Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during November 2020]

In the seafaring world there is a rite known as ‘crossing the line’. It is a form of initiation for mariners who cross the equator for the first time; they are presented to King Neptune who then accords them the status of fully-fledged seafarers. Its origins are lost in time but it is believed to date back to at least the Phoenician sea traders, maybe as long ago as 2500BC. I recall one such ceremony in the late 1950s, when King Neptune came aboard to oversee the festivities, which included the inductees engaging in balloon fights whilst balanced on a greasy pole suspended over the ship’s swimming pool.

In modern parlance, ‘crossing the line’ has acquired a more serious meaning. It is often used for an action that goes beyond the limits of prevailing social expectations. However, if enough people cross the line frequently enough then the lines will move. Similarly, people involved in treaty negotiations often claim to have certain fixed objectives, variously called red lines or lines in the sand, from which they are unwilling to retreat. The trouble with lines in the sand is that the tide comes in and the lines disappear.

In Exodus 19 we read of how God instructed Moses to set a boundary around the base of Mt Sinai. God was about to deliver the Ten Commandments and He needed to impress upon the people the sanctity of the occasion. There were severe consequences for any man or beast who crossed that line.

There is another meaning for crossing the line. The writer of the letter to the Hebrews alluded to it when he said: “let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us”. In a sporting context, crossing the line means that the immediate effort of the race is over, the runner can relax and be thankful for what has been achieved. That writer likened the Christian life to a race but we should be encouraged that is not a sprint where the only winner is the one who crosses the line first; rather is more like a marathon where all those who finish the course are winners and the only losers are those who don’t try.

We have not crossed the finishing line yet. What have you got lined up for the rest of the day?

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[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 01/Nov/2020]

A dear friend at HTB^[1] has been regularly sending us Christian magazines during this year, and I was interested to read an article by the author and professor, Tom Wright, answering the question, “My daughter’s dog died recently and she is heartbroken. Will we see our pets again in heaven?”

Some time ago I discussed this question with a friend who was firmly of the opinion that there will be no animals in heaven. He based this view on the life of Job in the Old Testament. Satan wanted to attack him because he believed that Job was only faithful to God because God had given him great blessings. As a result Satan killed his many children and their families, and also his servants, took away his numerous flocks, and finally struck him down with a terrible illness, expecting him to turn against God. When he remained faithful, God restored Job and gave him back his health and possessions, as many children as before, but twice as many flocks of animals.

To my friend, this showed that God only gave back to him the same number of children because his first children were in heaven, and twice the animals because the previous animals were not in heaven. My own feeling was that God had doubly blessed Job with the increase in animals as a reward for his faithfulness.

Thinking about “heaven”, the Bible makes it clear at the end of Revelation that He will soon create a new heaven and earth, which will be our heaven and our eternal home. We shall live there with God in the New Jerusalem, but outside of the city will be a whole new world. Our present world is beautiful but spoilt by our failure to look after it. I am sure that the new earth will be perfect and overflowing with beautiful scenery, flora and magnificent animals because that is the nature of our creator God, and we shall be thrilled to enjoy them.

The Bible says,

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.” [1 Corinthians 2 v9]

Going back to what happens to our pets, because they meant so much to us in this life, it would not surprise me if God does recreate our pets for us to enjoy being with in that new creation. That’s the sort of loving God that He is.

I am glad to say that Tom Wright came to the same conclusion.

[1] Holy Trinity Church, Brompton Road, west London

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during October 2020]

In the liturgical calendars of many branches of Christianity, this period of transition from October to November is often called ‘Allhallowtide”. Hallows is an old-English word for saints. All Saints Day is celebrated on the first Sunday of November, following All Hallows Eve the night before. All Saints Day is an occasion to bring to mind those who have died and, in some denominations, to pray for the peace of their souls.

We too can take this opportunity to thank God for all those who have walked the life of faith before us, who have left us an example whereby we can be encouraged in our own walk with the Lord.
In 1864, William How wrote the following words:

For all the saints who from their labours rest,
who thee by faith before the world confessed,
thy name, O Jesus, be forever blessed.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

In the Biblical context, saints are not just those who have been venerated for some special reason. It is clear from his writings that the apostle Paul used the words ‘saints’ to include all those who have placed their faith in Jesus Christ. For example, in his letter to the church at Ephesus Paul wrote “Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” [Ephesians 2 v19 NKJV].
On that basis, we can claim our own common heritage with them.

O blessed communion, fellowship divine,
we feebly struggle, they in glory shine;
yet all are one in thee, for all are thine.
Alleluia! Alleluia!

As we celebrate the blessing of Godly predecessors, we should not forget that we are setting examples for those who will follow us. That can be a sobering thought but also an encouraging one.

From earth’s wide bounds, from ocean’s farthest coast,
through gates of pearl streams in the countless host,
singing to Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Alleluia! Alleluia!

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during October 2020]

God’s instruction to Moses “Take two tablets” has a certain resonance with many of us, albeit in a different context. Very often, it seems that the gift of healing has been delegated to the purveyors of compressed powders. Tablets to relieve pain, tablets to reduce blood pressure, tablets to rectify low blood pressure, tablets to stimulate, tablets to relax, we even have tablets to restore the equilibrium of the stomach after taking too many other tablets. Perhaps we need the tricorder and the hypospray from USS Enterprise to deliver instant cures.

After the incident when Moses dropped the first two tablets on the ground, God told Moses to keep the replacements in a box. Great idea, it keeps them safe and out of sight. But out of sight can often mean out of mind, ignored, forgotten.

For us, when we attempt to put our tablets back in their box we find the way is obstructed by a tightly folded piece of paper. Usually we just pull it out and throw it away. That leaflet is sometimes called a prospectus – it contains important information about the medicine and what we can expect from it. Have you ever bothered to read one? It tells us who made the product, what it is for, the appropriate dosage, what to avoid whilst using it and how to recognise any side-effects.

Moses received a prospectus too; you can find it in the early books of the Old Testament. It gives us important information about what was written on the tablets that he was given; who wrote them, what their purpose was, what should we do or not do and what can we expect if we follow its advice. The rest of the Old Testament shows that, for much of the time, the prospectus given by God was ignored or forgotten by those purporting to be His people.

The apostle Paul wrote about tablets. In his second letter to the Corinthians he commended them: “You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” [2 Corinthians 3 v3]

Ignoring a medical prospectus can mean an uncomfortable present; ignoring God’s prospectus makes for a very uncomfortable future.

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church on 22^nd October 2020]

History, or rather Wikipedia, records that on this day in 451 the Chalcedonian Creed was adopted by the ecumenical Council of Chalcedon. Many Christians will be aware of the earlier ecumenical councils at Nicaea and Constantinople which resulted in the Nicene Creed – a statement of faith that is still used in many churches today.

The council at Chalcedon was intended to issue a statement defining the divine and human nature of Jesus Christ. This it did, but the resulting document has neither the simplicity nor the wider acceptance of earlier creeds. The records of the proceedings reveal a great deal of dispute between people who considered themselves to have some authority in the churches of the time, and led to further divisions between different branches of the church – not what was expected.

On this day in 1844 the followers of American pastor William Miller expected to see Christ return in His second advent. Some had even sold their possessions in anticipation. Miller had done a great deal of research into the Old Testament prophecies and had concluded that they all pointed to that date. Unfortunately he had apparently overlooked Christ’s own statement recorded in Mark 13:

But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.

On this day in 1887, coal miners in Blantyre went to work as usual, expecting to return home at the end of their shift; 207 died following an explosion of gases underground. In 2005, 117 people boarded a plane in Lagos, expecting to arrive safely in Abuja. The plane crashed; there were no survivors.

What will history record about this date in 2020? Do you have great expectations for this day? Are you afraid that it may turn out to be a day of great disappointment? Proverbs 16 v3-4 advises us:

“Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and he will establish your plans. The Lord works out everything to its proper end”.

Is this talk of disappointment depressing? Here is an antidote:
“This is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.”

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during October 2020]

In the early 1970s, American singer Don Maclean wrote a song entitled ‘Vincent’, also commonly known as ‘Starry, starry night’. He had been inspired by reading a book about Vincent van Gogh, the Dutch post-impressionist painter. The song reached No 1 in the charts in the UK and in Ireland, and No 3 in Australia and Canada. The lyrics of the song include the lines:

“They would not listen, they did not know how, Perhaps they’ll listen now.”

This raises the question of ‘Who would not listen’? Perhaps for van Gogh it was the experts of the contemporary art world who did not recognise his artistic achievements until after his death. Or perhaps it was those who dismissed him because of his mental illness.

As we look around our contemporary world it does not take long to identify people who are not listening. Children not listening to their parents, spouses not listening to each other, citizens not listening to health advice, experts not listening to divergent views, legislators not listening to common sense, politicians not listening to those who pay their wages … and the vast majority not listening to God.

Jeremiah recognised a similar situation when he wrote:

“Yet they did not listen or pay attention; they were stiff-necked and would not listen or respond to discipline”. [Jeremiah 17:23]

The prophet Zechariah came to a similar conclusion:

“They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by his Spirit”. [Zechariah 7:12]

There is an added irony. In his early years van Gogh had entertained ideas of becoming a pastor like his father. He spent some time as a missionary in a mining community in Belgium and, according to at least one source, in southern England. Was his depression, at least in part, due to his perceived lack of success as a preacher?

When we look again at our modern society, are we optimistic or are we compelled to share Maclean’s closing sentiment:

“They would not listen, they’re not listening still, Perhaps they never will”

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