Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 31/October/2021]

One of my favourite films is the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society. It is a fictional film based on real experiences during the 2nd world war in Guernsey. It describes how a group of people formed a book reading society which was challenged by the German Occupation during that time.

These people had a common cause, but they stuck together through thick and thin. They experienced tragedy in their everyday life but together worked through their circumstances against a common enemy.

How amazingly precious is the bond we have in our small groups in church life, sharing our sorrows and cares with each other. As we grow to trust each other, pray together and look to Jesus in everything we find that all things work together for good to those who love the Lord.

I love Psalm 133. It says that when brethren dwell together in unity that the Lord commands a blessing, even life for evermore. Even if the enemy would come against us with many things and accusations.

We can form a bond of love, fellowship and understanding that would send the opposition running and out of his dastardly schemes we can have life for evermore.

Every blessing as we face the future together

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during October 2021]

In the late 1800s Australia was experiencing a serious challenge to its economic development, brought about in part by a lack of adequate transport facilities. The authorities of the time tackled the problem by bringing in drivers from Afghanistan – an idea that might have some mileage in more recent times.

The drivers of those days were not steering the multi-trailer road trains that are now the mainstay of many Australian communities. The Afghan drivers were cameleers, guiding their caravans of quadrupeds across the outback, providing transport for explorers, surveyors and traders.

The Old Testament has many references to camels, both as beasts of burden and as instruments of war. A man’s wealth and status was often indicated by the number of camels that he owned. Abraham acquired camels as a gift from Pharaoh; maybe it was descendants of those camels that played a central role in the wooing of Rebecca some years later. God blessed Job with 6,000 camels. In the court of king David the camel keeper was a royal appointment.

It is interesting that the New Testament does not appear to regard camels with the same level of significance. Apart from the references to John the Baptist’s attire and the famous comment about the ‘eye of a needle’, other mentions of camels are scarce. Perhaps this reflects a shift in the cultural emphasis; the Old Testament has a Middle-east context whereas the New Testament was written during the time of the Roman empire.

We too live in times of cultural change. As an illustration, the Israelites were forbidden to eat camel meat but now if you had the opportunity to travel on the Ghan – the trans-Australia train named after those original camel trains – you would find camel steaks on the menu.

How do you react to changes in the culture around us? Do you long for real hymns and an established liturgy (however informal that may be)? Remember, even the ‘real’ hymns were new once. Or do you see yourself part of the new world order, waiting for the fuddy-duddies to release control? Don’t forget that those who have gone before can offer a rich heritage of experience, often obtained the hard way.

To what extent should we change ‘church’ in order to remain relevant to the society around us? Should we even think that way? The apostle Paul wrote to the church in Corinth describing how he identified with his audience whilst maintaining the integrity of his message. He summarised his words thus:

“I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” [1 Corinthians 9 v22-23 NIVUK]

Earlier in the same letter Paul had identified what was driving him:

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.”
[1 Corinthians 2 v2 NIVUK]

What is driving you?

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 24/October/2021]

Someone on Desert Island Discs recently chose the theme music for Dr. Who as his first disc, because his first spoken word as a baby was “Dalek”. For most of us it was “Mama” or “Dada”. Perhaps for someone like Einstein his first spoken word might have been “Relativity”.

The first recorded words of Jesus were in the temple: “Why were you searching for me? Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” He was in fact twelve years old at the time and His parents had spent three frantic days searching for Him in Jerusalem, but even at that age Jesus knew He had to be in the home of His true Father. [Luke 2 v41-50 NIVUK]

When He was about 30 years old, Jesus was baptised in the River Jordan, even though as the sinless Son of God He didn’t need to be. Not like us who need to witness by baptism to the forgiveness of our sins by faith in Jesus. It was at this time that we read the first recorded words of God spoken to Jesus: “You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.” [Luke 3 v21,22 NIVUK]

I had believed in Jesus as my Lord and Saviour as a child, but I was older than Jesus when I was baptised. I had put it off because I was frightened of having my head under water. When Barbara and I decided we needed to be faithful in baptism, we were baptised at the same time side by side in the baptistry. The minister next to Barbara quickly raised her up out of the water, but the person baptising me had never done it before and forgot how to get me up. It seemed like ages that I was laying under the water, although it could only have been a few seconds. The amazing thing is that as I lay there with my arms folded across my chest, I was completely at peace before I came up out of the water. It was almost as though God was saying that I hadn’t needed to worry about being underwater, as now I had been faithful to Him.

When Paul and Silas were in prison in Philippi, there was an earthquake and all the prison doors flew open. The jailer was terrified that the prisoners had escaped and was about to commit suicide. But when Paul assured him that they were all there, the jailer was so overcome that he asked them, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” When told to believe in the Lord Jesus and what that meant, he and his family believed and were baptised.

It may be that you have recently come to faith in Jesus and are thinking about being baptised, or perhaps you have believed for years and, like me, have put it off. Now would be a good time to have a chat with Martin about baptism. When it happens you may not hear out loud what our Father says when you come up out of the water, but you can be sure that He will say that He loves you and is well pleased with you.

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during October 2021]

Will God have mercy on a man who does not show mercy?
It might seem odd to start a Christian meditation with a quotation from the Quran so let me explain.

In 1984, shortly after I started attending HBC, I was on a flight from Jeddah to Yanbu on the Red Sea coast of Saudi Arabia. As was the case with all Saudia flights of that time, the purser’s pre-flight safety announcement included a prayer committing the flight into the hands of Allah and asking for its safe arrival. Of course, I muttered a somewhat different version and one of us must have got it right because we did indeed arrive safely. The Saudia in-flight magazine contained an ‘infidel-friendly’ introduction to Islam and included several Anglicised quotations from the Quran; the one above has stuck with me.

Jesus expressed a similar sentiment in his Sermon on the Mount: “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy”^[1]. There is no question here; it is an affirmation of words from the Old Testament:

And the Lord said, ‘… I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion.’ [Exodus 33 v19 NIVUK]

Of course, my own exploits are not the reason that 1984 has gained its primary significance. In 1948 George Orwell wrote his (then) futuristic novel about the decay of society, duplicity in government and the erosion of personal freedoms. He chose ‘1984’ as the title of his novel. As we look around us today it might be argued that the only thing that George Orwell got wrong was the date.

In Orwell’s prophesy, various superpowers are striving for supremacy. Each claims pre-eminence for its own interpretation of the rule of law which it then enforces on its citizens. As the relationships between the superpowers change it becomes expedient to rewrite history; people and events that contradict the party line are made to conform or they disappear from the records. We find no trace of mercy or compassion here.

Orwell based his writing on what he saw of the oppressive regimes in eastern Europe. It is perhaps not coincidental that on this date (19th October) in 1984 a politically-dissident priest was killed by three agents of the Polish Communist intelligence service.

Two contrasting ideologies: one is based on a vague hope that God will be merciful, the other has replaced God with a merciless ‘Big Brother’. Are you just hoping for God’s mercy? You can be confident about it. Assurance and certainty are available to those who put their trust in Jesus Christ.

Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.
Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
[Hebrews 4 v14,16 NIVUK]

The 19^th verse of the 8^th chapter of the 4^th book of the Bible also talks about the role of the priest, atonement and approaching God – just a coincidence?

[1] Matthew 5 v7 NIVUK.

Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 17/October/2021]

In 1 Samuel 7 we read how the Philistines, who were long standing enemies of the Israelites, came to attack Israel. Samuel called out to God for help and God threw the Philistines into such a panic that the Israelites were able to defeat them. Verse 12 says: “Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying: “Thus far has the LORD helped us”.

The word Ebenezer means ‘Stone of Help’ and I was particularly struck by the phrase “Thus far has the LORD helped us”. There is a very old hymn called ‘Come thou fount of every blessing’ which contains the words: “Here I raise my Ebenezer, hither by thine help I’ve come. And I hope, by thy good pleasure, safely to arrive at home.”

This got me thinking: ‘How can we raise our Ebenezer, or stone of help, to remind us of times when God has helped us?’ One way is to keep a prayer journal, recording prayers and answers. Unfortunately I lack the discipline to keep this up. Sharing our stories with others will also help build up both their faith and ours. I remember more than 50 years ago my father told me of an inner voice prompting him to make a phone call which most unexpectedly led to a job offer with a 33% pay rise. This was some time after my parents had made the sacrificial decision to start tithing.

Perhaps there is some object we can use to remind us of a time we have experienced God’s provision, as the Israelites used the Stone of Help. Alternatively, we could have a number of small cards and write on each a few words, reminding us of times when God has helped us. I decided to follow the last of these suggestions, jotting down things on cards as they occurred to me, for example:
1996 – provision of the perfect part time job, before I even started looking for one.
1999 – 2 nights a month respite starting just after Michael’s diabetes diagnosis, when it was most needed.”

The hymn ‘Amazing Grace’ has a verse which echoes these thoughts:

“Through many dangers, toils and snares I have already come.
‘Tis grace has brought me safe thus far and grace will lead me home”

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.

[This is one in a series of devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during October 2021]

Are you a dissectologist? It’s nothing to get cut up about; it is, apparently, the technical term for those who enjoy the challenge of completing jigsaw puzzles. The name comes from a 17th century London mapmaker who cut one of his wooden maps into individual country shapes and invited his friends to reassemble the map that he had dissected. The idea caught on and these puzzles were even used in schools as a teaching aid for geography lessons.

Do you enjoy spending time poring over those beautiful pictures that someone has cut into a multitude of pieces just so that you can put them back together again? There are many reports of the benefits of being a dissectologist, including improved mental acuity, memory retention, visual perception and dexterity. Doing jigsaws is not necessarily a solitary pastime; working as a couple or a group can develop team skills, patience and tolerance of others’ mistakes.

In a complex jigsaw puzzle every piece gets scrutinised in detail: what shape is it, how many tabs and sockets, any distinguishing features, what colours are prominent? We try to memorise the requirements for each piece as we search for a match. However, once a piece is in place all those details get forgotten, replaced with a new set of criteria.

Each piece relates to its neighbours; having a complete picture is important. If just one piece is missing then the whole is incomplete; it offers no satisfaction that 99% of the pieces are present and correct. This reminds us of the parable of the lost sheep:

Suppose one of you has a hundred sheep and loses one of them. Doesn’t he leave the ninety-nine in the open country and go after the lost sheep until he finds it? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders and goes home. Then he calls his friends and neighbours together and says, “Rejoice with me; I have found my lost sheep.” [Luke 15 v4-6 NIVUK]

We too can identify with the feeling of finding that lost piece that completes the picture.

Of course, the principles of puzzle solving are not limited to the two-dimensional pieces of wood or cardboard. Think of the complexities of erecting flat-pack furniture, rebuilding a car engine or assembling a space station. Some fettling of the pieces may be required to achieve a perfect fit.

Do you recognise yourself as a piece in God’s plan? Your individual characteristics may be exactly what is necessary to match with those around you. Those sharp edges and uncomfortable tabs are part of an overall system that locks the whole picture together. No piece is a picture in itself but without you, the picture is incomplete.

Are you willing to let God adapt you and fit you into place? Are you willing to relinquish the focus so that the whole picture can be seen? In this week’s ‘Yours’, Helen wrote about “All parts working together” – an essential requirement for a complete picture. The apostle Paul wrote some words which are appropriate both to jigsaw puzzles and also to our place in God’s plan:

But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. [1 Corinthians 12 v 18-20 NIVUK]

Praise God that there is unity in our diversity!

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Bible quotations: Unless otherwise specified, quotations are taken from the resources of Bible Gateway or Bible Hub, in accordance with the licencing conditions outlined on our Site Policies page.

Bible dates: Where appropriate, the dates given for Biblical events are based on the Bible Timeline resource
and are subject to the constraints defined on the corresponding webpage.