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.”

2020 has been a troubling, turbulent year – one to which we could apply Her Majesty, the Queen’s apt and pithy comment in 1992: annus horribilis.

While commentators and historians will analyze the events of the year for some time, in many ways it has been God’s wake up call to the reality that, despite what we might like to think, there are significant events in life beyond our control.

Indeed, unexpected events suggest that there’s another dimension to life which we should not ignore – especially as we move into the new year.

In the minds of many, the rise of secular progressivism and its antipathy towards religion has blunted the reality of God’s existence and revelation. How important it is that we keep calm and stay the course of faith – faith that is not a blind leap in the dark, but a faith in the One whose quiet and humble coming into the world opened the door to the glory and joy of life eternal.

Isaiah 60 is one of the great chapters of the Old Testament. It looks to the glory of a future day for God’s people. It begins: Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. For behold, darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and his glory will be seen upon you. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising… I am the Lord; in its time I will hasten it (Isaiah 60:1-3, 22b).

In the minds of many, cities are synonymous with evil, corruption and the unbridled pursuit of the pleasures of the flesh, so that we can easily overlook the significance of the city in the Bible. The Scriptures consistently speak of the City of Zion or Jerusalem as a picture of God’s dwelling with his people.

Isaiah’s first readers had lost their city, the temple (the symbol of God’s presence) and their king. We can only begin to imagine how they would have received Isaiah’s words in chapter 60. For he was now telling them that darkness would give way to light and gloom would give way to glory, for God would establish his City – the City of Zion.

You may find it helpful to read Isaiah 59:15b – 60:22 that speaks of the coming of God’s kingdom in great glory. But it is a section that exemplifies the tension between the is and the yet to be of God’s kingdom. As we read this, a helpful question to ask is what lessons can we draw for today from this great section of Isaiah?

Isaiah 60 prepares us for the coming of God’s king in all his glory. It speaks of our ultimate destiny as members of a city, the new Jerusalem where, as Revelation 21:1-4 tells us, there will be no more pain or suffering, crying or death. Above all we will know the deep joy of God’s presence with us. Springing from this we will enjoy life to the full with one another as his people. But this new city lies on the other side of a cosmic divide. Isaiah’s words will only be fulfilled through the personal intervention of God himself. Only then will we be delivered from the tragic consequences of our present world.

How then should we now live – as pessimists or optimists about life? The answer lies in our need to be biblically rich in our understanding of God and his purposes. An unqualified optimism that says we should expect all the benefits of God’s kingdom now, is unhelpful. But so too is an unqualified pessimism. For to be pessimistic about life now implies that we should withdraw from society and not get involved with present issues and concerns. Pessimists tend to think of outreach as holding an evangelistic event and then drawing back into the security of the church community. They have little motivation to engage with people in their wider community in the gospel cause. Sadly, it is one of the reasons only 10% of churches in the US are experiencing what is called ‘gospel’ as opposed to ‘transfer’ growth.

Instead, we need to believe that what we do in this world has significance and can change people and things for the better; that what we do in the service of Christ in this world lasts. Paul the Apostle in 1 Corinthians 15:58 writes, Therefore, my beloved, be steadfast, immoveable, always excelling in the work of the Lord, because you know that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.

As we start a new calendar year it’s worth pausing and considering the amazing picture Isaiah paints in chapter 60. He speaks of the return of the exiles to Jerusalem – which occurred in 520BC – and the rebuilding of the city. This was nothing short of a miracle. God had said it would happen. And it did.

Furthermore, Isaiah wants us to see this event as a picture of God’s far greater promise and far greater success. The success of God’s future city points us to the success of God’s rule. Come what may, no human authority, no evil power is greater than God. God and his purposes can be trusted.

Let’s pray for the grace and the wisdom, the commitment and the strength to live every day in this new year in the light of God’s tomorrow.

Christmas this year stands out as a beacon of hope. Friends and family often tell us they love the lights and carols of Christmas. But this year which has been so tumultuous and troubling, Christmas holds out something extra special. How wonderful if it were really true!

Isaiah 9 is part of the Christmas back-story. In the early chapters of his writing Isaiah spoke of dark times, of deprivation and suffering, anger and a sense of hopelessness. In Isaiah 8:21 we read: Distressed and hungry, they will roam through the land; when they are famished, they will become enraged and, looking upward, will curse their king and their God.

‘But don’t give up’, Isaiah says, ‘for a time will come when the light will dawn’. And in chapter 9 he tells us where the first glimmer would be seen: Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who are in distress. In the past God humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali – lands to the north of Israel – but in the future God will honor Galilee of the Gentiles, by the way of the sea, along the Jordan…

The Promise. Galilee will be where the light will dawn. There will be joy, Isaiah says, and the shadow of death will pass. For, as verse 6 says: To us a child is born, to us a son is given.

The sign of God’s saving plan would begin with something very weak, something very insignificant – the birth of a baby. Yet, the government will be on his shoulders. His name will be called, wonderful counsellor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.

Isaiah was laying down a timeless principle: we need to be patient and turn to the Lord, putting our trust in him. As we look back at Isaiah 9 we discover that God led Isaiah through his own family experience to see the unfolding of God’s purposes – of judgment, redemption and hope.

But there was more to come. The carol ‘Hark! The herald angels sing …’ picks up the biblical theme of the next stage in God’s plan.

Some six hundred years after Isaiah wrote, Dr. Luke tells us: In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered (2:1).

Like a good newspaper reporter or historian, Luke identifies the time of his narrative – when Augustus was Emperor. As we look back at this we see that Augustus’s decision requiring a census set in motion events that resulted in the fulfilment of God’s promises. It’s worth noting that God works out his purposes in the course of human affairs.

Luke then tell us The time came for her (Mary) to deliver her child. And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn (2:6b, 7).

The word inn which is part of our culture’s Christmas story is not an accurate translation of the original word. The usual word for inn is found in the story of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:34). The word in Luke 2 is different: katalyma which literally means ‘a place to stay’ or ‘guest room’. It is also found in reference to the ‘guest room’ in a private house in Jerusalem where Jesus celebrated the Passover with his disciples (Luke 22:11).

In Jesus’ day poorer families lived in homes with one large extended room. At one end there was always a small area at ground level under the same roof where the family animals were kept at night to keep them secure.

Luke is telling us that there was literally no guest room in a private home for Joseph and Mary to stay. Mary had to make do for the birth of Jesus at one end of a living room. What’s more, she used the cattle feeding-trough or manger, set up at the end of the raised floor of the living room as the baby’s crib.

The announcement. Yet Luke tells us that at the birth of Jesus, the angel said to shepherds: “… To you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord” (2:11).

Luke’s description of the humble circumstances of Jesus’ birth draws our attention to an irony. The title Augustus that Caesar Octavian had taken to himself, signified greatness and divinity. The circumstances of Jesus’ birth were the converse and prompt us to ask, ‘How could Mary’s baby be the long promised Messiah?’ Yet the angel had told Mary that her baby would one day be far greater than any emperor or monarch, president or ruler (Luke 1:32f).

Shepherds. And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them… (Luke 2:8,9a). Given the resources of heaven it’s striking that the angels didn’t use the occasion to hold a spectacular announcement in Bethlehem or, come to think of it, in Jerusalem.

We need to keep in mind Isaiah’s words in chapter 9. God himself would raise up a ruler who would do what no other leader could do – he would rule with justice and peace.

At the time of Jesus’ birth, shepherds were at the bottom of the social order. They were the lost, the outsiders. Yet it was to them the angel made the announcement. In fulfilment of his promise, God has reached down from the glory of highest heaven to rescue and transform the lives of all people, even the lowliest, including the outcasts.

No wonder the angels sang: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth, ‘shalom’, ‘peace’.

Is it true? Or was the announcement that Jesus is the Savior, the Christ just another false hope? GK Chesterton once remarked, ‘Truth must necessarily be stranger than fiction; for fiction is the creation of the human mind and therefore congenial to it’.

Too often we fail to find the joy and peace of Christmas because we have not truly found God’s shepherd-king ourselves. But, let’s be honest: we are all in need of a savior.

It means carrying out our own investigation and encouraging our family and friends to do the same. It is only when we turn to Jesus with changed minds and hearts that we can truly sing, O Come all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant… Yea Lord we greet Thee, born this happy morning…