The Gospel, the whole Gospel and nothing but the Gospel

John Sentamu on Billy Graham

I was listening to the radio on the way home from work on Wednesday evening and Archbishop John Sentamu was saying a few words about Billy Graham who had just died.  He didn’t have long and I don’t remember all he said, but the few words that struck me were that he said of Billy Graham “He just said ‘the bible says’, ‘the bible says’, ‘the bible says’, he never put his own views in the message. He was the first person since St. Paul to do that.” 

Evangelist and Preacher

That is the job of an evangelist, and a preacher.  When I stand here and speak to you my job is to tell about Jesus and speak the good news that his life, death and resurrection are to us, allowing us to be with God forever. Tt is not to tell you about my good ideas about how to run the world, or to explain from my limited experience about how the world could be better for everyone.  I’m sure I do that from time to time, some of you may even remember an example, but that is not why I am here.  I am here to speak the gospel, the whole gospel and nothing but the gospel.
We will see how that lines up with our reading this morning as we go.

Marks Gospel

The reading from Marks Gospel, is the first of three sections where Jesus begins to teach His disciples about His death and resurrection.  They have been with him for a while now, probably more than two years, although the time frame isn’t that clear.  They have seen miracles, healings and have listened to all sorts of interactions with individuals and crowds.  All that time Jesus has been teaching them about what God wants for them, and interpreting the scriptures for them. 

Peter’s Confession

In the passage immediately before this one we hear Peter identify Jesus as the Christ – the long expected Messiah who has come to save the Jews.  We don’t know how much time passed between that statement and this mornings reading, but its possible that they happened close together.

Teaching a new topic

Jesus starts teaching a new topic – how He must suffer and be rejected before He is killed and will then rise again.  Jesus either thinks they are ready, or perhaps he knows they never will be and just decides to get on with it.

Peter’s Thoughts

Which ever it was, it was too much for Peter, he took Jesus aside and rebuked him.  There is little doubt that Peter was only saying what they were all thinking.  Something like: “We’ve followed Jesus for two years, we’ve seen that he is the one God promised, now He’s saying its all over.  He’s going to take us all to Jerusalem and He’s going to be executed.  What will become of us – the same fate I expect.  We were hoping that He would overthrow the Romans and re-establish proper Jewish rule and it would be clear that our God is in control again.”  Peter assumed that that is what God wanted – it sounds right doesn’t it.  It certainly did to Peter.

“Rebuke”

We don’t know what he said to Jesus, but that word translated rebuke here is the same word used in Mt 17:18  “Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.”

Jesus’ reaction

Jesus graciously hears what Peter has to say, and then turns to go back to the rest of the disciples.  Perhaps it was the look on their faces that triggered Jesus’ response, or perhaps it was coming anyway.  “Get behind me, Satan!”  You do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men.”

Contradict a Teacher

Wow, talk about put someone in his place!  That must have hurt, but then Peter’s outburst had been unprecedented.  He had been following Jesus and learning from him.  He had thought of Jesus as a Rabbi – a teacher.  Even at school these days, pupils do not say to their teachers “you can’t do that, that’s not the right way to go”.  Peter, even though he had just identified Jesus as Messiah, had been listening to the wrong spiritual advice, He had not yet seen that God was doing a new thing through Jesus.

Jesus continues teaching

With no further comment Jesus focusses on the crowd.  I wonder how much of the exchange was overheard by the crowd?  Judging by what Jesus says next I can only imagine that most, if not all of the conversation (spat) with Peter was heard.  As usual, Jesus uses it as a teaching point.

Take up your cross

“If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”  Unless you have studied the Bible a bit that phrase is probably meaningless.  It leads directly to the phrase “We all have our crosses to bear” - which simply means we all have our little difficulties, that we use as an excuse for poor behaviour, or as a means of not listening to someone when they’re having a bit of a moan.  What Jesus said has a much more radical meaning. 

Crucifixion

Jesus was no doubt thinking about what was coming for him.  He and everyone that He was talking to would know what taking up a cross meant – it meant that you were on your way to crucifixion.  That was how the Romans did it.  Each of the criminals to be crucified was forced to carry (probably drag) the cross that they would be nailed to, to the point of their execution.  It was not an easy thing to do, by the time you got to the place where the execution would occur you would already be exhausted, as probably scared witless of the punishment that had barely started.

Expected of followers

This, Jesus is saying is what He expects of His followers – they must be prepared to loose their lives in the following.  He goes on to make it even clearer “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.”
Jesus is not necessarily referring to physical life here, although that may be included, but mainly He is referring to the inner life, as we see from his next words.
“What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
If we think of this as referring to the inner life these words could equally be translated “What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit himself? Or what can a man give in exchange for himself?”

Being a Follower

Jesus is saying that you cannot choose to follow Him and continue to pursue your own life, with all it’s wants and desires.  The phrases ‘I want ...’, ‘I’m going to ...’, ‘I will ...’ and perhaps even ‘I need ...’  are simply no longer part of our vocabulary, or even the thought process.  It is always ‘Jesus wants …’, ‘Jesus is going to …’ and ‘Jesus will ...’.

Ashamed

And this cannot just be how we think in private, we have to be open with the world about it, so Jesus ends his teaching with “If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”
If we’re not prepared to say openly that we are followers, then we will not be considered followers by Jesus.

Put your own life to death?

Of course, we can’t just decide to give ourselves to Jesus, to somehow make ourselves go away – we need God’s help to achieve that.  So Jesus’ teaching would have been very hard for those who initially heard it, but we know that the Holy Spirit was given to make that close connection to God, so that we can always hear His voice.  In Acts 1:8 Jesus tells His disciples “you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Truthful Witness

As His witnesses, we must not be afraid – or ashamed of speaking the truth we see.  As His witnesses we must tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth – the gospel, the whole gospel and nothing but the gospel.  The same should be true whether we are speaking to believers, non-believers, or potential converts.  So often parts of the gospel are left unsaid.
I found this story in one of the sermons I read which illustrates telling the whole gospel to a potential convert.  The preacher is called Pat Cook, here is the link if you want to read his whole, sermon.

“I read a story about a man named Mark Stiles, who led a young man from Sweden named Andreas to the Lord. Andreas asked Mark, “I’ve been told if I follow Jesus, He will meet my needs and my life will get very good.”

Mark replied, “No, Andreas, no.”

Andreas blinked in surprise, and Mark continued: “Actually, you may accept Jesus and find that life goes very badly for you.”

Andreas asked, “What do you mean?”

Mark said, “Well, you may find that your friends reject you, you could lose your job, your family might oppose your decision – there are a lot of bad things that may happen to you if you decide to follow Jesus. Andreas, when Jesus calls you, He calls you to go the way of the cross.”

Now, Andreas had been thinking that an easier life was a selling point for the faith, but Mark had resisted the temptation to make Christianity sound better than it is. But then Andreas asked the question that stumps a lot of believers today: “Then why would I want to follow Jesus? If my life doesn’t get easier, then why would I want to be a Christian?”

Mark looked at him and said, “Andreas, because Jesus is true.”
Truth
– Truth in a post-truth world.
Baptism Couples
When I’m out visiting couples who have requested Baptism, I’m always aware that I mustn’t give them a false impression of the Christian life, that I must be honest with them, without scaring them away.  That I must not be ashamed of Jesus, or the life He calls us to lead, and so present Christianity as some sort of easy ride.  Start talking to them about God’s love for them, for sure, but be sure it doesn’t end there.
Deitrich Bonhoeffer – The Cost of Discipleship
I’m going to close by reading a short passage from “The cost of Discipleship” by Deitrich Bonhoeffer.  In the book he says
"When Christ calls a man, he bids him come and die."
and goes on to describe the feel-good version of the gospel as cheap grace.
"CHEAP GRACE is the deadly enemy of our Church. We are fighting today for costly grace "Cheap grace means grace sold on the market like chapjacks' wares. The sacraments, the forgiveness of sin, and the consolations of religion are thrown away at cut prices.... Cheap grace is not the kind of forgiveness of sin which frees us from the toils of sin. Cheap grace is the grace we bestow on ourselves. Cheap grace is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and Incarnate. Costly grace is the treasure hidden in the field; for the sake of it a man will gladly go sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price to buy which the merchant will sell all his goods. It is the kingly rule of Christ, for whose sake a man will pluck out his eye which causes him to stumble, it is the call of Jesus at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him.... Costly grace is the gospel which must be sought again and again, the gift which must be asked for, the door at which a man must knock. Such grace is costly because it calls us to follow, and it is grace because it calls us to follow Jesus Christ. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life...."

Amen


References
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/the-less-traveled-road-tim-zingale-sermon-on-discipleship-55897
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/god-save-me-from-your-followers-pat-cook-sermon-on-unity-89112
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/ashamed-craig-smee-sermon-on-church-body-of-christ-81360
https://www.sermoncentral.com/sermons/not-ashamed-of-the-gospel-alan-balatbat-sermon-on-evangelism-how-to-68767
http://javacasa.com/resources/dps_form_results/mk8_31.htm

Darkest Hour

Whenever anything to do with WWII comes up, I am always taken back to my childhood.  Both my parents were in the war, and Mum especially like to let her thoughts about what happened be known.  As a result I know Churchill almost as well as Wilson and Heath, the prime ministers I grew up with.  It will be interesting to see how he is portrayed, I thought, and that was really the primary reason to see the film.  So I'll start with those comments.
Firstly, the make-up department need to be congratulated - Gary Oldman looks like Winston Churchill throughout the film.  There was only one scene, about mid-way through, a sideways shot from behind - just for that instance I doubted.  He acts like Churchill too, and if he gets any awards for this role he deserves them.
How 'true' the story is, I have too little knowledge to judge, but it seemed pretty realistic.  So from that point of view it is an impressive film.  I'm hoping it is accurate, if so I have learnt some things I didn't know:

• How much Atlee was supported by his party
• How keen the Labour party were to fight
• How much the pressure on Churchill, and the desire to get rid of him nearly bought the war to the wrong end.

Having recently seen Dunkirk, the peril of the entire British army was very apparent, and the understanding of the need to rescue them very clear.  That was well portrayed here too, so was the loss of the garrison at Calais.  Those scenes showed the relationship between his secretary - Elizabeth Layton (Lily James) and the prime minister.
Much has been made in the media of Kristen Scott-Thomas and Clementine Churchill, however, I thought that Lily James did a better job and had more real acting to do, portraying a woman, initially scared of Churchill, to one of his greatest supporters - miming parts of his speeches.

Of course, we know the end, so I don't really have to say more.  The film simply illustrates the power of words well spoken - Churchill was a master of that skill.

Recently there have been some excellent films, and this is one of the most excellent.  Well worth a view.

Paddington 2

It seems like almost everyone likes Paddington 2.  It has the longest sequence of positive comments ever on Rotten Tomatoes.  Although I haven't put a review there, I could have and it would have been positive. In many ways the film is a throw-back to my childhood.  Someone in the film said something like "Paddington looks for the best in everyone - and finds it".  That is the flavour of the film, and it is a fitting tribute to Michael Bond's originals.  It is, what is now known as, a feel-good film, so not usually my first choice.
Paddington is rescued from a river by the bear he later calls Aunt Lucy, who gives up her planned trip to London to look after him.  So, as her 100th Birthday arrives, Paddington is looking for that special present.  When he finds it the trouble starts.  He ends up in prison and has a remarkable effect on the prisoners.  Enough of the plot, but just remember its not a who-dun-it.
The film contains plenty of action sequences, mainly involving the bear, who looks incredibly real.  This is some of the best mixed human and animation that I have ever seen.  It is seemless except for one scene where a crowd are watching the bear walk down a corridor - and some of their heads do not turn at the right time.  That's a shame because it momentarily took me out of the story.
The family and the regulars from the last film are back, and the acting is excellent, if not particularly challenging.  I especially like Sally Hawkins as the ultra-innocent credulous wife - getting it right all the time and never really seeking the credit.

I didn't particularly want to see this film, but it was definitely worth a watch and I would recommend it to all.

We saw this film near the end of its run at CineWorld in Basildon - there were just the two of us in the theatre, so no noisy children, or adults.  A very positive experience all round.

New Beginnings

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay, 7 Jan 2018

New Year – New Start

Happy New year!  I hope you all have a very blessed 2018.  New year is a time when we take stock, reflect on how we’d like our lives to be, and potentially decide to make some changes.  It’s an opportunity for a new start, a new beginning in a small part of our lives.
This year, I’m going to:
-    get fit
-    get thin
-    get a new job
-    read my bible more
-    pray more
The bad news is that most of us will fail.
I’m happy to report that I made a new year’s resolution many years ago that I have kept ever since the day I made it.  I decided that year that I would not make any more New Year's resolutions ever!  … and I never have.

Readings - Beginnings

Our readings this morning are both about beginnings.  Genesis is about the very beginning of the Universe, and Mark is about the beginning of the second phase of the Universe.  This morning I am going to look at the Mark reading and see what it has to say about new beginnings.

Heralded

Sometimes new beginnings are heralded, so that we know that something is coming in advance.  John was the man who had the news about Jesus starting his ministry.  So before we get on to the new beginning, let's have a closer look at the start of it.

John the Baptiser

John’s ministry is prophesied in Malachi 3:1 ‘“See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come,” says the LORD Almighty.’
John in the desert dressed in camel hair and eating locusts sounds a bit odd to us, but his dress was quite intentional. It was a signal, to those who knew their scriptures, of who he was.  Camels hair and a leather belt signified that John was the promised “Return of Elijah”.  2 Kings 1:8
They replied, “He was a man with a garment of hair and with a leather belt around his waist.” The king said, “That was Elijah the Tishbite.”

Elijah will return

Elijah’s return is also prophesied in Malachi, in chapter 4 verse 5 “See, I will send you the prophet Elijah before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.”  John, is the man who is Elijah, as Jesus says in Matthew 11:14 “And if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come.”

To see John and repent.

To go to see John was not a simple journey, it was likely that he was based in the wilderness in the valley outside Jerusalem.  If he was always based near the Jordan River, as he must have been if he was always baptising people – it is the only water in the area, - then it is at least a 21 kilometres walk.  The road out of the city takes a steep descent, and if you have to go off the road through the wilderness, the climb is even more difficult.  That is to say nothing about the climb back up to Jerusalem.  A visit to John is at least a day trip – and quite a long day’s trip.
Despite this, John was getting a lot of visitors and what he was doing was similar to the prophets – calling for repentance and a new turning to God and offering forgiveness of sins.  But John included baptism in water – something that had previously been a requirement only for Gentile converts to Judaism.
John, we are told, would not baptise anyone without a clear statement of repentance.

John’s Message.

His message is clear, “After me will come one more powerful than I, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I baptise you with water, but he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit.”

Along comes Jesus

And one day, Jesus is there waiting to be baptised.  If we look at Matthew’s account, we will see that John had a problem with the idea that Jesus should seek his baptism.  After all, why be baptised for the forgiveness of sins when you are not a sinner.  Jesus tells him, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfil all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15).  John consents and Jesus is baptised.

Public Declaration

The baptism will have taken place in front of the crowd that was already there listening to John, and others who were there to receive baptism, or who had just been baptised themselves.  It is Jesus’ public declaration of His ministry.  He has gone from being someone who is preparing to someone who is ready.  It is a new beginning, a change of lifestyle, time to get started.  He has accepted the plan – that he has come to die for the sins of those who trust in Him.

What did it do? - align with Humanity

By going through with His unnecessary baptism, He has aligned himself with all of us – those who DO need to be baptised and forgiven.  He now has that experience that His followers will later share – something in common with our humanity.

What did it do? - Holy Spirit

As Jesus comes up out of the water, he sees heaven being torn open.  I doubt that this means something like a strip of wall paper being torn off a wall, it is more like the whole wall being removed so that Jesus can now see things clearly from His fathers point of view.  This reminds me of Elisha and his servant in 2 Kings 6.  Elisha is being chased by the King of Aram. From verse 14: Then the king sent horses and chariots and a strong force there. They went by night and surrounded the city. When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh, my lord, what shall we do?” the servant asked.  “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” And Elisha prayed, “O LORD, open his eyes so he may see.” Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
The truth was that Elisha was not outnumbered at all.
Jesus’ vision after His baptism has shown him the truth – the spiritual truth of how things are.  He can now see clearly and understand His father's perspective.

What did it do? - Holy Spirit

After the vision, a voice is heard from heaven, “You are my Son, whom I love; with you, I am well pleased.”  Matthew reports it slightly differently, and leaves us in no doubt that the voice was heard by all those present.  Matthew reports the voice saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him, I am well pleased.”  Hearing this must have been very encouraging for Jesus.

The temptation – a new beginning.

And encouragement was exactly what he needed.  If we read the next verse (12), we see that immediately the Holy Spirit sends him out into the desert to be tempted for forty days.
That story is for another day.  For today, we must remember that Jesus a long time ago made a decision to follow His father, and now he has made a public declaration by His baptism that he is going to follow through.  The next phase of His life has started, it is a new beginning for Him.

Tom Wright

In his commentary “Mark for Everyone”, Tom Wright says: “Any early Christian reading this passage would also, of course, believe that their own baptism into Jesus the Messiah was the moment when, for them, the curtain had been drawn back and these words had been spoken to them.”
[Repeat quote]
Why any early Christian? Surely he means any Christian?

Not any Christian

Well, perhaps not any Christian.  For me, baptism occurred at a very early age – I was far too young to remember it.  I expect that there are a number here who share the same experience, perhaps even most of us.  The C of E and the Roman Catholic Church provide confirmation - a special service where someone who has been baptised as an infant can claim the faith they have been bought up in as their own.  For me that was a flat service where I sensed nothing – it did however serve very well as a public declaration of my faith – and that is one of its roles.

What baptism provides

Our baptism provides us with a link into Jesus.  It gives us the Holy Spirit, a sign and seal of His love for us.  The Holy Spirit also provides us with power, and helps us to see things as they really are – to lift the veil that evil puts over the world, so we can see things with the heavens opened.  Our faith, which we declare in our baptism, or confirmation, means that God looks on us in the same way that He looks on Jesus.  So God, the father, can say to us “You are my Son or Daughter, whom I love; with you, I am well pleased.”

Adore Jesus

Last week, Dan was asking us to adore Jesus, and we sang “O come, let us adore Him” multiple times.  We can only adore Jesus, if we first know that He love us.
That is what these final words of the reading allow us to do – to know that God loves us, so that we can respond with adoration.

You are my …

There doesn’t always have to be a resolution (new year’s or otherwise) to have a new beginning.  Sometimes a new appreciation of what we already know can change our approach and herald its own new beginning.
So as I finish, let's take a minute to repeat these words slowly, but let's put our name at the start, so we can be sure we know who God is talking to.
This is what God says to me: “Peter, you are my Son, whom I love; with you, I am well pleased.”
So now let's echo those words of God for each of us, don’t just say it in your head, say it under your breath, whisper it, say it out loud, I don’t mind, but as you say it remembers whose voice said it first.
[Practice – leave them to it]

Star Wars: Episode VIII – The Last Jedi

I'd heard good and bad things about The Last Jedi, so I went with an unusual sense of anticipation.  In some senses I was not disappointed.  There is plenty of Star Wars type action, there are the familiar characters, and some new ones.  Not yet having seen "The Force Awakens", I may have missed a few of the on-going story lines, but the Star Wars universe appears to be consistent - very important for me in a series of films like this.
I did think that perhaps the ebb and flow of the rebels verses the empire was getting a bit predictable.
That aside there are several other stories going on.  They are also familiar parts of the Star Wars series.  The young Jedi (female this time, a requirement in 2017) refuses to take the advice of her trainer and goes her own way.  This may or may not have been disastrous.  There is also a love story involving turning a Jedi from the dark side.
The special effects are good, but if they weren't it wouldn't be Star Wars, the action sequences are long and detailed which is great, but ...
It didn't feel enough like a Star Wars film.  There was just too much poking fun at itself - rather like a Roger Moore Bond film it just wasn't quite serious enough.
However, I enjoyed it and would recommend you see it if this is your sort of film.  If you're a proper Star Wars fan you will have seen it already, more than once.  Let me know what you thoughts.

Change the Stars

Preached at Christ Church, Billericay 24 Dec 2017 23:30

New Babies

New babies are always exciting.  We’ve recently had an addition to the Fisher clan, when Elizabeth gave birth to Thomas about 12 weeks ago.  After a very short time we were telling the world, anyone who would listen, that we have a new grandson.  Of course he’d been expected for a while, and we’d been telling people about his coming.

After his birth ...

All the details – big, weight etc
After all this we naturally begin to see who he looks like – that changes quite quickly – after the first weeks we could clearly see Ray (his dad) in him.
Babies are a blank canvas – they could develop into anyone – a genius, a hero, a talented sportsman, an A-list celebrity, the speculation begins almost immediately.  Of course some things are more likely than others – it depends a lot on the inherited traits from the father and mother, and also how the child is bought up.

Born to …

In the case of some babies we already know what they will be when they grow up.  Their destiny is set for them.  Prince George, for example, will one day be king, just like his father Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and his grandfather Charles, Prince of Wales.
Each of their births was greeted with a huge amount of publicity so that we all knew that the succession was secure.
As Shakespeare said “Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.”
Most of us though will not do anything in our lives that the world will find remarkable.  Our destiny is to be average and unremarkable.  I doubt any one will write my biography when I’m gone, it just wouldn’t be that interesting.  Perhaps they’d call it Born to be average.
Many, of course, are born into poverty and their destiny is to stay that way for their entire lives.

God’s Son

This baby though is a different prospect altogether, but His parents are just as excited by His birth as any other parents.  So much so that His father has been going on about it for thousands of years.  We heard just one of the prophecies in the Old Testament reading, then there is the announcement.  An angel lighting up the sky, telling the shepherds “I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Saviour has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord.”. Then a whole host of angels appear praising God and telling the shepherds what good news it is.

Arrangements

So much has had to be arranged – a census to force his earthly mother to visit the right town is perhaps the simplest.  Look in the previous chapter and you will find the story of Elizabeth and birth of John the Baptiser, all timed to perfection.  Look in Matthew and you will read about the star put up to guide the Magi to visit the child.  If you want to know how God works in His world read through the accounts of Jesus birth and see how all the pieces fitted together – that was not luck, or coincidence – that was God’s careful planning.

What’s it all for?

All this is because the birth is not only the most important birth in history, but also because it is the Son of God, born as a man.  This was recognised by the prophet Simeon in the temple when the baby Jesus was taken there for the purification rites as required by the Law of Moses.  Simeon said “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.  And a sword will pierce your own soul too.”
Jesus destiny, or at least part of it, is clear right from the start.

Shared Destiny

All of us, Jesus included, share one destiny.  I remember sitting in a training class a long time ago, and the trainer asked “What MUST you do?” We thought about it for a bit.  “Pay Taxes” someone said. “No” she replied, there are consequences to not paying taxes, but it’s your choice.”
Breath was the next idea, but that too is a choice albeit a much more difficult one.  The only thing we must do is die.  We are all born to die – that cannot be avoided.
Everything else though is optional.
Cannot avoid sinning?
[Video] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R8artJcUSEo
That was a clip from “A knight’s Tale” where William asks “Can it be done father, can a man change the stars?”  His father replies “Yes William, if he believes enough a man can do anything?”

Belief

I’m sure that statement is encouraging for a child, but for an adult it provokes at least two question:
“Believe in what?” and “How much belief is enough?”
The film’s answer to “Believe in what?” is believe in yourself.  William does go on to become a knight, partly with the help of his father, but also by taking the opportunities (legal or otherwise) that are presented.
To the question “How much belief is enough?” the answer seems to be that only absolute belief is sufficient.

Our own efforts

There are some things though, that belief in ourselves and our own efforts cannot help us with.  When we are stood in front of God and asked to give an account of ourselves, we will inevitably fall short, and fail to pass the test.  When everything we have ever done is brought into the open, and our motivations exposed, none of us will have lived up to Gods perfect standards.

Important Birth

That is why this birth that we are commemorating today is so important and such good news.  Jesus, God’s son, was born as a man and his destiny was to die for our failings, our selfishness – all the things that are separating us from God.  All the things that would prevent us from gaining eternal life.  Jesus has paid the price for us, so that we, when we stand in front of God, have our names already written in the Book of Life, and will be granted Eternal Life.
All we have to do is to accept that He died for us, and believe, not in ourselves, but in Him, and that belief will save us, that belief, more than any other will change the stars forever.

Review: Hothouse - Brian Aldiss

ISBN:978-0-141-18955-0

Hothouse by Brian W. Aldiss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

It was a very long time ago that I first read Hothouse. I remembered a little about the world that the children initially find themselves in. The dumblers and running along the branches of the great banyan. I remembered Lily-yo and Gren, but beyond that I had forgotten much of the adventure.

This book is a science fiction classic and because it is such a good imaginative story set me reading science fiction for years. The story is set millions of years in the future when the rotation of the moon has slowed the earth to almost a standstill. The earth now has one face to the sun and one face from it (the dark side), just as the moon does with the earth. Vegetation has taken over, although a few insects and animals still exist - man included, the humans then are not like the humans now they have evolved to live in the new environment, and de-evolved in some senses too. Gren is an intelligent child and this attribute causes problems, and that is what makes the adventure so fascinating. Gren leaves the forest through various (mainly poor) decisions, but it is nor entirely his fault. This plot line give the opportunity to bring in new species of plant and animal. There are new dangers to overcome and new opportunities to be exploited. Eventually, through some tragedies (which are not greatly dwelt on) and through some comic scenes he makes it back to the forest.

Only one thing in the book did not work for me. They find what would not be described as a talking drone. Quite how that is supposed to have survived, power supply in tact, for thousands of millennia is not explained and for me the scene ruined the timeline that had been so carefully constructed and explained. It is only a small criticism of what is rightly a masterpiece.

The plot is a simple adventure story but the world it is set in is amazing.

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