Book Reviews: The Day of the Jack Russell and Dr Yes

I've previously written about how much I enjoy Colin Bateman's books. Over the course of the summer, I read another couple of his, both from the Mystery Man series. The (fictional) owner of the (real life) No Alibis bookshop in Belfast doesn't just sell crime fiction, he also stars in it. Buoyed by his first successful mystery solved, and with a blossoming relationship with the jewellery shop assistant from across the road, and plagued by his mother, the stories continue to entertain as weird stuff happens and crimes are solved.

The Day of the Jack Russell (a title based on The Day of the Jackal) centres around the death and kidnapping of the Chief Constable's Jack Russell dog. What is its real significance in a world where grafitti artists are murdered and M15 seem to be involved? It's a rip-roaring tale that will make you bark with laughter. Seriously!

Dr Yes moves the story on to the dodgy world of plastic surgery, disappearances and murders. Is it all really as glamorous as it seems? Is beauty only skin deep? What lies beneath? The plot unravels like the bandages from a face lift, to reveal a glorious end result, with a few twists and turns along the way.

Both novels are written from the point of view of Mystery Man himself, with all the wry observations, cutting wit and weird personality quirks that brings (for example, working his way through the Starbucks menu item by item). They're a gift for Northern Irish people, with a very distinctive Ulster humour, but being recommended by the Richard and Judy book club, seem to make the transition to wider British culture. Expect lots of puns and jokes along the way.

If you fancy a chuckle, and want something a wee bit different to the standard crime novel, give these a go - but start with Mystery Man, the first in the series. These will make better sense in that order! The Day of the Jack Russelland Dr. Yesare both available for Kindle from Amazon.

Sermon: Luke 2: 22-40 Simeon's Bucket List

Can you work out what all these things have in common. Visit Hawaii. Carve a pumpkin. Experience zero gravity. Go surfing. Learn how to drive. See the Northern Lights. Throw a dart at a map and travel to wherever it lands. Swim with dolphins. Any ideas? They are among the most popular items on people’s bucket lists. (According to www.bucketlist/org/popular)

What’s on your bucket list? You may not know the term, but you might just have a bucket list. Now, it’s not a list of buckets that you own (if indeed you own more than one bucket, just in case, like Liza, you get a hole in it). Rather, it’s a list of things you want to do before you kick the bucket. They’re the things that you want to achieve before you die. The things that you could say ‘I’ve done that, now I can die happy.’

So what would your bucket list include? What would you prioritise? What would you want to do so that you could die happy?

This morning in our reading, we meet a man with just one item on his bucket list. That one thing might not seem like a big deal to us. His bucket list says: ‘See a baby.’ He lives in Jerusalem, he must see loads of babies - especially if parents observe the Law and bring their newborns to the temple for dedication.

But it’s not just any baby. It’s actually see ‘the’ baby. Simeon is described as righteous and devout. He trusts in the Lord, he’s living by faith. But more than that, he is ‘looking forward to the consolation of Israel.’ (25)

He knows that Israel is in distress. God’s people are not in a good way. They need to be consoled. Now I’ve had some experience of this recently. The Bowling Club had a party night. Everyone picks out what team they play on, and after three games, the highest men and women scorers get prizes. I was playing terribly that night (as I always do!) and needed to be consoled. I ended up with one of the very lowest scores. But I was consoled - I got a booby prize! It made up for what was lacking. When I received my Terry’s Chocolate Orange, the pain of my terrible performance was forgotten!

Israel was not in a good way. They seemed to be far from God. God hadn’t spoken for about 400 years. The Romans had conquered the land. Israel was an occupied land. Israel needed to be consoled. Israel needed God to console them.

The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah (Christ). The consolation of Israel will come through the Christ. The Christ will be the comforter Israel needs. And Simeon has been guaranteed to see him before he dies. His bucket list is to meet the Christ.

Out of all the babies that were in the temple that day, Simeon is guided to the right one. He takes the baby Jesus in his arms, and breaks into song: ‘Master, now you are dismissing your servant in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples. a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for glory to your people Israel.’

I can die happy, because I have seen your salvation. He may not know how the salvation will come, but he knows who will bring the salvation. And even though he can’t know the future, it seems that he is basing his song on the servant song of Isaiah 49. He links Jesus to the servant in that song, who is the means of the Lord comforting his people; the way Israel will be gathered back to God; but also as a light to the nations.

Even though Simeon sees only the seed - the baby Jesus at just 40 days old - he knows that the full flowering of salvation will come. God’s word is sure. Just as God promised Simeon he would see his salvation, so God will fulfil that salvation in Jesus.

The baby didn’t stay a baby. He grew up, in a lifelong obedience to God’s will. He lived the perfect life, and died the perfect death. Through his death, we have life. Through his name proclaimed, Jews and Gentiles are brought back to God.

You might have 1001 items on your bucket list. You might have so many ideas about what would you should do before you die happy. But Simeon tells us that only one will really matter after death. It’s the one that Simeon had on his bucket list. To get to know Jesus. To find in him your salvation. Because when you have his salvation, you can die happy - but more than that, you can die confident that you will live with him for eternity.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 28th December 2014.

Christmas Morning Sermon: Luke 2: 19 An Unforgettable Christmas

One of the things I love about the Christmas morning service is seeing the presents that you bring along. I like to see the toys that you’ve been waiting for, and were so excited for last night that maybe you weren’t able to sleep!

I’ve brought along a present that’s all wrapped up. It’s going to help me tell you about a Christmas memory of mine from many years ago. Does someone want to open it?

I had wanted one of those remote control racing track car sets. Something like Scalectrix. For weeks, I watched the adverts on TV and couldn’t wait to get my very own. We went down the stairs on Christmas morning, and me and my brother each had our own chair for presents. There it was, my car racing set. I was so excited! So we went off to church, got home again, and I wanted to set it up straight away.

We put it up on the kitchen floor. A round track, that mum and dad had to step over to keep making the Christmas dinner. It was time. I placed the car on the track, squeezed the controller, and the car started. But I didn’t know I had to ease off going around the corners. The car kept going, jumped off the track, and shot in underneath the cooker. And that was that. No more racing car. An unforgettable Christmas, for all the wrong reasons!

If we were to ask Mary about the first Christmas, a word she might use is unforgettable. For a start, her and Joseph had travelled about eighty miles from Nazareth to Bethlehem. They’d found no place to stay, apart from in the stable. That alone would be unforgettable. A bit like the family holiday stories - do you remember when such and such happened?

Then Mary’s baby was born. No Mothercare, no baby clothes, so he was wrapped in strips of cloth. No freshly painted nursery with a new cot, so he lies in a manger. You would never forget those details.

But then they were joined by a bunch of shepherds. They were looking for the baby wrapped in cloths, lying in a manger. They said they were sent by angels, heavenly messengers! The angels had spoken of this baby being the Saviour, Christ the Lord. His birth was good news of great joy. Imagine the noise and excitement of the shepherds as they told of what they had seen and heard. How it was all true!

Luke says that everyone who heard the message ‘wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart.’

This was the unforgettable Christmas. Mary made sure she treasured it all, and pondered, wondered about what it all meant.

When we get to this time of the year, and hear of shepherds and angels and a baby in the manger, we might think that we’ve heard it all before. We know what it’s all about. Let’s get on to the presents and the turkey. Perhaps this year, in the middle of all that happens, we can take some time to think about Jesus, the baby in Bethlehem, the Saviour who is Christ the Lord.

As we hear of the good news, we could even accept it, and accept him as our Saviour. How amazing would it be, as we celebrate his coming into the world, to welcome him into our heart and our life. That would make it a truly unforgettable Christmas.

This sermon was preached at the Christmas Morning Family Service in Aghavea Parish Church on Thursday 25th December 2014.

Christmas Eve Sermon: Luke 2: 10 Good News of Great Joy

These days we seem to be bombarded by non-stop news. Just think for a moment - BBC1 and UTV each have a morning breakfast news programme, mid-morning updates, lunchtime news, news from 6pm-7pm, then more from 10pm onwards. You can hear the headlines every hour on the hour with most radio stations. Then there are the 24 news channels, and the news websites, constantly updated with new news.

We’re coming into the time of year when we get the review of the year, as programmes and papers look back at 2014. There are reminders of the news headlines we’ve lived through (and probably forgotten). News that is constantly changing brings many different events to our mind, for at least a moment, before something else takes its place in the headlines.

There’s lots of news around, but have you ever noticed that it’s mostly bad news? The Glasgow bin lorry tragedy; continuing fighting in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and many other places. The spread of Ebola in West Africa. The aeroplanes, one of which went missing, the other shot down out of the sky over Ukraine. The celebrity sex abuse cases. And on and on it goes. Bad news after bad news.

With the advances in technology, we seem to be catapulted from one crime scene to the next, able to follow the events in a Sydney coffee shop hostage situation as they happen. The news keeps coming. The bad news keeps coming.

And that’s before we consider the local news, things happening in families and among friends and neighbours. When we hear of something bad having happened, and so often, we become overwhelmed by the flood of bad news stories. Where can we turn to find some relief? We might find ourselves saying with David in Psalm 4: ‘There are many who say, ‘O that we might see some good! Let the light of your face shine on us, O Lord.’

David realises that we need the light of the Lord to see good. We need to know him to hear some good news. And that’s what the angels announced in the sky near Bethlehem on this very night. He says: ‘I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people.’ (Luke 2: 10) Here is some good news - and it’s not just for the shepherds on the hillside that night. It’s not just for those who met the shepherds as they dashed into town. It’s for us as well. It’s for ‘all the people’. But what is it? What is the good news?

‘To you is born this day...’ Just this afternoon, we heard word from Scotland of the birth of a friend’s baby. A Christmas Eve baby. We’re looking forward to meeting him in due course. Babies being born are causes of joy and happiness, but the angel goes on. You see, this is no ordinary baby. ‘To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is the Messiah the Lord.’

So much of the bad news we hear is because of human sin. Pride, jealousy, coveting, selfishness is the driving factor for many of the headlines we see and hear. Sin drives us to want, to keep, to fight, to increase at all costs. But behind the obvious sins of greed and murder, we live in a sin-saturated culture. Every word, thought and deed is produced by a sinful heart. Every part of us is twisted by sin, the effects of the fall, the outworking of Adam and Eve’s original sin.

It’s inevitable that a fallen world finds itself with ‘natural’ disasters, devastating illnesses, freak accidents, as well as the wars and rumours of wars. But in this world of bad news, the good news rings out. Christ the Saviour is here. The one who comes to put right the things that are wrong; the one who suffers in our place to take away our sins; the one who gives up his heaven to save us from hell.

This is good news to sing about - just like the angels did. This is good news to share with all we meet - just as the shepherds did. This is good news to have and to hold on to - because it is for all the people.

I don’t know what your year has been like. I don’t know what tomorrow may hold. Even as the cycle of bad news continues, even as things seem to be getting worse, the good news is that Jesus loved us so much that he came to be with us, and to save us, so that we can be with him. Forever. Alleluia! What a Saviour!

This sermon was preached at the Christmas Eve Communion in Aghavea Parish Church on Wednesday 24th December 2014.

Book Review: What Christ Thinks of the Church

Back in the summertime, I was trying to plan some preaching series for church. At the time, I was considering dipping in to the opening chapters of Revelation 1-3, the letters to the seven churches. So John Stott's little book 'What Christ Thinks of the Church' came with me on holiday. As it turned out, we didn't do the Revelation series (yet), but it was still worthwhile to read Stott doing what he does best - exposition of Scripture. Even though I don't agree with everything he says, there is much that is solid and profitable in this book.

As he points out in the introduction, 'Many Christians fight shy of the book of Revelation.' It's seen as a difficult book - a 'happy hunting ground for fundamentalists' was how it was described at Theological College. But Stott immediately provides some clues for the interpreter from the text: 1. Apocalupsis (apocalypse) means unveiling, a revelation. So put out of your head those tabloid headline notions of apocalyptic freak weather and such like. 2. This revelation is given to the church, so that we know what is going on. 3. In persecution, error and sin, the devil's tactics don't change from one generation to the next. 'The substance of the revelation is Christ himself.'

The rest of the chapters explore the letters of Christ to the seven churches in turn. Stott helpfully summarises each, with lots of helpful observations: Ephesus - love; Smyrna - suffering; Pergamum - truth; Thyatira - holiness; Sardis - reality; Philadelphia - opportunity; Laodicea - wholeheartedness. Here are some of the stand out lines:

'It is clear that the risen Lord is in a position to evaluate the condition of each church and to commend or condemn it, for he knows its state with perfect accuracy.'

'It is not a living church if it is not a loving church' - on Ephesus.

'A willingness to suffer proves the genuineness of love' - on Smyrna.

'With the call to suffer there went the promise of accompanying grace.'

'The way to lose fear is to gain faith.'

While in Thyatira there is much to commend, 'it is sad to read a little further and discover its moral compromise.'

'But outward appearances are notoriously deceptive; and this socially distinguished congregation was a spiritual graveyard.' - on Sardis.

'We turn now, with some relief, from the rebuke... to the remedy.'

There were moments when I didn't agree with his conclusions, mostly in the last of the letters to Laodicea. It all centres on the famous images of the lukewarm to be spat out of the mouth, and of Jesus standing at the door and knocking. Stott argues that Jesus was us either burning hot for him or else icy cold against him. I don't think he's right on this bit. Similarly, he seems to want to follow the popular individual evangelistic appeal application of Jesus knocking, so that any individual can open the door for salvation. But is that really what Jesus is saying here, writing to a congregation of Christians who presumably are already saved?

The last chapter notwithstanding, the book is what you would expect from John Stott. Thorough exposition with warm and pastorally sensitive application. This would be most useful for the pastor preparing to preach from Revelation (and not just the letters themselves), but would also be suitable for any Christian wanting to use it devotionally over a longer period of time. There is much to ponder, any many warnings to hear as the Spirit speaks to the churches. What Christ Thinks of the Church by John Stott is available from Amazon.

Sermon: Luke 2:14 The Christmas Truce

Almost 100 years ago, a most remarkable event took place. In the worst of times, something so unbelievable happened that it’s remembered to this day. It even featured in the Sainsbury’s Christmas advert this year.

Lieutenant David Williamson from Castlecaulfield wrote home to his father about it: ‘There was a sort of truce arranged today (Christmas Day) between some of our fellows and and Germans in front of them... Our men went across and they and the Germans exchanged tobacco and talked and sauntered round between the two lines of trenches. It was the queerest sight in the world to see two lots of men, who a few hours before were intent on killing each other (and will be again tomorrow!) talking together as if they were the greatest friends in the world. They even arranged a football match, and since I started writing this letter a telephone message has come through to say that the Germans had won by three goals to two.’

The Great War had begun in August, with the promise of being home and finished by Christmas. But the war continued, so that troops found themselves in the trenches on Christmas Day. The fighting wasn’t over, but men who were enemies enjoyed peace on Christmas Day as fighting stopped. For at least a little while, the fighting stopped, there was a period of peace. It seems too good to be true, and yet it happened.

As we hear the Christmas story, a truce is announced, and the promise of peace is given. In the skies above Bethlehem, the angels sang to the shepherds, and here’s what they said: ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!’

The birth of the baby brings glory to God and peace to people on earth. While the Great War was paused for Christmas Day, it’s a deeper peace that the angels are singing about; a deeper peace that the Lord Jesus brings.

In our first reading, we heard of how sin entered the world through Adam and Eve’s disobedience. The consequences are all around us. Sin has infected and affected each of us, our personality, character, and relationships. The rebellion begun by our first parents is carried on by each of their children. We naturally rebel against God. We choose to sin in our hearts and in our actions. We have enrolled in the army of God’s enemies.

Yet to a world of rebels, the angels sing of peace. Peace among those with whom God is pleased. Peace for all who will receive it. And it comes wrapped up in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger.

Jesus comes into the world to turn rebels back to God. This is the message of Christmas, good news in a world of bad news. You can know his peace tonight, if you come to him. Lay down your opposition to him, turn around and receive his promise of peace.

We can have that reconciliation tonight, and take that peace with us everywhere we go, even when we deal with annoying relatives over the Christmas holidays. So let’s sing of it now, in the words of our last carol, ‘peace on earth, and mercy mild, God and sinners reconciled.’


This sermon was preached at the Carol Service in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 21st December 2014.

Sermon: The Christmas (Family) Tree

We’re getting very close to Christmas now, and if you’re going to have one, then you’d be as well to have it got by now. Most houses probably have at least one - some have two or three. Some can be very small; others could be very tall - in fact, too big for the house. They tend to reflect your personal taste - minimalistic; traditional; or ultra modern. What are we talking about? Christmas trees! It’s always fascinating to drive around at this time of year, to notice the very different styles of Christmas tree lit up in people’s living rooms. They tend to stand out, provide a focus for the room, and draw the eye.

This morning in our reading, we have a Christmas tree, standing tall. In fact, it might be the only tree you need this Christmas, so even if you don’t have one in your house, you can have this one. It’s the best one of all.

Perhaps as the new year draws near, you’ll decide that you want to start reading the Bible every day. But rather than starting straight into the Old Testament and working right through it, you think it might be better to start in the New Testament. So you open up your Bible to Matthew 1:1, and your heart sinks. You want to get to reading about Jesus, but it’s more like reading a page from the Jerusalem phone book. All those names, many of them you’ve never heard of, and you wonder, what on earth is Matthew playing at? Why does he start his gospel in this way?

You might be tempted to do what some kids do when they’re counting. We used to play Hide and Seek at a neighbour’s garden. Someone would count and the rest would scarper to climb up into the trees or dive beneath the bushes. Every so often someone would cheat. They’d do this: 1, 2, skip a few, 99, 100, coming, ready or not!

But as we look a bit closer, we discover that this is a family tree - the father of, who was the father of... So let’s climb into this tree today to see what we find. It’s a family tree, but it’s also the Christmas family tree - we wouldn’t have a Christmas Day without this unlikely family tree. So let’s explore it, by using a Christmas tree guide.

The first thing you have to decide when you’re getting a Christmas tree is this - real or artificial? Artificial ones might last you for years, but there’s nothing like the smell and feel and look of a real Christmas tree. And that’s the first thing to notice about this Christmas family tree. It’s real. It’s 100% genuine.

Throughout this term we’ve been following the story of Abraham, the promise God made to give him a son, and the long wait of 25 years before Isaac came along. Each of those names is also a real person, another step down through the generations, another passing along of the promise, another son to fulfil the line to bring us to Jesus.

It’s important to remember this. The Bible isn’t made up the way the Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit are made up. In those types of stories you find lots of made up names and adventures, but they were all products of JRR Tolkien’s mind. The family tree we find in Matthew 1 is fact; these were all real people. As confirmation, every person from Abraham through to Zerubbabel (12) is mentioned at least once in the Old Testament.

This is the real life fulfilment of God’s promise to Abraham. It’s a real Christmas family tree. So you’ve decided you want a real Christmas tree. You maybe go along to the tree nursery to pick your tree, or go along to the shop where they are sitting ready to go. You’ll want a good one, a healthy looking one, one that will look good.

If you were looking for a family tree, this might be one to avoid. There are more than a few bad apples growing on this tree. Forget about the names you don’t know, and focus for a moment or two on the names you do. We’ve been working through Genesis and made it as far as Abraham. What we’ve seen this term should remind us that the first generation wasn’t fantastic - doubts, struggles, disobediences like all the rest.

When we come to Jacob, whose name means ‘he deceives’, he’s a slimy trickster, always out to take advantage of you. David might have been king, but he was also an adulterer and murderer (to cover up his adultery). The list of kings that follow him tends to run good king, bad king, good king, bad king - but even the good kings weren’t great. If you were to choose a family tree to work with, to bring the Messiah from, it wouldn’t be this one. You’d write it off, as families sometimes can be written off - too many problems, too many scandals, we’ll politely avoid them...

So you’ve decided you want a real tree; you’ve picked one; when you get it home, then you have to decorate it. In this family tree we’re looking at, we’ve seen that it’s real; that it’s not the best; but it is decorated to the highest standard. The twinkling lights, the things hanging on the tree all point to God’s grace.

Yes, Jacob was a trickster, and David was a murderer, but God shows his grace in using them for his glory, to advance his rescue plan. God’s grace is powerful enough to turn around the worst of sinners, to draw them to himself, and to use them in his plans.

God’s grace is seen especially in this Christmas family tree because of who Matthew includes in it. You see, family trees and genealogies only ever focused on the men. It who who your father was that counted, not who your mum was. The family line was passed on through the father to the son. But Matthew includes the names of five women in this family tree, to highlight and shine a light on God’s grace in a most remarkable way.

Tamar (3) had been wronged by her father-in-law, so tricked him by acting like a prostitute. Yet God used that occasion to advance the line of promise. Rahab (5) was a pagan foreigner prostitute who lived in the city of Jericho up until the moment that Joshua marched the people around the walls and they collapsed. She had hid the spies and converted to Israel’s God because she knew that he was the only true God. The rest of the city died, but she lived, becoming part of this family tree.

Ruth was a Moabite, another foreigner who was brought into the people of Israel, was redeemed by Boaz, and found refuge under the wing of the God of Israel. The wife of Uriah (6) was Bathsheba, who had committed adultery with David.

And finally, there’s Mary. A teenage pregnancy; the talk of the town; another scandal to add to the rest of the family’s history. Yet this is the family that God has chosen, protected and guided. In the weakness and failure, God’s grace shines ever clearer. This was the family Jesus had chosen to join, to be identified with, to fulfil the promise by becoming the son of Abraham (the chosen offspring in whom the nations of the earth would be blessed), the son of David (the royal king who would reign forever), the Messiah (the anointed one). When you look at your tree, even if it’s a bit wonky, or it doesn’t sit as you’d like, remember this Christmas family tree. God is at work to connect the Old Testament to the New Testament, to bring all his promises to be yes in Christ Jesus. God’s grace continues to shine as he brings us into this family, not because of our goodness, but because of his grace.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 21st December 2014.

Book Review: Five Festal Garments

Of all the many series Apollos/IVP have published in recent years, the one that I've valued most highly have been the 'New Studies in Biblical Theology' edited by Don Carson. I'm slowly working my way through the series, and Five Festal Garments by Barry Cooper was among the very best. The book springs from Cooper's two greatest passions - biblical theology and the exposition of the Old Testament as Holy Scripture. They combine wonderfully in the book.

The Five Festal Garments of the title refers to the Old Testament books of Song of Songs, Ruth, Lamentations, Ecclesiastes and Esther. In the introduction, Cooper explains the festal garments through the customary Jewish usage of these books. Recognising that they were always canonical, the problem arose as to how to 'wear' the Scrolls. The solution comes in their use in the Jewish lectionary as readings for the five major festivals. But 'no consensus has emerged about their proper use, or about how they can be the word of God for us today' as Christians. Rather, they appear to be the most neglected books in the scriptures.

These Christian reflections on the books are a great little introduction to each, with their structure and content setting the tone for each chapter. The outline he follows for each asks the key questions - (i) a reading of the text to discover its structure; (ii) the relationship of the book to the wider Old Testament; (iii) how the book connects to the New Testament gospel through 'promise and fulfillment.'

The Song of Songs is the 'Garment of Love', even as it raises the question of who is speaking to whom and what do they mean; and how are we to see it as part of the Bible? His starting point is that it is love poetry, 'but it is neither a philosophical treatise... nor a sex manual.' With the different settings and voices, some may think that it's a compilation of love songs, like a greatest hits album, but Cooper argues that it's one single love poem. With its links to Solomon, the wider context points to the wisdom of Solomon and the themes of love found in Proverbs 31 and elsewhere. The theological context emphasises three important ideas: affirmation of the body and sexual relationships (in its essential goodness with links to the original creation); it doesn't idealise singleness; and it celebrates sex as a one-flesh union. Connecting it to the New Testament, Cooper sees it pointing to the new heavens and the new earth with the implication that sex is good, but it is not the greatest good, with an even better joy in heaven where there is only one marriage, between Christ and his people.

Ruth is up next, the 'Garment of Kindness.' It's a gentle book, but with turbulence in the depths - 'kindness of a radical and controversial sort; a kindness that makes ripples.' While some may see it as a romantic comedy, Cooper finds an irresistable movement in the book, from death to life, barrenness to fruitfulness, emptiness to fullness, curse to blessing.' His obesrvations of the text are marvellous, linking in to the wider context of the judges and David's kingship, a micro-history of salvation as it impacts a household (with wider implications). The wider implications are drawn out in the final section, as kindness is shown to be the very character of God, as his kindness draws in the Gentiles through Jesus the ultimate kinsman redeemer.

Lamentations is the 'Garment of Suffering' used on the Ninth of Ab, the day of fasting for the destruction of the temple. As the name suggests, it's a dark shaft of tragic loss and acute anguish, but Cooper points out that it's also a closely worked 'ordered grief', with its acrostics and a common structure. The question of its setting was surprising for me - having thought it was naturally connected with Jeremiah, it appears that there are differences of opinion, whether it comes after the prophets, as part of the historical writings. The resonance with the rest of the Old Testament is in the confusion over the impregnability of Zion in some of the Psalms, compared to the experienced reality. Over all, it 'shows us God's wrath as a directly experienced reality.' Yet alongside the darkness, there are beams of light, with the hope that comes from God, even as he displays his wrath. This becomes even clearer as we trace those lines through to the New Testament, where 'The unfailing love and righteous wrath of which it speaks find their climactic meeting point in the cross.'

Ecclesiastes is portrayed as the 'Garment of Vexation' - which is perhaps the most enigmatic book dealt with. With few footholds in the hebel (mist), there are as many opinions on the book as there are commentators! Yet there is some clarity as the structure is examined, with the narrator opening and closing the book, before coming to the Teacher's instruction. 'The positive conclusions drawn from the expose of human frailty and futility in the preceding observation complex is that human beings should fear God. And fearing God is tied, by implication, to attentiveness to his Torah.' Again, there's a link to the theme of creation in the Old Testament, but Paul sets the creation's frustration in the context of redemption in Romans 8.

Esther is the last book considered, the 'Garment of Deliverance.' In seeking to understand Esther, the first task is to try to catch her distinctive voice. 'What is of particular interest is the way that theme [deliverance] is developed here. How is deliverance in Esther different from deliverance in, say, the exodus, or Judges, or the Joseph narrative?' Here, we find 'history as story rather than history as chronicle.' Remarking on the 'absence' of God from the text of the book, Cooper urges that to use the book is 'to clothe ourselves with the truth that God is sovereign, and to be reminded that he is always with us, even when he seems most absent, and that nothing can ultimately thwart his purposes.'

I really enjoyed this book, giving an introduction to some of the lesser well known books of the Bible. His approach was very beneficial, opening out from the book itself to its OT context to its whole Bible context. There is plenty of gold in this book, for anyone wanting to get to know these books a bit better. It's also very useful for the pastor preparing to preach a series in the books - as I had previously done when preaching and leading Bible studies in Ruth. The whole series of the New Studies in Biblical Theology is great, but this might just be the crowning glory. Five Festal Garments is available from Amazon.

Book Review: Naked God

Is there a God? And if there is, then what difference will that make to my life?

That's the question Martin Ayers examines and answers in this slightly strangely titled book 'Naked God'. It's been out for about four years now, and I heard rave reviews whenever it launched, but it was only recently that I got an opportunity to read it. I'd have to go along with the rave reviews - this is an excellent book to put in the hands of anyone wondering about whether God exists. It probably wouldn't be the initial contact with Christian things, but as an ongoing thought-provoker and guide for discussion and investigation, it is excellent!

Ayers begins the book with a quick survey of the way the world has changed and is changing, in all sorts of ways - technology, sex and many more. He asks the question: 'So how do you react to the change that is all around us?' He goes on to look at how religion seems to be changing, leading him to observe: 'When it comes to the God Question, people keep changing their minds.'

The title of the book is inspired by the television chef Jamie Oliver. You see, the Naked Chef wasn't nude, he was 'stripping the food to its bare essentials.' The aim of the book is to do the same thing with God - to expose the truth about God. This leads to the basic premise of the first part of the book: 'The first task of this book is to show why the God Question really matters... If things are fine without God, then why bother looking for him?'

The chapters in the first section then look at the Naked Truth about why we're here; freedom and knowledge; right and wrong; and they consist of the best analysis of the ultimate end of our secular, pluralist society I've read in a long time. Along the way there are some perceptive comments, including his assertion that 'Atheism is a position of faith or belief just like any religion.'

Chapter two focuses on the belief that the universe is a closed system, only consisting of matter, only fueled by blind, purposeless evolution. But even as many ask the question why are we here? 'naturalism tells us that we shouldn't even ask the question.' You see, if naturalism is right, then it doesn't make sense to live as if there is any purpose or meaning. But, as he concludes, 'the Naked Truth is that if God does not exist, there is no real meaning or purpose for our lives.'

Chapter three builds on this foundation as it explores the ideas of freedom and knowledge. From across the world, he presents examples of people fighting for freedom, and espousing human rights. But, 'naturalism tells us that we people are not really separate, independently existing 'things' after all.' Further, we're really just a product of our genes and environment, and shouldn't be praised for right choices or blamed for wrong actions. He goes even further as he discusses knowledge. The logical conclusion of naturalism is that by thinking about it, we can't trust what we're thinking - because if our brains evolved for survival, then there is no guarantee it tells us what is true. Again, 'what we're doing here is seeing where naturalism actually takes us. It's not pleasant, because it takes us inexorably to conclusions we don't like. But it's only fair to think of the world consistently like this.'

Chapter four looks at morality, and where our sense of right and wrong comes from. He doesn't doubt that there can be moral naturalists. 'But the problem isn't that naturalists have moral values. It's the naturalists have no basis for these moral values.' Therefore, 'without God, there are no universal human rights.' Again, naturalism fails.

Chapter five brings the conclusion of his exploration of naturalism, with a devastating verdict. Naturalism will lead to despair (nihilism) or denial (unwilling to accept that we have no purpose or meaning or morality). He then asks, 'what if there is a God?' 'There is another option. We can investigate whether or not God actually exists.' In all the areas already examined, God would make a real difference, and provide the basis for each of them.

In preparation for the second section, chapter 6 introduces Jesus. 'I primarily want to consider who Jesus was, and whether that changes our mind about God.' Recognising the problem some have with him because of popular misconceptions, Ayers proposes to go back to the evidence, as found in the New Testament Gospels.

Before presenting the positive evidence, he first clears the ground by dealing with two common objections: 1. Isn't Jesus just one of many valid options? But relativism 'doesn't evaluate the reasons for believing something.' He points out that there is a big difference between the opinions and preferences of football supporters and the objective fact of who won the FA Cup last year. 'If God is real, the whole world could deny that fact, and yet it would still be true.' The second objection is: Isn't Jesus just a made up legend? Here he shows how the Gospels are reliable eye witness testimony.

In the rest of the section, he looks at the life of Jesus in a warm, conversational, friendly and engaging way. The topics he covers include 'Isn't Jesus just a good moral teacher?' - the identity of Jesus; Who is Jesus? - his character; Didn't Jesus just die tragically young? - the crucifixion and resurrection. There's also a helpful chapter on the aftermath of Jesus' life, and the objections that could still creep up, such as the socially regressive teaching on sex that the church holds to; the disgraceful record of Jesus' followers, such as the crusades; and the fear of losing freedom by surrendering to Jesus. Each response comes with grace and a challenge to try it out by focusing on Jesus and taking it from there.

Part three concludes the book by pressing home the conclusions by looking to the future. The author deals with judgement, assurance, becoming a Christian, and the alternatives of heaven and hell. There's a clear progression through the book as the false alternatives are closed down, leaving the logical certainty of Christianity based on Christ.

Naked God is a really good book, and one I enjoyed reading. It can sometimes appear slightly wordy, and could maybe benefit from a little editing to become shorter and snappier. There are plenty of cultural references, so the author must like the movies, with illustrations from Good Will Hunting, One Hour Photo and Brassed Off (among others). The pitch is probably aimed towards university students and young professional graduates, but most people seeking to engage with our secular culture will find something to stimulate thought and discussion. It would be a great book to read on Christmas Day, when everyone else is sleeping off the turkey dinner. Naked God is available from all good Christian bookshops and for the Kindle.

Book Review: The Resurrection of Christ

Every year I try to do some seasonal reading - an Easter type book around Holy Week and Easter, and an Advent/Christmas themed book in December. So back in the springtime, I read Michael Ramsey's 'The Resurrection of Christ', but the review is only appearing now (yes, that's how far behind my book reviews are running... the pressure's on to get them all cleared up by the end of this year!).

I didn't know terribly much about Michael Ramsey before I read the book, other than that he was the Archbishop of Canterbury at a time. It seems now that I know a bit more about him, but wouldn't agree with him on much, other than his basic premise, that Jesus rose from the dead. How he goes about trying to argue for it, though, left a lot to be desired. There are dodgy philosophical ramblings that seek to deny, not explain the necessity of a sin-bearing substitute, among other things. He seems to want to satisfy the academy, rather than base his belief on what the scriptures say.

It appeared that he was trying to be too highbrow, and that other books now available are better on the resurrection ('Lifted' by Sam Allberry or 'Raised with Christ' by Adrian Warnock). I definitely wouldn't recommend it to anyone, so don't bother with it!

Book Review: The Poetic Wonder of Isaac Watts

If you peruse any of the hymbooks in use today, or glance at the author's name as you sing soild traditional hymns in church, one of the names you'll notice popping up regularly is Isaac Watts. Not knowing anything about him beyond his famous hymns, this little book appeared on Kindle for free back in the summer, so I bought it to discover more about the hymnwriter.

As the foreword puts it, in Christian history there are 'followers worthy to be followed' - godly men and women who should be imitated. The author, Douglas Bond, contends that Isaac Watts is such a follower, as they portray his life, his influences, and focus in on his hymnwriting. This is the focus because 'in a day where there is much shallowness in corporate worship, the church must recapture a high view of God that leads to transcendent worship. In the final analysis, it is theology that inevitably produces doxology.'

So why look at Isaac Watts? 'First, we need Watts' poetry in our lives... Second, we need Watts' voice in our worship... and Third, we need Watts' example as we live in our frailty.'

There was much that I learned about Watts. I had never realised he was a nonconformist, his father the pastor of Above Bar Church in Southampton (where David Jackman was pastor much more recently), refusing to take a scholarship to Oxford or Cambridge in order to 'take his lot among the dissenters.' He began hymnwriting at the age of 16, when walking home from church one Sunday in 1690, referring to the 'ugly hymns' they had sung, and challenged by his father to 'give us something better.' What a challenge, and what a result!

The rest of the book takes the themes of some of the hymns he has written, including When I survey the wondrous cross; Joy to the world; Jesus shall reign where'er the sun; and O God our help in ages past.

Watts based many of his hymns on the Psalms, some of which we still sing. Yet there was always something I couldn't quite understand when we sung them in church. He seemed to introduce Jesus/the cross into the otherwise faithful Psalm paraphrase. Why did he do it? The author quotes Watts in his own words:

His defence of his method indicates that Watts wanted the Old Testament to be understood in light of its fulfillment in Christ: Where the Psalmist... speaks of the pardon of sin through the mercies of God, I have added the merits of a Saviour. Where he talks of sacrificing goats or bullocks, I rather choose to mention the sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God. Where he promises abundance of wealth, honour, and long life, I have changed some of these typical blessings for grace, glory, and life eternal, which are brought to light by the Gospel, and promised in the New Testament. And I am fully satisfied, that more honour is done to our blessed Saviour by speaking his name, his graces, his actions, in his own language, according to the brighter discoveries he hath now made, than by going back again to the Jewish forms of worship, and the language of types and figures.

An interesting idea, which needs more thought, I reckon, and not entirely positively.

There was one little bit I didn't quite understand. The author appeared in one chapter to show that Watts refused to go up to Oxford and Cambridge, but in another chapter, reflecting on the irony that a textbook he wrote became the standard text at those institutions, 'institutions that refused to admit a Nonconformist such as Watts.' Both can't be the case!

Overall, this is a really good book. His life is detailed, and his hymns are explained with stories from his life. Those who enjoy hymns, theology or church history will particularly enjoy it. At times, though, there is a slight American bias to the writing and focus - in addressing his legacy in the 'New World' more than in his native England. It's also slightly disappointing to see great English compositions and diary entries rendered in American English!

The Poetic Wonder of Isaac Watts by Douglas Bond is available from Amazon for Kindle.

Youth Party Game: Christmas Name Bingo

Picture the scene: you're frantically getting ready for your youth group Christmas party. You're looking for party games to play with your young people. You turn to the internet to look for Christmas party games for youth fellowships. It's great to find youth group resources with a Christmas theme.

Here's a game we used as a mixer at our youth group Christmas party on Sunday night: Christmas Name Bingo. It works the same as normal Name Bingo - each person has a sheet, a pen, and about ten minutes to find people to sign their sheet, if the boxes apply to them. Each person can only sign one box on the page. You might like to have a prize for the most boxes signed by different people.

Sermon Audio: Genesis 12 - 22

Here's what I've been up to since September. We've been following the life of Abraham in our second chunk of the book of Genesis in the series 'Believing the Promise: Walking with Abraham's God'. All the sermons are also available on the Aghavea Church iTunes podcast.

Genesis 12: 1-20 Receiving God's promise

Genesis 13: 1-18 Walking by faith, not by sight

Genesis 14: 1-24 Meeting Mysterious Melchizedek

Genesis 15: 1-21 Reckoned Righteousness

Genesis 17: 1-27 Covenant Confirmed

Genesis 18:16 - 19:38 Saved from Sodom

Genesis 21: 1-21 The Promised Son

Genesis 22: 1-19 God Will Provide

Book Review: A Game of Thrones

I'm arriving late to the whole Game of Thrones phenomenon. It seems that quite a few people have already read the books and watched the (slightly ruder?) television series, partly filmed in our very own Westeros, otherwise known as Northern Ireland. On the recommendation of friends and family, I took the plunge and bought the full series when the books were cheap on Amazon for the Kindle back at the start of the summer. After all, I normally read at least ten books in my poolside summer holiday week, so I'd probably make it through two or three of them alongside my other holiday reading list.

As it turned out, I only managed to read the first book in the series. There's some reading in one of these books! While I could usually get a book read in a day, this one took almost three days of reading, morning, noon and night. It's dense, packed with detail, and it's intense, with the story pulling the reader in and not letting go!

Having enjoyed The Lord of the Rings, this is a more modern fantasy epic with a cast of thousands, and twists and turns in every chapter. Reader, be aware that there are some disturbing portions that definitely wouldn't be suitable for children, including incest, sex and sexual violence, war, and gruesome descriptions of violence. Having said that, it seems that, compared to the TV series, the books are mild, and leave a lot less seen or heard than the TV programmes, pushing the envelope and maximising the gore and lewdness.

The seven Kingdoms are united under King Robert Baratheon, but intrigue, rebellion, and rage are unleashed early on. With warring clans and kingdoms, as well as the ordinariness of daily life, nothing will remain as it is for long. Having read the first book, I've realised that it's better not to become too attached to any character, nor to have favourites, as no one is safe and everyone could perish at any moment.

The style of writing is an interesting approach. Each chapter is headed simply by the name of the character who is in view; and from whose perspective the action is happening. So sometimes, you read of the same event several times, having witnessed it with someone who was there, and then hearing of it again when someone else gets a report of it. But overall, I think it works, and as a new chapter is reached and the lead character is discovered, it leaves you wondering what is going to happen to them or around them - if you can remember who they are! There are a lot of characters to remember, and to keep the various plot lines and locations and their connections together.

In the first book there are some references to the religion of the world, or rather, the religions. There appears to be some sort of conflict between the old, native religion and newer forms brought from elsewhere - the ancient godswood and the newer septs. It's something to watch as the series continues and develops.

The writer has gone to extraordinary lengths to create an entire fantasy world, with families and clans, each with their own customs, banners, and connections. The vividness of winter in Winterfell where the Starks live; the opulence of King's Landing where King Robert reigns; the exotic otherness of the Khalesi; and everything in between. I heard once of a study being done on the importance of food in CS Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia - Martin is similarly obsessed with food, and what is eaten at banquets and feasts. It would make you hungry reading it!

You may have noticed that I haven't really tackled much of the plot. That's probably deliberate. It would be impossible to summarise it without giving anything away. Far better for the reader to plunge in and discover the world of Westeros, and pick a side to sympathise with.

A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin is available for Kindle.

Book Review: Crossword Ends in Violence (5)

Nine years ago, in the summer just before I started at theological college, I ventured across the Irish Sea for a few days in London. The Proclamation Trust were running their Cornhill Summer School, with a focus on student ministers and those who were learning to preach. At the conference, I came into contact with James Cary, who worked as a television comedy writer. He's the only person I know with their own IMDB page, with credits for Bluestone 42 and Miranda among others. As well as his TV and radio work, he has also written a book, which I got around to reading in the summer.

Crossword Ends in Violence (5) is an action packed adventure, and a really good read. It focuses on John Fellowes, a professional cryptic crossword setter who shares his office with a chess quiz setter and a bridge quiz setter. It doesn't sound like it would be the most exciting, but the action gets going early on with the realisation that John's grandfather appeared to be including D Day codewords in his puzzles in advance. The story alternates between the present day and the period of the second world war, with cryptic parallel stories in England and Russia.

As well as the spy thriller, the book is also great as an introduction to solving cryptic crosswords! In a very convenient exchange, one of the characters explains how to work out what cryptic clues are getting at - with plenty of examples to attempt in the chapter titles.

The conclusion of the story is satisfying, with all the loose ends tied up, and the puzzle completed. It's a gripping novel, which is easily read and very enjoyable. There is fast paced action, with the reader left guessing the whole way through. If you've an interest in cryptic crosswords, in chess, or in world war two, then this book is definitely for you, but everyone will enjoy it! Crossword Ends in Violence (5) is available on Kindle.

Book Review: Preach: Theology Meets Practice

I've been preaching for over ten years now, and almost weekly for the last six. Previously, there was a steady stream of feedback and correction through staff meetings and supervision. Now that I'm in a parish as rector, there seems to be less sermon feedback (apart from the odd comment on the door, and some positive comments through text and Facebook), so I'm even more aware of the need to improve my preaching. While on summer holidays, lying in the sunshine far away from a pulpit, I read Preach, by Mark Dever and Greg Gilbert. Hopefully since those summer days, my preaching has developed thanks to those two guys.

A book called Preach is obviously going to cater to a fairly specific audience. The authors acknowledge it early on, and set out the purpose to be 'highly practical, highly specific, and drawn from our own practices in preparation and delivery.' They don't set out the only way to preach, but share their experience to guide the reader in his preaching.

The book arises from these two colleagues, and works as a conversation between friends. The relationship is obvious, and the book is successful in drawing the reader into the conversation as a listener. The other thing that is obvious is their conviction that 'God's Word is the most powerful force in the universe. It gives life, it heals, it corrects, it changes lives.' Building on that conviction, there are three reasons why a book like this is useful: 1. The authors see 'a loss of confidence in the preached Word of God', even in evangelical churches. 2. There seems to be 'a lack of confidence in biblical exposition'. And 3. 'We want to work against the bad name that even some expositional preachers have given to expositional preaching.' To counter this, the authors seek to show how to 'expose God's Word to a congregation in a way that's engaging, affecting, and convicting.'

The book consists of three parts. The first makes the theological case for preaching in general, and expositional preaching in particular; the second provides some practical considerations about expositional preaching; and the third provides sample sermons and feedback.

The theological case for preaching makes the basic claim that language and communication means something. It seems obvious, but many today argue that the reader has sole control over interpretation. Words must mean something - and it's rooted in the fact that God communicates. 'It is precisely God's words - His power to speak, to command, to be heard and understood - that sets Him apart from the false gods His people are always tempted to worship.' Indeed, the fact that God continued to speak after Adam and Eve's rebellion was 'the most amazing mercy and love'. 'Anytime God speaks in love to human beings it is an act of grace. We do not deserve it, and we contribute nothing to it. The act of preaching is a powerful symbol of that reality.'

Expositional preaching is seen in the first sermon of the church in Acts 2. Peter quotes from Psalm 16, Psalm 110 and Joel, and then 'he told them what this meant and how it was relevant to them.' And this, in its most basic form, is what expositional preaching is all about. Speaking God's word by explaining and applying it to the hearers. But it goes beyond that. It is the primary means of 'the proclamation of God's life-giving, ex nihilo creating Word... a matter of life and death.' Indeed, 'Preaching is not finally a matter of giving a few thoughts here and there about God or the Bible. It is the proclamation of an authoritative message from the throne room of heaven itself: Be reconciled to God through Jesus!'

They present a working definition of expositional preaching: 'preaching in which the main point of the biblical text being considered becomes the main point of the sermon being preached.' Such preaching is found in lots of different parts of the Bible - Jeremiah, Jesus, Moses, Paul, Ezekiel and so on. As such, preaching should therefore be the central aspect of the church's service, with hymns and readings leading up to it and flowing from it. Within the sermon, there will be two main aims - to edify and evangelise.

Part Two moves to the practical considerations. How do we actually do it?

They argue for systematic continuous exposition of the scripture, because 'God inspired each of the books of the Bible with a certain internal logic and order.' The Bible shouldn't be a lucky dip, but rather should follow the contours of the text within its context, from all genres and both testaments. Further, such systematic preaching means you have to tackle the issues and uncomfortable portions you'd rather avoid!

Dever then shares the diet of his first four years in Capitol Hill Baptist Church. Such an incredible spread, which I know I haven't achieved:

Mark in 13 sermons; Ezra in 4 sermons; 1 Thessalonians in 7 sermons; Ezekiel in 4 sermons; Overviews of the General Epistles (1 sermon per book) in 9 sermons; Proverbs in 5 sermons; Mark 1:1-3:6 in 9 sermons; Deuteronomy in 5 sermons; 1 and 2 Timothy in 6 sermons; 1 and 2 Chronicles in 4 sermons; 1 John in 5 sermons; Joel in 4 sermons; Mark 3:7-6:6 in 6 sermons; Song of Solomon in 2 sermons; overviews of the Old and New Testaments (1 sermon each) in 2 sermons; 1 Timothy in 3 sermons; James in 5 sermons; Joshua in 5 sermons; John in 11 sermons; overviews of the major prophets (1 sermon per book) in 4 sermons; Titus in 6 sermons; overviews of the wisdom books (1 sermon per book) in 5 sermons; 1 Peter in 13 sermons.

There follows some advice on deciding on what series to preach on next; how to divide up the books in passages; and specific sermon preparation, with the awareness that it's deeply personal. There was lots of useful, practical advice here on starting early, seeking to grasp the text and its relation to the gospel, and figuring out what you want to say in advance, in the study, rather than waiting for inspiration in the moment. One observation, though, was that prayer seemed to be omitted in the process outlined (unless it was assumed and unstated).

Something that was particularly interesting for me was the question of the delivery of the sermon. Full manuscript or just notes? Dever uses a full script (as I do), but he makes it plain 'that doesn't mean, of course, that I stand in the pulpit and simply read my manuscript... No, I labor to preach the sermon with passion and conviction, to move the hearts and wills of my listeners so that they are spurred on to respond well to God's word.'

Part Three closes the book with sample sermons and the feedback offered. It was interesting to see how the principles and practices are worked out by the authors. However, written sermons read in a book aren't quite the same thing as hearing or seeing it live. So I'm not sure quite how well this section worked.

All in all, this is a great book, with lots to learn for the preacher at whatever age or stage. It's definitely one that I'll return to again, especially for the opening section on God's word. If you're involved in preaching, then this is one to read and benefit from. It's available for Kindle from Amazon.

Sermon: Genesis 22: 1-19 God will provide

Perhaps the biggest decision we have to make in life is this one: Can I really trust God with everything? It’s the make or break question - Is God actually trustworthy? Can we trust him, especially when it doesn’t seem easy or straightforward?

It’s the question we’ve been asking since September as we’ve followed the next section of Genesis, and watched as Abraham took up the challenge. God called him to leave his family behind, to go to a new place, where God would bless him, and give him offspring. We’ve seen how Abraham trusted one moment, and then doubted the next. There were the highs of his obedience, but also the lows of disobedience and unfaithfulness. While we’ve been keeping an eye on Abraham, the main focus, though, has been on God. Who is this God, who spoke and called Abraham; and who continues to call us to follow. Is he trustworthy?

It might seem easy to follow God when all is going well. But what about when he asks the impossible? When he asks us to give up something that’s important to us? Or someone who is precious to us? Can we still trust God in those times?

As we come to Abraham’s test, it’s important to remember that God had already provided in Abraham’s life. Everything Abraham had, God had given him - not least his son, born to him at the age of 100, to a wife of 90. Yet this is what Abraham is called to give up: ‘Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt-offering.’

There’s no doubt about who God is speaking about. If you’ve ever had to open a new bank account and produce your two forms of ID, then God gives four forms of ID here. Take your son; your only son; Isaac; whom you love. This is Isaac, the promised son, the offspring through whom God was going to give descendants like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Yet God says he must die. Will Abraham obey? Will Abraham give up what God has given to him?

Are there things that we hold on to? Areas of our life that we fence off and say, you can have anything else, God, but not that? I’ll serve you, but not if it means I can’t have this? Can we really trust God with all that we have?

It can’t have been easy. The thought of what lay ahead must have been horrifying. Yet we’re not given any hint of Abraham’s emotional state; we’re simply told that he got up, and went to do the job. Just as he’d got up early to send Ishmael away, so he gets up and goes to offer Issac. His faith is displayed in his actions.

But his faith is also displayed in his words. Abraham had set off with Isaac, and also two young men. When they get to where they can see Moriah, Abraham says this in verse 5: ‘Stay here with the donkey; the boy and I will go over there; we will worship, and then we will come back to you.’ Now some people think that he was lying to his staff. If he had said, oh yeah, I’m going to slaughter the boy, they wouldn’t have let him do it. So he lies and says, we’re going, we’ll return.

But is that really what’s going on? I think we can hear in these words the voice of faith. He doesn’t know how, but he is confident that his boy is coming back with him. He’s trusting in God to provide.

That becomes even clearer as Abraham and Isaac walk along. Isaac carries the wood; Abraham has the knife and the fire (flint to light a fire, maybe?). I wonder if you’ve ever started cooking dinner and then realised you’ve forgotten something - you’ve lit the BBQ (maybe not today) and then remember you’ve no burgers! It’s fairly crucial. Well Isaac knows how sacrifices work. He looks at what they’ve got and realises something is missing.

‘The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for a burnt-offering?’ (7) We’ve got all the tools, but we’ve missed the actual offering. Do you see how Abraham replies? ‘God himself will provide the lamb for a burnt-offering, my son.’ He may not know how, but he knows that God will provide. God can be trusted, even when it seems impossible.

If then tension was building with the walk, we’re now at fever pitch. The altar is built; the wood arranged; Isaac is bound, set on top, and the knife is poised, ready to go. At just that very moment, the angel of the Lord cries out ‘Abraham, Abraham!’ The sacrifice is stopped; the test is over. He’s passed with flying colours.

Isaac was under a death sentence. He was in the very place of death, yet he walked free. A ram was caught in a thicket, and was sacrificed instead of him. God had provided the lamb after all. Isaac was rescued through substitution. The ram died in his place. Isaac experienced a resurrection - life in the place of death.

That’s the point the writer to the Hebrews makes. Abraham ‘considered the fact that God is able even to raise someone from the dead - and figuratively speaking, he did receive him back.’ (11:19) God is trustworthy, and will keep his promises, even when it seems impossible. Just ask Isaac, who escaped the knife and altar and walked free to tell the tale.

The angel of the Lord goes on to renew and expand the covenant once again - and it all comes through ‘your offspring’ - this son Isaac, but also through the fulfilment of the offspring in the Lord Jesus. It is in Jesus that the good news goes to all the nations; in him all the nations gain blessing; in him we are made to be the children of Abraham, a vast crowd that no one could number.

God had provided for Abraham; God would provide the substitute offering; and God continues to provide. The saying that arose from the events that day continues to ring out to this very day. ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.’

You see, Mount Moriah was (2 Chr 3:1) the place where Solomon’s temple was built. Moriah became Jerusalem, Zion, so on one of the mountains in the land of Moriah, Isaac was rescued by substitution. In the very same location, another offering was made when a Father willingly gave his Son.

We deserved to die; the just punishment for our sins. But the Son was given as our substitute. The Lord provided for us as he gave the Lord Jesus as our passover lamb. He died our death; we can go free.

We began by asking if God is trustworthy. Can we really trust God? As we look at his dealings with Abraham, his love, grace and faithfulness, we have to say yes, God is faithful, even when his people mess up time and again. But we can say it even louder and even clearer as we reflect on the God who provides for us every day, but especially on that Good Friday. As Paul says in Romans 8: ‘If God is for us, who is against us? He who did not withhold his own Son, but gave him up for all of us, will he not with him also give us everything else?’ If God has provided for us in the most costly item of the universe, then how could we doubt his provision in any other way? God is good, all the time.

This sermon was preached in Aghavea Parish Church on Sunday 7th December 2014.

Book Review: Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf

The year 2014 sits within the decade of centenaries in Irish history. This year, it's one hundred years since the start of World War One. Yet it also stands as another significant anniversary, being one thousand years since the death of the Irish warrior king, Brian Boru at the Battle of Clontarf. Being vaguely aware of that period of history, and of Brian Boru himself (who is buried at St Patrick's Cathedral, Armagh), I read Sean Duffy's book on Brian Boru and the BAttle of Clontarf.

The book was made possible through the publication of electronic texts of the primary source material of early Celtic writing. Duffy's view is that this explosion has led to 'a sober or trustworthy history of Ireland freed of old romantic notions,' quoting Todd. The material also helps to explain why Brian Boru is the best known of the fifty or so high kings of ancient Ireland. The aim of the book is to try to explain why really happened at Clontarf, although it's not as simple as is often thought. Indeed, as Duffy admits, 'what follows is a long-winded attempt at an answer.'

In condensed form, Duffy summarises it as such:

It is a straightforward political narrative. It situates Brian in the politics of Viking Age Ireland. It tells the story of the rise from relative obscurity of his North Munster dynasty of Dal Cais, of his own rapid ascent to national dominance and of the political transformation he wrought. It charts the interprovincial struggle for supremacy that fed into his final great battle on Good Friday, 1014, in which he lost his life. And it examines the international context - the Second Viking Age - in which Clontarf was fought, when England was being conquered by the Danes under the family of King Knut, and the Norse of Dublin made their fatal gamble on breaking free from Brian's overlordship. It examines the evidence to see what was at stake in 1014 and how it can be that Brian was victorious at Clontarf yet lost his own life.

And based on that summary, the book does exactly what it says on the tin. It's very thorough, with lots of detail that sometimes lost me, but the overall gist of the book was clearly explained and expanded. There was some interesting details that I'd like to share.

The first is the reminder that the Celtic-speaking people emerging as the Irish arrived here only a few hundred years before the birth of Christ. Yet they have left no written record, until the Ogham lines and notches on standing stones. Even the 'native' Irish are immigrants and planters, just like the rest of us!

There was also the helpful reminder that Scotland means the land of the Scotti (that is, the Irish). So Columba, founding Iona, was still in Irish territory, across the narrow sea from the mainland of Ireland.

Duffy points out that understanding the politics of medieval Ireland, and especially the kings and kingship is critical, complex and controversial. The theory and practice of kingship wasn't static, with change throughout the centuries, sometimes quicker, sometimes slower. Kings reigned over political communities which saw themselves as a 'tuath' - at least a hundred on the island at various times! He also asserts that the law tracts don't envisage any king higher than the provincial king, although that doesn't mean it didn't happen in practice. A united Ireland seems to be a late concept, partially inaugurated by Boru. Prior to him, the high-kingship wasn't hereditary, but passed between clans, kingdoms and provinces.

After a long introduction in which the political and cultural background is expounded, Duffy gets to the main subject - Brian Boru and the lead up to Clontarf. There's an amazing incident where Brian Boru makes a gift of gold to the abbot of Armagh, a mutually beneficial and convenient act, cementing Armagh as the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland, and confirming Boru as high king.

IN regards to the battle of Clontarf itself, it appears that it's hard to distinguish fact from legend, with various later sources aserting the enemy being either the Leinstermen (in opposition to Brian's Munstermen), or the Norse of Dublin. Was Brian Boru fighting as the leader of the Irish against the invading foreigners? Or was it a political struggle between clans and kingdoms? The annals and annalists pursue their own agendas. But through it all, Duffy brings clarity.

All in all, it's a good book. It's very detailed, with lots of research. However, there are also a lot of unpronouncable Irish names of people and places, which made it hard to read at times! The book has given me a better sense of a key figure in Irish history, in this his millenium year. Brian Boru and the Battle of Clontarf is available for Kindle from Amazon.

Sermon: Philippians 4: 2-9 Praying for Peace

Have you ever had the experience of suddenly discovering you’re being talked about? You might be in a room with someone, and they’re on the phone, and out of the whispers you hear your name being mentioned. You wonder what it is they’re saying about you! Or perhaps it’s even happened at church. You’re sitting, minding your own business, when you hear your name. What’s being said? Why are they talking about you?

It’s one thing to be talked about when they think you aren’t listening. It’s even worse if they include you in the conversation and start talking about you. Particularly if it’s not something you’d want to be said about you!

Imagine, for a moment, that you are a lady called Euodia. Or, that you’re a woman named Syntyche. You’re part of the church in Philippi. You gather on that Sunday morning and discover that Epaphroditus has made it back home from visiting Paul. He had taken a gift from the church, and now he’s back. He’s even brought a letter from Paul. There’s a hush as the letter is read out. And then, out of nowhere, you hear your name. Paul has written about you. And, it’s in the Bible! How amazing, to get your name in the Bible, which the church will read for the next two thousand years.

Oscar Wilde once said that the only thing worse than being talked about was not being talked about, but in this instance, it might have been better to not be talked about. You see, Paul mentions Euodia and Syntyche, not in order to say how great they are, but in order to ‘entreat’ them to agree in the Lord.

They weren’t getting on. We aren’t told specifics, but it’s serious enough for Paul to address them directly. They had both worked with Paul, laboured side by side with him in the gospel, but now they’ve fallen out. So Paul appeals to them to agree, to come back together.

Throughout the letter Paul shows the importance of partnership, being together in the Lord, setting each other as more important, following the example of the Lord Jesus. The theory is wonderful, but Paul won’t rest with the theory. He wants to see it bring change in the lives of the disciples. Euodia and Syntyche are mentioned by name. They need to agree. Do we have any Euodias and Syntyches in our congregation?

Could it be that this word to Euodia and Syntyche is actually a word to us as well? We can work beside them for the gospel, we get stuff done, but actually, we haven’t gotten on for years?

Even if your name isn’t Euodia or Syntyche; and even if you aren’t being addressed in those early verses, we find that each of us is being spoken to in the remainder of the passage. Paul returns to another of his themes as he commands the Philippians (and us) to ‘rejoice in the Lord always.’ And just in case you haven’t got it, he says it again: rejoice!

Perhaps as you hear his command, the barriers have already gone up. How could I possibly rejoice when I’m dealing with this? I don’t feel like rejoicing with the news I heard this week... Does Paul really know what he’s talking about? But remember, he’s sitting in prison. Is he making sense? Well, he urges us to ‘let your reasonableness be known to everyone.’ So how is this rational? How is this reasonable, to rejoice, no matter what is happening?

The answer comes at the end of verse 5. This isn’t just something to remember on the First Sunday of Advent. This is something for every day of the year. ‘The Lord is at hand.’ When troubles come, we tend to isolate ourselves. We imagine we have to work it all out ourselves. But Paul reminds us that the Lord is near, at hand, as close as our hand is. This changes everything!

Because the Lord is near, we don’t have to be anxious about anything - instead, use that emotional energy positively, by praying! The Lord is near, the Lord will hear. In prayers, supplications, requests, we come to the Lord. But we also come with thanksgiving - remembering what has already been done and given.

As we do this, as we pray, we have this promise: ‘And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.’ We can’t make sense of it; we can’t reason it out; but God’s peace comes in the midst of mess, in the thick of troubles and trials, to guard our hearts and minds.

Perhaps you’ve already experienced this peace. You have come through a trial. Those watching don’t know how you have coped. You can’t even explain it yourself. You just know that the Lord was near, that his peace was given to you. This is what’s on offer, more and more, as we pray rather than worry.

Alongside our praying, as we bring our concerns and worries to the Lord, Paul gives us a second strategy for rejoicing. We find it in verse 8. ‘Finally brothers, whatever is true, honorable, just, pure, lovely, commendable, excellent, worthy of praise - think about these things.’

What is it you feed your mind on? What is it you spend your time watching or reading or listening to? When your mind is in neutral and you’re having a little day dream, what is it you find yourself focussing on? What preoccupies your thoughts?

Most of us probably enjoy a bit of gossip; some tasty morsel about the misfortune of someone else. Or plotting the downfall of an enemy. Or feeding our minds with hate and envy and wrath. But are these things healthy? Helpful?

We rejoice in what is good. We become like the person or thing we worship. To break the cycle of negativity, we are to take every thought captive. When you find yourself thinking of something, stop, ask yourself - is this true? Is it honourable? it is just and pure? Train yourself to think about the pure and honourable and true.

And above all, train yourself to think much about the Lord Jesus - the one who truly fulfils all these categories. It is as we think of him, and pray to him, and practice the things that are commanded in his word by his apostle, that we discover that God is with us.

There’s a lovely turn of phrase Paul uses here. As we pray to him, the peace of God will be with us. And as we think on him, the God of peace will be with us.

Paul sets before us the way to pray for peace - peace with God, peace with one another, and peace within. The Lord is indeed near. He hears our requests. He answers them for his glory and our good. Let’s pray to him now.

This sermon was preached in the Brooke Memorial Hall, Brookeborough on Sunday 30th November 2014.