As we survey the scene from the vantage point of the year end and look into the abyss of 2018 we have the feeling that history repeats itself. Someone has said that history needs to repeat itself because no-one is listening and there is some truth in that!
Whether we like it or not the battle has moved from matters of faith to the outworking of our faith. Yesterday it was the false description of “equality” given to the Same Sex Marriage debate. Tomorrow it is the ditching of “equality” as it appears in our Constitution giving equal rights to the mother and the unborn child, and the adoption of the phrase “right to choose”.
The choice however is a little one-sided! The unborn baby has no voice – no right to choose. Of course if the child had the right to choose, he or she would choose to live!
The Psalmist knew where life started, “For you formed my inward parts;
you knitted me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139 verses 13/14).
There has been a large drop in numbers of those travelling to the UK for abortion. Has there been an improvement in morals? More likely the availability on line of the abortion pill. Commercial forces are at work and the abortion industry is focusing on Ireland where there is money to be made out of unwanted pregnancies.

It would be good if the church could choose the topics for debate. It would be more familiar ground to be defending theological points but with a Referendum promised for May, planning to introduce abortion into Ireland, we have no option but to meet the challenge.
We can learn from history. We have seen the slaughter of the unborn babies in other countries where laws permitting abortion were soon extended to abortion on demand.
God places an inestimable value on human life. Listen to His pleading through the voice of the prophet Isaiah; “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all the remnant of the house of Israel, who have been borne by me from before your birth, carried from the womb; even to your old age I am he, and to grey hairs I will carry you. I have made, and I will bear; I will carry and will save” (Chapter 46 verses 3 and 4).
We have been created in God’s image, although that image is now fallen, are by his redeeming love members of his household on earth. This love is shown in Jesus by whose death for sinners gave us access to God. We who have placed our trust in Christ, are no longer outsiders but family to protect the weak and vulnerable and see that the voiceless are heard (Ephesians Chapter 2 verse19).

The Incarnate Christ. Word on the Week 16th December 2017.

It all seems so contemporary. The unexpected pregnancy; the homelessness;
the government census prior to imposing taxes; the poor transport system!

But there was love at the heart of it. Mary’s love for her child. Joseph’s love for his betrothed and God’s particular love for his chosen ones.

Todays’ attitudes are so different. Joseph would have departed from the scene. Mary would have gone for an abortion. This would have been granted on mental grounds (whoever heard of a conception by the Holy Spirit!). Mary would have signed on, not to pay taxes but to draw down the benefits!

It’s been a bad week for unborn babies! The results of the Citizens’ Assembly and the Oireachtas Committee on the 8th Amendment have strongly influenced a section of public opinion towards removing the Amendment. The amendment was placed in the Constitution some 34 years ago with the aim of granting equal rights to life to the mother and her unborn baby. Since it was signed into law it has saved countless lives. There are many walking the streets of Ireland that owe their existence to the amendment!

The biased performances of these two groups towards removing the Amendment has made it difficult for those wishing to retain it to have a voice. There does not appear to be any regard for the sanctity of human life. There is plenty of discussion as to when human life begins in the womb but little regard for the unborn of any age.
I am reminded of G. A. Studdert-Kennedy’s poem reflecting the difficulty of bringing Jesus into the debate in his day. Here are two of the three verses.

When Jesus came to Birmingham, they simply passed Him by.
They would not hurt a hair of Him, they only let Him die;
For men had grown more tender, and they would not give Him pain,
They only just passed down the street, and left Him in the rain.

Still Jesus cried, ‘Forgive them, for they know not what they do, ‘
And still it rained the winter rain that drenched Him through and through;
The crowds went home and left the streets without a soul to see,
And Jesus crouched against a wall, and cried for Calvary

But the Christ incarnate was not aborted. He lived to portray the image of the invisible God (Colossians Chapter 1 verse 15). And he lives today to ensure that none of the redeemed are lost (St John Chapter 10 Verses 28/9). Will the aborted babies be there? The old timers certainly believed it. That is how they understood the “Heavenly multitude no man could number” (Revelation Chapter 7 verse 9). That will be a glorious day!

Of all the games people play, politics must be the craziest! It has been described as ‘the art of the possible’. What is possible may change during the game so the rules are changed and the game goes on as happened with the Brexit negotiations this week.
Perhaps it was thanks to the Irish intervention which insisted on a ‘Soft’ Border i.e. no customs between the North and the South nor, barriers to East- West trade between N. Ireland and Britain. This gained agreement and so the talks can move on to the next stage.
This deal which has just been signed contains the following:
1. The continuation of the common travel area between the UK and Ireland.
2. The citizen rights of the 1998 agreement (new name for the Good Friday agreement) will be maintained.
3. A commitment that there will be no ‘Hard’ Border between The North and the South of Ireland.
With such commitments there would appear to be little room for negotiating new trade deals with the EU that depart from what is currently in place. It would seem that the UK might as well remain in the customs union and the single market if it is to fulfil these obligations!

However, we need to remind ourselves that the UK wishes to escape from the EC laws, control its own immigration and have trade deals with other countries. Achieving these goals while retaining access to the existing arrangements is a bit like having your cake and eating it!

In this situation creative ambiguity can make impossible situations, such as the present, develop into something possible. It depends on how willing those negotiating are to reach a conclusion. Usually words are redefined and terms restated so as to make agreements work. In Alice in Wonderland Humpty Dumpy gives us a good example when he asserted, “words mean what I choose it to mean, no more and no less”!

Jesus taught his followers to avoid oaths which are usually made to bolster a weak case. He was more interested in the truth being spoken and said that our ‘Yes’ should mean ‘Yes’ and our ‘No’ mean ‘No’ (St Matthew Chapter 5 verse 37). An example of this truth occurs in St Paul’s letter to the church at Ephesus. The difficulty then as indeed even today was to reconcile Jew and Gentile. This was not to be done by any creative ambiguity but simply by stating the truth in love. Reconciliation has been made by the blood of Christ. The Gentiles have been brought near – that is they have access to God by the one Spirit (Ephesians Chapter 2 verses 13/18).
‘Truthing’ in love can inhabit our speech as well as the politicians’ through faith in Jesus.

There was a decidedly fishy flavour to this year’s TV Toy Show. Mine host Ryan Tubridy introduced the event in a red lobster costume accompanied by two kid squids! They were surrounded by singing sharks who jumped in and out of the boats ‘floating’ on the stage.
The Late Late Show has had a major influence in Irish broadcasting since it commenced one Friday in 1962 and has continued without a break since then. Audience ratings have been consistent around the half million mark but for the annual Toy Show they have shot up to 1.57 million viewers.
As in former years the kids not only stole the show but they are the show! They are drawn from families spread throughout the country and from every walk of life. This year there has been much concern over homelessness and kids from a homeless family had a star part on the show.
Kyle Carty (7) replete in a suit was introduced to us as a young farmer. He had a model farm on stage which he showed Ryan around focussing on the tractors. Kyle was then led to a full size model Frisian Dairy Cow and entered into a milking competition with Ryan which he won by having more milk in his bucket!
Ryan is good at introducing surprise items. After demonstrating a Hurling practice net with a Galway hurling fan, Daniel Brogan age 9, he delighted the lad by producing the Galway team captain and four team members. In addition to gifts they displayed the Sam Maguire cup which Daniel held above his head in true GAA style.
After numerous musical items with some great soloists, who we may expect to have a good singing future, we had the dancers. They were excellent and their costumes indicated the enormous amount of work that makes the Toy Show the success that it is.
Those helping Ryan by ‘testing’ the toys were around ages 4 to 7. The Burke brother and sister explained how their Dad would not be around for Christmas as he was in the Army and taught troops out in Mali. They said how much they missed him. Ryan took them to a large box. He tore off the paper covering to reveal the kid’s father. There was a marvellous spontaneous moment of hugs of sheer delight which turned to pure joy when their Mother and younger sister joined them on stage. TV has seldom shown family love and unity in a better light.
It’s moments like that which enable you to forget the commercialism of the advertisers, the generation of greed in the slogan ‘one for everyone in the audience’ and the ridiculously simple raffle question which produced a winning family from Mayo. The prize was a week’s stay in a four-star hotel in New York for the whole family, all expenses paid and $20,000 spending money.
Jesus said, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions” (St Luke Chapter 12 verse 15).
Of course the covetousness, which is so rampant today, is idolatry (Colossians Chapter 3 verse 5). And idols can never satisfy. What does satisfy is a solid relationship through Christ with the living God then you will have “godliness with contentment which is great gain” (1 Titus Chapter 6 verses 6 to 10).

The development of the mobile phone from its original concept of the phone locating the person not the place has been a great boon. No longer does the excuse that you are “out” when you were “in” apply! Unless you switch off, which is rather counterproductive, you are available.
In its early days it was seen as a “ball and chain” as it was perceived to be tying its owner to the phone service. Gradually it found favour till today when there is countrywide telephone coverage and a mobile in every pocket!
In some countries anarchy was assisted by dissidents using mobile phones to alert the population until the government took down the network! In developing countries, the mobile has enabled land-line infrastructure to be bi-passed when the population were able to access mobiles for themselves.
There are now estimated to be 1,900 million users! Plenty of scope for ‘bad eggs’ to be amongst them!
This week some vigilantes in Leeds, England, set up a sting operation which caught an Irishman who had been grooming a 14-year-old girl for sex. Mobile phones were used in the operation and a citizen’s arrest of the man was made when he turned up at the rendezvous. He was duly handed over to the police in order for the law to take its course.
With cases of paedophilia being regularly reported by the media it is easy to see why these operations could increase as anxious parents try to protect their children and young people. Fake identities are easy to create and paedophile hunters may not be disposed to give the one caught a fair hearing!

Jesus said to his disciples: “Things that cause people to stumble are bound to come, but woe to anyone through whom they come. It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble (St Luke Chapter 17 verses 1 and 2).
Do millstones become gravestones? Is there no hope for the paedophile?
The Good News of the Gospel is that Christ died for sinners – not the righteous
(Romans Chapter 5 verse 8).
St Paul puts it plainly when he wrote “God justifies the ungodly” (Romans Chapter 4 verse 5). But how? When they repent is the answer. What does repentance look like? The same as for any other sinner – a separation from the sin. This required boundaries to be put in place. Jesus said if your hand offends you, cut it off. Clearly a change of behaviour even if the separation is as sharp as the severance of a limb is required to remove the sinner from the temptation. This may well be a lifetime separation.
Both the predator and the victim need the strength which comes from putting their trust in Christ. To the first “Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from iniquity”. To the second “Flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness” (2 Timothy Chapter 3 verses 19 & 22).
Remember one ‘mobile’ that is always answered is Prayer!

Christie’s New York salesroom was amazed this week by flurry of bids over a 19-minute period culminating with a record sale price of €450,000,000. The same painting fetched as little as €10,000 in 2005!
At an exhibition in 2011 it was valued at €127.5 million so this week’s figure had been somewhat anticipated. The main reason for the price hike is its scarcity value. There are less than 20 Da Vinci paintings in existence.
The normal five-year window of authenticity now follows during which time the paintings provenance will be tested by those who have reason to doubt its genuineness. It also ensures that Christie’s reputation remains intact!
We need to consider why Christians, perhaps until recent times, have avoided portraying the face of Christ?
Besides the obvious one that no one knows what Christ looked like there is the fact of Christ’s two natures. He was fully human and fully divine. Whatever the difficulties posed in imagining his physical form there is the sheer impossibility of being able to portray his divinity.
The simple truth is that there was never a time when Christ did not exist. What was new was when he took flesh (St John Chapter 1 verses 1 and 14). The mighty God (Isaiah Chapter 9 verse 6) became a child of a virgin, Mary, by the power of the Holy Spirit, without ever ceasing to be what he always was (St Luke Chapter 1 verses 27, 31 to 35).
He was born into the lower end of the social scale. He was, in his short life on earth, the ‘Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief’. He endured poverty, homelessness, pain, thirst and weariness; misunderstanding and rejection among those he came to save.
The wonder of God’s grace to us fellow human beings is that Christ can sympathise with our weaknesses because he was tempted in every respect as we are yet he was without sin (Hebrews Chapter 4 verse 15).
Perhaps most works of art of Christ show him on the cross as the great sin-bearer. There the artist tries to capture the suffering of unmitigated physical pain and total social isolation. His soul was in touch with all that Hell could do by way of darkness and temptation. But above and beyond all that he had to endure the bearing of the world’s sin as he was forsaken by God his Father (St Matthew Chapter 27 verses 45/46).
“He die, me no die” was the simple yet profound statement of the African believer. It captures the substitution of Christ’s death in the place of the guilty – ensuring that
the repentant guilty sinner can go freed to live a life of love (Ephesians Chapter 5 verse 2).
The fact is you cannot buy Christ – not even with the astronomical figure paid this week! But by God’s grace you can know him (St John Chapter 17 verse 3 and 1 John chapter 5 verse 20).

On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 World War 1 officially ended. The date was declared a national holiday in many nations, and coincides with Remembrance Day in the UK and Veterans Day in the USA.
It is part of the UK tradition to wear a poppy, reminiscent of the fields of Flanders, where so many soldiers died. In Ireland a Shamrock with a red centre, as worn recently by the Taoiseach, may become the accepted symbol of remembering our war dead.
Sadly, it is 30 years since an IRA bomb killed 12 people at a Remembrance Service in the square at Enniskillen. They, and many other victims of violence, are now included among the dead who are mourned on the 11th November.

The legacy of war is hard to erase. Some attempt at having schoolchildren ‘adopt’ a dead soldier, perhaps one from their parish and visit his war grave, may help to counteract the bitterness left behind by war. This introduces the youth to the horrors of war but at the same time gives a practical outlet for their emotions. An added dimension is the introduction of schoolchildren from the opposing side in an effort to see that, there among the war graves, grief knows no boundaries.

When the prophet Isaiah looked down the avenues of time he saw Mt Zion (Jerusalem) with the nations streaming to it. There the ways of the Lord would be taught and justice dispensed (Isaiah Chapter 2 verses 1 to 5). There would be no need for weaponry. The hymn writer captures it: –
To ploughshares men shall beat their swords,
To pruning hooks their spears.
No longer host encountering host
Shall crowds of slain deplore; (no longer will there be grieving for the dead)
They’ll hang the trumpet in the hall
And study war no more.

We are far from this ideal of “study war no more”! King David, himself a warrior, realised the folly of pursuing war. In Psalm 68 he wrote the lines to the Lord: –
“Trample underfoot those who lust after tribune;
Scatter the peoples who delight after war” (Verse 30).

St Paul saw the cause of war most clearly. It lay within himself (and us)! There was a war on and it was against indwelling sin. He was defeated by it. He could not, by himself, get the victory. Only when he laid his sins at the foot of the cross; only when he saw the atoning blood flow over them could he claim the victory in Jesus name (Romans Chapter 7 verses 21 to 25).
This private war is one which, through trusting in the work of Christ, we can be on the winning side.

You may have missed noticing the removal from office of former UCD Students’ Union president Katie Ascough this week. She is a pro-life advocate in the debate around the 8th Amendment to our Constitution which currently preserves the equal right to life of both mother and un-born child.
So what did Katie do that was so wrong? Is it not possible to hold pro-life views at our Universities? Is it like heresy, OK to hold such views – so long as you do not utter them?
In Katie’s case she had a page of abortion information removed from the student union’s freshers’ magazine, Winging It, following legal advice that it may have been illegal. The students voted in favour of its retention apparently ignored the legal advice. Katie was removed from office.
In another university – Oxford – a group Oxford Students for Life issued an invitation to an Irish Journalist and a Barrister to each make a presentation of ‘Ireland and Abortion’. After making some introductory comments but before getting into the subject about 15 protesters disrupted the proceedings. They shouted pro-choice slogans and maintained their disruption for some 40 minutes.
It seems that the words in the Simon and Garfunkel song apply every bit as much today:
“All lies in jest, when a man hears what he wants to hear and disregards the rest.”
Oz Guinness, the son of missionary parents, who got his doctorate from Oxford, once related the difficulty he had obtaining a hearing. It was in the days when women’s rights were a hot topic and his female audience prejudged his talk. They thought it would not be to their liking.
The noise started immediately. Oz requested silence and sat down. After some 10 minutes the noise abated and Oz, after commending them for being obedient women, got on with his talk!
Of course hearing requires hard work to grasp what is being said. Much easier to repeat a slogan monopolising the air waves in a mindless way.
Jesus recognised a deeper problem as instanced by his quote from Isaiah “He that had ears to hear let him hear” (St Matthew Chapter 13 verses 13/15).
As in Isaiah’s time the people were unresponsive. Because of their disobedience God had made them deaf to the message. It was the same in Jesus day. Their hearts were hard. They heard the message but that openness of faith which is the gift of grace was not present and it did them no good.
An old illustration of this is that of the sun. It shines on both the clay soil and a piece of wax. It hardens the former but soften the latter.
The same circumstances existed for St Paul (Acts Chapter 28 verses 25/27). St Paul’s preaching had reached its end, he was in prison in Rome, the Jews had come to his cell, he had preached all day but few were convinced. He reminded them of Isaiah and turned his attention to the Gentiles for the last two years of his life.
Have you received the message of Christ crucified into a grace softened heart?

It is generally reckoned that the 31st October 1517 was the date Luther nailed his 95 thesis to the door of Wittenberg Castle Church triggering the reformation. This was the usual method of drawing attention to a subject and normally would lead to a public debate. Luther chose the subject of purchasing indulgences which, it was said, released the dead loved one’s soul from hell.
John Tetzel was the salesman for Luther’s area of Germany. He was backed by the Pope (who needed money to rebuild St Peter’s in Rome) and the local Cardinal (who had debts he had to clear). Tetzel would enter a town with his followers and after some fiery preaching required the congregation to put money into his wooden chest. To encourage them he would recite, ‘As soon as the gold in the casket rings; the rescued soul to heaven springs’.
This was the setting of Luther’s thesis. An example of one of them reads “He who sees a needy man and passes him by, yet gives his money for indulgences, does not buy papal indulgences but God’s wrath,” thesis 45.
Matters came to a head when Pope Leo X in June 1520 issued a Papal Bull excommunicating Luther which the latter publicly burned along with volumes of canon law, papal constitutions, and works of scholastic theology. This led to an order to have Luther’s writings burned. (He wrote 60 books and hundreds of pamphlets).
Luther was summonsed to renounce his writings before the lawyers of the church at the Diet of Worms with Emperor Charles V presiding. He asked for 24 hours to reflect and pray. The next day the charge was again put to him and he responded,
“Unless I am convinced by the testimony of the Scriptures or by clear reason (for I do not trust either in the Pope or in Councils alone, since it is well known that they have often erred and contradicted themselves), I am bound by the Scriptures I have quoted and my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything, since it is neither safe nor right to go against conscience. May God help me. Amen”.
While the Diet were considering Luther’s fate his friends took him away and kept him in hiding until popular opinion, which was always on Luther’s side, ensured his safety.
What was it that enabled this Monk to stand against the might of Rome? All through his youth he had been keenly aware of his sins, an awareness which increased when he took holy orders. He saw himself as unrighteous, under condemnation by a holy God and no amount of penance could clear his debt.
It was reading Romans Chapter 1 verse 17 “The just shall live by faith” he saw that God has offered to us the holiness of his Son as a covering for our sin so that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God changed Luther in that moment from a despairing sinner to a justified son. From someone trying to create his own righteousness so as to become acceptable to God, and failing miserably, to discovering that his righteousness was in Christ alone.
May God grant a like understanding to free you to serve Him!

The week started with hurricane Ophelia and ended it with hurricane Brian!
Ophelia came at us from the South producing some of the highest wind speeds ever recorded and Brian came out of the West laden with rain!
It is hard to get into perspective the force of Ophelia. It produced the biggest wave ever recorded off the Irish coast. It measured 17.81 M (58.4 feet) or the height of a six storey building. The mooring buoy which recorded this data was torn from its moorings some time later. Four other buoys were cast adrift. They are managed by the Marine Institute and help to validate the weather forecast models run by Met Éireann providing guidance to the national emergency planning efforts.
The storm passed straight up the country, from South to North causing devastation in its wake. The wind speed recorded at Fastnet lighthouse, as it was about to hit the southern shore was 190 km (118 mph).
Along with hurricane-force winds, the storm has caused red skies in England and wildfires in the Iberian Peninsula! Cyclonic winds kicked up dust from the North African Sahara, spraying sand into the English sky. From there, the desert dust scattered the sun’s rays into longer wavelengths, giving the sky an eerie, somewhat-apocalyptic hue.
The wildfires in Spain on Sunday were fanned by powerful winds as Ophelia brushed the coast. At least 32 people have been killed, and the sky was filled with a toxic mix of ash and smoke.
Back in Ireland three people died in storm related incidents and almost 300,000 properties were without power. Public transport came to a halt and the schools were closed on Monday and Tuesday. The countryside was strewn with fallen trees and the sound of the chainsaw was everywhere. Any loose corrugated iron roofing was removed by the gale; the sheets of iron being tossed around like giant playing cards.
Just when things were getting back to normal Brian has arrived. He is more like what we are accustomed to – plenty of rain and a gentler storm force wind!
There has been a lot of sky gazing this week as people tried to read the weather signs. Some, of a more prophetic inclination, were looking for “great signs from heaven” as St Luke puts it in his Gospel (Chapter 21 verse 11).
In St Peter’s first sermon he quotes Joel’s prophesy in full. In it he predicts the coming of the Holy Spirit without any limitations and “wonders in the heavens above and on the earth below”. Some of these are mentioned and will precede the return of the Lord. The quote ends with the invitation “Everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” (verse 20). Then comes the explanation for his modern audience.
The Lord, the God of Israel, whom St Peter now knows as Lord and Christ ‘this Jesus whom you have crucified’ offers salvation to all who repent and are baptised (verse 38)!
This offer of forgiveness of your sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit is available today.