An Act of Mercy               Word on the Week          29^th May 2021.

This year Betty and I became proud great grandparents!   Lily arrived in April.   She was well anticipated with plenty of photographs both inside and outside of her Mother’s womb.   Her arrival brought great joy to her father and mother and their respective families.

Contrast this with when things go wrong.   The child is unwanted.   His progress in the womb brings misery.   His life span is to be curtailed.   He is seldom spoken about.   Deep sadness attends his every move.

This child is not considered to be fully human.   He has no feelings.   He is oblivious to pain in his sheltered environment.   Mother decides he has to go.   She has made her choice – he has no choice.  It will be quick and hopefully uneventful.

A photograph appeared in the media about a year ago showing the doctor involved in an abortion.   The theatre staff were surprised to see a hand reach out and grasp one of the doctors fingers.   One of the nurses captured the moment on camera.   Such a poignant plea for mercy!

At the time of the original abortion legislation, Simon Harris, the then Minister of Health dismissed the notion of the unborn child feeling any pain.   Since then other countries have acknowledged the fact of the infant pain and apply an aesthetic to the foetus prior to the abortion operation.

The Foetal Pain Relief Bill 2021 has been introduced to the Dial this week and deserves to be passed into law.   It should make sense to both those promoting abortion as well as those opposing it.   After all we treat our animals more humanely.    The vet takes care to ensure the sick dog feels no pain.   Surely we should do likewise for our own.

What happens to these aborted lives?    The old theologians considered texts such as Revelation Chapter 7 verses 9 and 10 – After this I looked, and there before me was a great multitude that no one could count, from every nation, tribe, people and language, standing before the throne and before the Lamb. They were wearing white robes and were holding palm branches in their hands. And they cried out in a loud voice:

“Salvation belongs to our God, who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

They reasoned that most nations had a census whereby they counted their population.   Why could the heavenly multitude not be counted?    Their conclusion was that all miscarried children or those who died in infancy were included in the heavenly roll “that no man could number”.

If this is so there will be a lot of introductions required to be made in the glory! (2 Samuel Chapter 12 verse 23).

Isaac verses Ishmael                 Word on the Week          22^nd May 2021.

The latest instalment of the age-old conflict has been played out this week in the Middle East ending in an uneasy cease fire.   There was friction from the beginning between the two half-brothers and this has been carried on down through the centuries to this day.    Isaac from whom the Jews are descended and Ishmael who is the first of the Arabs (Genesis Chapter 21 verses 8 to 20).

The land God gave Abraham to be his descendants “On the same day the LORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates” (Genesis Chapter 15 verse 18).   In those days the land was occupied by Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites (Genesis Chapter 15 verses 19 to 21). 

It was given to Joshua to possess the land some 500 + years after the promise was given to Abraham.   There was a certainty to Joshua’s instructions – “I will give you every place where you set your foot, as I promised Moses.Your territory will extend from the desert to Lebanon, and from the great river, the Euphrates—all the Hittite country—to the Mediterranean Sea in the west. No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you”.

Today there may be some lingering longing to once again possess the land. Certainly the events of the last 11 days have echoes of past conflicts.   But now we are in the New Covenant times.   The Jews are still warring and waiting for their Messiah refusing to recognise that he has come bringing the salvation which they long to experience (St Matthew Chapter 23 verse 37/8).

Here are some of the things that the New Testament brings to the believer in Jesus.

There is a new Exodus.   We are delivered from slavery in Egypt to slavery from sin (Romans Chapter 6 verse 18). 

The Temple in Jerusalem is gone.  Now we are the new temple.   (1 Corinthians Chapter 3 verse 16).  

We have a new Kingdom.   We have come from the kingdom of darkness to the Kingdom of Jesus. (Colossians Chapter 1 verse 13).  

There is no king in Israel.    Our king Jesus is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation Chapter 19 verse 16).

May God grant Gospel light to the Children of Isaac and the Children of Ishmael and to all who are seeking a physical solution to a spiritual problem.

Someone’s Hand in my Pocket           Word on the Week           15^th May 2021.

There is the feeling that something is not right.   Perhaps the keys are gone!   It’s like someone has been in the house, nothing seems to have been taken but the uneasy feeling remains.

Once upon a time there was a safe place in the house where you deposited your ‘treasures’.   A favourite place would have been a writing desk with a secret drawer which could only be accessed by those who knew how to find it.

Today things that are precious such as photos, letters, family documents, family trees and such things, some of which may have been passed down from previous generations can be held digitally on the computer.   This gives easy access to them and prevents them being misplaced.

Business also has moved from the old filing room to hold copies of letters, emails and documents in storage on the computer system.   These can be easily referenced and ‘losing the file’ has become almost a thing of the past.

Ireland has made a name for creating data storage warehouses.   These modern data warehouses can improve analytics, collaboration, and security of the material they house.   The data warehousing landscape is changing with evolving data needs, such as hospital records carried on our HSE system and breached this week.

In the past hackers would test their skills against Company systems, either to steal confidential data or release a ‘worm’ which would wreak havoc with the system until it is neutralised.   The present cybercrime introduces malware which renders the system unusable. 

Those responsible for the malware hold the victim to ransom.   They use the latest virus, malware, spyware or ransomware and demand a large sum of money, usually in bitcoin, in exchange for the code which cancels the virus.

The current attack could be the work of Conti ransomware.   It can steal data as well as encrypt it.   That is what thieves and robbers do according to Jesus.   In marked contrast to Jesus they steal and destroy as a way of life (St John Chapter 10 verse 10).

The way of life Jesus offered is one of service.   It culminates in the cross where Jesus paid our ransom, which we were due as a result of our sins, to his heavenly Father.  St Mark quotes Jesus, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (in Chapter 10 verse 45).

The ransom Jesus paid for believers was infinitely greater than anything Conti can extract.   Praise God and trust in the work of Jesus.

Independence – the Holy Grail           Word on the Week           8^th May 2021.

From the age when humans begin to crawl the quest for independence begins!   Later it becomes “I will manage on my own”.   And later still changes to the unspoken “I want my own way”!

The current elections in Wales and Scotland are likely to see a strengthening of the Nationalist parties – each wishing to shake off the governing influence of England.   In these post steel manufacture and post oil extraction days the desire to go separate ways smacks of ‘biting the hand that feeds you’.

A similar attitude applies in Northern Ireland where the Unionist desire to remain attached to England ignores the many of the facts of geography and history.  

Of course there is a place for Patriotism.    Individual Nation States have much to be proud of.   It requires considerable ‘give and take’ abilities to get along with your neighbouring State to which the Bible would add the virtue of love!

Israel was never the shining example to the other Nations that God intended.   Moses quoted the prophesy given to Abraham that through his seed all Nations would be blessed (Genesis Chapter 12 verse 3).   But before this happened Israel was to occupy the land God gave them for the purpose of being a witness to the surrounding Nations who would marvel at the wisdom of the Mosaic laws and revere the God who gave them (Deuteronomy Chapter 4 verses 5 to 8).

It was through Isaiah the prophet that Israel was given the promise of a Servant who would be a light to the (Gentiles) other Nations (Isaiah chapter 42 verses 1 to 7).    There would also be a New Covenant in Jesus’s blood which fulfilled the Mosaic laws and made repentance and forgiveness available to the Nations (St Luke Chapters 22 verse 20 & 24 verse 47).

The bursting out of this ‘light’ is well documented in the Book of Acts.   In its global dimension mentioned in (St John Chapter 8 verse12) Jesus claims the title of ‘Light of the World’.   There are no excluded races.  Rich and poor are included.

The wonderful thing about light is that you cannot add to it.   It is complete!   Jesus salvation is complete (Acts Chapter 4 verse 12).   What we do have is light-blockers!     The Apostle John gives us our instructions as to how to deal with them and personally walk in the light. (1John Chapter 1 verses 5 to 7).  

Those called to govern need our prayers that they too may see the light and lead by their example so that there may be a harmony in these Islands which would make the world take notice that we are following Jesus.

Song of a Bird                            Word on the Week                    1^st May 2021.

The volume of birdsong has increased considerably since the mating season got under full swing.   The dawn chorus takes pride of place with the various species trying to out-sing each other.   There have been calm early mornings with virtually no wind to carry the sound away.   Oh for ears to differentiate the calls.   Instead my almost tone deaf ears simply appreciates the choir and cannot identify the solo performers!

Of course some songs stand out from others.   Take the Goldcrest for example.   It may be our smallest bird but the high pitch of its song “zi-zi-zee” is guaranteed to make the hard of hearing remove their hearing aids!  The penetrating sound can be heard echoing through the forest during winter.

Which reminds me of the debate we used to have with a “Twitcher” (bird watcher) colleague who, to support his evolutionary views, felt the need to maintain that birds only sang to attract a mate!   He could not bring himself to acknowledge that birds could sing for pleasure, least of all could he admit that they may be singing to the glory of God!    His evolutionary blinkers robber him of entering into the joy of their song.

That harbinger of the dawn, the cockerel gets a mention in the Bible (St Matthew Chapter 26 verse 34).   Normally it heralds the dawn which, in summer, is far too early to get up!  We had a very diligent cock who would sound the dawn alert if a car’s headlights picked out the henhouse as it turned in the dark!

Jesus obviously had an empathy with cockerels.   The one in High Priest’s Courtyard knew just when it had to crow at his creator’s command (St John Chapter 1 verse 3).   He crowed after Peter’s third denial that he ever knew his Lord.   He crowed right on que with shattering effects on Peter who had so brashly maintained that he would never deny Jesus.   His guilt crushed Peter who shed tears of remorse (St Matthew Chapter 26 verse 75).

After Jesus death and resurrection, the Lord reinstated Peter with a threefold questioning of his love in that famous conversation on the shore of the sea of Galilee.   Peter’s response (he could not appeal to his record) was to recognise the Lord’s omnipotence and say “You know all things; you know that I love you”.   He was then commissioned with the command to “Feed my sheep” (St John Chapter 21 verses 15 to 17).

The Apostle Peter learned his lesson well.   His life was spent in feeding the Word of God to his sheep.   In his letters he writes out of his rich experience of Christ – his Chief Shepherd – words that apply through all generations down to our day.   They are preserved for us in 1 Peter Chapter 5 verses 1 to 11.