Jesus said:
whoever comes to me I will
never drive away.
John 6:37
The idea came to me when Sam and I started putting the lights up around the outside of the house. Every year there?s always been enough lights on the cable for us to outline the front of the house and continue on along the fence between us and our next door neighbour. Why not use that extra length of lights and write HOPE along the fence?
A thrill of hope, the weary world rejoicesFor yonder breaks a new and glorious morn'Fall on your knees, oh, hear the Angels' voicesOh, night divine, oh, night when Christ was born
Christmas has it's own unique magic. Something within our hearts changes at Christmas. We are more generous, joyful and excited than any other time of year. I can think of no other time during the year when there is such a wide spread community transformation. I'm not talking about the external stuff we see like decorations and the Christmas music being played, I'm thinking about what goes on inside of us at Christmas. What we call that Christmassy feeling. That hard to describe joyful emotion that bubbles away deep in your heart. A feeling that flows over into what you wear (colourful jumpers), what you do (buy gifts) and what you expect (others to buy gifts for you). In many ways we embrace our inner child and begin to see the world differently. Our imagination is reawakened and we allow ourselves to live in a world of unseen beings who want to do good to us. We suspend all logic and dwell happily in the world of elves and Santa and flying reindeers and an impossible task achieved in one night. Save the Children have called their Christmas campaign "Protect the Magic". Their introduction captures something of the Christmassy feeling:
Is it too early to put up the Christmas decorations? Should we be pulling down the boxes of tinsel from the attic, assembling the tree, putting up the lights? Has anyone else noticed Christmas trees going up in people's homes already?
Isaiah (700 years before Jesus) wrote to a world who had turned it's back on God and knew "...only distress and darkness and fearful gloom...". BUT he spoke of a future time when "The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."
Who was behind the assassination of JFK? What is really happening in Area 51? Are there sinister forces behind the Coronavirus pandemic? Is compulsory mask wearing the thin edge of the wedge that will lead to the mark of the beast?
Questions like these would normally be discussed by people on the fringes but now these questions are centre stage. The anxiety of the pandemic and the new restrictions have definitely encouraged conspiracy theories to develop. But they were centre stage way before 2020.
I guess this is linked to the decline in trust people have for in those in authority. We listen to our politicians and assume we're not being told everything. We're being kept in the dark. We're now more aware than maybe ever before that our news comes with a bias. More of us than ever believe that those in authority can't be trusted. They have an agenda that isn't always for our good.
Growing up I loved reading about UFO sightings, the moon landings, corn circles, JFK etc. It fascinated me that these theories existed and people passionately held to them. But these ideas (when I was younger) could only be found in a few books in the library, now they are spread much more freely on the internet. If the X Files (Google it) were written for our day, Muller and Scully wouldn't be risking their lives tracking down the truth in the 'field' but they'd be following the bread crumbs left by QAnon on the internet.
And the truth seems to be that the "fate of the world hangs in the balance". It is unknown whether good or evil will win.
I'm not going to ridicule those searching for the truth because I think they're on to something. I agree with them there's more to the world than what we see (Ephesians 6:12), there are sinister forces at work behind the scenes plotting for our downfall (1 Peter 5:8) and there are hidden truths that need to be revealed (Matthew 11:25-27). But I think there's a glaring hole in their theories.
In their search for truth, conspiracy theorists have forgotten that Jesus is Lord. He is the one who is in control of the story of our world and he will bringing it to the ending that he has planned. I realise that this is a statement of faith that not everyone will agree with. But it is a statement that if researched with even half the diligence of the conspiracists, will be be shown to be true. It has stood up to centuries of scrutiny both by the genuine seeker and the sceptic. God has not left breadcrumbs for us to follow but clear historical eye witness accounts of those that seen and heard and touched Jesus (1 John 1:1-4).
Peter one of the men closes to Jesus writes,
"For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. He received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ?This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.? We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain." (2 Peter 1v16-18)
Of course we weren't there when Peter saw this so how can we know if this is true or not. Peter says we have something even more secure..
"And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts. Above all you must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had it's origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1v19-21)
The world is full of unusual happenings, some may well be linked together, some are unexplained at the minute, some may never be explained. But whatever theory we develop to explain life as we see it may we always filter it through the reality that Jesus Christ is Lord. If you don't believe that, follow the evidence, it will take you right to Jesus. The Truth is Out there. Why not grab the Gospel of Luke and start reading it?
The great dream of our time is that we become a more tolerant society, less judgemental and more accepting. The church was identified as a source of intolerance. (there may be some truth in that). It was argued that once the church's influence upon society was weakened, we would all become more accepting and less judgemental. But that has not been the case.
We continue to live in a world where we're told what's acceptable and what's not:
The woman is forgiven and free. What does it matter what others think.
The White Knights of the Klu Klux Klan in the 1960s were "described by the FBI as the most violent right-wing terrorist organization in America".
Is there life beyond the grave?
We are finishing the four questions that I began at the start of June. I wanted to suggest four questions that probe at our view of the world. We've looked at the question of our origin here. The question of our morality here and the question of our significance here.
We now ask the really dark question. Is death final? Is it the full stop of our lives? This is the question we can't escape. Though we might try to distract ourselves from the reality of death, it always forces itself into our lives.
The belief of our secular age is that there is no life after death. We are simply physical beings. Life is just what you can see. Death is final. Yet this belief cannot suppress a deeper innate belief that we are eternal. We continue on beyond our death. There is life after death. We may disagree about what that life looks like but it seems we have a belief that won't go away. Life doesn't end with death.
On paper it might seem everyone lives like this is all the life there is (You're born, you live, you die, the end) but our belief that death is not the end surfaces at the Graveside and in our Stories.
The Graveside
At the rawest moments of our lives we find it near impossible to maintain the confidence that this world is all there is. We may have lived under that assumption all our lives but it cracks under the weight of grief. At funerals we hear people saying things like, "They're in a better place" "They're up there looking down on us" or "We'll see them again". And this is not simply a remnant of a Christian past, it's found in all cultures across all time. The teacher in Ecclesiastes says God has hidden eternity in the heart of man (3:11) and experience seems to bear that out.
Our Stories
It seems our story telling is very telling. It reveals what we really believe. Think of the movies and books that tell of a life beyond the grave. Of course you find it in the Horror stories where the veil between this world and the next is very thin, but you also have it within Romance (eg.Ghost, The Lovely Bones) and Thrillers (eg. The Sixth Sense). It seems our story telling betrays our hearts. We have a hope that there's something more. It doesn't seem right in our minds that death should be the end. It doesn't seem enough for us that this is all there is. We long for something more. Now, just because we long for something doesn't mean there is something more. But what if death isn't the end? It's a question worth asking isn't it?
Therefore our 4th question is: What happens after death?
If you say "nothing happens after death". I want you to listen into the hopes that you have. The hopes that are revealed at the grave side and in the stories you enjoy. Are your hopes consistent with your stated beliefs?
God hasn't just set eternity in our hearts, he has prepared a glorious eternity for us in Jesus. When we trust in Jesus, we no longer have to face the judgement that we dread but instead receive the Life that we long for.
"Jesus Christ who has destroyed death and brought life and immorality to light through the gospel" (2 Timothy 1:10)
In this blog I've dealt with death as a challenge to our worldview but I know it's much more than that. It causes huge pain and suffering for those left behind. If that is you and you'd like someone to talk to, please get in touch. I can be contacted on 2nd Dromara Presbyterian Church Facebook page or my mobile 07512677530. Thank you, Andrew
?My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust??
?If we find ourselves with a desire that nothing in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that we were made for another world.?
"When you think of it, really there are four fundamental questions of life. You've asked them, I've asked them, every thinking person asks them. They boil down to this; origin, meaning, morality and destiny. 'How did I come into being? What brings life meaning? How do I know right from wrong? Where am I headed after I die?"
"I should be the one to decide with who and when we have sex. Is the bible not an ancient, repressive text."
"May your fountain be blessed, and may you rejoice in the wife of your youth, A loving doe, a graceful deer-may her breasts satisfy you always, may you ever be captivated by her love." (Proverbs 5:18-19)
"The husband should fulfil his marital duty to his wife, and likewise the wife to her husband. The wife's body does not belong to her alone but also to her husband. In the same way, the husbands body does not belong to him alone but also his wife. Do not deprive each other except by mutual consent and for a time, so that you might devote yourself to prayer." (1 Corinthians 7:3-5)
"As a bridegroom rejoices over his bride, so will your God rejoice over you" (Isaiah 62:5)
"...the two will become one flesh. This is a profound mystery but I'm talking about Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:32)
"If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life, will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and the gospel will save it" (Mark 8:34-35).