This is my beloved son…

A few posts came to me over the vacation period, but none have made it here yet!

I often wonder if being a parent makes you only truly realise the sacrifice that the Lord made sending Jesus to earth to die on the cross?

Imagine it from His perspective – you’ve created the universe, and created life on a planet and a species in particular in your own image. Through sheer and utter disobedience they then screw things up…

Instead of sending some form of Death Star to blow us all up (excuse the Star Wars reference), He chooses instead to send his only Son to die (horribly) as a means of enabling humanity to be forgiven.

How many parents would even put their children into danger, let alone willingly send them to death out of love for others. No-one would get anywhere near.

Awesome God!

The 500

No – not the title of another bloodthirsty epic film, but the astonishing number of people who saw Jesus alive after He was crucified.

I was reminded of this reading 1 Corinthians 15 – it’s a part of the Easter story I’ve always been familiar with (I recall writing a short play for a Campaigner camp where two old ladies were discussing the evidence for Jesus rising from the dead…long story!), but Paul’s description in this passage really brings things to life:

[Verse 6 NIV] “After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep”

So not only did Paul experience Christ in person at his conversion, He was also clearly able to speak  to the people who had seen Jesus appearing and test their stories!

I always feel this is one of the strongest pieces of evidence for the resurrection (from a purely ‘academic’ perspective) – you might imagine the apostles concocting something between themselves, but for 500+ people who lived to tell the tale to see the same thing at once demonstrates that this really wasn’t an apparition.

Of course this is then supported by the Holy Spirit living in us today!

A new version

You know when you hear a different version of a song you love? Just had that with ‘Redeemer’ by Cathy Burton. I’ve previously listened to a live recording on one of the ‘Best Worship Songs…’ CDs and have now bought the album it first appeared on – ‘Source of every hour’, which came out earlier this year.

I love this sort of experience – hearing each nuance, different musical arrangements – always brings a new sense of worship. It gave me a sense of being awake and with it for the first time in weeks! Wonderful!

Btw the rest of the album isn’t bad either – will have to listen a couple more times all the way through (without just hitting repeat on ‘Redeemer’) to find songs that particularly inspire me.

Also bought the latest Matt Redman album so will have to see what that’s like also.

Walking with you

I walk alongside you

If you need my help, just look at me

I’ll know what you need

And the help that fits you most closely

After all, I made you, didn’t I?

And if you run from me

I can still see you

Like the boy in the jungle

Your Daddy’s there

Even when you think

You’ve run so far away that He’s forgotten You

You just need to look up

And I’ll be there

Immediately by your side

Forgiving you for running

And ready to give the help you need

After all, I made you, didn’t I?

Blessed…

At the moment, the following bits of ‘Blessed Be Your Name’ seem to be most appropriate

“…on the road marked with suffering

Though there’s pain in the offering”

“…when I’m found in the desert place

Though I walk through the wilderness”

“…when the darkness closes in, Lord

Still I will say Blessed be the Name of the Lord”

Of course, the last bit’s more difficult, but definitely true!

Darkening the door…

I was in a church worshipping the Lord on Saturday! The first time for much too long…

My wife’s cousin got married. Their family is Christian, and it was a really great service. Traditional CofE service, but well explained to non-believers by the vicar, and the singing was lead by three women from a church in Wembley, who made songs such as ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness’, and ‘Amazing Grace’ really come alive. The Spirit clearly moved (even though it was probably me, Helen and the bride’s family only who were singing!)

I just hope that the groom’s family (Sikh) and other friends were able to get over the jargon of a traditional CofE service (see previous posts on words such as grace, etc) to be touched by the Lord. One can only pray.

It just felt so awesome to be singing hymns of praise, in fellowship again! How I’ve missed it!

More on ‘redemption’

After my recent, crazy attempt at trying to understand what I regularly sing about (at least to myself), I heard some more words relating to ‘redemption’ in another song. This one’s from an old New Wine live CD my Mum gave me a few years back. The words are (the song is attributed to Kathryn Scott):

At the foot of the cross

Where I am made complete

You have given me life

Through the death You bore for me

And You’ve won my heart

The penultimate line also sounds like ‘through the debt You bought for me’, which is also reasonably realistic!

So I guess where all this is coming to: Jesus bore death in our place, and the cost to Him was something we should have borne instead. So by redeeming us He’s given us not only hope for the future, but also a ‘get out of hell free’ card, that we can redeem at the gates of Heaven.

Now, I just need to move beyond having a theoretical approach to the scriptures, and back into the emotional world of the Spirit…

Jargon

Jesus my Redeemer

Ransomed, Lord I stand

Jesus my Redeemer

You have won me back

My Redeemer, my Saviour

My Comfort and my Rescuer

You are my Redeemer

You are my God

Sadly not a burst of inspiration but words from my favourite bit of my favourite worship song (Redeemer by Cathy Burton). Very easy to sing along without really thinking what a redeemer and a ransom are (and very easy for Christians – like any body of like-minded people – to drop into conversation to the confusion of others not versed in the jargon).

You used to be able to redeem bottles for money back at the off licence (an early recycling scheme) – so when I sing the song I’m referring to being given something for free (the death of Jesus), and using it to pay instead of having to find payment myself. And ransomed is more everyday – being rescued from being held prisoner by the offer of (in this case) the life of Jesus.

Neither of which are obvious to the naked eye (not a criticism of the song), but can do with a thorough retelling. Might I suggest that those talking to non-Christians find words other than ‘sin’, ‘grace’ and ’redemption’? While they’re clearly in the Bible, if I were a non-Christian I’d find them somewhat off-putting.

I my job I have to sell a particular type of expertise to solve people’s problems – that’s not always obvious to those who need it that it will perform this function. Reducing the jargon of my profession to something much clearer is the way I have to go as well (although it’s easy to forget!)

More on Vicky

Have just realised first post for over a month. Shows how mad life has been!

As with any album, now I’ve had it for a couple of months, the new Vicky B album is bedding down nicely, and I have somewhat different views from previously (see below post!)

I still like ‘Inhabit the praise’ but it’s risking becoming a bit anthemic (ie, I bounce along to the song but forget to listen to the words!)

What grabs me almost every time, though, is ‘Break our hearts’. The music is beautiful, and just makes me want to worship the Lord every time I hear it. It’s pretty challenging as well – as someone with what’s euphemistically described by our leadership trainers at work as having a ‘low conformity index’ I sometimes struggle to engage emotionally with things. So praying ‘Break our hearts with the things that break Yours’ really challenges my character, and asks the Lord to come in somewhere I find it difficult to let Him.

Leave those bags at the door

Our worship to You, Lord

Comes to You with

The baggage of our lives

Weighed down by imperfection

We meekly sing our

Songs of adoration

Afraid to show

What’s bottled up inside

But I see a day when

We look to the heavens

Dressed in white

Our arms held high

On that day we’ll bow down and worship

On that day we’ll never be reserved

Our love for You will flow like a river

From our hearts and to the feet of You

Lord we want to come now

With that sense of freedom

We place our cares

Unto the feet of You

So today

We look to the heavens

Dressed in white

Our arms held high

On that day we’ll bow down and worship

On that day we’ll never be reserved

Our love for You will flow like a river

From our hearts and to the feet of You