quite get the right end of the stick, the point of the story, indeed the point of Jesus’ story. Let me clarify, I have not come to judge - I could just as easily have put myself in Samantha’s place, and the story would have been 100% accurate, you can hear I’m posh anyway can’t you. Secondly if you found that a rather depressing story, that means you only heard the bit about you in it and you missed the really good bit about God.

This is what it means: The Rich young man in Jesus story, or Samantha in mine, or you or I, whoever want eternal life. Who doesn’t? And in the story they reckon they’re going to get it by doing a load of stuff that makes them good.

Samantha imagines life is one enormous moral ladder. she starts at the bottom. She imagines that eternal life is at the top. She reckons that by doing stuff, by being good she can get up that ladder.

The same is true for the rich man. So : The ten commandments: I haven’t killed anyone –up one, I haven’t committed adultery - up one, I haven’t lied – I can’t believe he hadn’t lied but anyway – up one. Or let’s bring it closer to home. Samantha thinks I was nice to my parents over half term – up one. I am kind to the first years, up another. I don’t gossip about other girls – up one. I don’t do drugs – up one and so on. People like the Rich young man or Samantha think that if they do enough good things they’ll get to the top, and they’ll be able to say to God at the end “all these commands I have kept”. He’ll say, “well done, you’ve earned your place” and they’ll get eternal life.

Has anyone ever thought that was the way to get into heaven? As long as I do enough good things? That what the Rich young man thought. That’s what Samantha thought. “Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life.” I know I have. Many people perhaps even some of you think that’s how Christianity works.

Well actually it’s not. Jesus taught the Rich Young Man very wisely that this was the wrong way to get eternal life. You see the problem comes right at the beginning. The Rich young Man asks “what must I do to inherit eternal life”. “What must I do”. That’s where he’s gone wrong. He thinks eternal life is achieved by me.By me doing things and becoming good enough.

Jesus takes him on at his own game. Instead of telling the young man straight out that he’s go the wrong idea about getting eternal life, he lets him have a go. He’s going to have to learn by himself. So He asks whether he has kept the commandments, and he gives him a list of the easy ones first. don’t steal, don’t murder, don’t commit adultery. Things are going well for the Rich young men and the Samanthas of this world. Yup, I’ve done all those, I’m on track for the pearly gates, oh yes.

Then Jesus throws in one of the commands he saved up and it all changes. You shall have no other Gods before me, say the commandments. So you won’t worship money, you won’t mind losing money to follow me. Sell up and follow me then. The man went away sad. Samantha went away sad because they had great wealth, and they didn’t love Jesus enough to give it up.

So perhaps life is a moral ladder, but it is so long, it stretches up so high, the gaps between the rungs are so huge that we could never get to the top. Jesus said that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. That’s pretty impossible. He means we could never obtain eternal life by doing good things. Lets be honest with ourselves. Could we ever truly live a life of complete obedience to God. I couldn’t do that for 5 minutes. Now up to this point I’d agree with the people who found my story unnecessarily depressing and negative.

But It’s not a depressing story because it doesn’t stop there. In fact it is a wonderful story underpinned by a marvelous reality, a truth that in fact makes all the difference to my life, as perhaps it has done to some of you.

The disiples ask, “who then can be saved?”. Jesus answers, “With man this is impossible, but not with God. All things are possible with God.”

It’s easy to get the wrong idea about Jesus’ attitude to the Rich young men or the Samanthas of this world. Do you remember? Mark says he looked at him and loved him. These people are excluded from eternal life for only one reason. They insist on trying to get there by themselves. That’s where riches come in. Being rich makes us feel like we own the world, like we can have anything we want, we can depend on ourselves for all we need. But the truth is, they will never get there on their own. Well what can be done then, the disciples wonder? Wonderfully though, what man cannot do, God can do. Indeed Jesus loves you and me so much, that he is prepared to do the impossible for us. That is the message of the cross. When Jesus Christ came to earth, it was as if God came down the ladder from eternity onto earth. There he lived a perfect life, a life worthy of Heaven and then he went to the cross and died to cancel the punishment for our sin. Now that Jesus has suffered in our place we can claim the reward that only he deserves. Eternity with God.

I have one question to you. How do you hope to inherit eternal life? Do you, like Samantha and the Rich Young man think you’ll get there because you’re a good person, or will you have to rely on Jesus to make the impossible happen.

May I say, perhaps my sermon has bothered you and you would like to challenge me. Do feel free to come and ask me after the service or perhaps take the time during the week to go and speak to Mrs. Ashton. But please, if Jesus’ words have moved you, don’t just try to forget them so that you can sleep easy. Read Matthew Do something about it.

The small picture- our part in God's mission.

2006-06-15T16:26:00.000+01:00

The small picture

God’s big mission is the evangelisation of the whole world. This is his project, his work! But the question remains, where do we fit in? From the big picture to the small picture. To help us, we’ll look at Luke 12:8-9

8"And I tell you,

everyone who
acknowledges me
before men,
the Son of Man also
will acknowledge
before the angels of God,

9but the one who
denies me
before men
will be denied
before the angels of God.

This passage comes from a section in Luke’s gospel where many thousands of people were gathering around Jesus. He says there were so many thousands that they were actually trampling each other. Now, this is an unlikely setting for our evangelism. It is very unlikely that you will have football stadiums (or stadia) eating out of the palm of your hand as you explain the gospel. But even on the occasion Luke records, the crowds weren’t gathering round Jesus to listen to the gospel- they were gathering because had heard Jesus could perform incredible miracles, because thay had heard of his power and they wanted to be associated with him. And so, as these crowds gather, for the wrong reasons, it is to his disciples that Jesus turns to speak, to teach his disciples what his work, his project, is really about. In the face of huge steaming herds of people crowding round Jesus with wrong agendas, Jesus takes his disciples to one side and makes sure they know the heart of his agenda- the right agenda. So this is the context of verses 8-9: Jesus preparing his disciples for his work in his world in the face of crowds who want very different things from Jesus. The Lord makes sure they know what he really wants from them as they come face to face with the world. And his words describe the very heart of evangelism

8"And I tell you,

everyone who
acknowledges me
before men,
the Son of Man also
will acknowledge
before the angels of God,

9but the one who
denies me
before men
will be denied
before the angels of God.

To acknowledge Jesus before men. Put another way, Having a stated allegiance to Jesus in public.
Jesus wants us to understand that this is how we fit in to his work. This is the heart of our role in Jesus’ work- being Jesus’ people we are to openly tell others that we are his.

Our role is not going around knocking on people’s doors and inviting people to church. It is not standing on the street corner with a flipchart drawing two ways to live and calling people to repentance. These may be expressions of what Jesus asks of us, but they are not the heart of what he requires. At heart, Jesus simply wants us to be open in public about our relationship with him. In our time with other people, we are not to ignore Jesus, we are not to push him to one side, rather we are to tell people that, yes, we are his.

If you’re still confused, the negative statement will help us understand the positive, i.e To acknowledge Jesus before men, is the opposite of denying him before men. If you find yourself lying to people about your allegiance to Jesus, consistently hiding your faith in him, unwilling to stake your public persona on him, then you are denying him in public, not acknowledging him before men. He wants us to be associated with him in public.

Now the outworking of this is going to be very different for different Christians. For the younger Christian I guess it will mean a more passive public association with Jesus. When people ask you about being a Christian, Jesus calls you to tell the truth and to openly associate yourselves with him. For the oldest, boldest Christian amongst us it will mean actively seeking opportunities to talk about Jesus, all that he is, has done and will do, actively seeking to tell others of his lordship over you. But wherever we are in our Christian lives, the same essence should characterise all our public behaviour- being Jesus’ people we are to openly tell those around us that we are his.

Do you remember the small picture- i.e. our role in Jesus’ mission to evangelise the world? Here was the summary of what Jesus teaches his disciples:
Being Jesus’ people we are to openly tell those around us that we are his.

Now, let’s plug this idea back into the context of the events in Luke’s gospel:
Jesus was so powerful and sought after that he was drawing crowds of 1000s. So many thousands that they were trampling each other in an attempt to get near this man. Now, if you were a disciple witnessing the fame and influence of this great man, would you need to be warned against denying Jesus in public? Would you need any encouragement to tell people publicly that he is your lord and even more- that he loves you. Would you need encouragement to do this? No. You’d be telling everybody,” I’m with him. I am with Jesus.”

If I personally knew, Jason Robinson, would I tell people? Believe me, you would all be bored of hearing about it I’d have told you so often. Did I uh mention that me and Jasy are mates? I did, did I? Right. And if several months into our friendship he encouraged me, saying, “Rob, if you’re prepared to tell your mates down the pub that you know me, then I’ll introduce you to the England Rugby team,” then I’d laugh in his face. I’d have told all my mates weeks ago. That kind of encouragement would be totally unnecessary, so why does Jesus feel the need to encourage his disciples here? Why would you not admit to knowing someone as influential and powerful as Jesus?

Well, I think the answer comes as we remember where Jesus is heading. In chapter 9 of Luke we read Jesus foretelling his death and in verse 51 Luke wrote, When the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem, so everything from chapter 9 takes place against the backdrop of Jesus’ forthcoming false trial, beating and crucifixion. The crowds might be trampling each other to get to him for the time being, but soon they were to turn against him. It may seem foolish to encourage someone to be publicly associated with a man of influence and power, but soon power would become weakness and influence would become shame. And it shouldn’t surprise us that the crowds turned against him- remember that they never shared his agenda in the first place. They weren’t crowding round him to hear his gospel.

For a brief moment, just a few years in the last few thousand, Jesus had power and influence in public. He gripped the public with his power and influence, but for the rest of those two thousand years he has been largely laughed at, ignored, a joke, a non-entity. And he knew this would happen. And he knew that to be publicly associated with him in the vast majority of this Earth’s times and places would sink peoples’ reputations. If I told my family that I had met Jason Robinson do you think there’d be an awkward silence and some dubious looks like there are when I talk about Jesus? Of course there wouldn’t. Outside the church, before men, being associated with Jesus will currently do nothing good for your reputation at all.

And Jesus knew this would be the case. He knew everything in advance. So to encourage us in publicly telling people that we know him, Jesus teaches us to look beyond the present where he is a nonentity, to the future, where once again he will have power and influence. Jesus teaches us to think of him, not as the world sees him now as, at best, some namby pamby spiritual guru, but as he is and will be seen to be in the future, as the Lord of the angels of God. A long time ago Jesus’ influence was acknowledged in the public sphere for a few years, then for the last two thousand until now it has been ignored, but when he will return to judge, then his power and influence will be seen by everybody not for a limited time, but for all eternity. And this final and eternal era in Jesus’ power and influence could begin at any moment!

So Jesus says keep your eyes fixed on the future, on heaven, where all the angels of God will tremble at my word. Now angels are fearsome creatures, creatures so glorious that when the Apostle John met with the angel who showed him the contents of Revelation, John fell at the angel’s feet to worship him. And heaven will be full of the angels of God, hosts upon hosts of these glorious fearsome creatures and they will tremble before Jesus. That his how powerful and influential he will be- so powerful that the most powerful creatures in the universe, the armies of heaven, will fall at his feet. And if we acknowledge Jesus before men, then on the day he returns and the angels of God are before me he will openly tell the angels, “Rob Mullock, he is mine. He is with me.”

Now, if we believed this, if we kept our eyes fixed firmly on the day Jesus returns, wouldn’t we tell everybody? Regardless of the consequences in the temporary present, we would tell everybody that we know Jesus, in expectation of the eternal and glorious future..

Everybody wants to be associated with someone great and there is nobody greater than Jesus, nobody. It just remains to be seen, that’s all. But it will be seen. Don’t doubt it. Jesus has promised us that the day is near. So as you wait for that day, be open about your relationship with Jesus. You are just men and women, but he is God. You are unlovely, but he has loved you and died for you and one day he will call you by your name before the angels of God.

Social Prayers

2006-06-07T13:35:00.000+01:00

I want to talk to you about purpose…

Put up your hand if you went to class today.

Now I am going to ask you about your purpose in doing so.

Put your hand down if your purpose in going to class today was mainly pure intellectual curiosity
Put your hand down if you didn’t much feel like working today but nevertheless went to class with the purpose of eventually gaining academic qualifications which will allow you to be successful and have highly respected job in later life
Put you hand down if you didn’t much feel like working today but went to class today with the purpose of avoiding pain given that you knew that if you didn’t go to class certain people would make your life more painful….

Fine well you may have had many other perfectly acceptable purposes in mind. Some of you I guess have an exact idea of what your purpose in life is. Perhaps your purpose is to make yourself rich, or to make your self happy or to make yourself morally upright. Perhaps you aren’t sure about your purpose. Whatever the case you have definitely done something today or at least this week without properly thinking about what your purpose in doing so was. The problem is this:- life is very busy. And the business of life combined with the complications of changing your mind about something mean that it is far more comfortable not to think about our purpose in doing things. Particularly because if we think about it we might actually make some dangerous conclusions like, this isn’t worth doing a at all.

Take this lego man for example Who here admits to having possessed, at some point in their lives, some lego? I admit not only to possessing lego but to being something of a lego geek. Anyway, today I have brought with me Dominic Duplo man. Dominic in many ways is an astounding likeness of the human form with fully moving arms legs and rotating head. In addition to the typical human functions he is able to rotate his head not 90% not 180% but a full 360% degrees and crucially it is possible to temporarily amputate his whole lower half without the slightest prejudice to his lego well being. For reasons best know to his Danish creators, In contrast to the typical humanoid he has, in the midst of all his lifelikeness, along with all his millions of contemporaries across the world a puzzlingly monochrome complexion. In many ways he is like a human and that’s what makes him so great. I can make scenes with him. Barry the lego man sitting down. Barry the lego man in dismay, barry the lego man with his trousers on back to front. Barry the lego man can perform a huge range of functions which is really great but that is not his actual point of existence, his purpose. No his purpose is indicated on any duplo box. for children aged 3 and older, not to be consumed (or something like that).
Barry the lego man’s purpose is to interact with his owner, a human. He exists for the benefit of his owner.

"What does Barry have to do with me?" you might say.

Well we can all get a little bit confused about our purpose too.

Let’s take sport. What is the point of sport? It’s fun, when it gets tough its character building, it develops great relationships. But sometimes we can think that the whole point of sport is winning, so then if we don’t win we get so upset that the fun, the character building, the relationships go out of the window.

Study: what is the purpose of study? To broaden your mind to enable you think constructively to inform us in our decisions to learn about. But sometimes we can think the whole point of studying is avoiding punishment, which, let’s face it is a deeply depressing outlook and will hardly encourage us.

But how about we think even deeper. Dominic’s purpose is not to rotate his head through 360 degrees. He is able to do that, in fact he is remarkably good at it, but his purpose is to interact with me. Why do you get out of bed in the morning, why do you do anything instead of nothing? I wonder do you have an answer. What is your purpose in life?

To finish I want to tell you a story about one man and his purpose. How many of you have seen Chariots of Fire? So you will remember Eric Lidell. Eric Lidell was a Scottish runner. He was a remarkably talented man. After playing for the Scottish rugby team for a couple of years he went to the Olympics in 1924 where he intended to run in the 100metres. Eric loved running, but not simply for its own sake. He was a Christian and for him running had meaning and purpose because he saw it not as a means of winning himself glory but of recognising the glory of his Creator. It was he who spoke the famous lines “God made me fast, and when I run I feel his good pleasure” Eric won the gold in the 400 and bronze in the 200 metres that year, but for him there was a deeper purpose to all his endeavours, and interaction with his creator. Just like Dominic infact. He was convinced that he was designed to be in a relationship with his master and creator.
I don’t necessarily expect you to agree with Eric Lidell, but I hope you have a chance to ask yourself, "what is my purpose?"