May Review

We've reached the end of the fifth month of the year, and May has come to an end. What has been happening on the blog this month?

This is the 43rd blog posting, quite a lot, and yet it doesn't come close to the 58 posts back in May 2005, during my first few months of the blog.

The books reviewed included The Challenge of Islam by Patrick Sookhdeo, Digging Ditches by Helen Roseveare, Prince Caspian by CS Lewis, Inside Prince Caspian by Devin Brown (which even received a comment from the author himself!), Jesus Among Other Gods by Ravi Zacharias, and Shakespeare by Bill Bryson.

In music, as well as the What's on your iPod series (Baby Beautiful, Black and Blue Boy, Dance Delayed, Face the Fear, and Gabriel's Glamorous), there was a review of Mel Wiggin's new EP 'My Brother's Keeper' and some reflections on a song by The Fray.

My preachings were mostly from 1 Corinthians, with sermons on God the Giver (audio), The Body of Christ (audio), and Building up the Church, and a bonus sermon on why we need to believe in hell from Luke 16. Audio for the latter two sermons hasn't appeared online yet, and will be available shortly. We also had a series on reaching older people with the gospel, inspired by the Senior's Weekend in Church.

We had two installments of a new feature, McFlurry's McLinks which act as a signpost to the best blogs I'm reading and enjoying.

My favourite posting this month was the Essential Ascension, but what was your favourite?

Do We Need To Believe In Hell? (Sermon on Luke 16: 19-31)

Mention hell today in the street, and you may well be laughed at. For most people, hell is imagined as the topic of a cartoon, where a camp devil complete with pitchfork makes things unpleasant for really bad people. Gary Larson is the guy behind The Far Side comics which appear daily in newspapers, and hell is a regular feature of the strip. One cartoon has a man sitting in hell, with a cup of obviously bad coffee - he says ‘Well, they really do think of everything here.’

If hell isn’t imagined in the comic realms, then others seek to bring it into the current age - not a future place of punishment, but as a particularly trying situation of daily life - so for example, Archbishop Tutu described Zimbabwe as ‘a hell on earth’ just this week. Or Bryan McFadden (out of Westlife) said of his ex-wife Kerry Katona ‘Me and my family have been put through hell by her stupid games.’

Hell is either now here, or else nowhere. So why is it that Christians continue to affirm their belief in hell? Why do we need to believe in hell - and what is it like? Firstly, let’s be clear what we mean by hell. When I speak of hell, I’m talking about eternal, conscious punishment of sin outside of the presence and joy of the Lord.

Let me say from the start that we don’t pick and choose the bits that we like or don’t like from the faith, but rather, just like the resurrection, or the Trinity, we believe what the Bible declares, because this is what God tells us in his word. The Bible isn’t an encyclopedia, where we can just turn up the chapter on hell (under the letter H) and find out everything about it. Rather, we take the scriptures as a whole to learn what God reveals about death and beyond.

On the existence of hell, there can be no doubt. Daniel 12:2 says that ‘many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.’ There are two final destinations - life or contempt, heaven or hell. This is affirmed and repeated by the Lord Jesus, at the end of the parable of the sheep and the goats, ‘And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’ (Matthew 25:46)

There will be a judgement, and there are consequences to our actions in this life. These are the things stated plainly by Jesus time and again, with the two destinations declared. We find this in our reading tonight. We’re introduced to two men, with two different situations on earth, and two different destinies.

One man has everything now, and the other has nothing. There’s the rich man in his palace, and the poor man sitting begging at his gate. The rich man was wealthy, and also thought of himself as religious. He dressed in all the latest designer fashions, and had a feast every day. As he was chauffeured in and out through his gates, he always saw Lazarus sitting begging, but never did anything to help.

Lazarus, on the other hand, had a miserable existence. Covered with sores, hunger made worse by the smells of the tasty food on the rich man’s table. His only company were the dogs who came and licked his sores.

At death, there is the complete reversal of their condition, and while Lazarus is carried by the angels to Abraham’s side, the rich man ends up in Hades.

Hades is the realm of the dead, in Greek thinking, and here we see that it is a place of torment for those who have rejected God. What makes it even worse for the man is that he can see afar off the poor beggar, who’s sitting beside Abraham in comfort and rest.

When we read of that torment here - the flame, the heat, the thirst, and in other places where Jesus speaks of ‘the unquenchable fire’ (Mark 10:43), ‘outer darkness with weeping and gnashing of teeth’ (Matthew 25:30), some write these off as merely symbolic - not really describing what it is actually like. But as one commentator says, ‘Let nobody say: it is only symbolical and therefore not so terrible. By mere inversion one could say: if the symbol, the mere picture, is already awe-inspiring, how horrible must the original (the actual) be!’

The rich man cries out to Abraham, asking that he send Lazarus with even a drop of cooling water for his tongue. Ironic, isn’t it, that the one who had everything he ever needed, and ignored the needs of one who lived right in front of his gates is now the one who is in desperate need himself!

The rich man had always been the one who called the shots, whether in business or family, and even now, he seeks to control the lives of others, trying to boss Lazarus around. But Abraham says it is futile - the judgement is just, and the punishment is final - there are no transfers from heaven to hell, or hell to heaven after death. It’s a bit like the ‘transfer window’ in football these days - there are only certain periods of time for people to move from Manchester United to Chelsea, say - and once the deadline comes, then they have to stay where they are. But as well as there being no transfers, the judgement is just: the man has already received his good things, he had ‘heaven on earth’ and squandered it.

Abraham says that ‘you in your lifetime received your good things, and Lazarus in like manner bad things; but now he is comforted here and you are in anguish.’ It would be easy for some to read that as an isolated statement and conclude that rich people go to hell, and poor people go to heaven. But it’s not as simple as that. We have to read this in its context, and it seems that this story is told against the Pharisees, who were both religious and rich. They thought that you could go to church on Sundays and be religious, but then live the rest of your life in a separate category, pursuing riches and not caring for others.

Look back to Luke 16:14. ‘The Pharisees, who were lovers of money, heard all these things, and they ridiculed him. And he said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is exalted among men is an abomination in the sight of God.’

The rich man was clearly religious - he knew Abraham, and even called him Father - something a good Jew would do, being descended from Abraham. But more than that, when he asks Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers about the wrath to come, Abraham refuses, because his brothers have all they need to avoid ending up in Hades. “They have Moses and the Prophets.” That is to say, they have the Old Testament Scriptures. By shutting off this as a possible excuse for ending up in hell, Abraham exposes the folly of the rich man himself, condemning him also for failing to listen to Moses and the Prophets.

The rich man is not in Hades / hell because he is rich. It is because he selfishly used his riches for himself while ignoring the needs of those around him - prime example being poor Lazarus, who sat at his gate.

Similarly, Lazarus does not end up in paradise simply because he is poor. It is because he trusted in God, even through his terrible circumstances. Did you notice that while the rich man isn’t named, Lazarus is - what’s the significance of that? Well, Lazarus means ‘God has helped.’ Despite his poverty, God has helped him, and Lazarus responds in faith.

As the rich man makes clear in his last plea, hell is a place that can be avoided, through repentance, by turning away from the habitual life of sin and greed, and turning towards God. But he seeks it for his brothers through a supernatural sign, rather than through them reading God’s word and repenting. He wants Abraham to send Lazarus to them to call them to repent. Look at what Abraham says in reply - ‘If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.

Remember what Paul wrote to the Corinthians? ‘Jews demand signs and Gentiles seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.’ (1 Cor 1:22-23). Here’s the demand for another sign, which even then wouldn’t lead to faith. What Jesus says here in the parable is born out when he himself rose from the dead - the Pharisees didn’t repent and believe, but opposed the disciples all the more.

Why do we need to believe in hell? We need to believe in hell because it is as much a reality as heaven. We need to believe in hell because it satisfies the inbuilt sense of justice each of us have. We need to believe in hell because it is no joking matter. We need to believe in hell because millions of people are on the broad road to destruction. We need to believe in hell because not all will be saved. We need to believe in hell because there are no second chances after death. We need to believe in hell because Jesus speaks of it more often than anyone else in the Scriptures. We need to believe in hell so as to warn people that they are heading for a lost eternity. We need to believe in hell so that people don’t waste their life on unimportant things.

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Halls, Dundonald on Sunday evening 31st May 2009.

Sermon: 1 Corinthians 14: 1-12

This morning, our theme is building up the church. Maybe when you hear that, you think of the building project, the bricks and mortar, and the church building. But Paul’s not talking about a physical church building - he wouldn’t have known of these things - the church met in people’s homes. Rather, when Paul speaks of building up the church, he is talking about the people - building up the Christians in the church.

So how do we do that? How do we build up the church? We;re continuing our series in 1 Corinthians, and Paul is dealing with the issue of spiritual gifts - special abilities or talents given by the Holy Spirit to believers. As with most things, the church in Corinth was divided because people had different gifts, and some thought that they were more important than others.

Through chapters 12 - 14, Paul seeks to correct their ideas on gifts, first by pointing to the unity of the church, because the same God gives the variety of gifts, then pointing to the unity of the church as seen in the picture of the church as the body of Christ. At the heart of the church, and in each believer, the most important thing is love - as we saw last week - we can have gifts without love, but then we gain nothing. Here, in chapter 14, Paul addresses the specific gift that was causing the trouble in Corinth - speaking in tongues. This can mean either being able to speak in another human language (for example on the day of Pentecost, where everyone could hear the apostles speak in their own language), or in an unknown language.

The Corinthian church was big into tongues - they thought that it was the be-all and end-all of spiritual gifts, and wanted to make everyone have it. But Paul points out that when the church gathers together, it’s more important to build up the church. He does this by comparing tongues with the gift of prophecy.

When he speaks of prophecy, he’s referring to the equivalent of the sermon, declaring God’s word and applying it to the hearer. Prophecy is therefore better, because it helps to build the church, through being understood.

Our guiding principle in all that we do is to build up the believers as a congregation. We aim to strengthen people, to help them become mature as a Christian, not as individuals, but as part of the church. We don’t just do things that I like doing, or that we’ve always done for the sake of it - our guiding principle is the benefit and good of the whole church together as we grow together.

As we look at the passage, we’ll see this principle, in the audience (verses 1 to 5), and the benefit of prophecy (verses 6 to 12).

In some ways, prophecy and tongues might be similar - both involve speech, and both are spiritual gifts, spiritual activities. But it’s here that the similarities end. Look at verse 2. ‘For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understand him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit.’ When some of the Corinthians were speaking in tongues, speaking in a language they didn’t know, they were only speaking to God - it was as if no one else was involved.

Can you imagine the chaos that would ensue if we came to our prayers later and everyone started speaking, in languages no one else could understand? The individual might feel very spiritual, and may even be encouraged and built up, but the rest of the congregation will be confused and cut off.

But verse 3 goes on to say that prophesying is for the congregation. Look at it - the audience is the congregation - the people gathered together. The declaration of God’s word in a language the people can understand is much better, precisely because they can understand it!

This was a key feature of the Reformation. Up to the 1540’s, services in the Church were performed in Latin - the readings, the sermons, the whole service was in Latin. But the people couldn’t understand what was being said! The minister would go through the service, and the people would gather and not understand any of it. But with the Reformation in England, the services of the Church were translated into English by Archbishop Cranmer, and the Bible was translated into English, so that everyone could hear and understand what was being said.

Why was this? At the start of the Prayer Book, there’s a section titled ‘General Directions for Publick Worship’ which says that the services are ‘set forth to be said and sung in the English tongue, to the end that the Congregation may thereby be edified.’ That being edified is the same idea of being built up (like an edifice, a building). Our services are in English so that everyone can hear and understand, and be built up.

Back to verse 3 - prophecy is better because it is addressed to people ‘for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.’ The gift of prophecy, the ability to teach is vital so that Christians are strengthened, encouraged and comforted. None of this will happen if we’re all out for ourselves.

As we move to the benefit of prophecy, we see that again, Paul’s concern is for the church to be built up. In verse 6, Paul looks forward to the next time that he arrives in Corinth and meets with the church. Imagine, says Paul, what would happen if he only spoke in tongues when he came to meet with the church.

Would they get any benefit from him being there? No! Would you get any benefit if I had stood up this morning and preached in German, or French, or Greek? (I’m not saying I could do that though!)

They will only benefit from Paul’s visit if he speaks so that they understand. For them to benefit, Paul must speak God’s word to them, through a revelation or knowledge or prophecy or teaching. By speaking to them in the language they understand, they can hear God’s word clearly, and be blessed, encouraged and built up. Otherwise, what’s the point?

To illustrate, Paul gives us two word pictures, both from musical instruments. First of all, if you’re listening music for pleasure, then you need to hear all the notes separately, as they combine together. Imagine you’re listening to the Ulster Orchestra (by the way, I’m not getting paid to advertise them...), and everyone played one note, or it was all jumbled - would you be able to recognise a tune? The notes have to be distinct. It’s the difference between meaningless tinkling and performing a tune.

The second picture comes from the military. If the bugle is mumbled or unclear, then no one will line up for the battle. But if there is a clear sound which is understood, then the soldiers hear and obey the call.

In the same way, if the Corinthians were consumed with the gift of tongues, then no one could understand or be built up. The call to obey the Lord may be there, but no one could hear and obey. A response can only come when God’s word is proclaimed in a way that can be understood. Otherwise, as Paul says, ‘you will be speaking in the air.’

So what do we do with this passage? How do we apply it, both individually, and as a congregation seeking to build each other up? Firstly, we need to recognise the purpose of our meetings and life together - we don’t meet for a good time, and we’re not a social club. When we gather together, our purpose is to encourage each other, and strengthen each other, both in the formal service, and in the coffee time. Why not today, stay on and encourage someone else with something you’ve learnt in your Bible reading this week?

Pray for the congregation, as individuals and together, that we will grow stronger as Christians, and serve each other for the common good.

And pray for those who teach God’s word in the congregation - Explorer leaders, Mark and the SET team, Fellowship Group leaders, those on the preaching rota, Clive, Tim and myself - for clarity, and the wisdom to say the things that will help build the church.

This sermon was preached in St Elizabeth's Church, Dundonald on Sunday 31st May 2009.

The Spirit of Patrick

This year, the Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Downpatrick is celebrating the 400th anniversary of its Charter being granted by King James I. Down Cathedral is also reputedly the burial place of Saint Patrick. Last night, while marking this history, the cathedral hosted a marvellous and inspiring event. The Spirit of Patrick, that missionary endeavour and lifetime of obedience was marked in the lives of five very special Christians.

The individuals were Sheila Jebb, Cecil and Myrtle Kerr, Cyril McIlhenny and Helen Roseveare. Between them, they have served as missionary nurses and doctors in Africa, founded the Christian Renewal Centre in Rostrevor, and envisioned and accomplished youthwork and parish development. Their stories and achievements were shared and celebrated through videos and an interview by the BBC's Mark Simpson.

The evening was boosted by music from the New Irish Orchestra and Choir, directed by Jonathan Rea. They played and sang magnificently, and encouraged the joyful congregational singing from the packed cathedral.

As Bishop Harold said himself, it was a great idea, and the only downside of the night was that each person only had too short a time to share their story! For all who attended, it was an encouragement to trust and obey the faithful God. A great night!

Gabriel's Glamorous

We're onto the G's in What's on your iPod?

Gabriel's Oboe - The Mission Soundtrack
Galway Girl - Sharon Shannon with Mundy
Gay Gordons - Haste to the Wedding
Generation Sex - The Divine Comedy
Generator - The Holloways
George's Welcome - Teannaich
Get on Your Boots (Sexy Boots) - U2
Gifted Response - Matt Redman
Gin Soaked Boy - The Divine Comedy
Ginger Sheep - The Neil Cowley Trio
Girlfriend - The Pigeon Detectives
The Girls - Calvin Harris
Give Me a Reason - The Corrs
Glamorous Indie Rock and Rock - The Killers

Shakespeare: Book Review

William Shakespeare has always been a mystery to me. He's been at the background of my awareness, with a few well-known quotations and phrases floating around. But beyond knowing that he was a playwright and poet associated with the Globe Theatre, I couldn't have told you much about him.

Having recently read Bill Bryson's biography on Shakespeare, it appears that most people, even Shakespeare scholars can't know much more for sure. Thus far, Shakespeare has been an elusive character, with little documentary evidence in the remaining legal documents from the period of his life.

Indeed, of the remaining signatures, Shakespeare doesn't even spell his name the same way twice, and never uses the now accustomed spelling of his name which I've been using throughout the review! Another mystery is the order of writing of his plays - scholars are so divided that there are almost as many chronologies as there are scholars, each with their own theory and insight.

So on one level, my quest for more information wasn't overly successful, with Bryson being frank with the lack of documentary evidence and the details of the life of one of England's greatest authors. Yet it wasn't a waste of time, as the book is laced with Bryson's characteristic humour, both in describing life in Elizabethan and Jacobean England, and in writing about the Shakespearean scholars and their weird and wacky ways. I may not know much more about Shakespeare, but I enjoyed the ride!

Where Were You?

Sometimes I try to link songs from the radio to the Gospel, but on the rare occasions, the song provides its own link. For a few weeks now, The Fray have been recounting the story of encountering God, and the discussion that follows.

I found God
On the corner of First and Amistad
Where the west was all but won
All alone
Smoking his last cigarette
I said, “Where you been?”
He said, “Ask anything.”

Where were you
When everything was falling apart?
All my days
Were spent by the telephone
It never rang
And all I needed was a call
It never came
To the corner of First and Amistad

Lost and insecure
You found me, You found me
Lying on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, You found me

In the end, everyone ends up alone
Losing her, the only one who's ever known
Who I am, who I'm not, who I want to be
No way to know, how long she will be next to me

Lost and insecure
You found me, You found me
Lying on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why'd you have to wait?
Where were you? Where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, You found me

Early morning
The city breaks
I’ve been calling
For years and years and years and years
And you never left me no messages
You never sent me no letters
You got some kind of nerve
Taking all that I want

Lost and insecure
You found me, You found me
Lying on the floor
Where were you, where were you?

Where were you? Where was God? Why did he not act sooner? Does God not care? These are the questions behind the hurt of the singer. So why does God not intervene in our lives? Is God silent?

The song takes the normal human position, in the accusing role. God is in the dock, on trial, and he has to give an account for himself. And yet, as we take a step back from the specific situation to reflect on the biblical evidence, we can see that it's not God who is hiding - it's us.

Remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eve? Our first parents doubted God's providence and word, and ate the forbidden fruit. What happened next? They went and hid. Hiding behind their fig leaves, hiding in the trees, so that God has to call out "Where are you?" It's not that God doesn't know where they are - it's to show that they have hidden themselves from God.

In many ways, we're just like that first couple. We too turn our own way, and then hide from God. Guilty, ashamed, lost, we skulk off, ignoring the God who made us and will call us to account.

But the greatest tragedy is that when tragedy does come, and many are ready to say where is God in all this, they think they have the moral high ground. To expect that God will jump at our beck and call when we hit rough ground having ignored him all along is some cheek!

Where were you God? You never left me no messages, as the song proclaims. The truth is that God is not silent, that God does not leave himself without witness, both in the world and in his word, but we don't want to listen most times. Far easier to go our own way, then cry foul when things don't turn out how we want them.

The one thing the singer gets right is in speaking to God. Far better, though, to cry out in repentance, to seek God's will, not ours, and to trust and obey in God's purposes and plans for us.

Clumsy Hands

I'm preparing to preach twice on Sunday, which is a lot of work to be getting on with, besides visits and the routine stuff. The evening sermon is on hell, and the morning sermon is in our 1 Corinthians series. In my preparations, I came across this short paragraph in Leon Morris' commentary in the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries series, published by IVP. It's his concluding note on 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter.

The commentator cannot finish writing on this chapter without a sense that clumsy hands have touched a thing of exquisite beauty and holiness. Here with is true of all Scripture is true in especial measure, that no comment can be adequate to so great a theme. Yet no commentator can excuse himself from the duty of trying to make plain what these matchless words have come to signify for him. And no Christian can excuse himself from the duty of trying to show in his life what these words have come to mean for him.

And if one of the evangelical greats like Leon Morris feels that he has clumsy hands, how much more me! With the humility, there is also encouragement to live it out and show it forth - this is what is needed!

My Brother's Keeper

Mel Wiggins has launched her debut EP, entitled My Brother's Keeper. Mel writes her own material, and sings from the heart with an undeniable passion. The four songs are a great showcase of her talents, and well worth listening and buying!

Simplified is a smooth song with jazz tones, pleading for the simple, uncomplicated life. Heart As Your Home is an example of the big choruses that Mel specialises in writing and singing, and a modern moving love song of commitment. Your Love is a laid-back celebration of love. The title track of the EP, My Brother's Keeper, is a reminder that we're all interconnected, and responsible for each other, as well as being a great tune.

My Brother's Keeper is available to download at Go and buy it now!

The Tron on General Assembly

St George's Tron Church in Glasgow is one of the leading evangelical churches in the Church of Scotland, and the base of Cornhill Scotland. Their minister, Willie Philip made a statement on the decision of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland to uphold the appointment of a minister living with his male partner.

The disappointment is evident, and yet he makes some great points as the Tron looks to the future. He acknowledges that fellowship in the Kirk is damaged, but affirms fellowship, partnership in the gospel with those who hold to God's word. To that end, the elders decided not to hold an offering at the service, as most of the offering goes to central Church Funds, and they won't be sending money into the central funds. Instead, they will fund gospel work, both within the Scottish churches, and elsewhere. And finally, they will not be moving from their building in the very heart of Glasgow city centre - it's a great mission base, so why leave and abandon it for others to come in to preach a false gospel and a false Jesus?

He also makes the key point that all of us struggle with sin, and especially sexual sin, but we are not to condone it. Rather, the church's reaction should be to encourage each other to struggle with sin, to fight against it, not give in and sanctify it.

At the heart of all that he says, is the assertion that the denomination is NOT the church. The denomination, whether the Church of Scotland, the Church of Ireland, the Baptist Union or whatever, is just a grouping of local churches, a grouping of congregations. The important church unit is the congregation, not the denomination.

Interesting times.

Good and Pleasant

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!

So begins Psalm 133, and we saw that this evening in the Burton Hall at St Elizabeth's. It was our turn to host the Dundonald Community Service, where local churches join together around God's word, bringing together our congregations and demonstrating our unity in the gospel and the Lord Jesus.

So many people turned up that we ran out of space in the hall, ran out of space on the stage, ran out of chairs, and people sat out in the porch as well! The service included features on Inform, the young adults group which is currently shared between St E's and the Presby's, and on Oxigen, the youth outreach programme in August. Rev Dr Ivan McKay, the minister of Dundonald Presbyterian Church was the preacher, and we also had an interview with Ivan. This was Ivan's last Community Service, as he is due to retire from Dundonald at the end of June.

The sermon can be heard on the St Elizabeth's sermon site. Well worth a listen!

Other churches involved were St Mary's Ballybeen, Dundonald Methodist, and Dundonald Baptist. A great supper was provided which was heartily enjoyed!

Face the Fear

Moving on to the F's in What's on your iPod?

Facedown - Matt Redman
Faithful One - Piano Chill
Faithful to the End - Hillsong
Falling Away With You - Muse
Falling Down - Muse
Family Portrait - Pink (Radio 1 Live Lounge)
Famous One - Chris Tomlin
Fans - Kings of Leon (Radio 1 Live Lounge)
Fantasia on an Irish Hymn - Band of the Royal Irish Regiment
Father of Life - Andy Flannagan
Father We Dedicate Our Lives - David Morris at New Horizon
Father We Have Sinned - Kingsway
Father, Blessed Father - Newsboys
The Father's Song - Matt Redman
The Fear - Lily Allen

Seems like Muse like Falling as a song title - two songs from two albums start that way. Lots of Father songs, as you might expect. Favourite song in this batch is The Father's Song.

McFlurry's McLinks (2)

With encouragement from Daniel, I'm going to stick with McFlurry's McLinks. So here's another batch of cool reads for you to go and check out.

Politics is big in the news at present, with the current expenses scandal at Westminster, James Cary thinks about leadership.

And, while there's tonnes of election discussion and debate going on at Slugger O'Toole, I preferred Dave Wiggins' guide to the European Election Candidates.

Several new blogs have recently emerged, one from Phil Howe, who thought about the false gospel of rules, rules, rules. The other isn't a blog about mathematical multiplication frustration, despite its name being Flippin Tables.

In this week when the Church of Scotland General Assembly will hear an appeal against the Presbytery of Aberdeen inducting a minister living in a homosexual relationship, the Fellowship of Confessing Churches has been gathering support.

On the same theme, Kevin DeYoung has posted an analysis of the liberal strategy, entitled Death by Dialogue, as the introduction to a sermon on Leviticus 18 which is being posted in four sections: sexual sin, homosexual activity, God's holiness, and the application.

And for some light relief, there's a Lot of truth in this cartoon.

The Essential Ascension

It's Ascension Day today, forty days after Easter Sunday, when we recall the Lord Jesus leaving His disciples and returning to heaven.

When we think of it, we normally imagine Jesus hovering and floating upwards, His clothing fluttering in a gentle breeze until He disappears from sight. His going upwards may reinforce our three-level territory, with the earth stuck in the middle like a sandwich between hell below and heaven above.

But what is the ascension all about? Why does it matter? What is its importance for us today?

1. The ascension is the culmination of His earthly ministry. Over the course of the forty days, He proves to His disciples that He is alive, and teaches them further about the Kingdom. 'He presented himself alive to them after His suffering by many proofs, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.' (Acts 1:3) While the disciples didn't get what He was talking about before the crucifixion, they now start to get it afterwards. Jesus has prepared them for the future, which is now here.

2. The ascension brings about the sending of the Holy Spirit. Jesus will not be physically with the disciples, but He will be present inside them, through the Holy Spirit. '"Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you."' (John 16:7) Rather than being limited to one location, Jesus is present in all locations and places through the presence of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is variously described as the Helper, the Advocate, the Paraclete - the one who draws alongside and supports. The Holy Spirit is given ten days later, at Pentecost.

3. The ascension is the commissioning of the disciples. Jesus may not be physically on the scene, but the disciples will continue His work, reaching much further than Judea and Galilee. '"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."' (Acts 1:8)

4. The ascension is the glorification of Jesus. Having ascended, He now sits on the right hand of the Father, in the place of honour in heaven. 'He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4having become as much superior to angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent than theirs.' (Hebrews 1:3-4)

5. The ascension is the triumph of Jesus. In the place of authority, Jesus reigns over not just the church, but also all of creation. Jesus 'has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers having been subjected to him.' (1 Peter 3:22) Jesus has authority over all angels, people, kingdoms and places. There is no part of the universe of which Christ does not say "It is mine!"

6. The ascension continues the intercession of Jesus. Jesus' humanity has been carried into the heart of heaven, the centre of the presence of God, and as our older brother and great High Priest, He continues to pray for us. 'Consequently, He is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since He always lives to make intercession for them. 26For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens.' (Hebrews 7:25-26) Jesus is praying for us! This is possible through His entering the heavenly sanctuary, and His indestructible life.

7. The ascension guarantees that Jesus will return. After Jesus disappeared from view, two angels asked the disciples, who were still gawping upwards, "Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11) His return will be personal, glorious, universal, to bring home His people, and to bring judgement to the world. 'Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for Him.' (Hebrews 9:28)

Far from being unimportant, we see that the ascension is an essential element of the person and work of Christ, and an elementary doctrine of the Christian faith. As the hymn goes:

Life-imparting heavenly Manna,
stricken Rock with streaming side,
heaven and earth with loud hosanna
worship thee, the Lamb who died.
Alleluia! Alleluia!
Risen, ascended, glorified!

Jesus Among Other Gods: Book Review

Comparative Religion is normally the study of various religions to discover and emphasise their similarities. It's a particularly popular enterprise, particularly in these days of ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue and discussion. The basic premise for those involved is that all religions are basically the same and of equal merit, with the golden rule at the heart of them - do to others what you would want them to do back.

It was refreshing to read Jesus Among Other gods by Ravi Zacharias, which is a completely different exercise in comparative religion. Taking incidents from the Gospel according to Saint John, Ravi discusses the implications of what Jesus says and does, and then compares it with the leaders / founders / originators of religions can say and do.

The end result, Jesus wins hands down, because of his unique person, being, source, claims, promises and ability to deal with death. Jesus lives, Mohammed is lying in a grave. Jesus guarantees eternal life with Him, Buddha offers the uncertainty of endless reincarnations until 'you' cease to exist.

Allow me to quote a couple of short passages, just to give you the full force of what Zacharias declares about the Lord Jesus:

'His earthly sojourn was not an origination, but a visitation. Every other person who is at the heart of any religion has had his or her beginning either in fancy or in fact. But nevertheless, there is a beginning. Jesus' birth in Bethlehem was a moment preceded by eternity. His being neither originated in time nor came about by the will of humanity. The Author of time, who lived in the eternal, was made incarnate in time that we might live with the eternal in view. In that sense, the message of Christ was not the introduction of a religion, but an introduction to truth about reality as God alone knows it.' (p. 34)

Or this as he writes of holy places:

'The history of Christendom is not free from perversions. But Jesus sent a message loud and clear. We are His temple. We do not turn in a certain direction to pray. We are not bound by having to go into a building so that we can commune with God. There are no unique postures and times and limitations that restrict our access to God. My relationship with God is intimate and personal. The Christian does not go to the temple to worship. The Christian takes the temple with him or her. ' (pp. 72-73)

Reading this book can definitely restore a confidence in the person, words and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. No one else can compare, not now, nor in eternity. Amen!

Reflected Perspective

Took a wander in Belfast city centre the other night having left Lyns round to start her night shift. Night photography is one of my favourite styles, using the available light to get a new perspective on the city. I also like finding new angles on familiar features, and puddles are great for that - so this is a combination of night time and unusual perspectives.

You can see more of my photos over at my Flickr photostream.

Evangelising the Elderly

This week on the blog we've been thinking about seniors' work, in the aftermath of the Seniors' Weekend in church. So far we've thought of the importance of older people, seen how society views Seniors, and God's opinion on older folks.

But what can we do to reach older people? On Saturday afternoon, we organised an Afternoon Tea Party. To counter the isolation and loneliness that can be felt, we provided an opportunity for them to meet up with friends old and new, sharing in food, fellowship and fun. The spread was amazing, with scones, traybakes (buns) and apple tart, and enough tea to float the Titanic.

As well as the chatting around the tables, there was an entertainment programme, with drama, songs, a quiz, and music. There was also a short talk from Luke 5, with the call to change, and to follow Jesus.

But this was just one possibility. Maybe something like this could be held once a month. Some churches hold a weekly lunch club. Alongside the social events (with a Bible talk), ministry can take place in their homes as well. Some time with people, as well as reading the Bible and praying can help them, especially if their sight is failing.

The worst thing to do is nothing. With an increasing age profile in our congregations and communities, we must preach the gospel, not just to younger people, but to everyone!

What do churches you know do for older people?

To All Generations

How does God view older people? It's an interesting question to ask, especially when thinking about evangelising and ministering to seniors. If society thinks that older people are retired and redundant, what is God's opinion?

Just think of Abraham. He was 75 when God called him to leave his country and family and father's house to go and follow the Lord. (Genesis 12) It took another 25 years before the son of promise, Isaac was born. While 75 was probably younger in those days, seeing as Abraham lived to the grand old age of 175, it was still 75 years of life. Look around at our congregations today. How many of us (or them!) would be willing to start out on a journey into the unknown?

Or look at Moses. At the age of 40, he tries to fulfill his life's mission to be the leader and rescuer of his people by murdering the Egyptian slave-driver. Life begins at forty (so we're told), yet Moses flees from the wrath of Pharaoh and hides in the Midianite wilderness herding sheep. (Exodus 2) It's only forty years later, when Moses has celebrated his 80th birthday that he encounters the burning bush and is on the high road back to Egypt to lead his people into freedom.

Caleb was another mighty man of God, one of the elect elderly, if you'll permit the term. At the age of 85 or so, he comes to Joshua asking for his inheritance (Joshua 14:10). He's ready to engage in some Anakim bashing, as strong as he was when Moses had sent him out as one of the spies forty-five years before.

To come into the New Testament, look in Luke 2 at Simeon and Anna. We're told that Anna was either 84, or had lived as a widow for 84 years (depending on whether you read the text or the footnote). Either way, she was in the seniors bracket. Her life was one of prayer and worship, and she witnessed to Jesus the Christ that day. While we're not told how old Simeon was, the impression we get is of an older man, who had been promised by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before seeing the Lord's Christ.

Or in a more general sense, we can see that God has plans for our seniors. Think of Paul writing to Titus, advising him on what to teach and how to apply it. As well as addressing specific application to the young men and the young women, he also highlights the older men, and the older women.

Hopefully, as we've surveyed some of the evidence, we can see that God is not ageist - that He calls men and women of all ages. No one is too old for God to call, save, bless and use.

Normally, we apply this by looking towards the young, but it also applies to the older generations too:

For the LORD is good; his steadfast love endures for ever, and his faithfulness to all generations. (Psalm 100:5)

Ageist Attitudes?

How do we view older people? This is a question that came up during the discussions in our Seniors' Weekend.

Society seems to look down on our older citizens. Most names for them have negative overtones, whether they are described as wrinklies, OAP's, the blue rinse brigade. Pensioners are pensioned off, seen as worthless by most people, a drain on the social security budget with their pensions and benefits.

Just think of the road traffic warning sign for elderly people:



Not too complimentary, is it?

Particularly in the church setting, older people can sometimes be seen as resisting change - as long as they're around - which may be frustrating to younger members.

Yet the sad reality is that many of our older people feel worthless and lonely. Mobility can be a problem, with some being trapped within their homes, no longer able to get out to the shops or church. They can easily slip through the net, quickly forgotten when no longer active in the parish, and so need more support, not less. Health issues can add to the sense of helplessness, and can be a dent on their independence.

So how can we help older folk? We've looked at how our society views them. Tomorrow we'll think about how God views older people, and then on Wednesday we'll see how churches can engage in seniors ministry and outreach.

Reaching the Retired: Seniors 1

This weekend we've been thinking about Seniors' Ministry in the parish. A busy time, but also a good time. As well as the theory of planning strategy and thinking through the issues, we had an outreach Afternoon Tea event.

The elderly are an important constituency for us to reach - one statistic quoted yesterday said that there were more people over 80 in the UK than under 18. Remarkable! Most churches plan for youth ministry and aim their resources towards the younger people, yet we cannot neglect the older members of the community.

Our older Christians can testify to God's grace and faithfulness over long periods of time. For example, last Sunday during the children's talk, I asked if anyone had been a Christian for more than ten, twenty, thirty, forty years - and we probably could have gone for fifty or even sixty years of walking with the Lord! What a witness and encouragement for the newer Christians to see how God has brought people through previous recessions, wars, and redundancy and unemployment in their lifetime.

When we think of non-Christian older people, there is perhaps a greater sense of urgency with them moving closer to meeting their Maker. But whether Christian or non-Christian, our aim in ministry to seniors, indeed, in all ministry, is to present 'everyone mature in Christ' (Colossians 1:28).

Through the week we'll think about our attitude to older people, and God's attitude towards them, before seeing the possibilities of outreach to seniors.