Our daughter Katie has just published her first book of poetry.
The book launch was held at the Fox and Hounds, Bishopsgate Road, Englefield Green, Surrey on Saturday 12th December. You can view photos here
“I have, in recent years, learned an extremely valuable lesson about the importance and rewards of perseverance. ‘A Route of Hope’ is a collection of my poetry which has been published with a prayer that I might be able to encourage people.
Anyone who struggles, feels alone, suffers with anxiety or stress; I want to inspire these people to persevere and rest in the knowledge that we are never alone. I hope that my simple poems bring you a smile for the moments you feel unable to. ” – Katie Ruth
After the Rain
Diamonds on the leaves
They’re perfectly round
The blue sky is settled
And there’s much less sound
The grasses looking happy
Waving to the trees
Where the birds are sitting
In the evening breeze
And the flowers are thankful
That now they can show
Their beautiful colours
Early, tomorrow.
At least 10% of the profits from the book are being donated to Umthombo and their work among homeless street children in Durban, South Africa.
Craig Dyer preaches on the Parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) at the Remembrance Sunday service at Christ Church, Virginia Water, on the 8th November 2009. Craig is the Training Director for Christianity Explored – see christianityexplored.org
Do you ever worry about your neighbours? About that they may think of you? What impression you give them as a neighbour?
When they meet you or see you from a distance, what impression do they get? Is it accurate or a distortion? Are your neighbours threatened or confused by the impressions you give? Do they want to get to know you or do they lock the door and hide? Scientists tell us that the further away your neighbours live, the more likely they are to hold outdated, inaccurate and stereotypical views of you. Did you know, for example, that once broadcast, TV signals begin an endless journey outward into the cosmos at the speed of light? That means our earliest TV broadcasts are probably travelling through star systems more than 400 trillion miles from earth. Do you realise that our neighbours living 60 light years away are watching the first episodes of the Lone Ranger in black and white. 50 light years away they are now watching Rawhide and Bonanza. 40 light years away they have moved on to the original Star Trek series. 30 light years away they are able to watch the Dukes of Hazzard and Knots Landing. Just 20 light years away its Seinfeld and the Sopranos. Those only 10 light years away are being blessed by the Apprentice and countless episodes of Lost. Does it worry you what our neighbours in space may think about us? Does it matter what impression we give? If you want to explore this further I recommend the new film District 9.
If your neighbours knew about your TV preferences, the books you read, your interests, your convictions, values and priorities, what would they think of you? What about the people next door? Over the road? Down the street? The people you meet every day on the train? The people you work with? It may have been questions like this that prompted a certain lawyer to ask Jesus the question, “who is my neighbour?” meaning, “who do I bear some responsibility for and who can I ignore?” We answer this question all the time whether we consciously think about it or not.
We answer this question by the way we treat other people.
In reply to the lawyers question, Jesus told a story, a parable.
A parable is simply a story with a kick in the tail, a story in which we find ourselves an active if unwitting participant rather than an objective observer or innocent passerby.
This parable of Jesus is as topical and controversial today as it was to those who first heard him. Jesus’ audience would have been very familiar with tales of hapless victims, robbed or murdered on that very road. Even today the road from Jerusalem down to Jericho isn’t the kind of road to take the family on a Sunday afternoon picnic. So Jesus had their attention. Christ talked about violence and danger – and we certainly have plenty of that today. He talked about crime, racial discrimination, fear and hatred. In this parable we also see neglect and concern, we see love and mercy. We know very well what the parable says, but what does it mean? The key to understanding the parable is in the wounded traveller’s condition. It is not a curious incidental. Jesus says he was unconscious and naked. These details are skillfully woven into the story to create the tension that is at the heart of the drama. The Middle Eastern world was made up of various ethnic-religious communities. You could identify the stranger ahead of you in two ways. By their accent and their clothing. In the first century the various ethnic communities within Palestine used an amazing array of dialects and languages. In addition to Hebrew, one could find settled communities using Aramaic, Greek, Samaritan, Phoenician, Arabic, Nabatean, and Latin. Not without reason was the north known as the Galilee of the Gentiles. No one travelling a major highway in Palestine could be sure that the stranger he might meet would be a fellow Jew.
But a short greeting would reveal his language or dialect if their clothing had not already given their nationality away. But what of the man in this story? Jesus tells us he is stripped of his outer clothes and is unconscious. He is thereby reduced to a mere human being. It was such a person that the robbers left beside the road. So who will turn aside to offer aid? Let’s spend a few moments considering the characters involved in this story and their attitudes toward the man travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho.
1. To The Thieves: He was a Victim to Exploit
The thieves did not see a fellow human being made in the image of God. They saw someone they could exploit. It did not matter what happened to him, as long as they got what they wanted. Their philosophy was “What’s yours is mine-I’ll take it”.
God gave us things to use and people to love. We live in a culture that has got it round the other way. Jesus Christ never exploited a person. He always gives back more than he asks for. He always leaves a person in better shape than when He found them. If he wounds, he also heals. We must beware of looking at people and thinking “what can he do for me?” We may not mug people to steal their money, but we can so easily hurt people with our words and actions. To the thieves this man was a victim to exploit.
2. To The Priest and Levite: He was a Nuisance to Avoid
Jericho was a priestly city, a place where many of the priestly families lived. It is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world. It has a warm mild climate all year. Before 1967, many of the oil rich sheiks from the Gulf States would spend their winters in Jericho. By comparison, Jerusalem is cold and exposed in winter. So Jericho was the place to live, and priests and levites would regularly frequent this road on their way to and from the Temple. Of all people one would have expected them to help this poor man. The priest was most probably riding. Priests were drawn from the upper class of society. They constituted the privileged elite of Jewish society. In the Middle East no one with any status in the community takes a seventeen mile hike through the desert. The poor walk. Everyone else rode. So what excuses might the priest have offered had he been caught on a security camera travelling by on the other side?
“I’ve got to remain pure in order to serve God” When confronted by a stripped and unconscious person the priest faced a dilemma.
How could he help someone who might be a sinner? His religious laws forbade him go within four metres of a dead person in case he became defiled. Then he wouldn’t be able to perform his duties. His peers would have applauded him for not stopping so that he could perform the higher work for God. Perhaps he thought, “It’s not my problem”. Maybe it was. Why didn’t the religious leaders do something about the dangerous road?
Cain asked, “Am I my brother’s keeper? The answer is “Yes, regardless of your sister or brother’s race or colour.” Perhaps he was afraid of an ambush. May be it was, maybe it wasn’t. What mattered was the person in need. If we allow fear to determine our actions we will be paralyzed from serving God. Maybe he thought “Let somebody else do it” The priest could have said, “the Levite coming up behind me, he can stop, I don’t need to.” But then the Levite could then have thought, “The priest didn’t do anything, so why should I?” You and I can always find somebody to point to as an excuse for our own neglect. Failure to act when we should is just as sinful as to act when we shouldn’t. If we go through life wanting our own way, then other people will always be a nuisance because they will get in our way. But if we go through life with our eyes open seeking opportunities to share the love of Christ, then every nuisance, every encounter becomes a divine appointment, an opportunity to serve God.
To the robbers this man was a victim to exploit. To the priest and Levite he was a nuisance to avoid.
3. To The Lawyer: He was a Problem to Discuss
Jesus told the story in reply to a lawyer’s question. The lawyer was an expert in religious law. Israel lived under religious law in a similar way as Sharia law is imposed in some countries with a Muslim majority. He was then a professional theologian.
The lawyer wanted to test Jesus on a point of law. To win an argument. Jesus turns the conversation round to teach a fundamental truth about concrete action. The lawyer was safe with theories, “who is my neighbour?” He was threatened with the reply “What would you have done in this story? What kind of neighbour are you?” To the robbers this man was a victim to exploit. To the priest and Levite he was a nuisance to avoid.
To the Lawyer: He was a problem to discuss.
4. To The Inn Keeper: He was a Customer to Serve
I do not criticise the inn keeper. He had his inn to manage, and that kept him busy. But I want to use the inn keeper to illustrate the fact that many Christians serve, or rather serve particular people because it is their job and they get paid to do it.
Maybe the inn keeper would have helped the man without the Samaritan’s two silver coins, and the assurance of more if it was needed. We don’t know. That was not the main point of Jesus story, but it is worth noting that the inn keeper took the money.
So let’s follow through on the implications. How far are we willing to serve as long as it is convenient and won’t cost us anything?
Fine as long as it doesn’t interfere with my agenda? Fine as long as I can reimburse for that expenditure? Motive has a great deal to do with ministry. The Pharisees prayed, gave tithes and fasted – all acceptable religious practices, but the motive of some, says Jesus, was to gain the praise of people, not to glorify God. If I only serve because I am paid to do it then I am more like the inn keeper than the Samaritan, for I am treating you as a client rather than a human being. Of the five attitudes demonstrated in this passage, only one was acceptable, and that belonged to a foreigner. When Jesus uttered the phrase, “But a certain Samaritan….” I’m convinced His Jewish audience were shocked.
The Jews and Samaritans had no dealings with one another. Every morning, a pious Jew thanked God in his prayers that the Lord had not made him a woman, a Gentile or a Samaritan. A Gentile might conceivably become a Jewish proselyte but not a Samaritan. They were lost eternally. The last person you would expect to help a Jew would be a Samaritan. I’m sure his audience expected Jesus to say “when the Samaritan came along he took one look at the man and … finished him off.”
The concept of “ethnic cleansing” may be a recent addition to the vocabulary but the actions it describes have been going on for thousands of years. There was no love lost between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus might just as well have been describing the action of a Serb toward a Croat in Bosnia, or a Greek toward a Turk on Cyprus, or a Palestinian toward an Israeli settler on the West Bank.
Contrary to their expectation, Jesus elevates a despised Samaritan, as the one who did not permit racial or religious barriers to hinder him from helping this unknown victim.
5. To The Samaritan: He was a Neighbour to Love
The Samaritan did not blame the injured person for the collective attitudes of either race, and use that as an excuse for doing nothing. He dared to act as a concerned individual, in three specific ways.
1. He Showed Compassion 10:33
“But a Samaritan, as he travelled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.” (Luke 10:33)
This word means much more than passing pity. The original has with it the connotation of being deeply moved inside. It is the word used to describe the way the Lord feels about lost sinners. Compassion describes the way God feels about us. When we show compassion we are merely demonstrating our family likeness. He showed compassion.
2. He Took the Initiative 10:34
“He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him.” (Luke 10:34)
The Samaritan could have excused himself. He was a foreigner in a hostile country. He was alone and vulnerable, but Agape, God’s love does not look for excuses, it looks beyond obstacles. It does not ask why, but why not?
The Samaritan cleansed the victims wounds with wine and soothed them with oil. He bound up the wounds so they would begin to heal. He took the man to the inn to recover and promised to return to pay the bill. The lawyer was willing to talk, the Samaritan took the initiative. He demonstrated compassion. He took the initiative and, thirdly
3. He Bore the Cost 10:35
“The next day he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’” (Luke 10:35). He interrupted his schedule to help this man. It may have made him late for a business appointment, it may have delayed him from seeing his family. But he paid the cost. What did he have to gain from this personally? Nothing – except the joy and strength that come when you do God’s will.
When you serve in love without expecting recognition or reward. What did the Samaritan show? Compassion, initiative, sacrifice.
Jesus said, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?” (Luke 10:36)
When Jesus asked the lawyer which of the three was a neighbour to the victim, the lawyer gave the correct answer but he would not even bring himself to use the word “Samaritan”. He was still resisting Jesus attempt to reach his heart. I wonder whether we have got the message? On this Remembrance Sunday, with British troops serving in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Balkans, Kenya, Sierre Leone, and the Falklands;
with rising tensions within the nationalist community in Northern Ireland; with religious intolerance and political extremism growing; and the ever present threat of terrorism, perhaps we would do well as the question – who is my neighbour? For Jesus teaches that we cannot separate our relationship with God from our responsibility toward those he brings across our path. The lawyer wanted Jesus to define the limits of his responsibility of neighbourliness. He wanted Jesus to identify those he had to be a neighbour to and those he could ignore. Jesus turned the question round. The question is not ‘to whom need I be a neighbour?’ But rather ‘what kind of neighbour am I?’ – to anyone I meet? I invite you to join a revolution this week. Break the spiral of fear and hate in our community with acts of compassion and mercy – especially toward those who are different, those who are the outsiders, those who are the strangers. Who ever the Lord brings across your path today. Your assignment from Jesus is really very simple: “Go and do likewise.” (Luke 10:37). Lets pray.
Probably the most revealing way of discovering our chief anxieties or ambitions is to listen to our prayers. We all pray about things that concern us. We don’t usually pray for issues that do not concern us. Prayer expresses desire. We see this axiom illustrated in Paul’s second prayer in Ephesians.
He pours out his soul to God. He prays that God’s wonderful plan which he has been elaborating may be even more completely fulfilled in his readers’ experience. Bishop Handley Moule asks: ‘Who has not read and re-read the closing verses of the third chapter of the Ephesians with the feeling of one permitted to look through parted curtains into the Holiest Place of the Christian life?’
1. The Introduction to his Prayer
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being.” (Ephesians 3:14-16)
The apostle begins For this reason …, resuming his train of thought where he had left it in verse 1. What ‘reason’ is in his mind? What is it that moves him to pray? Surely it is the reconciling work of Christ? This being so, an important principle of prayer emerges. The basis of Paul’s prayer was his knowledge of God’s purpose. It was because of what God had done in Christ and revealed to Paul that he had the necessary warrant to pray. For the indispensable prelude to all petition is the revelation of God’s will. We have no authority to pray for anything which God has not willed. That is why Bible reading and prayer should always go together. For it is in Scripture that God has disclosed his will, and it is in prayer that we ask him to do it.4
Paul goes on: I kneel. The normal posture for prayer among the Jews was standing. Kneeling indicated an exceptional degree of earnestness, as when Jesus fell on his face to the ground in the Garden of Gethsemane, and Stephen faced the ordeal of martyrdom.5 God doesn’t tell us how to pray. You can pray kneeling, standing, sitting, walking and even lying in bed, although William Hendriksen warns ‘the slouching position of the body while one is… praying is an abomination to the Lord’.6
I kneel before the Father. The apostle has already explained that we worship ‘the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ’. Here he goes on to affirm that from this Father, before whom he kneels in reverent humility, every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. Paul is saying not only that the whole Christian family is named from the Father, but that the very notion of fatherhood is derived from the Fatherhood of God.
To this Father Paul prays that he will give gifts according to ‘his glorious riches’. Both ‘riches’ and ‘glory’ are characteristic words of this letter. Paul has no doubt either that God has inexhaustible resources at his disposal or that out of them he will be able to answer his prayer. The introduction to his prayer
2. The Substance of his Prayer
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. “ (Ephesians 3:16-17)
The apostle’s petition is like a staircase by which he climbs higher and higher in his aspiration for his readers. His prayer-staircase has four steps, whose key words are ‘strength’, ‘love’, ‘knowledge’ and ‘fullness’. More precisely, he prays first that they may be strengthened by the indwelling of Christ through his Spirit; secondly that they may be rooted and established in love; thirdly that they may grasp Christ’s love in all its dimensions; and fourthly that they may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Lets consider these requests one at a time.
2.1 Strengthen you with Power
“I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” (Ephesians 3:16–17a).
These two petitions clearly belong together. Both refer to the Christian’s innermost being, his ‘inner being’ on the one hand and his ‘heart’ on the other. Then, although one specifies the strength of the Spirit and the other the indwelling of Christ, both surely refer to the same experience. To have Christ dwelling in us is the same as having the Spirit dwelling us. It is precisely by the Spirit that Christ dwells in our hearts,2 and it he gives us strength when he dwells there.
But doesn’t ‘Christ dwell by his Spirit in every believer? So how can Paul ask that Christ may dwell in their hearts? Did they not already have Christ? Every Christian is indeed indwelt by Christ and is the temple of the Holy Spirit.4 Paul is praying here for a deepening of that relationship. What Paul asks for his readers is that they may be ‘fortified, braced, invigorated’,6 that they may ‘know the strength of the Spirit’s inner reinforcement’ (jbp), and may lay hold ever more firmly ‘by faith’ of this divine strength, this divine indwelling.
This is clear from the word he chooses for the ‘dwelling’ of Christ in the heart. Paul could have said paroikō which means to ‘inhabit (a place) as a stranger’ the very word Paul has already used in 2:19 for an alien who is living away from his home. No, in contrast, here Paul prefers Katoikeō, which means to settle down somewhere. Bishop Handley Moule draws out the implications: ‘The word… denote[s] residence as against lodging, the abode of a master within his own home as against the turning aside for a night of the wayfarer who will be gone tomorrow.’ Paul prays to the Father that Christ by his Spirit will settle down in their hearts, and from his throne there both control and strengthen them. Strengthen you with power.
2.2 Root and Establish You in Love
“And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love” (Ephesians 3:17). Why does Paul pray to God the Father that Christ would control and strengthen believers? So that they will display their Father’s likeness in sacrificial love. This new humanity is God’s family, brothers and sisters, who will love their Father and love each other. Or should do. They need the power of the Spirit’s might and of Christ’s indwelling to enable them to love each other, especially across the deep racial and cultural divide which previously had separated them.
To express how fundamental Paul longs for their love to be, he joins two metaphors (one botanical, the other architectural), both of which emphasize depth as opposed to superficiality. These Christians are to be rooted and established, or to have ‘deep roots and firm foundations’ (neb). Thus Paul likens them first to a well-rooted tree, and then to a well-built house. In both cases the unseen cause of their stability will be the same: love. Love is to be the soil in which their life is to be rooted; love is to be the foundation on which their life is built. Strengthen you with power. Root and Establish you in love.
2.3 To Grasp the Love of Christ
“may have power, together with all the Lord’s people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:17-18)
The apostle now passes from our love (in which we are to be rooted and grounded) to Christ’s love (which he prays we may know). Indeed, he acknowledges that we need strength or power for both, strength to love and power to comprehend Christ’s love. Certainly the two cannot be separated, and it is partly by loving that we learn the meaning of his love. Paul prays that we may have power to comprehend the love of Christ in its full dimensions—its breadth and length and height and depth.
The love of Christ is ‘broad’ enough to encompass all mankind, ‘long’ enough to last for eternity, ‘deep’ enough to reach the most degraded sinner, and ‘high’ enough to exalt him to heaven. Or, as Leslie Mitton expresses it, finding a parallel to Romans 8:37–39: ‘Whether you go forward or backward, up to the heights or down to the depths, nothing will separate us from the love of Christ.’1
Some have seen these dimensions illustrated on the cross. For its upright pole reached down into the earth and pointed up to heaven, while its crossbar carried the arms of Jesus, stretched out as if to invite and welcome the whole world. The apostle prays that we have power to comprehend these dimensions of Christ’s love, with all God’s people. Yet even then, although we may accept its dimensions with our minds, we cannot ‘know’ it in our experience. It is too broad, long, deep and high even for all the saints together to grasp. This is because It surpasses knowledge. The Christian experience is more than the understanding of biblical doctrine. It floods our emotions and captivates our hearts as well as blowing our minds. Christ’s love is as unknowable as his riches are unsearchable (verse 8). Doubtless we shall spend eternity exploring his inexhaustible riches of grace and love.
Strengthen you with power. Root and Establish you in love. To Grasp the Love of Christ.
2.4 That You may be Filled to the Measure
that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.“ (Ephesians 3:19) ‘Fullness’ is a characteristic word of Ephesians. As individuals we are to go on being filled with the Spirit,6 and the church, although already the fullness of Christ,7 is still to ‘grow up into him’ till it reaches his fullness.8
‘Growth into fullness’ is therefore the theme of Paul’s fourth and last petition for the Ephesians. He prays that they may be filled with all the fullness of God. God’s perfection becomes the standard or level up to which we pray to be filled. The aspiration is the same in principle as that implied by the commands to be holy as God is holy, and to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.9
Such a prayer must surely look on, beyond this life to our final state of perfection in heaven when together we enter the completeness of God’s purpose for us, and filled up to that fullness of God which human beings are capable of receiving without ceasing to be human. Another way of expressing the prospect is that we shall become like Christ, which is God’s purpose and promise,1 for Christ is himself the fullness of God.
In saying that Paul’s last petition points to heavenly perfection, we have no liberty to try to evade its contemporary challenge. For God expects us to be growing daily towards that final fullness, as we are being transformed by the Holy Spirit into Christ’s image from one degree of glory to another.3
As we now look back down the staircase which we have been climbing with Paul, we cannot fail to be struck by his audacity. He prays that his readers may be given the strength of the Spirit and the ruling presence of Christ, the rooting of their lives in love, the knowledge of Christ’s love in all its dimensions, and the fullness of God himself. These are bold petitions. Climbers of this staircase become short of breath, even a little giddy. But Paul does not leave us in suspense.
3. The Conclusion of his Prayer
“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.” (Ephesians 3:20-21)
The apostle’s four petitions are sandwiched between two references to God. In verses 14–16 he is the Father of the whole family and possesses infinite riches in glory; in verses 20 and 21 he is the one who works powerfully within us. Such a God can indeed answer prayer.
God’s ability to answer prayer is forcefully stated by the apostle in a composite expression of seven stages. (1) He is able to, for he is neither idle, nor inactive. (2) He is able to do what we ask, for he hears and answers prayer. (3) He is able to do what we ask or imagine, for he reads our thoughts, and sometimes we imagine things for which we dare not and therefore do not ask. (4) He is able to do all that we ask or imagine, for he knows it all and can perform it all. (5) He is able to do more … than (hyper, ‘beyond’) all that we ask or imagine, for his expectations are higher than ours. (6) He is able to do much more, or more abundantly (perissōs), than all that we ask or imagine, for he does not give his grace by calculated measure. (7) He is able to do very much more, far more abundantly, than all that we ask or think, for he is a God of super-abundance. This adverb hyperekperissou is one of Paul’s coined ‘super-superlatives’.4 ‘Immeasurably more’ (niv) or better still, ‘infinitely more’ (AG, jbp).
There are quite simply no limits to what God can do. The infinite ability of God to work beyond our prayers, thoughts and dreams is by the power at work within us. That is, within us individually (Christ dwelling in our hearts by faith) and within us as a people (who are the dwelling place of God by his Spirit). It is the power of the resurrection, the power which raised Christ from the dead, enthroned him in the heavenlies, and then raised and enthroned us up there with him. That is the power which is at work within the Christian and the church.
Paul’s prayer relates to the fulfilment of his vision for God’s new society of love. He asks that its members may be strengthened to love and to know the love of Christ, though this surpasses knowledge. But then he turns from the love of God past knowing to the power of God past imagining, from limitless love to limitless power. For he is convinced, as we must be, that only divine power can generate divine love in the divine society.
To add anything more would be inappropriate, except the doxology. To him be glory, Paul exclaims, to this God of resurrection power who alone can make the dream come true. The power comes from him; the glory must go to him. To him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus together, in the body and in the Head, in the bride and in the Bridegroom, in the community of peace and in the Peacemaker, throughout all generations (in history), for ever and ever (in eternity), and ever and ever and ever and ever, Amen.
Stott, John R. W.: God’s New Society : The Message of Ephesians. Downers Grove, Ill. : InterVarsity Press, 1979, 1980, S. 131 (adapted, abridged, edited and paraphrased with heartfelt, sincere and grateful thanks)
Hands up if you ever have dreams. What do you like to dream about? Have you ever seen a vision of the future? What kind of future do you long for? In the Bible, God gives us a vision of the future.
“And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” …Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children.” (Revelation 21:3-7)
The Bible says a lot about dreams and visions. God says we should expect them. He promises to give them to us.
‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams.” (Acts 2:17)
God says he will give us dreams, visions and prophecies. We should expect them because we have God’s Holy Spirit living in us. It is normal to have dreams. It is biblical to have visions. And God expects us to prophesy as well – That means to tell others about what God is doing in our lives and what God is going to do in the future. As we trust what God has said in the Bible, he uses dreams, visions and prophesy to encourage us to be faithful and bring others to know him through Jesus. They also help motivate us to be diligent servants until the day King Jesus returns.
We believe God has given the leaders of Christ Church a vision of our future as a church. A vision born of prayer and the Holy Spirit. You received a copy today.
It is probably the most important document we have produced in many years. Please take care of it. Keep it with your Bible. Use it in your prayers. There are six parts. Each answers a simple question: Why? When? Where? What? How? Who?
Why? Why are we here? This is answered in our Mission Statement.
“To know Jesus and make Jesus known.” That is why we are here. That is why we exist as a church. That’s the why?
When? When will we achieve our vision and goals? It is called ‘2020’ because we long for 20-20 perfect vision.
We feel it is prudent, with all the changes going on in our world, to seek a vision of where God would have us be as a church in ten years time.
Where? Where are we going? Where does God want us to be in ten years? These are the ‘imagine’ statements.
They help us imagine, by God’s grace, what Christ Church will be like in ten years. They encapsulate what the Bible says God wants his Church to become.
What? What goals do we need to become the Church God intends?
These are specific, attainable, measurable over the next five years. Prepared by the various ministry teams. They build on what has been accomplished in the last five years.
How?How are wegoing to achieve our goals? How will we realize our vision?
Our Distinctive Values on the back of our 2020 vision explain our core biblical values. (read some) Why? Where? When? What? How? Finally,
Who?
To the glory of God and the future of Virginia Water, involving everyone of us in Christ Church family. As we read in Luke’s Gospel, Jesus says we all have a part to play in his vision for Christ Church. He gives us three reasons.
Jesus is Royalty: We are His Subjects
“A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.” (Luke 19:12)
Jesus is talking about himself. He calls us to be his loyal subjects.
“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.” (Philippians 2:9-10)
Jesus is Reigning: We are His Servants
“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’ “He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.” (Luke 19:14-15)
All people are his subjects, whether they recognize Jesus as King or not. It is our privilege to be his obedient servants using the talents he has entrusted to us.
Jesus is Returning: We are Stewards
“Well done, my good servant!’ … ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities… ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away.’ (Luke 19:17, 26)
Jesus wants to see a return on his investment in you and me. God has a plan for your life. A purpose behind the person he has made you.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
As we learn to serve Jesus on earth, so he is preparing us to serve him in heaven. As we are faithful in small things, we show ourselves trustworthy with greater things.
What is our motive behind the 2020 Vision? Do we expect Christ Church to grow as a result? How big do we want Christ Church to be? Wrong question.
The right question is this: Is there anyone in Virginia Water who has not heard about the love of God found in Jesus Christ?
“The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9)
Our new 2020 Vision and Five Year Plan encapsulate the priorities we believe God has given us as a church for the next few years. We invite you to help turn this vision into reality as his loyal subjects, as his obedient servants, and his wise stewards.
Lets pray.
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for giving us a clear vision of our future. Thank you for helping us set goals that will enable us fulfil our mission as a church. We want to know Jesus and make Jesus known. As your faithful servants, please help us to discern how each one of us can fulfil our part in your mission and help turn our vision into a reality. We ask this in Jesus name and in the power of your Holy Spirit. Amen.
Israeli settlers enjoy lush lawns and swimming pools while Palestinians reduced to a trickle of water
In a new report published today (27 October) Amnesty International has accused Israel of denying Palestinians the right to access adequate water by maintaining total control over shared water resources and pursuing discriminatory policies.
In this Premier Radio programme with John Pantry, Geoffrey Smith of Christian Friends of Israel and I debate the merits of the Amnesty International Report.
Amnesty’s 112-page report – Troubled Waters: Palestinians denied fair access to water – shows how Israel uses over 80% of the water from the Mountain Aquifer, the main source of underground water in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT), while restricting Palestinian access to a mere 20%. The Mountain Aquifer is the only source of water for Palestinians in the West Bank, but only one of several for Israel, which also takes all the water available from the Jordan River.
On average, Palestinian daily water consumption barely reaches 70 litres per person a day, while Israeli daily consumption is more than 300 litres per day – four times as much. In some rural communities Palestinians survive on barely 20 litres per day, the minimum amount recommended by aid organisations for domestic use in emergency situations.
Some 180,000-200,000 Palestinians living in rural communities have no access to running water and the Israeli army often prevents them from even collecting rainwater. In contrast, Israeli settlers, who live in the West Bank in violation of international law, have intensive-irrigation farms, lush gardens and swimming pools. Numbering about 450,000, the settlers use as much or more water than the entire Palestinian population of some 2.3 million.
Amnesty International Israel and the OPT researcher Donatella Rovera said
“Israel allows the Palestinians access to only a fraction of the shared water resources, which lie mostly in the occupied West Bank, while the unlawful Israeli settlements there receive virtually unlimited supplies. In Gaza the Israeli blockade has made an already dire situation worse.
“Over more than 40 years of occupation, restrictions imposed by Israel on the Palestinians’ access to water have prevented the development of water infrastructure and facilities in the OPT, consequently denying hundreds of thousand of Palestinians the right to live a normal life, to have adequate food, housing, or health, and to economic development.
“Water is a basic need and a right, but for many Palestinians obtaining even poor-quality subsistence-level quantities of water has become a luxury that they can barely afford.
“Israel must end its discriminatory policies, immediately lift all the restrictions it imposes on Palestinians’ access to water, and take responsibility for addressing the problems it created by allowing Palestinians a fair share of the shared water resources.”
As Amnesty’s report makes clear, in the Gaza Strip 90-95% of the water from its only water resource – the Coastal Aquifer – is contaminated and unfit for human consumption. Yet, Israel does not allow the transfer of water from the Mountain Aquifer in the West Bank to Gaza.
Meanwhile, stringent restrictions imposed in recent years by Israel on the entry into Gaza of material and equipment necessary for the development and repair of infrastructure, have caused further deterioration of the water and sanitation situation in Gaza, which has now reached crisis point.
To cope with water shortages and lack of network supplies many Palestinians have to purchase water – of often dubious quality – from mobile water tankers at a much higher price. Others resort to water-saving measures which are detrimental to their and their families’ health and which hinder socio-economic development.
Troubled Waters explains that Israel has appropriated large areas of the water-rich Palestinian land it occupies and barred Palestinians from accessing them. In the West Bank and East Jerusalem it has also imposed a complex system of permits which the Palestinians must obtain from the Israeli army and other authorities in order to carry out water-related projects in the OPT. Applications for such permits are often rejected or subject to long delays.
Restrictions imposed by Israel on the movement of people and goods in the OPT further compound the difficulties Palestinians face when trying to carry out water and sanitation projects, or even when just distributing small quantities of water. Water tankers are forced to take long detours to avoid Israeli military checkpoints and roads which are out of bounds to Palestinians, resulting in steep increases in the price of water.
In rural areas, Palestinian villagers are continuously struggling to find enough water for their basic needs, as the Israeli army often destroys their rainwater harvesting cisterns and confiscates their water tankers. In comparison, in nearby Israeli settlements, irrigation sprinklers water the fields in the midday sun, where much water is wasted as it evaporates before even reaching the ground.
In some Palestinian villages, because their access to water has been so severely restricted, farmers are unable to cultivate the land, or even to grow small amounts of food for their personal consumption or for animal fodder, and have thus been forced to reduce the size of their herds.
“Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” (Mark 10:46-52)
A young man, who had worked for several years on the railway, was keen to apply for a job as a signalman. For his interview, he was told to meet the inspector at the signal box. The inspector asked him, “What would you do if you realized that two trains were heading toward each other on the same track?” The young man said, “That’s easy. I would switch the points for one of the trains.” “The inspector then asked, “What if the lever broke?” The young man said, “Then I’d jump down out of the signal box and I’d use the manual lever over there.” Next, the inspector said, “What if the lever had been struck by lightning?” The young man said, “Then, I would run to the signal box and phone the next signal box to let them know what was happening.” The inspector continued on, “What if the phone was busy?” The young man said, “Well, in that case, I would rush down out of the signal box and use the public emergency phone at the crossing up there.” Then, the inspector said, “What would you do if the public emergency phone had been vandalized?” The young man said, “Oh, well, then I would run into town and get my uncle.” That answer puzzled the inspector. So, he asked, “Why would you go get your uncle?” The young man answered, “That’s simple. Because he’s never seen a train crash before.”
Ahead of the Copenhagen Climate Change talks, this week, the Prime Minister said, we have 50 days to save the world. More and more people today feel that life is headed toward a crash. Like two trains headed directly toward each other, we may feel there is really little we can do to stop it from happening. A crash seems inevitable. Maybe you feel the same about your marriage, your finances or your work. Maybe you feel like you are heading for a financial crash or a relational crash. Whatever it is, life seems headed somewhere you really don’t want to go. You may be asking “Is there any way to avoid the crash before it happens? Is that how you feel today?
Please know that there is. There is hope. There is an answer. There is a way out. A crash is not inevitable. Where do we find that answer? Where do we turn? How do we stop the crash? In our gospel reading today God shows us how one man’s life was miraculously changed when he encountered Jesus. In this story, God shows us how life can be turned around if we come to Jesus Christ. The man in the story was named Bartimaeus. By all accounts he had very little going for him. Mark tells us that he was stranded on the outskirts of Jericho. He may have even lived on the streets. There did not seem to be any way for him to break the cycle. Why was Bartimaeus in this condition? First of all, Mark told us that he was blind. I cannot begin to imagine being blind. Unable to see a picturesque sunset…a starlit night…or the smiling face of a child. Mark leads us to believe that Bartimaeus had been blind for some time. We also know that Bartimaeus was poor. Because he was blind, he could not work, he had to depend on others. All he could do was to sit by the roadside, begging, hoping travellers would spare him a few coins. His future looked gloomy.His life expectancy was not good. Bartimaeus was a man who simply survived one day to the next. His major concern in life was simple survival. That is, until the day a special passerby, Jesus, came along. Jesus gave Bartimaeus something money could not buy…a gift that would change his life forever. Now, what can we learn from Bartimaeus? What can we learn from him that will help us get plugged in to the plan that God has for our life? How can we move beyond merely surviving and start thriving? I want to share with you three ways.
1. Capitalise on God’s Providence
To move from surviving to thriving, we must learn to capitalise on the opportunities God provides for us. There is no such thing as coincidences. God has a plan for our life. He has a purpose.Capitalise on providence. Bartimaeus did just that. When he heard that Jesus was close to him, he shouted out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me.” (Mark 10:47). Now, what triggered that request? Was he simply begging as he had always done? How did he know of Jesus’ miraculous powers? How did he know that Jesus was coming? We don’t know for sure, but however he knew about Jesus, Bartimaeus sensed that he had an opportunity to get help and he acted on the opportunity. Bartimaeus pleaded with Jesus. Little did he know that this request would turn out to be his best request ever! Bartimaeus capitalized on the opportunity placed before him by God.
Let me illustrate. Do you know how Levi Strauss started out? Levi Strauss really has become a household name today. However, not in the way he intended. Like many others in the 1840s and 50s, Levi Strauss went to California in hopes of making his fortune. He went to California to look for gold. Now, he did make a fortune, but not the way he had planned. Strauss left his home with a load of heavy canvas fabric. Strauss planned to sell his fabric for tents and wagon covers. When Strauss set up his place of business, the first miner who came in said, “You should have brought pants.” Strauss, who had been in California for only a few days, had no idea what the miner meant. So, the miner explained to Strauss that there weren’t any pants strong enough to endure the arduous conditions of mining. What did Levi Strauss do? He immediately took the heavy canvas fabric that he had brought with him and made the miner a pair of work pants. Within days, Levi Strauss struck gold. Not the bright, shiny gold found in the ground or rivers, but the gold of opportunity. There’s an important truth that we must understand at this point. Opportunities only become opportunities when we embrace them as providential. God’s providential rule over our circumstances, sometimes in response to our prayers, often in spite of our plans, is for our welfare. God cares about you. opportunities must be seized, grabbed, accepted, taken.
Bartimaeus accepted the opportunity that was presented by Jesus. What opportunity is God placing before you today? God could be calling you to accept Him as your Lord and Saviour. Today, God could be calling you to recommit yourself to a walk with Him. Today, there may be a place of service in the church that God wants you to fill. Maybe God is calling you to get involved in a ministry in our community. What ever your circumstances, capitalise on God’s providence.
2. Minimise Other People’s Unbelief
To move from striving to thriving we must not only capitalise on God’s providence, we must also minimise the negative voices of the crowd around us. Notice the crowd’s reaction when Bartimaeus cried out for help. Mark said, “Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet.” (Mark 10: 48) You see, the crowd had Bartimaeus stereotyped. In their eyes, he would never be anything more than a blind beggar. In their eyes, he would never be anything but poor. The crowd thought: Why would this Rabbi want to waste His time with such a loser? We can easily do the same thing today when we judge people by what we see on the outside. What they wear, what they drive, where they live… I appreciate Bartimaeus’ reaction. Did you notice what he did? Bartimaeus persisted. He would not give up. Mark said, “He shouted all the more, Son of David, have mercy on me.” Bartimaeus was not going to let a bunch of negative, critical, heckling bystanders rob him of his dream of sight.
In around 1802 Robert Fulton invented the steamboat. When he first presented his new invention, he had plenty of critics crowded on the river bank. The critics yelled, “It’ll never start, it’ll never start.” Fulton proved them wrong. After a lot of clanking and groaning, the steamboat started up and moved down the river. The critics were quiet momentarily. Then they rallied together and started yelling, “It’ll never stop, it’ll never stop.”
The lesson is – never try to please those who would criticize us. Why? Simple. We will never be able to do so. When you are criticized, when you face the negative crowd, remember Bartimaeus. Use it. Grow from it. Move forward despite it. Don’t let it hold you back. Capitalise on God’s providence. Minimise other people’s unbelief.
3. Exercise the faith you do have
Notice, Bartimaeus’ boldness grabbed Jesus’ attention. His boldness and enthusiasm were almost impossible to miss. It was Bartimaeus’ faith that triggered Jesus’ healing power. Jesus said to Bartimaeus, “Go, your faith has healed you.” (Mark 10:52)
Bartimaeus knew exactly what he wanted. For that reason, he did not hesitate to speak to Jesus about it. But listen. Through prayer, we have this same privilege. The Lord said in Jeremiah 33:3, “Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.” Paul told us in Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” But remember this. Requesting something of Jesus or speaking to Jesus is not enough. Complete faith is obedient faith. Mark tells us that when Bartimaeus received his sight, he “followed Jesus along the road.” (Mark 10:52) Imagine the impact his testimony would have had on others. “I was blind but now I see.” Genuine faith is contagious faith. Genuine faith cannot wait to tell others, to point others to Jesus, to what Jesus has done, to follow Jesus. Don’t just survive, thrive! This week you will thrive as you capitalise on God’s providence, as you minimise the influence of other people’ unbelief and as you exercise the faith you have in the Lord Jesus Christ. Lets pray.
John Coles, the Director of New Wine and Leader of the New Wine Networks facilitated a ‘Leaders Day’ at St Paul’s, Addlestone today. Afterwards I asked John about New Wine and about an exciting new ministry training initiative.
This seminar was delivered at the University of Dundee Chaplaincy on Saturday 17th October 2009.
It is not an understatement to say that what is at stake is our understanding of the gospel, the centrality of the cross, the role of the church, and the nature of our missionary mandate, not least, to the beloved Jewish people. If we don’t see Jesus at the heart of the Hebrew scriptures, and the continuity between his Old Testament and New Testament saints in the one inclusive Church, we’re not reading them correctly.
The key question is this “Was the coming of Jesus and the birth of the Church the fulfilment or the postponement of the promises God made to Abraham?”
Christian Zionists see the promises of identity, land and destiny as part of an ongoing covenant God has with the Jewish people. In this book I unpack this question and show that Christian Zionism is a recent manifestation of a heresy refuted by the New Testament.
Our daughter Katie has just published her first book of poetry.
“Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47 When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” 48 Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” 49 Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.” So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” 50 Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus. 51 “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him. The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.” 52 “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.” (Mark 10:46-52)