For all our great advances in wealth and technology we find it more difficult than ever to find peace.
Peace eludes us. This Christmas the conflicts in the very nations where Isaiah sees peace: Israel, Iraq, Syria… they continue to degenerate into an inhuman brutality.
Brexit and the US elections have exposed deep divides and growing intolerance in western societies. Families and relationships wilt under the pressure.
And our own hearts are mostly restless.
But Isaiah looks and he sees… PEACE breaking upon his nation. Breaking out over what we now call the middle east. Darkness and oppression and the shadow of death give way to dawning light, freedom and rejoicing. Isaiah sees the end of war. Enduring peace.
And why? how?
v6…For to us a child is born, to us a son is given and the government will be on his shoulders… of the increase of his government and PEACE there will be no end..
Read moreI think today it’s probably true to say that as a culture we do quite a lot of wanting – and not much waiting. There are some things we wait for - there’s the holiday we’ve booked that we’re looking forward to – maybe we buy a flat and can’t wait to move in – there’s sometimes of ‘I can’t wait’ waiting.
Yet there’s quite a lot of I want – a better job, fulfilling relationship, more money – but there’s little chance it’s going to happen. It’s not wrong – we might want very good things. But it’s a can’t have/probably won’t get sort of wanting.
Well Peter here says that Christians – those who trust in Jesus if that’s us tonight – are people or should be people – who are dominated by waiting - filled with a can’t wait – sort of waiting. And actually being filled with that sort of waiting will change our wanting.
In particular - we are waiting for what Peter calls righteousness....
Read moreMy earliest, perhaps most vivid childhood memory involves the excitement of receiving an advent calendar aged around three – and not being able to bear the anticipation, opening each and every door on 1st December - counting down to Christmas – and then deep disappointment that I hadn’t brought the big day any closer.
A new appreciation of the advent season as an adult – not least because I’m now responsible for the practical preparations – card-writing, present-wrapping, tree-decorating, food shopping, bed-making… sermon-writing…
But more so, that this is a season of interior preparation for the coming Saviour – so that when Christmas actually arrives, we can sing that wonderful line from ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ with heartfelt gusto: Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today.
Read moreThe great theme that runs through this episode is the theme of blindness and sight. God sees, Elisha sees, The servant is blind and sees, The enemy are blind and they see.
Seeing, sight and blindness. I can remember when i began to lose the clarity of my sight. I kept complaining about the overhead projector at church being out of focus! It was only when borrowing my sister's glasses at an art gallery that i discovered that i was the one with the sight problem!
None of us sees clearly, spiritually. Only God sees perfectly. We on the other hand are blind and need to receive the gift of sight and even when we have been given the gift of spiritual sight we need to go on daily having our sight clarified, properly focussed; the eyes of our hearts opened.
Read moreIt doesn’t take much to distort a message with huge consequences:
a wealthy american lady was travelling in europe and found a piece of jewellry she wanted. the price was outrageous but she emailed her husband any way telling him of her desire and the cost of the item. upon receipt of the message her husband instructed his secretary to immediately email back : “No, price too high” The problem was that the secretary omitted the rather important comma. the message the wife received from her husband was “No price too high” and there were celebrations in Europe.
It doesn’t take much to distort a message with huge consequences. A comma. A couple of bags of silver and a couple of changes of clothes..
we come the second half of the Naaman story the first part of which we looked at last week...
Read moreThere is huge pressure today to be inclusive – not to draw boundaries. Not to tell someone they are wrong. At the same time, being totally inclusive can end up in a very confused place. There are realities that bring boundaries and exclusions. Yet we can find that exclusivism – that marking that things are right or wrong – often is rather ugly or arrogant. We see that particularly in area of politics at the moment.
That often feels like the choice – inclusivism that welcomes but ends up confused. Or exclusivism which has boundaries that might fit reality but is often harsh and ugly.
I think our passage tonight helps us with these issues of a confused inclusivism, or an ugly exclusivism.
Read moreThe Christian life is a journey from life to death to resurrection. That’s the shape - like the Nike swoosh!
Now what on earth is that all about? Life, death, resurrection.
Well the bible tells us in a hundred different ways
And our passage today from the depths of the Old testament - 600 years before the life of Jesus Christ - just so happens to trace this journey, this salvation for us.
Read moreI wonder what’s your attitude towards the Bible? Have you read all of it? Are some bits better than others? Old testament? New Testament? Is God the same God in each? Aren’t some bits in the Old testament a little extreme? The God of he Old testament. Is the God of the Bible really in charge of the world? No one believes that any more do they?
Well should they? That’s the first question we’re asking as we continue our series in the book of Kings. Who’s in charge?
Read moreThe book of Kings is a compelling case FOR the true God in an age of many gods and multiple spiritualities.
So who is the true God? What is he like compared with all the idols?
In this chapter we see the way that God deals with Elijah in his despondency and depression. Elijah feels that God has failed him; that he doesn’t know who God is anymore. But God comes again and he treats and corrects Elijah’s depression and in so doing He reveals his Glory.
Read moreGod in his grace will will not leave his people to suffer in bondage to mute idols. he will shatter our idols and show himself to be the true God. It will hurt us but it might just save us. How long will you waver between two opinions? If the LORD is God follow him; but if Baal is God, follow him.
Read moreIn these miracles we see the LORD God demonstrating in an Age of Unbelief that he is the living God who provides. He confronts Baal and ALL idols and he shows them to be impotent. False gods. lifeless. these are NOT the things that bring us life. Only God. Only Jesus brings life.
In these miracles we also see the courageous growing faith of Elijah. Growing because God is testing and training that faith in his servant as God always does with us to make us more effective for him in the adventures he calls us to
Read morewhat is truth? what impact does that have on what we believe and how we live?
Read morewhat is truth? what impact does that have on what we believe and how we live?
Read moreWe are a culture marked by suppressed fear. A reservoir under surface makes us very Fragile.
This is what makes this encounter in Luke chapter 8 so essential. Because here we do not find platitudes for feeling better; relaxation techniques - the Bible is not a a little book of calm. On the contrary this passage of Scripture is an encounter with God who drives out fear. If you come to know - better and better - the God of Luke 8. Then you will be able to say with the Psalmist even when your whole world falls apart - we will not fear.
Read moreThe solitude of crying in our rooms at night on our own seems desperately lonely and tragic. Sometimes this is needed, but it feels healthier to cry with someone close to us, someone who understands us and what we feel. The word, ‘cry’ has the sense of crying out, of expressing outwardly what is happening inside us. Tears are physical expressions of internal sorrow andthey literally flow out from within us. If we are fortunate we may have people close to us to share our pains and sorrows with. However, as a GP I know that many people can't or don’t do this...
Read more3rd Seminar from our weekend away 2016. Giles Fouhy, vicar of Saint Barnabas Dalston
Read more2nd Seminar from our weekend away 2016. Jon Kuhrt, Director of The West London Mission
Read more1st Seminar from our weekend away 2016. Alexandra Lilley, Curate at St Paul's, Shadwell
Read moreSometimes we are tempted to question whether the coming of Jesus has really made a huge difference. The world goes on just as it always has.. perhaps some things are better, perhaps some things are worse.
For many people this is reason enough to keep God at arms length, to reject him. If really came at all he certainly hasn’t done anything. He hasn’t solved our problems. He hasn’t done the thing we most need. The things we’d want him to do.
For others of us. We don’t reject God perhaps but the lack of seeming change in the world and in our own lives creates doubts. Has anything really changed? It’s not what we expected. Is Jesus really who he said he was. The long awaited Messiah. God’s King. God’s Son in human flesh, The Son of Man come to save??
These were the exact kinds of questions that John the Baptist had and that we’ve read about in our reading today.
Read more