David Fowler Faith Hope and Love

The year of the Lord’s favour

Posted on 22/11/2015 by davidfowlerpreacher

This morning I preached at Becontree Avenue Baptist Church and we looked at the start of Isaiah 61.

Isaiah 61:1 – 7
1 The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners, 2 to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favour and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, 3 and provide for those who grieve in Zion– to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendour. 4 They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated; they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. 5 Aliens will shepherd your flocks; foreigners will work your fields and vineyards. 6 And you will be called priests of the LORD, you will be named ministers of our God. You will feed on the wealth of nations, and in their riches you will boast. 7 Instead of their shame my people will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace they will rejoice in their inheritance; and so they will inherit a double portion in their land, and everlasting joy will be theirs.

Life can be unfair. We all suffer misfortune at times. Some are bad managers of our finances. Some folk just are in the wrong place at the wrong time. But for whatever reason people fall on hard times, get into debt and other troubles.

When the Jewish people were preparing to come into the promised land, God through the prophet Moses gave them instructions on how to live.

One of the things God put into the plan was the Year of Jubilee which would happen every 50 years when outstanding debts would be cancelled and slaves would be set free and land returned to its original owner. You can read about it in Leviticus 25:8-55 . The idea was to restore equality amongst the people. But you could imagine that if this happened nowadays, bankers and other lenders would be very reluctant to lend money if they knew the jubilee was coming and their loans would have to be written off.

I am not sure if there are any records to prove that the Jewish people actually kept to the Year of Jubilee as it would be of more advantage to the poor and oppressed than to the rich and the powerful.

In our reading from Isaiah comes a prophecy about what God will do for his people. In fact when Jesus started his ministry he is recorded in Luke 4:16 – 21 as reading this passage from Isaiah when he visited the synagogue in his home town of Nazareth. When he finished the reading Jesus added in Luke 4:21 “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

You could say that this passage is Jesus’ mission statement and as followers of Jesus commissioned to do what he did, it should be our mission as well.

It seems to me that there are two main groups of people to whom we are to minister:

■ The broken hearted and those who mourn
■ The captives and the prisoners.

People can be broken hearted over many things, not just the end of a love affair as the famous soul singer Jimmy Ruffin sang many years ago:

“What becomes of the brokenhearted,

Who has love that’s now departed,

I know I’ve got to find, Some kind of peace of mind, help me, please”

People can be broken hearted when their football team doesn’t win the game. Last night on Facebook someone had written about our local team Dagenham and Redbridge: “Heartbreak for the Daggers as a late Kemar Roofe free kick earns Oxford the three points”.

Or when that project you’ve invested so much time, effort and money in comes to nothing.

Or maybe the political party you’ve worked so hard for in the elections gets thrown out of office.

Being broken hearted is very much like mourning.

We can mourn over many things. Usually we think it is about the loss of a loved one, be it spouse, parent, brother or sister, child, grandchild or good friend and so on.

But what about the sensation of loss we feel when we are made redundant? Some people’s sense of who they are is given by what they do. So to loose your job is a major trauma.

I was in that place in 1996 when after nearly 23 years with Barclays Bank I was made redundant. Aged 42 with Gaynor and four young sons to support. Its not only the pay packet that’s gone but your sense of who you are, the camaraderie of the work place and your sense of fulfilment.

We can mourn the loss of our health.

I realise that I was in mourning after I was told in July 2013 that I had prostate cancer. Suddenly I am ill, even though I didn’t have any symptoms at that point.

If I wasn’t a Christian I do not know what I would have done. But, thank God, I had many people who supported me in pray and upheld me as I went through the treatment and indeed I knew that God was with me as I went through this particular “valley of the shadow of death”.

How people cope with these sorts of problems without God in their lives, I do not know. They do get desperate and clutch at straws to save them. Anything from wacky pseudo scientific cures to faith healers and witchcraft.

You can mourn over your loss of independence whether that was through illness, accident or advancing age. This can be particularly hard if you have always been a doer. We saw this with my mum when over a period of just a few months she became housebound and then bedbound and finally went into a nursing home. She was not a happy bunny.

People can mourn over the loss of possessions. Often it will be items of sentimental value ie family jewellery or something given as a special gift or present. The loss of these items can effect some people seriously.

When we talk about prisoners we normally think of people who are incarcerated for having committed a crime and been through the court system. Of course is certain countries you can find yourself in prison for being a Christian or for wanting a democratic government.

Our passage refers to “release from darkness for the prisoners”. Often prisoners were kept below ground level where it was cold, damp and dark.

But I think our passage refers to other types of prisoners.

People can be held captive by their sins or misdeeds. Whilst the Bible tells us that we all will face judgement for what we have done: Hebrews 4;13 “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”, some people seems to suffer for their sins in this life.

We can think of alcoholics and drug abusers who have ruined their bodies because of their addictions. Or what about the man or woman who has an affair wrecking their own marriage and the lives of other people in the process.

Being involved in witchcraft and black magic can imprison us, as can consulting mediums and spiritists. Which is why the Bible tells us to not do these things.

Sometime ago I conduct the funeral for a man in his early thirties. His problems started at age 14 when he played with a ouija board. Whatever he got in contact with so frightened him and affected his mind that he stayed in his bedroom for the next three months. He had long term mental health issues and eventually he took to the streets, living rough and taking drugs.

Addictions can hold us prisoner. Anything can be addictive, not just drink, drugs, gambling and pornography. What about shopping? We hear about shopaholics. We have someone in our street who had been a shopaholic. She lied, cheated and stole from her friends and neighbours and even obtained a bank loan by impersonating one of her neighbours.

The words we say can imprison us. People swear that they will never forgive that person for what they have done. Unforgiveness can be a terrible gaoler keeping you locked in for years and years, torturing you with constant reminders as to what they did and why you can’t forgive them.

Someone once said that unforgiveness is letting your enemy live rent free in your head!

We can chain ourselves up by words such as “I will never forgive myself” or “I’ll never be any good”, “I can never do that”.

Words have a great power over us for good or evil.

So what are we to do?

We are to do what Jesus did. We have the power of the Holy Spirit in us, if we are believers, and so we can act with Jesus’ authority to bring forgiveness and healing as well as love and grace to people.

We are to quote Isaiah 61:3 “ to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, and a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair. “

Some we have to set free from the powers of darkness, by casting out demons. For others we have to break the power of curses that are over them to set them free.

We should certainly pray for people and support them.

When someone is set free by the power of the Holy Spirit the transformation is truly amazing.

Our passage from Isaiah talks about people being restored “ They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the LORD for the display of his splendour. “

Lives are transformed so that people who were restricted in their spiritual growth as if they were bonsai trees, now grow tall and strong and beautiful.

So I think that it is a challenge for us all to take this on board as our job description as disciples of Jesus, to bring good news to the poor, to comfort those who mourn and to set the prisoners free.

Posted in Talks | Tagged brokenhearted, Holy Spirit, Jesus, mourn, prisoner | Leave a comment

Rules and Regulations

Posted on 30/08/2015 by davidfowlerpreacher

Today I not only preached at Trinity United Reformed Church in Upminster but also at Nelmes United Reformed Church in Hornchurch.

Although the style of worship differed, the message was the same.

The Bible reading is the gospel reading for today as taken from The Revised Common Lectionary.

Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

7:1 Now when the Pharisees and some of the scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, 7:2 they noticed that some of his disciples were eating with defiled hands, that is, without washing them. 7:3 (For the Pharisees, and all the Jews, do not eat unless they thoroughly wash their hands, thus observing the tradition of the elders; 7:4 and they do not eat anything from the market unless they wash it; and there are also many other traditions that they observe, the washing of cups, pots, and bronze kettles.) 7:5 So the Pharisees and the scribes asked him, “Why do your disciples not live according to the tradition of the elders, but eat with defiled hands?” 7:6 He said to them, “Isaiah prophesied rightly about you hypocrites, as it is written, ‘This people honours me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me;
7:7 in vain do they worship me, teaching human precepts as doctrines.’ 7:8 You abandon the commandment of God and hold to human tradition.” 7:14 Then he called the crowd again and said to them, “Listen to me, all of you, and understand: 7:15 there is nothing outside a person that by going in can defile, but the things that come out are what defile.” 7:21 For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder,
7:22 adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly.
7:23 All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

We all need rules and regulations in our lives. Think how chaotic life would be if everyone did their own thing without regard to anyone else.

Just imagine what would happen if we chose to ignore red traffic lights and come zooming down Corbets Tey Road at 70 mph. Anyone get in the way and we mount the pavement. Want to shop in M &S ? No problem. Park where you want, never mind the yellow lines.

See something you want? Just take it.

Someone annoy you? Kill them.

We need order in our lives.

God knew this and it is why have gave the Jews, his chosen people, a set of rules to live by.

Some of the rules were about safe living in a hot country, to keep physically well and avoid infection. Hence the rules about eating pork or sea food. As we know you get all sorts of stomach bugs from eating badly prepared food. I suspect many of us here have had a dodgy takeaway at sometime and bitterly regretted it.

Other rules were about morality, our relationships with other people. Just look at the misery and pain there is when relationships fail, when people cheat on their spouse, when they get into relationships that God says are wrong.

Regardless if people say they love each other if they step out the safe zone that God has given them, then they enter an uncharted mine field often with disastrous results.

Society now tells us that any relationship is ok as long its loving. The website Ashley Madison has been in the news recently. Its strap line is “Life’s short, have an affair”.

But the Bible tells us otherwise.

I heard a report on the news a few years back of a priest who had finally been prosecuted. In his defence he said that he had been taught that adultery was a sin, but he didn’t know that having sex with children was wrong!

Finally there are rules about our relationship with God. These are for our spiritual well being.

If we are Christians then God is our Number 1 and him only. You cannot have a pick and mix approach to your faith. Many will remember the sweet counter at the long gone Woolworths with its pick and mix selection. It will do you no good to take bits out of the Bible and then mix in some buddhism, islam, hinduism and new age thinking. You just end up lost and confused. And if you are not careful you stray completely away from God and are lost for all eternity.

God says to us not to do certain things, because he loves us and wants us to be safe. How many parents here have ever prevented their children from sticking fingers or metal objects into electric sockets? You did it because you love them, not because you want to spoil their fun or stop them exploring the home.

So when God says “don’t go there”, he is saying for our safety and well being.

The easiest way to check these things out is to see what the Bible says and then see if they fulfil this simple test in John 5:23 “He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.”

If a religion does not recognize and honour Jesus as the Son of God, then it is not something a Christian should be involved in. Never mind if they are nice sincere people, they are not teaching that Jesus is the one and only way to the Father.

And so to our reading from John 7. I picture the Pharisees circling round Jesus like a pack of wolves seeking a moment to over whelm him. They were always trying to prove him wrong, and throughout the gospels we read about their attempts to trip him up with their questions.

The Pharisees knew the law very well. In fact in their attempts to understand it they made it even more onerous. For example when it came to washing their hands they didn’t stop with the hands but kept amending the law until you were washing all the way up to the elbow.

They were well meaning men who were afraid that they may offend God by not trying hard enough to keep to the rules. Indeed at the time of Jesus it was thought that if there was someone who could keep all the rules just for one day, God would then send the promised Messiah. One man did lead that perfect sinless life, and they missed him. His name was Jesus and he lived right amongst them.

So the Pharisees thought they had come up with a good one this time.

“Why don’t your disciples wash their hands?” they say to Jesus.

But they have confused the purpose of the some of the rules. Remember some are about hygiene and others about our spiritual well being.

These Pharisees think that what God wants is for everyone to obey all the rules all the time. And so they get into an argument with Jesus about how important it is for his disciples to wash their hands.

The Pharisees thought the rules were what made you holy, never mind what was going on in your mind. But Jesus was quite harsh in his criticism of them. Throughout the gospels we read that he treated the ordinary people with compassion and empathy but not the Pharisees. This verse is taken from The Message translation, Matthew 23:27 “You’re hopeless, you religion scholars and Pharisees! Frauds! You’re like manicured grave plots, grass clipped and the flowers bright, but six feet down it’s all rotting bones and worm-eaten flesh.”

Of course hygiene is important but that doesn’t necessarily affect your eternal life.

Anybody can follow the rules, What really matters is what goes on inside of you. What goes on in your heart. The heart has been thought to be the centre of one’s thoughts and emotions.

As Jesus said in our reading Mark 7:21 – 23 “ For it is from within, from the human heart, that evil intentions come: fornication, theft, murder, adultery, avarice, wickedness, deceit, licentiousness, envy, slander, pride, folly. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

The rules can’t save us from what comes out of our heart. That was a problem that the Pharisees didn’t or couldn’t see.

At a previous church we had a man who thought it was all about the rules, many of which were man made. He got so angry when he thought the rules had been broken. It was really surprising that his typewriter didn’t catch fire from the angry furious letters he wrote to the church council and the minister.

Many years King David recognised this problem when he was challenged by the prophet Nathan about his adulterous affair with Bathsheba which had resulted in the death of Uriah the Hittite. He wrote in Psalm 51:10 “Create a clean heart in me, O God, and renew a faithful spirit within me.”

Clearly something has to be done as the keeping the rules does not heal the human heart.

Jesus came not only to pay the price of our sins and put us right with God but also to fulfil God’s promises made in the Bible. This is just one of them and we read it in Jeremiah 24:7 “I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the LORD. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.”

When you come to faith in Jesus, God gives you his Holy Spirit to live in you as your guide and counsellor and he does renew your heart so that you begin to become more like Jesus, although we all still struggle with our old broken human nature.

However when we do trip up and sin we have the assurance in 1 John 1:9 “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

So to sum up. When looking at the rules for living that God gave us in the Bible, some are for our physical well being, some for our moral welfare and the rest for our spiritual health.
And whilst some of the rules for living in a hot climate are not relevant to us now, the rules about morality and spiritual well being are still to be observed despite what many is society may tell us.

If you have been trying to live solely by the rules, maybe its time for you to accept the offer that Jesus makes to every man woman and child, that through faith in him you can be forgiven and given a new heart and the promise of eternal life.

Posted in Talks | Tagged forgiveness, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, sins | Leave a comment

The name of Jesus

Posted on 09/08/2015 by davidfowlerpreacher

This morning I had the privilege of leading morning worship and preaching at Elm Park Baptist Church.

The pastor, Colin Phillips, has started on a series of talks studying the “Names of God” and suggested I could speak on the names of Jesus. And this is what I did, although in the time allowed I actually only talked about Jesus.

As usual we start with our Bible passages:

Luke 1:26 – 34

26 In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. 28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favoured! The Lord is with you.” 29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God. 31 You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

Acts 4:12

“Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

I understand that Colin has started as series of talks on the names of God.

So I thought it would be appropriate to look at the name of Jesus.

As we established earlier in our children’s talk everyone has a name.

In Hebrew society often the eldest son would be named after the father or another significant male relative. Just listen to this from Luke 1:57 – 63 “ When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbours and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy. On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, 60 but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.” They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.” Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.”

John means “God is gracious”.

Jesus which means “God saves” or “God is salvation” was a fairly common name at the time of Jesus. But as we heard the angel Gabriel tells Mary her son is going to be very special.

You may say to yourself, as many people do, “I don’t need saving from anything.”

“I’m a good person. I go to work, pay my taxes look after my family and I’m kind to animals. So what do I need saving from?”

What about all the wrong things you’ve said and done?

Or perhaps the good and kind things you just didn’t do?

Or what about all the evil things people get involved with, which look so innocent? Ouija boards, seances, fortune telling, tarot cards and the Charlie, Charlie challenge. All of which are very dangerous. The Bible makes it very clear that God’s people are to have nothing to do with any of this stuff.

Maybe you think “Oh that’s all in the past. It doesn’t count anymore” “I was younger then and a bit wild. You know how it is?”

Sadly the Bible tells us God doesn’t see it that way. In Hebrews 4:13 we read “Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account. “

In English law there is something called the Statute of Limitations which basically says that you have 12 years to go after someone for a debt they owe you. After that you can’t do anything. However with God there is no such get out. You are answerable for every misdeed; every wrong thought you ever had.

It’s like going round the supermarket putting goods in your trolley. You can pile it high, but there comes that awful moment when you arrive at the checkout, and the reckoning begins. Every item has to be paid for. There is no putting stuff back on the shelves or telling the cashier you’ve changed your mind and don’t want certain items.

Each and every item goes through the scanner and you are told the price.

How much!

I can’t pay that!

So how do we deal with all this sin?

Many people ignore it and hope it will be alright on the night.

Others try and argue their way out of the corner. If God is loving then he wouldn’t punish us. He’ll let us off and we’ll be okay.

You’d be amazed the number of folk who assure me that their loved ones are in heaven because they were good people. Oh he wasn’t a Christian but he was a good man and led a Christian life style.

You can only live a Christian life by being a Christian – acknowledging that you cannot save yourself, and that you accept that Jesus has paid for your sins.

One man once told me that he lived a Christian lifestyle. He ran a cycle shop. So I asked him if I lived a Cyclist’s lifestyle, dressed in spandex, wore a cycle helmet, carried a water bottle and talked about different designs of bike and gear sets would that make me a cyclist. No it would not. I am not a cyclist until I get on my bike and pedal!

Other folk assure me that all religions are the same as they all worship the same God. Jesus gave as a yardstick to see if that was true. See John 5:23 “He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.” So if people merely say Jesus was a good man, or a teacher or a prophet or even an archangel, they have got it wrong. Unless you acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, you have got it wrong.

It’s a bit like standing out by the bus stop in Rosewood Avenue. near to the church. If you want to go to Rainham, then the 165 is the bus for you. Its no good hoping for the No 5 to take a diversion on its way from Canning Town to Romford to pick you up and take you to Rainham. Its just not going to happen. Not all buses go to Rainham and not all religions take you to God. Jesus is the only way.

So how does Jesus bring salvation?

The Bible tells us that there is no forgiveness without the shedding of blood. The old Jewish system of sacrifices may bring God’s forgiveness for the wrong things we have done, but straight away we sin again. There was a never ending cycle of: sin, sacrifice and forgiveness. Jesus’ death on the cross was the one perfect sacrifice that could bring lasting forgiveness for all the sins of the world and bring us peace with God.

Jesus is the only human in history who has led a perfect sinless life.

Jesus’ last words on the cross as recorded in John 19:30 “When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” Then bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.”

I understand that the original Greek for “it is finished” meant “Paid in full”, what you may write across a paid invoice or statement of account.

And that offer is available to anybody who wishes to accept it.

Getting back to our supermarket trolley full of sin, it is as if Jesus walks up to the customer at the check out and says “Would you like me to take care of that for you?” If you say yes to Jesus, then the bill is paid and you can go free.

Jesus also came to save us from the Devil who has been at work deceiving and misleading people since the days of Adam and Eve.

A family I visited this week told me that the now deceased lady was very spiritual and had been into “healing”. Sadly she had been a Christian but had gone the way of eastern spirituality, and she sought out healers from all over the world to heal her cancer. She was a firm believer in the healing power of magic crystals.

Jesus’ name also conveys God’s authority. We read in Philippians 2:8 -11 “ And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

And as Christians we can have Jesus’ authority and the power of the Holy Spirit to help us in each and every situation we face.

Jesus said that his followers will do the things he did whilst on earth. At the end of Mark’s gospel, Jesus commands his disciples” 15 He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

So we are to act under his authority, the highest power in the entire universe and to expect to see things happen.. Whilst sadly many men and women do not acknowledge Jesus’ authority here and now, there will be a day when they do, either joyfully because they are believers or because on that day it is obvious who Jesus really is and they no longer have a choice..

However the demons recognise Jesus’ authority and you can read in the gospels how Jesus set people free from demons. There are similar occasions in the Acts of the Apostles. There is a salutary tale in Acts 19 when non believers try to tackle demons. We read “ 14 Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. 15 [One day] the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” 16 Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.”

I once talked to a lady who some years before had been fascinated by “automatic writing” where a demonic spirit gets into a person and they start writing prose, verse, essays etc. She allowed the spirit into her and started writing. The lady said eventually she could not stop it. Her husband told the spirit that he was the householder and that the spirit was not welcome there and had to go. Of course it did not. Fortunately a local Christian minister was called and he commanded the spirit to go in the name of Jesus and it went straight away.

There is no other way to get rid of evil spirits. We do hear of silly people who think that you have to assault the possessed person, pour boiling water on them or rub chilli peppers in their eyes and then shout loudly at the demon. What dangerous nonsense. You follow the model you will find in the Bible which is to command it to go in the name of Jesus.

Just as an ambassador acts on behalf of his or her country, under the authority of the government, so we Jesus’ followers can act under his authority as King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

Finally, to summarise I think that the worship song “There is power in the name of Jesus” does capture for us the significance of the name that is above all names:

There is power in the name of Jesus;

We believe in His name.

We have called on the name of Jesus;

We are saved! We are saved!

At His name the demons flee.

At His name captives are freed.

For there is no other name that is higher

Than Jesus!

Posted in Talks | Tagged cross, forgiveness, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, sacrifice, salvation, sin, sins | Leave a comment

Nothing can separate us from God’s love

Posted on 09/06/2015 by davidfowlerpreacher

On Sunday 7th June, I was invited to preach at the Memorial Service held at Becontree Avenue Baptist Church. This service was designed for people who have lost a loved one to come together for a period of reflection and remember their loved ones before God.

Romans 8: 31 – 35, 37 – 39
31 What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all–how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? 33 Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died–more than that, who was raised to life–is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We all come from different backgrounds and have different life experiences and yet we all have something in common. We have all suffered the loss of someone we have loved.

For some the loss was many years ago but they still feel it as a dull heartache. Maybe we don’t think about that person very often but when we do it aches like an old injury aches on a cold wet winter day.

For others the lose is recent and it really hurts. Time hasn’t started to take away the rawness of it all.

We could have been sat at a bedside for days watching our loved one slip away, or like Gaynor and myself, the first we knew of the death of her mother was the knock on the door at three in the morning with two police officers tasked with the job of breaking bad news to us.

Grief and bereavement can be like an earthquake in our lives. I don’t mean the relatively minor quake we had in this area a few weeks ago but the cataclysmic quake that recently happened in Nepal.

Our world is shaken. All that seemed certain and permanent in our lives comes tumbling down.

Life’s landscape changes for ever. Our plans, hopes, aspirations and dreams disappear.

In the twinkling of an eye all is changed.

And just as earthquakes have aftershocks or further quakes to cause more problems so do we in our grief. For us it could be all the problems of continuing life, particularly if your partner was the one who paid the bills and sorted the family finances or was the one who did the cooking and washing and running the house.

We try to make contact to reach out to those on the outside. Some turn away, cross the road to avoid us, not sure what to say and perhaps afraid to cause even more upset. They dare not ask “How are you?” in case we tell them the truth and they won’t be able to handle it.

Just as people who have survived an earthquake can be isolated and cut off, so can we by grief.

A while ago I was talking to a young lady whose dad had just died. She just couldn’t take it in that the rest of the world continued with business as usual. “Don’t they know my dad has died?” she asked me.

She was echoing some thoughts in the Bible said to be written by Jeremiah some 2600 years ago: “Is it nothing to you, all you who pass by? Look around you and see. Is any suffering like my suffering that was inflicted on me?”

Over the weekend I found the following article “Can life return to normal after the death of a spouse?” in the BBC Magazine dated 4th June 2015. You can read the full article here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-33003764

Sheryl Sandberg the Chief operating Officer of Facebook spoke about the death of her husband. When she went back to work she observed “Many of my co-workers had a look of fear in their eyes as I approached. I knew why – they wanted to help but weren’t sure how. Should I mention it? Should I not mention it? If I mention it, what the hell do I say?”

Also Sandberg wrote “ “One colleague admitted she’d been driving by my house frequently, not sure if she should come in. Another said he was paralyzed when I was around, worried he might say the wrong thing. Speaking openly replaced the fear of doing and saying the wrong thing.”

Another person quoted in the article spoke of how when he was bereaved took time off work to care for his young child. He said “One chap said to me, ‘This is something you’re going to have to live with now and get on with your life,’ which is an easy thing to say… I was actually told that my situation wasn’t as important as the shareholders I work for.”

Sometimes we are suddenly reminded of our loved ones and that can happen in a variety of ways. A favourite tune you hear, or someone stops you in the street and in all innocence asks after your loved one, not knowing they have gone. Even going through old photos can trigger it off.

People say to me that they were unprepared for this death. But to be honest we can never be prepared for the death of someone who is significant in our lives. We may think we know how we will be as we have been told to expect the worse. But when it happens it can be so very different to how we think it will be.

Often when we lose someone we love dearly we can feel very far from God, as if we are in this on our own.

Maybe we feel guilty and have that nagging feeling we should have done more. Or we get an attack of the “if only’s”: “If only I’d phoned for an ambulance,”“ if only I had called round to see her that morning”. But Paul the apostle who wrote the passage we heard a few minutes ago is keen to put the matter straight.

We are assured that if we put our trust in Jesus, then no one can condemn us or make us feel guilty. And equally important is the fact that once you have put your trust in God through accepting Jesus as your saviour, no one and nothing can tear you away from God.

Paul even gives us a long list of things that could try to come between us and God. Even death, our own or that of a loved one, can’t separate us from God.

Our faith may well be shaken and we feel far from God. Indeed we could be so numb with grief we wonder if God is there and if he is there does he care about me and what’s happening.

Yes God does care. All through the bible are the promises that he has made to generations of people who have put their faith in him. These promises are for all who trust in Jesus Christ regardless of status, intellect, or any other manmade division and category.

You just have to believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God. As someone once wrote “you don’t have to have a great faith in God, you have to have faith in a Great God”. In fact Jesus once said that you just needed faith the size of a mustard seed – that’s about the size of a pen dot on a page – to see great things happen.

So today even if you feel far from God and you feel you are hanging on by your finger tips, remember that absolutely nothing in all creation can ever separate you from God’s love in Jesus Christ.

Posted in Talks | Tagged death, faith, God, Jesus Christ | Leave a comment

Ascension Day

Posted on 17/05/2015 by davidfowlerpreacher

Thursday was Ascension Day, the day when Christians remember and celebrate the day when Jesus who had risen from the dead, ascended to heaven.

Today I preached at Nelmes United Reformed Church in Hornchurch on the theme of Ascension Day.

Luke 24:44 – 53
44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” 45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.” 50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.

I am told that there is an ancient Chinese curse “may you live in interesting times”

If you had been one of Jesus’ disciples, you certainly would have lived in interesting times.

In less than two months you would have experienced:

▸    The triumphal into Jerusalem when hundreds of thousands cheered for Jesus and wanted him to be their King
▸    The betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot and then the sham trial by the Jewish authorities who with the evidence before them could not bring themselves to see that Jesus was the Messiah, the one for whom they had been waiting.
▸    The failure for political reasons of Pilate, the roman Governor, to release an innocent man.
▸    Jesus being crucified and then laid in a borrowed tomb
▸    That amazing Easter Sunday when Jesus rose from the dead and appeared to many people.

And now here on what was called Ascension Day we find Jesus with his disciples in the vicinity of Bethany and he is leaving them.

You may think that the disciples would be upset that just when they’ve got Jesus back from the dead, he is leaving them again. But this is what we find in our reading:

Luke 24:50 – 53 “When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. Then they worshipped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.”

What was it that had filled these people full of joy?

These early believers had come to understand so much about Jesus’ mission after the resurrection, as we heard in our passage where it says that Jesus opened their minds so that they could understand the scriptures. I suspect that this was very much like the discussion that Jesus had with the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus as recorded earlier in Luke 24:13 – 35 .

And now they are relying on his promises.

Firstly when Jesus ascended to heaven God was able to send the Holy Spirit. Luke 24 – 49 “I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”

In John 16:7 Jesus tells his disciples ” But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.“

Not only is the Holy Spirit called the Counsellor but also he is the Comforter.

Some people think of a comforter as someone who will wrap you up and look after you when you are feeling down. Sometimes we refer to a blanket or a quilt as a comforter. Yet the word comforter has another, older meaning. In a panel of the Bayeux tapestry William the Conqueror is shown brandishing his sword around his somewhat reluctant soldiers to encourage them to get on with the battle. The panel is entitled “William comforts his soldiers”!

So the Holy Spirit is sent to each and every believer to be an encourager as well as to reveal the truth of God to us. He gives us good counsel as well as spiritual gifts to help us and other Christians grow in faith both individually and corporately.

I am sure that many of you can testify to how the Holy Spirit directs us to a passage of scripture that suddenly comes alive as we read it, or how he prompts us to visit someone or phone them just at the moment they need someone to talk to or to pray with.

Without the Holy Spirit how could we fulfil the great commandment in Matthew 28:19 & 20: ” Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” We could never do it on our own.

Also without the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us and indeed remind us that we are God’s children, we could end up lost and forlorn rather like Paddington Bear with a label round our neck saying “please look after this Christian”.

It is good for a moment to consider what Jesus is doing back in heaven.

On fulfilling his mission of sacrificing himself on the cross and dying for our sins, Jesus returned to heaven and had his glory reinstated and more so. Paul says this in Philippians 2:6 – 11 “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death– even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

At present not everyone acknowledges Jesus Christ as Lord. Not everyone gives him the glory due to his name. But there will be a time when every man, woman and child will do so, some willingly and joyfully and others because they on judgement day are faced with the overwhelming evidence of Jesus the son of God. Even atheists and the devoted followers of ISIS will be on their knees before Jesus.

Of course now many people who follow other beliefs and philosophies make passing reference to Jesus as a good man or a miracle worker or a prophet. But they do not acknowledge the truth of Jesus the son of God. Jesus says in John 5:23 “He who does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, who sent him.” Its as simple as that. If you do not give Jesus the son of God the recognition he deserves, you are not honouring God.

And following on from that thought of Jesus having the name above all names, Jesus went back to heaven to be crowned. The Bible calls him the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

The American theologian RC Sproul put it this way: “In the ascension, Jesus went up to His coronation. He did not go up simply to enter into His rest. He went up for His investiture service. He ascended to the throne, to the right hand of God, where He was given dominion, power, and authority over the whole earth. The Lamb who was slain became the Lion of Judah, who now reigns over the earth.”

Jesus himself says in Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Some folk think that Jesus just sits on a throne next to God accepting the worship that’s rightly due to him. He has earnt his rest by what he did on earth. However the Bible tells us that Jesus is not taking it easy.

Yes we do have that prophecy in Psalm 110:1 which says ” The LORD says to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.”

But later in that psalm we read in v4 “The LORD has sworn and will not change his mind: “You are a priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”

Melchizedek is mentioned in Genesis 14 as a priest of the most high God and King of Salem. He was clearly an important man as we read in Genesis that Abraham gives him an offering. In those times the least important man gave the more important man an offering.

Jesus is our great High Priest in the order of Melchizedek. He has given the one perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind which has been accepted by God. So no further sacrifices are ever needed, hence why the Jewish line of high Priests ended when the temple was destroyed.

In addition to the sacrifice of himself that Jesus offered, he fulfils another priestly function – he intercedes for us. Jesus prays to God the Father for us. Being human he knows our weaknesses and he knows what it is to be tempted. He like us faced trials and temptations. He knows how it is.

This is what we read in Hebrews 4:14 -16 “Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are–yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”

So Jesus, having been restored to all his glory is occupied in heaven ruling over creation and sustaining it and also he is busy interceding with our heavenly Father on our behalf.

And now we come to our second promise that Jesus will return. It is not actually in our reading for this morning but is in the first chapter of Acts which was also written by Luke and continues from his gospel. In Acts 1:10 – 11” They were looking intently up into the sky as he was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. “Men of Galilee,” they said, “why do you stand here looking into the sky? This same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, will come back in the same way you have seen him go into heaven.”

And I am sure that Jesus’ followers will recall his words in John 14:1 – 3:”Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father’s house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.“

They know that Jesus going back to heaven isn’t the last they will see of him. Its farewell not goodbye.

They will be with him again. That is a promise for all who put their faith in Jesus. He has conquered death and broken the power of sin in our lives. So we can be certain that if we put our faith in him, we shall be with him in eternity in Heaven, his Father’s house.

On Thursday night Gaynor and I were at the Albert Hall to see Eric Clapton in concert. One of the songs he played was called “Can’t find my way home”. As I listened to the song I realised that it is a song a Christian cannot truthfully sing as we don’t have to find our way because Jesus is our way home, our way to God our Heavenly Father.

In early 1942 General Douglas MacArthur was forced to leave his beloved Philippines as the Japanese forces over run the country. In his broadcast to the Filipinos he used this famous phrase ” I shall return”. Indeed he did return after a great deal of fighting and bloodshed.

The difference between General MacArthur and Jesus is that Jesus left the earth as a conqueror. He had defeated death and the devil and broke the power of sin. He was victorious and his eventual return is a certainty whereas to be honest MacArthur’s “I shall return” was a hope.

Many of the promises that God has made have been fulfilled, and some are yet to be fulfilled. But we know that God keeps his word. In the Old Testament these are the words given to Moses :Numbers 23:19 “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?“

Paul reminds us in 2 Corinthians 1:20 “For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ.“

Jesus will return in great glory as we are promised in the bible. Matthew 24: 30 & 31 “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Whilst on this earth even Jesus didn’t know the answer to when he is coming back. He told his disciples that only God knew and he’s not telling. Matthew 24:36 “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.”

So Jesus will return but until that day we all have a job to do, and he has given us the Holy Spirit to enable and empower us to do that job which is to spread the good news to the four corners of the world and make disciples of all nations. Amen.

Posted in Talks | Tagged Ascension, cross, God, good news, High Priest, Holy Spirit, Jesus, Melchizedek, sacrifice | Leave a comment

Another chance

Posted on 19/04/2015 by davidfowlerpreacher

This morning I was again preaching at Becontree Avenue Baptist Church in Dagenham. My talk, like last week’s, is based on a post resurrection meeting between Jesus and his disciples, this time as recorded in John’s gospel.

John 21:15 – 19
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” “Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.” Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Have you ever wished you could travel back in time and undo what you did?

In 1970 the soul singer Jimmy Ruffin sang “If only I could turn back the hands of time” in a song where a man laments breaking up with his lady friend.

Maybe its something you’ve done or something you’ve said.

Oh if only I had my time all over again I would have done things differently. I wouldn’t have taken that job, bought that car, said those things.

Years ago I prayed with a lady who as a young girl stole some money that her brother had saved up so he could go to scout camp. The family had very little. Dad had died and life was a struggle. And there was this absolute fortune. I think in was 10/- that the lad had saved from his paper round. What temptation. The girl took the money and spent it on sweets. Then when the boy needed the money to pay for camp it was gone. There was no way that the mum could stump up that sort of money and the heartbroken lad didn’t go to camp. However he gave his sister a look that haunted her for the next 50 years. It was only when we prayed and the lady confessed what she had done and said how sorry she was, that God through the Holy Spirit set her free from the guilt and shame of her actions.

I am fairly sure that Peter would have wanted to undo the past.

Before we look at what he did, lets first look at the man himself.

He certainly was a man of faith. One of the first of Jesus’ disciples. We first hear of him in John 1:41 – 42 “The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). And he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon son of John. You will be called Cephas” (which, when translated, is Peter).”

Peter is the disciple who first recognises that Jesus is the Messiah. Matthew 16:15 – 18 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. “

Peter like many of us was someone who opens his mouth before engaging his brain, Just look at how he reacts on the mountain when he saw Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah. Matthew 17:2 – 4 “ There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.”

Peter was a man who would make promises with good intentions without thinking things through. Whilst he had recognised who Jesus was, he didn’t understand Jesus’ mission.

Having just declared that Jesus was the Messiah, Peter opens his mouth and puts his feet in it again. Mark 8:31 – 33 “ He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter. “Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

So what did Peter do that was so bad?

The answer comes in Matthew 26:31 – 35 “Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: “‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.”

Peter has promised that he won’t abandon Jesus no matter what.

But as we know Jesus’ prophecy comes true after Jesus is arrested and Peter follows him to the chief priest’s house. Peter denies knowing Jesus three times and as he does so the rooster crows. Luke 22:60-62 “ Peter replied, “Man, I don’t know what you’re talking about!” Just as he was speaking, the rooster crowed. The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word the Lord had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows today, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.”

We all say things in the heat of the moment and make promises with the best of intentions, never dreaming that we may have to make good our promises. And this election season we hear all sorts of wonderful promises being made by those who wish to be our next government. And we get a bit cynical as we are told how wonderful life would be if only you vote for me.

For Peter his chickens certainly came home to roost.

We can only imagine how Peter felt as the rooster crowed and Jesus turned and looked at him.

Peter has been at the empty tomb that first Easter Day. In fact he went into the tomb when John stayed outside. I once heard an elderly catholic priest explain that John let Peter go first into the tomb as Peter was the senior disciple!

Peter has been there when Jesus appeared to the disciples in the upper room.

And now in today’s reading Peter is with the other disciples beside the Sea of Galilee, and they have been fishing. See John 21:1 – 14 Having fished unsuccessfully all night they at Jesus’ suggestion have one more go and the net is full to bursting. We are told that there were 153 fish in the net which had nit burst despite the size of the catch.

Some scholars claim that at the time of Jesus it was thought that there were 153 nations in the known world. So the inference is that the good news of Jesus is for all the nations of the world and that there is room in the kingdom of God for all who are saved.

Jesus, who knows everything, knows that Peter needs to be forgiven and re instated.

Three times Jesus asks Peter “Do you love me?. Each time the question is slightly different and twice Peter replies “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” But the third time Peter responds “”Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Back when Jesus was arrested and put on trial, Peter had followed him but every time someone challenged him, Peter denied being a follower of Jesus. Each denial was stronger than the last. Just as Peter’s final answer to Jesus now is stronger than before. We read in v17 “ Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

And of course we know that Jesus does know everything. One of the prayers written by the church reformers many years ago reminds us of this. It starts “Almighty God, to whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hidden:”

Jesus gives Peter three tasks:
•    Feed my lambs
•    Take care of my sheep
•    Feed my sheep

The lambs refers to those who are new to the faith and like little lambs they need to be fed and nurtured.

A good shepherd has to take care of his flock and keep them safe from harm and from those who would harm the sheep and steal them. And as we know from the epistles in the Bible the followers of Jesus came under all sorts of attack.

The adult sheep need to be taken to good pasture to feed. And it similar with all believers that they need to be fed on the word of God. It is true that not every plant is safe for sheep to eat so not every idea, philosophy or religion is good for the soul of the believer.

It is the shepherds job to keep his sheep safe and make sure they do not eat anything that is harmful to them.

The writer of this gospel records how Peter will die. In fact the tradition is that he was crucified upside down.

Even though Peter has the told to him, we know from history that he answers Jesus’ last command in this passage “Follow me!”

We see in Acts how effective Peter was in his role as one of the leaders of the early church. How he started taking the good news of Jesus out of the Jewish community into the wider world.

So today I feel that the message is: even if you have failed Jesus, you can be forgiven and restored.

If you need forgiveness just tell Jesus that you are truly sorry for what you have done and ask his forgiveness. We are told in 1 John 1:9 “ If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”

And equally important is that Jesus has a job for each and everyone of us. If you are unsure what Jesus wants you to do, then spend sometime in prayer asking Jesus to reveal his will to you, or seek the help of other believers in discerning where you should be. And then like Peter be prepared to answer Jesus’ call “Follow me!”

Posted in Talks | Tagged forgiven, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus, resurrection, shepherd | Leave a comment

On the road to Emmaus

Posted on 12/04/2015 by davidfowlerpreacher

This morning I preached at Becontree Avenue Baptist Church in Dagenham.

As we are in the Easter season I chose to look at one of the events of the first Easter Day as recorded in Luke’s gospel.

Unfortunately we were unable to record this morning’s service so it will not be available on the Becontree Avenue Baptist Church website (http://www.becavebaptistchurch.org.uk/index.htm)

As usual we start with the Bible reading I had chosen:

Luke 24:13 – 35

13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles[a] from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him. 17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?” They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn’t find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.” 25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. 28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up and returned at once to Jerusalem. There they found the Eleven and those with them, assembled together 34 and saying, “It is true! The Lord has risen and has appeared to Simon.” 35 Then the two told what had happened on the way, and how Jesus was recognized by them when he broke the bread. “

Have you ever been disappointed?

Seen your hopes and dreams dissolve like early morning mist goes when the sun rises?

Things you’ve longed for or worked for, fall part before your eyes.

That well deserved promotion goes to someone else. Sometimes to someone who gets it not through ability but by other means.

Or you’re supporting your football team and the ref is strangely blind to the cheating antics of the opposing players.

Its just not fair!

I am sure we’ve all said it or shouted it at some point in our lives. Its not fair!

Just for a while put yourselves in the place of these two men walking the seven miles from Jerusalem to Emmaus.

They are deep in conversation about what has happened in Jerusalem over the last few days.

Its been a roller coaster of a week.

I am sure they would be mentioning the great procession into Jerusalem on what we now call Palm Sunday. Jesus riding on a donkey. The crowds lining the streets and shouting their praises to God. “Hosanna to the son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” People cutting down palm branches to lay on the road in front of Jesus together with their cloaks.

What a day that was.

Those who cheered on Jesus saw him as a great prophet, perhaps the Messiah – God’s chosen one who would like a second King David free the country from the Romans and restore Israel to its former glory.

They had high hopes that Palm Sunday. And yet Jesus didn’t start the revolution against the Romans.

He had gone into the Temple and drove out the traders (Luke 19:45 & 46) and upset the chief priests and the rabbis. No doubt many of the people cheered him on, particularly those who felt oppressed or downtrodden the vast number of rules and regulations the teachers of the law heaped upon people. Mind you the stall holders will have viewed the matter differently as indeed would the Temple authorities as they calculated their loss of income.

Jesus was betrayed by Judas Iscariot, one of his inner circle. He was given a sham trial, disowned by the priests and the rabbis, the very people who should have recognised him for who he was.

Jesus received rough treatment from the Romans who although they didn’t find him guilty allowed him to be crucified. Traditionally prisoners of the Romans were either given 39 lashes or crucified. Jesus received both punishments.

And after the agonising death on the cross, when most of his followers deserted him, Jesus is laid to rest in a tomb which was sealed and guarded by Roman soldiers.

And now our heart broken disciples come to consider the day’s happenings.

Some of the women have been to the tomb and, its empty – the huge stone rolled away from the entrance. The women talk about having seen angels. And later some of the men have gone to the tomb and confirm its empty.

What does it all mean?

As they walk along and talk they are joined by a man apparently walking in the same direction. We are told they were kept from recognising him. But then how often have we failed to recognise people, especially if we do not expect to see them where they are.

Jesus asks them what are you talking about and Cleopas replies “Are you only a visitor to Jerusalem and do not know the things that have happened there in these days?” Surely everyone in Jerusalem, residents and visitors alike, must have known what has gone on.

What’s up with this man that he isn’t aware of the momentous events?

But the men explain to Jesus what has happened including that the tomb is now empty.

Jesus replies Luke 24:25 & 26 “How foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Christ have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?”

These men were Jews and so were steeped in the scriptures or should have been. Jewish children were taught the scriptures. Every week portions of the scriptures were read in the synagogue.

But then how often do we manage to recall and apply scripture to the situations we face?

I have to be honest with you. I was brought up in a church from babe in arms and would have called myself a Christian from my early days. And yet it was only when we married and moved to an evangelical church that we were shown from the Bible the prophecies relating to Jesus, the Messiah, how his death and resurrection were foretold.

Jesus then unpacks the prophecies about him right back to Moses. There are so many prophecies of Jesus in the Old testament, I wonder if he gave the disciples all of prophecies, or just a selection?

There are some 400 prophecies of Jesus in the Old Testament and he fulfilled all of them, although some will also be fulfilled when Jesus returns. The chances of someone fulfilling just 48 of those prophecies has been calculated at 1 in 10 to the power 157, that’s 1 followed by 157 zeroes! You stand more chance of winning the lottery every week.

Some of the prophecies could not now be fulfilled. ie since the Temple was destroyed, no one can claim that they are of the house and lineage of the David. All the records went up in flames when the Temple was destroyed by the Romans. So all these false messiahs that appear from time to time are clearly liars no matter how convincing they may seem.

Here are a few of the prophecies about Jesus:

Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” Refers to Mary whose son Jesus mortally wounded satan, the serpent, even though the serpent struck at Jesus.

Genesis 22:8 “ Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the sacrifice, my son.” Spoken on the hill now known as Calvary where Jesus, the lamb of God, was crucified.

Micah 5;2 “But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.” Jesus, was indeed born in Bethlehem as we celebrate every Christmas.

Zechariah 11:12-13 “ I told them, “If you think it best, give me my pay; but if not, keep it.” So they paid me thirty pieces of silver. And the Lord said to me, “Throw it to the potter”—the handsome price at which they valued me! So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them to the potter at the house of the Lord.” Judas was paid 30 pieces of silver to betray Jesus. After Judas gave the money back to the priests they used the money to buy what was known as the potter’s field.

Psalm 22 This is just full of references to the crucifixion ie V1 “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?” Words spoken by Jesus on the cross. V7 & 8 “All who see me mock me; they hurl insults, shaking their heads. “He trusts in the Lord,” they say, “let the Lord rescue him. Let him deliver him, since he delights in him.” Words spoken by the crowd of onlookers as Jesus hung on the cross. V18 “They divide my clothes among them and cast lots for my garment.” The Roman soldiers guarding Jesus gambled to see who would have his clothes.

If we look in Isaiah, we have Isaiah 50:6 “I offered my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard; I did not hide my face from mocking and spitting.” Jesus was whipped by the Romans. The priests attacked him and pulled on his beard and they also spat on him.

The whole of Isaiah 53 relates to the crucifixion of Jesus and it was this chapter that Philip discusses with the Ethiopian official in Acts 8.

I am sure that having had this amazing Bible study from Jesus the disciples must have had that “penny dropping” moment. They are eager to continue the conversation and encourage this stranger to stay with them.

They finally recognise Jesus when he took the bread, gave thanks and broke it.

Suddenly they are changed from knowing about Jesus and his teachings to knowing Jesus. They have met with the death defeating Son of God who has risen from the dead.

Life will never be the same, as indeed life is never the same for anyone who has come to know Jesus as their Lord and saviour.

The two disciples must do something about this encounter with the risen Jesus and so they rush back to Jerusalem. Never mind that it’s a seven mile walk at night time and who knows how safe the road is, they must share the good news of Jesus despite the fear of the Jewish authorities.

I just wonder how keen we are to share the good news with others. To say we have met with the risen Jesus and life will never be the same again.

To get back to our original thoughts of “Its just not fair!”, it is true that life is not fair and its true that its not fair that Jesus, the son of God should die to pay the price of our sins, but that is what God’s love is all about.

As it says in Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

And that is something for which we should praise God and share with others.

Posted in Talks | Tagged disciples, Easter, Emmaus, Jesus, Palm Sunday, prophecies, resurrection, Temple | Leave a comment

Christmas is …. worshipping Jesus

Posted on 03/01/2015 by davidfowlerpreacher

I was for some years a member of the preaching team at Rainham Parish Church.

As it is some years since I preached about the Epiphany, when we recall the visit of the wise men to Jesus, I thought I would reproduce a talk I gave on Sunday 28th December 2003.

In a way it should precede the talk “The Dark Side of Christmas” that I gave last week at Nelmes URC.

Matthew 2:1 – 11

The Visit of the Magi

1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” 3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. 5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written: 6 ” ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.’ “ 7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. 8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” 9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.

This morning’s passage from Matthew’s gospel deals with the second group of people mentioned as coming to worship Jesus, the “Wisemen from the East” or the Magi.

The first named worshippers were the shepherds who were on the margins of Jewish society. Today we look at people who, to the Jews, were even worse. They were not only gentiles but astrologers and probably Zoroastrian priests – the Magi from whom we get our word magic or magician.

So, how come complete outsiders came to know about Jesus when the Jewish religious leaders were all ignorant of his birth and his significance? We know from this passage in Matthew that the chief priests and the teachers knew their scriptures and knew where the Messiah was to be born and no doubt awaited his arrival. They had the script but missed the cue.

If we read our Bible we should not be surprised that these wise men were drawn to Jesus. After all one of Jesus’ predecessor’s Solomon had been visited by an important visitor from the east – the Queen of Sheba who had also brought presents of gold and spices. On that occasion Solomon received a mere 120 talents of gold or about 4 ½ ton. At today’s price (3rd January 2015) this gold was worth approximately £112,267,890.

The writer of Psalm 72, said to be Solomon, prophesied that future kings from the east would come with tribute a very special King whom we of course know as Jesus. In due course Jesus comments about this in Matthew 12 v 42 “The Queen of the South will rise at the judgement with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom and now one greater than Solomon is here.”

And even more amazingly if you read the story of Balaam in the book of Numbers 24:17 “I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near. A star will come out of Jacob; a sceptre will rise out of Israel”. Balaam himself prophesied how a star would rise from Judah to signify a King. Balaam if you recall was a wise man from the area where the magi originated and as far as the Israelites were concerned was a pain in the neck, yet God spoke through him.

If the biblical evidence is not enough, there was, in the known world of the time, an expectation of the birth of an important King in Judah as recorded by the Roman historian Tacitus and by Suetonius who was the biographer of the Roman Emperor Vespasian who reigned between 69 and 79 AD.

At this point we will pause to consider what is worship?

Is it turning up in church on a Sunday and singing some nice hymns or worship songs and then going home having done the “God bit” for the week? Or is there more to it?

Is our worship together constrained by the songs we sing? Do we have it on absolute authority that God only likes Graham Kendrick or Moody and Sankey or what ever our favourite happens to be?

Perhaps we hate that electric keyboard and those guitars or like the early puritans we describe the pipe organ as the “devil’s bagpipes”?

Surely worship is more than this?

The word “worship” has its roots in an old English word meaning “worth” so you could say, that to worship is to give adoration or love to someone or something according to its worth.

How much is something worth? Many of the years I spent in banking were in Debt Recovery either getting people or companies back on their financial feet or trying to get the money back from them. We found that we were often faced with the question of “how much is something worth?” The customer may have paid thousands of pounds for new equipment or stock but the real hard answer is “It’s worth what someone will pay for it!”

From people’s words and actions you can see how much or little Jesus really means to them.

I won’t ask you to answer out loud, but how much is Jesus worth to you?

Worship should come from the heart in response to who Jesus is and what he has done for us, whether it be our singing in church or our private devotions or by what we do for Jesus.

I expect you’ve seen the “look at me” worshippers be it singers, musicians or those who do things to be noticed. Over the years we had several at a church I used to attend. One organist was absolutely brilliant, a really gifted musician, but from the “look at me school of music”. He was there for the performance and the public adoration it generated for him, rather than to give glory to God who had given him his talent. We also had twin ladies in the choir who were nick named “early and late” because one started ahead of everyone to be noticed and the other finished behind everyone so as not to miss out. Their mother was “The Congregation”. You know what I mean, as in “The congregation didn’t like that new .”hymn tune” “The congregation don’t like so and so” etc.

Worship costs. We all feel like praising God and singing our hearts out on the good days when everything is wonderful and we have been really blessed but what about the other side of the coin? When everything is going wrong, life’s a real mess and we feel far from God? Can we come to him with our worship at times like that? Have a look at Habakkuk 3 v 17 & 18 “Though the fig-tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord. I will be joyful in God my Saviour.”

When you really love some one you tend to be extravagant and don’t count the cost in either time or money.

Any one here had a long distance court ship? If you love someone distance is not an insurmountable problem, it can be over come.

Before we married, Gaynor spent three years at Leicester University and I was frequently either zooming up and down the M1 or travelling in and out of St Pancras station to be with her. The major accident I was involved in and the car engine blowing up were just part of the cost that had to be paid as was driving for six hours through a blizzard.

Just look for a moment at the extravagant worship of a lady called Mary in John 12 v 3 – 8 “Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of the disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it. “Leave her alone” Jesus replied. “It was meant that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Isn’t it interesting how religious people always have difficulty coping with true worshippers? Those who may come to church and have even heard of Jesus can find it hard to cope with people who love Jesus and worship him. We see it not only in the reaction of Judas in the above passage but in the way the Pharisees and the priests treat Jesus and his followers throughout the gospels and the book of Acts.

For our wise men, worshipping Jesus was a costly adventure. A sacrificial adventure.

Firstly it was costly in time. We don’t know how long it took them to trek across the desert from their home which was traditionally thought to be in what is now Iraq. But we can guess from the story in Matthew that Herod had all boy children under two killed in the Bethlehem area. It would not have been an easy journey on camels with the possibility of robbers and wild animals on the route and then crossing into the Roman Empire.

Do we sacrifice our time to worship Jesus or do we limit him to an hour and no more on a Sunday morning? How about during the week?

Do we make time in our busy schedules for Jesus?

Do we do what we can for him or what we can get away with?

Secondly it was financially costly.

We do not know how much gold they brought but to give you an idea of what may have been involved we can look at the gifts Naaman brought to Elisha to pay for his healing from leprosy. In 2 Kings 5 we read that amongst the gifts was 6000 shekels of gold. This is about 66 kilos and at today’s price is worth about £1,646,595.72 [When I wrote this in 2003 the gold was worth £543,750!]

Frankincense was the most precious commodity in the ancient world and was worth about the same as gold.

Myrrh similarly was of great value as well as having significance as an embalming agent.

So literally they were bringing a fortune with them. Which no doubt was used to provide for Jesus when the family fled to Egypt to get away from Herod.

Thirdly it was possibly costly in prestige or what people thought of the wise men.

They were single minded. Perhaps we can imagine what the folks back home thought of them going on this pilgrimage. Why are you trekking across the desert to that back water of the Roman Empire? Aren’t our gods good enough for you?

It is interesting to note that the wise men appear not to have brought any gifts for King Herod despite his apparent importance and royal status. They intended to worship Jesus and no one else. When they didn’t get the answer to their quest in Jerusalem from the people who should have known, they didn’t give up, or settle for second best by hanging round the temple, even though it was a wonderful building and no doubt the ceremonials and the priests’ robes were amazing.

Do we get side tracked into worshipping other people or things? People can get lead astray into worshipping their jobs, their families, their possessions or hobbies or even their church buildings.

So this Christmas we have much we can learn from the wise men.

1    Be determined in our worship of Jesus and do not be side tracked by anything.
2    Worship is costly both in time and other resources. It is sacrificial.
3    Worship can cost us our reputation and our standing with those who don’t love Jesus.

I finish by reading part of a song by Matt Redman called “When the music fades”

I’m coming back to the heart of worship,
And it’s all about you,
All about You, Jesus.
I’m sorry, Lord, for the thing I’ve made it,
When it’s all about you,
All about You, Jesus.

Lets pray:

Lord Jesus, This Christmas we pray that through the power of your Holy Spirit we will like the wise men be drawn to worship only you, regardless of the cost to ourselves. We ask this in your name. Amen.

Posted in Talks | Tagged Jesus, Magi, Queen of Sheba, Solomon, worship | Leave a comment

2014 in review

Posted on 30/12/2014 by davidfowlerpreacher

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog.

Here’s an excerpt:

A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,000 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 17 trips to carry that many people.

Click here to see the complete report.

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

The Dark Side of Christmas

Posted on 28/12/2014 by davidfowlerpreacher

This morning I preached at Nelmes United Reformed Church in Hornchurch.

Today’s sermon deals with the subject of the murder of the Holy Innocents – the boys killed by Herod the Great in Bethlehem after the wise men had visited the infant Jesus.

Matthew 2: 13 –18

13 When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, “take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.” 14 So he got up, took the child and his mother during the night and left for Egypt, 15 where he stayed until the death of Herod. And so was fulfilled what the Lord had said through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called my son.” 16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. 17 Then what was said through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: 18 “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children and refusing to be comforted, because they are no more.”

Today in some churches is celebrated as “Holy Innocents Day” when we remember the young boys slaughtered by King Herod.

It’s a side of the Christmas story that we rarely think about.

We are very happy to talk about the baby born in a stable, visited by Shepherds who had encountered a host of angels.

We are pleased to think about the wise men or Magi. We may even debate over how many wise men there were. Tradition says three, but the Bible doesn’t give a number. So we don’t really know although we do know about the gifts they brought to Jesus: gold and of frankincense and of myrrh. And here in these gifts is an example of God’s provision. The gold would have been used to support Mary, Joseph and Jesus when they fled to Egypt.

Jesus knows what it is to be a refugee fleeing from persecution just as many millions still do today.

In the midst of all the celebration of Christmas we are brought down to earth with a bump. This is no fairy story with a happy ending. Well, it will have a happy ending eventually when Jesus returns in glory as he has promised to do.

Many of us are used to seeing pantomimes which inevitably have a villain in them. Someone who makes the audience boo and hiss at his wickedness, safe in the assurance that he will get his comeuppance.

Herod was more than a pantomime villain. He was a paranoid murder.

He has been described as “a madman who murdered his own family and a great many rabbis”, and “the evil genius of the Judean nation”

Herod was so insecure that he had his one of his wives killed, his mother in law and two of his sons as well as other members of his family and indeed anyone who Herod felt was a threat to his security.

When Herod had his two sons strangled, the Emperor Augustus commented that it was safer to be Herod’s pig than his son – Jews do not eat pork.

Herod was king of Israel by permission of the Roman Emperor. He was not a Jew but an Arab. His family had been forcibly converted to Judaism. Many felt that he was a Jew in word only, not by faith.

To try and secure his position Herod had married into what was left of the Jewish royal family but many Jews were not taken in by him.

Whilst he had rebuilt the temple in Jerusalem on a grandiose scale so that it indeed was a wonder to behold, he had also insulted the Jews by placing a statue of golden eagle over the main entrance of the Temple. The Pharisee teachers claimed it was an idolatrous Roman symbol and when some young men smashed the eagle they were arrested, tried and executed.

It is said that Herod had a secret police force to keep the population under control and get rid of any potential troublemakers. He had his own body guard of some two thousand foreign soldiers, including Thracians, Celts and Germans to keep him secure.

Whilst making himself out to be King of the Jews, he let it be known that he also represented the non-Jews living in Judea, building temples for other religions outside of the Jewish areas of his kingdom.

Most scholars are of the opinion that Herod suffered from depression and paranoia for most of his reign. Indeed the 1st century historian Josephus wrote that Herod was so concerned that no one would mourn his death, that he commanded a large group of distinguished men to come to Jericho, and he gave an order that they should be killed at the time of his death so that the displays of grief that he craved would take place.

Additionally Herod, physically, was not a well man suffering it is thought from chronic kidney disease and Fournier’s gangrene. His illness sometimes named “Herod’s Evil” was excruciating.

And into Herod’s palace one day rides these foreigners who have started their journey somewhere in Persia. They have a strange request “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.”

Can’t you just imagine the turmoil and the uproar in the palace. But in Matthew 2:3 we read a bit of an understatement “When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.”

Not being a true Jew Herod didn’t know the answer. But he gets the answer from the chief priests and the teachers of the law.

And so the wise men and their entourage head off to Bethlehem to not only visit the Messiah, but to then report back to Herod about where to find the child.

Herod like every tyrant and despot that has ever lived is worried that there could be a rival to him. Just look at the fuss about a film that was going to be released in the USA allegedly disrespecting a certain despotic leader.

However the wise men are warned in a dream not to go back to Herod and they go home a different way. We read in Matthew 2:16 & 17 “ When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi.”

Whilst there is no record of this slaughter, it is not surprising as Herod committed so many crimes and murdered so many people who got in the way, so that murder of a small number of children wasn’t really big news. It was just one more crime.

These children have committed no crime except to be born in Bethlehem around the time that Jesus was born. But as often happens in this wicked world, it is the innocent that suffer, that pay the price for others greed and lust for power.

Just as we never know of all the wicked crimes committed by tyrants such as Hitler, Stalin, Pol Pot, and other recent despots. However we know that God sees all and recalls all as we are reminded in Hebrews 4:13 “ Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.”

So today we remember the events of some two thousand years ago and recall the death of those innocent children. Let us not forget the suffering that still goes on in the world through the continued presence of evil men and women. And as we remember let us be faithful in our prayers for those who suffer, and also pray for that day when Jesus returns to finally put an end to evil on this world. Amen.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Bethlehem, Herod, Jesus, wise men | Leave a comment

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