Lent2023caz

 I was listening to something about the Queens coronation and the simultaneous conqueroring of Everest yesterday and heard something rather astounding.  When Hillary and Tenzing came down the mountain, hailed as heroes for their amazing achievement, Tenzing was acclaimed by the people of Nepal as a god! Meanwhile in England a young woman who was entitled by birth to be a queen was submitting herself to anointing with oil under a canopy by an Archbishop to be crowned sovereign. Later that day I watched The Passion of the Christ. I hadn't seen it for many years but it seemed appropriate for Good Friday. It is a brutal, violent, gruesome depiction of what Jesus went through on that Friday.  Very very difficult to watch.  For much of the film the beaten, bloodied, mangled Jesus is wearing a circle of thorns jammed onto his head.  His crown.  Three people who somehow came together in my mind as I thought about today's blog.  A woman born to be queen, a man ...

 I had the loveliest day yesterday. Church laid on afternoon tea, free for anyone in the village or church who wanted to come and about 40 people, mainly elderly ladies came along to enjoy fine china, linen tablecloths and loads of delicious food.  As I stood in the kitchen looking through the serving hatch at the bustle and fellowship and feasting that was going on I felt two things.   1) I was struck by the honour it was to serve these older ladies (hardly any of whom I know) with tea and buns.  This is what Jesus would have been doing today if He'd been here on earth.  Its simple, there are no strings attached. The only agenda is to be a blessing.  Most of these ladies dont come to our church but they increasingly come to events we put on. And so we are building community. 2) I was incredibly proud of us as a church  ( and Rory our pastor in particular) for the heart and service and sense of fun.  We are good news in our little location....

 Yesterday  I asked why you read this blog. Your answers were interesting. One thing that made me think was the fact that you know me and know my history and church background and therefore can trust my motivation and my thinking even if you dont always agree with what I say. This is REALLY important.  And I suggest that as these days unfold we are going to need to be increasingly careful about who we listen to and make sure that we really do know and trust those we follow, receive from and submit to.  Whilst there is a danger that this can make us closed to ideas from outwith our immediate circle of influence, God will make sure we hear what we need to hear and learn what we need to learn.  Discernment is paramount as we know that in the last days the deceiver will be out in force ever-so-slightly distorting and twisting the truth so that it sounds plausible but leads to blindness not sight.   I think that one of the reasons I don't listen to, watch o...

 Why do you read these blogs? I'm interested to know, but please don't give me lots of 'you are wonderful and wise' stuff. There are a gazillion more wise, wonderful, literary, spiritual people out there you could be following. And maybe you are.  The reason I ask is that there are several people on my Facebook timeline who post daily God stuff and I very very rarely read any of them. But then again, I don't read my Bible daily either. And I haven't read Bible study notes for 35 years. They just never spoke to me and I constantly felt bad that I wasn't being disciplined enough.  I go for ages without picking up my Bible,  I never listen to podcasts, I don't watch stuff online.  I'm really the worst person in the world for plugging into the wisdom of others. However, what I do think I've done is properly absorb alot of the amazing teaching I've had through church over the years. And the few really lifechanging books.  And I've tried to bot...

 I was re-watching Downton Abbey the other day. The episode where Lady Mary has her baby and her husband Matthew comes to the hospital to meet his newborn son for the first time. There is a sweet and touching scene where he holds the baby and kisses his wife, telling her he has never been more in love with her.  The world is full of love and promise.  He leaves to go back to Downton and tell the family the wonderful news.  His car comes off the road and he is killed.  The last scene is of Mary and the baby in the hospital  sublimely happy, unaware of the tragedy that has just befallen them.  The audience knows something momentous that the characters do not. For some reason this got me thinking about Easter. And the fact that we know the end of a story that the world is still playing out.  Although ultimately there's a happy ending for some, the fact is that not everyone will be saved.  There's an ongoing debate about hell - and I confess...

 After nearly 40 years of being a Christian its not too often these days that I hear something in a sermon Ive never heard before. But yesterday I did. So, apologies to readers from MCC but Im pinching this directly from Rory Blake-Knox because I thought it was fascinating. Ezekiel chapter 10 tells of the departure of the glory of God from the temple in Jerusalem. God had had enough of the idolatry and disobedience of His people so He decided to remove His presence from the place He had been dwelling with His people since Moses built the tabernacle and later Solomon constructed the mighty temple.   The exit route is detailed by Ezekiel.  First the glory leaves the Holy of Holies and moves to the threshold. God then leaves the temple and moves to the east gate of the city The east gate is probably the one referred to as "the gates of righteousness" and "the gate of the LORD" in Psalm 118:19-20 and the "everlasting doors" in Psalm 24:7, 9. It is called the ...