lent24

 Saturday. The day when nothing happened. The day when all hope was lost.  When the disciples not only lost Jesus but also had to come to terms with losing Judas whilst trying to understand his betrayal.  The day when the fear of being hunted down and crucified too must have been very real and terrifying.  Saturday, the day when Joseph was having to explain to his family why he had let the family tomb be the final resting place of someone who had been crucified as a criminal.  When Mary relived every moment of her extraordinary life as the mother of the Messiah and wondered what on earth it had all been for.   John and Peter, heartbroken. The women wanting to do something practical for the body of Jesus but not being allowed to even pack a bag of linen and spices because it was the Sabbath.   Nobody will have slept on the Friday night. They will have sat together trying to comfort each other, recalling the horror of His death and wondering wh...

 Last night  a dozen of us from church piled on a bus with 55 primary aged kids and took them to a praise night being hosted by a church in Belfast.  There were 250 kids there in total and food was provided. You probably cant start to imagine the noise and the nonsense.  I was put in charge of the 5 yr olds from our church.  It was like trying to herd cats. 😀  I will need to lie down for a week to recover. Not that the kids were naughty or unduly badly behaved.  But the event was trying to cater for kids aged between 5 and 11 and was definitely pitched more towards to upper end of that age group.  So whilst the little ones enjoyed the food and joined in with some of the songs and actions, by the time it came to a talk and some games and having to listen and sit still they were tired and a bit bored and had switched off somewhat.  Once they switched off they decided they needed the toilet, wanted a drink, wanted to sit in a different seat, we...

 This week our church is running an Easter scheme for 60 local kids. Over three days they will spend time playing games, dancing, making things, trying to win points for their team, eating snacks and hearing the good news that God has a rescue plan.  https://www.facebook.com/100012341134938/videos/pcb.1811433892611298/870196761540845 Yesterday our wonderful youth worker Phoebe was explaining to the kids that we and our world need to be rescued and that Jesus is our rescuer.  Despite the fact that she was explaining the gospel in very simple terms to young children, she said something that really struck 57 year old me in a new way.  Explaining Adam and Eve's fall she said ' they didnt only break the rules, but actually they broke God's heart' I realised that more often than not I think about sin as being a breaking of rules, transgression of laws, wrongdoing rather than heart-breaking.  When I hear the word 'sin', I think about myself doing something which deserv...

I was having one of my many and frequent debates with Sam the other day about the different emphases he and I place on scripture and experience.  Sam is of the view that all we need is scripture, that most churches are pretty sloppy in their understanding of and adherence to the Bible and that you cant hang your spiritual hat on 'experiences'.  I dont disagree on the importance of scripture but would argue (with 40+years experience behind me) that God uses plenty of other ways to communicate and as long as these line up with the Bible then we should be open to them.  Sam challenges me and makes me think. Which is always a good thing.  As I later chewed on the conversation I came across something I wrote several years ago about worship. It ties in with our study on heaven and it sums up what happens, for me, when I enter into His courts through worship.  I have an experience. It is undeniable.  I dont have that experience when Im reading scripture.  I g...

  Hebrews 12:22-24   But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.    Ephesians2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, Colossians 3:1-7   If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. I dont think these scriptures require much comment. Just alot of pondering...

 It seems everyone's minds are as boggled as mine is by the mysteries of heaven and the New Jerusalem etc. Thanks for contributing to the discussion.  All the comments are really helpful to us all as we ponder together . Today I've been trying to digest the news. First Kate and then the Moscow shootings.   Im pretty sure we are all on the same page about the Princess.  And Im sure we have all been talking and thinking about her since her broadcast.  Hopefully praying for her too.  The news from Russia is awful for different reasons.  Not just because so many died and were injured, but because despite the fact that Islamic State have admitted responsibility and did so immediately and publicly, Putin has chosen to blame Ukraine. Its unbelievable. And scary. These two big news stories have made me think about the nature of truth.  The people of Russia have been told a story about what happened in the concert hall in Moscow and we have to presume...