‘The Way, the Truth, and the Life?’

‘I am the way, the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father except through me.’

This claim of Jesus of Nazareth is as shocking today as it was when he first made it; but for different reasons. Then, because it was a claim to deity; today, because it is a claim to exclusivity: then, it was a claim to be the only way to God and to reconciliation with him; today, it is viewed by many to be the arrogant, the unpopular, the unwarrantable claim that there is only one way to knowing God and to being reconciled to him.

In today’s cultural climate three popular modern misconceptions abound: The first is that all religions are essentially the same. But even a brief examination reveals that this is not so: whilst they may appear superficially the same, fundamentally they are quite different and at odds with each other. For example, Islam never speaks of God as ‘love’ but only as a God of ‘justice’; whereas Christianity (orthodox and biblical) insists on both. Secondly, the popular secularist dogma that all religions are private affairs - they may be the truth for you but they are not necessarily the truth for me! And, thirdly, the belief – albeit illogical and without evidence - that a unique revelation is either impossible or somehow unfair. Embarrassingly for their proponents or adherents, it quickly becomes clear that all these arise from sheer intellectual laziness, a refusal to examine and analyse all the facts and evidence available.

God’s answer however to the human problem is not many ways but one way. His solution is at once unique yet universal, exclusive but this in order to be inclusive – inclusive of all his creatures.

It should come as no surprise then that this unique and fact-based (rather than subjective and pluriform) truth concerning Jesus is so shocking to so many today. It challenges and deeply offends modern moral and philosophical ideas, modern dogmas, modern social taboos, the proud, the scientist who says there is no God, and the list goes on.

Take the theory of scientific materialism for example, one in which the atheist scientist states dogmatically, ‘I cannot believe the claims of Christ to be God.’ Why? Because it undermines the world view to which he or she is wedded; because in a philosophy of scientific materialism there is no place for a personal agent in creation. Indeed, as the President of the American Scientific Association recently said, ‘At all costs we must not let ‘God’ get a foot in the door.’ That Science and the idea of God are not at odds is rationally, cogently, and often very amusingly set out by the likes of John Lennox and other scientists who are Christians, some of whom are Nobel Prize winning scientists. That such exclusiveness and uniqueness is for our universal personal benefit is vehemently decried. ‘I came to save’, said Jesus; ‘to bring life in abundance’, and so that a person might know God the Creator not just as idea or object but as person and Father.

Today then, we Christians are on thin ice here…socially, politically, and morally; but by no means either theologically or philosophically. Why? Because of the historical facts of ‘REVELATION’. It is a basic tenet of Christianity that we believe what we believe not because we have invented it but because it has been revealed to us in the fact of Jesus Christ’s historical existence and confirmed by the historical fact of his resurrection: and these are confirmed not only by the most compelling historical evidence but also by the testimony of God’s promised Holy Spirit in our hearts and minds and in the knowledge of his risen presence with us when we ‘take up our cross and follow him’.

The uniqueness of this ‘revelation’, of this all-consuming and all-enlightening truth, is of course a problem for many today. But truth tends to uniqueness, to constraints, to boundaries, to prescriptions, to what is okay and what is not, to, dare I say it, absolutes…does it not? Ask a doctor or an accountant! And yet, today, Christianity (any religion in fact) is considered by many as private opinion or preference rather than public fact and universal truth, and therefore of an altogether different category from, say, maths or medicine.

So what are Christians to do? Remain in the cosy comfort of this ‘saving’ truth? Surely not when so many are confused, lost, ignorant…. whether they realise it or not. (Yes, I know they very often don’t take kindly to being told so!!) No, it is the Church’s business – the business of all of us who call ourselves ‘Christians’ - to be signposts to Jesus, to live as children of the Kingdom with kingdom values in our hearts and to proclaim him; not stay silent. Yes of course, as St. Paul reminds us, ‘we have this treasure in jars of clay’; we are flawed and fickle people with no right or reason to boast of ourselves. But his light can shine through when we allow it, when we allow him to guide and where necessary change us, and when we do not try to hide or keep it to ourselves! So, when people say ‘what’s the meaning of life? What do you say to them? When people say, ’I hurt, life’s unfair, why is there so much suffering in the world, what happens to us when we die?’ What do you say? Well, what do you say? ‘My adherence to modern philosophical dogma, moral inclusiveness, and contemporary social taboos demand that I neither offend nor warn you’? If you saw a blind person swimming in the sea just beyond a sign saying, ‘Danger: Sharks!’ would you leave them there in their ignorance and blindness?

Let’s assume for just a few moments that Jesus’ claim is true. (Actually, it’s the only rational and reasonable conclusion that makes sense of the evidence! I really would encourage anyone wanting to search for God to start not with philosophical questions about the existence of God but with the historical person and historical record of Jesus, a record of the quality and integrity that no other historical records of that time come anywhere near to matching - this the considered judgement of the best of secular historians themselves.)

When we consider the reason for Jesus’ coming - that the fact of human sin is a barrier between humankind and God our creator - a barrier that needs to be broken if we are to be reconciled to him - we find that the God whom Jesus revealed is a perfectly gracious and merciful God but that he is also perfectly just and hates evil. So, He himself offers the solution to the human predicament. It’s actually mind-blowingly simple if a person puts aside for a moment their philosophical, political or moral prejudices, their pride and their wilfulness. Fascinatingly, children get this where adults don’t - or refuse to! When you’ve just come in from playing in the garden or (for the benefit of adults here) weeding the flower bed, and you are offered the most beautiful, delicious, Victoria sponge cake by your mother - filled with cream and adorned with strawberries, is it unreasonable of your mother who, don’t forget, made the cake and made you, to ask you first to wash your filthy paws? This is just an everyday picture of what God is doing though Jesus for you and for me, for everyone, but obviously at a considerably more profound moral level.

Sin acts as a barrier between us and God, just as the aluminium film does between the coffee and you in your Nespresso capsule: it needs to be broken and only God can do this. But along with forgiveness for sin comes the offer of new life. The offer is life – life in abundance with him and in an ever more loving and selfless living of life now and then on into eternity.

You see, if it is true, if Jesus was and is whom he claimed to be, then it‘s a no brainer! So I say again, start your enquiry with Jesus…his life, his teaching, his claims, his resurrection: examine the evidence with an open mind!

But in examining all the evidence - and not just the bits that appeal to you! - there will come a very sobering discovery. We have been warned. We will be judged when we leave this life and meet God face to face. Anglican clergy are no longer supposed to talk about this because it upsets people. But Jesus did; he said that it was the very reason for his mission, his mission to ‘save’ us from this judgement through faith in him, in his paying the debt on our behalf, the debt we owe to a perfect God because of our sinfulness and selfishness, the debt to God’s perfect justice. At funerals I often encounter in the most non-religious people a deep-seated feeling or suspicion that when they die they will have to give an account of their lives to someone or something. If a person has any sense of justice at all, it should come as no surprise that God does too!

The reasons for not taking Jesus at his word I have found, and without exception, are not based on a genuine, impartial, and open-minded examination of the facts and the evidence but on the moral challenge of those words – his challenge to a person’s pride and to their greater desire to formulate their own moral code (with its countless ‘get out of jail free’ cards!) And countless times I have encountered this in people whom often we would label nice, pleasant, good, doers of good deeds, even ‘religious’ - to a certain degree at any rate. But Jesus said that theirs will not be enough goodness or niceness or religion to get to the Father, to the Truth, to eternal life, to the answers to our deepest questions and perplexities if there is no room for Christ in their lives. To receive Christ requires, above all else, honesty about ourselves and humility in ourselves.

The words we read in the bible are designed to make us Christians – practising believers in God’s perfect solution to the human problem. It is an offer because that is the way of love, and love cannot force itself upon anyone. Look then at Jesus and tell me God does not love you personally. Look again and tell me you don’t need to repent and accept his offer. Look again at Jesus and tell me you owe him nothing, not even the courtesy of the time to check the facts about someone who said that they had died instead of you and for you. Many either do not know this or have rejected this: that is the greatest sadness of the human race; that is why God chose you and me to help such people to ‘see’. And helping such a person to ‘see’ is one of the greatest joys in life you will ever experience. ‘He is the way, the truth, and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through him.’ This is the truth, this is our message. Will you share it or will you ‘pass by on the other side’? If you do, you will be breaking both of the Great Commandments. Yes, it’s that important!

Christmas Midnight Mass 2019

I was listening to a programme host on the radio recently talking about the meaning of Christmas. The real meaning of Christmas, he said, is ‘Goodwill to all men.’ And then he added - because he quickly realised that this sounded very sexist and politically incorrect - ‘and of course women and children and animals too.’

Well, I think the turkeys might have something to say about that; but then he added this. ‘For a week or so before Christmas we come over all fuzzy and altruistic; we come out of our mainly selfish shells and try to be nice to each other. But by Boxing Day the peace is at an end and war has once more broken out.’

Now I think there are three very important things to say about what he said on a programme heard by possibly tens of thousands of people or more.

The first is this. I don’t agree with him that all people are largely selfish for 51 weeks of the year, thinking only of themselves and no other: l know for a fact, as I am sure you do too, that very many people make not only small but often very great sacrifices for other people - and not just their immediate families - for many if not most days of the year. I can only assume that he has a very unfortunate circle of friends and acquaintances, and that life with the BBC has made him rather cynical.

Secondly – and I am afraid that he is quite wrong here - is his understanding of the phrase ‘Good will to all men’, which is a wishful thinking misunderstanding of the Gospel Reading we have just heard. What he has done - as many have before him and still do today - is to take the offer God made in Jesus to you and to me, and sentimentalise it into something we offer to each other - if only, as he claims, for a few days over Christmas.

You see, this is yet another instance of reading into the bible meanings that simply aren’t there but which suit agendas in which people can happily rule out God - because of course leaving him in leads to some very awkward and embarrassing questions – mainly about ourselves!

But Christmas is all about God; that in one of his forms of being God he chose, because he loves us, to come to us in human form so that we could understand him and believe in him.

Now if you look at what it actually says in the reading, at verse 14, you will see that not we but God is the author, the giver, of the offer; and that that offer is not just a wishful thinking ‘let’s all try to be nice to each other through our own efforts for a few days over Christmas’, but I, God, in the person of this vulnerable little baby, am offering all ‘on whom my favour rests’ to know real peace; a peace the world can never give. And my favour will rest on those who believe in this baby, in who he is, in why he came, and who then change their lives where necessary to accord with what he taught about humanity, and about our hopelessness without him.

The peace he offers, as he will explain to you when he is a full grown man and starts teaching you my ways, is the peace you will have when you know for sure the answers to your deepest questions about this life: it’s meaning, it’s purpose, and what will happen to you when this life ends for you. But above all it is the peace which comes from knowing for sure that you and I have been reconciled, that I have forgiven you for every unloving thing you have ever done, that because of him I have wiped your slate is clean - however dirty it may be or you may think it is, and that we are once more able to be in relationship. And it’s not because of you or anything that you are or that you’ve achieved, but because of everything he, Jesus, is and has achieved for you.

The mistake the radio host made was to make us the givers rather than the receivers: it is God’s offer and it is to be found in Jesus. And the fact is that when we truly believe that Jesus is exactly whom he claimed to be and put our faith in him as the unique and universal Saviour of the world, God’s chosen instrument of forgiveness and reconciliation, then we will find that he is in us helping us to bring the Good News of him, all that he is and all that he offers, to those who do not know him and who do not know what they are missing; in short, his personal ambassadors of his ‘good news’ for all – if only they will receive it.

No wonder the radio host – even with his ridiculously large BBC salary – sounded so cynical: he had misunderstood the ‘Good will’ offer entirely. Let’s not make the same mistake; but with humble and joyful hearts welcome his wonderful message, his unique and universal offer, welcome him personally as Saviour, Friend, and King. Accept and unwrap this present and you will never know a better one because you will have received the very best present anyone could ever receive.

Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols 2019

A man was walking along a cliff path one day when he tripped and fell over the edge. Reaching out he grabbed a tree root on the side and clung to it for dear life. He looked down but could not see the bottom. The tree root began to loosen. He looked up to the sky above and in desperation shouted, ‘Is anybody there? Save me!’ Almost immediately a voice from the heavens replied, ‘Have faith; let go.’ The man looked down, and then back up, and said, ‘Is anybody else there?’

Now you may be asking yourselves what on earth that little story has to do with Christmas. Well, unlike my joke at this service last year about the three-legged turkey, this little story has far more to do with the real message of Christmas than at first sight. Why? Well because it illustrates two very important truths.

The first truth is this. The coming of Jesus into the world that very first Christmas in order to reveal to us in human form - that is to say, in a way that we could understand – God Himself who created us, and also not only to teach us how He wants us to live and to love but also, he said, to ‘save’ us, prompts us to ask if we will ‘have faith’ in him; to have faith that he, Jesus, and he alone, provides the answers to life’s deepest and most pressing questions - Who created us? Why are we here? How are we supposed to live? What will happen to us when this life ends?

Now to the person who has not studied closely and with an open mind the person of Jesus - his wonderful life, his amazing claims about himself, and the most compelling evidence for his resurrection three days after he had been killed, asking that person to ‘have faith’ in Jesus to ‘save’ him or her – from avoidable ignorance and unavoidable death - is very much like the situation of the man clinging on to the tree root on the side of the cliff. He or she has no firm grounds on which to trust Jesus’ offer; his offer not only to ‘save’ him or her but also to give them a new life, a fresh start, a new way of living. To such a person there will seem no reason whatsoever to ‘have faith’ in him and ‘let go’.

Or again, if a person believes in the foundation of so much of modern and popular scientific faith (because faith is exactly what is needed to believe it), a miracle far greater, far more improbable – or so Nobel Prize-winning mathematicians tell us - than the miracle of Jesus’s resurrection with all the hugely compelling evidence attesting to its historical fact – and what I am referring to here of course is the theory of the miraculous so-called ‘Big Bang’ with its creating of something (our universe) out of nothing (yes, nothing); a belief system in which, so scientists admit, we are asked to believe that human life, your life and mine, has absolutely no meaning; that we humans are simply the outcomes of blind evolutionary processes with no goal, no purpose, no hope – then, again, that person will want to pay no attention to Jesus’ call to ‘have faith’ in him and ‘let go’.

Or if a person is so absorbed by the pursuit of power, wealth, success – or even just personal happiness and the enjoyment of this life, then he or she too will see no reason, no benefit, to ‘have faith’ and ‘let go’.

But here is the second truth that story illustrates, and it is this: the truth that we are more afraid of ‘letting go’ of the many ideas and things that not only blind us to the truth of Jesus but also let us down time and time and time again: we prefer to put our faith in these rather than take him at his word - that he came to ‘save’ us and to offer us ‘life; life, he said, in all its fulness’.

He came that first Christmas because he loves us more than we could ever conceive of or imagine; he came because our heavenly Father does not want us to make choices that will only separate us from him; he came because each one of us, flawed and fickle as we all of us are, are very precious in his sight, made in his image, created to live in love with him and with each other.

But to the person who has genuinely considered the evidence for Jesus and is willing to let go of all those things – personal, material, philosophical, political – which blind or prevent us from trusting him, such letting go and putting their faith in Jesus is quite simply the most reasonable, rational, and realistic thing they could ever do. Or, as the Christmas carol so aptly puts it, ‘Where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.’



The true message of Christmas, the original one that is, not only reminds us of God’s saving love in coming to the earth he created for you, for me, for everyone, it also challenges those who either have not heard it or have previously rejected it to consider and examine it very carefully indeed. What greater gift could we accept than his offer of forgiveness for the past, new life for the present, and a sure hope for the future – whatever that future holds. Will you welcome him, or perhaps welcome him back this Christmas into your life as Saviour, Friend, and King? All you have to do is humbly ask him: he has promised that he will do so.

x

Luke 1; 26 to 38

So once again we’re in the season of Advent and another Christmas approaches. And this can leave us in a reflective mood, especially as we get older and we see the years passing by and we see our families also getting older and starting to raise the next generation.

Maybe that’s partly why you’ve come to church this morning. But whatever your reason for coming, I hope that you will find something to help and encourage you in today’s gospel reading about Mary.

You see I think that much of what is true for Mary is also true for us and that actually Mary isn’t as unlike us as we may think. And this is what I’d like to talk about this morning.

The first thing about Mary is that God knows her intimately. He knows everything about her. He knows all her thoughts and all her actions. He knows how many hairs she has on her head. He knows her hopes and fears and dreams.

And He has watched over her from the moment of her conception all through her childhood years and he loves her.

And the same is true of us. God sees you now and knows what you’re thinking. Perhaps its – ‘oh goodness I hope he doesn’t go on for too long cos I’ve got to get to the supermarket.’ Don’t worry, I won’t.

He knows what is going on in your life – your problems and anxieties. He knows all about your relationships. He has watched over you all your life since you were born, and he knew you’d come to church this morning. And most importantly He loves you and wants the very best for you.

The second thing about Mary that is also true of us is that God has been preparing her for the role in life he has chosen for her. In her case it’s as the mother of his son Jesus – the Messiah, God made flesh.

And this preparation is two-fold. Initially when God created Mary, he created her expressly for this purpose. He gave her the character, the abilities and talents to be the very best mother for Jesus. He fashioned her expressly to be the mother of his son.

And secondly as she grew up, he enabled her to experience and learn things that would be useful for her in later life. We’re not told in the gospels – but I suspect Mary had experienced older women around her who taught her about motherhood and childcare – and I suspect it was something she loved because God had built it into her DNA.  

Our roles will of course be different to Mary’s – but God has also created each one of us for a purpose and role in life.

He has fashioned us just as carefully as he fashioned Mary. He has imbued us with gifts and talents and has given us innate likings for doing various things – things we’re good at and enjoy doing.

And he has given us these gifts and talents and likings expressly for the role he has for us.

However old we are, he has a plan for each of our lives – something he wants us to be doing for him. We’re not a random assortment of abilities but tailor-made individuals with a God-given purpose ahead of us.

God says in the book of Jeremiah – “I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

And like Mary, our life experiences will be part of our preparation for God’s plan for us.

We may have gone through difficult times – but these can give us an empathy and understanding for others. Often the best people to help those struggling with life are those who themselves have experienced similar struggles, whether that be an addiction or illness or depression or a bereavement or financial problems.

I don’t know what you’ve experienced in life but maybe you can use your life experience to help others in some way.

The most important part of Mary’s story however, is where she says yes to God. “Here I am, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.”

All God ‘s preparation – all his watching over her – all his love for her – would have come to nothing if she’d said “no, sorry Lord, I’m not ready for this whole child thing yet. I mean, think how embarrassing it will be. Come back next year and I’ll think about it.”

And the same is true for us. Everything God has prepared us for; everything he has invested in us and taught us in life will come to nothing if we say “no” to his plan and purpose for our lives.

You see God has given us free will and he will never force us to do anything. He works in us and through us as we co-operate with him.

Jesus has given all Christians the great Co-Mission. It’s a mission in partnership with God – as we say yes to him.

Now of course it can take us a while to reach the stage where we believe that God exists and that he has a purpose for our lives – but at some point – like Mary - we all need to make a decision.

And that decision is whether we want God’s plan and purpose for our lives or we want our own. Whether we say yes to God – “let it be with me according to your word” or no – sorry God I want to go my own way in life.

And this is a decision we can make when we’re eight or eighty. Its never too late to say yes to God’s plan.

And this is really what repentance means. It’s reaching a stage or point in our lives where we realise our desperate need for God and are prepared to say yes to his plan for our life.

Repentance is a bit like changing the points on a railway line and deciding that from now on we want to follow God’s track rather than our own.

We’ve tried living life independently of God but it hasn’t brought us fulfilment and despite what we may have achieved, we sense an emptiness within ourselves; a realisation of the pointlessness of life without God; perhaps our need for forgiveness; perhaps a yearning for meaning and purpose and genuine hope beyond this life.

So’ we take a step of faith and make the decision to say yes to God. 

Maybe for some of you here this morning - this is how you feel and although perhaps you weren’t aware of it there is a prayer that is bubbling up from deep within you.

“Lord I’ve tried living my life my own way but deep within I feel empty and I want your plan and purpose for my life. I want to know why you created me.

If you’re there God, please make yourself known to me. Come into my life. Be real to me. Show me that you’re alive and that you love me.”

Saying yes to God is the most important decision any of us will ever have to make because our eternal destinies hinge on the answer we give. 

God will always respect the decision we make. As I’ve said he won’t force himself upon us.

He’ll keep loving us and knocking on the door of our lives, hoping that we may change our mind but if we keep pushing God away and saying no to him – there’s very little he can do about it.

The next thing about Mary is that as she says ‘yes’ to God – the Holy Spirit comes upon her and Jesus is birthed within her. In Mary’s case of course it’s a physical pregnancy.

However, it is similar for us. As we say ‘yes’ to God’s plan for our life, Jesus is birthed in us.

The Holy Spirit – the spirit of Jesus comes to live within us and we become spiritually alive. God becomes real to us and we know for sure that Jesus is risen from the dead because we can sense and feel his presence with us.

One of my favourite Christmas Carols, ‘O Little Town of Bethlehem’ puts it like this: “No ear may hear His coming, but in this world of sin, where meek souls will receive him, still the dear Christ enters in.”

And he comes to live within us so that we – like Mary - can start to fulfil the plan he has for us. So that we can enjoy a relationship with him.

He comes to guide us in life and to empower us to serve him. He comes to help us reach out to others, to prompt us and encourage us to show those around us his love.

He comes to help us to use our talents and abilities to extend his kingdom and to make himself known.

We’ve been running the Talking Jesus course in church recently to help and encourage us to share our faith with those around us because it’s not always easy to talk about our faith.

But it is critical that we do because Jesus loves each one of us; because he died to save each one of us by taking our sin - which is what separates us from God - upon himself, and because has a plan for each one of us. 

Mary’s purpose was absolutely central and vital to God’s plan to come into the world in the person of Jesus to make salvation possible for all people; but our purpose is also extremely important to God.

You see every person is of immense value to God; and like Mary he has placed us in a unique position in the centre of the circle of our family and friends and work colleagues - the people we meet each day – and it is through us that he wants to try and reach out to these people. 

We also each have unique positions and roles to play within our local churches – using our talents and abilities to help create a healthy local body of Christ - whether that’s a role in catering and hospitality; or a caring role; or a role in helping with children and young people’s work; or an administrative or technical role or an upfront role.

God’s church here at Brenchley will only be truly healthy and function as he desires as we each play our part in supporting and serving it.

So, to tie up what I want to say this morning – I think in many ways we are not so unlike Mary.

God knows us and loves us. He has created us for a specific role and purpose.

He has a plan for each of us and if like May we will only say yes to Him – He will also be birthed in us. Jesus will come by his spirit to live in our hearts and lives.

And then we can each start with God’s help to fulfil the plan he has for us, to play our part in his overall plan to bring salvation to everyone in the world who will accept him.

I’m going to close in a moment with a time of quiet prayer and reflection where we can each share what is on our hearts with God.

Perhaps you’re already a Christian but you’re unsure of what God wants you to do; how he wants you to use your gifts and talents and what role he wants you to play. Why not offer yourself to him now in service – like Mary did - and ask him to guide you as you seek to serve him.

Or perhaps you’d like to say to God’s plan for your life and to know him. If that’s you, in your own words share whatever is on your heart with God. Tell him you want to fulfil the plan he has for you and invite Jesus to come into your heart and life and to make himself known to you.

Jesus is present among us now by his spirit and looking at each of us with love in his yes. So, let’s all pray quietly for a few moments and share the cry of our hearts with him.

x

John 10: 9 to 18

In today’s gospel reading from John we have two of Jesus’ famous “I am” statements and also a very well-known bible verse – “I came so that they may have life and have it abundantly.”

And this morning I’d like to look at these statements and their significance and then try and show why a life lived in relationship with Jesus – with him as our good shepherd – we can experience abundant life.

So, firstly, John wrote his gospel to show that Jesus is God. As he says at the end of his gospel; “these (things) are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

And in order to show that Jesus is God, John includes seven “I am” statements in his gospel.

We find the significance of these “I am” statements in Exodus chapter 3 when God appeared to Moses in the burning bush and told him to go to Egypt to lead the Israelites out of slavery.

Moses says to God; “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

And God says to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.”

So, God describes himself as “I am” – and I think it’s a great description – because as well as describing God as always just being and existing, ‘I am’ can also be used to describe many aspects of who God is.

For instance - I am the source of life. I am the one behind everything that exists. I am your creator. I am love. I am perfect. I am just. I am all seeing. I am all knowing.

I could go on – but hopefully you get the picture.

And Jesus then continues in this vein with seven “I am” statements that throw light on his identity and purpose.

So, firstly, in verse 9, he says “I am the gate” or if you go back a couple of verses, “I am the gate for the sheep.” Jesus is saying that the only way to know God and to be part of God’s people is through him.

Before I became a Christian, I used to think that there were many ways to come to know God, but I realise now that this is untrue. You can meditate till the cows come home, but it won’t get you to God.

You can try in your own strength, to live a worthy or holy life but it won’t get you to God. You can chant a lot and grow your hair or fingernails to great lengths but it won’t get you to God.

There are not many doors to God. There is a single gate or door to God, and that gate is Jesus himself.

And that is because Jesus is the only one who has dealt with the problem of our sin – which is humanity’s major problem and is what separates us from God.

Jesus is the only person in history to have led a perfect life – and was therefore qualified to offer his perfect life as a sacrifice for us.

He is the only one to have borne our sins in his body on the cross; he is the only one to have overcome death and to have been resurrected and to have opened up the way to God.

It is only through the blood of Jesus that we can be forgiven and made clean.

He is the gate and as we invite him into our lives, we invite salvation into our lives and the way to God is open for us.

And this of course leads us onto Jesus’ second “I am” statement in today’s gospel reading – “I am the good shepherd.”

The idea of God as the good shepherd is again rooted in the Old Testament. For instance, in the 23rd Psalm – the Lord is my shepherd.

But also, in the book of Ezekiel, where God rebukes the leaders of Israel who haven’t shepherded his people well.

He says; “I will appoint for them a single shepherd, and he will feed them. My servant David will feed them. He will be their shepherd. I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David will be their prince.”

So, by saying “I am the good shepherd,” Jesus was both asserting His deity and also claiming to be the fulfilment of a Messianic prophecy. He was saying to the Jewish people, I am the Messiah – the good shepherd who was promised to you in scripture.

But as Jesus explains in verse 16 – he hasn’t come just for the Jewish people but for Gentiles as well – ‘other sheep that do not belong to this fold.’ He has come to be a good shepherd for all people everywhere who will accept him.

And as I’ve already explained the most important thing that the good shepherd does for his sheep is to lay down his life for them. The sheep cannot save themselves. They need their shepherd to lay down his life for them to save them from sin and death.

And because his sheep are so valuable to him, Jesus is prepared to die for them. Each sheep is precious to the good shepherd. None are unimportant.

Jesus is totally committed to each of his sheep for its whole life, and each sheep is eternally safe in his hands.

Good shepherds don’t lose their sheep and Jesus won’t lose you. He said; “I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day.

“For it is My Father’s will that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”

So, as the good shepherd, Jesus lays down his life for us to save us – but he also acts in many other ways in our lives.

He communicates with us and as he says in verse 16, as his sheep we can hear his voice. It takes time to learn to recognise God’s voice in our lives but Jesus speaks to us – to guide us and encourage us; to explain scripture to us and to give us words of encouragement for others.

Sometimes he speaks very clearly – especially when he is calling us to a particular role or guiding us onto a path in life.

I’ve heard several Christians describe how God has called them to particular roles.

I remember when I first felt that God was calling me to preach. I felt a bit uncomfortable about the idea. I didn’t really want an upfront role. I was quite happy sitting at the back and listening to other people.

However, God spoke to me very clearly one evening when I wasn’t expecting him to and so I was obedient to what I felt he was asking me to do.

The good shepherd leads us into green pastures. Green pastures can be churches where we can flourish and grow strong or the teaching and example of Christian leaders that will help us to grow and mature.

I have been helped hugely in my understanding of the bible and my walk with God initially by a great bible teacher called Roger Price, but also by Christian leaders like Colin Urquhart and Nicky Gumbel.

Green pastures can also be areas of service where we will flourish and grow strong in our faith. Where we can use our gifts and be a real blessing to other people.

The good shepherd watches over us and protects us. I know that my life is safe in God’s hands and that he will watch over me till my dying day.

I know that he has drawn a line in the sand and said to Satan concerning me – ‘thus far but no further.’

As Psalm 121 puts it; “The Lord will keep you from all harm - he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

The good shepherd tends for us when we are hurt or injured or ill. These can be physical or emotional or spiritual wounds or sicknesses.

All of us need healing to a greater or lesser degree. We all get hurt by people and by life. Often things that have happened to us in childhood – which weren’t necessarily our fault - can affect us as adults.

As the good shepherd Jesus can free us from the effects of these experiences and restore our souls. As we walk through life under his guidance, he helps us to become more whole and complete; to become happier more patient and loving people. He gives us hope and a purpose in life and takes away our fear of death.

Although he works through conventional medicine, he also sometimes intervenes in our lives to heal us himself and make us well.

And when we are depressed or in despair – when we walk through the valley of the shadow of death - he helps us through the difficult times and helps us to come out on the other side with renewed hope and vigour.

Sometimes he gives us promises from his word to help and encourage us. For instance, when I got very depressed several years ago, he spoke to me through Psalm 40.

And although it has been a gradual work in my life, which he is still continuing, as he promised he would; “He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.

“And He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.”

There are all sots of ways in which Jesus as our good shepherd guides and helps and encourages us through life which I don’t have time to go in to.

But Psalm 103 summarises what Jesus does for us quite well. “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all His kind deeds; He who forgives all your iniquities, and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the Pit and crowns you with loving devotion and compassion, who satisfies you with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.”

And through Jesus being our good shepherd we come to experience abundant life.

We can experience his presence with us and his love. We can experience the joy of being filled with his spirit and know his great compassion for those around us who are lost and struggling with life.

As we come to understand the truth of his word and his promises to us, it helps to set us free from fear and anxiety.

We come to realise that with him in our lives, we are saved and eternally safe and that whatever life throws at us – he will see us through it. And when death comes, we have nothing to fear.

So, to conclude what I want to say this morning, have you entered through the gate and have you invited Jesus to be your good shepherd?

If you haven’t, it’s a simple thing to do. What you need to do is to make the decision that from now on you – rather than just going your own way in life -you want to live under his direction and guidance.

And then simply invite Jesus into your heart and life. Just say ‘Jesus I want to live under your direction and guidance. Please come into my life. Be my good shepherd and help me to experience the abundant life you promise.’

I’m going to close now with a time of quiet prayer and reflection when you can talk to Jesus and share whatever is on your heart with him.

So, let’s pray.

Lord Jesus thank you that you are present with us now and that you look at us with love and compassion. Lord come to us and helps us; hear the cry of our hearts as we pray to you silently now.

my shepherd.I desperately need a good shepherd to

And more than anything else, I need a shepherd who will sacrifice his life to save me from sins. A shepherd who will lay down his life for me in order to purchase me for his own.

Jesus is all of those things, and so much more.

Healing and wholeness

The topic for my talk this morning is healing and wholeness and I’d like to try and give you an outline of my own limited understanding of what is a large and sometimes perplexing subject area.

So, to try and set healing in some sort of context the first thing we need to understand is that God is good and that his kingdom is good and his purposes are good.

God’s kingdom is a kingdom of love and joy and peace and forgiveness and also of health and wholeness. And his kingdom reflects his character and the sort of king he is.

And God, in the person of Jesus, came to usher in his kingdom. This is why Jesus says at the start of his ministry – quoting from our Old Testament reading; "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”

You see Jesus came to put right everything that has gone wrong in our fallen world.

The reason we live in a fallen world is explained in the early chapters of Genesis where we see Satan coming and deceiving Adam and Eve into disobeying God, and the perfect world God had initially created being spoiled and then everything going pear shaped.

Man’s relationship with God is spoiled. Evil and hatred and darkness and sickness and disease come into the world and people start fighting and murdering each other.

So, in the world around us although we still see remnants of God’s perfect creation - beauty and goodness and kindness and health and happiness we also see evil and darkness.

But Jesus came as the light of the world to dispel this darkness. John tells us in his first letter; “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.”

So, Jesus came to start undoing and putting right everything that spoils and hurts our lives. At the centre of this of course is our relationship with God.

First and foremost, he came to restore our relationship with God which I’ll say more about in a minute.

But Jesus also came to heal and liberate and set people free from the powers of darkness, to give them a foretaste of his kingdom – to show people that he is God and that he is good and that he loves them.

So, in today’s gospel reading from Mark – we see a lady being healed as she touches Jesus with faith and then we see a little girl who’s life has been prematurely cut short, being raised back to life by Jesus - the Lord of life.

He is pushing back the forces of darkness – including death - which have spoiled people’s lives and bringing his kingdom to earth.

This is why he told people to repent because the kingdom of heaven was close at hand.

Wherever Jesus went he demonstrated and established his kingdom – it was near the people he was with. And the same is true today. Wherever the spirit of Jesus is present and at work – his kingdom is still being established in people’s lives and this includes healing.

So, in Jesus, we can see clearly that God’s desire is to heal and set people free and if his kingdom really was established on earth as it is in heaven - everyone would be whole in body, soul and spirit.

However, because we live in a fallen and imperfect world, not everything is as God desires, so unfortunately, we do experience sickness and ill health - but this doesn’t mean that God wants us to be ill.

Far from it. God allows us to be sick – as for instance he did with Job - but as a loving Father he rejoices when we are well and healthy. As Psalm 35 puts it; “God delights in the well-being of his servant.”

Its also true that although sickness and ill health is not what God ideally wants for us – going through difficult times can strengthen our faith, develop our characters, help us to be more sympathetic and understanding people, and bring us closer to God.

So, what are some of the causes of sickness?

Sometimes sickness can be caused by sin. For instance, if we eat or drink too much – we can damage our bodies and cause them to be sick.

If we are promiscuous, we can pick up sexually transmitted diseases. If we take drugs we may become mentally and physically ill.

God's wants us to live upright lives because it is good for us. The laws he gives us are for our own good and the good of others.

And as we stray from his commandments, we may sometimes become sick as a result.

Sometimes the cause of sickness is hereditary or genetic and certain propensities for illness can be passed down family lines.

Sometimes the cause of sickness is demonic. I met a Christian guy who had a healing ministry and he told me about a Christian woman who he’d come across in Africa who had been bed-ridden with a bad back for 3 years.

Her local church had prayed for her healing without success.

He went to see her and sensed there was something she was not telling them. When he pressed her, she confessed that she’d been to see a witch doctor three times, and that each time she’d seen him her back had got worse.

The lady confessed her sin to God and this guy assured her of God’s forgiveness and then prayed for the power of any remaining demonic spiritual influences over her life to be broken in Jesus name. The lady got up out of bed and was well again.

The occult is very dangerous and visiting mediums or spiritualists is an extremely bad idea as we can open our lives to the powers of darkness.

Sometimes the cause of illness is due to stress and anxiety. Again, ideally God doesn’t want us to be anxious and stressed. He wants us to know his love and to trust him.

As we go through sickness or difficult times, he wants us to realise that he is in control of the situation that he loves us and that he is and working for our good.

Perhaps most often, sickness and ill health is the result of living in a fallen and imperfect world where there are germs and viruses and diseases and where accidents happen.

So, it’s all very well to read about how Jesus healed people when he walked the earth or to hear about how other people have been healed, but how can we be healed today?

Well there are 3 things that I think are important for us to receive healing.

Firstly, as I alluded to earlier, the greatest healing in our lives occurs when we become Christians – when we are born again and the Holy Spirit – the Spirit of Jesus comes to live in us.

At this point – when we cease rebellion against God and decide that we do after all want to live under his direction and guidance – then his divine purpose for our lives can start to be established.

This step of faith can have a tremendous healing effect on our lives – as we start to live as God intended - in a relationship with Him.

I like the analogy of a garden with a fence round it and a gate. The garden is our life and what we need to do is to open the gate and invite Jesus in to pull out the brambles and weeds that have grown, and over time to help us transform our gardens into something beautiful and fruitful –something that resembles the life of Jesus himself.

Of course, God wants to transform us into faith filled, kind, loving and generous people who reflect his character to others.

But an essential part of this transformation will involve healing – not just physical, but mental and spiritual healing; the restoration of relationships and being set free from fears and destructive behaviours.

And God is much better able to do this as He lives within us and as we seek to co-operate with His plans and purpose for our lives.

When Jesus first came into my life, I was insecure, with a tendency to be quick tempered. But over the years he’s put my feet on rock and I’m now a much more secure, kinder and more patient person.

Secondly, although we certainly don’t have to be Christians to receive healing, we do need to come to Jesus with a degree of faith. Time and again when Jesus was healing people, he was looking for their faith to receive it.

For instance, in our gospel reading from Mark, Jesus says to Jairus; “Do not fear, only believe.”

And Mark tells us later in his gospel that Jesus was unable to heal people in his home town of Nazareth because of their lack of faith.

We don’t need a huge amount of faith; faith the size of a grain of mustard is sufficient - but if we doubt that God exists or that He is able to heal us obviously it makes it harder to receive from him.

In order for an electrical appliance to work a plug needs to be properly inserted into a socket. If the plug isn’t sufficiently pushed in, the appliance won’t work.

Faith is like a plug that accesses the healing power of God. If faith is in place – even just a little bit - the healing power of God can flow into our lives – and that of course is what we see happening in today’s gospel reading – when the lady touches Jesus’ clothes with faith - and his healing power flows into her life.

Thirdly, in order to be healed we may need to give Jesus both the time and the opportunity to heal us.

Sometimes this may involve putting aside a few days to go to a Christian camp or retreat or to a place where we know God’s spirit is at work.

We’re used nowadays to instant fixes – but God can do more for us and work more deeply in our lives if we will put aside the time and be still in his presence for a while. This is particularly true where we need emotional healing from past hurts and wounds in our lives.

Of course, we can never guarantee what God will do. He is able to heal every disease and sickness, but sometimes people are healed and sometimes they aren’t.

When God heals us – He always wants to deal with the root cause of our sickness whereas sometimes we are more concerned with the symptoms. As all you gardeners will know it is important to pull out weeds by the roots or they will re-grow.

We humans are complex beings made up of body soul and spirit – and only God can really see where we most need healing and if we have the faith to receive it.

And sometimes his priorities may be different to ours. Sometimes if we need to forgive someone or our relationships are in disrepair – this may be God’s priority.

In fact, unforgiveness and bitterness can block us from receiving healing.

Of course, for Christians - our ultimate healing will be in heaven where one day we will be clothed with immortality and a new body that will not get sick or wear out.

It’s important to say also that we are very fortunate in this country to have access to excellent medical care – so some of our healing can be accomplished through conventional treatment. Doctors nurses and health care professionals are all agents of the healing that God wants to bring.

So, to tie up what I want to say this morning – as we see in today’s reading from Mark and in numerous other gospel passages - Jesus ushered in his kingdom and healed people when he walked the earth and he most definitely heals people today.

He is the same yesterday, today and forever and his heart of love still overflows with the desire to help and to heal and set free those who are hurting and in need.

And although we can never dictate what he will do – we can be sure that He understands us perfectly and that he loves us and that his touch upon our lives will always be for our good.

So today, if you want prayer for healing, as you come and kneel at the communion rail, come to Jesus in faith and receive whatever healing he wants to impart to you.

I’m going to close with a time of quiet prayer and reflection where we can lift our own healing needs or the need of others to God and invite him to touch our lives with his healing power.

Perhaps for some of you, my analogy of a garden resonated with you and you’d like to open the gate of your life and invite Jesus in. If that’s you just talk to Jesus now and ask him to come in to your heart and life.

So, let’s pray quietly for a few moments and share what is on our hearts with God.

‘Grace, Mercy, and Peace’

The Third Sunday Service – September 15th 2019

Our ‘Third Sunday Service’ offers an opportunity to consider some of the main and essential elements of the Christian faith and to do so in a little more depth than perhaps our other services of worship allow. For this reason, this service is a good one to which to bring friends and enquirers, those who have no experience or understanding of what it is Christians believe and seek to put into practice; and, yes, also those who have misunderstood, or been misled, or who have some reason or other to oppose Christianity.

In a world where increasingly, sadly, reasoned and reasonable debate is conspicuous by its absence, and where an unwillingness to listen to other people’s points of view and simply no-platform what they don’t want to hear has become popular practice, it surely has to be a very valuable thing to have the opportunity both to consider and to question in an atmosphere of openness and love - or what I would prefer to call ‘Grace’; for grace is love of a very special sort because it is the particular way in which the Christian God loves those whom he created and then commands those who say they love him to love others.

The Christian belief is in the Good News or ‘Gospel’ of God’s grace as revealed by and in Jesus Christ of Nazareth; and, as I am going to be saying a little later on this morning, is characterised by ‘mercy’ and ‘peace’, both of which, like God’s grace, have very special and particular meanings which are intended not only to inform or teach about God but also about the world, about existence, about us. So, the theme for this morning’s service is ‘Grace, Mercy, and Peace’: it is the greeting with which we normally begin our main gatherings here.

If we want to know what characterises Christianity – Christianity at its best, that is - and here it is important for me to say to you that Christianity is not about rules and regulations but about RELATIONSHIPS, though I realise many people do not see it that way! – what characterises Christianity at its best and distinguishes it from other religions is this wonderful thing called ‘grace’.

I said that it is a very special kind of love. And as John says in his gospel (v 14) and Paul in his letter to Timothy (v 2) (on your Notice Sheets), it’s source is God himself. We need to note (v 14) as elsewhere in the bible that this grace is intimately connected with truth: they go hand in hand; and they are to be seen and understood supremely in the person, life, and teaching of Jesus, who claimed to be God. That claim alone raises many questions: but I would simply ask you to take the time to examine that person, his life, and teaching, and then give me your well-argued reasons and evidence for not believing him! But not this morning! Let’s just consider these three: Grace, Mercy, and Peace.

I have just returned from a pilgrimage in Portugal where I met many people on the way searching for meaning and answers to life and to their questions. Very few were Christians: but they sensed both a loss and a need to fill that void in themselves and in their lives which the world, with all its amazing material benefits and offers of fulfilment and happiness they had found unsatisfying. Particularly interesting were the many approaches I encountered to truth and to belief: ‘Truth is whatever you make it’; ‘truth is what makes me feel good’; I like to believe that….’; ‘there is no right or wrong; the world just is’; etc, etc. But all were searching, and most felt deeply that there had to more to life, more meaning, more purpose, more truth than they had so far encountered.

And it is to such deep needs and loss and hopes and fears that the Christian Gospel of God’s grace speaks, offering not only answers but relief, fulfilment, and even assurance.

The Christian faith is not the same thing as the Christian Church. The Christian Church ought to be the same as the Christian faith in what she believes and practices but the truth is that the latter, the Church, is a very human institution. And so it contains failings and failures, people who make mistakes, people who are very aware of the gap between what they are and what they ought to be, but also people who realise that they are or ought to be wholly dependent upon God’s grace, mercy, and peace.

But what are these three, and why are they so essential in the Christian faith?

We cannot understand the message of the bible if we do not understand the meaning of grace. But in understanding it we need to be humble in our approach. Why? Because whilst this message has some wonderful things to say about God and his love for us, it also strongly implies some truths about human beings and human nature that are not music to every ear!

God’s grace is his message of love and forgiveness to those who do not deserve it – which means everyone, because none of us is perfect. To claim that we do not need to be forgiven or do not need God’s grace is to cling our pride.

The first hurdle then is to realise that we need God’s grace, and that without it we cannot know God and be reconciled to him. Yes, he loves us more than we could ever imagine, but because he is perfect and we are not, there is a barrier of sin and pride between us. The very purpose of Jesus’ mission was to remove that barrier and make it possible for anyone to be reconciled to God and to know and live with God for ever. All the while we think that we are good enough for God as we are, or that we can earn his favour, , or that my morality, my philosophy, my respectability, my success will get me to Heaven, or even that God owes me in some way, we delude ourselves. To our pride in ourselves God’s grace says you are all guilty. But to the humble who recognise their need of his grace, he is always willing to forgive. Everyone then needs to say sorry genuinely and to accept God’s offer of forgiveness: He can make no exception.

And he does this by asking us to believe in Jesus; to believe that he, Jesus, is God’s chosen way of reconciling the world to himself; to believe that his sacrificial death was the price he was prepared to pay for our reconciliation because he loves us so much that he was prepared to lay down his life for the whole world and for me; to believe not only that we needed to be reconciled but that he has indeed reconciled us; to believe that his resurrection from death proves that all that Jesus claimed and did and taught could be believed; to believe that however terrible or however wonderful our personal track records, we are all in the same boat of need of God’s grace.

God’s mercy is what we receive when we personally accept that grace: we are forgiven and need no longer fear either about God’s love for us or about this life or the next. And therefore we have the promise, and the knowledge, and the comfort of God’s peace, the knowledge and assurance that in this life we can ourselves be at peace because we now have peace with God. We have been forgiven and accepted because we have admitted our need of God’s grace; and our faith in what Jesus has done for us, his most amazing act of self-sacrificial love, has set us free: free to live without emptiness and fear because not only has he answered our deepest questions about the meaning and purpose of life and what will happen to us when we die, but also because he has come by his spirit to live in us (V 14) so that together we can live life abundantly…’to ALL who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God’.

Grace – God’s free gift of reconciling love to the undeserving

Mercy – his forgiveness of those who believe in Jesus, his unique and universal mediator of reconciliation with him

Peace – the knowledge and comfort that we have nothing to fear either in this life or the next because we are at peace with our Creator and Heavenly Father.