Devil May Care, Sebastian Faulks

Devil May Care by Sebastian Faulks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

It is a long, long time since I read the original series of Ian Flemming books, but much less time since I have seen some of the films. The first thing to point out is that Bond in the films is a different character than in the books, so it is important that the character comes across correctly. I think Sebastian got this just about right. The plot of the book is good too, before writing this I had a look at a couple of other reviews, and I have to say I didn't pick up on the similarities that were mentioned to the previous stories while I was reading the book. It starts with a woman, which is always a good start for Bond. The plot has a nice twist at the end which is well hidden and well explained. After that intrigue the plot slows for a while. The violence and fight scenes are much more realistic than in the films, as they are in Ian Flemming's books, but here the physical limitations of the human being are not respected as much as they should be. A dislocated shoulder does not heal in a couple of days!

Overall this is an enjoyable book and well worth a read, but is not up there with the classics.

View all my reviews

Spotlight Introductory Article - being a Reader

Spotlight, the once monthly magazine of Christ Church, has recently been resurrected, although it is only published 3 times a year.  I was asked to write about being a Reader as the introductory article.

I’m so pleased to be writing for Spotlight once again. I have been asked to do a piece on ‘being a Reader’, of course the brief was a lot more detailed than that, so I’ll start with the calling. Many of you will have heard some or all of this story before.

It starts way back in ’92 in earnest, although it goes back further than that really. That was the year I started the Reader training course, after having finished the Course in Christian Studies (CCS). I had attended a vocation day, seen the vocations advisor and even had a talk with the Bishop, who rather reluctantly agreed that I could go forward for training. The following year, my Dad died, and I withdrew from training. There followed a few years, not really knowing what to do. Then I was asked to run help in Explorers. Well, teaching had always been my aim, but not children that young.

It turned out to be great, and I also enjoyed leading Pathfinders for a few years, until Paul Hinckley suggested I got on with Reader training. I took a while to decide that it was still the right thing to do. Then I started training – through CCS once again, through vocations and selection interviews again, and finally starting, and this time completing two tears training.

I was licensed in October 2007. Then the real work began. Reader ministry is a preaching and teaching ministry. I had been preaching occasionally for a long while under Paul’s leadership, but now I had been trained, and in training a full text is required, so I had become used to having the full text in front of me, I still do, although I don’t always follow it and occasionally get lost! Now it is quite formal, I am on the rota and have a working agreement which indicates how much I should do.

Being a Reader is not about being on the rota, though. It means that I have the privilege and responsibility of sharing God’s word with all the congregation. It means I have to have a sense of what God is saying to the church, sometimes that is obvious through the reading, more rarely it is part of a planned series, almost always it is a combination of prayer and study.

It’s a privilege because you sit patiently and listen to me. There are not many, if any, other places where a person can speak, and not be subject to questions, either immediately, or later. When I listen to a sermon I am trying hard to pay attention, and sometimes making notes, but generally I take very little of it away with me. Occasionally something important is said, as sticks with me while I work it through with God. I know from conversations that I’ve had that this is also true for my hearers. That’s OK, I understand that a sermon is not primarily about teaching the facts and beliefs that are in the Bible, but helping people to live them. That is a kind of teaching too.

It’s a responsibility for two reasons. Most importantly because it’s God’s word, and James warns us that teachers will be judged more strictly (James 3:1). God doesn’t want his word corrupted, so we who present it have the responsibility to present it as accurately and as truthfully as we can.

It’s a responsibility also because it is my calling, so I want to be as true to it as I can be. That means not just presenting accurately and truthfully, but in a way that communicates what is being said and engages the listeners. I’m still learning, and occasionally experimenting!

Jesus said “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19), he didn’t say “make converts” – which is great for me, because I’m not good at making converts. I can help those converts to grow, and as I learnt leading the young people, watching people grow into true disciples is a marvellous thing.

I seem to say quite a lot “There’s always more with God”, so when I asked Him during New Wine a couple of years ago, “What now?” I should not have been expecting the answer “just get on with being a Reader”. Instead, I thought he said “Something big is coming”. I didn’t understand, perhaps it related to retirement – I’m almost old enough. Earlier this year, there was a general request for Readers to help with CCS. When I saw that, I was pretty sure that I now knew what God was meaning. It’s big (for me) – a lot of work, but so far I’m enjoying it. If you don’t see me on Wednesday evenings – that’s where I am.

That’s a part of me trying to be true to following Jesus wherever he takes me. A question I got asked a lot was about ordination, but that’s not something that I have been called to. At least not yet.

Peace be with you

15 April 2012 at Christ Church Billericay

John 20:19-22

Introduction

The theme this morning is “Peace be with you”. I suppose you can see that the disciples needed God's peace, they had locked themselves away because they were frightened that the Jewish authorities were coming to get them.

Lets remind ourselves of how they got here.

They were all young men. They'd given up their careers to follow a man called Jesus. He was a charismatic leader and had a view of the world that was new and different. While they had been with him they had seen and done some extraordinary things – healings, even bring people back from the dead. They had become convinced that Jesus was the Messiah – the person God had promised who would make the Jews right with their God. Some of the teaching they had received had been difficult for them to understand – so they hadn't really taken it in. Then just a couple of weeks ago they had been preparing to go into Jerusalem for the Passover festival. There were always huge crowds at the festival. Jesus had chosen to ride into the city on a Donkey. The crowd realised that He was fulfilling a prophecy. Here comes the Messiah! They all knew it – every one of them! There was cheering and praising God, the crowd were in great spirits. The next day Jesus had gone into the temple and thrown out all the traders who were ripping off the people. It was the first time the disciples had seen him really angry.

They shared a Passover meal together, and what Jesus had done there had seemed very odd. After the meal Jesus was in a strange mood, and kept insisting they stayed awake. Then soldiers had arrived with the chief priests and Judas. Jesus was arrested.

The disciples had followed him at a distance, but kept quiet about who they were because they thought they would be next.

Then Jesus had been crucified like some common thief and the disciples had fled.

But Jesus never was predictable and after the Sabbath – the day of rest when no work is permitted – they had reports that He was alive. His body was certainly missing from the tomb.

They had quickly got together all those they could find. They carefully locked the door. No doubt they were already under suspicion of stealing His body. They were expecting to be arrested and face the same fate as their former leader.

“What are we going to do now?”

[How would you answer that question?]

Then a voice said “Peace be with you”. Not just and voice – Jesus' voice.

Peace was the one thing they most certainly didn't have. You can't have peace when you think that someone is about to arrest you and crucify you!

[Pause]

Or could you?

What does peace look like?

[Candle demo]

Candle is you – lit is being alive.

Fan outside events that you have no control over) puts you out (kills you inside)

shield is like peace of God and protects you from the effects – not the events themselves]

What does peace look like?

[Peace picture sequence]

Well they are certainly peaceful, but do they really represent God's peace?

Philippians 4:4 – 4:9

^{Phil 4:4} Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!

^{Phil 4:5} Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near.

^{Phil 4:6} Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

^{Phil 4:7} And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

^{Phil 4:8} Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

^{Phil 4:9} Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

What peace is not?

According to Paul the peace of God is deeper than we are capable of understanding, but that does not mean we cannot get closer to understanding it.

Sometimes it is easier for us to understand what something is by looking at the opposites.

Here are some things that the peace of God is not:

Fear

Anxiety

Worry

In-action

Resting

Sleeping

Why did the disciples need peace (2)?

Let's have another look at why the disciples need God's peace.

What can't you do?

A man attended an interview for the job of Financial Director. It was a long and difficult interview, the panel asked some difficult questions. At the end of the interview the main interviewer said “I'm sorry, we are not going to offer you the job, but we would like to offer you the Managing Directors job, which is also vacant”. The man considered for a minute or two and replied. “It's very kind of you, but I really don't have the right skills and experience for that job”. The chairman replied “we think you have the right attitude and approach, and will provide you with the expert support you need”.

[Is there something you have been asked to do that you thought you could not do?]

Lets go back to the passage and look to see if there are other reasons that the disciples needed God's peace.

In verse 21 Jesus said “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

So their immediate problems of being caught by the Jews are not so important. They are to take over Jesus' job. Then he breathed on them and said “Receive the Holy Spirit”. Now lets read verse 23, because Jesus has not finished what He is saying. “If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

That's the job Jesus expects his disciples to do – they are to pronounce the forgiveness of sins. They are to decide who to forgive and who not to forgive. It is about the hardest thing that you could possible be asked to do.

If you forgive them, they too can have eternal life. If you don't forgive them they are condemned.

Jesus said on the Cross “Father forgive them they don't know what they're doing”. It is no easy thing to forgive when you have been wronged.

That's the reason we have the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives us the powers of discernment so that we can see things from God's point of view, and have the power to forgive.

These are excerpt from a report on Forgiveness in the Independent:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/this-britain/vicar-struggles-to-forgive-the-terrorists-who-killed-her-daughter-468960.html

Acts of forgiveness are tremendously costly. One of the most celebrated of the last century was that of Gordon Wilson, who was standing at the war memorial in Enniskillen for the annual Remembrance Day service in 1987 when an IRA bomb exploded. Eleven people were killed, including Mr Wilson's daughter, Marie. The world was touched when, in a voice cracking with grief, he told of how he clutched her hand as they lay beneath the rubble and then said: "I have lost my daughter and we shall miss her, but I bear no ill will. I bear no grudge. Dirty sort of talk is not going to bring her back to life. She was a great wee lassie. She loved her profession. She was a pet. She's dead."

Rev Julie Nicholson said

"It's very difficult to stand behind an altar and lead people in words of peace, reconciliation and forgiveness when I feel very far from that myself.". She was announcing her intention to resign as vicar of St Aidan's church in Bristol. What has estranged her from one of the most fundamental tenets of her Christian faith is the killing of her daughter, Jenny. The 24-year-old, a gifted musician, died in one of the four terrorist bomb explosions in London on 7 July 2005.

Poor Julie clearly did not have any peace. To have and to hold on to the peace of God there can be nothing causing anger and resentment. Anything that gets through the protection that God's peace provides and blows out the flame must be immediately forgiven for God's peace and active life to return.

Let's share a sign of peace together.

Are we more concerned about living LIKE a king, or living FOR a king?

Palm Sunday 1 Apr 2012 at Christ church, Billericay

Zechariah 9:9-13 & Mark 11:1-11

Introduction

What do you think of Elizabeth?

What do you think of Elizabeth? Not, our youth worker – whose away at her friends wedding, nor our band leader, but Elizabeth II, our queen. It's her diamond jubilee year. Very few kings or queens make it this far – that's one of the advantages of living in a constitutional monarchy, the king does not have to lead the troops from the front.

Most people have only known the one monarch so it may be a little difficult to make an evaluation, but anyway do you think she is a good queen? What could she have done better?

Make Jesus King

In the passage for today we see the crowds have another attempt to install Jesus as their King. So I thought it would be a good idea to look at some kings and queens to see what they were like and whether we think they would make an ideal monarch.

Good king / bad king.

I'll start with a list of 4 monarchs that I think are good and then look at four who are not so good.

Edward I – his reforms of criminal law are still (just) the basis for most of our criminal law today.

Elizabeth I – had a conciliatory approach to the feuding Catholics and Protestants in the land, and established the Church of England. Her reign is still seen as something of a golden age.

Henry VIII – Henry's energy in the early part of his reign was responsible for setting the framework for Elizabeth's golden age.

Richard I – The lion heart. He was a brilliant military leader, commanding his own force at the age of 16.

Now for some bad kings:

John – probably tops everyone's list of bad kings, having tried to usurp his brother. He was also known to be petty and spiteful.

Charles I – had a very strong belief in the divine right of Kings lead to a fatal split with parliament and resulted in the English civil war, which he then lost!

George III - his focus on war with France and his attempt to raise taxes from colonists lead to the loss of the American colonies.

Henry VIII - had a flagrant disregard for the law which led him to behead his wives. His concern was to produce a male heir, at the expense of everything else.

Ideal King

So there we have seven monarchs from our history. All of them had some good qualities, but what would an ideal King be like?

Here are a few Ideas:

Wise, like Solomon

Strong, like Richard I, or Churchill

Decisive

Fair, like Eadwig (955 - 959)

Proactive, like Henry VIII

Dutiful, like Elizabeth II

Charismatic, like Edward I

Natural Leader

Merciful, like Richard I

Subject to his own Laws

Living Under a King

For us, of course, it doesn't matter very much. How will England change when Charles III takes the throne? It probably won't affect your daily life.

In Jesus time the ruler had a significant influence on daily life. They decided if there would be war or peace. Many wars have been fought solely to satisfy a kings pride, which were nothing to do with the security of the nation. If there was to be war, there would have to be money raised, so new taxes would be imposed. If the King came to visit, he would have to be given the best room in town. (Yes! Given! Even Elizabeth II does not carry money!). If the King asked for anything, however bizarre it would be done for him.

Jews wish for a king

The Jewish nation wanted their own king, they had been conquered many times – that is not an experience that we can easily understand. They were currently part of the Roman Empire. The taxes that were raised were used to support Roman military efforts, and even worse than that the customs and practices of their religion were restricted. The people were looking for someone who could lead them to freedom, to self determination.

They looked back to the reign of king David, when they had defeated their enemies and all was well with the Kingdom (hindsight is a wonderful thing).

Jesus for King – the crowd

There were huge crowds in and around Jerusalem, they have come for the passover festival – perhaps the biggest festival of the year. When the Olympics start later this year we will get a sense of the impact that a huge number of visitors can make on an area. There are people everywhere. They have come to remember the time that Moses led the people out of slavery and into the promised land. They are looking for a repeat performance from someone – from anyone. They are hoping for a miracle cure, a cure that would see the nation restored to its former glory – to independence and self determination. This time they are not going to run away, they want the Romans kicked out.

Jesus for King – the donkey

It's at this point that Jesus decides to demonstrate who he is. He clearly signals to them that He is their king. Remember the reading from Zechariah:

^{Zec 9:9} Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion!  Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king ¹⁷ comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey. 

The crowd could not miss the sign. They recognised their new king immediately and began praising him. They grab anything they can and use their coats as a 'red carpet' to welcome their honoured guest. For someone this important, even the donkey must not walk on the dusty, dirty earth.

A donkey is a symbol of peace and humility.

Hosanna means 'save' and it had become an expression of praise. A recognition of the fact that God had saved His people many times in their history.

Praise and expectation

The praise and the expectation are high. John's account tells us that the crowd who had seen him raise Lazarus from the tomb were there shouting their praises, and that the story of Lazarus spread through out the crowd. A prophet who can raise the dead was something that Israel had not seen since Elijah.

Jesus enters the city and then moves on to the temple. He enters the temple and takes a look around at everything. That's odd, because He had been there lots of times before. Jesus is planning what he will do next – tomorrow he will purify the temple.

Living Under the King

For whatever reason, and there are many theories, the crowd will turn on Jesus and reject him as their king or as their messiah (saviour). After his death and resurrection his disciples would see that He is in reality King of the world, not just King of the Jews (even if that title was finally given to Him by Pilot).

His followers would recognise that as King and Saviour Jesus has a special call on their lives. We as his followers should also recognise this.

Christians live under an absent King. Jesus is in charge, but not completely in this world, in this time.

How do we respond to living under a king?

It's something that we are not used to, and no longer has any meaning in our culture. Here are some questions – see how you respond to them.

Are we willing to follow the king's orders even when they puzzle us?

Is 55:8 “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”
            declares the LORD.
9 “As the heavens are higher than the earth,
   so are my ways higher than your ways
   and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Try to interpret what God is saying, if it is not un-biblical, then obey. This can be difficult, how are you going to answer the question “Why did you do that?”

Are we ready to go out of our way to follow him?

In today's world a commitment to attend worship every Sunday can seem peculiar and fanatical. Worship is reserved for celebrities and sports stars, and some of them – the real fans – the fanatical ones will follow their heroes every week. Most don't. Jesus was a celebrity in his procession to the temple, but the crowd soon turned on him. Celebrity can be fickle. As a king he asks that we put one day aside each and every week, and stop our regular work. That day should be dedicated to Him, and used to prepare our selves for the week ahead. That's the day when we get together to worship Him.

If that's hard, supposing the king were to ask you to travel to a foreign land and live there among the people, so that you could tell them about him?

Here are a few quotes from Eric Liddel, the runner at the 1924 Olympics who refused to run on Sunday and afterwards became a missionary in China.

“One word stands out from all others as the key to knowing God, to having his peace and assurance in your heart; it is OBEDIENCE.”

“HAPPINESS is to have enough for the day's needs with always some to spare for those who have not.“

"The kingdom is where the King reigns. If He is reigning in my heart, then the Kingdom of Heaven has come to me."

What are our equivalent of cloaks?

In Jesus time most people would have owned only one cloak. It was the only outer garment for protection against the cold. Here they lay their cloaks on the ground in honour of their king, not considering the cost. Perhaps the nearest equivalent today would be your car. This question is really asking what of value we are prepared to put at risk in honour of our king? How many of those folks got their cloak back? How many got them back without any damage?

Has our God become domesticated and trivialised, a mere helping hand through the tough times of life?

Or is He really a King to us?

Are we more concerned about living LIKE a king, or living FOR a king?

The Transfiguration - Mark 9:2-9 @ Christ Church 19 February 2012

Reading – Mark 9:2-9

The Transfiguration

Introduction

This talk will be in the form of a quiz, loosely based on Who wants to be a millionaire. The main difference being there is no million pound prize. Indeed no prize of any sort. Also the only qualification for taking part is volunteering. So I'd like four volunteers first please.

…

The rules are quite simple. I'll give you a minute to think and then ask you to show the letter in response to the question.

If you're not sure there's phone a friend and ask the audience, but no 50-50.

I'll explain those if we get to them.

After each answer I'll say a few words about what we have read.

[organise volunteers]

1. Complete the sentence “Jesus went up the mountain …”
   A) to find the lost sheep
   B) with his best friendsC) to be alone with God
   D) to build a shelter
   Jesus was with Peter James and John. They were the three men who were closest to him – his best friends. They would all play important roles in the development of the Christian faith, but for now Jesus was teaching them about God and helping them get to know Him better.
   It's important to remember that Jesus, Peter, James and John are all Jews. They have all grown up with the books of our Old Testament being read to them, probably every day.
2. What happened to Jesus on the mountain?
   A) metamorphosis
   B) transmutation
   C) transmogrification
   D) conversion
   The word in the reading is not in the list of choices. So what does transfiguration really mean.
   [Harry Potter Slide]
   Well J K Rowling got it wrong in Harry Potter.
   Lets look at the other words and see the real meanings of each.
   Transmutation is a description of the work of the alchemists – those ancient scientists trying to turn lead into gold. They were trying to alter the essential substance of a material from one type to another. That is not what happened to Jesus.
   [Cat Slide]
   Transmogrification is closer. It means to change into a different shape or form, one that is bizarre or fantastical. It doesn't have to be a cat!
   Conversion also means changing one thing to another, but is a general term and is not specific enough to describe the events in today's reading.
   Metamorphosis is the biological process by which caterpillars turn into butterflies. It means that the form of the creature changes, but the substance (the 'stuff' that it's made of) stays the same.
   That's what happened to Jesus. His appearance changed. You could say that God began to show through.
3. Who joined them on the Mountain?
   A) the other disciples
   B) Paul & Timothy
   C) Moses and Elijah
   D) The centurion
   Moses and Elijah.
   [Who were Moses and Elijah?]
   Moses and Elijah represent the Law and the Prophets. Do you remember that I said Jesus, Peter, James and John would have known the old testament well. Two important parts of the old testament are the Law and the prophets.
   The Law, mostly in the first five books was given to Moses by God, - do you remember the story of the 10 commandments?
   The prophets were men and women who spoke God's words to the people of Israel. They were often murdered for telling unpopular truths.
   Jesus said in Matthew 5v17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
   And in Luke 24:44 after His resurrection “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
   These things would help the Leaders of the Church understand how to develop their beliefs within the Jewish faith.
4. While Jesus was shining the disciples were
   A) preparing to leave
   B) arguing
   C) building a house
   D) very frightened
   Imagine it! - well try to imagine it. It's almost impossible.
   [Transfiguration picture]
   

   The picture is an inadequate representation of the event. Matthew 17:2 says “His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light.” So it would have been impossible to look at him.
   The person you have been with for three years suddenly starts to emit light. A light so white and so bright that it almost blinds you. You cannot look directly at him any more – he is just too bright.
   I'd be frightened, so I'm not surprised that the disciples were.
5. What happened while Jesus was shining?
   A) the weather turned
   B) a cloud covered them
   C) it began to get dark
   D) the sun came out
   Exodus 19:9:
   The LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.”
   In Exodus 33:20 God says “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.”
   [Cloud cover slide]
   Since Moses' encounter with God, a cloud has always signified the presence of God. Here it is no different. The cloud hides God's face, but not his voice.
6. What did the voice say?
   A) This is my son
   B) I love my son
   C) Follow Him
   D) Listen to Him
   This is one of those questions where the Christ church rules are different from the real rules. God's voice from the cloud said “this is my son”, “whom I love” and “Listen to Him”. The voice is confirming what the rest of the vision had suggested – that Jesus is God's son.
   Unlike at his baptism this message was entirely for the disciples. They must have already known that Jesus was special. Now they knew just how special.
7. As they came down the mountain Jesus told the disciples
   A) Keep it secret for nowB) The plan to visit Jerusalem
   C) That he was going to be killed
   D) Meet back here next week

[Complete the competition]

“Don't tell anyone about this until ….” Can you keep a secret? Sometimes keeping a secret can be very difficult. I can remember times when I've almost let slip and ruined the surprise for someone. In this case though I doubt the disciples had too much trouble. What they had seen was pretty fantastic, and now they were being asked to keep it secret until after the 'son of man' had risen from the dead.

“Son of Man” is a title that Jesus used of himself, so the disciples would have understood what he was talking about.

What does it all mean for us?

What can a vision given to three men over two thousand years ago mean to us today?

We've seen how the vision confirmed that Jesus was the son of God. The glory of God shone through him and out to the watchers, the whiteness symbolizing holiness and purity. Moses the giver of the Law and the rescuer of Israel appears, linking Jesus with the very origins of the Jewish faith.

Malachi 4:5 “See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the LORD comes.”

Elijah, the greatest prophet, a man everyone expected to return and announce the coming Messiah appears, and both talk with Jesus.

Then there is the voice from the cloud. God says: “This is my son, whom I love, Listen to Him.”.

Prior to this vision Jesus had been teaching his disciples about his forthcoming death and Peter had recognised Him as the Messiah.

The vision served to help solidify those realisations. It can do the same for us. It helps us to see where Jesus fits into the history of God's redemption of the World.

Jesus knew that he was soon to die at the hands of the Romans and that His voluntary death would give people a way back to the relationship with God they were intended to have.

After his resurrection the disciples would have remembered the vision – even assuming that they'd somehow forgotten it – and that, along with everything else they had seen would have helped them understand that their rescue from death was possible.

If you can't take any of that there is at least God's command to listen to Jesus.

The Million Dollar Question really understates what is at stake here.

It's a life and death question we're finding answers for.

Final Answer Slide - 21

Final Answer?

America & Guns (The NRA)

An English visitor's point of view, as he attempts to understand why many Americans must have a gun.  This discussion was created during and after my visit.  Helpful comments are encouraged.

Clearly I cannot hope to properly understand “The Gun Debate” even if there is such a thing.  The shootings in Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Connecticut made the international news and we caught some of the debate on the radio (BBC world service), and on TV (I have no idea which channel) I thought I should note down my thoughts, and my puzzlement.

I understand that the Second Amendment allows for the possession and use or fire arms for legal purposes, such as self defence.  This right was refined in 2008 and 2010, even strengthened.  I have since read one article that says the 2nd amendment allows for militia, and is not aimed at private ownership.

I heard part of the NRA statement on the radio.  The line seems to be “To stop a bad guy with a gun you need a good guy with a gun.”

In August 2012 a disgruntled employee went and shot a former colleague in New York.  Without the response that followed it would be a simple murder.  However, the police response resulted in the offender being shot and 9 people being wounded. http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/24/justice/new-york-empire-state/index.html The wounded were all caught in the cross-fire, hit by police, in the early reports. An investigation is under-way – not surprising.  We are very lucky that no innocent passers-by were actually killed, good guys with guns do not always behave appropriately.

On the TV there were loads of statistics on gun deaths; Japan was used as an example, as the number there is effectively zero.  The culture is very different, perhaps too different.  European comparisons may be more valid.  Here the numbers are very low. 

One of the problems is quantity.  Sure ‘bad guys’ kill people, not good guys, if the ‘bad guys’ have a low powered single shot weapon, with few bullets stored in it, they will kill fewer people.  When a man with a knife went berserk in a hospital in China, lots of children were injured, but none were killed, had he had a semi-automatic rifle things would have been different.

Why is it that most industrialised (first world) countries do not permit their citizen to own guns freely and why do those citizens generally accept the restriction?

For me it is about security.  There is a problem with knife crime in a few areas in the UK.  The message to the young men concerned is ‘don’t take a knife, or you will get hurt’.  Those that are hurt usually claim that they had the knife for self defence.  The problem is that they don’t really know how to use it, so with a weapon they are at a bigger disadvantage than if they were unarmed.  But they are frightened, so feel they need protection. From the responses I have heard to the question "Why would/do you own a gun?" the situation is the same - it is for defence.  Defence from others who may be using their gun in a less than legal way.

This short video clip also helps us to understand that their history links gun ownership to freedom, and exposes their fear of their own government.: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-21126850#TWEET543020.

It seems then, that Americans live in fear.  What will it take for them to experience truer freedom?  Can the descendants of the pioneers be brave enough to change their culture?

John 1:43-51 @ Christ Church on 15 Jan 2012

Who were Philip and Nathanael ?

Although Philip is from Bathsaida his name is greek – it means Horse Lover. He was probably a fisherman. Little is known of what happened to him after the resurrection. Some say he travelled in Asia Minor with his sister Marianne and Nathanael. Clement says that he lived into old age (so was not martyred), but all we know is that he is called Philip and is from Bethsaida. He is not the same Philip that is found in Acts speaking to the Ethiopean.

Nathanael is equally mysterious. He is almost certainly known as Bartholomew in the other Gospels. Bartholomew means son of the furrows, perhaps indicating that he was a ploughman. In each gospel he is mentioned with Philip.

Philip

We have no information about why Philip responded to Jesus. After getting his first two disciples from John (Andrew and Peter), Jesus decides to go to Galilee. On the way he finds Philip, says “Follow me” and its done. I can't believe that it was really that straight forward, its simply that the full story is lost to us.

Nathanael

Nathanael, on the other hand, is much more interesting. He was obviously already good friends with Philip. After his calling by Jesus Nathanael is the first one to be told. Philip has obviously had some significant conversations with Jesus already. – even before the first miracle that is recorded. Turning water into wine occurs in the next chapter. Philip has already recognised who Jesus is. We can tell this by the way he passes the news on to Nathanael: “We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote”. Philip means the Messiah.

Messiah expected soon

There was a high level of expectation in Israel in the 1^st Century that the Messiah would be sent by God to free the Israelites from Roman rule. Just as He had sent Moses to free the Israelites from Egyptian rule hundreds of years before. The Jewish people were looking out for someone who would fit the bill, and there were many who appeared to and then failed. Philip had identified his candidate and went to tell his friend.

Nazareth

His last seven words though ruined it for Nathanael. “Jesus of Nazareth – the son of Joseph”. Nazareth clearly did not have a good reputation amongst Galileans, perhaps that explains why Joseph and Mary were able to settle there. “Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Philip is still full of enthusiasm “Come and See.”

Nathanael

As Jesus sees Nathanael approaching he says “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.” If I was greeted like that, I would be taken aback. That appears to have been Nathanael's reaction.

“How do you know me?”. Does his response suggest to you that he may have thought he was being stalked? He certainly sounds defensive and uncomfortable – but then who wouldn't be if their character was summed up by a complete stranger.

Jesus' answer “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” may sound simple to us. So Nathaniel was sitting (presumably) under a fig tree and Jesus passed by. How would Jesus draw the conclusion that there was “nothing false” in Nathanael from that? And how would that explain any of the conversation that follows?

Under a fig tree

Well the phrase 'under a fig tree' was used in the 1^st Century to describe someone studying or meditating on scripture. That helps explain it. Jesus had seen Nathanael studying and had even seen what he was reading. Jesus may have meant it quite literally, or He may have been given a word of knowledge. Either way it impressed Nathanael.

Titles for Jesus

It impressed him enough for him to respond “Rabbi, you are the Son of God; you are the King of Israel.” “Son of God” is the description that John the Baptist give of Jesus when he is describing him to his own disciples. For John it was a revelation that God had given him. “King of Israel” is a title that Jesus would be given from time to time and which He seemed less pleased to accept.

Nathanaels response is quite a turn around from his derogatory remarks about Nazareth. I struggle to shake off the impression that Jesus is laughing at him slightly in the next response.

Read Genesis 28:10-17

Before we look at that it will be helpful if we too spend a minute under the fig tree.

Please turn to Genesis 28 verse 10.

I'm going to read verses 10-17

Remember that Jacob had lied and schemed and cheated his brother Easu out of his inheritance. Here God speaks to him in a dream.

Ge 28:10 Jacob left Beersheba and set out for Haran. When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep. He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. There above it stood the LORD, and he said: “I am the LORD, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac. I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. Your descendants will be like the dust of the earth, and you will spread out to the west and to the east, to the north and to the south. All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring. I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go, and I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, “Surely the LORD is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” He was afraid and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.”

Let's assume that the passage I have just read is the one, or at least part of the one that Nathanael was reading.

Nathanael recognied Jesus

Remember, Nathanael has recognised Jesus for who he is on the strength of either a careful piece of observation of a simple word of knowledge. Jesus replies “You believe because I told you I saw you under the fig tree. You shall see greater things than that.” Then goes on to add “I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”

I'd just love to hear the rest of the conversation. Where did it go from there? What did Nathanael say next? The narrative moves on, so we can never know, but we can get a better understanding of Jesus' last statement.

Jesus' promise

Jesus picks up on the scripture that Nathanael was reading and promises that he will see greater things. Why shouldn't he – he has already been identified as a true Israelite, a truthful Israelite. By comparison Jacob was anything but truthful, yet God spoke to Jacob, and made a promise to be with him.

Son of man

Jesus ends with the title 'Son of Man' – a favourite title that Jesus gave himself, but how would Nathanael have understood it.

The phrase 'son of man' in the Old Testament (in our translation) appears in Psalms, Ezekiel, and Daniel. Mostly it simply means human being. In Daniel 7:13 in the dream of the four beasts, it clearly refers to the messiah, so it is quite possible that Nathanael would have understood it as confirmation of Philips statement 'We have found the one Moses wrote about in the Law, and about whom the prophets also wrote” - The Messiah. If he did he may also have realised that Jesus is saying that he is the way to heaven. An oblique reference perhaps to the fact that he would die for our sins and therefore make it possible to be once again connected to heaven.

Recognising Jesus

We don't have the luxury of a face-to-face meeting with Jesus, so I wondered what it was that triggered my belief. It certainly wasn't a simple word of knowledge, for me it was a much longer process. I had been attending church for a while and had been working through a number of things that might prevent me from believing. Was the Christian faith rational – the world I lived in was ordered and could be made sense of (at some level) – if Christianity denied that, I was never going to join. Those things over it was Jesus in the people I was friends with that finally made the difference.

Think back – what were the influences on your life that made you recognise that Jesus was the son of God? What was the one thing – if there was just one thing that first made you believe?

For Philip it may have been a command.

For Nathaniel it was Jesus' words: “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false.”

For Jacob it was a dream.

Everyone has something that triggered their belief, or will trigger their belief.

All we can do is introduce them to Jesus and let Him do the rest.