Selah2020: Pause and Reflect

[This reflection was published in the weekly news bulletin of Horley Baptist Church, 25/Apr/2021]

We have known for years that the Queen is a sincere believer in the Lord Jesus as the Son of God and her Saviour, but it is only since the death of her husband, the Duke of Edinburgh, that we have heard anything about his own beliefs. Royal commentators have since described him as having a deep Christian faith and as a practising Christian, with a collection of hundreds of “religious” books. A number of bishops have recalled that after a church service he always loved to discuss their sermons to deepen his own faith. As a result he planned his own funeral, not only ceremonially but spiritually too.

It was interesting that the two readings at the funeral were one from scriptures written between the Old and New Testaments, Ecclesiasticus 43:11-26, which describes the power of God’s creation. This includes the sea, which as a naval officer in World War Two would have meant so much to the Duke. The other being John 11:21-27, where before raising Lazarus from the dead, Jesus teaches Martha that anyone who trusts in Him as the resurrection and the life, even though they die, will one day rise and never die again.

The reading in Ecclesiasticus starts by saying, “Look at the rainbow and praise its Maker, it shines with a supreme beauty …”. This reminded me of a time when we visited Tilgate Park in Crawley. We arrived in a shower of rain and as we waited for the rain to stop we saw a beautiful rainbow, but not only that, we saw a most remarkable sight –the end of the rainbow. It came down to the ground in front of a large tree and as a result the tree shimmered with all the colours of the rainbow. Since then the rainbow has always meant so much to me as I “praise its Maker”; just as it meant so much in Genesis 9:12-17 where God created the rainbow as a sign of His mercy to Noah and to us as his descendants.

But it also reminded me of when Ezekiel saw a vision of God in all his glory in Ezekiel 1:27,28, “Brilliant light surrounded him. Like the appearance of a rainbow in the clouds on a rainy day, so was the radiance around him.” This again is a sign of God’s promise to show us mercy and preserve us, even in death, until Jesus comes again and raises our bodies in new and eternal life in Him.

Then we shall praise forever, the Maker of the rainbow.

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[This is one in a series of mid-week Reflections published by Horley Baptist Church during April 2021]

Once upon a time, more than half a century ago, my acting career began (and ended) in a school production of ‘The Stolen Prince’. My role was that of the executioner, a role that was without any dialogue and, because no executions actually occurred, it was also without any job satisfaction. In that way it was reminiscent of a better-known character who also was somewhat short on completed commissions. In ‘The Mikado’ the post of Lord High Executioner was a royal appointment and the Emperor himself was coming to find out why there had been no executions. It seemed that executioner himself might be the first victim of his own trade.

In Matthew 25 we read of a landowner who decided to review the work of various of his servants. He had left each one with a certain amount of resources and he was very satisfied to hear that several of them had doubled the value of those resources. However, one employee had simply put his allocation into safe storage and then returned the landowner’s assets exactly as he had received them.

Perhaps we should have a certain degree of sympathy with the unfortunate servant. He did at least retain the value of the assets and the owner did not suffer any actual loss, apart from perhaps a small amount of interest. How would the owner have reacted if the servant had made a poor investment and lost the lot? Of course, as with all parables, we must not push the story beyond its intended application but perhaps he was known to be lazy and this was a last opportunity to redeem himself. Anyway, he was dismissed, expelled from the household and left to lament his shortcomings.

Returning to the plight of the Lord High Executioner: a young man, being the losing party in a love triangle, had decided to commit suicide. The Lord High Executioner offered to perform the final dispatch for him and thus the lack of executions will be resolved before the Emperor arrives. However, the Emperor arrived before he was expected and then it transpired that the young man was actually the Emperor’s missing son. A certain amount of procrastination may have averted a disaster!

The music for The Mikado was composed by Arthur Sullivan, a gifted musician whose talents were not confined to entertaining theatre-goers. He also used his skills to become a prolific writer of hymn tunes. What are you doing with the talents and opportunities that God has given you? Are you willing to take risks to explore their potential? That unprofitable servant had two colleagues who should have been able to help him. Do you accept advice from Christian companions? Could you share your own experiences, for the benefit of others?

Like the Emperor and the landowner, Jesus Christ will return when he is not expected. Our relationship with Jesus is the foundation on which we build our faith, but heed the words of the apostle Paul:

If anyone’s work which he has built on [that foundation] endures, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire. [1 Corinthians 3 v14-15 NKJV]

Will you receive the final assessment: “Well done, good and faithful servant”?

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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 mid-week devotional reflections prepared for Horley Baptist Church during April 2021]

Do you like a good argument? Perhaps ‘debate’ would be a more appropriate word for a discussion of some substance. Obviously, a good debate is one where eventually you carry the day, convincing yourself and, hopefully, your protagonist that you know best. Ideally it should entail a certain amount of effort – a walk-over is no fun – but the eventual outcome should not be in doubt.

Of course, there is the risk that you yourself might be won over by the counter arguments. A friend of mine recently referred me to a book that he had read but he added a note: “I didn’t agree with everything he said, but it was still a very worthwhile read nonetheless”. Often we can learn more from the people that we disagree with rather than from those who simply confirm what we think we already know. The disagreement forces us to examine why we differ, and potentially makes us stronger in our faith.

I rather suspect that the apostle Paul would endorse that line of thought. He had disagreements with Barnabas, John Mark and Peter to name just three, and they were supposed to be on the same side as him. It may be that these ‘friendly’ altercations were a useful experience when he came to argue with the governing authorities.

The trouble comes when you take on God as your adversary. You know who is going to win in the end and no amount of logical argument, verbosity or procrastination is going to change that.

In Genesis 18 we see Abraham trying to argue with God before the destruction of Sodom; he changed the criteria but the result was the same. Similarly, in Exodus 4 we see Moses trying to argue his way out of the commission to lead Israel. The text tells that he made God angry but once again it didn’t change the outcome. Jonah didn’t even bother to argue; he just ran away. After an in-depth lesson in marine biology he too did as he was told.

Taking about maritime experiences, there was Peter at Joppa, relaxing by the sea and anticipating a generous helping of fish and chips when God presented him with a different menu. Three times he tried to refuse it, claiming that what he saw was offensive and contrary to his culture. This same Peter who had previously addressed his message of salvation only to people of the Jewish faith was about to be taught a lesson about prejudice and exclusion. A request from a Roman centurion for Peter to visit him resulted in Peter discovering that gentile hospitality was not as distasteful as he had expected.

Are you being called to do something illogical or irrational? Maybe even something counter-cultural? God is not averse to confirming the call but His will takes precedence.

There’s a work for Jesus, ready at your hand,
’Tis a task the Master just for you has planned.
Haste to do His bidding, yield Him service true;
There’s a work for Jesus none but you can do.
[Elsie Yale, 1912]

In His sermon on the mount Jesus gave us an example of how to pray. Are you willing to echo these words?

… your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
[Matthew 6 v10 NIVUK]

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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, 18/Apr/2021]

Throughout the pandemic we’ve heard a lot of talk in the media about the issue of freedom. As Christians, we sometimes make the mistake of thinking that freedom is just about doing (or buying) whatever we want. We think we’re free because when we want to buy groceries, we can choose between Tesco, Lidl, Iceland or Waitrose – at least if we live in Horley! But what does the Bible teach us about freedom? Surely there’s more to freedom than the right to choose between various brands of cereals and shampoo!

I think the recent periods of lockdown have shown us what a poor understanding of freedom we have in our Western culture today. We think that we’re free as long as the government doesn’t stop us from going to the pub. But when the lockdown restrictions are eventually lifted – and when we’re allowed back into pubs, restaurants, shops, etc. – the fact remains that if we don’t have Christ, we’ll still be in spiritual lockdown, regardless of whatever Boris Johnson tells us we can and can’t do.

God’s Word teaches us that “freedom” without God is just another word for slavery to self. Freedom isn’t just a matter of doing whatever we want or acting on our impulses. When we just do what we want without thinking about God, we become slaves to our own emotions and instincts. This is why “freedom without God” is a contradiction. It’s only by following Christ that we can find true freedom.

So regardless of whatever outward restrictions might be imposed during lockdowns, this is a good time to think about what it means to be free in Christ. Let’s learn to trust in the promise of God that if Jesus sets us free, then we really will be free indeed (John 8:36).

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.