Sermon: Luke 19: 28-40 If Stones Could Speak

This evening, I thought we would start with a little bit of a quiz. Can you name the famous stones? Stonehenge. The Stone of Scone (the Stone of Destiny - on which the monarchs are crowned). The Giant’s Causeway. We’re going to show the picture of a building in Northern Ireland. Does anyone know what this building is?

It’s St Columb’s Cathedral in Londonderry. Now, after the excitement of those other stones, why have I showed you a Church of Ireland cathedral? If you’ve ever visited the cathedral, you’ll have walked past the dedication stone in the porch. Here it is. Now, just in case you can’t read ye olde language, this is what it says: ‘If stones could speak then London’s praise should sound who built this church and city from the ground.’

The city of London had paid for the building of the city and the cathedral in Londonderry. So the builders reckoned that if stones could speak, then they would be shouting out the praise of London. Now, that’s a lovely thought, but it’s not quite right. There is only one name the stones would shout out, and it isn’t the name of the city of London.

Today is Palm Sunday, the day when we remember the entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. But in our reading, there aren’t any Palms. You see, the four gospel writers are telling the same story, but they don’t include every detail. It’s like the Telegraph, the Newsletter and the Irish News will write about the same event, but they’ll put it slightly differently.

So Luke, here, tells us what he discovered from the eye witnesses. He highlights the bits that (under the guiding of the Holy Spirit) are important to him and the way he tells Jesus’ story. The thing he wants to focus on is the praise.

Jesus had been on the way to Jerusalem from chapter 9. There’s a big crowd of people following him, listening to his teaching, seeing the miracles he was doing. And now, eventually, he gets to the edge of the city. If you’re a football fan, it would be like getting to the gates of Old Trafford or Anfield. The excitement rises; the end of the journey is in sight. Here’s how Luke tells it:

‘When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen: ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’’ (37)

The disciples praise God in loud voices, and they praise God joyfully. Could there be a reminder for us in all this? Perhaps an encouragement for us to lift our heads and our voices? You don’t have to have the best voice; you don’t even have to hold a note - we’re not told about the disciples’ tunefulness. But we are told they praised with loud voices, and they did it joyfully.

Verse 37 gives us the reason for their praise. Do you see it? They ‘began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen.’ They had been with Jesus. They had watched as Jesus made the blind see, and the deaf hear. They had witnessed Jesus make the lame walk. They had even watched as Jesus raised the dead. They had watched the miracles (promised in the Old Testament) and were sure that Jesus was the long-promised king.

That’s what they sing and shout about. ‘Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ‘Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!’’ They praised God because of what God had done - sending his Son as King and Saviour. Jesus comes as the king, the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

That’s what the bit about the donkey shows us as well. Jesus sends the disciples ahead, telling them what will happen when they untie the donkey. Then they go, and it happens when the untie the donkey. Now in those days, your donkey was your family car. You wouldn’t just let two strangers come and take it away. Yet just four words are needed. ‘The Lord needs it.’ Jesus is the Lord, the promised king.

The disciples praise God for it. But not everyone was so happy. Verse 39 says this: ‘Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus: ‘Teacher, rebuke your disciples!’ They know what the disciples are saying. They can’t believe what they are hearing. Surely the disciples have just lost the run of themselves. They’ve got a wee bit too excited. They’ve overdosed on sugary buns and fizzy juice. Surely they don’t really mean that Jesus is the Christ, the king? So they tell Jesus to rebuke his disciples. They’ve overstepped the line this time. They’ve gone too far. After all, they think that Jesus is just a Teacher. Just a rabbi like them. Surely he’s embarrassed by what they’re shouting. Surely he’ll tell them off, tell them to be quiet.

As we sing our praises to Jesus; as we go about praising him day by day as we seek to honour him, people come alongside us as well. They tell us to keep quiet. They try to tell us that Jesus was just a good teacher, just another man, or that he’s just one way of salvation among many. It’s nice if he’s special for us, but he’s not special for everyone.

But look at how Jesus answers them. ‘I tell you, he replied, if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out.’

Jesus says that the disciples are right to praise him. He really is all that they are saying about him. He really is God’s promised king. But even more amazing is that if the disciples were to keep quiet, then ‘the stones will cry out.’ Jesus is worthy to be praised. He deserves our praise. And if the disciples were to shut up, the stones would sing instead. They would cry out to their creator. Now, I have never heard the stones singing. Imagine if we were to be put to shame by some stones?

We have the reason to praise God. Jesus, the king has come. He has done amazing things, none more amazing than him going to the cross, to die for our sins, and rise again to give us life and hope and a purpose. If you’re a Christian today, then he has already done a miracle in your life, bringing you from death to life. That’s a reason to sing, joyfully; praising God in loud voices. Don’t leave it to the stones to sing.

If stones could speak, whose name would they sing? Not the city of London. They would cry out to praise the name of Jesus, our King. Will we use the voice we have to praise our King? Let’s pray.

This sermon was preached at the SNATCH Palm Sunday Praise in Clabby Parish Church on Sunday 29th March 2015.

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.

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

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?

Book Review: Inside The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

I've previously blogged about Devin Brown's first two inside guides to Narnia and Prince Caspian, and once again, he's on top form as he dissects CS Lewis' third Chronicle of Narnia, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. As with the earlier books, Brown follows the chapters of the book through, pointing out interesting links to other CS Lewis writings, possible sources and inspirations, as well as drawing out the meaning of the text and applying it to the heart of the listener.

The Chronicles of Narnia are, of course, primarily childrens' stories, but many adults enjoy the stories, or can remember them from childhood. On reading this series of books, you'll be reminded of the stories, and find much more to enjoy the next time you return to the originals! It is obvious that, because the Chronicles are 'rich with meaning', Brown has worked hard to discover and explain the layers of meaning in an accessible and memorable format.

Consider some of these great lines:

'Like the White Witch and Miraz before him, Eustace is unable to see any flaws in himself.' (p. 28)

'A tyrant's only version of happiness... requires that he or she take happiness away from others.' (p. 53)

'Like all who share his spiritual blindness, the first lesson Eustace has to learn is that he has lessons to learn.' (p. 55)

'We are reminded that Edmund does know about the pain of sin and, even more, about the pleasure of repentance.' (p. 110)

These are just a sampling of some of the great ways we're led through the voyage, finding the lords, encountering dragons, stars, and coming to the end of the world and glimpsing Aslan's country. If you haven't picked up the Narnia stories in years, read them, and then Brown's commentaries; if you already love Narnia and Aslan, you'll love them more as a result of this book.

I Got Soul (But I'm Not A Soldier)

Every so often, The Good Book Company send some resources to be used and reviewed. My most recent review request came for the brand new edition of the Christianity Explored Youth resource CY and Soul. Straight away, let me say that this is a brilliant resource, and well worth getting and using with your church youth group.

CY has been around for a few years, but over the past year, it was revised and rewritten with feedback from youthworkers on the coal face. The result is that CY is an even better resource than before, and looks the better for it.

Within the leaders' handbook, there is a good, well informed and well thought through section on holding a CY course, as well as the information needed to run a CY Nano (11-14s) or CY (15+) course. There are more games, more ideas, and more help for leading the discussion groups following the talks. The sessions, as in the main Christianity Explored course, work through Mark's Gospel, taking a particular theme each week, with the cross at the very heart of the course.

The participant's handbook has also been revised, linking in to the new presentation of the material in a useful and relevant way. However, the most exciting element of the new CY has to be the Soul DVD.

Each of the seven sessions have a 12-14 minute video clip which is well presented, well edited, and will keep the interest of young people, churched or unchurched. Filmed in a variety of locations, the sets are great, helping to illustrate what is being said - not distracting at all. There's even some manga style cartoons in some of the sessions illustrating stories being told.

In each of the sessions (Christianity is Christ, Identity, Mission, Cross, Resurrection, Grace, Call), Nate Morgan Locke presents the theme, with plenty of Bible verses included and shown on screen. The narration is clear, concise and compelling. So good, in fact, I would even be tempted to use the video with adults as well as youth groups!

Even if you've used CY in the past, you really should be getting the new version, and especially the Soul DVD. CY resources can be bought from The Good Book Company website, including a sample pack (£25); Soul DVD (£20); Leader's Guide (£10); and handbooks for CY and CY Nano (£3 each).

Fun Times Revisited

Shallowfrozenwater had a great post recently, remembering some of the things he did as a kid. That started my own memories flowing, seeing as I'll be turning 30 soon, so here's a bit of nostalgia.

Skeesh

Skeesh was a cross between football and squash, played with a tennis ball. Out the back of our house, there were two car park spaces (ours and next doors), surrounded on three sides by a fence. Our fence was the wall to be hit with every shot, players taking it in turns to hit the wall. There was a gentle slope from the houses further uo behind us down towards our back yard, which was useful. Sometimes, though, if you got the spin on the ball right, you could put the ball away far, out of direct sight of the fence, especially if the next player didn't get to it in time and it had rolled down the hill. Skeesh was something that we played pretty much constantly with our cousins, and was only stopped when Mrs Wallace's son came to visit her in his car, and parked on our court!

Cricket

Another summer favourite was cricket, using the dividing line between the two car park spaces as the crease, and the back fence as the stumps. An old tank would be left further up the slope, where the bowler would bowl from, and to which you had to make it to score runs. The bushes in front of granny' house were considered the boundary for fours or sixes, but if you got it that far, then there might be a pause while someone was brave enough to go into the bushes to find the tennis ball again! Stories abounded of rats living in them, but those bushes are all gone now, with some landscaping instead.

The funniest memory of cricket was one evening when dad was coming back from granny's and he wanted a go at batting. The game was on to try and put him out, but he was just too good for us, nicking the ball just above our heads; just out of our reach. Until that time when he was overenthusiastic, and the tennis ball struck the window of the bungalow directly behind us. Dad dropped the bat and ran into the house!

Bicycle Polo

We tried this once or twice, but it didn't really catch on, due to my injuries. The idea was simple enough - playing football on your bike, just like polo players on their horses. It was one Saturday evening, and me and my brother were playing. I might have been winning, but then disaster struck. The ball got stuck in front of the wheel of my bike, the wheel jammed, and I flew out over the front, landing squarely on my face on the bricked surface of our housing estate. Ouch!

What made it worse was that at the summer scheme we went to in the community centre, we were going to watch a film / movie later that week. The new blockbuster. The latest installment in the enterprise that is Batman. The movie? Batman Forever (1995), in which there was a character, whose name I quickly acquired as my nickname for that summer: Twoface!


These are some of my growing up memories of fun things we did. What about you? Any favourite activities or games you want to share?

Sermon: Genesis 3: 15 The Serpent Crusher

Mindset 14/09/2010
Christ in all the Scriptures: Genesis 3:15

The New Testament tells us all about Jesus, so why do we need to bother with the Old Testament? We’re New Testament Christians, after the cross, so why would we need to read the Old Testament, or look at what it says? After all, it’s old, and young people and youth leaders like new things, fresh things, not ancient things.

Perhaps as you’ve been thinking about your programme for the year, or talking to your young people, this might be the kind of thing you hear. It can seem harder for us to understand, because it’s further back in time, and yet it’s worth it when we grasp the Old Testament. You see, it’s more than just Sunday School stories like Noah’s ark, David and Goliath, and Daniel in the lions’ den. The Old Testament prepares the way for Jesus, just like John the Baptist does.

Just think for a moment about God’s plan of salvation. When did God the Father and the Lord Jesus decide that the cross was necessary? Was it just before the angel Gabriel was sent to see Mary? Was it perhaps a bit earlier, when the kingdoms of Israel and Judah failed? Maybe when the people were breaking the covenant that Moses had been given at Sinai? Or was it even in our reading tonight, when Adam and Eve messed everything up, and the Father turned to the Son and said - we’re going to have to do something about this. Was the coming of the Lord Jesus and the cross just Plan B?

We’ll come back to Genesis in a moment, but if you have a Bible, look over to 1 Peter 1:18-21. (Read) Peter says that Christ was ‘foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times.’ Even before God created all that exists, in eternity past, the Son of God was planning to come to redeem us, the lamb who was slain. So God wasn’t flummoxed when Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation; God wasn’t surprised when they turned away.

It’s helpful to remember that whenever we now turn to Genesis 3. Rather than just an ancient story, this is what Luther described as the protoevangelium - the first gospel. Here in Genesis, we find the first hint, the first pointer, the first sign of the rescue that Jesus will accomplish so many thousand years later. But what is it all about? As with any verse of Scripture (particularly when we’re dealing with one verse!), we need to get some context. We’ll use three quick points to unpack the verse in its context: 1. Paradise lost. 2. God’s Judgement. 3. God’s Grace.

I hope I’m not insulting you by spending some time laying the foundations, but it’s not bad thing to be reminded of these things - particularly where they can seem so familiar that we think we have it all sussed. In Genesis 1, we see God completing the work of creation, and Genesis 2 gives us some more details about the humans God created as the pinnacle of creation. Remember God’s verdict on the whole thing? ‘God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good.’ (Gen 1:31).

Yet as we come into chapter three, God’s good creation is being unravelled. Things are being turned upside down. The humans, Adam and Eve are made in the image of God, given dominion to rule over the rest of creation, with Adam being given the lead role. But what do we find in Genesis 3? The serpent, a created being tells Eve what to do, and she tells Adam what to do. No reference to God; ignoring God’s good command - indeed, God’s only command. Aflame with desire, for the food, for the wisdom, for the chance to be like God, they turn their back on God.

Suddenly, everything has changed. It’s as if shame has been switched on for the first time - verse 7 says their eyes were opened, and they knew they were naked. Have you ever experienced that sense of shame when you’re found out? I remember years ago being in Newcastle, in the amusements. I might have been about 8, and having a go on the tupenny sliders; timing the moment to put your coin in, expecting to get a fortune of coins dropping out the bottom (which was probably about 20p!). The coins were perched on the edge; they should have fallen; perhaps they just needed some encouragement.

I banged on the glass; tried to shuffle the coins over the edge - and at once the alarm went off; a light flashed on top; and, you’ve guessed it; the wee man came over to tell me off. I had been caught doing something wrong. Worse, it was in public. I knew shame.

This is Adam and Eve’s first time of knowing shame. Remember, they were living in paradise; sinless perfection; walking with God in the garden. And it all comes crashing down round them. They know the Lord will be coming walking, so what do they do? They hide from God! (Incidentally, we’ve been doing that ever since; turning away from God, hiding from him. It’s why we rejoice that God comes looking for us; God comes calling for us, rather than waiting for us to go looking for him...)

So that’s our first point, the background - Paradise Lost. Our second point is that of God’s judgement. As sin enters the world for the first time, God judges. Yet even as God judges, we see the effects of sin continuing, spreading, making things worse. God asks Adam what has happened, and suddenly everyone is out for themselves. Adam almost tries to make out that it’s God’s fault: ‘The woman whom you gave to be with me, she...’ Adam blames Eve, Eve blames the serpent, and the serpent doesn’t have a leg to stand on. (Groan!)

From verse 14 onwards, we see that there are consequences for the serpent, for Eve, and for Adam. Nothing will be the same again. God maintains his character and judges sin. He cannot do otherwise. Suddenly, thistles and thorns will grow, making labour difficult; pain and struggle will be the normal state of affairs in the fallen world. And finally, there is separation; as Adam and Eve are driven out of the Garden, removed from God’s presence.

Are you ever asked why things are the way they are? Why there’s death, disease, famine, and all the rest of the problems we face? Here in Genesis 3, we see that the world, the whole of creation is under this curse of God, and all because of sin, our sin in our first parents. Our world is under judgement.

It would be enough to make you despair. We had it all, nearness to God, a perfect world, perfect relationships, and all was destroyed. A moment ago I said that God was acting according to his character in judging; but thankfully Genesis 3 isn’t the end of the story. It would be a short Bible and a short history of the world if God had wiped out Adam and Eve that very evening. But he didn’t; he was also true to himself and his grace, which brings us to our third point: God’s grace.

Amidst the darkness of the scene, there is this pinprick of light; this first dawning of the glorious gospel; the first hint of rescue. Let’s look at verse 15. God is speaking to the serpent: ‘I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.’

This is part of the judgement of the serpent, and yet it displays the grace of our God, in telling of the future final fate of the serpent, our enemy, Satan. As Calvin remarks, ‘observe that the Lord spoke not for the sake of the serpent, but for the sake of the man.’ God’s judgement gives hope to Adam, and to all of us.

God promises a serpentcrusher will come, the offspring of the woman, who will be injured, but will bruise the serpent’s head. That’s all we’re told in the text, and yet what a hope!

We see the enmity between the serpent and Eve’s children throughout the history of the Old Testament. Just think of the destruction of the male infants in Egypt - trying to destroy the offspring of Eve (the children of Israel, the chosen nation); or later in Esther’s time, the planned destruction of the Jews by Haman. Time and again, God delivers his people, allowing the scene to be set, the people prepared for the serpent crusher. At the right time, the offspring of the woman sets foot on earth, born of woman, ready for the decisive battle.

We see the enmity continuing when Herod unleashes his plot to murder the baby boys of Bethlehem; when Jesus is tempted in the wilderness; when Peter tries to talk Jesus out of the way of the cross (Mark 8). But nothing will deter Jesus from going to the cross; and as he dies, having been rejected by the chief priests and scribes; mocked by the crowds; condemned by the nations; abandoned by his friends; he dies alone. It looks like a terrible, unfortunate defeat.

That was Friday, but fast forward to Sunday morning, and the cross, the worst the world could throw at Jesus turns out to just be a bruise on the heel; Jesus is raised to life by the Father through the power of the Spirit; at that very moment, he bruises the serpent’s head. A crushing blow; defeating sin and death. What seems to be Jesus’ defeat turns out to be his great victory.

The Scriptures point to Jesus, his cross work, his death and resurrection. The Old Testament gives us the promises of God, and the New Testament shows us how Jesus fulfils them. God is faithful to his promises, and as we study the Old Testament, we see the work of Christ in fuller detail, and that leads us to rejoice. Our enemy, our accuser has been dealt a fatal blow; his days are numbered. Just as Adam and Eve put their trust in this serpent crusher, so we, who can see exactly how God fulfilled the promise, we can also trust the serpent crusher. Jesus overturns the curse that lies upon us and upon the world; and reverses the effects of the curse, so that we can look forward to the new heavens and the new earth:

Saviour of Calvary,
Costliest victory,
Darkness defeated
And Eden restored;

As another hymn puts it:

For Judah’s Lion bursts His chains,
Crushing the serpent’s head;
And cries aloud through death’s domains
To wake the imprisoned dead.

Let’s rejoice that Jesus is the serpent crusher. Our enemy is defeated; and God graciously gives us to share in the victory. As Paul writes to the church in Rome: ‘The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.’ (Rom 16:20). Amen, and amen.

This sermon was preached at Mindset and the Midweek Holy Communion in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Tuesday 14th & Wednesday 15th September 2010.

Θχigeη

Θχigeη is back again, the youth event in Dundonald for 1st form to 6th formers, organised by the partnership between Dundonald Baptist, Dundonald Presbyterian and St Elizabeth's. This year we're having a training event for leaders and Christian young people tonight, as well as some street work to invite people along (let's hope it's a dry night despite the heavy rain this morning!), and the main event kicks off on Wednesday 25th for three nights.

Trevor Johnston (Crosslinks Ireland Team Leader) is speaking on Why Bovver? and there are some great activities lined up as well as some chill out time. Each evening begins at 7.30pm in St Elizabeth's Halls, and you can get some more information over at the Oxigen website.

Old McDonald to the Rescue!

Over the past week or so, we've been spending quite a lot of time with family due to a health issue. It means that I've been seeing my niece who lives in Scotland, who we don't get to see terribly often. However, there was a problem. The past couple of times that we've seen each other, whether in Northern Ireland or in Scotland, Elizabeth has burst into tears as soon as she's clapped eyes on me.

This happened whether she was with her mum, or with a whole load of people. If I got too close, or she crawled too close to me, then tears were inevitable! So imagine my panic when I was left with Elizabeth while her mum popped into the kitchen. Just the baby and me. Tears were ripe. What to do?

At just the right moment, Old McDonald came to the rescue. Yes, that Old McDonald, the one who has a farm and all the noisy animals! Back when I was a baby, iPhones and YouTube had never been invented, but now they are my guarantee for a tear-free time with my baby niece. Old McDonald had a farm; Twinkle Twinkle Little Star; The Elmo Song; Five Little Ducks Went Swimming One Day; and many other kiddies favourites, all playing on my phone leads to smiles and dancing and happy times!

So you can join in with one of your old favourite childhood songs, I give you Old McDonald:

Bible Background

Last night was the final session of the term for Mindset, the youth leaders' training and support network. Trevor Johnston (Ireland Team Leader with Crosslinks) was speaking from James 3. The sermon was really good and a definite challenge on how we use our tongue because words are revealing (3:1-2), dangerous (3:3-8) and confusing (3:9-12).

But it was the first part of the evening that was perhaps particularly useful, especially if we were wanting to teach the letter of James to our youth groups. Taking four simple questions, we examined the background and context of the letter, in terms of the style of writing (proverbial, wisdom type of writing), audience (primarily Jewish Christians but now for all), situation (trials, persecution, hypocrisy and self-deception through disobedience), and the antidote (pray, receive the implanted word, and do it!).

Very simple questions with answers to be found within the text of the letter which help to understand the context and why James says what he says in the way he says it. A most useful exercise and one that could (and indeed should) be conducted prior to teaching a Bible book.

Mindset now takes a break for the summer, but details of further training events will follow in due course.

Book Review: Changing the World (through effective youth ministry)

This year, our youth leadership team were given Ken Moser's book Changing the World (through effective youth ministry) to read and discuss. The discuss part hasn't happened yet, but the reading has - and Moser has certainly changed my world in regard to youthwork thinking.

Moser's thesis is simple. Youth ministry is ministry to young people - not a babysitting service for parents, nor a place for young people to go to, but actual ministry to young people. Ministry is 'the act of serving people by bringing them the good news of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.' (p. 4)

So many groups can major on fun and entertainment, while minimizing or neglecting altogether any Christian content - perhaps a two minute epilogue thought for the week. Moser calls us to actually do youth ministry, by making discipleship the main focus of our group (having fun as we do it), so that we equip our young Christians to be evangelists alongside the leaders, and others are drawn in to the central purpose of the group. 'We are often a life saving club that is more committed to fun than saving lives... we are desperate to save the world but spend all our time entertaining it.'

This book has been the basis of what we're trying to do in St E's, but I wish I had known about the book all those years ago when I was starting out in leading SNYF (Sunday Night Youth Fellowship) in Dromore. It's so obvious, and yet it's only when it is set out in front of you that you realise what you were doing wrong.

Moser has a wide experience of leading big and small youth groups, and continually peppers the book with funny illustrations, examples and hot tips for others to use in their youth ministry.

Towards the end of the book, there's this great summary of all that has gone before, and is the reason why church youth leaders should be reading this book:

'We are not social workers hoping to give young people meaning through an active social life. We are leaders committed to Christ trying to bring life to a dead world.' (p. 124) - including our non-Christian young people.

An excellent book, either for personal development of youth leaders, or even more effective as a basis for discussion among a team of youth leaders. Get it now, and meet your leaders over the summer to talk this through before the new year of youth activities kicks in at the end of the summer.

Deserting Demas

Over the weekend, we were studying Paul's second letter to Timothy with Trevor Kane. Four great sessions on discipleship: living out and passing on our faith. One bit stands out, a worked out example of what Paul has been urging Timothy to do and avoid.

Throughout the letter, the call is for Timothy to keep going, to continue in godliness, continue in preaching and gospel, and continue in the word. The call is needed, because many are (and will) turn away from the truth. 2 Timothy 3:1-5 is an illustration of what ungodliness looks like in the last days - that is, from Jesus' ascension until his return. Three loves are mentioned: 'people will be lovers of self, lovers of money ... Lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.'

Paul is a positive example for Timothy, he is at the end of his life, he has run the race and fought the good fight. But negatively, Demas stands as someone to learn from and not copy. 'For Demas, in love with this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica.' Demas was one of Paul's close companions, a fellow labourer in the gospel (Colossians 4:14, Philemon 24). He had started so well, made a show of being a fellow worker, but he has misplaced love. Love for the wrong things, for the world rather than for God, so he has abandoned the work of the gospel.

What a sad testimony, to be recorded in Scripture as a deserter. Demas the deserter stands as a warning for us all, a warning to keep loving God, to keep serving and preaching. Sadder still, to be found like that on the Day of the Lord.

Le Weekend

Tired tonight after the church youth weekend in the Crosspoint Centre in Dundrum. A great weekend with about twenty young people and leaders sitting under God's word being taught by Trevor Kane from 2 Timothy. The craic was mighty and a great time was had by all. Yesterday was spent in Castlewellan Forest Park with some orienteering and raft-building. I was the photographer!

Not much sleep was had - not the fault of the young people, but because there was a lot of talking, sleep talking and snoring in our room... No names to save any embarrassment! It'll be nice to be in my own bed again and get a good sleep.

The blog has been light on entries recently so hopefully we'll be more regular again in the coming weeks as we approach Easter.

For now, it's sleep time!

Sermon: 1 Thessalonians 4: 13-18 Godly Grief

I want to show you some pictures, to see if you know what all these celebrities have in common: [Picture mosaic of Wendy Richards, Jade Goody, Michael Jackson, Bobby Robson, Brittany Murphy, Patrick Swayze, David Carradine and Stephen Gately] What do they have in common? All these celebrities died in 2009.

Tonight we’re thinking about death. I know this might be a tough evening - particularly if you have recently lost a loved one. Maybe a family member, or someone in your school. Or maybe you’ve never been to a funeral, never encountered death. The thing is that you will at some point.

You see, no matter where we are, the shadow of death is never far away. Statistics suggest that 107 people across the world die every minute. Every minute, another 107 people have died. More locally, 14,900 died in Northern Ireland in 2008. The average age at death was 71.8 for males, and 78.5 for females - but you’re not guaranteed to live that long. 149 young people aged between 0 and 14 died, and another 94 who died were aged between 15 and 19. Ultimate statistics show that 100% of people die at some stage.

So I want to ask you - what happens when you die? What do you think happens? Let’s discuss it for a minute or two.

Related to that, have you hope for the future? As you face your death (at some stage) are you confident in where you’re going?

I want to read a few verses from the Bible to you that help us to see what death means for the Christian. Paul is writing to the Christians in Thessalonica, and they were worried about some of their brothers and sisters who were dying before Jesus returned. Were these dead Christians missing out?

13But we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about those who are asleep, that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope. 14For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep. 15For this we declare to you by a word from the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. 18Therefore encourage one another with these words.

In this passage, Paul describes Christians who have died as having ‘fallen asleep’, and being asleep. Their bodies are still, it’s as if they are asleep, but their souls are with Jesus in heaven. Death holds no terror, no fear, no dread for Christians - because they have hope in the face of death. Do you see what he says? ‘that you may not grieve as others do who have no hope.’

Some people grieve (mourn/cry/are sad) because they have no hope. Death is the end for them, life is over, they don’t see the person any more. There’s no guarantee of seeing them again, of any future reunion.

But Paul is saying that Christians don’t have to grieve like that - Christians have hope in the future. What is hope? It’s not like saying ‘I hope it’ll not rain tomorrow’ or ‘I hope it’s a nice day’ - we can’t control these things, but when we see hope here, it means being certain and sure about the future. Christians have hope - confidence when facing death.

Why can we be sure? Why do we have hope? Paul says it’s because of what has already happened to Jesus. ‘For since we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, through Jesus, God will bring with him those who have fallen asleep.’

We are confident about the future because of what happened in the past. Jesus died on the cross. Fact. But that wasn’t the end of the story - Jesus rose again - on the third day, on the Sunday morning, Jesus left his grave and was alive. Jesus is still alive now, sitting in heaven, waiting for the last day when he will return to earth.

Because Jesus lives, then Christians will live with him. So when Jesus returns, it doesn’t matter if you’re dead or alive - the end result is the same - we will always be with the Lord.

Right at the end of the passage, Paul writes ‘therefore encourage one another with these words.’ When we’re facing death, or worried about the future, or think about loved ones who have died, then we can remind each other about what happens when we die as Christians, who love the Lord.

There is nothing to fear: death is just like being asleep for the Christian - their body is ‘sleeping’ while their soul is with the Lord. We have a sure hope for the future, and we will always be with the Lord.

These are the things that are guaranteed for the Christian. What about you? Have you got a hope and a future? Jesus is the only person who can give us hope for the future, because he is the only one who has passed through death and is alive and reigns. The prophet Mohammed is dead. All those celebrities we saw at the start are dead. Jesus is the only one who can give us life and hope. Have you got hope?

This talk was presented at SET (St Elizabeth's Teens) on Sunday 14th February 2010.

Idols

Tonight I'm going to show you some pictures, and I want to ask you what they have in common. First up, a batch of celebrities, sports stars, pop stars, and a pile of money. Next, some religious statues. What do they have in common? They're all idols.

An idol is something that takes the place of God. God created us, gave us life, and loves us. He therefore demands and deserves our love, worship, service and life. But we don't do that. We turn away, and worship created things rather than the Creator. We get hung up on stuff rather than God.

What is our idol? What is the thing that we spend our life on - our money, time, energy, we think about the most? What do we put first in our life? Is it alcohol, getting drunk at the weekend, living for the next bottle of booze? Is it sex - as if your life's mission is to sleep with as many people as possible? Is it money - to gain as much as you can? Is it fame - so that everyone knows who you are?

It might even be lots of small idols worshipped together - a combination of money and fame and internet and sex and whatever else. But they're still idols, taking the place of God.

Paul is writing to a group of Christians, people who have become followers of God, and he writes these words: 'you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God.' (1 Thessalonians 1:9) This tells us three things:

1. A turning is needed - we can't serve two masters - we can't love God and also hold dear to our idols. Who will we serve? The technical word for this turning is repentance - an about turn, from going our way and running after idols, to turn to God and turn our backs on the idols.

2. God is the living God - Paul goes on to say that God raised Jesus from the dead, and that he will return. Jesus is alive - in contrast to the idols, whatever they are, which are all dead. They cannot save and they cannot satisfy.

3. God is the true God - all other idols are false. Why would you waste your life on a falsehood, a lie, rather than serving the living and true God?

We have a choice to make. Who will we serve? Who will you serve?

This text was the basis for the Talk in St Elizabeth's Teens (SET) on Sunday 10th January 2009 on 1 Thessalonians 1:1-10.

Book Review: The Hobbit

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start - those lines of advice from The Sound of Music should have been heeded when I launched into reading Tolkien. I can well remember my introduction to Tolkien, finding a one-volume bargain edition of The Lord of the Rings in an outlet village near Chester in England, back in January 2004. I bought it, and though it took me ages, I persevered to read it through. Much later, I realised that The Hobbit was the prior story, the prequel if you will, and so I found a copy in either a secondhand bookshop or a charity shop, but never got round to reading it.

Since then, I've seen the films, and have always meant to get round to reading The Hobbit, or There And Back Again, but never managed it. Until, that is, my recent holiday, when I plunged into the book, and read it over several days! Another reason for reading it is because the scripts have been almost completed for the filming of The Hobbit movie(s - there are going to be two films), the first of which will be out in 2011.

Maria was right - starting at the beginning would be the best place to start. Having read The Hobbit, some of the puzzles and confusing things in the first couple of chapters of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring are explained and assumed! We're told in The Hobbit how Bilbo Baggins (the main character of the story) comes upon the powerful magic ring, and we're introduced to Gandalf the wizard, as well as the characters of dwarves, elves and men, not forgetting Smeagol / Gollum.

As with TLOTR, The Hobbit is the chronicle of an epic journey, to regain the dwarf treasure of Thron, guarded in the Lonely Mountain by Smaug, the dragon. Bilbo Baggins is accompanied by thirteen dwarves (a few more than Snow White had), and they meet many dangers and adventures along the way.

The timing of my reading was fortunate, and provided me with a quote about Gandalf which fitted well into last week's evangelistic talk - about how Gandalf thought of most things, and while he couldn't do everything, he would do a great deal for a friend in a tight corner. Is this how we view God too?

Another interesting point that is repeatedly developed is the value of a creature is not the same as the impression they make. The dwarves continually look down on poor Bilbo Baggins, probably due to his inferior size, yet it's he who gets them out of sticky situations and becomes the most valuable member of their travelling party.

The main moral of the story comes in an extended unveiling of continuous greed, with various parties vying for what they desire, so that they end up being consumed by consumption, consumed for want of being consumers.

If there was a minor criticism, it would be that it's perhaps too short. Sometimes, in a bid to move the story on Tolkien covers long periods of time with short summary statements, and it's on to the next adventure. If only it was slightly longer and we had even more to enjoy of Bilbo and the others.

Halloween Alt

It's the day of darkness, All Hallow's Eve, Hallowe'en. The whole country seems to go mad for fireworks, bangers, dressing up and trick-or-treating. So what can the Church do in the midst of all this? Do we lie down and accept the widespread wickedness?

Rather than our children and young people missing out on parties and fun, many churches organise a Halloween alternative. This morning we had our Bright Lights Party (although I missed it as I'm on holidays). Party games, party food, crafts and a reminder that we don't have to fear the darkness or the devil, because Jesus is the light of the world (John 8:12).

This afternoon there was some street evangelism, distributing UCB Bags of Hope with a gospel outline, a tract, and also some chocolate!

What other ideas do you have for Christian Halloween alternatives?

Jesus Gives Life

As we work through John's Gospel at SET (St Elizabeth's Teens), the Sunday night youth group, we've come to chapter five. We're introduced to a sad character. A man who has been paralyzed for thirty eight years. That's longer than any of us have lived on earth, although some are closer to it than others! The man lies near a pool in the city of Jerusalem, with lots of other sick people, because they expect a miracle to happen - possibly superstitious - that when bubbles appear in the water then an angel is stirring the water and the first one in will be cured.

Jesus comes along, and asks the man what seems to be a silly question: 'Do you want to be healed?' Well of course he does, after all, he's paralyzed, isn't he? But that's not his answer. He doesn't say yes - instead he gives an answer born of self-pity: 'Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, and while I am going another steps down before me.' I would be healed if I had someone who could help me...

Jesus asks us the same question. Do you want to be healed, forgiven, changed, cleansed? It seems that the man was comfortable as he was, he didn't really want to change. What about us? When Jesus asks the question do we answer yes, or do we cling to what we know? We are paralyzed by our sin, not really living. Jesus rightly urges us to count the cost before making a commitment.

So what does Jesus do next? * Jesus doesn't help the man into the pool when the bubbles come, he just says the word, and the man is healed: 'Get up, take up your bed, and walk.' Jesus' word has power, he just has to say the word and the man's legs work again. Even more interesting is the word that's used: Get up is the same word to rise up, a resurrection word that is used of Lazarus being raised from the dead, and later used of Jesus being raised up. The paralyzed man is having a mini-resurrection, being raised to new life.

The man hasn't walked for thirty-eight years, and he's able to walk away. You'd think everyone would be tremendously happy. But that's not how it is. Some people are cross, because the man is breaking the Sabbath laws by carrying his bed. No joy, just condemnation. The man's response is great: 'The man who healed me, that man said to me, "Take up your bed and walk".' Implication: If he's powerful enough to heal me, then he can jolly well tell me what to do! The Jews don't like it one bit and set out to find out who it was who did this.

Jesus later encounters the man again and warns him not to sin again, in case something worse happens to him. While it's not always appropriate to claim that suffering is a result of personal sin (see John 9), sometimes it is the case. The threat of something worse evokes the threat of eternal punishment in the judgement.

The Jews are hopping mad by now, because Jesus is claiming to be equal to God, by calling God his father. So Jesus talks to them, and says that just like a son goes into the family occupation, carefully watching and learning from his father in an apprenticeship (e.g. carpentry or goldsmith etc), so he does what he sees the Father doing. In John 5 there are two particular things that the Father does which Jesus also does: Gives life (as seen in the healing), and exercises judgement.

21For as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, so also the Son gives life to whom he will. 22 The Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son, 23that all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent him. (John 5:21-23)

What Jesus says next pulls these two things together, but before we come to it, I want to tell you about a village I used to live in. Newtownstewart is a small village halfway between Omagh and Strabane. At one time, if you were going from Omagh to Strabane, you had to pass through the village of Newtownstewart. There was no way around it. It's a wee place, twisty corners, narrow roads, pedestrians, traffic. It was a nightmare to get through and took ages and ages. But just as I moved there, they opened a new by-pass. Now, if you're going from Omagh to Strabane, you don't have to get stuck in Newtownstewart. You can speed along the main road, and miss the problem of the village.

Each of us are in the throes of death. We will all some day die. There is no escape. And death leads to judgement, it's what happens: we die and we are judged. And therein lies our problem. We've all done bad things, wrong things, and the outcome of the judgement will be punishment. But Jesus, in John 5:24, says that we can avoid the judgement:

Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.(John 5:24)

We can bypass judgement by hearing Jesus' words and believing in him, and we immediately pass from death to life! It's the difference between pulling the 'Go to Jail, Go directly to jail, do not pass go, do not collect £200' card in Monopoly and pulling the 'Advance to Go' card in the Chance pile.

The promise of life has been made - Jesus is the one who will judge, and the one who can give life. How can we be sure of it?

In a court case, there are witnesses brought to verify that what is being said is the truth. They testify to what they know. Jesus presents four witnesses to verify what he is saying (even though he doesn't need any witnesses as he always speaks truth):

1. John the Baptist came before Jesus, to prepare the way for him, and he has borne witness to the truth.

2. God the Father, because the very works that Jesus is doing are the things the Father desires, thus showing that the Father is pleased with Jesus, and that the Father sent Jesus into the world.

3. The Scriptures, because the Jews were searching the Scriptures to find life, but all the while they were missing the whole point of them. Yes, the Scriptures point to the life giver, to Jesus, but the Jews refused to come to Jesus to have life, depending instead on their interpretations and law-keeping for their goodness.

4. Moses himself testifies to Jesus. You see, Moses was the giver of the Law, the whole point of the argument being the breaking of the Sabbath. But Jesus says that it is the very Moses on whom they pin their hopes who accuses them, because Moses wrote about Jesus, and points to Jesus.

The Jews that day had no excuse for not believing Jesus - the evidence was right before they eyes, the witnesses were pointing to the truth that Jesus is the judge, and Jesus is the Life-Giver. What excuse will we have if we come before Jesus the Judge? We've been to SET and heard the Gospel many times, we've heard how Jesus is the rescuer who saves us from the penalty our sins deserve. We've probably all got Bibles in our houses, and we've been in RE / RS and Assemblies in School, so have no excuse at all for not believing.

Jesus shows his power by healing the man with his word. Jesus is God, the Son of God. Jesus is the judge, but provides the way of escaping judgement by giving life. At the end of the day you have a simple choice. Life or judgement? It's up to you...

A form of this talk was given at SET in St Elizabeth's Halls on Sunday 25th October 2009.

* One of the joys of teaching the Bible to young people who have never heard it before is that you get refreshingly honest answers based on what they think, not what the answer should be. So some of the guys thought that Jesus would give the man a helping hand into the pool. One guy got it right!

So Long, Farewell, Auf Wiedersehen, Goodbye

One of the worst things about pastoral ministry is when the time comes to say goodbye, either when friends and colleagues are moving on, or when you're doing the moving yourself. Just think of Paul's tearful goodbye to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20.

Sadly, today is one of those days, when St Elizabeth's says 'so long, farewell' to our Ministry Apprentice, Mark Smith, after almost three years of service in the parish.



His final word will come later on, when he preaches at the evening service, but this afternoon, after the morning service we enjoyed a bring and share lunch together in the hall. As part of the proceedings, Tim asked us to suggest words to describe Mark using the letters of his name: M A R K. We also heard from Clive West, who encouraged Mark to stay close to Jesus, stay close to his word, and stay close to people both through his three years in college, and also as he moves into ministry afterwards. SET (St Elizabeth's Teens) performed a poem written by Stewart Balmer.

I've enjoyed this past year, in getting to know Mark while serving alongside him in Dundonald, and will miss his wit, banter, and all the rest. Our prayers will be with him as he moves across, and hopefully I'll get a wee trip to London to see him before too long!

I've uploaded some photos from the lunch on Facebook, if you want to have a look.

Buried Treasure

What's your greatest treasure? What is it you value above all else?

Treasure brings to mind the image of pirates and gold coins. In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus talks about buried treasure, treasure hidden in a field. A man is digging, and comes across the treasure lying hidden. There were no banks or safes then. Valuable things were buried as it was the safest place for them. But without a treasure map where X marks the spot, sometimes the treasure could be forgotten.

So when the man finds the treasure, he knows what he has found. He sees the value of the treasure and knows he wants it! He quickly hides the treasure again and goes to buy the field. An unexpected find which brings joy.

This week, the Arctic Monkeys released a new record, being sold through Oxfam stores in the UK. Within two of the records, there are golden tickets- free tickets for the Reading and Leeds Festival. Another 40 are signed by the band. An unexpected find which would bring great joy to fans of the band.

Or consider the joy of Charlie Bucket in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Four of the five tickets have been found that gain entry for a guided tour of the factory. From a poor family, he finds some money and buys a bar of candy which contains the final ticket. He quickly runs home to tell his parents and grandparents, and one of his grandfathers, who has been in bed permanently for the past ten or more years, leaps out of bed and begins to dance around - joy at the finding of a great treasure!

The treasure is more precious, more valuable than all he has, so he goes to sell everything he has to buy the field and gain the treasure.

While the treasure was found unexpectedly, the second story Jesus tells is of a pearl merchant, a man who knows what he is after. On finding the pearl of great price, the perfect, exquisite, loveliest pearl in all the world, he sells all he has (including his other pearls in the collection) in order to have this perfect pearl. Nothing else matters; nothing else compares to this one.

But we're not talking about pearls and treasures. Jesus didn't just tell these stories for the sake of warning us that you might find buried treasure. So what are they all about? Well, each story begins 'The Kingdom of Heaven is like...' The stories are all about Jesus and his Kingdom.

Whether we are searching earnestly for the pearl of great price, by sampling lots of other pearls first before finding that Jesus is beyond compare when set beside other religions and other ways to find satisfaction; or if we are not expecting to encounter Jesus at all - he finds us rather than us finding him - when we do encounter Jesus, we realise that he is the pearl, Jesus is the treasure.

Why? Because he loved us, gave himself for us, died for us. That's why he is beyond compare, and that's why we know that Jesus is so precious, that nothing else matters compared to knowing him.

This is an abbreviated version of a talk given at Oxigen in St Elizabeth's Halls on Friday 21st August. Matthew 13: 44-46