Fateful journey

This month sees the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic, still one of the most iconic vessels in nautical history. A number of specially commissioned programmes are being shown on TV to mark the anniversary, and the hugely popular 1997 Titanic movie is being released in 3D. Despite the intervening 100 years, the Titanic story still holds a great fascination for many.

One of the special programmes being shown is fronted by Len Goodman, of "Strictly Come Dancing" fame. In it, Len makes the point that the real interest in the story is not so much in the ship itself, but in the people whose lives were affected in some way by the disaster. Over 2,200 people were on board the ship when it set off on its fateful journey from Southampton to New York. Each individual on board had, I'm sure, their own hopes and expectations of the journey. People of all ages and backgrounds, both passengers and crew, were on board. Little did they know that over 1,500 of them would perish in the icy Atlantic waters.

This week is Holy Week, when we commemorate another 'fateful journey', the journey of Jesus, which led to his own death, through the agonising suffering of crucifixion on a cross. Those who died on the Titanic had no idea, when their journey began, of what lay in store for them. Jesus, however, knew very well, when he began his journey to Jerusalem, that suffering and death lay before him. On several previous occasions he had told his disciples what lay ahead, though they had struggled to take it in, as it didn't seem to make sense to them.

In Paul's letter to Christians in Rome, he wrote, 'God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.' Jesus freely and willingly laid down his life, so that through faith in him we might know the joy of our sins forgiven and the assurance of eternal life. What love!

Putting off the inevitable

I must confess to being someone who tends, at times, to put off the things I'm not looking forward to doing. I can be a bit of a procrastinator. One example is mowing the lawn, which I really don't enjoy. The winter period is helpful in this respect, as the lawn lies fairly dormant and there's no need for me to feel guilty that the lawnmower stays in its shed. But winter doesn't last forever, and spring, wonderful as it can be, brings with it the inevitable consequence of the lawn waking up from its hibernation and beginning to grow again.

I suppose that I've not done too bad to have been able to leave it until April before the lawnmower comes out. The last couple of weeks, with some lovely sunshine, have seen the lawn grow at a rapid rate. I realised that it would soon get totally out of hand - it was beginning to look like a meadow. So when I arrived home late this afternoon out came the lawnmower, and the job has been done. Until next week, at least!

My Dad was a gardener in his early working life. He always had a great knack around the garden, and he loved to spend time there. When Sue and I were first married he used to come round and help us with the garden from time to time. Sadly he is no longer around to help us. Dad seems to have passed on his "green fingers" to my four sisters, though for some reason the gift hasn't really come down to me.

There is something about gardening which I do like, and that is the fact that when you have worked in the garden you can see what you've done; usually your hard work makes a noticeable and pleasing difference. Yet there is also a reluctance in me to get out there, and the weeds keep growing. Maybe I will turn over a new leaf (pardon the pun) and make a commitment to spend some regular time in the garden. Maybe also I will try to be better at facing up to the things I don't like doing. After all, one can't put off the inevitable forever!

In our churches we are reading through Mark's gospel during the Lent period. Today's reading was from chapter 8 (of 14) and already the shadow of the cross has appeared, as Jesus began to prepare his disciples for what lay ahead (his arrest, suffering and crucifixion). As the time drew closer, it must have been a great temptation for Jesus to try to put off what he knew was coming. Yet he resisted the temptation, because he was totally committed to fulfilling the Father's will. He knew that his sacrificial death would open the kingdom of heaven to all who believe in him. He truly is our example and inspiration.