Is it because he loves us?

Tomorrow is Good Friday. For many years, churches in Doncaster have marked the day with a Walk of Witness through the town centre on Good Friday morning. Good Friday is a hugely significant day, when we remember the crucifixion of Jesus on a cross, and its significance for us today.

One hymn-writer puts it like this:

We may not know, we cannot tell
What pains he had to bear,
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.

Of course, the vast majority of people in Jerusalem on that day did not understand the significance of Jesus' death. And there will be many people, I am sure, who will see us on the Walk of Witness and wonder why. To some, Good Friday holds no meaning.

A young mum was telling me recently that her 6 year-old daughter asked her to explain why Jesus died on a cross. It's difficult enough explaining the cross in plain English to an adult, never mind to a 6 year-old! The mum was struggling to find the right words when her daughter said, "Mum, was it because he loves us?"

Thank God for children!

Growing younger?

"You look younger every time I see you!" No, not a message for Cliff Richard, but believe it or not those words were spoken to me today! This afternoon I called to see an elderly lady whose late husband's funeral service I had taken a couple of weeks ago, and those were her parting words to me as I said goodbye after my visit. To be honest, it's not every day that I receive such nice comments! And to be fair, I'm not sure how well the eyesight of the lady in question is functioning these days. Nevertheless, it did give me a warm glow for a while.

Of course, the truth is that none of us can prevent the relentless march of time. Every 24 hours we find ourselves a day older. Despite the vast amounts of money some people spend on cosmetic surgery etc., "old father time" still has his way with our bodies. Whether or not we find it easy to accept, the fact is that sooner or later our ticker will stop beating and our time on plant earth will be up. Many people in the UK now live longer than the Biblical "three score years and ten". But earthly life doesn't last forever. Some of the big, soul-searching questions that it doesn't do any harm to ask ourselves, are, "What will my life add up to? Am I heading in the right direction? What will I achieve in my life?"

Some time ago the old wooden, falling-to-bits doors on our garage were replaced with a metal roller door. It was a massive improvement. A few days ago I went out to open the new roller door and I noticed a rather strange sight. A tiny snail had crawled up the door to about 3/4 way up. It was sitting there (if snails do sit, I'm not sure!) Unfortunately I don't speak snail language, otherwise I'd have asked it "WHY? What was the point of the journey? Are you sure you're heading in the right direction?"

I've no idea what happened to the snail, but at least it reminded me of some fundamental life questions with which I can challenge myself!

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.

Help, my internet isn't working!

Sue and I managed a 2 day break in our flat in Scarborough at the end of last week. On the Friday, the weather was sunny and fairly warm for a March day. We enjoyed some outdoors time, and even had lunch sitting on a picnic bench outside a farm shop. Saturday was a rather different story, as the clouds had rolled in and a sharp easterly wind had sprung up. We did actually have lunch outside on the Saturday as well, but it was a very much quicker affair, and we soon moved on before the cold wind took too much toll!

One of the first things I normally do after returning from time away is turn on the pc and check my e-mails (sad but true!) I was shocked to discover that the internet was not working, so no e-mails and no surfing! I eventually worked out that the problem wasn't with the pc but had something to do with the connection between the Service Provider and the router. Even our computer guru friend Simon couldn't fix it! This kind of thing has happened on occasions previously, but usually for only a few minutes, or a maximum of a couple of hours, at a time. I began to fret - what on earth do I do without internet access?

To cut a long story short, communication was restored to normal mid-morning today, but it had been almost 4 days since I had been able to access the internet. I'm still not fully sure what caused the problem, but the main thing is that normal service has been resumed! I do wonder if we have become too reliant on our pcs?

This episode has also got me to thinking about the changing methods of communication in our modern society. I know that a lower percentage of my communication is done face to face, or even on the telephone, than in years gone by. I send and receive many e-mails each day. Whilst they are a very convenient method of easy communication, they have their limitations. There is no doubt that in recent times we have seen a communication explosion. But the question remains: are we losing the art of real communication? Is that part of the reason why many human relationships seem such a struggle?

I believe that my relationships with my family and friends, and most of all with God, are the most important part of my life. Communication is a vital element of any relationships, and communication involves both parties. I am resolved to play my part.

What are you building with?

Some years ago I decided to write a book. The central theme of the book was to be what I find a very challenging passage in the first letter of Paul to the church in Corinth. Basically, Paul is asking his readers to consider what they are building with their lives. From The Message translation, here are his words:

'Using the gift God gave me as a good architect, I designed blueprints; Apollos is putting up the walls. Let each carpenter who comes on the job take care to build on the foundation! Remember, there is only one foundation, the one already laid: Jesus Christ. Take particular care in picking out your building materials. Eventually there is going to be an inspection. If you use cheap or inferior materials, you'll be found out. The inspection will be thorough and rigorous. You won't get by with a thing. If your work passes inspection, fine; if it doesn't, your part of the building will be torn out and started over. But you won't be torn out; you'll survive - but just barely.'

Paul reminds his readers that one day we will all have to present our lives before God. The big question we all face is: what am I building with my life? Is it something which will stand the test?

We have witnessed in recent weeks the terrible devastation wreaked by earthquakes in New Zealand and Japan. An event like that really does test the integrity of buildings in the earthquake zone. Some building have been specially designed to withstand earthquakes. Those that had not been so designed had little chance of remaining upright.

From time to time the passage from Paul's letter comes to mind, and I ask myself again whether what I am building with my life is worthy of placing before God. I know that God is not impressed by many of the values which are so cherished by our society today (wealth, power, status, possessions etc). What God wants is that we live lives which reflect the character of Jesus.

I was so impressed by the words of Helen Roseveare (see pic.) on Songs of Praise on 13th March. Helen served in Africa for many years, and at one time was arrested and beaten. Yet love shines from her face. She felt called to serve in Africa because at an early age she had "fallen in love with Jesus", and wanted to share that love with people in great need. At the end of the interview she said these words: "You should give the whole of your life to serve the Lord. There's nothing else worth doing. And when you get to the end, nothing else will count except what was done for him."

Such challenging words. Why waste time on things which ultimately don't count?

(Sadly, the book never did get written, but maybe one day!)

Don't judge a book by its cover

'The English idiom "don't judge a book by its cover" is a metaphorical phrase which means "you shouldn't prejudge the worth or value of something, by its outward appearance alone."' So says Wikipedia, and on this occasion I think that Wikipedia is accurate (which is not always the case!) I was sharply reminded of the phrase this week.

As a church minister I am approached, on occasions, with people (almost always men) who have a sad story to tell. The stories seem to be variations on a theme, usually to do with having fallen on hard times, and usually finishing up with the need for help of some kind or other. It is my policy not to give money to anyone, particularly as one never knows how that money will be spent. I find it notoriously difficult to know how much of the story I hear is true, and how best to respond.

This week I met a man who told me a long and rambling story. I had plans for the afternoon, but I felt it right to sit and listen. I won't go into the story in detail, suffice to say that he asked not for money, but for help to find a bed and breakfast place overnight. He seemed to have very little by way of his own possessions (he had apparently been mugged and his back-sack stolen)

To cut a long story short, my new friend and I spent much of the afternoon trying to fins him a bed for the night. We called at several places asking if they had a room for the night, but when they took a look at my friend the answer was "no". It was clear that he was being judged on his outward appearance (which wasn't too bad, though his long hair and woolly hat maybe didn't help! After several rejections, I began to understand something of how Mary and Joseph must have felt when they discovered "no room at the inn".

I got to thinking about how we too easily judge people by their outward appearance. I know that over the years I have met people to whom at first impression I was not at all attracted, but when I got to know them over the course of time I came to value them greatly. Read the gospels and it becomes abundantly clear that Jesus never judged a person by how they looked. He always saw into a person's heart, and valued them as a unique creation of God.

This week's experience has certainly reminded me of an important lesson - "don't judge a book by its cover"

And yes, we did eventually find him somewhere to stay!

Releasing the chains of unforgiveness

It is not often that I am brought to tears by an e-mail, but it happened today. When I last led a group to the Holy Land, we were privileged to be able to visit a group of believers in Jesus who are doing amazing things. I receive regular e-mail updates concerning their work. They are a wonderful example of how barriers can be broken down through a shared faith in Jesus Christ. Jewish and Arab believers worshipping together, demonstrating love for each other and for their local community. They are involved in some effective ministry with people in real need, and are blessed by witnessing God changing people’s lives in a wonderful way.

One such person was a young Jewish man. He is a former drug addict whose life was transformed when he met Jesus. He is now married to a German lady. They are involved in a number of areas of ministry. The e-mail I received this morning mentioned a movement in which they are involved called “Yad b’Yad” (“Hand in Hand”). The e-mail stated:

Every summer, Israeli Messianic [i.e. Jewish people who believe that Jesus is the Messiah] teenagers meet and bond with German teenage believers, with oversight by Jewish and German pastors. The ministry culminates with Jewish and German teenagers, holding hands two-by-two, walking through Auschwitz together. Tears of shame and unforgiveness are replaced by love, joy, acceptance and lifelong friendships.

How amazing! As I read those words, and imagined the sight, tears began welling up in my eyes. Forgiveness and reconciliation is such a wonderful thing - if only we human beings could learn to forgive! Desmond Tutu once said, “If you can find it in yourself to forgive then you are no longer chained to the perpetrator. You can move on, and you can even help the perpetrator to become a better person too.”

If we harbour unforgiveness in our hearts, the only person we really hurt is ourselves. The chains of unforgiveness hold us captive. When we forgive, we set ourselves free!