The Reverend Garibaldi McFlurry

Sermon Audio: 1 Peter 2: 4-10

2013-05-22T12:03:00.002+01:00

On Sunday morning we continued in our series from 1 Peter, as we came to the climax of the first section, in which Peter teaches the scattered Christians that they are chosen by God. The church is not a building, but rather being built of living stones, Christians, upon the foundation of Christ the cornerstone. It's an all-age Family Service type talk, so may not be the best for listening, but you might find it of some value.

10 Must Read Books (And Then Some More...)

2013-05-21T09:00:00.000+01:00

This post was prompted by a Twitter conversation based on a post over at Relevant Magazine, where Nicole Unice gave her 10 books everyone should read by 25-ish. I mentioned that I'd only read two of them - the Bible and Mere Christianity by CS Lewis, and that I'm well over the 25-ish limit. So what would my top ten books for reading at any age be?

1. The Bible
Read it in any version you like, just read it! Rather than reading what others have said about it, or what others think of it, read it yourself and get to know it. As you do so, you'll get to know the God who speaks in and through the words to reveal his word. There are a host of daily Bible reading schemes available online or in Christian bookshops. With 1189 chapters in the Bible, that's an average of 3.25 per day and you'll have read through the whole Bible in a year. Other daily reading notes will give you a chapter or a few verses to think about, but this year I've been trying to read in bigger chunks to get the wider flow of the text. It's been a really helpful approach, and one I'd recommend.

2. A Call to Spiritual Reformation- Don Carson

This book will transform your praying! Carson takes the reader through the prayers of Paul in the New Testament, explaining and applying in such a heart-warming way that you will never pray in the same way again. (Review)

3. Knowing God- Jim Packer

This is the modern classic that deserves being read and re-read by everyone. Knowing God is a clear introduction to the God who has revealed himself in the Bible, which continues to be effective forty years after it was first published. Packer writes in a way that draws the reader in and displays the glory of God.

4. Don't Waste Your Life- John Piper

When growing up and looking to the future, it's often difficult to know what to do with your life. In his forthright and engaging style, John Piper urges the reader to not waste their life on trivial things.

(Honourable mention: This Momentary Marriage- a brilliant book on relationships, marriage, and singleness which should really have made the list in its own right! Read it now, whatever your marital status. (Review)

5. The Freedom of Self Forgetfulness- Tim Keller

It may be surprising that such a recent and small book should make it into my must-read list, but the few pages on the way the gospel brings transformation are essential reading for everyone. Keller helps the reader discover that 'The essence of gospel-humility is not thinking more of myself or thinking less of myself, it is thinking of myself less.' (Review)

(Honourable mention: The Reason for God- Clear apologetics for a postmodern generation (review))

6. God's Big Picture- Vaughan Roberts

This is the most accessible and helpful Bible overview book around, and will help the reader discover the flow and 'big picture' of the whole Bible. Building on the work of Graeme Goldsworthy, Roberts takes the reader through the Bible's story, helping to put all the pieces together and make sense of it all. (Review)

(Honourable mention: Battles Christians Face- encouragement in the midst of struggles)

7. The Cross of Christ- John Stott

The classic evangelical book on the cross; its meaning and implications for the Christian. As in all his writings, Stott is clear, concise, and communicates gospel truth in a way that sticks in the mind and moves the heart. (Review)

(Honourable mention: Basic Christianity- or indeed, anything Stott has written!)

8. The Chronicles of Narnia- CS Lewis

I may be slightly cheating here, by including 7 books as one, but then at the top of the list we have 66 in one! Lewis is the master storyteller, explaining and illustrating the gospel through the interaction of his characters in the land of Narnia. Who could not read of Aslan's sacrifice and not wonder at the ransom paid for us?

9. Beyond Greed- Brian Rosner

For any Christian, it's important to control their money and possessions for the sake of the gospel, rather than letting their possessions control them. This is a great book on greed, money, possessions, and gaining control. (Review)

10. Holiness by Grace- Bryan Chappell

A clear book on how grace works in the life of the Christian to bring transformation and the pursuit of holiness. A message we desperately need to hear in every generation, but none more than our own. (Review)

11! Give Me This Mountain- Helen Roseveare

World famous missionary Helen Roseveare tells how she went from school and medical school to establishing a hospital in the Congo, because of the love of Jesus in her life. An inspiring story, which continues in the later volumes of her autobiography.

What books would you put on a must-read list for Christians in their 20s and 30s? #asktwitter
— Garibaldi McFlurry (@GaribaldiMcF) May 17, 2013

I also asked the question on Twitter and here were some of the suggestions:

@garibaldimcf the me I want to be - John Ortberg... Purpose driven life is good for any age! :) also reading blue like jazz which is great!
— Cathy Smyth (@csmyth2) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf Stott - The Cross of Christ. Don't Waste Your Life by Piper. Know the Truth - Milne. God's Big Picture - Roberts. ++
— The Vicar's Wife (@thevicarswife) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf Also Issues Xians Face by Roberts. Stop Dating the Church by Harris. The Cross Centered Life by Mahaney.
— The Vicar's Wife (@thevicarswife) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf The Father Brown stories by GK Chesterton. The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis.
— eamonhonan (@aquestingvole) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf ragamuffin Gospel - Brennan manning.
— Jonny Pollock (@jonnypollock) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf Compared to her - Sophie de Witt (for the ladies!). The covenant @bernardnhoward. A praying life @_paulemiller
— Mel Lacy (@lacymel) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf every good endeavour, centre church, the freedom of self forgetfulness @timkellernyc
— Mel Lacy (@lacymel) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf popologetics @tedturnau is a must! The big ego trip @glynnharry. What do you think of me Ed Welch.
— Mel Lacy (@lacymel) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf Note To Self by @joethorn & Just Do Something by @revkevdeyoung
— supersimbo (@supersimbo) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf desiring god - piper; basic Christianity - Stott.
— Jonny Pollock (@jonnypollock) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf The Transforming Power of the Gospel by Jerry Bridges or The Cure by Bill Thrall
— Mark Rodgers (@markrodgers79) May 17, 2013

@garibaldimcf Lucado- Just Like Jesus, Ortberg- If you want to walk on Water, Regan- No Ceiling to Hope, Page- The Longest Week, #tonamebut4
— The Good Book Shop (@TheGoodBookShop) May 18, 2013

Any other suggestions for this list?

Sermon: Ezekiel 37: 1-14 The Valley of Dry Bones

2013-05-20T08:30:00.000+01:00

It sounds like a scene from a horror movie. The prophet Ezekiel is airlifted by the Lord into a valley - but it is no ordinary valley. It’s a place of death and destruction. The scene of a heavy defeat, full of confusion and disorder. Ezekiel is in the valley of dry bones. In fact, they’re not just dry, but, as Ezekiel is given a guided tour, he notices that they are ‘very dry’ (2).

It’s here that the LORD asks Ezekiel a very important question: ‘Son of man, can these bones live?’ (3) Is it possible to find life in the place of death? Could the valley of dry bones be the scene of victory?

Before we go any further, it might be helpful for us to get our bearings. You see, just as Ezekiel has been airlifted into strange surroundings, so we too have landed in the middle of very strange surroundings. We’re in the Old Testament, in the middle of a book, so we need to work out what’s going on before we can understand what God is saying in this chapter.

It’s always helpful to try and figure out where the passage you’re reading fits into the big picture of the Bible, as well as the structure of the Bible book. In this case, the prophet Ezekiel is in the land of Babylon during the time of the exile - when the land of Judah and the city of Jerusalem was captured by the Babylonians and some of the people were taken into exile.

For the first 24 chapters of Ezekiel, he has declared God’s just judgement on the people. Judah has forsaken God and turned to idols. It’s not easy reading, as God exposes their sin and brings about punishment. If you can imagine turning the brightness button and the contrast button down on your TV remote, so that everything is just grey, this is the effect of Ezekiel 1-24.

Did you hear of the snooker commentator who once said that for the benefit of those watching in black and white, the pink ball was next to the green? Well it’s a bit like that here in Ezekiel’s day. There’s no hope, no reprieve, just doom and gloom. After chapter 24, Ezekiel speaks to the surrounding nations, and declares God’s judgement on them too. But then in chapter 33, there’s a hint of brightness, a glimmer of hope, like the first promise of dawn. Jerusalem has fallen, but could there yet be some hope for the people of God?

Can these bones live? Even though the people of Judah are in exile, far away from the land God had promised them, scattered among the nations under the judgement of God, can these bones live?

It’s a question we continue to ask to this day? We see the weakness of the church in the face of a confident secular state, with the government seeking to move forward with same sex marriage. Can these bones live?

We see ministers who deny the cross and the resurrection; who spend their time in the pulpit talking about a poem or something they read in a magazine; the mood seems to be that we’re in decline; things aren’t what they used to be. Can these bones live?

And Ezekiel gives the only right answer. ‘O Lord GOD, you know.’ (4) Humanly speaking, the bones are beyond hope. But if we are depending on ourselves and our own strength and resources, then we are above all men to be pitied. O Lord God, you know.

It’s when Ezekiel submits to God, that God demonstrates that he is the one who can give life to the dead (Heb 11:19) as he gives the instructions to Ezekiel. He commands Ezekiel to prophesy over the bones, so that they may live.

And so we see in verse 7, Ezekiel does it, and the bones do it. Do you know the wee song: ‘The foot bone’s connected to the leg bone, the leg bone’s connected to the knee bone’ and so on... The bones rattle together, then the sinews, then the flesh. The bodies lie on the ground, whole, but there’s still something missing.

You remember when God created Adam from the dust and breathed into his nostrils (Gen 2:7)? This is what the re-formed bone bodies are lacking. ‘There was no breath in them’ (8). So Ezekiel prophesies again, to bring the breath on them, to bring them to life. Look at verse 10: ‘and they lived and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army.’

Now what is this all about? In verse 11, God gives the explanation of this strange event. Here we have the key to understanding the whole thing. ‘these bones are the whole house of Israel. Behold, they say, Our bones are dried up, and our hope is lost; we are indeed cut off.’

The people of Israel (both Israel and Judah) had lost all hope. They were picturing themselves as the dry bones. They had given up. But God gives them a message that he will raise the people up; that he is the God who raises the dead. No one else can do this. No other god could do anything like it. And he does it so that they will know that ‘I am the LORD’. (6, 13, 14).

Whenever we see that word LORD in capital letters, it’s the covenant name of God. And the LORD is saying here that they will know he is the covenant keeping God when he keeps his covenant with his people, and raises them from death, and gives them his Spirit.

The work of raising the dead is something only God can do, and so it’s something that we must pray to him, that he would do it. When we look at the village around us, or this county, or this country, or indeed the world, we see everywhere men and women, boys and girls who are dead spiritually. As Paul writes to the Ephesians, ‘And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked... by nature, children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.’ (Eph 2:1-3).

No one can make themselves alive to spiritual things. It would be like expecting the dry bones of the valley to perform CPR on themselves. No, by nature, by ourselves, we are dead in our sins.

We need the power of God, the covenant LORD, to give us life, and to breathe his Spirit into us. Just as Jesus died and was raised to new life, so we need to be born anew, raised to new life in Jesus, the sentence of death that we deserved having been paid by him.

On this day of Pentecost, we remember that God kept the promise he made to bring new life by the giving of his Spirit, as the Spirit was given to the church, and 3000 were added on that day. As we long to see people saved, as we earnestly desire people to be brought from darkness to light; so we recognise that it must be a work of God - we cannot bring life. Won’t you pray with me, that God will mightily move in our land, that many will be raised to life as they trust in Jesus and receive the Spirit of God; a great miracle that only God can do. Can these bones live? O Lord GOD, you know.

This sermon was preached in the Brooke Memorial Hall on Sunday 19th May 2013.

Sermon: 1 Peter 2:4-10 Living Stones

2013-05-19T12:30:00.000+01:00

Now, I wonder if anyone can tell me why we’re meeting in the church hall today? Why is it we’re here and not across the road? We’ve got a bit of a building project going on. There was a problem with the paint and plaster peeling off the walls, so while we’re getting that fixed, we’re here in the church hall.

Here are a few pictures of the progress - the plaster has been chipped away, and we can now see the stones in the wall - the big ones, the small ones, all together in the wall.

Now last week if you were with us, we saw that the church is a bit like a garden, where the imperishable seed of the word is sown, with it giving us new birth and bringing the fruit of love. But now Peter moves from the garden to the building site. You might have heard ... mention the stones and builders in the reading.

You might be wondering if Peter was giving some advice to people doing building projects. Was it like a builder’s magazine with some hints and tips for building your house or building a new church? Well, no, because he talks about ‘the living stone’ and other ‘living stones’. Go on to a building site, ask any builder, but you won’t find any living stones. The stones aren’t alive. They’re just stones.

So what is Peter talking about? Or rather, who is Peter talking about? Here’s the description: ‘As you come to him, the living Stone - rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him-’

This living Stone is a person, a man. Someone rejected by men - who men didn’t want to listen to; whom men wanted to get rid of; but was chosen by God and precious to God. Who is it? It’s the Lord Jesus, of course.

Jesus was crucified - the ultimate rejection; but God showed that he was chosen and precious, because God raised him up to new life.

Jesus is the living Stone. And Peter goes back into his Bible and finds something written hundreds of years before Jesus was born, a promise, a prophecy of who Jesus would be: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’

Jesus is this stone, this chosen and precious cornerstone. Now what is a cornerstone? It’s the most important in the whole building. It’s the one which all the rest is built upon; it’s the one that keeps the whole building straight. It’s like a foundation stone.

So what do you do on a foundation stone? You build on it, of course! But it’s not with bricks and mortar. It’s not with stones. Rather, what is the building Peter is talking about? Let’s see what he says: ‘As you come to him... you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house...’

Peter is talking about building the church - a spiritual house, a place for God to dwell - but it’s not a church building; it’s not a parish church; it’s not the place across the road. We used to sing a song in Dundonald, but I couldn’t find the words or music to it: ‘Church is not a building, it’s the people there inside; people who love Jesus ...’

You see, it’s us - we are the building; we are the church. We’re each like a stone being fitted together and being built up to be the temple where God lives, inside us. In the mountains of Mourne there are the famous dry stone walls, where the stones are placed together to build the wall. It’s like that with us. We are being joined together.

I’ve brought along a visual aid to help us see this. We’ve got the foundation stone - Jesus. But we also need the individual stones. Here they are. We’re going to write our names on these, and then we’re going to see them being built up together - on the foundation of Jesus, built up.

One more picture - this time not on the wall, but as we join together. Stand up, join hands, end of row join up with people in front - we are the people of God, we are being built together.

As we come to Jesus, we’re added to his church, we’re built into this spiritual house. But verse 7 reminds us that not everyone comes to Jesus. Peter tells us that we who believe know that the stone, Jesus, is precious. But some do not believe. Some people reject Jesus.

What about them? What will they do with Jesus the living Stone? Rather than building on it, instead they stumble over it. The stone is sitting, and they trip over it.

One of my interests is history. I love to explore ruins and castles. But when you’re visiting castles you have to be careful. Look at this picture and see if you can notice something odd about it?

The castle stairs were carefully built to help the defenders and make it difficult for the attackers. There’s a trip step. In your house if you’ve got stairs, they’re probably all the same height. They’re regular. But in a castle, there would sometimes be a trip-step, one of a different height. The defenders knew the stairs, how they were arranged, but the attackers wouldn’t, they would get so far and then trip; they wouldn’t be as quick on the stairs.

For those who don’t believe, Jesus is the stone that makes them stumble. You may not really believe that Jesus rose again from the dead; you might think it impossible that there is anything after death; you might not think that Jesus is the only way to God. You can’t accept what Jesus says about himself - the way, the truth, the life. Please think carefully - to reject Jesus is to stumble over him and to finally fall.

But the focus isn’t on those who fall. Rather, the focus is on Jesus, the living stone. Some may reject him, but ‘the stone the builders rejected has become the capstone’ - the most important in the whole building.

Peter reminds his readers and us as well of the change that comes about as we come to Jesus, as we’re built together in him. He uses some more pictures from the Old Testament.

We are a chosen people; a royal priesthood; a holy nation. We have been changed from being in darkness to being in light. We have been brought from not being a people, being on the outside, to now being on the inside, the people of God. Once we had not received mercy, now we have received mercy.

It’s what happens as we come into the church - the people of God, as we believe in Jesus and are built up together. And what is our purpose? It’s to ‘declare the praise’ ; to offer spiritual sacrifices of praise - not just on Sundays, but on every day, wherever we are!

I’ve got a stone for everyone to take away, to be reminded of Jesus the living stone, and of our part in his body.

This sermon was preached at the Family Service in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 19th May 2013.

Book Review: Unreached

2013-05-16T15:10:00.002+01:00

I've been living and working in a scenic part of rural county Fermanagh for over a year and a half now, having left suburban Belfast behind. It might raise eyebrows that I was reading a book like 'Unreached: Growing Churches in Working-Class and Deprived Areas' with its emphasis on large towns and cities with substantial housing estates. Was it totally unrelevant, a waste of my reading time?

In the opening chapter, it appeared as if it wasn't going to be helpful. The introduction opens with a question about where the thriving evangelical churches in your local area are situated. 'The chances are they will be in the 'nice' areas of town and their leaders will be middle class.' For a start, the thought of towns with lots of churches, and indeed towns of a suitable size to have 'nice' areas - they must be writing about huge towns or even cities. Perhaps I should have passed on this book to a brother in Belfast?

The rest of the introduction, though, and indeed, the rest of the book, helped me to see that it was a very helpful book, one that has been and will continue to be useful, because it helps the reader to think about the culture of the local community (whether it's a housing estate or a country estate; urban jungle or farming families), and how the gospel can be effectively communicated to the people there.

Chapter One focuses on contextualization. Having discussed the various types of people found in working class and deprived areas (itself a helpful reminder that people are different and we can't just lump everyone in an area into the same category), Tim Chester then seeks to provide a Christian view of culture: 1. God created cultures and diversity; 2. Sin distorts cultures; 3. The gospel affirms and judges every culture (at different points and places); 4. Christians should both affirm and transform culture (discovering the bits that align with the gospel, but confronting the bits that are ungodly); 5. The gospel transcends cultural differences; 6. Missional engagement is a two-way process (sometimes the 'missionary' will learn as much as the culture being missioned). These points were very helpful, and have led to lots of reflection to help identify the cultural characteristics of the community I'm reaching. While it's different from the main focus of the book, this general stuff has been very good.

In Chapter Two, the theoretical material about culture is now examined in the precise setting of those working class and deprived areas. Again, while the specifics were different, there are useful pointers - the need to contextualize on a person-to-person basis, because every culture is part of a common humanity (sharing the same basic problem), but also that each individual may not be the stereotype of the cultural norm, and have their own unique mores. As Chester points out, the broad characteristics are best used as shortcuts to reach an individual, rather than definitive guides to the person. It's also important to get to know your neighbourhood (which I have found by living and working in the same community).

Chapter Three builds on the previous chapters, by looking at Key Gospel Themes, mentioning lots in brief, and then three in detail. The Fatherhood of God, victim mentality, and the sovereignty of God are discussed, analyzed and applied to the community and how the gospel brings to bear on the issues raised. For anyone in any mission situation, the issues will be different, but how to work through them and present them are ably demonstrated in this chapter.

Chapter Four thinks specifically about evangelism and how to share the good news. There's an interesting discussion of the merits of social action and evangelism, with a right emphasis on the importance of doing more than just 'good deeds' but actually sharing the faith. The four Es of evangelism (plus another) are presented: enter, explore, expose, evangelise (and engage). The suggestion is to discover the idolatry of the community and use it as the way in to show the gospel as the true fulfillment of those desires, hopes and dreams. Using some basic ideas, there are helpful ways to meet the community in the four points of intersection between peoples' stories and the gospel: creation; fall; redemption; consummation. I also found the following a useful suggestion in the four truths about God as a diagnostic: God is great; God is good; God is glorious; God is gracious. How do my behaviours or thoughts conflicting with these truths? In this way, presenting issues are used as a window on the heart - where change is effected, rather than simply making working class people middle class.

There are some good thoughts on discipleship in Chapter Five, with the reminder that the gospel is not just the ABC of the Christian life but the A-Z. 'We become Christians, continue as Christians and grow as Christians through the gospel.'

Chapter Six brings the book to a close with the focus on teaching the word in a non-book culture. The new person arriving at many of our churches to be greeted by a news sheet, prayer book, hymn book and such like must be off-putting for those who cannot or choose not to read. Bible studies shouldn't just be English comprehension lessons, but rather an engagement with the text as we meet the God who speaks his word to us.

Perhaps surprisingly, while I may not be the primary audience for this book, I have found it really helpful, and it's certainly up there in the best books I've read this year. The principles of mission and cross-cultural engagement are explained and applied in very clear and simple fashion, and the need to understand the culture (whatever the culture and wherever you're working) has been prompted even more in me. If you're hoping to move into a new area and reach people with the gospel, this is a must read book - and not just if you're church planting in a housing estate.

Having asked on Twitter if IVP or Christian Focus or The Good Book Company have any resources for rural ministry and mostly drawn a blank, it seems that in the mean time, this is going to be the best type of book to help work through the issues and opportunities of engaging with the prevailing culture and bringing people to Christ. Maybe the rural mission book will spring forth in a few years time... Unreached is available from Think IVP and as an ebook.

Sermon Audio: 1 Peter 1:22-2:3

2013-05-14T10:00:00.000+01:00

On Sunday morning I was preaching from the next chunk of Peter's first letter about the imperishable word - God's word is like a seed planted in our hearts, causing us to be born anew. To bear the fruit of love, we need to do some weeding. To grow strong as Christians, we need to long for the pure spiritual milk of the word. Listen in or download to your mp3 player.

That Monday Morning Feeling

2013-05-13T08:10:00.001+01:00

'Tell me why I don't like Mondays' sang the Boomtown Rats in 1979. It seems that ever since, Mondays have been getting a bad press. The weekend is over, the working week begins again, the opportunity to have a couple of days to yourself is as far away as ever.

Perhaps it's just more prevalent these days with a certain sort of picture that does the rounds on Facebook. You know the sort - Sunday evening, and you see this:

And so it continues, only being surpassed by the Monday morning images:

as well as others that I would prefer not to post...

So why do we not like Mondays? What can we do about it?

Mondays seem to be the day after the weekend before. For many, it's the start of the week, back to responsibilities and work - after all the 'weekend' is over. So we must be starting a new week? Right?

Perhaps if we were to return to what the Bible teaches, that Monday morning feeling wouldn't be just so bad. There we discover that Mondays aren't the first day of the week. The first day of the week is Sunday, the Lord's Day, the first day of creation and the first day of re-creation in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. So rather than Sunday being the weekend, it's the start of a new week.

How good it is (as far as you're able) to give the first day of your week to the Lord, gathering with his people, hearing his word, to set you up for the rest of the week that's just beginning. Would that transform your mournful Monday into a more joyful experience, with what you've learned and experienced on Sunday being applied on Monday morning?

Besides which, every morning when we awake, even a Monday morning, is a fresh gift of God's good grace to us. The new day starts out only by God's will and pleasure. As we discover the Lord's presence with us, no day need be like those being touted on Facebook.

Happy Monday, and may you know the Lord's presence with you as you continue this week!

Sermon: 1 Peter 1:22 - 2:5 God's True Grace brings us life and love through the gospel

2013-05-12T12:30:00.000+01:00

I wonder if you’ve got green fingers. I know for sure that I definitely don’t have green fingers - if you have any plants you’re wanting to perish, just give them to me to look after. I’m not even very good when it comes to recognising flowers - I know lilies, and daffodils, and roses, but beyond that, I’m stumped. But if you’re a gardener, you might have been drawn to the picture at the heart of our reading today, where Peter writes of seeds and grass and flowers.

Many of you know the way and the time to plant your seeds and bulbs; your gardens could compete at the Chelsea Show, with your amazing azaleas, colourful crocuses, and your perfect petunias.

But when Peter writes of grass and flowers, he’s pointing to the fact that they don’t last very long. The snowdrops have sprouted and are long gone. The daffodils are on their way out. The grass withers and the flower falls, says Peter, and they’re a sign of our perishable nature. Peter quotes from Isaiah 40, where the prophet declares that ‘all flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls.’ We’re only too aware of this fact. None of us is around forever - just this week I was at the funeral of a minister who died aged 62.

We’re all perishable. The contrast is with the imperishable. It’s a word Peter likes to use. Already he’s reminded us of the imperishable inheritance which is ours in Christ (4) through the imperishable blood of Christ (19). Now, he’s talking about the ‘imperishable seed.’

But what is this imperishable seed? What is it that lives and endures and carries on? ‘the word of God’ - or as Isaiah puts it, ‘The grass withers... but the word of the Lord endures forever.’ That means that what God has said will always be true - his word is unchanging, ever living.

Just think what it will do for us and to us. The word of God is this imperishable seed - now what do we do with seeds? We plant them. So how was this seed of the word planted? ‘That word is the good news that was announced to you.’ Peter is saying that the gospel, the good news, as it is proclaimed, is the seed which is planted in our lives. We’re given new birth through the seed - we’re ‘born anew’ and made new as we hear and receive and respond to God’s word. We’re changed from being perishable to being imperishable, as we look forward to our inheritance, life with God for ever more.

So as we gather together, as God’s word is proclaimed, it’s as if the seed is being sown - I wonder if and how you prepare for Sundays? Even though I’m not much of a gardener, I know that you need to prepare the ground - you need to get it ready so that the seed will go down deep and be able to grow. So how do you prepare for church? It’s not just about getting dressed and bringing your envelope and making it on time - do you pray? Lord, help the preacher today as he speaks. Lord, help each of us as we hear your word. Lord, may your word go down deep and bear fruit.

Do you come expecting to hear from God? Or is it just a part of your routine? I heard recently of a minister being asked if there was anything special at church that Sunday. He almost said no, that there was nothing special; no gimmicks, no visiting speaker. But then he caught himself on. Of course there's something special - God, the creator of the universe, is speaking through his word to us.

That brings us to the fruit we should expect from the seed of the word. What will the fruit look like in our lives? What will be the sign of the imperishable word being planted in our hearts? Will it be bigger heads as we’re filled with lots of bible knowledge and trivia? No! The fruit of the word according to Peter is ‘genuine mutual love.’

Remember Peter is writing to the church, to the gathered believers. As we receive the word, as we’re born anew, so we are brought into this new situation where we love one another. In other versions it speaks of ‘brotherly love’ - of being brought into God’s family and relating to each other in love. Peter urges us to ‘love one another deeply from the heart.’

We're called to keep on loving as we hear the word, which teaches us to love. You see, in the church there are different people and personalities and likes and dislikes, backgrounds and achievements. But the way we know that we have been born anew through the word is in the way we love one another. It’s like nothing else on earth.

I’ve been in workplaces where no one got on together, everyone hated each other and tried to undermine each other. Families can be at war behind the net curtains. Clubs and societies are bound by a common interest whether it’s crochet or croquet, food or football. But the church is a group of very different people bound together in the family of God, with a genuine mutual love.

I’m not much of a gardener. The only things I’m good at growing are weeds. But I know that if you want a good garden, you need to uproot the weeds. That’s why Peter says that if we’re growing the fruit of love then we need to get rid of certain things. They’re out of place: ‘Rid yourselves, therefore, of all malice, and all guile, insincerity, envy, and all slander.’ Notice that they're all related to how we relate to others.

Perhaps lists like this one are something to work through - do I grow malice? Am I envious? Have I slandered? What the things in my life that prevent me from loving my brothers and sisters in the church family? What do I need to do to change that? How will I seek to love those around me today?

As Peter continues, he wants us to keep going and keep growing. Now here’s a quick question for you. What does a car need to go? Petrol or diesel. Has anyone ever put the wrong fuel in? What happens? Well, you’re going nowhere. The car won’t go, unless it gets the right stuff.

Or what about babies? I’ve heard of mums and dads being worried by health visitors monitoring babies to make sure they’re gaining in weight. How do babies grow up big and strong? They need their milk. And how do they let you know they need their milk? You soon know of it - the baby will scream and cry to say: give me milk! It’s great to have lots of children and babies in church, and it’s fine if they make some noise - Peter uses them as the picture of the Christian, wanting to grow; needing the nourishment to become big and strong; longing and craving for the pure, spiritual milk.

I wonder would that picture represent you and your need for God’s word? Is that your attitude to the Bible, that you desperately need it; you can’t do without it; it’s like your milk to make you grow into salvation. You see, there’s no secret to growth as a Christian. It’s not a series of principles or ten step processes. The word that gives birth is that word that grows us.

God’s word is all we need as we are changed and made new; as it leads us to get rid of the ways we used to do things and brings us to love one another deeply. It’s the good news about Jesus that we need to hear and be reminded of and be feeding on.

Would a baby survive on one bottle of milk in the week? Come back next Sunday for another wee drop? Of course not! Or what about you - one big dinner on a Sunday to do you through this week? It's ridiculous! Yet Peter says that the Bible is our pure spiritual milk, the thing we need to grow strong in our faith.

Perhaps this week you will decide to take up your Bible and read a few verses or a chapter each day. You could start with Mark's Gospel or Philippians or even 1 Peter. Ask God to speak to you as you read.

God in his grace has given us his word which is the imperishable seed that brings us to new life in Jesus, which helps us to grow, and calls us to love one another as sisters and brothers of our heavenly Father. Let's do it.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 12th May 2013.

Sermon Audio: 1 Peter 1: 13-21

2013-05-08T09:00:00.000+01:00

Peter writes to the elect exiles - Christians scattered across the world - about the true grace of God. On Sunday morning I preached about how God's grace makes us ransomed, holy children.

Book Review: Maid of the Mist

2013-05-07T10:45:00.000+01:00

I've been catching up on the back catalogue of Ulster fiction author, Colin Bateman, reading all his books in the order they were written (in between other, more sensible books). In his fifth novel, Bateman returns to North America, this time in the sleepy town of Niagara Falls, where Frank Corrigan a Northern Irish ex-pat is now serving on the police.

The story revolves around Corrigan's mad antics and mishaps as a regular police call out becomes a major stake out of an international drug dealing conference in his backwater town. Alongside Frank are an array of characters, from the man who has taken his wife away; his policing colleagues; Pongo, a seemingly famous music artist; Annie, the manager of a women's refuge; and Lelewala, who claims to be the reincarnation of a Native American princess.

Take all that with (SPOILER!) the appearance of Morton, the veteran of the siege of the former book Empire State, and Bateman's wit and genius one-liners, and you've got the makings of another madcap but hilarious adventure. As usual with his books, though, let the reader be aware that there is some colourful language.

As the output of Bateman has continued (and remember, I'm still only scratching the surface), I'm enjoying his novels more and more. The next, 'Turbulent Priests' is set on Wrathlin Island. Watch this space...

Maid of the Mistis available from Amazon.

Sermon: 1 Peter 1: 13-21 God's True Grace... makes us Ransomed, Holy Children

2013-05-05T12:30:00.000+01:00

I wonder if you’ve ever watched Family Fortunes on TV. They ask one hundred people some questions and you have to guess the four or five most popular answers. If the question was ‘Sentences most said in the home by parents’ I wonder if this would be one of the top answers: “So long as you’re in this house, you’ll live under our rules.” I know in our house we heard that one a few times... It flows from the fact that the parents are in charge of the household, and anyone else in the house has to get in line.

Peter is writing to a group of Christians who are scattered across modern day Turkey. They’re all new Christians, having previously been Gentiles (not Jews), so Peter writes to encourage them by showing them what the Christian faith is all about - God’s true grace, as we saw last week.

As he builds on the foundation of last week’s celebration of the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us, he now moves on to the Christian’s new relationship with God as Father, and what that will look like in what we do. The heart of the passage is found in verse 17. ‘If you invoke as Father the one who judges all people impartially according to their deeds, live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.’ If you call on God as Father, what will it look like? Peter says we’ll be in reverent fear.

Now I know that in a gathering of this size that some people may not have had a good experience of earthly fathers. To even hear the word can make you nervous, take you back to your childhood. And Peter says that our relationship is to be characterised by fear? To fear a bad earthly dad is right and proper - but to fear God?

But what Peter calls us to is ‘reverent fear.’ This isn’t blind fear; this isn’t the fear you may have known in the past; rather this is reverent fear - respectful fear, honour, perhaps even joyful fear. Now why is this? First of all, did you hear how God is described there? ‘the one who judges all people...’ God our Father is the judge of all, everyone we meet, even us.

Now when we hear that our Father judges impartially, according to deeds, what reaction does that bring in you? This isn’t just a GCSE practical exam; not just a home baking competition; but the whole of your life. How would you fare in such a judgement? What do your deeds and mine say about us? Would you be confident in the judgement by yourself? Would you be happy to stand before the judgement seat?

Yet the impartial judge is our Father. And Peter doesn’t tell us to live our lives in slavish, total, eternal, never-ending fear. Rather, in light of who God is, we’re to ‘live in reverent fear during the time of your exile.’ As we saw last week, the Christian, is in exile - we’re not at home with the Lord yet; we’re on the journey towards our home, we’re in this foreign and hostile enemy world.

Yet even now, even when we’re exiles, we are chosen exiles (or elect exiles) - as we call God Father, so we’re in his family, we’re his children. Peter urges us to live in the light of our relationship - to live like our Father (so long as you’re in my house...). That’s what he says in verse 14. ‘Like obedient children, do not be conformed to the desires that you formerly had in ignorance...’ Imagine the situation where a tearaway teenager is adopted, given a new family and new relationships. Would it be appropriate for them to continue to live as they had before, when they were running wild? Not at all - they now fit into the family; the old desires wouldn’t be appropriate. In the same way, as children of our heavenly Father, we’re called to turn away from our former desires. They may still come, but we’re to resist them, not to be conformed by them.

Instead, Peter says, ‘as he who called you is holy, be holy yourselves in all your conduct, for it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.”’ We call on God as Father - but we discover that he has first called us into relationship with him. It’s not that we have chosen God, but that he has chosen us - not just to be saved, but to come into relationship with him, to become more like him.

Now that word holy might give you certain ideas or impressions - a holier than thou attitude or whatever. But in the context, it means the opposite of those sinful desires - to do what God wants us to do; to copy God’s pattern. That’s what God had told the Israelites in the Old Testament (Leviticus quotation), and he still calls his people to be holy, separate, distinct.

It’s not easy, it doesn’t come naturally - those desires want to take us off course. Imagine you’ve a car that keeps dragging off to one side - when you got it fixed, you wouldn’t keep edging off to the side; you’d be better able to go straight ahead. Now at this point in the letter, Peter doesn’t give us detailed instructions of what it will look like to live a holy life (we’ll get to that in a couple of weeks’ time) - but for now, he recognises that the battle for holiness begins, not with our deeds, but in our minds. Verse 13: ‘Therefore prepare your minds for action, discipline your selves; set all your hope in the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed.’ Prepare your minds for actions - what you think affects how you will act. Your deeds are like the flowers of the seeds you sow in your mind.

What you think matters. That’s why Peter has been helping us see the truth that we’re the Father’s children, called to be holy. But as you hear this truth you might still be troubled by your deeds. Your conscience cries out as you recall those incidents (big and small) when you have followed the evil desires; when you’ve not been holy; the fear becomes real. It’s not enough just to tell you to start to be holy now - what of the past?

Throughout the letter, we’ll see that Peter links what Jesus has done to our position, and none more so than here. God has called us to be his holy children - but that’s only possible because of what the Lord Jesus has done for us. We live in reverent fear as we are brought face to face with the great cost of our rescue. Verse 18: ‘you know that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your ancestors, not with perishable things like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without defect or blemish.’

The other day there was a news report of a WI meeting in England where the speaker was to talk about pirates. The ladies decided to all dress up as pirates, which was fine, until the speaker began to talk of his experience of being captured and held by real life Somali pirates. Every so often you hear of people being captured and the high ransom price being demanded - £3 million is the going rate. But when it came to ransoming us, the price was infinitely more important. The things that this world counts so important and values as precious - silver and gold - they’re perishable; they’re worthless. It’s not possible to pay for salvation. The chequebook couldn’t cover the cost.

The precious blood of Christ - not just a diabetes pinprick or a pint of transfused blood - but the full and total death of Jesus as he bled and died on the cross - this was the price of our ransom, like the Passover Lamb, which died instead of the firstborn to bring freedom. And so as we gather today around the Lord’s table, we marvel at the lengths that God went to in order to bring us into his family. Through the death of Jesus we are ransomed, given freedom from our slavery, welcomed into God’s family.

God’s true grace makes us ransomed, holy children - so be who you are, as you trust and hope in this great God.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 5th May 2013.

Book Review: Christ, our Righteousness

2013-05-03T09:00:00.000+01:00

My downstairs study contains a lot of books - roughly 800. My upstairs overflow library contains about the same. In consequence, there are lots of books that have sat on my shelves for a long time and have never managed to be read. Slowly, gradually, I'm getting round to reading through some of them at least - and perhaps some day will complete them all! Within the 'big' theology section there's a series of books under the IVP / Apollos logo entitled 'Studies in Biblical Theology' and from that, this book by Mark Seifrid make it onto my reading list.

'Christ, our Righteousness: Paul's Theology of Justification' is a study of what Paul means when he writes about justification in the pages of the New Testament. Within the cultural background of the so-called New Perspective on Paul, Seifrid is eager to return to the scriptures to understand Paul properly.

He begins by examining Paul's conversion, and how Paul describes his experience of moving from Judaism to Christianity. 'He does not mince his words concerning the revaluation of his values.' You see, we need to understand Paul's Judaism to see what he means by justification - and why Christ was needed to achieve that result. While there was an unresolved tension between the election of Israel and the demands of the law; 'in Christ the demand of the law and the fulfillment of promise meet.' It is because Christ justifies the ungodly that Paul finds hope and purpose - because his works and his background were fallen flesh and unrighteous.

For the bulk of the book, Seifrid guides the reader through the argument of Paul's letter to the Romans, as the various sections and developments occur. The unrighteousness and injustice of idolatry is exposed, which rightly and justly brings the wrath of God. God is therefore entirely just and righteous to punish wickedness. Yet, as he continues, the cross is the means by which God is seen to be both just and the justifier of the ungodly. The exposition of the letter and the themes arising is first class, and warms the heart - just as good theology should do!

From there, the reader is treated to an exploration of the themes of justification by faith in Paul's other letters, as well as the relationship between the righteousness of God and the law of God. Another very helpful chapter was on the justification of ungodly Israel and the nations. Here, Seifrid argues against what appears to be an all too common approach to 'those' chapters of Romans 9-11, the bit which most people don't know what to do with... He demonstrates that, far from an ellipsis, certainly not a random topic wedged into the middle of the letter, these chapters are a continuation of the very point and heart and message of the letter. This was helpful to think through and see demonstrated by his argument.

The closing chapter is therefore a call to preach this gospel of justification by faith to a needy world. He applies his conclusions to the dialogue between Protestants and Roman Catholics, suggesting that there is still a vast difference between what is meant by the two groupings.

All in all, this is a great book which helps to clarify (biblically) what Paul means by justification, and what the believer gives praise and glory to Jesus, who is our justification and our righteousness. Christ, our Righteousness is available from IVP.

Sermon Audio: 1 Peter 1:1-12

2013-05-02T10:34:00.000+01:00

On Sunday morning we began a new series studying 1 Peter in church. The purpose of Peter's letter is to show what the true grace of God is, and to encourage us to stand in it. In this first chunk, Peter shows how God's true grace makes us elect exiles.

Sermon: 1 Peter 1: 1-12 God's True Grace... Makes us Chosen Exiles

2013-04-30T10:47:00.001+01:00

What does the Christian life look like? If God’s grace is active in your life, what would it feel like? If you were asked that question, how would you respond?

There are lots of different answers and opinions around today. You may have heard of some of them, whether it’s the portrayal of Christians in Eastenders or Coronation Street (where they’re all either silly or crazy) or from the lips of the prosperity preachers - those who claim that God wants you to sail through life with no problems, no more aches or pains, no sorrow or suffering, and a parking space whenever you’re in a rush and need one urgently.

You might have heard some other ideas of what it is to be a Christian - everyone on the inside (and the outside) of the church has some notion of what it’s like. But rather than being deafened by the crowd of voices, perhaps we need to ask what God thinks of the Christian life - through the pen of one of his apostles.

Through until the summer, we’re going to be following this first letter from Peter. If you turn over to the last verses of the letter, you’ll see what his purpose in writing the letter is: ‘I have written this short letter to encourage you, and to testify that this is the true grace of God. Stand fast in it.’ (5:12) Peter has written about the true grace of God - and what it looks like as that grace works in our lives.

Very often in the New Testament letters we find that the opening verses aren’t just a nice wee greeting, something to pass over on the way to the good stuff - rather, the first things that are said are the key to the whole letter. So what do we find that Peter says right at the start? He says who he is writing to, but it’s not just their address, it’s also who they are: ‘To the exiles of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who have been chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit to be obedient to Jesus Christ and to be sprinkled with his blood.’

In those verses, Peter uses two words to describe these Christians - chosen exiles. Now it’s not obvious in our version, but Peter puts these two words side by side as he writes: ‘To the chosen exiles’ or ‘To the elect exiles’ - and what he’s saying is that God’s true grace makes us chosen exiles.

From time to time, we get a hint of what exile would be like on the news. Seeing people driven from their homes and land, streaming over a border as refugees, far from home, scattered, needy, poor. Peter’s first readers are ‘exiles of the Dispersion’ - right throughout modern day Turkey, small groups of believers, vastly outnumbered, it would be easy to feel isolated, abandoned.

Exile is the driving emotion of our Psalm today (137) - as Boney M sang of the waters of Babylon. All of us feel from time to time like we’re exiles as well - far from home, we’re only too aware that this world is not our home, we’re home sick for heaven, to be at home with the Lord.

Yet to those exiles, and to us as well, Peter reminds them that they are chosen exiles - destined by God the Father, sanctified (set apart, made holy) by the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood. God’s grace is active as the whole of the Trinity works together for them.

As if it weren’t enough, Peter then bursts with praise as he spells out the hope we have as the chosen people of God: ‘By his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading...’ Because Jesus is alive, we have this living hope - we have something to look forward to. It’s what Peter calls an inheritance - but it’s like no inheritance you’ve ever received before: ‘imperishable, undefiled, unfading.’

Think of anything you’ve bought or received in the last month. Some day it’ll stop working, or fade or break. Anything in this world we give our lives to won’t last. As the small print on the ads says: ‘Investments may go down as well as up.’ But in these three ‘im’ and ‘un’ words, Peter says that it’s a sure and safe investment. The inheritance is kept in heaven - just as we are kept by God ‘protected by the power of God...’

The true grace of God brings so many blessings, it’s as if Peter is out of breath as he piles them all up together. It’s right that we rejoice - God’s grace means we are chosen. That’s right and good and proper - but it’s not the full picture. You see, the prosperity preacher might stop there but Peter won’t allow us to do the same. Remember what Peter is teaching us about being a Christian - we are chosen exiles. And in verse 6, he brings us back to reality with a bump. ‘In this you rejoice, even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials so that the genuineness of your faith... may be found to result in praise and glory and honour when Jesus Christ is revealed.’

The Christian life is not pain-free; it’s not all a walk in the park. It’s a life of exile, journeying toward our real home, and along the way there are trials and suffering. And when those trials come, you might be led to ask ‘Why me?’ You look at your problem; you’re focusing on the suffering, but Peter gently points us to God’s purpose - to demonstrate your genuine faith, and to bring glory to Jesus Christ.

You see, Peter isn’t going to contradict himself within two verses - just before speaking about these trials, in verse 5 he declared that we ‘are being protected by the power of God through faith’. God is still in control - he is guarding and protecting you when the diagnosis comes through; or when you’re handed your P45; or that situation arises on the farm; or your loved one dies.

Just as gold is tested, so our faith which is far more precious, is tested in the sufferings of exile. We’re to be forward focused - looking to when Jesus is revealed, when every eye will see him; when the suffering will be finished; when the little while has ended and the full stretch of eternity emerges. That day we will see him, but in the mean time, even though we haven’t seen Jesus we love him; we’re filled with an indescribable joy, sustaining us through the trials and leading us home to the fulfilment of our hope and joy.

This is the grace of God, that makes us chosen exiles, the grace of God which was promised in advance, through the Old Testament prophets. You see, they pointed forward to the ‘sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glory’ (11). That’s the pattern for our lives too, as we follow the Lord Jesus: suffering now as exiles, glory later as God’s chosen people.

Perhaps today you’re weighed down by worries; you’re tormented by trials. These aren’t signs that God has abandoned you - rather they’re the sign of his grace as he controls and uses those things to trust in him. As you falter, remind yourself of all that is stored up for you - the imperishable inheritance, the living hope, and keep going as a chosen exile loved by God.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 28th April 2013.

Sermon: Psalm 24 Guess Who?

2013-04-23T13:07:00.003+01:00

Has anyone ever played the game ‘Guess Who?’

I tried to find my really old game at my mum and dad’s house, but couldn’t find it... but instead I’ve borrowed my niece’s game - it’s now Guess Who extra, with sounds and lights! Wasn’t like this in my day!

So how does Guess Who work? You have to try to work out which person the other player has picked; asking questions to help you decide - are they a man or a woman; with the people falling if they’re not the right one.

We could have a go at this version of Guess Who, but I’ve a better idea. We’ll do a real life game of Guess Who. I need a contestant... I’ve got the picture of someone from church on my phone, and need you to work out who it is - by asking the questions.

So if everyone would get on their feet (if you’re able) and ___ will ask yes / no questions to try to work out who the person is... [Hilarious opportunity to play guess who in real life...]

Now why did we play some Guess Who this morning? Who is the big word in our reading today. In the Psalm, David is asking: Who?

He starts off by answering the question - who does the earth belong to? And how does he answer it? ‘The earth is the LORD’s, and everything in it.’

You know the way if you were to paint a picture, or make a model, or build something out of lego - that is yours. You’ve made it; it’s the same with this earth - God made it, so it is his.

But then from verse 3 we get to the even bigger game of Guess Who than we played this morning - the question is this: ‘Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?’

In the Old Testament, God owns all the earth, but he chose a special place, the hill of the Lord, the holy place, where the temple would be built. But now, for us, it points us to heaven. The question is, who can go and stand before God in that holy, pure, clean place? Guess Who.

But rather than asking the usual questions male/female; wearing glasses or blond hair; David provides the answers: ‘He who has clean hands and a pure heart.’

First answer: The one who has clean hands. Now, quick inspection, are your hands clean? Did you wash them after you visited the bathroom? In hospital when you’re visiting you have to use the handwash gel to make sure you’re clean; I’ve brought along some hand wash gel... are your hands clean?

Except, he’s not just asking if our hands are clean in this way - he’s also asking if we have done good and right things; if our hands are spotless, or if we have got them dirty by doing bad things...

Now some people might already have ‘sat down’ with the first bit, but what about the second bit? ‘The one who has... a pure heart.’

He’s not asking about how our blood-pumping organ is - rather he is asking about the centre of our being; the person we are - our thoughts and motives... are we always pure in doing what we do?

Here’s a test for a pure heart: if your brother or sister...

Just as in Guess Who, David has made us fall - Guess Who is good enough to climb God’s hill and stand in his holy place? Who can go to heaven because they are good enough? None of us... not you, not me; not anyone.

Yet the Psalm isn’t over; David goes on to talk about receiving blessing from God; of being accepted by God - that those who seek God will find blessing and vindication...

How can this be possible? If we’re all out, if we’re all bad; how can we receive blessing? How can we be accepted?

Suddenly there’s another game of Guess Who which starts in the closing verses. It’s so good it happens twice!

Imagine a city with big gates. Maybe you’ve been in Londonderry at some point and have seen the gates of the city... the cry goes up: ‘Lift up your heads, O you gates; be lifted up you ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in.’

The question comes from within: ‘Who is this King of glory?’ Twice, they ask the same question, who is this King of glory?

These are the gates of heaven, opening up for the return of the king, the answer to the ‘who’ question:

‘The LORD strong and mighty; the LORD mighty in battle... the LORD Almighty, he is the King of glory.’

The Lord Jesus came down from heaven; down from that holy place, into this world that he made, the world that we have messed up by our sins, and Jesus did what we could not do. For every day of his 33 years, Jesus had clean hands and a pure heart. He committed no sin.

Jesus has received the blessing from God, and shares it with us. It is in and because of Jesus that we can stand with him; that we can be with Jesus in heaven. Now, the answer to the Guess Who: Who will be in heaven? Anyone who trusts in Jesus.

This sermon was preached at the Family Service in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 21st April 2013.

Book Review: Brookeborough: The Making of a Prime Minister

2013-04-18T16:52:00.001+01:00

Having moved to Fermanagh almost two years ago, I've been trying to get to know the county's people, history, background and culture in order to minister and mission as effectively as possible. As part of the research, the opportunity came to learn about a previous generation of the local landlords, who happened to hold the most senior position in Northern Irish politics for about twenty years. In Brian Barton's book 'Brookeborough: The Making of a Prime Minister' we get to know a lot more about Sir Basil Brooke, Lord Brookeborough.

Barton's aim, writing in 1988 was to put right the shame that 'Brooke has not been well served by posterity'. 'The purpose of this narrative is to trace and to analyse the source and early development of his remarkable, improbable and hitherto neglected campaign.' (x) The result certainly meets the aim, with incredible attention to detail and plenty of analysis.

The background story of the Brooke family is fascinating, bringing them from England to Colebrooke via the plantation of Donegal and later in the 1640s, Fermanagh. It is here that subsequent generations of the family have made their home, to the extent that: 'over the years the Brookes came to identify closely with the county and country of their adoption, its prosperity and stability they helped promote, its idiosyncracies they enjoyed, its humour and sentiment they increasingly shared. They cherished its natural beauty, knew well its history, lived and worked by and large comfortably with its people.' (4) Each generation's contribution to the local, national and international history of the armed services of the empire is recorded.

Sir Basil's childhood is recounted with care, with an interesting detail that the Colebrooke estate in the 1880s was 30,000 acres. His father is recalled as 'a truly Victorian parent... stern disciplinarian, one of... the Jehovah-type.' (16) While this is mentioned, it's not explained if Basil meant that his father preferred the Old Testament view of God (commonly called), or if he thought himself in God-like control. His career in the army is shared, with service in India and then the First World War. On his return to beloved Colebrooke, he was to write, 'I had thought that my soldiering days were over but they were not... I was to become a soldier of a very different sort... but I had the added stimulant of defending my own birthplace.' (28)

That defence is detailed in the third chapter, on the formation of the Special Constabulary. Following the First World War, the tension in Ireland and especially Ulster, became intense. A rise in support for Sinn Fein came due to the execution of the leaders of the failed Easter Rising of 1916 - support which was allegedly promoted by sympathetic Roman Catholic priests. That tension was reaching boiling point in Fermanagh, so that Brooke formed 'his illegal vigilante force' (31). Later, when the Specials were formed and regularised, Brooke was appointed County Commandant.

With a ceasefire in the Anglo-Irish conflict, 'the truce was the prelude to a period of prolonged political uncertainty and sectarian tension which cast a dark and permanent shadow over the subsequent history of Fermanagh.' (44) The truce had been guaranteed by the formation of a Boundary Commission to investigate and recommend the exact line of the border between the Irish Free State and the newly formed Northern Ireland. Herein lay the concern - would Fermanagh find itself on the Irish or Northern side of the border? Fermanagh's nationalists expected to be southern citizens, with the County Council looking for authority to Dail Eireann. Unionists felt threatened, indeed Brooke described the Commission as 'the predominant threat confronting the loyalists of Ulster.' (45)

In this atmosphere, tension was to rise even further - 'from comparative peace to the brink of civil war' (45) with a number of incidents including the kidnapping of over 40 Protestants in the border region and the murder of five A Special Constables in Clones station.

Indeed, as the next chapter makes clear, 'the spectre of the Boundary Commission helped to keep local fears and rumours alive and deepen those psychological scars which permanently influenced the county's political structures.' (59) There is an interesting piece of trivia concerning the drawing of the border, with the military pushing for Lough Erne to be the dividing line, for ease of defence. Such advice was of course, rejected, with the entire county remaining in Northern Ireland.

Perhaps Lord Brookeborough is most famous for his line that 'he had not a Roman catholic about his own place' (78) - a line which has been adapted and adopted (and twisted) even to the present day on the lips of Sinn Fein MLAs. Barton provides a lot of analysis of those remarks, with documentary evidence of the situation of the day, the pressures of the moment and the background. After ten pages of discussion, his conclusion is that Brooke's moderate speeches have been ignored or forgotten, and that 'Such rhetoric was a response to a particular situation and it should not be deduced that the distrust of the minority that he then expressed proved as enduring as its place in popular recollection.' (89)

From here on, the book becomes incredibly detailed to the extent of being laborious in the reporting of Brooke's political career as Minister of Agriculture, Minister of Commerce and Partition, and eventually the almost minute-by-minute negotiations that led to Brooke becoming Prime Minister, succeeding John Andrews in 1943. While it was interesting to see some of what happened in the Northern Ireland Parliament at Stormont, it really would be heavy going for most people, except the political geek.

Of those chapters, just a few highlights shone:

- The statistics of rural living in Northern Ireland in the 1940s: 'In the early 1940s, the Ministry of Home Affairs estimated that 40 per cent of rural housing was either unfit for human habitation or overcrowded, and that over 60 per cent had neither gas nor electricity installed or available.' (102)

- The opportunity to see the people involved in the Ulster Crisis (ironically) establishing the Home Rule Parliament in Northern Ireland - names familiar to students of the Ulster Covenant and raising of Carson's UVF are found in power - Craig, Spender, and others.

- Building on that, the discovery that those politicians weren't really very good; that public opinion was never really overwhelmingly positive for the Stormont administration, and that the government's sheer ineptitude was such that it 'might do irreparable harm to Ulster and to the unionist cause... and constituted a grave danger to the system of democratic government in the province' according to Spender. (121). Perhaps nothing ever changes!

There is also a revealing insight into Brooke's personal faith or otherwise. He 'played an active part in parish if not diocesan affairs more from a sense of duty than personal piety.' (143) This seems to be the only reference to faith at all, or perhaps was all that Barton mentioned.

The book in its final chapter deals with the steps Brooke took to become Prime Minister, but then suddenly stops. To an extent, this was disappointing, as I wanted to learn more of how things turned out, but then that was beyond the scope of the book. I enjoyed it, even thought at times it did appear to revel in the intimate details rather than portraying the broader picture. This will definitely be a good book for those wishing to understand some of what has made Fermanagh the place it is today, as seen in the life of one of its leading citizens. It should be a must-read for politicians and those involved in local politics as we see the current administration at Stormont falter and fail in its duty to serve effectively and achieve just about anything. Otherwise we may repeat the past, rather than learn from its mistakes.

Sermon Audio: Luke 24: 36-53

2013-04-15T09:00:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was the final sermon from Luke's Gospel for a while, as we rounded off the post-Easter appearances of Jesus. We might be on the last page of Luke, but the story hasn't finished - in fact, it's only just beginning as Jesus continues Fulfilling the Scriptures.

Sermon: Luke 24: 36-53 Fulfilling the Scriptures

2013-04-14T12:30:00.000+01:00

I have a really bad habit when I’m reading. I like to know how many pages I have left to read. So early on, I flick to the end to see the last page number. It’s not too bad if it’s a book on theology or history, but there is a time when it becomes a problem. Every so often, I like to read a thriller or murder mystery type book. The danger is, though, when I look at the page number, I might catch a glimpse of a spoiler - perhaps the name of the culprit as they’re driven away in a police car. Or the knowledge that a character must make it through the story.

Very often, the last page is the place where the whole story is understood - and not until then. If you read it through a second time, you realise there were hints the whole way through, but you only really get it at the very end. In some ways, that’s how it is with Luke’s Gospel. Having walked the Emmaus Road last week, we now find ourselves in the upper room with the disciples as they discuss what has happened. They know that Jesus is risen, but then suddenly, Jesus appears in the room with them.
While he is with them, he explains to them what has happened in recent days. Look with me at verse 44: ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you - that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled.’

Earlier this week I saw a photo of a movie script for a film Tom Cruise was starring in. All over the script he had added extra ideas and suggested different lines to those the writer had prepared. He felt free to improvise and make it up as he went along in the scene. But Jesus is saying here that the script of his life had been written in advance - and everything had to be as written. ‘Everything written... must be fulfilled.’

Now when he speaks of the law of Moses, the prophets and the psalms, those are the three parts of the Old Testament. The scriptures together laid out what Jesus did; he lived in obedience to them, so that everything would be as they said. So why didn’t the disciples realise in advance? How come they didn’t understand that Jesus’ death was happening in this way for this reason? Why didn’t they greet the first Good Friday as a good day the way we do now? It’s because they didn’t at that stage understand the scriptures. As Jesus teaches them, he ‘opened their minds to understand the scriptures’ so that they could grasp it.

If the first disciples of Jesus needed God’s help to read and understand, how much more we? We need to come humbly, asking God to open our minds to receive his word - we’ll never understand them by our own power. Perhaps you’ve discovered that as you’ve tried to help someone to see why Jesus is so important; you’ve shared a verse of the Bible but they just don’t get it - even if it seems obvious to us. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 4 that the god of this world (the devil) has blinded the minds of unbelievers. We need God’s help to understand his word.

So what was it that ‘must be fulfilled’? Jesus gives us the three things that must be fulfilled beginning in verse 46. ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to’ ONE: suffer. The sufferings of the Messiah are written of in advance throughout the Old Testament - Psalm 22, Isaiah 53 to name but two. It’s why in verse 39 Jesus says ‘Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself.’ The hands and feet - the places on his body where the nails pierced him; the wounds of love are still to be seen; permanent reminders of Jesus’ love for us.

But that’s not all. ‘Thus it is written, that the Messiah is to...’ TWO: rise from the dead on the third day. Jesus did not stay dead; the scriptures had promised that the Messiah would rise - and on the third day. Psalm 16, Hosea 6, as well as Isaiah 53 and Psalm 22. In the first part of our reading Jesus goes to great pains to make absolutely certain that he is risen from the dead - alive, bodily raised - inviting them to touch him, to see his hands and feet, and, because they still wonder and disbelieve for joy, he eats some cooked fish. This isn’t just a spirit; this isn’t a ghost; this is Jesus, raised from the dead. Just as was written in the scriptures!

Now you might be thinking to yourself that’s a great ending. There’s only a few verses of the book left. So Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ, that’s nice. But he isn’t finished yet. You see, there were three things written of the Messiah. 1 - suffer; 2 - rise; THREE: that repentance and forgiveness of sins is to be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.

Because Jesus is the Messiah, because he suffered death and rose again, he is the one who brings forgiveness of sins. It’s there in his words of greeting: ‘Peace be with you.’ In a world that is lacking peace; to people who are in guilt and shame of sin; Jesus brings them peace. Peace with God. Peace with each other. This peace is now to be spread, as repentance (turning from sin) and forgiveness of our sins is proclaimed.

One of the big employers in Dromore when I was growing up was a firm called John Graham. They do all sorts of things - build roads; buildings, all sorts of things. You’ve maybe even seen their distinctive green vans and huts and hoardings at their building sites. If you were to ring up their office, you couldn’t speak to John Graham now - he has long since perished, but the company continues to act in his name.

Last week the film critic Roger Ebert died. A few days after his death, his account sent out a new message on Twitter. He wasn’t tweeting from beyond the grave - rather his wife is carrying on his work. She is tweeting in his name.

Now John Graham and Roger Ebert have both died. But the risen Jesus sends the first disciples to act in his name - to do the final thing written of him on his behalf. From their starting point of Jerusalem, they are to go to all nations, proclaiming repentance and forgiveness of sins - because ‘You are witnesses of these things.’ Look back again to verse 39. What’s the word that jumps out in repetition? ‘See’ I had never seen it before, but now it’s like that children’s rhyme: ‘A sailor went to sea sea sea to see what he could see see see...’

The disciples were witnesses of Jesus’ death (hands and feet) and his resurrection (see) and of the forgiveness that comes through Jesus (they’ve experienced it themselves). They are sent out to all nations - but not until they have been clothed with power - the Holy Spirit.

We come to the end of Luke’s gospel, but we discover the story isn’t over. Rather, it’s only just beginning. Luke has written another book - the continuing story of what Jesus does, how the proclamation begins to be made in the Acts of the Apostles. And even when that book comes to an end, the story hasn’t finished. And that’s where we come in. Jesus, the Messiah, continues to send us out to act in his name, to proclaim repentance and forgiveness of sins both here in this parish and across the world. Jesus has done all that is necessary for peace with him; he empowers us with the Spirit; our task is to point to Jesus.

Having met with Jesus, the disciples would never be the same again. How will be step out in obedience to share the good news?

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 14th April 2013.

Book Review: Dangerous Calling

2013-04-09T09:40:00.001+01:00

For ministers and pastors, a lot of the time we're giving and serving, caught up in the multitude of things to be done and people to see and sermons to be written. It can almost be a self-perpetuating vicious cycle of doing and doing, with few opportunities to step back and see the bigger picture. If you're a pressured pastor, this is just the book for you. It's not an easy read. I'm not saying the words are difficult, but rather, it's a book with lots of challenges. The issues Paul David Tripp raises are well aimed and make an impact. This book is like looking in the mirror, and seeing some warts and problems, perhaps even for the first time.

In Dangerous Calling, Paul Tripp writes 'to confront the issue of the often unhealthy shape of pastoral culture.' This pastoral culture stands against the gospel of grace, by focusing on performance and comparison with others. As he begins the book, he invites us to deactivate our inner lawyer defense system, and instead revel in the gospel of grace, which makes honesty possible, because our sins are covered by the blood of Jesus.

Part one is an examination of pastoral culture as it stands. It doesn't make for pleasant reading. In the first chapter, Tripp tells his own story. 'I was an angry man... I would wrap my robes of righteousness around me... and remind her once again of what a great husband she had... I was a man headed for disaster... huge disconnect between my private persona and my public ministry life.' It was this spiritual schizophrenia which was so dangerous. Tripp confesses that he was caught up by the underlying themes in so many pastor's experiences: 1. I let ministry define my identity (rather than being a child of God, the focus is on being the pastor / professional); 2. I let biblical literacy and theological knowledge define my maturity; 3. I confused ministry success with God's endorsement of my lifestyle.

Chapter two provides the key question: 'How is the gospel of Jesus Christ forming and transforming the heart of this pastor and his local ministry culture?' For the remainder of the chapter, he gives some indications that a pastor is losing his way and forgetting the very gospel of grace. These include ignoring clear evidence of problems (by being a 'very skilled self-swindler'); being blind to the issues of his own heart; a ministry lacking in devotion (merely downloading information to hit other people with truth); not preaching the gospel to himself; questioning calling and fantasising about another life outside of ministry.

In the third chapter, the focus intensifies on the danger of having big theological brains but heart disease. He tells of a time when he had a notebook to work through Romans analysing the words and linguistics and grammar, yet had entirely missed or ignored the message of Romans. His head knowledge was being puffed up but his heart wasn't impacted. 'My eyes began to open to the dangers inherent in academizing our faith.' There's a danger that we produce (or are) 'theologeeks' - 'the guys who see theology as an end in itself rather than as a means to an end.' The remedy is presented in the form of a devotional reading of Isaiah 55: 'The ultimate purpose of the Word of God is not theological information but heart and life transformation.'

Chapter four looks at another presenting issue - where the public pronouncements of the pastor are not matched by his private life. 'I'm convinced that the big crisis for the church is not that we are easily dissatisfied but that we are all too easily satisfied.' With a variety of dangers and temptations, Tripp writes that 'It is only love for Christ that can defend the heart of the pastor against all the other loves that have the potential to kidnap his ministry.' This theme is further developed in the next chapter, where the pastor's lack of ministry to himself is highlighted: 'Does it seem right and healthy that in many churches the functional reality is that no one gets less of the ministry of the body of Christ than the pastor does?' Again, in the sixth chapter, this lack of community, this feeling of isolation is remarked upon - as if the pastor is an abnormal alien object outside the body of Christ rather than a part of it. Who is it pastoring the pastor?

The final chapter of the first part diagnoses the war zones in a pastor's life - not in the church, but in the pastor's own heart. These battles are unique to or intensified by the pastor's situation, and are the making or breaking of the pastor. The rest of the book takes up this theme of battle for the pastor's own soul, and how to stand and fight.

Part Two focuses on the danger of losing your awe (forgetting who God is). Tripp writes: 'Familiarity with the things of God may cause you to lose your awe.' There is a constant need to be mindful of the blessings God has given, and especially his grace - even and especially when we think we don't need it. Similarly, he focuses on dirty secrets: 'The dirty secret was that much of what he did was not done out of faith but out of fear.' This is intensified by the problem of mediocrity: 'I am very concerned about the acceptance of Sunday morning mediocrity, and I am persuaded that it is not primarily a schedule or laziness problem. I am convinced it is a theological problem.' The remedy is to be in awe of God: 'If your heart is in functional awe of the glory of God, then there will be no place in your heart for poorly prepared, badly delivered, functional pastoral mediocrity.'

Part Three switches to the danger of arrival (forgetting who you are). This covers a ranger of issues including the building of our own kingdom; of always preparing and never switching off; of the disconnect and separation between public and private; all of which issues in a great exposition and application of Peter's instruction to the elders in 1 Peter 5.

As I've said, it's a hard book to read. The heart is exposed, the reality is uncovered, but not in a harsh or vindictive way. Tripp's passion for God and love for pastors is demonstrated in the way he lovingly applies the gospel balm to ragged and ravaged hearts. The places for change and growth are shown clearly. While the book is sometimes slightly repetitive, it is still very profitable, and could well be a life saver and a ministry changer.

Dangerous Calling is available from IVP, Amazon, and Kindle. (IVP is cheaper!)

Sermon Audio: Holy Week in Luke's Passion

2013-04-08T09:52:00.003+01:00

I'm just getting round to sorting out the sermon mp3s from Holy Week now, so here are a complete set, all from Luke's Gospel:

Palm Sunday: The Royal Visit Luke 19:28-44

Monday: The King Betrayed Luke 22:39-53

Tuesday: The King Denied Luke 22:54-62

Wednesday: The King Tried Luke 22:63-23:25

Maundy Thursday: The King's Feast Luke 22:1-23

Good Friday: The King's Welcome Luke 23:32-43

Sermon: Luke 24: 13-35 Seeing Jesus on the Emmaus Road

2013-04-07T12:30:00.000+01:00

Have you ever had the experience of not being able to see something for looking at it? You go into a room for something, you spend ages looking for it, you can’t find it; yet it’s right in front of you. It’s normally the case that someone else will be able to spot it immediately... You’re looking at it, but you just can’t see it.

What’s maybe worse, though, is when you’re looking at someone. You know you should know them, you chat away, but all the time you’re thinking ‘who are you?...’ I’ll confess that I had this before Christmas when I bumped into a lady, knew I should know her, but it took ten full minutes of conversation and stumbling questions before I worked out who she was. Oops!

This morning in our reading, the two disciples have a series of experiences just like this. They’re walking home from Jerusalem to Emmaus, and they’re talking about what had happened in recent days. As they walk along, they’re joined by someone they should recognise, but they don’t know him. They see him, but they don’t recognise him.

When he asks what they’re talking about, they’re amazed he’s even asked the question. ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place?’

Cleopas and his friend had been followers of Jesus. They knew he was a prophet mighty in deed and word - but he had been crucified. Listen to the disappointment in their words: ‘But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel.’ They had high hopes, but they had been dashed. Their expectations had been exhausted. Their dreams are deflated.

Now as if that disappointment wasn’t enough - they’re confused by the strange events of the morning. All this talk of visions of angels and word of Jesus being alive. Yet Cleopas and friend haven’t stayed around. No one has seen Jesus yet; It all seems so strange. They just can’t make sense of it all.

They’ve been expecting Jesus to redeem Israel - by kicking out the Roman oppressors and winning the victory. They thought things would work out in a particular way, but they haven’t. I wonder if you’ve ever found that as well? You have your life all planned out, but things don’t turn out that way. You expect a life of ease and comfort, but then sorrow surrounds you - what should have been victory turned into defeat. You’re left wondering if God is really in control. Where is God when these things happen?

It might be hard to see where Jesus fits into it all; it might appear as if Jesus isn’t with you in the middle of the trouble. You’re confused, disappointed, sad. They just can’t see Jesus; can’t understand what he’s doing - even when he’s right beside them; even as he’s speaking to them.

Yet Jesus enables them to see. Now notice that he doesn’t immediately say: ‘There’s nothing to worry about, sure, did you not recognise me? It’s me, Jesus, alive and kicking...’ Rather he helps them to see his death and resurrection as laid out in the Old Testament.

I wonder if you were caught out at all last Monday morning. There were a few dubious news stories knocking about; and a few tall tales as well. It was April Fools’ Day, where people try to catch each other out, while trying to avoid being the fool themselves. Yet here Jesus says that these two were ‘foolish... and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared.’
Jesus is saying that they should have expected his death and resurrection, precisely because it had been written about in advance in the Old Testament. They didn’t see Jesus in the scriptures, which was why they were finding it hard to understand what was happening that very day. He goes on: ‘Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ He then gives them the best ever Bible study, as he explains from Moses and all the prophets the things about himself ‘in all the scriptures.’

The Old Testament isn’t irrelevant for us; because it’s all about Jesus. Over 300 specific details of his life, death and resurrection are given, hundreds of years before he was born - all of which gives us confidence that God knows what he is doing; how he is in control of history; how his purposes do not fail.

Cleopas and his friend talk later about how their hearts ‘burned within us’ while he was opening the scriptures. That excitement of knowing and understanding the Bible, seeing it all click together; seeing the Lord Jesus in the Scriptures - what a thrill to be able to open the Bible together and hear God speaking to us. Do you take time to hear him speak? [Bible reading resources...]
Their hearts were open to see Jesus in the scripture; yet they still didn’t know who the man walking with them was. They come to the end of their seven mile walk (as if they’d walked from Fivemiletown to Aghavea), but the stranger appears to be heading on further. They urge him to stay with them. He is the guest, yet he takes the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to them.

It’s the same set of words used of the time Jesus fed the five thousand; the same words from the Last Supper just a few days before. And it’s at that moment that their eyes are open; they recognise Jesus; they see him for who he is; and he suddenly disappears from their sight.

Though they didn’t realise it; though they couldn’t see him; Jesus was alive - Jesus had been with them the whole time. The knowledge that Jesus is alive is enough to transform these sad, disappointed, weary disciples into joyful resurrection people. Despite the hour; despite having walked seven miles, they get their coats on and go back the same road; back to Jerusalem and the eleven and the others. They have good news to share!

The good news is shared - Jesus is risen, he’s alive; he has even appeared to Simon (Peter - the one who had denied Jesus). They share how they recognised him in the breaking of the bread.

Perhaps today you’re weary, sad and disappointed. You’re wondering why things are the way they are. You just can’t see God’s purpose in the events of your life. Jesus invites us to meet with him at his table - as we break bread together, we’re reminded of God’s love for us; of how God could use the darkest of days to bring about the brightest of days; how violence and shame and hatred were transformed in the cross of Christ to offer hope and forgiveness and victory.

As we hear his word and share at his table, so he meets with us. He invites us to see him, to know his presence with us - not just here, but everywhere we go, in whatever situation we find ourselves. The good news of Easter isn’t just for one day in the year; we live each day in the light of the resurrection - the knowledge that Jesus is alive; that Jesus is with us; that God is fulfilling his promises, and will continue to do so. Just as Jesus met his disciples on the Emmaus road, so he’ll meet us on the Aghavea road, the Main Street, or whatever your new address is...

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 7th April 2013.

Sermon: Luke 24:1-12 The Empty Tomb

2013-03-31T12:00:00.000+01:00

This morning I’ve got a quiz for you. They’re all odd one out. I’ll give you four items, and you have to work out which one is the odd one out. Which doesn’t fit in the set?

lorry; bus; car; bicycle - the odd one out is bicycle - it doesn’t have an engine, and only has two wheels.

slippers; gloves; sandals; shoes - the odd one out are the gloves, because they are worn on the hands, the rest on the feet.

cabbage; pineapple; orange; apple - the odd one out is the cabbage, because the rest are fruit, but it is a vegetable.

doctor; nurse; vet; surgeon - the odd one out is the vet, because they treat animals, the rest people.

Now, those were easy, weren’t they? In each of the sets, there was one thing that stood out, that didn’t fit in with the rest.

On that first Easter morning, early on, some of the women who had followed Jesus went to the tomb. They were going to finish the funeral customs, by bringing the nice smelling spices to rub into his graveclothes. They went to the tomb expecting to find the body of Jesus in the tomb.

But that’s not what they found. Rather, the grave was open, the stone was rolled away. There was no body. Where had it gone? They were very confused.

Suddenly, though, two men in dazzling clothes (angels) appeared and said to them, in effect, that Jesus is like the odd one out. They had come to the graveyard, the place of the dead. But Jesus isn’t dead. He doesn’t fit into the set. He’s not like everybody else.

Here’s what the angels said: ‘Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen.’

They came expecting to find Jesus still dead. They knew, the same way we know, that dead people stay dead. They didn’t expect Jesus to be risen - otherwise why would they bring the burial spices?

This is the unexpected message of Easter: Jesus is alive. It was so unexpected that when the women went to tell the eleven disciples and the rest of the people with them, the disciples couldn’t believe it. They weren’t expecting it either.

‘These words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them.’ (11) Another version puts it like this: ‘They did not believe them for their words seemed like nonsense.

Perhaps today, you still think the story of Jesus being raised from the dead is just nonsense. You just can’t believe. If you were making it up; if this isn’t true, would you really make everyone doubt it when they hear it at first? Wouldn’t you want the characters to expect it? But they don’t. Why write it this way, unless it is the way it happened.

It was unexpected, and yet, they should have been expecting it all along.

When we were growing up in Dromore, there used to be a ‘spot the stranger’ competition every year. We didn’t all meet up in the town centre and point at outsiders who weren’t from the town. Rather, every shop decorated their window showing the things that they sold, but hidden among the display there was a ‘stranger’ - something that didn’t fit; something you couldn’t go into the shop and buy. It might have been a shoe shop with a knitting needle sticking out of a boot; it might have been a thimble sitting in the middle of a basket of apples. Sometimes we wondered if the stranger in some of the shop windows were the dead flies, but that was never the right answer, for some reason!

Some of the shop keepers were very obvious and the item would be sitting plain (probably so that they weren’t hassled by children and their parents wanting to know the answer), but other shops were more sneaky - you had to look very carefully, spend lots of time outside the shop until you spotted the object. But once you knew what it was, then any time you walked past, the stranger then jumped out at you. It was obvious that it didn’t fit. You wondered how you missed it all along.

It’s a bit like that with the resurrection. It was a shock to the disciples, but they should have known all along. Look at verse 6. The angels are speaking to the women: ‘Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.’

Jesus had told them time and time again what would happen, and yet they just didn’t understand at the time. They should have been expecting Jesus to rise from the dead, but they didn’t. Like the stranger in the shop window, it’s now obvious for us. We can see that Jesus knew in advance what would happen to him, both the cross and the resurrection; he told the disciples, but they didn’t believe, until afterwards.

Jesus is still the odd one out. Just think of any collection of religious figures and founders - Mohammed, the Buddha. All the other people who started religions are dead. You can go to Muhammad’s tomb in Medina, Saudi Arabia; you can visit the Buddha’s grave in Sri Lanka; they’re both occupied. Jesus’ tomb is empty ever since that first Easter morning. Jesus is the odd one out, because he is alive!

It’s amazing news. It’s wonderful news. Whether you’re hearing it for the first time, or the thousandth time, the truth is that Jesus is alive. The grave could not hold him. Jesus doesn’t fit among the dead, because he is alive. And because Jesus is alive, that means that we too, as we trust in him, will live with him. Death has been defeated. Jesus is victorious - as he had promised.

This sermon was preached at the Easter Family Celebration at Aghavea Parish Church on 31st March 2013.

Sermon: Luke 23: 32-43 The King's Welcome

2013-03-30T12:54:00.001Z

As we gather on this Good Friday, as we’ve heard the Passion of the Lord Jesus, we quickly realise that Jesus is at the very centre of human history. Jesus is the most important person who has ever lived - indeed, history itself is all about Jesus. Just think of how we mark time. We speak of BC and AD - Before Christ and Anno Domini, the year of the Lord. Now, while some very clever scholars try to speak instead of BCE - Before the Common Era - it still amounts to the very same; the dividing point, the centre point of time is Jesus Christ.

In our reading tonight, we saw how Jesus was at the centre of humanity. He was crucified between two thieves - one on his right and the other on his left. Jesus is in the centre, with the two crucified criminals showing us the two different reactions to Jesus. You see, there are only two ways to respond to Jesus, and the thieves crucified with Jesus demonstrate those two possibilities.

The first criminal, well, he went with the crowd. Luke tells us that the people watching sneered at him. ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.’ (35) They remembered the miracles Jesus had done; they thought they were just clever tricks - if he couldn’t get himself out of this situation. It would be like a champion lifeguard who had rescued lots of other people from drowning, who then drowned himself.

The soldiers joined in. ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ They read the sign above Jesus’ head; they reckoned he should be able to rescue himself, come down from the cross and go free, if he was so important. And so, we listen in as the first criminal mocks Jesus. ‘Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!’ If you’re really the Christ, you should be able to save not just yourself, but me too. Did you notice that each of the groups and also this criminal used the word save?

Save yourself - come down from the cross. Get yourself out of this mess. And while you’re at it, save me as well. He reckons that Jesus should get him out of this spot of bother - to show that he is the Christ. Yes, Jesus is the Christ, the king of the Jews - but in order to save others, he cannot save himself.

So the first criminal mocks and sneers, and rejects Jesus. In another gospel account we’re told that both criminals had mocked Jesus, but here Luke records that later on, the second criminal changes his tune. Whether it was as he watched Jesus die - praying for the soldiers who crucified them - he knew there was something different about Jesus. He and his mate were hardened criminals. They deserved all that they got. They were being punished for their deeds. But Jesus ‘had done nothing wrong.’ In the way Jesus dies, he recognises that Jesus doesn’t deserve to die like this. You see, the wages of sin are death but Jesus hadn’t sinned; hadn’t done anything wrong.

The second criminal then cries out to Jesus: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ (42). The sign above Jesus’ head declared that he was the king of the Jews. It was a further attempt to mock - look at the so-called king of the Jews, and what we have done to him. At this very moment, Jesus, is like no king the world had ever seen. He wears a scarlet robe of his own blood, flowing freely from the beating and scourging he received; on his head, he wears the crown of thorns. His royal throne is the cruel cross. Yet this man cries out: ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’

Despite the circumstances, this man recognises that Jesus is the King. And so he entrusts himself to this King. He seeks to join his kingdom, by naming Jesus as his king. And as he does so, he receives an amazingly wonderful promise: ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.’ (43). Jesus, by his death on the cross, the righteous for the unrighteous, has introduced his kingdom, and opened the way for sinners like you and me, and this penitent thief, to be with him in paradise. All we need to do is to trust in Jesus, who endured the punishment for our sins. He gives this promise to us as well - that we too will join him in paradise.

The dying thief, in his final moments, is rescued from his hellward path and instead given heaven. You might hear this and think, there’s still time - I’ll wait until my dying moments, until my deathbed in my 99th year. But can you be certain of that? Would you risk that day in the future if you’re not certain of tonight or tomorrow? The first bishop of Liverpool, JC Ryle writes of this passage: The penitent thief shows that it is possible to receive Christ just before death - but there were two thieves that day, and only one received Christ and was welcomed into paradise. Which do you identify with? Will you reject Christ? Or will you trust him as king and receive his welcome?

This sermon was preached at the Good Friday service in Aghavea Parish Church on 29th March 2013.

Sermon: Luke 22: 1-23 The King's Feast

2013-03-28T20:30:00.000Z

If you were able to choose your last meal, what would it be? The internet is the source of all sorts of information, and there are several pages dedicated to documenting the last meal requests of prisoners on death row. From a family bucket KFC meal, through to lobster tail and steak; bacon and eggs through to pizza, with ice cream. If you were to pick your final meal, what would it be?

In our reading tonight, we find Jesus eating his last meal with his disciples. It is this very night, on the night that he was betrayed, that he gathers in the upper room with his disciples. The disciples don’t seem to realise that it is such an important occasion, but Jesus makes clear that this is a very significant meal. It’s a dinner that they will never forget. Indeed, it’s a meal that we continue to remember and commemorate as we join around the Lord’s table tonight. But why is it so important? Why do we still celebrate the Lord’s supper?

The early part of the passage is taken up with the arrangements for the meal. A couple of weeks ago there was a special TV programme following the Queen around during her Jubilee year. At one point, she came into the royal banqueting hall to inspect the arrangements, and made the staff move all the fruit bowls as they were too near (or else too far away). She was making sure everything was ready in her role as host.

So too Jesus, here, is the one who plans the meal. He sends his disciples into the city, where they meet a man who leads them to the upper room. There they make all ready. But this is no ordinary meal. This is the Passover, the highlight of the Jewish year, when God’s rescue of his people from Egypt is remembered and celebrated.

The preparations having been made, the disciples and Jesus gather in the upper room. It is only at this point that Jesus declares that this night is full of more significance than normal. You see, far from Jesus being carried along by circumstances, as if he is a prisoner of fate and things just happened without him knowing; Jesus has been planning and preparing for this night.

Look with me at verse 15. ‘I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it (again) until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.’ You see, Jesus knows that he is about to suffer. He knows that the cross is just around the corner. But this is not just sentimental emotionalism. It’s not just, oh it’s good to have this. Rather, he takes the Passover and uses it to explain what is about to happen; and points forward to the coming of his kingdom.

As we listen in to what Jesus says and does, he points backwards to the Passover in the past to explain the present, and point to the future.

Passover was a big occasion, a yearly festival, a bit like our Christmas dinner. In it, the Jews remembered the rescue God had provided for their ancestors. The Israelites had been in Egypt - they moved in when Joseph was prime minister at the end of the book of Genesis, and leave in the book of Exodus. but between the end of Genesis and the start of Exodus, about 400 years have lapsed. While they were once important, by the time of Exodus they were slaves. They cried out for God to rescue them, and God did it through the Passover.

The Passover was the last of the ten plagues in Egypt, when Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to ‘let my people go.’ In the Passover, God gave instructions to Moses and the children of Israel. They were to take the Passover Lamb, and kill it. The blood of the lamb was applied to the doorposts and lintel of their houses. Inside, they shared in the meal of roasted lamb and bitter herbs, with the unleavened bread - because they were ready for the road; waiting for the call to go.

During the night, the angel of the Lord came through the land and struck down every firstborn in the land - from Pharaoh’s palace to the lowest slave. Each firstborn son died, except in the houses of the Israelites, where the blood of the lamb was visible. A death had already occurred. The lamb had died instead of the firstborn son. Pharaoh sent the Israelites away; they were free because of the Passover.

That’s the meal that Jesus and his disciples were celebrating. But now Jesus declares that what happened in the Passover was pointing all along to what he would do as he suffered on the cross. Now I don’t know about you, but sometimes families have special rituals when it comes to family meals. It might be watching the Queen at Christmas before opening the presents. It might be crackers, then meal; or meal then crackers; or deferring dessert until after a snooze.

There was a set ritual for the Passover. The meal was a re-living of the events of the first Passover. But then Jesus does something new, something different. He portrays his suffering in terms of the bread and wine.

He took some bread and says: ‘This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ The bread symbolises his body, broken, given for his disciples. In his death, we are given life. In his wounds, we are healed. This is what we remember as we meet together around his table. Jesus is the real Passover lamb, who died in our place, bringing us salvation - not just rescue from Egypt, but rescue from everything that enslaves us - sin and death and hell.

So with the cup, Jesus takes it and declares: ‘This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.’ Jesus’ blood was shed for us on the cross; he institutes a new covenant - not of law, but of grace. His blood was given to release us from the law and to set us free to serve him.

As Jesus suffers and dies, so he brings in his kingdom. So as we take bread and wine, as we remember him, it’s not just as we might remember an old school friend who we haven’t seen in a while. Rather, we remember with gratitude and joy what Jesus achieved for us as he suffered. We not only look back, but we also look forward. The royal feast is a foretaste of the heavenly banquet. This bread and wine is just a sample of the celebration we will have when we see Jesus face to face in his heavenly kingdom.

Jesus says that he will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Neither will he drink the wine until the kingdom of God comes. By his death on the cross, Jesus has ushered in the kingdom. He has made the way for us to come and to share in the royal feast. The king has done all that is necessary.

The invitation is extended, as we share tonight to do this in remembrance of him - not just remembering back to the cross (the fulfillment of the Passover), but also remembering forward - looking to the completion of all things, when Jesus returns and welcomes us into his heavenly home. Will you come and share with him?

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church at the Maundy Thursday service on 28th March 2013.

Sermon: Luke 22:63 - 23:25 The King Tried

2013-03-27T20:30:00.000Z

As we’ve journeyed with Jesus this week, we know all too well what lies ahead. We’ve heard the story many times before, we know (even if the first disciples didn’t know) that the cross awaits on that first Good Friday. It’s so familiar to us, though, that sometimes it’s good to be able to stop and think, to ask questions, to watch in slow motion replay. If you’re watching a football game on TV, they’ll show the build-up to the goal, how it came about. Gary Lineker and his mates on Match of the Day will analyse the series of passes and dummies and shots that led to the goal.

In a similar kind of a way, our reading tonight helps us to see the build-up to the cross. Why was it Jesus was crucified? What led to Jesus being nailed to the cross? How did it come about? And what does it mean for us?

We begin with the men holding Jesus (63-65). They’ve arrested him, taken him prisoner, but there is no due process here, no fairness, no hint of being innocent until proven guilty. Rather, the guards mock him and beat him. They have heard that Jesus is regarded as a prophet, so they blindfold him, asking him to prophesy, to say which of them was hitting him. Jesus is scorned and insulted.

From there, he is taken to the assembly of the elders (the Sanhedrin), which could not meet at night, so they wait for the very first glimmer of daylight in order to not break the law. How ironic, given what happens next. Do you see what they say? ‘If you are the Messiah, tell us.’ (67) Yet Jesus makes the point that if he did tell them, they would not believe.

They sit in judgement over Jesus; they have already decided that Jesus must die. It’s the action they have worked towards for so long. Yet the tables are turned, as Jesus continues: ‘But from now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of God’ (69) Jesus will be seated in the place of judgement; he will try them, but they refuse to listen; they refuse to believe.

They continue by asking if he is the Son of God, and his answer is enough for them. They don’t pause to consider if he is speaking the truth. They refuse to contemplate that Jesus is actually the Son of God, the Messiah. They have the ‘evidence’ so called, they can now take him to Pilate. The build-up continues.

It’s obvious, though, that the charge of being God’s Son won’t mean anything to the pagan Roman governor, Pilate. Instead, they claim that Jesus is leading the nation astray, telling people to withhold taxes from Caesar, and setting himself up as king.

For Pilate, a troubled governor who had already upset the locals in Jerusalem and caused bother for Caesar, this wasn’t what he wanted to hear. The Romans wanted to keep the peace, to control the Jews, but every so often there would be a new uprising. Pilate had to keep control.

When he asks Jesus if he is the king of the Jews, Jesus answers ‘You say so.’ Pilate’s opinion is that ‘I find no basis for an accusation against this man.’ He is not guilty. Why didn’t he stop the proceedings here? Why didn’t he release Jesus? The crowds don’t like it. They press on, mentioning Galilee. Pilate reckons he has his escape route.

King Herod, ruler of Galilee, was in town for Passover. If he’s from Galilee, then he can be Herod’s problem. Herod was delighted. For a long time he had been wanting to meet Jesus - not to hear his teaching and believe his message, but simply to see a sign. He was interested in miracles - he wanted a Paul Daniels type performance, but Jesus refuses to answer his questions, and performs no sign. Even with the false accusations of the chief priests, still Jesus remains silent.

The innocent prisoner is mocked by Herod; they dress him up in an elegant robe and send him back to Pilate. Again, Herod found him not guilty (15). Why wasn’t he released? The way of the cross continues.

Pilate once again declares Jesus’ innocence. ‘he has done nothing to deserve death.’ (15). Surely he should be released? But no, Pilate’s offer is to have him flogged and then released. Can you imagine the uproar if a government decided that suspects released without charge first got a flogging to send them on their way? Perhaps Pilate is trying to compromise with the crowd.

But the chief priests and the crowd’s opposition has turned into an avalanche. We’ve escaped the snow here, but in County Down and County Antrim, the snow remains - it wouldn’t take much on one of the hills to start an avalanche, but it quickly grows and builds until nothing can hold it back. So it is here with the crowd.

Pilate offers to flog and release; they shout back: ‘Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us.’ (18). Pilate addresses them again, but he’s shouted down: ‘Crucify, crucify him!’ (21). Momentum is growing; the snowball is hurtling down the hillside, bringing more snow with it.

For the third time, Pilate maintains Jesus’ innocence: ‘Why? What evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death.’ (22). Their loud shouts continue, ‘their voices prevailed.’

Pilate has given in to the mob rule. He condemns the innocent and hands him over to be crucified. The one who is not guilty is treated as the guilty one. The cross stands waiting for the Lord Jesus.

We’ve watched the slow motion replay. We’ve seen as the guards mocked Jesus; the elders condemned Jesus; Herod mocked Jesus; Pilate gave in as the crowd pressed for his death. Each person and group contributed and to the death of Jesus, the cruel cross. The repeated verdicts of the innocence of Jesus highlight the injustice of his death. To simply observe the human actors with their motives and desires and agendas as they collide and conspire could lead us to despair. Except we know that through it all, God is still in control. Herod and Pilate and the chief priests are all responsible for their actions, but even in this darkest of days, God is working to bring about his purposes.

The cross is the ‘cup’ Jesus asked to pass from him, but to which he submitted. It is in the cross that Jesus saves us, as he substitutes for us.

Consider Barabbas. He was a condemned man. A murderer and a rebel. He deserved the punishment that was due. He waited on death row. The cross had his name on it. Yet this guilty man walked free. Imagine that as he took off his prison clothes and walked out in freedom, that he watched as Jesus was nailed to the cross. He could truly say: ‘He died in my place.’

We may not like to hear it this way; we may not like the comparison, but we are Barabbas. We each of us deserve the death penalty. We stand rightly condemned. Yet Jesus has taken our place. He has died the death we deserve - the innocent for the guilty. The choice remains - will we cry ‘crucify’ and reject Jesus, or will we receive the pardon he provides, and worship the crucified Lord, who died that we might live. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church at the Holy Week midweek service on Wednesday 27th March 2013.