It’s said that patience is a virtue. It’s a very old saying from the 14th C and is attributed to William Langland. It reflects a Latin proverb, patience is the greatest virtue.

But is patience a virtue? Let me suggest that it is the context that helps us understand why it is a virtue.

Consider what we learn about Jesus in Mark chapter 1 verses 29-39.

Jesus commanded extraordinary authority. With a word he could heal people of all kinds of sickness – Peter’s mother-in-law who was sick with a fever; all who were sick with a variety of ills or who were demon-possessed; and even a man with leprosy. As Mark’s Gospel unfolds, we are invited to see that into a world plagued by sickness and despair, Jesus brought new hope.

But Jesus did something much more – he had a message. Jesus’ primary purpose was not to come simply as a miracle-worker or social-worker to address the physical and mental ills of men and women. He was not a politician or celebrity using his wealth to cure the social evils of a messed-up world. Rather, he had come to perform radical surgery for a sick and messed up humanity. He knew, in the words of Jeremiah, that the hearts of all men and women are deceitful above all else.

Malcolm Muggeridge, one-time editor of Punch, understood this when he commented that men and women are imprisoned ‘in a tiny dark dungeon of the ego,… involving us in the pitiless servitude of the senses. So, imprisoned and enslaved, we are cut off from God and from the light of his love.’

Earlier in Mark chapter 1 we read that the central theme of Jesus’ ministry was the kingdom of God. His ministry and mission is summed up in these words:  ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe the good news’ (1:15).

And now, despite the pressure of large crowds from Capernaum, calling on him to heal their sick, Jesus was resolute: ‘Let us go on to the neighboring towns, so that I may proclaim the message there also; for that is what I came out to do. I must preach the good news of the kingdom in other cities also,’ he said (1:38).

Mark wants us to know that Jesus’ mission is bigger than Capernaum, and bigger than Galilee. And bigger than healing physical ills. His mission was to impact the world with God’s good news – not with a sword or through power politics, but through a ministry that revealed God’s justice, compassion and hope.

Prayer is another theme we find in the final section of Mark chapter 1. In verse 35 we read: In the morning, while it was still very dark, Jesus (he) got up and went out to a deserted place, and there he prayed.

Jesus regularly took time out to speak with his heavenly Father. When I first started to think about prayer and why I should pray, this verse was very important to me: If the Son of God prayed, I too should pray.

Words were central to Jesus’ life and ministry. With words of authority, he healed the sick and gave orders to the powers of evil. With words he taught with extraordinary wisdom and fearlessness about God’s kingdom and our need to sort out our relationship with God. And with words Jesus regularly spoke and kept his personal relationship with his heavenly Father vital and fresh. As with any meaningful relationship words were key.

It is therefore significant that in his Parable of the Sower (Luke 8:4-15) Jesus explains that ‘the seed is the word of God’ (8:11).

When we think about this we appreciate that Christian ministry – which is to be Word-centered – is like sowing seed. And just as a farmer needs to learn patience as the seed does its work of germination and growth, so we need to learn patience in building one another up in the faith and drawing people to faith through the ministry of God’s Word today.

Yes, sometimes there is rapid and exciting growth. But generally, coming to faith and growth in the faith takes time. We are to learn patience, trusting the Lord to do his work.

And this is why we need to pray – keeping our own relationship with the Lord fresh and vital, asking him, amongst many other things that he will honor his promise and therefore his Name.

Never forget Jesus’ promise: “… On this rock (repentant faith in Jesus the Christ, the Son of God) I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Significantly, in praying for his Colossian readers Paul the Apostle prays that they (and we) will be strengthened to display great endurance and patience… He prays for the kind of mentality that tackles the tough issues of life and the kind of stamina that perseveres. He asks that God’s people have the resolution and determination to stay in the long-distance race of Godly living.

How different all this is from life in our culture where immediate solutions are demanded, success is lauded, and independence is prized. Paul prays that God’s people will have the capacity to survive stressful times with joy, overcome insult with composure, and most of all, know that God can be trusted to be working out his all-wise and all-good purposes even in the toughest times.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law (Galatians 5:22-23).

Words, words, words. We are constantly bombarded by them — from Social Media, email and text messages, our phones, TV and movies. And now you’re reading words from me!

Have you ever wondered why words are so powerful? Words on the tongue of the comedian can make us laugh; but words on the lips of the cynic can cut down and demolish. The words, ‘I love you,’ bring the thrill of joy and hope to couples in love. But the words, ‘We’ve done all we can,’ from the medical specialist in times of sickness, grip us with fear and a sense of impending loss.

Emily Dickinson wrote this of words: A word is dead / When it is said / Some say; I say it just / Begins to live / That day.

Authority. Come with me to Mark 1, verses 21and 22: They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, Jesus (he) entered the synagogue and taught. They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Jesus regularly attended the church of his day – the Jerusalem temple or the local synagogue in towns and villages. Mark tells us that Jesus began his public ministry in the town of Capernaum, on the northern shore of Lake Galilee.

We can begin to picture the scene. Jesus was the guest speaker that day in the local synagogue. As he spoke everyone sat up and listened, for he taught with authority.

People could see that he wasn’t like their usual speakers – the scribes. The scribes, so dependent on the authority of others, were diffident and cautious, ambiguous and lacking clarity.

But Jesus was different. He spoke as one who knew first-hand what he was talking about. He spoke with a personal command of his subject. He spoke with clarity as he talked of God and humanity, of righteousness and hope. His hearers were stunned. They’d never heard anything like it before. And not surprisingly he caused a stir.

But there was another facet to Jesus’ words. In verse 23 we read: Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, and he cried out, ‘What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us?’

Mark doesn’t hesitate to record this voice of protest. Jesus’ words didn’t necessarily bring harmony and peace. Opposition came from a demon-possessed man who, up until that moment, had been happy to be in the congregation! But that day was different. This demon-possessed man was confronted with a greater power and he knew it: ‘I know who you are, the Holy One of God.’

While some will dismiss Mark’s assessment as myth, saying it doesn’t fit with modern psychiatry, we can note that medical science today suggests that some psychotic behaviour occurs for organic reasons – brain tumors, drug addiction, or even genetic factors.

Indeed, in the same way that we bring prayer and medicine to bear on cancer, we can bring prayer and psychiatry together when a person is mentally ill.

What is clear however, is that there are some mentally and emotionally sick people today who are, like this man, in the grip of alien forces. And whether we regard these forces as real or imaginary, they are irresistible – as irresistible as the impulse that drove that man to call out that day.

Sometimes mentally disturbed people are aware of supernatural realities in a way that most people are not. This man recognized Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God. Not even the disciples had woken up to this.

Power. Consider Jesus’ response in verse 25: But Jesus rebuked him, saying, ‘Be silent, and come out of him!’

Be silent is literally, be muzzled or, colloquially, ‘Shut up!’  Jesus wouldn’t accept the compulsory testimony to his divinity given by evil powers. Rather, he wants our voluntary recognition that he is both God and man. And so, he ordered the spirit to be quiet and to come out of the man.

And notice what happened: And the unclean spirit, throwing him into convulsions and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. The spirit obeyed.

There’s only one word for that: power. Power of the kind we have never seen – not even in churches today that claim they have the power to heal. Mark’s focused report here powerfully conveys God’s authority, energy and vitality evident in Jesus’ word.

Amazement. They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, ‘What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.’ At once his fame began to spread throughout the surrounding region of Galilee (Mark 1:27f).

Jesus’ words and actions were unprecedented. They confirmed what the crowds had begun to suspect – that he was invested with a unique authority.

Jesus was not only a powerful speaker. He commanded extraordinary authority with his words. Indeed, as Mark’s Gospel unfolds, we are invited to see that into our world of darkness and despair a light of hope has come.

It awakens us to the reality that Jesus can’t be ignored. The voices around us may try to shut him up, but he will have the final say. Everyone needs to treat him seriously.

Why is it then that we are so often silent about our faith? Isn’t it true that often we are afraid – afraid of what others will think of us? Afraid of what it might mean for our job? Afraid that the word of the gospel will not work?

We need to remember the power of words in God’s hands. He has used words to reveal himself to us. It is the combination of words and the work of His Spirit that changes and transforms lives.

Everyone loves a good story.  Millions have enjoyed J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings, and millions more, J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter. The Bible has been described as ‘The Greatest Story Ever Told’. Many would agree, but rarely read it or think about it.

Deep down we long for a better experience of life and a certainty about the future. The question is, ‘Where can we find it?’

This was a key issue that confronted C.S. Lewis. Holding a triple first from Oxford in classics and philosophy and literature, Lewis’ atheism was challenged during his mid to late twenties. As he wrote in Mere Christianity: Atheism was too simple. If the whole universe has no meaning, we would never have found out that it has no meaning.

He began to ask: If God exists, was there a time when he had revealed himself to the world? With his deep understanding of literature, he asked whether the myths were really echoes of one true story.

Prompted by a remark from a colleague at Oxford, Lewis began to read the four Gospels. He noted particularly that, unlike the myths and stories of literature, that the accounts about Jesus of Nazareth were set in the context of history. Indeed, friends, such as JRR Tolkein, pointed out that Jesus’ resurrection was historical.

With these thoughts in mind come with me to the opening lines of the Gospel of Mark: The beginning of the gospel – the good news – of Jesus Christ, the Son of God (1:1).

With these words Mark set the agenda for his writing. Mark wants to demonstrate to his readers that Jesus is the Christ, the Hebrew Messiah. He also wants us to know that this Jesus is the Son of God. At the outset we are introduced to an extraordinary idea: Jesus is both truly human and truly divine.

Despite what the voices of social media tell us, most people have an awareness that God is    there. Yes, some people look at the world with all of its suffering and reject God outright. But most people still have a sneaking suspicion that He does exist. What they don’t like about the idea that God exists is that he might be an interferer and call everyone to account.

That said, many high-level research scientists through the ages have no problem with the idea of the existence of God. For example, Francis Collins, the scientific director of the US government’s Human Genome Project, said: “It is humbling for me and awe-inspiring to realize that we have caught the first glimpse of our instruction book, previously known only to God”.

Having a sense that God might exist is one thing. Believing that we can relate to God is another. But this is just what the Bible tells us – we can know God personally.

Imagine you wanted to get to know Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. You could try writing her a letter or calling Buckingham Palace. You could even try standing outside the gates of the Palace. The fact is that our only real chance to meet the Queen would be if she decided she wanted to meet us.

Yet, this is what the Bible is telling us that God has done in Jesus Christ. It tells us that God wants to meet us and that Jesus Christ is the one he’s chosen to make the introduction. And that is why Mark, and the other Gospel-writers, wrote their accounts of Jesus. They knew that getting to know Jesus Christ is the most important thing we can ever do.

Consider what we read in verse 9: In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And just as he was coming up from out of the water, he saw the heavens torn apart and the Spirit descending like a dove on him. And a voice came from heaven: “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased”.

A voice from heaven said, “You are my Son, the beloved.  With you I am well pleased.” They are similar words to those when Jesus was transfigured in front of three of his close followers on a mountain – described in Mark chapter 9. But there is a very significant difference. God’s words on that mountain, were addressed to the disciples. Here they are addressed to Jesus.

God’s words on both occasions echo the introduction of God’s servant that we find in Isaiah chapter 42 – the servant who would suffer and die for the sins of the people. The words at Jesus’ baptism also echo Psalm 2 verse 7 where God greets the Messianic King as his Son.

Jesus would have understood immediately what God the Father was confirming about the relationship between them. He is uniquely God’s eternal Son and as such he had a mission to fulfil here on earth. The journey that was beginning here for Jesus at the River Jordan was going to finish at Golgotha with a sacrifice more far-reaching than the sacrifice that Abraham had been about to make.

This time the Father in the narrative would be God himself.

Did it all happen? Or was it all just another story?

Historians in the 1st century, such as Tacitus and Josephus, confirm that Jesus lived and died.

Josephus also records that Jesus’ followers saw him physically alive following the   crucifixion. Accounts such as these have convinced many throughout the centuries – including CS Lewis.

The Bible invites us into its narrative, beginning with the creating act of God and ending with God gathering us into a life of great beauty that stretches into eternity. It is the story of God’s action in cleaning up the mess we have made of the world and ourselves.

When did you last read the Gospel of Mark? Is Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God? Have you turned to him and become part of the story?

Is life a matter of the survival of the fittest?

C. S. Lewis in his Reflections on the Psalms said that Psalm 19 is ‘… one of the greatest lyrics in the world’ (p.56). It begins: The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.

Many people view the universe as a fortuitous happenstance. It’s pure chance that we and everything around us are here. But Psalm 19 sees it differently. And many leading astrophysicists and cosmologists agree. The vastness, splendor, order and mystery of the universe reveal God’s power and glory.

Charles Townes, a Nobel laureate for his discovery of the laser, stated: In my view the question of origin seems always left unanswered if we explore from a scientific view alone. Thus, I believe there is a need for some religious or metaphysical explanation. I believe in the concept of God and in His existence.

The opening lines of Psalm 19 are telling us that no-one can say, ‘I never knew about God.’ ‘Look around you,’ the writer says. In St Paul’s Cathedral, London the inscription to its architect, Sir Christopher Wren reads: ‘If you are looking for a monument (or testimony)’, ‘Look around you.’

Paul the Apostle tells us in Romans chapter 1 that the human tragedy is that everyone of us tries to suppress the truth. The evidence is there, but we choose to ignore God (Rom 1:21ff).

What is God like?

As we read last week, the Gospel of Mark opens with the words: The beginning of the good news of Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God. To know Jesus is to know God. Mark’s aim is to demonstrate through his narrative that Jesus truly is the promised Messiah and that he is the Son of God.

This is a bold claim. Many dismiss it without any further thought. But consider this. Years ago an acclaimed film-writer and journalist commented that he was struck by Mark’s style of writing. He wrote as a good journalist. Furthermore, against all the rules of writing drama, Mark’s central character was flawless! The film-writer wanted to find out more.

Mark sets out his narrative about Jesus moving us quickly from one scene to the next. He dexterously uses his pen as an artist uses a brush, sketching in the various scenes of Jesus’ public life. We read the testimonies of various witnesses as they either vociferously reject him or come to respect his greatness.

Mark highlights the essence of Jesus’ teaching with the report of his words: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news” (Mark 1: 15).

Jesus was not teaching a general truth that God is king over history. Rather, he was saying that the time had come for God to fix up the world, as the prophets of old had said he would.

When Jesus said the kingdom of God is near he was saying that God was about to rule in history in a new and perfect way – to set wrongs right, to bring healing, to correct injustice and to establish peace and prosperity. The implication was that men and women would see with their own eyes that he was the true King.

The facts could be checked: God’s rule would be evident on earth as it is in heaven. The day of the Lord was about to happen. As passengers on a wharf look for the approaching ferry with anticipation, so too people were watching for the coming of God’s promised king. They may have said, ‘When Messiah comes he will lead us in victory and triumph.’

Contrary to every human expectation that God’s rule would come in naked power, its actual appearance is characterized by utter powerlessness. Betrayed, deserted and denied by his friends, the King is subjected to a kangaroo court before being handed over to the Romans on the false charge of high treason. The astonishing thing is that the Kingdom of God finally arrived with the shameful crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.

And what response did Jesus ask of his hearers?  ‘Repent and believe the good news.’

Believing the good news of Jesus means welcoming the great news that God’s kingdom will soon come. Believing the gospel means rejoicing that the good and wonderful God will one day reveal himself in all his glory and justice. To repent and believe means to turn to the Lord asking for forgiveness and desiring to give our lives to him in love and loyalty.

The practical wisdom of Jesus’ words is quite simple. Life is not mere happenstance. It’s not the survival of the fittest. We can’t afford the luxury of enjoying everything now without remembering that there will be a time of accounting to come.

If we claim to know the Lord Jesus, it’s essential to keep our relationship with him fresh and vital. And the only way we can do this is by consistently reading books like Mark.

If you don’t know what to believe, again, let me encourage you to read the Gospel of Mark. And pray. Ask God to help you find him. Seek his help. Knock on his door, saying, ‘God, I don’t know if you are there. If you are, please open your door to me.’

These matters are so important that the Anglican Connection has an upcoming online conference to explore them. If you have not done so already, check out the website: https://anglicanconnection.com/2021-national-conference/

But you need to register by January 28. The cost is $25.00.

Happy New Year! Another day. Another year. A year of more change…?

In his Choruses from the Rock written in 1934, TS Eliot prophetically observed:

   But it seems that something has happened that has never happened before:

      though we know not just when, or why, or how, or where.

   Men have left GOD not for other gods, they say, but for no God;

      and this has never happened before.

   That men both deny gods and worship gods, professing first Reason,

      and then Money, and Power, and what they call Life, or Race, or Dialectic.

   What have we to do but stand with empty hands and palms turned upwards

      in an age which advances progressively backwards?

The onset of the coronavirus and the suffering and grief it has brought to millions, the looting and rioting that has impacted livelihoods, and much more, challenge us to ask, ‘What is the most pressing issue as we enter the new year?’ TS Eliot suggests it is the matter of God in our lives.

As a culture, the Western world today rejects the notion of there being an ultimate truth. It is said that at best we can only have opinions. You have your opinions and I have mine. To tell me I am wrong is to be arrogant and judgmental.

But here is an irony. To counter the coronavirus pandemic, people are looking to medical science for a vaccine. And the only way a vaccine can be developed is if there is an objective body of knowledge that can be tested through experiment and reasoning. If there is no agreed world view concerning this kind of knowledge there can be no assurance with respect to a vaccine.

And many scientists would agree. Where some might disagree is with a world view that holds that there is a creator God. And this is because they deny a world view that underlies the meaning of what are called the natural laws.

We find ourselves with a dilemma. We live in a world where social progressivism denies objectivity and the idea of truth. On the other hand, the same world is dependent upon there being objective truth when it comes to the laws of nature and the search for a vaccine.

So, what should we do? Let the light of God’s gospel shine in our lives.

In Luke 11:29-32 Jesus had been reminding the crowds that in response to Jonah’s preaching, the people of Nineveh had repented and turned to God. He also commented that the Queen of Sheba had travelled hundreds of miles to learn from the wisdom of King Solomon.

He then went on to make an astonishing announcement: “… Something greater than Solomon is here” (11:31). Was the growing crowd around him aware they were in the presence of greatness itself – indeed, God himself? Were they listening? Were they aware of what would happen if they turned their backs on him?

Jesus concluded this teaching with these rather enigmatic words: “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar, but on the lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.”

Light and darkness are images that bubble throughout the Bible. In the Gospel of John we read Jesus’ words: “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8:12). Furthermore, when we turn to Jesus God transfers us from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his beloved Son (Colossians 1:14).

So, to have the light, the lamp of the gospel shine in our lives, is the most wonderful privilege we have. How foolish of us not to let this light shine into our very hearts. Furthermore, we need to let this light so transform our lives that others will also see the changes. This will involve growing in the riches of God’s love. It means that our lives will be shaped, not by the latest ideas or ‘correctness’ but by God’s Spirit teaching us from God’s Word.

It means recognizing that all of humanity in every age has its faults and failures. William Hazlitt, the 19th century essayist, and drama and literary critic observed: Mankind are an incorrigible race. Give them but bugbears and idols — it is all that they ask; the distinctions of right and wrong, of truth and falsehood, of good and evil, are worse than indifferent to them.

So often today, God’s people are falling short of letting the light of our faith shine for others to see. Wanting to avoid being seen to be intolerant or arrogant, we remain silent when it comes to the uniqueness of Jesus Christ, God incarnate. Many of us like to think we are good people because we refrain from sexual immorality or theft, living lives of outward integrity.

But to live a complacent, self-satisfied life, thinking that all is well, and yet not praying nor looking for opportunities to reach out to others with God’s truth, is to treat God’s king with contempt.

Let’s pray for one another as we start a new calendar year, that we will walk in the light of God’s love, trusting him with our lives, and letting his light so shine through us that others will be drawn to the Lord Jesus themselves.

You may also want to register for the Anglican Connection Conference where we will be exploring the theme: The Majestic Glory in an Age of Change.

In his 1939 Christmas speech, on the eve of Britain’s darkest hour in World War 2, King George VI concluded with this quotation: “I said to the man who stood at the Gate of the Year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.’ And he replied, ‘Go out into the darkness, and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be better than light, and safer than a known way.”