If only he had come, the death if Lazarus

 

If only He had come....

If only he had come, she knew he could heal him, but now it was hopeless. With a heavy heart she cut up strips linen which would bind his dead body, ready for the cold stone tomb. They had no ointment to embalm the body, in a fit of extravagance she had broken and poured the contents over the feet of their friend the teacher. People said it was a wicked waste but he had blessed her for it, said her deed would be written down and remembered for centuries to come; but now she was confused, a terrible fit of dereliction was descending upon her. She knew they had to get the body bound and in the tomb quickly, already the flies were buzzing round the body and the smell of putrefaction was beginning to fill the house, already friends and relatives were gathering around the house preparing for the long drawn out funeral ceremony, weeping and wailing filled the air, but her tears did not flow, instead they burned inwardly like acid poison, burning into her heart and stomach. She knew she must rise and join the other mourners to bind and bury her beloved brother, but a heavy weariness filled her legs, she dragged herself up and out to greet them, and still he had not come.

Four long days dragged by, Mary wished she was lying on that cold slab instead of her brother, Martha had kept herself busy feeding and organising the mourning party, but she was descending into a leaden trance, doing and feeling nothing.

Then the call came up, “the teacher is coming”, Martha ran off to meet him, but she remained, all energy and will drained from her body. In a while her sister returned, and dragged her out, and she followed reluctantly, to see the teacher. When she saw his warm, but sad compassionate face, the dam that had held her tears broke, and the tears and heavy sobs flowed, like streams from her eyes. She flung herself at him, her face buried in his chest and Jesus’ tears mingled with her own.

 

           

 

Slowly however His emotion changed from grief to anger, anger not at her, but at that snake in distant Eden, who had tricked His first human friends, and let death loose to ravage His newly created world. Now however the journey had started which would lead through Calvary and the empty tomb, to final victory over death and the birth of a new creation.

A steely determination grasped Him as He strode up to the top of the hill towards the tomb with the crowds following behind. Reluctantly they obeyed his order to roll the stone away from the mouth of the tomb, but the smell of death and decay was amazingly not there to take their breath away.

Then the shout of command which made the very rocks vibrate, followed by the shock of terror and surprise as the body still wrapped in white bandages struggled out of the cave, and unbelief turned to joy as at His command they untied the bandages to reveal their brother, more real and alive than they had ever known Him; then the reverence and awe as they knelt in wonder, before the one who was not only their friend, but their Saviour and their God.

 

Ian Hempshall, Kamembe, February 2011, following a visit to a genocide memorial.     

Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss

And chiefly Thou O Spirit, that dost prefer
Before all Temples th’ upright heart and pure,
Instruct me, for Thou know’st; Thou from the first
Wast present, and with mighty wings outspread 
Dove-like satst brooding on the vast Abyss
And mad’st it pregnant: What in me is dark
Illumin, what is low raise and support;

John Milton Paradise Lost Prologue

Today is Pentecost Sunday the Jewish festival celebrated 50 days after Passover.

The Wedding at Cana: Water into wine

 

Today was the funeral of a friend. Earlier in the day, I had attended a breakfast and Bible study with a few friends, and we had looked at the first of Jesus' signs in John's gospel. Most people will know the story. Jesus was invited to a wedding with His disciples. His mother was there and seemed to have something of an organising role. All was going well until disaster suddenly struck. The rather meagre provision of wine, probably all this poor small family could afford, had run out. One can imagine a crowd of strong healthy fisher folk rapidly draining the wine skins dry.    

So the appeal goes out to Jesus from His mother: "Jesus, do something about it!" This was not a plea to nip down to the village shop and buy another flagon of wine. This might have felt to Jesus a bit like the devil's temptation to do some miraculous miracle to kick start His ministry, but Jesus would have none of that. However, Jesus' compassion was stirred to do something for these newly weds.   

Of course, when you generously invite Jesus into your situation, miracles do happen, and happen with joyous abundance. Mary carefully tells the servants to quietly do all that Jesus asks of them, and the command goes out to fill six enormous stone water vessels each holding twenty to thirty gallons.

One can imagine the complaints as the servants laboriously wind up that amount of water by hand from the local well. "What on earth for?" they ask.

What trepidation as the servants bring the water into the feast! What will be the reaction of the Master of ceremonies? Remember the bouquet of a really good wine? This was what was wafting through the feast now. "The good has been left till last!" Jesus blesses this couple with His extravagant life-affirming presence, and His gift of the very best wine. 

So, how did thoughts of  a miraculous wedding present and a joyous banquet fit in with the sad and solemn funeral service? The answer of course is that Jesus was here as well, very much in the centre of everything that was going on. Tears well up. Jesus himself wept when He met Mary on the occasion of the death of Lazarus. Bereavement is a long and painful process, which we all have to go through at some stage in our lives. 

However, with Jesus, death is not the end, He is the one who broke out of the tomb on Easter morning, and He is the one who will personally invite us to the heavenly banquet, to the wedding feast of the bride and the Lamb, spoken about in the book of Revelation.  

Why be content with anything less for your life than Jesus as your personal friend? Invite Him in to your life now. 

He stands at the door and knocks.    

Finally a poem by Malcolm Guite.  

Here's an epiphany to have and hold,

A truth that you can taste upon the tongue,
No distant shrines and canopies of gold
Or ladders to be clambered rung by rung,
But here and now, amidst your daily  living,
Where you can taste and touch and feel and see,
The spring of love, the fount of all forgiving,
Flows when you need it, rich, abundant, free.

Better than waters of some outer weeping,
That leave you still with all your hidden sin,
Here is a vintage richer for the keeping
That works its transformation from within.
'What price?' you ask me, as we raise the glass,
'It cost our Saviour everything he has.'

Malcolm Guite  Sounding The Seasons

  

The journey of the Magi

 

My New Year's resolution is to return to blogging, so here we are.

We are told very little about the Magi in the Bible. There is a short story in only one gospel, Matthew 2:1-12. We are told about a disturbing visit from Magi from the East who had come to worship a new king, and who had brought three gifts: gold, frankincense and myrrh.    Imagine Mary and Joseph, probably some time after the birth, having these mysterious people visiting with such strange and very expensive gifts, entering their humble home and bowing down in the straw on the floor to worship their little baby boy.

We know very little of who these Magi were. The word Magi refers to an eastern wise man, someone with knowledge from dreams, who searched the heavens for signs from God. It is the word from which our word magician comes from. There are many legends that have grown up around these men, but who were they and why this long journey?

So where else in the Bible do we learn about a group of friends who were very wise and could understand dreams and could hear what God was saying to them? Well, the book of Daniel comes to mind - young men who were exiled in the Babylonian court who advised the king. Daniel and his friends were given remarkable abilities to understand dreams and visions.    One particular dream that was given to Daniel was about someone called “the son of man”, in Daniel 7:13:-

and behold, with the clouds of heaven
    there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days
    and was presented before him.
¹⁴ And to him was given dominion
    and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages
    should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion,
    which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one
    that shall not be destroyed.

Jesus used this title for himself. He was the eternal son of God who had been given absolute rule and authority, but born as a human being, just like us. So, I wonder if the Magi had heard of this prophecy of Daniel, and were looking out for celestial signs that such a king had been born. 

Having heard from God, off they went into the desert, bringing their gifts to worship this long-prophesied king, guided by a sign placed in the heavens by God for them to follow on their long journey, a new wild star that drew them onward.

So, we too need to listen quietly and patiently to hear what God is saying to us and be willing to hear the call to go wherever we are being led, willing to give up all that we have and bring whatever Christ asks us to give, and to go wherever He asks us to go.

So what about the three gifts? Again, the Bible does not attribute any meaning to them. However, there are many ideas as to their significance.  I think the first thing to note is their lavish expense. Mary and Joseph were soon to be refugees fleeing to Egypt, so these gifts would have been very welcome, gold was a universal currency and the two spices were very portable, and weight for weight much more expensive and precious than gold. God was very careful to provide for His son on His dangerous journey,  just as He provides for all His children when they ask.   However, the gifts had special prophetic significance for Jesus, 

Jesus, King of Kings and Lord of Lords

Gold was the stuff of kings, especially King Solomon who had a vast wealth in gold. Jesus is now ascended to the right hand of the throne of God. He is the one who we worship and adore. the one before whom we will all bow, at His coming in glory.  

                                                 Jesus the great high priest.

Frankincense was what the incense used by the priests was made from, and it demonstrates Christ's priestly role which we learn about in Hebrews, for example Hebrews 4: 14-16

¹⁴ Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,^[a] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. ¹⁵ For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. ¹⁶ Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Also in the book of Revelation we read about the prayers of the saints being offered like incense, and we too are called to be Kings and priests, for example 1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light.

Jesus the sufficient sacrifice for our sins

The gift of myrrh was of special significance for Jesus and we see its use in John 19:39-40  

39 Nicodemus also, who earlier had come to Jesus by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds in weight. 

40 So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews.

It was used in the burial of Jesus, who died once and for all for the remission of sins. Jesus died on the cross, so that our sins are forgiven and we could live forever with Him.

So are we as diligent in seeking Jesus as these ancient travellers? Will we listen for His call and go wherever He is asking us to go? Are we willing to  give our most precious things for Him?

At this time of year, a covenant prayer written by John Wesley is proclaimed. It is it a solemn promise  we are willing to make to our crucified and risen King Jesus.

 I am no longer my own but yours.
Put me to what you will,
rank me with whom you will;
put me to doing,
put me to suffering;
let me be employed for you,
or laid aside for you,
exalted for you,
or brought low for you;
let me be full,
let me be empty,
let me have all things,
let me have nothing:
I freely and wholeheartedly yield all things
to your pleasure and disposal.
And now, glorious and blessed God,
Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
you are mine and I am yours. So be it.
And the covenant now made on earth, let it be ratified in heaven.'

The Methodist Covenant Prayer

The earliest image of the Magi. From the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome

, 

Palm Sunday

 Mary and I took part in the Bethlehem Marathon yesterday and I was inspired to write this poem.

Palm Sunday

Here He comes, Lion King

Strangely becoming Easter Lamb

Riding his donkey tank

Firing shells of rose petals into the ranks of armed aggression.

Blessed is He who comes in the name of sacrificial love.

 

Here he comes, breaker of walls

Crowned with every barb-ed strand of razor wire

That separates us. The bloodied hero,

Demolishing every last bit of our cruel enmity

Making every last adversary our brother or sister, in love.

 

I hammered alone with naked, bloodied hands,

Unable to break through

Those towering concrete walls of separation.

He came with His bag of dynamite power

That fathered every distant star,

which created the beauty of each tiny flower.

 

Every last tear is gathered into His bottle,

Every tiny drop of protest, every last footstep of a walk of peace,

He joins into a mighty irresistible flood,

Breaking through every last barrier of separation

And turning every warring enemy

Into His very own loving, eternal friend.    

 

 

 

 

A Christmas psalm

 

Halleluiah!

Praise the Lord.

 

Now my soul praises the Lord,

My spirit rejoices in God my saviour.

 

The Christ Child is born,

The liberator has come.

 

To bring good news to the poor,

And let all the captives go free.

 

To bring God’s kingdom down to earth,

His reign of justice into all the earth.

 

Where all people will be treated fairly,

And everyone is a child of God.

 

A world where love will abound,

And self-sacrifice will be normal practice.

 

In that day the dead will be brought to life,

And all rejoice in the resurrection of Jesus.

 

Praise the Lord,

Halleluiah!

Hezekiah

 

Hezekiah: Humble prayer and true repentance.

 

“if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

2 Chronicles 7:14

 

There are so many similarities between the time of Hezekiah and our own. A time of national crisis, people trembling behind closed doors in fear of a terror stalking the land. A time when many people had wandered away from the worship of the true God to many false Gods. A time when those false Gods no longer have an answer to our deepest needs. A time when hope had been replaced by doubt and despair.     

The history of Judah after the reign of Solomon had been pretty disappointing: forever straying from the worship of Jehovah to the latest fashion in idol worship. Hezekiah inherited a land riddled with Asherah poles and high places, with total disregard for the creator God whose Holy presence could be found centred in the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple. Hezekiah remembered the words of Jehovah to his great forefather Solomon. He reinstated the worship in the Temple, and set about fortifying the city which surrounded it, preparing for the inevitable siege that would come from the world superpower which was Assyria, steamrolling its way towards them.

Finally, we see Hezekiah in a position where any lesser leader would have been driven to despair and surrender. All his fortified cities have been ground to rubble, and he is surrounded by the mighty hoards of the cruel and merciless king of Assyria. Not only that, but he is faced with a constant barrage of hostile propaganda and fake news. A world so very like our own.

His brilliant engineers have fortified the city and secured the water supply with an amazing tunnel. He has emptied the Temple of all its silver and wealth to pay off the attacker. All to no avail, as hunger and fear assault the besieged city.    

However, we find that the overarching pride of the Assyrian king becomes his downfall. He sends a letter with an ultimatum offering Hezekiah surrender and deportation or death. He also mocks Hezekiah’s God, a very foolish act to mock the Holy name of Jehovah.

 Perhaps in this dark time Hezekiah is reminded of one of the songs of his ancestor David.

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
    will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
    my God, in whom I trust.” ……

¹⁴ “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
    I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
¹⁵ He will call on me, and I will answer him;
    I will be with him in trouble,
    I will deliver him and honour him.
¹⁶ With long life I will satisfy him
    and show him my salvation.” Psalm 91 (ESVUK c 2001)

Hezekiah come with total humility and trust into the Temple and spreads out the letter before his God, in perfect trust. Praying not just to save the city, but to vindicate the name of Jehovah, who had been mocked.

2 Kings 19:14-19

NLT

14 After Hezekiah received the letter from the messengers and read it, he went up to the Lord’s Temple and spread it out before the Lord. 15 And Hezekiah prayed this prayer before the Lord: “O Lord, God of Israel, you are enthroned between the mighty cherubim! You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth. You alone created the heavens and the earth. 16 Bend down, O Lord, and listen! Open your eyes, O Lord, and see! Listen to Sennacherib’s words of defiance against the living God.

17 “It is true, Lord, that the kings of Assyria have destroyed all these nations. 18 And they have thrown the gods of these nations into the fire and burned them. But of course the Assyrians could destroy them! They were not gods at all—only idols of wood and stone shaped by human hands. 19 Now, O Lord our God, rescue us from his power; then all the kingdoms of the earth will know that you alone, O Lord, are God.”

The next morning, Hezekiah looked out over the city walls to the sight of 185,000 dead in the Assyrian camp. Sennacherib, king of Assyria, departed with His army utterly defeated, finally suffering the ultimate humiliation of being assassinated in his own temple, by his own sons, his idols looking on unable to protect him. 

So, what can we learn from this story, in this time of not just national but worldwide disaster?

Surely it is to come back in trust to the one true God, Jesus Christ, who can save us. To not put our trust in natural means alone, but to come humbly before the only God, who can summon up all the forces of the heavenly armies to come to our aid.

 

My Redeemer Lives Hillsong Worship