To God be the Glory            Word on the Week                24^th February 2024.

Seeing God’s hand on a work is not always apparent until time filters out the incidental from the important.   So it has been with Jon and Sandra Blackwell’s search for God’s mission field for them.   The initial decisions came slowly.  First the Bible Translation work with Wycliffe and second the field; Cameroon.

That was 20 years ago!   Today there is a New Testament in a new language.   The latter being written down for the first time.   This has opened the door for reading materials and adult literacy work to teach the people to read their own language.   The latter is being developed by a local translator, Pastor Edward.

Taking advantage of modern technology, LCD projectors show scripture films dubbed in the newly available language permitting 40,000 people access to The Word of God in their mother tongue.   The spread of smartphones, powered by solar energy, presents the option of a digital New Testament rather than in book form.

Among the many people from Grace Church in Dublin who visited the Blackwell’s was Mick Toolan.   He was struck by dirty water in everyday use. He discovered that the pumps which operated the few existing wells often mal-functioned.   From the realisation that something could be done the charity Water for Cameroon was formed.

This has succeeded by having local ownership of new wells and by using simple pumps which could be maintained locally.   Mick was able to employ reliable work people and gain acceptance from the local community leaders.

The work spilled out to the making of water filters which are made locally and installed in schools, hospitals and homes.   They run on sand and gravity.  The water being poured into the top and its cleansing is complete by the time the water reaches the tap at its base.  

Allied to these filters is improved hygiene in schools with simple plastic devices for hand washing.    Various other efforts have been made in land irrigation and more recently the building of a small school to reach a remote people.

There is also Cameroon Medical where limited financial aid is dispensed to assist in helping to meet the bills as there is no health service available.

Water for Cameroon is ongoing and Mick, having come back from retirement is now looking for a successor, possibly from Grace church.   In this, as with all the projects, we seek the Lord’s guidance.  

The King will reply, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it for me (Matthew 25 verse 40).  

Alexei Navalny                      Word on the Week               17^th February 2024.

Alexei Navalny died this week.   He is the most recent and perhaps the best known of Putin’s political enemies.   He loved Russia and held to a vision of a future time when his beloved Russia would be free.   

The 47-year-old blogger had survived poisoning attempts and years in some of Russia’s most notorious jails.  His group had exposed corruption at almost every level of the Russian state – frequently targeting President Putin himself.  

From prison, by various means, Alexei was able to access the internet where he maintained his criticism of Putin.   His last postings earlier this week showed that even interment in Kharp Penal Colony in the Arctic circle could not break his spirit.   He leaves behind a loyal wife and family. Also his Anti-Corruption Foundation (FBK).  No doubt it will continue to expose Putin.

Apparently Alexei had become a thorn in the flesh to Putin.   His courage was amazing.   His following were difficult to control.   There was also the fact of his surviving an attempt to kill him with the deadly Novichok poison.   This had only increased his status both at home and abroad.

It was in 2020 on an internal Russian flight that the poison was applied.  He took ill immediately and the plane landed in Omsk. That emergency landing saved his life. A German-based charity persuaded Russian officials to allow him to be airlifted to Berlin for treatment.

Sometime later the German government revealed that tests carried out by the military found Alexei had been contaminated with “a chemical nerve warfare agent of the Novichok group”. The Kremlin denied any involvement and rejected the Novichok findings.  

This denial came despite the fact that Putin had twice used the substance to kill people in the UK.  These were the days when he wished to prove to his enemies that he could reach them wherever they took refuge.

Lord Acton first coined the phrase in 1887, “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.   Proof of its accuracy is being played out before our eyes.   What are we to make Vladimir Putin?   A person who appears to have many options when it comes to killing critics!

Scripture records a time when his enemies were trying to kill Jesus.   His accusers claimed Abraham for their parentage and cast doubt on Jesus’ legitimacy.  Then Jesus made the case for their father to be the devil.   In trying to kill him they were doing the devil’s work.   The devil had been a murderer from the beginning (the devil incited Cain to murder Abel: Genesis 4) and there is no truth in him (John 8 verses 39 to 44).    Murderers and liars are doing the devil’s work.

The Apostle John returns to this theme in his letter.   This time he claims that sinning is of the devil.   But adds the good news that the reason the Son of God came was to destroy the devil’s work (1 John 3 verse 8).

Look to Jesus and believe, even Putin, or you and me and have eternal life ((John 6:40).

New Life                           Word on the Week                     10^th February 2024.

One of the joys that light up our spinney is the bursting forth of the snowdrop. They have to penetrate a mat of ground ivy to reach the light of day.  These plants which the poet Thomas Tickell, who lived in Glasnevin, Dublin, (on land which was to become the Botanic Gardens), called ‘vegetable snow’. This name appears in his poem ‘Kensington Gardens’.  Snowdrops brighten up our lives in the dull days of early Spring.

They multiply in the damp woodland conditions and have to be divided and distributed, spreading the joy around.   They are accompanied by a few yellow Aconites which add variety of colour amongst the white snowdrops.

Along the verges of the farm road Cow Parsley begins to appear.  It has a vigorous growth for which our hens are thankful!   It gets cropped daily. A bucketful of its tender shoots is served up daily to the hens as part of their breakfast.

Coming to the fore, sometimes in amongst the cow parsley are the daffodils.   These ‘Lent Lilies’ or in the Irish translation, “the plant with the bowed head” add a splash of yellow to the landscape.   They have been planted in clumps which enables them to powerfully express themselves – as they bloom and fade in turn managing to remain attractive to the end.

And the end does come.  It requires the death of the plant to permit nature to work its miracle in the bulb till its time comes round the following year.  Likewise, the seed must fall into the ground and die before it produces much fruit (John 12 verse 24).  

Walter Chalmers Smith the preacher from Aberdeen, who also wrote hymns, makes the connection with nature and compares it with the unchanging Jesus.          ‘We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish-but naught changes Thee’.

The Apostle Paul, quoting from Isaiah, speaks enthusiastically of the afterlife: –  

“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined,

what God has prepared for those who love him”— (1 Corinthians 2 verse 9).

The Apostle then tries to describe the Christian life when it comes to full flower in Heaven.   Within the limits of our vocabulary he sums it up “Just a we have borne the likeness of the earthly man so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15 verse 49).

So the amazing conclusion is that, in heaven, we will be like Jesus!   If you understand the full implications of this, you will be able to look at death with calmness and confidence in a glorious future!

Brigid 1500                     Word on the Week                      3^rd February 2024.

In creating a Public Holiday as a ‘thank you’ to a long-suffering population during the Covid epidemic the Government decided on 1^st February.   Traditionally this is the first day of Spring.   It is also celebrated as St Brigid’s Day.   This year is claimed to be the 1,500 anniversary of her death.

In pre-Christian times it was known as the feast of Imbolc.  One of four such days marking the passage of time through the old Celtic year.  One of the main concerns in Springtime is the fertility of the sheep. The old Irish ‘i mbolg’, means ‘in the belly’, and probably refers to the fertility of the ewes in the flock as the lambing time approaches. 

The customs of St Brigid’s Day got a boost with the introduction of the Public Holiday.   Its traditions have included weaving Brigid’s crosses, hung over doors and windows to protect against fire, illness, and evil spirits. People also made a doll of Brigid with straw which was paraded around the community by girls, sometimes accompanied by ‘strawboys’ wearing straw masks and clothing.

St. Brigid and her cross are linked together by the story that she wove this form of cross at the death bed of either her father or a pagan lord, who upon hearing that the cross meant that his sins could be forgiven, acknowledged them and asked to be baptised into Christ. 

Brigid was renowned for her negotiating skills.   In her dealings with the High King of Leinster for a place to build her monastery he said, dismissively, she could have the area covered by her cloak.   This she readily agreed to and the deal was done.   To the King’s dismay the cloak grew and grew until it covered an area of 5,000 acres in Co Kildare known today as the Curragh.

It is at Downpatrick that she was finally laid to rest with the two other patron saints of Ireland, St. Patrick and St. Conleth. Her skull was extracted and brought to the Lisbon area, her Mother’s birthplace, by two Irish noblemen. A portion of her jaw was returned to Ireland and the relic was taken this week to St Brigid’s Parish Church in Kildare.

RTE, our broadcasting company, showed many of St Brigid’s symbols.  An enthusiast requested a fire to be lit outside Kildare Cathedral in memory of Brigid. The dean, Rev. Tim Wright gently reminded her that there was no need as Jesus the light of the world had already come. “Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” (John 8 verse 12).

Lost Things                      Word on the Week                     27^th January 2024.

One of the features in this life of ours that will increase as the years go by is the propensity to lose things!    The other thing is the gravity of the losses seem to increase in importance till finding the lost thing becomes crucial to our peace of mind!

There is the case of the illusive keys.   They have a habit of turning up in the most unlikely of places.   The search goes through the list of hiding places, pockets of clothes recently worn usually bringing about the desired result.

Those of us who depend on pills to keep the body functioning as normal will know just how they can leap out of their container and hide in the cracks in the floor.   They resemble each other and once they escape from their plastic mould it requires a magnifying glass to distinguish their identity!

Perhaps the most unpleasant of all losses is when you lose the proverbial ‘it’.   It usually means that you are out of control.   The self-control mechanisms are malfunctioning and you are on a rant!    The remedy can be hard to find.  My favourite comes from the old ‘Snoopy’ cartoon where the ‘Bear’ suggests to the ranting Snoopy, “somebody needs to stick his head in a bucket of iced water”!

I remember, in the days before smartphones, the farmer returning home after a successful day selling cattle at the mart, to find he had lost the wife!   A hasty retracing of the journey ensued.    The reunited pair doubtless had much to discuss on the journey home!

Jesus came into the world to “seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19 verse 10).   He spoke famously of the lost son (Luke 15 verses 11 to 32).   In this case it was not only the body but the soul of the son that was lost.  He had determined to depart from his roots following the advice of the psalmist who quoted what the fool said in his heart “no God for me” (Psalm 14 verse 1).

This led the Prodigal into all sorts of trouble and it does the same today for those who try to live a life apart from God.   These thoughts come from the lost person’s heart (Mark 7 verses 20 to 23).   But there is forgiveness for the one who turns from them and trusts Jesus who came to seek and to save the lost Luke 19 verse 10).

The next time you lose something remind yourself that being found by Jesus is of far greater importance as it is valid for this life and the next.

Pilgrim Paths                   Word on the Week                     6^th January 2024.

This week some of our younger members of the family enjoyed the rigours of a few days in a cottage in Donegal with time to explore the beauties of that County in Winter.   Their pouring over maps on their return reminded me of a time when the hills held a great attraction for me.

They were the Cairngorms.   I had returned from 2 years of National Service (compulsory military training in the UK) and joined the Etchachan Club – a rock climbing group based in Aberdeen.   Apart from the challenge of the climb, the beauty of Nature made an indelible impression on me. 

The wonders of Nature are intended to be a signpost pointing to our Creator God (Romans 1 verse 20).   At that time, I think I would have made a good Pantheist!

Marriage to a wonderful wife, Betty, came and around that time I entered my ‘religious phase’.   This included a conversion to Christ experience.  The Billy Graham Crusades were taking place and I had the opportunity to look at my life from a Godward perspective.

The most tangible effect of all this was to read the Bible, something which Betty had done regularly.   There did not seem to be much difference to my life-style which I tried to clean up only to fail miserably.   As the author, Paul David Tripp put it, “The thought that any fallen human being would be able to perform his or her way into acceptance with God has to be the most insane of delusions.”

Eventually Christianity broke through when I became aware that Jesus in dying on the cross for me not only took away my sin but gave me his righteousness (2 Corinthians 5 verse 21).

It is so hard to believe this as the whole world order is set against the idea of a loving God who cares enough for his people to die for them.   And then to live for them in the resurrection and heavenly session equipping each one for the role He has created for them (Isaiah 30 verse 21).

Within the security of the ‘righteousness of Christ’ we are to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passion and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives by God’s grace (Titus 2 verse 11/12).

As the Psalmist says, “Shall I lift up my eyes to the hills – where does my help come from?   My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth” (Psalm 121 verses 1 and 2). 

Reflection 2023                    Word on the Week                30^th December 2023.

Let’s do it differently.   Instead of a Crystal Ball let’s use a mirror!   Let’s see if we can find faith.   The image reflected back spells ‘doubt’.   The Bible says “the righteous shall live by faith” (Romans 1 verse 17) so we had better find faith.  

But how?    Doubt comes naturally; Envying someone else is natural; worry is natural; Fear is natural; Wanting to give up is natural; It’s natural to wonder if all my good habits will make a difference in the end; It’s normal to occasionally be stumbled by the question of whether what I have staked my life on is really true?

But faith isn’t natural.

No matter how hard you try to work it up, lasting faith is the gift of God.  “By grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2 verse 8).  

But how is this gift given?

This gift of God is Jesus.   Believing that He is, as his name implies, – Saviour. This follows by being born into His family.   As the Gospel says, “to all who receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1 verse 12).

The invitation to accept this gift is put well in Joseph Hart’s hymn; Come ye sinners, poor and needy.   Verse 3 is particularly helpful; Let not conscience make you linger, Nor of fitness fondly dream; All the fitness He requires is to feel your need of Him: This He gives you – ‘Tis the Spirits rising beam.

In coming to Jesus, like the Prodigal, you are accepted.   Just as in the parable there is the ring of relationship, the robe of righteousness and feet shod for service.   As a child of God you are an ambassador for Christ (2 Corinthians 5 verse 20).

God will equip you.   Never fear that you will have to hide in guilt when your walk of faith slips off the path.  Your hope in Life no longer depends on your faithfulness but on Jesus faithfulness.   It is on Jesus who said that no one would ever be able to snatch one of his flock out of his hand (John 10 verse 28).  It is in His words and what He has done that we place our God given faith.

So back to the mirror!   Our faith is found not in ourselves but in Jesus who lived and died for others.   Always remember that our faith is not like it used to be – in our own abilities but now it is on what Jesus has done (Romans 4 Verse 25).   2024 will look a lot different.

The Eternal Word        Word on the Week       23^rd December 2023.

The Word on the week is about to ‘come out’.   He has always existed!

We first learn of Him in Genesis chapter 1 as the author of creation.

John’s Gospel chapter 1 verse 3 simply says ‘He made it all’.

The Gospel goes on to say the Word became human and lives with us.

“the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.” – verse 14.

This is the embodiment of the Word.   He is known as Jesus Christ.

The Angel gave the name to Joseph and Mary and also his job-description of ‘saviour’ (Matthew Chapter 1 verse 21).

When we took over the new church building in Pearse Street we asked the builder to put the text Matthew chapter 24 verse 35 over the door.  It reads: –

Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

Our instructions were to write it on stone.   The builders wrote it on the glass panel above the interior door!   They corrected their mistake and now we have the text written twice!  

The Bible goes one better having this text, which was spoken by Jesus, in each of the three synoptic Gospels!   This underlines the importance of the Word – both the written Word – the Bible and the living word – Jesus.

Have pity on my paltry efforts to have the Word of God address weekly some of the important matters that arise.   The most vital is always the salvation of the reader.   This comes about when you bow the knee to God to repent of your sins and open your heart to receive the living Lord Jesus as your personal saviour.  

Then go on to serve Him by living out the Word for the remainder of your life on earth.    May this Christmas be the one when this transaction takes place in your life.

Food at Christmas           Word on the Week                     9^th December 2023.

This is the time of year that food comes into its own.   Turkey and ham with sprouts etc. followed by a plumb pudding with a sprig of holly on top.   Sometimes we venture into more exotic dishes and sample foods seldom eaten except on birthdays.

One of these dishes is the shellfish called mussels.   They normally come in numbers, shiny black shells, cooked in salty water and sprung open ready to be eaten.   These mussels are mainly harvested in the sea around shallow waters where they adhere to ropes fishermen anchor in the water.

These delicacies were on the list of prohibited foods in Old Testament times.    They come under the general heading of shellfish which were declared unclean (Leviticus 11 verses 9 to 12).    Presumably this was to avoid the danger of food poisoning as mussels require to be cooked as soon as they are harvested.   No refrigerators then!

The menu in those days would have had many omissions!   The Israelites were God’s ‘treasured possession’ and were to be distinguished from other nations by various things including their diet.    

Jesus declared all foods clean (Mark’s Gospel 7 verses15 to 19).    Mussels are on the menu!

As a child I gathered freshwater mussels for the fishermen to use as bait.   The flesh of the mussel was dried in the sun, salted then wrapped round the hook.   The hook had to end up entering the tiny heart of the mussel so as secure the flesh from slipping off the hook.   The empty shells were spread on the village paths and trampled into the earth making a firm paving.   A practice akin to throwing out damp salt which had lost its savour (St Matthew 5 verse 13).  

Another practice was to crack open mussels to see if they contained a pearl.  The pearl would be formed by a piece of grit entering the mussel and its defence was to coat it with pearl.   We collected these tiny pearls in a small glass tube (which once contained aspirin) and sold them to the local chemist!

As you can imagine the rewards were tiny but there was always the hope of coming across a big pearl!    The Merchant in Jesus’s parable was more persistent and, we are told when he found the big one went and sold everything he had in order to purchase the place where it was to be found (St Matthew 13 verses 45/6).

Today it is found in Jesus.    There is great joy in coming to faith in Him.   If you haven’t placed your trust in Jesus this would be a good time to do so (Luke 15 verses 7 to 10).

Musk Unmasked              Word on the Week                     2^nd December 2023.

Elon Musk planned to turn Twitter into the marketplace of ideas, a bastion of free speech but something has gone sadly wrong.   It was always going to be a high wire act having public space in private hands but then Elon Musk could be the man to control the media platform.

He lays claim to be the wealthiest man in the world with his worth over $200 billion and this after paying 44 billion for Twitter in 2022.

He made most of his money making electric cars in gigantic factories.   His Tesla car is a market leader.   He has an attraction to space travel and has built a number of rockets.   One of his goals is to colonise Mars!

This week his management of Twitter, now known as X, has come under attack.  It stems from his absence of auditing the platform content which has attracted dubious contributions largely from the far right.    Fake news goes undetected and his own recent entry appears to be anti-Semitic.

The Mayor of Paris has publicly stated her disapproval by describing it as a sewer and cancelling her X account.   The downward spiral of the company, in the 13 months he has owned it, stems from Musk firing around 50% of its staff to arrest the loss making situation it was in.   A number of big brands who advertised on X have pulled out in recent days, incurring Musk’s ire.  

Without the goodwill of advertisers, survival will depend on funding from Musk’s other companies, some of whom assisted in meeting the purchase price.   It is a long way from becoming like the Areopagus in Athens.   When St Paul visited it he had been heard preaching in the city and was invited to state his case there before the Athenians and foreigners gathered there (Acts 17 verses 16 to 34).

There had been a sounding out of the Apostles ideas.   The Areopagus was not for anyone, a lesson Musk is learning the hard way.   The Athenians enjoyed free speech which Musk is trying to create but even speech requires to be edited and kept within ethical boundaries.

What did the Apostle say in Athens?   We are told he preached Jesus and the resurrection.   He emphasised both to the extent that the listeners thought there were two gods! (verse 18).   Their decision to hear more from Paul was a good one and their public square, the Areopagus, could be replicated today by a suitably cleaned up X!

Perhaps Elon Musk, who has access to all this world can give, could benefit from the repentance the Apostle preached and look for the cleansing from sin that Jesus offers (St Matthew 19 verses 23 to 26).