Just Looking

I don't blame Peter and John for running straight to the garden tomb where Jesus had been laid just three days before. Some women had reported to them that the body was no longer there! They even claimed that he had risen from the dead! If that were true, then everything in their lives - and in ours - must change. They had to find out more.

I read the account by John in his gospel of his race to the tomb of Jesus that first Sunday morning.  He says that he outran Peter, arrived at the tomb first.  But he didn't go in, instead he lingered at the door, peeping in while impetuous Peter rushed past him.  For reasons of his own John called himself 'the other disciple' and I began to wonder why, and why he held back while others were hurtling headlong into this miracle.

John was close to Jesus, one of the inner gang of three, Peter James and John.  He knew that Jesus loved him. Yet, at that critical moment, he hesitated and held back.  Here's why:

1. He Realised the Implications.  He knew that if what the women had reported was true his life would never be the same again.
2. He Hesitated to Commit.  Don't we all sometimes?  I know I do.  A lot of people today are in relationships where they are afraid to commit.  They fear a solemn covenant like marriage.  Or they can't face the idea of giving up their old way of life.
3. He Understood What the Final Outcome of all this would be.  He knew that if he committed and went in, he faced a life of ridicule by his friends and maybe his family. There would be persecution by those who would say he was mad.  (He did end his life in a hard labour colony).  But above all that, he realised that if Christ was risen, and had overcome death, then he was about to enter the most marvellous, magical and momentous truth - he too, the other disciple - might live for ever! 
   

So, with trembling heart and small steps into the dark, the other disciple went in and became the Apostle John. Much later he wrote the words of Revelation 1:17 & 18.  'When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: "Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last.  I am the Living One; I was dead, and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.'

If you are peeping into the kingdom of God today, perhaps even on your annual visit to church, or watching a service by Livestream, and wondering what you should do, I encourage you to go on in, and become in a very real sense 'an other disciple' today.

Who do you Think you are?

One of the most popular series on BBC television is 'Who do you Think you are?' in which celebrities search for their ancestors. That's one particular cupboard I don't think I should go rummaging about in, not because I think there might be anything to be ashamed of, but just because that does not make me who I am today. I am not just the product of generations of people who 'begat' me. God says that I have been 'fearfully and wonderfully made', (Psalm 139) and that he had a special plan for me when I was conceived. There are no 'accidents' in God's family - each one of us was planned!

The important thing is not so much where we came from - but where we are going. I listened to an amazing edition of Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4 this week with the guest Sabrina Cohen-Hatton who is one of the most senior Chief Fire Officers in England. In her teens she was homeless and begging on the streets. Now she leads thousands of men and women and has a PhD! We should never be bound by the past if we follow the God who says 'I make everything new' (I have no idea of Sabrina's faith stand but her example is inspiring).

This week (Sunday 6th October 2019) we are beginning a new series of talks at Vazon Elim Church on the subject 'The New Me'. At 10.45 I will speak on 'Who am I?' and at 6pm Matt Gregor will preach on Psalm 139. This should be a great series and you would be most welcome to come if you are in Guernsey, or to tune in online. You can watch the 10.45am service at www.vazonelim.org.gg or search YouTube for 'Vazon Church'.

It should be 'cracking good!'

Examine the Evidence

A bunch of guys who sing together and call themselves 'The Evidence' are heading our way this weekend!  Each of them has graduated from the discipleship training programme run by Teen Challenge UK. They have also had their lives dramatically turned around from self-destructive behaviour caused by addictions to drugs and alcohol. Now they are evidence of God's amazing grace and the life-changing power of the gospel - the good news of new life in Christ.

I live in an affluent, well-groomed community where you might imagine that there is hardly anything like drug addiction going on. Yet our island prison population, small as it may be by overseas standards, is mainly made of people serving time for drug related offences. The streets around our church building are known by the authorities to house multiple drug and alcohol related issues. We have been placed at the heart of this community with the community at our heart. Only the life-changing power of God can make the difference.

So we are going to take a look at the evidence and see what we think. They may be visitors to our island but they are not strangers to our problems. Their stories may well turn out to be a message of hope and life-change for many.  At least I hope so.

Makeover Over!

The building in which the St Peter Port Elim Church meets in Guernsey has completed its makeover and the scaffolding has finally disappeared.  So, the place is ready for a new lease of life, and a new influx of people meeting Jesus!
Bring it on, Lord!

Eldad Elim Church

Through the Valley of Death

There is no greater peace than knowing your sins are forgiven and that when you die, the Prince of Life will invite you into His eternal kingdom.  This week three friends of mine have made that transition.  They have come to the end of their earthly journey and have gone right on into their heavenly reward.  And it is so tough to let them go.  There is no pain on earth like the pain of loss and bereavement, but at the same time that is the price of love.  Surely it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all?

It is such an amazing comfort to know that the Jesus we serve is the One who has conquered death and returned to us with the offer of life itself.  Here in Guernsey the hedgerows are bursting with colour.  All around us the daffodils are blooming, the gorse is heavy with yellow flowers and the primroses and violets are splashed like the overflow of a vivid and generous imagination.  What is it all in aid of?  Well, the arrival of Spring, of course, and with it the celebration of Easter's great answer to the dark of the grave.


But let me tell you something wonderful, a mystery I’ll probably never fully understand. We’re not all going to die—but we are all going to be changed. You hear a blast to end all blasts from a trumpet, and in the time that you look up and blink your eyes—it’s over. On signal from that trumpet from heaven, the dead will be up and out of their graves, beyond the reach of death, never to die again. At the same moment and in the same way, we’ll all be changed. (1 Corinthians 15:51-53)

So, don't give up hope, and don't let the icy blast of winter fool you either.  The Spring is coming, and life will overcome death.  And those of us who have trusted Christ and followed Him will dance with Him in the fields of heaven's dawning like lambs enjoying the sheer delight of being alive!  Hallelujah!  He Lives!