Choluteca Bridge Honduras, cross, Day Away, Goats and the monster, Jesus name above all names, Jesus the bridge, Material Betterment, Moral Betterment, new age spirituality, Progress, St Mary's Away Day

The Messiah’s Secret – Jesus the Bridge

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The  Messiah’s Secret – Jesus the Bridge

 Colossians 1: 15-28. Luke 10: 38-42.

Above a children’s story about three goats who wanted to cross over the bridge to go to church on the other side of the river, but the monster on the bridge tried to stop them. The last goat tossed the monster over the bridge ‘splash’ and he was never seen again. 

The pull of the world will stop us from crossing over the bridge that God has provided in Jesus. The Lord Jesus will help us to overcome all the things that would stop us: it might be that we have no one to go with. When we don’t know what to do we say a prayer telling God what our problem might be and so we leave it with Him.
 I know a young lady who as a young child regularly on a Sunday morning would go and sit alone in her local church graveyard and she listened to the people singing, she longed to go in and join them. When she grew up she told her family she wanted to become a Christian, although her family didn’t approve as they followed the Islamic faith, seeing her determination they eventually understood. Jesus answered her prayer when the time was right.

 Mary’s Church  ‘Away Day.‘  Rev Mark Cowley began by mentioning a little of his background: Before the Lord called him to become a Vicar in the Church of England he worked as a Medical Engineer. Three men in particular who he worked with: John Charmers, John Murphy and Kevin Hardy they had perfected the world renowned ‘hip replacement’ joint that is so successful in orthopaedic surgery.  He described the three men as being totally different in mannerisms, background and personality. But that did not affect their ability to work together with amazing results.   

During the second session in the afternoon he showed us this picture below:
We realised that the river had changed its course and the bridge stood on its own. 

The Honduran town of Choluteca needed to cross a river, so a bridge was built. In 1998 Hurricane Mitch dropped 36 inches of rain swelling the river to six times its width, destroying the road and moving the river. When the storm was over, the bridge was standing in perfect condition spanning over dry land, with no roads connected to it. 


Mark used this picture to illustrate team building: being ready to respond to the changes that may well occur in the future for instance: the Deanery having fewer clergy working in the Rossendale Valley. 

Our church St Mary’s today is made up of people who believe and witness that Jesus Christ is Lord: some  are life-long members through family connections and there are those who have joined St Mary’s through being an Anglican and some have come from having no church background that have come to faith through hearing the good news about Jesus.                                                                                              
The church at Colossae was made up of people who had come from different backgrounds and religious beliefs. A small percentage were probably Jewish people and a high percentage who had once worshiped idols, like the people on Mars Hill, Athens and some who had no religion at all. All of them had come to the knowledge that the name of Jesus stands above all of their former worship of an idol deity or ideology.

Jesus name above all names.  
Paul reminded them of the Incarnation of Jesus, that he is the name above all names, “He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation, for in him all things were created, in heaven and on the earth, visible and invisible.” Colossians 1: 15,16.   

In our nation over recent years, we are seeing more people responding to new age spirituality and it’s being presented as the norm.     
On our youngest daughters’ recent home visit, she told us that she was seeking a career change, so she has started on a degree nutrition course. I asked if I could have a look at what she was studying. I recognised agnosticism and new age spirituality that was being put forward as part of the Module’s discussion on “Progress.”  

Extract from ‘Module One Ref: Slack, J. D., & Wise, J. M. 2005 ‘Progress’ in Culture and Technology: A primer (pp. 6-26). Peter Lang, New York.
“Defining Progress  
The dictionary definition of progress is to ‘move forward’. If we are walking, we’re said to be making progress down the street. If we are beginning to accomplish a task, we are said to be making progress. The dictionary meaning is, however, only the beginning of what progress means in everyday cultural sense. To move forward is to move in one direction: forward as opposed to backward. Consequently, movement forward implies a direction or goal. Similarly, making progress toward the completion of a task implies an endpoint. Progress, then, in its cultural use, is not just movement forward, but movement towards something: a goal or endpoint. If a patient is said to be making progress, he or she is moving towards the goal of health. If a disease is said to be progressing, it is advancing, presumably, towards death.

In broad cultural terms, progress is often used to underscore the belief that humankind, as a whole, moves forward. Robert Nisbet, a historian who has written extensively on progress, put it this way: “Simply stated, the idea of progress holds that mankind has advanced in the past from some aboriginal condition of primitiveness, barbarism, or even nullity (nothingness) is now advancing, and will continue to advance through the foreseeable future.”
In addition, as Nisbet sees it, this advancing is not mere movement, but a movement towards something. We are not marching blindly into a future. Rather, we are advancing towards what we envision as utopia on Earth. Things will get better and better, and eventually we will achieve what we understand to be ‘the good life.’ Progress shows us how far we have come, what we have achieved, and how much better life is now than it used to be. It also reveals to us where we think we are going.

The Goal’s of Progress
The goals or endpoints of progress are usually unstated, left for the cultural critic to determine by carefully ‘reading’ the culture. However, whether a goal is stated or not, it typically takes the form of what is considered to be ‘the good life’. Most people have a sense of what, for them, the good life entails. It typically involves some of the following: family, community, happiness, leisure, health, happiness, wealth, harmony, and so on, though not necessarily in these terms or this order. Overall, however, two types of goals are associated with progress: material betterment and moral betterment. Material betterment might mean that life is more comfortable, that we are healthier, and that we have more things, more conveniences perhaps. Moral betterment might mean that spiritually we are more enlightened and that we treat each other better and with more tolerance.

The goals of progress (again usually assumed as part of unstated cultural knowledge) usually match the fundamental values of society. Progress at a particular moment in the development of culture could be ‘a chicken in a pot,’ indicating a democratic value of universal health and physical well-being; ‘a car in every garage,’ indicating the values of widespread personal mobility and private ownership; the absence of war or violence, indicating the values of peace and spiritual enlightenment, or a combination of all three. In any given historical context, understanding the assumed goals of progress is crucial to understanding that culture.”

Looking at these two Goals associated with ‘Progress’.    Material and Moral Betterment.  
Material Betterment – Progress measured and valued in material possessions, which is agnosticism.
Agnosticism – is were a person holds the view that we know nothing beyond material phenomena.

The Bible today identifies material betterment as being under  law. 
Meaning: putting our trust and investing in the pursuit of material possessions. 
Material betterment may satisfy our physical needs, but does not satisfy the inner person, the soul, which is the spiritual entity within us, our soul is constantly searching to find fulfillment and speaking from experience my soul was searching for God.  

Moral betterment – spiritually asserting self control over our nature.    
It is under the law of self improvement of human nature. Romans Chapters 7 & 8              Sadly, there won’t be an absence of war and violence because mankind’s spirituality is corrupted by anger, rivalry, jealousy, murder, lies, deceit, licentiousness, greed and the dominance of self. Mankind being a god unto himself. The Bible refers to these as sin.  
Paul’s letter to the Christians at Colossae he reminds them of their former life were their hearts and minds corrupted by sin. “And you who once were estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death.” Colossians 1: 21. 
Below a diagram showing the gulf between mankind and God. The cross is placed in the gap carrying the weight of sin and acts like a bridge..  

Jesus in his love for us, died to his own desires and accomplishments. 

His Father’s purpose in his coming as one of us was to pay the price for sin which he did on the cross. Death is the punishment for sin, Jesus took all sin and its causes and bore it on his cross and in his death we find forgiveness. 

Jesus Christ  is God’s bridge 
it is through faith in Jesus that we pass over from the deadness of our old nature to our new nature in Christ and so we begin to feel how God feels about his love for the sinner but not the sin in people’s lives.     
Paul’s letter to the Colossians. “Seeing that you have put off the old nature with its practises and have put on the new nature, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator. Here there cannot be Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free man, but Christ is all and in all.” Colossians 3: 9,10. 

  We are all different in personalities, but when we accept Jesus into our heart we all have the same knowledge and nature of God and the same empowering of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the indwelling presence of Jesus we find fulfillment, as we are complete in him. The end of our life on earth is not a spiritual dead end. No we are a new creation in Christ, created by God to be his children. Children not born of flesh and blood, but born of the eternal Spirit of God. This is our hope that is shared with millions of other Christians across the world.  


A Chinese Christian Meditation taken from the book ‘From Shore to Shore’ page 46  
“Christ, Son of God, preceded all creation. He is the image of God, with all God’s majesty, power and glory. Yet he was willing to be humbled, even to be a servant.
 It was precisely because he was humbled to the lowest that God exalted him to the highest, above all things. Though he was rich, he became poor for our sake. And because he was poor. God made him heir of all creation.   
He cared for neither power nor position, nor did he seek them. He willingly humbled himself, and therefore God filled him with all things. He poured himself out, but God filled him, that all things might find their richness in him.  
When will I learn, O God, to see poverty in riches, to see humility in exaltation, to find plenty in emptiness, and empty myself, so that I may be filled with all of creation.”                                                                                                                                                
‘From Shore to Shore’ page 46 ‘A Chinese Christian Meditation’ read in two parts.   

“Christ, Son of God, preceded all creation. He is the image of God, with all God’s majesty, power and glory. 
Jesus we recognise how you demonstrated the power and glory of God in healing sickness and disease, when you raised the dead, walked on water, manufactured bread and turned water into wine, only God could do those things.  

Yet he was willing to be humbled, even to be a servant.  
 We are your servant Jesus and we want to follow you wherever you go.                                                                                       
It was precisely because he was humbled to the lowest that God exalted him to the highest, above all things. 
Lord, it is hard to go unnoticed, but we know in our heart that it pleases you. 

Though he was rich, he became poor for our sake. And because he was poor, God made him heir of all creation. 
What we have received from you Lord, we have treasure within our being.

He cared for neither power nor position nor did he seek them. 
In his love for us he has raised us up to be his child, a child of God.

He willingly humbled himself, and therefore God filled him with all things. 
Dear Lord teach us how to pray for what pleases your heart.

He poured himself out, but God filled him, that all things might find their richness in him.  
May we give and not  count the cost, toil and not to seek for rest,and labour not seeking any reward. 

When will we learn, O God, to see poverty in riches. 
May we, Lord, put true emphasis not on the things created for our pleasure, but on knowing God himself, the provider.    

When will we learn, to see humility in exaltation.  
To trust and invest in God’s will and as Jesus was blessed by God, so should we do the same.  

When will we learn,To find plenty in emptiness, and empty ourselves, so that we may be filled with all of creation.”  
Thank you heavenly Father that we have found fulfilment in Jesus Christ.  

 (The goats and monster pulled along on curtain tracks.)                                                                            
                                     
70 disciples, focus on Jesus., Follow me, Foxes have holes in the ground, God's love, John Mark left Paul and Barnabas for Jerusalem, Samaritan Village, the birds have nests

The Messiah’s Secret – Jesus, the Son of man had nowhere to Lay His Head

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Andy Murray has set his face like flint, mentally sharpened up in his determination to win the men’s final at tennis at the Wimbledon Tournament. 


Jesus set his face to go to Jerusalem   Luke 9: 51-62. In our Gospel reading Jesus knows that his ministry will soon be fulfilled, so there was a sense of urgency to get the kingdom message out. In this incident at the Samaritan village Jesus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy. “For the Lord our God helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore my face is like a flint, and I know I shall not be put to shame.” Isaiah 50: 7.
Jesus was not deflected from his task by the Samaritan’s rejection of him.

Jesus had sent messengers before him to make it known to the people in the Samaritan village that he was coming.  The men on entering the village would look for hospitality where he was going to eat or maybe sleep and where he would preach and minister. When the disciples made contact with the people at the Samaritan village, the residents did not want Jesus to come to them. It no doubt was because the religion of the Jews differed from the Samaritans.   

Dake’s  Annotated Reference Bible. The Samaritans. “These were the descendants of the pagans that settled in the land at the time of the captivities along with the few Jews who remained in the land. (2 Kings 17: 24-34.)They formed their own religion, a mixture of Judaism and paganism. They adopted the Pentateuch as the sole sacred book and erected a temple on Mt Gerizim near Shechem. 331 BC. The returning exiles rejected their help in rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple. (Ezra 4. Nehemiah 1. 4. 6.) The breach between the returning Jews became permanent and so acute that the Jews would not pass through Samaria to go into Galilee, but had a circuitous(round about) route east of Jordan.”(John 4: 9. 8: 48) 


The disciples James and John wanted Jesus to send fire down from heaven against these Samaritan villagers, who in fact were their neighbours. But we read that Jesus was not pleased, he rebuked them for their suggestion and they went to another village.
The Samaritans were their neighbours and we know that Jesus taught that the law was fufilled in loving God and our neighbours as ourselves.

Paul in his letter to the Galatians  wrote that they should not use their freedom in Christ to return to sinful ways: like retaliation against our neighbours.  Galatians 5:1, 13-25 
Today retaliation figures high amongst people who bear grudges, it is as a result of unforgiveness and in many cases it continues down the generations. 

Always Follow Jesus.
Below a children’s quiz with 8 pictures based on the Gospel reading with a boy and girl on skate boards going around the board.1. Fox. 2. Birds. 3. Roundabout (keep going and don’t look back). 4. Joseph and Mary. 5. Wreath. 6. House. 7. Mum waving goodbye. 8. Plow.The right answers to questions about the story to move around the board. For example: What were the people called who lived in the village? Where do foxes live? Bird build themselves —– to lay their eggs in. etc.

 “As they were going along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you, wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, the birds have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head.” To another he said, “Follow me.” But he said,”Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” But Jesus said to him, “Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you Lord, but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.” Luke 9: 57 – 62. 


The three people who are mentioned in the reading two of them were identified by Matthew in his account of this incident. Matthew 8: 18-22.  
Matthews writes, “Now when Jesus saw great crowds around him, he gave orders to go over to the other side of the lake. “And there a scribe came up to him. . .”   

The first man was the scribe, he said “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied that foxes find shelter and rest in holes in the ground and the birds have nests. The scribe was making his commitment to Jesus, unlike many of his fellow scribes who had turned away from Jesus. 
In Jesus’ reply he indicated his sorrow for the people of the Samaritan village he had been refused somewhere to lay his head, a bed for the night. Jesus’ ministry was to bring healing between Jew and Samaritan. The parable of the ‘Good Samaritan’ is where the Jewish man who was injured and robbed was helped by the Samaritan and taken to the Inn to be cared for. Also the Samaritan woman at the well, Jesus spoke to her and in their conversation Jesus made it known to her that he was the Messiah. She then went and evangelized the people at Sychar her home town and many came to faith.

The second person – Matthew identifies as a disciple. Jesus spoke to him saying; ‘Follow me.” But he said, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”  
He genuinely had a problem with his father’s death, under law the eldest son had the duty to see to the funeral arrangements. This man’s family would not be too pleased if he did not comply with the law. ‘The dead bury the dead’ – his family would put duty over following Jesus.

But here Jesus who is God revealed in the flesh, he instituted the law. He was giving this man leave to be set free from the law with its customs and rules.   

Jesus was giving this disciple the freedom to go and proclaim the Kingdom of God message.  In the following verse in Chapter 10 Jesus chose seventy disciples to go ahead of him. Maybe two of these three disciples had been chosen by Jesus to go before him with the message.    
“Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you; heal the sick in it and say to them, “The Kingdom of God has come near to you” Luke 10: 1, 9.  

The third person said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home.” Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  
Had this man last minute nerves making an excuse to delay going out with the seventy or maybe in his love for his family, he wanted to go and say goodbye before setting out with the other disciples.  

First and foremost we are called to love the Lord our God.   
A father asked his child, how much do you love me? I            I so much. He repeated: how much do you love me? I                              I  and again, how much do you love me? I   arms stretched wide I.  I love you that much Jesus loves us that much embracing all our sin on his cross, setting us free from our sins.   

Matthew’s testimony  Matthew shared with me his testimony – When a visiting Methodist preacher Otto from South Africa stayed for a short time with the Methodist Circuit  in  Rossendale. On this particular Sunday he was preaching at Longholme Methodist Church, during his sermon he went around the congregation asking people face to face, “Do you love me?” When he came to Matthew and looked at him squarely in the face and said, ‘Do you love me,”  Matthew’s head knowledge about Jesus became heart knowledge at that moment.  He knew how much Jesus loved him  so much to die for him, bearing his sin on his cross. 

Jesus said to him, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.”  
Paul and Barnabas had been joined by another disciple John Mark at Salamis Cyprus. However, he left them shortly afterwards and returned to Jerusalem. Acts 13: 5, 13. When Barnabas and Paul decided to make a return visit to all the churches where they had been. Barnabas wanted John Mark to accompany them, but Paul thought it best not to take him with them, as he had withdrawn from them at Phamphylia and had not gone with them to do the work. Acts 15: 36-41. 
Paul and Barnabas their faces were like flint towards their task, but John Mark looked back he was not up to the task he perhaps looked to himself and his own capabilities rather than keeping focused on Jesus.  
The plowman has to focus on his plow going in a straight line and keeping as close as possible to the furrow. Keeping our eyes focused on Jesus and for him to be the center of our life. 

Jesus at the center of all we do. 
“Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look into his wonderful face and the things of the earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of his glory and grace.” Hymn Mission Praise

Eddie Askew in his book, “Talking with Hedgehogs’ It is a collection from his Radio Programme ‘Thoughts for the Day.’ 
Eddie’s radio spot first thing every morning was designed to start the day focusing on the ‘Word’ Jesus. Often the Lord gave him something that he had observed in his daily life and related it to scripture, so that the word would speak to his radio listeners at various times during the day, making Jesus’ comforting presence apparent within us.                                                 
a woman of the city, absolved from sin, God shows no partiality, justified, reclining at the table, Simon the Pharisee, the woman anointed Jesus' feet

The Messiah’s Secret – The Woman withe the Alabaster Flask

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The  Messiah’s  Secret –  The Woman with the Alabaster Flask

Readings: Galatians  2: 15-21.  Luke 7: 36, 8: 3. 
Reading the Gospel in parts with the reading being mimed, acted out at the same time.  

We recalled that Jesus had been invited to join Simon and his friends for a meal at his house. Jesus was reclining at the table when a lady, described as a woman of the city a sinner, a prostitute, carrying a flask of ointment came in and interrupted their meal.        

She had heard that Jesus was at Simon’s house having a meal there, so she planned her visit. it would appear to be unannounced as Luke used the word, “And behold, a woman of the city . . . 

From the reading we read that this lady was under a strong conviction of her need to get right with God. Prior to this, some hours before, she may have listened to the message from Jesus or from a disciple, “Repent the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” And this led her to come to Jesus in faith and repentance, as her contrition, her contrite, broken heart for her sin, would indicate. 
She had brought with her an alabaster flask of ointment  and stood behind Jesus weeping, as he sat reclined at the table, she began to wet his feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair and kissed his feet and anointed them with the ointment. 

Some Christian theologians suggest that she would have used similar perfumes in her trade as a woman of the city. This then was an anointing of the feet that carried a symbol of her trade, prostitution, and bore it on the cross.

Jesus forgave her sin.

Jesus did not come into the world to condemn the world but to redeem the world from sin so that whosoever believe in him are set from sin, so It is through faith in Jesus.

Faith – is not by sight but by the things hoped for, but not yet realised . 
Faith is like posting a letter we put the address and the stamp on the envelope and post it, believing that it will reach its destination and also we may expect a reply in due course.

The woman’s faith brought her to Jesus, the only person who was able to justify, declared not guilty by God, to vindicate, and absolve her sin.                                        
She showed her love for God and her love fulfilled the law.  
Also in the reading these aspects of love – The woman showing her love, in wanting to please God by coming to Jesus in repentance, saying sorry and in her gratitude and respect anointing his feet. 
God’s love – Jesus forgave her without hesitation in his love for her.  

When Simon watched the woman, his face must have shown his disgust.  
Simon thought that he was justified by the Jewish law and he was indignant towards Jesus and the woman. He thought that Jesus should not have allowed this woman to touch him.                                                                                                                    
Jesus told the parable to prove that Simon was not justified, declared not guilty before God by the law, Simon was still a sinner in God’s eyes. 
“A certain creditor had two debtors: one owed him 500 denarii, and the other 5o. When they could not pay he forgave them both. Now which one will love him the more?” Simon answered, “The one I suppose, to whom he forgave the more.” Jesus said, “You have judged rightly.”

Through the woman’s actions, Jesus pointed out to Simon his sin. 
He had failed to show Jesus the customary hospitality shown to a special guest. Jesus said to Simon, “I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet. You gave me no kiss. You did not anoint my feet with oil. Therefore; he, who is forgiven little, loves little.”  

Simon’s sin coming from love of self: showed no remorse, no gratitude or respect for Jesus.  
The parable almost gives us a graf. 500 Danarii the greater, whereas, Simon’s 50 Danarii a big dip. The great outpouring of love and a trickle of love. 

Both had sinned and both were forgiven, both were debtors to God. 

We have another example in John’s Gospel were those present had varying degrees of sin: the woman caught in the act of adultery. John 8: 3- 11    
The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman before Jesus who was accused of committing adultery, which was punishable by stoning her to death. They wanted Jesus to make a judgement over her. Jesus’ response he brought the scribes and Pharisees and all those present to account for their sin.  “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to cast a stone at her.” When they heard these words, they went away, until Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. He forgave her sin and told her to sin no more.
Jesus had the authority to forgive the lady her sins.
Those sat at the table began to say among themselves, “Who is this, who even forgives sins?” 
Jesus, the second person of the Trinity, forgave both their debts as both were debtors to God.

The Messiah’s Secret page 57 
Jesus had the authority to forgive sins without an offering been made at the temple or a ritual of washing. Jesus was God revealed in the flesh. Jesus proved that he had the authority to forgive sins by his healing ministry. The Jews believed that sin resulted in sickness and only God could forgive sin and as a result heal the person. Psalm 41: 4. Jesus therefore proved his authority by forgiveness of sin and healing the person. Mark 2: 1-12.  
Not every sickness is a result of sin John 9: 2, 3, 14.  

Peter Meadows & Joseph Steinberg in their book “Beyond Belief” page 50 They confirm this view concerning Jesus’ authority to forgive sins in connection with his healing ministry. “To Jewish people, only God could forgive sins. So when Jesus told someone their sins were forgiven it was no different from saying ‘I’m God’. And when he healed people of their disease or disfigurement he was putting out the same message. Jewish people believed physical suffering was caused by the person’s sin. For a person to be healed meant that their sin had been dealt with – only God could do that.”  

Jesus showed no partiality between the women, Simon the Pharisee and the scribes and other people present. By the same standards in the Parable they were all debtors to God, sin against God.  

It is through faith in Jesus we are freed from our debt, our sin against God. We can not justify ourselves.  
The law was a stumbling block to the Jews because they thought it would save them.
For us Gentiles because the Hebrew Scriptures prove through the prophesies that God had planned to send a Saviour we read their scriptures, and through those scriptures we become aware of sin against God, and were God put in place the law as a guide to what sin is.  But Christians are not under Jewish law.                                                                                                                                      

New Testament
Jesus taught that through faith in him who through his life laid down. We are justified by his blood that was the final sacrifice for sin and the forgiveness of sin.
“How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God.” Hebrews 9: 14  
At the last supper Jesus said, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” Matthew 26: 28  
The words ‘for many’ include the Gentiles, therefore, Jesus is the only one who is able to justify, and declare us not guilty and absolve us from our sin against God.  

When we like the woman recognise our need to get right with God, we will be convicted to seek God out.  
Some times Jesus meets a person as they cry out in desperation or it may be through hearing about Jesus from someone or even through reading the message on a board outside a church.   
For example: 

We feel like this kettle, empty, discontented with life.  When we accept  Jesus as our Saviour it is like filling the kettle with water, filling our empty space within. When we put the plug attached to the kettle into the socket on the wall, we switch it on and the current flows into the kettle and boils the water.  

Likewise, our faith connects us with Jesus, the current between us and God is his Spirit, and he shows his love and power to forgive us, absolving us from all our sin. As a result we have an amazing freedom and peace within, that the world cannot give. 

We are crucified with Christ, this is realised when we know that our sins against God have been forgiven and we feel how God feels about sin. When we do fall into sin, we are like the sheep that falls into the ditch and is not comfortable there.  
“But if we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin” 1 John 1: 7.

The Devil attacks the holy love of God. 
He tries to pollute the love of God with the universal love that is tainted by sin due to the fall of Adam and Eve. But we like the woman in our reading we have turned away from sin, and we are justified, declared not guilty by the blood of Jesus that testifies to our new nature in Christ, God’s nature.

God shows no partiality between races and cultures across the world and he blesses only the truth about his Word Jesus. 
Paul in his letter to the Galatians. “And from those who were reputed to be something (what they are makes no difference to me: God shows no partiality.” Galatians 2: 6.  “Peter said, “Truly, I perceive that God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right and acceptable to him.” Acts 10: 34                                                                                                                                        

                                                                                                                                  

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

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The Messiah’s Secret – Learning to Sail with the Holy Spirit

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The Messiah’s Secret – The Surging Crowds

Evening Lectionary Mark 3: 7-19  Genesis 4: 1-16.

The celebrities of today have huge following both on line and at gigs. They also have people around them who look after their well being, especially when the teenagers want more than a glimpse of their celebrity. They would like an autograph or something that belongs to them or just to touch them.

Jesus began his ministry in Galilee and we read that he had a tremendous healing ministry. As a result thousands of people followed him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, Galilee, Tyre and Sidon and from beyond the Jordan. 

There were so many people Jesus withdrew with his disciples to the Sea of Galilee. Jesus told his disciples to have a boat ready for him so that he would be kept safe from the swell of the crowd surging forward in order to touch him.  

“For he healed many, so that all who had diseases pressed upon him to touch him.” Mark 3: 10. Luke 6: 17-19.  

Jesus instructed his recently chosen disciples to assist him by having a boat ready for him because of the crowd, in case they should crush him. Part of the disciples ministry was to protect Jesus from the enthusiastic crowd. 

Jesus used the boats that sailed on the Galilee to transport him from place to place.  

In Mark Chapter five Jesus went from there (Gerasenes) by boat and crossed over to the other side of the sea and as soon as he landed a great crown gathered around him. Jairus a ruler of the synagogue came to him and asked him if he would go with him and lay his hands on his dying daughter so that she would be made well and live.

                                                                                        

From among the crowds that were following Jesus on the way to Jairus’ house, was a woman who had heard the reports about Jesus, so she came up behind him and touched his garment. For she said, “If I touch even his garments, I shall be made well.” We read that she was healed immediately. Jesus perceived that someone had touched him as he felt the power leave his body. He stopped and turning to the crowd he asked who had touched him. His disciples were surprised that he asked this question when there were so many people pressing up against him. The woman acknowledged that it was she who had touched him. Jesus said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.” Mark 5:21-34.   

The crowds wanted to touch Jesus. 
Whether it was as a result of this woman’s healing that the crowds wanted to touch Jesus or whether other people had been healed through touching his garments and she had heard about it and responded in faith seizing the opportunity.  

News Spread abroad  
The disciples were surprised when Jesus asked, “Who touched me.’ If a person had been healed on a previous occasion they perhaps would have reacted differently. But we read it did become a frequent occurrence, as we follow Jesus and his disciples on their journey from Bethsaida across the Sea of Galilee to Gennesaret. The news quickly spread that Jesus had arrived in their vicinity. When the people there heard he was about to come to a town or a city or country they brought out their sick on pallets and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment and as many touched it were made well. Mark 6: 53-56.   
On the fringe of his garment were prayer tassels, small knotting along the edge. Numbers 15: 37-41. Matthew 23: 5.                                             

From the security of the boat Jesus preached and healed many people.  
There were so many people wanting to be healed that the boat was an ideal platform to preach from, Jesus must have had a strong clear voice to be heard above the water lapping on the shore and the movement of children, The disciples were more than likely helping to control the flow of those who came forward for healing.

In Mark Chapter four Jesus preached from the boat the parable of ‘The Sower’. We see a connection with this parable with our reading in Genesis. Cain the eldest son of Adam and Eve was a tiller (worked on the land/gardener) of the ground, he was following in his father Adam’s footsteps.  
“The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it Genesis 2: 5, 15. 3: 23.   

Cain’s offering to God was the produce from the ground that had been cursed; as a result God was not pleased with his offering.  

Why was Cain’s offering of fruit not pleasing to God? 
Adam working in the garden was instructed by God not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 
Moses illustrated through this Adam’s innocence had been compromised. To be obedient to God was good, and both Adam and Eve only had that knowledge. Disobedience – listening to the Devil took them into a place of understanding evil, as the Devil opposed God. (cast out of heaven)
Now they were separated from God and fell under the tempters power. Afterwards they were expelled from the Garden of Eden and the ground was cursed by God.  
Adam still worked on the land, only now his job was much harder as he toiled and sweated removing the thorns and the thistles that grew among the crops. Unless they were weeded out they would choke the crops.  

Parable of the ‘Sower.’ “Other seed fell among the thorns and the thorns grew up and choked it and it yielded no grain.”  (Under the curse)
Jesus interpreted the parable: the Sower sows the words of the kingdom of God. “The ones sown among the thorns; they are those who hear the word, but the cares of the world, and the delight in riches, and the desire for other things, enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful.” Mark 4: 7, 18. 

Cain’s younger brother Abel was a keeper of sheep; he gave the produce of his labour the firstlings of his flock and their fat portions which pleased God.  
Abel’s innocent blood.
God used animal skins and made them into garments for Adam and Eve. Abel’s offering was prophetic in its association with the shedding of the blood of a lamb in order to cover the hereditary sins of Adam and Eve. 
The Passover lambs blood brought freedom for God’s people Israel from Egyptian slavery. Jesus the Son of God, the Lamb of God his blood shed brought freedom from the slavery of sin and death for all mankind. 
Judas Escariot when he took back the 30 pieces of silver and threw them down onto the temple floor he said that he had betrayed innocent blood, in reference to the innocent blood of Abel. (Also the Messiah)
Before Jesus made his way to Calvary, the Roman soldiers placed upon his head a platted, entangled, crown of thorns. Through Jesus’ death on the cross he redeemed us from the curses that God placed upon Adam and Eve and their descendants and he redeemed the land. 

We can see why Cain’s offering was not pleasing to God, the produce was from the land that was cursed. His response we read that he was downcast and angry as a result he killed his younger brother Abel. God warned Cain that sin was couching at the door: its desire is for you, but you must master it.” He did not master the thoughts that led to his actions when he killed his brother. 
Cain had been given a verbal warning by God, the words were snatched away by Satan as Jesus described in the parable of the Sower. The seeds, the words of the kingdom sown along the path the birds came and ate them. These were those who heard the word, then Satan came and snatched the words away from them. Mark 4: 15. 

God questioned Cain about his brother Abel’s death, but he denied it. But we read that God could hear his brother’s blood cry out to him from the land. 
Jesus mentioned this when he was dining at a Pharisees home the Pharisee was astonished when Jesus did not wash before dinner, he spoke of their hypocrisy, “The blood of all the prophets, shed from the foundation of the world may be required of this generation from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah.” Luke 11: 50, 51. 2 Chronicles 24: 20, 21. 
The Israelites in their history turned against their prophets because the words of the prophets shed God’s light on their thoughts, words and deeds. 

In the previous verses in Chapter three the Pharisees and Herodians were displeased when Jesus healed the man with the withered hand on the Sabbath Day, they plotted against Jesus wanting to see his demise.
Jesus continued to heal people even though the thoughts and spirit of the Pharisees and Herodians were against him and his disciples.   
I do not think that the crowd that surrounded Jesus were influenced by the Pharisees and Herodians. The crowd had no intention to cause Jesus any hurt. Through pressure of numbers and desperation to find a cure for their ailments they were understandably pushing forward to get their healing.            
The parable of the Sower concludes with a blessing to those who hear and receive the seeds the words of the kingdom will produce fruit  in abundance that is pleasing to God.

As Jesus and his disciples travelled from place to place by boat Jesus managed the crowds with the help of his disciples.  

Learning to sail with the Holy Spirit.
(The passages begin with words in bold that have been taken from ‘Learning to Sail’ Web Site)  
To learn to sail is to learn about what the terminology means and to put theory into practice and so it it for us to put what we believe and taught into practice.


It is a good idea to practice procedures on a calm day. Knowing how to right your boat is a necessary skill.

My brother and his colleague before they started the voyage crossing the Atlantic in his boat ‘Henry Wood’ they had to go through this safety procedure, ‘ rescuing a man overboard to save him from drowning. (he had to notify the relevant authorities beforehand.)          
Getting right with God, through faith in Jesus he will save us, rescuing us from certain eternal death, as a result entering into the freedom of the Lord’s forgiveness. 
                                                                       
Adjust for the wind. Sailboats cannot sail directly into the wind.  

Discerning the movement of the wind. A desirable change has taken place in our lives and we listen for the sound of the wind God’s Holy Spirit. When we first feel the movement of the Holy Spirit we are filled with joy and we are gently moved on: like sailing on a warm comfortable breeze and the new found calm of a fulfilled life in knowledge and in fellowship with God our Father.  

You will start tilting away from the wind. A heel of more than 20 degrees usually indicates that you are being overpowered. Releasing the mainsheet momentarily lessons the amount of heel, and you will return to a more comfortable sailing angle of 10 to 15 degrees of heel.    

A new Christian will find that Satan will try to regain his hold over us, but to no avail as we are upheld by the prayers of other Christians.     

Sail into the wind to a destination. Sail a heading that is as close to the wind as you can.  

Our destination is God’s eternal kingdom. As we are on a journey with many twists and turns along the way, it’s necessary to keep close to Jesus, our eyes focused on him and on his word and listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance to do God’s will. 

The wind may change direction; If anything changes, you have to adjust the sails in response.  

Constant vigilance on keeping our lives on track is not easy, it places demands on us to spend time in prayer and study.”As therefore your received Christ Jesus the Lord, so live in him, rooted and built up in him and established in the faith, just as you were taught, abounding in thanksgiving.” Colossians 2: 6, 7.    

Close reach. Your sails are acting like the airfoil of an airplane: the wind is pulling the boat instead of pushing it.   

We can be moving in the wrong direction and therefore, we struggle trying to work out what the Lord has called us to do. “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own insight.” Proverbs 3: 5. Do not lean on your own understanding. (King James Bible) 

Watch your wind indicators (telltales). If you see it change so that the wind is coming from a direction that is more behind you, you will be wasting energy. Let out the sail till it luffs, and tighten again till it stops. You will be doing this constantly; watching the sails, the telltales, and trimming sails if for no other reason than to see where you’re at.  

The Lord calls his people to ‘Watch and Pray’ pray for discernment and wisdom. These gifts the Lord will give to us in abundance. James 1: 5. 

When running with the wind, you can sometimes you can pull the jib over to the other side of the boat where it will fill. This is called wing-on-wing, and you have to maintain a steady hand on the tiller to keep this sail configuration. Be sure to be vigilant of obstacles and other vessels, as having both sails in front of you blocks a significant portion of your view. 

James the Lord’s brother refers to the tiller of the boat in connection with teachers of the word of God. “Look at the ships also; though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, they are guided by a very small rudder wherever the will of the pilot directs.” James 3: 4. The responsibility of the teacher to teach the truth, knowing that the truth sets a person free from the world’s strong winds of unbelief in Jesus. 

Christ’s body. This reminds us that we are part of a bigger picture that Jesus is the head of his world-wide Church.

Be careful—when the boat is running, the sails will be way off to the side, and because the wind is basically behind you the boom can change sides suddenly, coming across the cockpit with quite a bit of force. When this happens the boom can hit you with enough force to knock you unconscious and out of the boat (overboard). 

Many a time I seem to be stopped from entering into a problem of one kind or another. The Holy Spirit will bring scripture to mind that helps to make what turns out to have been the right decision.  I also believe in the ministry of angels.

Sail safely. Remember that your anchor and its cable are important pieces of safety gear and can be used to stop your boat from going aground or can even be used to get the vessel floating again should grounding occur.

St Paul on his way to Rome to stand trial, he traveled by boat. A storm blew up and four anchors were used to try and stop the boat going aground.
Very often when we pray, we receive the assurance of our prayer being answered, and on some occasions in the way that we have been led to pray. As a result overcoming the situation and we sail through the storms of life.  

When the wind is at your back and side, this is the most efficient point of sail as both sails are full of wind and pushing the boat at full force. 

Thank you, Lord, for your Holy Spirit’s ministry among us in making Jesus known to us and directing our path to rescue with the guidance of the Holy Spirit those who are drowning in a sea of despondency,  fear, worry, pain and grief with no hope of life after death, for them and others to come to know Jesus.                                                                                                                                                                                                 
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The Messiah’s Secret – Pentecost 1

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The Messiah’s Secret – Pentecost

Evening Lectionary: John 16: 4-15. Exodus 33: 7-20. Revised Standard Version Bible
Human beings can step into the fishes environment and swim with the fish. We can climb on board a space craft that is propelled into space by a rocket and step out of our air environment into space.
In both instants we cannot live in them permanently in our natural state, we need the air contained in cylinders and wet and space suits to protect our bodies.
Through the Holy Spirit being sent into the world at Pentecost, God has made it possible to enter into His eternal dimension through his indwelling presence within the Christian.

Visual Aid.  A play dough fish in a bowl of water.
At home we have a gold fish and it lives its life in the
water.

We live in a band of air that covers the globe.

In the Exodus reading  God met with man in a tent. 

Moses and the people of Israel were travelling through the wilderness towards the Promised Land. They lived gathered together within the camp area, but in order to meet with God they were told to go from the camp to the Tent of Meeting which Moses had pitched some distance away. In this designated place Moses and any person from the camp met with God on a one to one basis. Exodus 33: 7-11.                                                                                           

God our Father sent the Holy Spirit into the world to reveal Jesus to us in a personal way by dwelling within a person, on a one to one basis.

God’s love reaching out, our meeting place with God is at the cross of Jesus while we are still in our sin. Scripture says: “But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Not only so, but we rejoice in God through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, through whom we have received our reconciliation.” Romans 5: 8-10. 

The Holy Spirit was sent into the world at Pentecost and he reveals Jesus to us.
“The Holy Spirit will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness and judgement.” John 16: 8. Dis – ease  or ill at ease . The TV Soaps are meant to portray ordinary people’s lives and the drama of it all is being worked out in each episode. In the stories we see the sins of the flesh causing pain and distress and were God is at a distance almost out of sight for many people.  The TV soaps only occasionally portray the way of life that brings love, joy and peace the Christian way. 
“But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.  Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God.”                                                           

Visual Aid.

A bowl with clean water, a few drops of red dye and a small quantity of bleach
Add a drop of red dye into the water, the red dye represents impurities in the water. (fallen nature and sin in our blood)

I then pour the bleach into the water and the red dye disappears. Representing  the cleansing of the impurities. (Our sin cancelled out) 

The blood of Jesus going into action when we turn to Jesus recognising our sin against God. It is also a picture of repentance and forgiveness. 

The Bible teaches us that life is in the blood, however, in our blood we carry the hereditary fallen nature of Adam and Eve. The application of Jesus’ blood blots out the hereditary sin of Adam and our sin of the past and present. Repentance on our part brings about forgiveness and reconciliation with God. “Repent therefore and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out  . . . . and that he may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus.” Acts 3: 19, 20.  

Moody’s Stories   
“In Ireland some time ago a teacher asked a little boy if there was anything that God could not do. The little fellow said, “He can not see my sins through the blood of Christ.”                                            From the mouths of babes such profound words. 

As a result of us having faith in Jesus’ blood  we receive his promise. 
Jesus said, “If a man/women/child loves me, he will keep my word, and the Father will love him and we will come to him and make our home with him.” John 14: 23
The promise of eternal life entering into the Lord our God’s kingdom. 

(Some Christians say you are not a Christian until you have the baptism of the Holy Spirit or until you speak in tongues. Paul’s letter to the Romans 10:9 does not say that, he wrote: “If you confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, you will be saved. . . no one who believes in Jesus will be put to shame.” A person will only confess that Jesus is Lord by the Holy Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12: 3.)

Having received both God our Father and Jesus the Son of God  the Holy Spirit puts substance to our faith, through a variety of ways. 

Through someone praying for us. Paul praying for the members of the church at Ephesus, “I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers. Ephesians 1: 16.

The words of the Bible drop from our mind down into our heart. Continuing with the letter to the Ephesians, ”That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the glorious inheritance in the saints.” Ephesians 1: 17, 18. The enlightening of the eyes of our heart is were our head knowledge about Jesus, becomes heart knowledge. 
“All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said he (Holy Spirit) will take what is mine and declare it to you.” John 16: 15.
The words of Jesus expresses God’s love for us and his words become alive, living words as they are acted upon by God’s Holy Spirit.                                                                                                                      

Move from being under law to being under grace. Paul’s letter to the Galatians he reminds them that he is justified by faith and not by the works of the law. Salvation is received as a free gift, we can not earn the gift by our own merit, we can only accept what Jesus has achieved for us by faith.  “ I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; the life I now live in my flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2: 20.   
When we understand we move forward in faith, receiving what Jesus has done for us on the cross. We depend upon God for his love and forgiveness. 

Laying on of hands. The people at Samaria had accepted Jesus as their Saviour and were baptised but they had not received the gift of the Holy Spirit. “Now when the Apostles at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John, who came and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit.” Acts 8: 14,15. 
What I have heard about Jesus, now I know it is true. I remember Miriam saying to me, “It was like scales falling from my eyes.” Hours before she told me she was going to see Rev Ron Freeman our Vicar (now with the Lord) she had some questions to ask him. I knew that after their discussion he would pray with her and using the gift that the Lord had given him which was for people to receive of the Holy Spirit through the laying on of hands. Miriam received the precious gift.  
It was my own experience too through Ronald’s gift, the Lord has put substance to my faith, I know that Jesus is God made visible in the flesh and the Holy Spirit is still at work in the world. (Approx two years before I had been healed of a sickness through the laying on of hands at a Bible Study.)

Baptism My sister at her children’s Baptism, (Anglican Church) the Lord added substance to her faith when she received the the Holy Spirit in power. Many people at their Baptism receive the Holy Spirit.

Humility.  For a number of Christians who have been brought up in the faith who have never had a ‘Damascus Road’ experience, but have received substance to their faith by the receiving of the Holy Spirit in a very unassuming way. 

Living in the Spirit of God’s Righteousness and Judgement.
It is like us, entering into the gold fish’s environment, we give the fish its food to sustain its life.  In order to sustain our life in God’s kingdom we need the spiritual food.
Jesus said, “My words are Spirit and life.” John 6: 63.

Christian Crackers by Phil Mason. “A lady was very nervous about her appointment with the dentist. Before leaving home she sought courage by reading the text for the day from her calendar. It was Psalm 81: 10:  “Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it.”
                 
The word of God guides us to share what we have with others, “And let our people learn themselves to apply good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful.” Titus 3: 14
Quite often the Lord calls us to response to the practical needs of people, who through no fault of their own find themselves unable to feed their family so that they can pay their bills. As a result they need short term help to get through the crisis. Collectively we can help by providing food stuffs for the Food Banks or through networking or sign posting we can enlist the help of the appropriate organisations to suit their need.  

Every so often the Goldfish bowl needs to be cleaned out. There is debris on the surface of the pebbles and algae on the glass.  
We look to the Word to remind us of the things that pertain to a life of godliness. 
In 2 Peter 1 verses 3 -8 Peter confirms this equal standing that we have with the disciples in our faith in Christ. We do not need to the look to the world to live a fulfilled life, we have the Lord’s precious and very great promises and his divine nature that enables us to live a godly life.  

“For this very reason make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and with self-control with steadfastness, and with steadfastness godliness, and with godliness brotherly and sisterly affection, and with brotherly and sisterly affection with love. For if these things are yours and abound, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”  2 Peter 1: 1-8                                        

The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus continually as we are built up in through the study of the Bible.
The Holy Spirit will build us up in our faith through the study of the Bible, not through memorising scripture, although that is useful, but it’s as he reveals through the study, understandings about Jesus, that he is God made visible in the flesh,  Jesus is the living Word and in our relationship with Jesus, we have been crucified with Jesus and that we are raised up with him in his resurrection etc.
For example: through the study of Matthew Chapters 5,6,7. The Sermon on the Mount. The Holy Spirit revealed to me in the Spirit that Jesus taught the perfect law of God as he was God himself.
Through the study of 1 John that Jesus is the living Word, he is the Word of God clothed in the flesh etc.

We are built up and strengthened in our faith, as the Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us in the study of the word of God. The choice of the translation of the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek is very important to me because of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in revealing Jesus through the study of both the Hebrew and the New Testaments.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          
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The Messiah’s Secret – The Early Christians and the Essenes

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The Messiah’s Secret – Early Christians and the Essenes.


This blog is based on the study of Carsten Peter Theide’s book “The Dead Sea Scrolls and the Jewish origins of Christianity” Carsten was one of the world’s leading papyrologists on the history and texts of the first century. He was Professor of early Christian history at STH Basel Switzerland and a board member of the History Department at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer- Sheva Israel.

The Dead Sea Scrolls were found contained in Jars, they were following Jeremiah’s words; ”Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Take the deeds, both this sealed deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an earthenware vessel, that they may last for a long time.” Jeremiah 32: 14. 

The Scrolls help us understand Judaism and its development during the centuries between the Hebrew Bible and the origins of Christianity.

Long before the Dead Sea Scrolls were re-discovered in caves in 1947 by three Bedouins the Ta’amireh tribe  A Jewish group called ‘Essenes’ settled near the Dead Sea. The settlement’s ancient name is thought to be Secacah, situated on the ancient road which links Jericho with Mazda, En Gedi, Sodom and Eilat. It was not an isolated settlement; there was an oasis near bye. The modern Arabic name Qumran was given to it as late as 1953-56, during the Jordanian occupation of the region.

Pliny the elder documented the existence of the Essenes and he wrote about them after the destruction of Qumran in AD68.  
Pliny the Roman statesman and natural historian documented the region with its settlements mentioning the Essenes. He died during the eruption of Vesuvius in AD 79. 

Philo the Jewish philosopher and diplomat died in AD 50. He knew some of the Essenes’ teachings and knew of more than one settlement.   

Josephus a former Pharisee and priest, a Jewish general in the revolt against the Romans and finally an advisor and historian at the court of the Roman Emperor Vespasian, he knew the Essenes personally and their teachings. Josephus having spent time living with the Essenes, he records that there were 4,000 male Essenes dwelling in places all over the country. They had links with other communities; a fragment 4Q159 refers to the Essene link with the Therapeute movement active mainly in Egypt. 

Questions frequently asked:  
a) How much did the first Christians know about the Essene movement and visa versa how much did the Essenes know about Jesus and his disciples? 

b) Was John the Baptist an Essene? 

c) Was the first Christian Community based on the Essene model?  

Archaeological Evidence of the First Century.  
Josephus recorded a Jerusalem city gate named ‘Gate of the Essenes’ it was situated on the south- west hill. The disciples and Jesus would know of it and about the Essenes. In the late 1990’s a team of Archaeologists excavated near the gate and found Essene purifying baths and nearby latrines. Josephus having spent time living with them gave details of the rules that had to be observed by the Essene community. 

James and the followers of Jesus in Jerusalem, like so many other Jews, knew about the writings and teachings of the Essenes, as they also knew about other groups of the time. And they not only knew the teachings, they probably knew the people themselves. They could have met them almost anywhere.  The Christians closer to the Pharisees than to the Essenes.  

Two Isaiah Scrolls were found in Cave 1 with varying style and vocabulary without interfering with the content of the Hebrew originals.
Cave 4. Carsten Theide writes that finding fragments of the Greek Bible (translation of the Hebrew Bible) the Septuagint at Qumran was a breakthrough. Greek the common language all over the Roman Empire and beyond, at least since the first century BC. Page 126/7 
The Greek Bible, which was the one almost exclusively used by the Christian Jews outside the Holy Land in New Testament times  –  and by the authors of the New Testament themselves.

Christian Hippolytus of the third century AD wrote of the Essene belief in the resurrection: “The doctrine of the resurrection has also derived support among them, for they acknowledge both that the flesh will rise again, and that it will be immortal, in the same manner as the soul is already imperishable. They maintain that when the soul has been separated from the body, it is now borne into one place, which is well ventilated and full of light, and there it rests until judgement.” 

Hippolytus was the first Christian to regard them explicitly as kindred spirits at least in some of the central areas of the Jewish heritage which Christians and Essenes had in common. Qumran fragment found in Cave 4 and numbered 4Q 521does deal with the question of the bodily resurrection, proving Hippolytus to be a trustworthy late classical source. It was one of those fascinating cases where similarities between Essene theology and the teaching of Jesus are visible, going back to the same Old Testament passages, against the tenets of the priestly Sadducees who rejected it. Mark 12: 18-27. 

Since the editing of these New Testament fragments in 1962 there has been great debate as to the likelihood of Christian scrolls being found at Qumran. In Cave 7 fragments 7Q5 and 7Q4: 1 Timothy 3: 16- 4: 1,3.  and Mark 6: 52, 53   
Carsten Theide writes, ”Between the first public proclamation of the Christian message at Shavuot/Pentecost in AD 30, and the ‘closure’ of Qumran in AD 68, some thirty eight years or almost one and a half generations went by. It goes without saying that the Qumran Essenes heard about the new, personified messianic message during those decades. After all, they even had an outpost in Jerusalem, on the south-west hill which today is called Mount Zion, not far from the local community centre of the followers of Jesus. To put it bluntly, if there is any place where we must expect to find the first writings of these Jesus people, it is the study library of that other vibrant messianic and eschatological movement, the Essenes.” Page 149   

The Essenes Scrolls reveal that they believed in two or even three Messiahs, a Messiah from the line of David and another from the priestly line of Aaron who was regarded in the Damascus Document as the eschatological one, “He will teach righteousness at the end of the days’ (Dead Sea Scrolls scholars are not unanimous) If a third Messiah can be identified, he is the so-called ‘Prophet.’ The Community Rule mentions him once. And specifies that he will come together with the Messiah Aaron. The Davidic Messiah was triumphant, he was victorious. He was the Messiah of Isaiah 11, of 4Q 161, 4Q 285, and perhaps even of the famous War Scroll 1QM. 

Carsten Theide does not mention that any of the fragments that have been looked at indicate of the second Messiah raising the first Messiah from the dead. (See blog Isaiah 53) 

b) Was John the Baptist an Essene?  
Carsten Theide is of the opinion that John the Baptist cannot be directly associated with the Qumran, his desert abode was five miles west of Hebron at a place called Ain el-Ma’ mudiyyeh (Spring of Baptism) John’s baptism a complete purification through an immersion by another person and does not bear resemblance to the Essene daily practice the ritual of self-purification. 1QS 3:9. CD 10: 11) The only connection was the use of water in its cleansing effect.  John was the first person in Jewish history that immersed fellow Jews in an act of repentance and purification. 

Also the Baptism formula proclaimed by Peter at Pentecost was quite unprecedented. “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” Acts 2: 38.

c) Was the first Christian Community based on the Essene model?  
 In AD 937 The Karaite historian Qirqisanic wrote: a certain David Merwan, had written about the sect the ‘cavemen’, so called because their writings were found in caves. The ‘cavemen’ and their texts are mentioned after the Sadducees and before Jesus and his followers – that new Jewish movement of the first century. 

The New Testament Gospels and letters that were written in the early stages of Christianity were circulated from one congregation to another.   

The disciples believed in the resurrection after they had witnessed seeing Jesus crucified and die on the cross and there were those who witnessed him being embalmed and sealed in the tomb. Within three days they saw Jesus in his risen body and had conversation with him in the house at Jerusalem where they touched his resurrected body and watched him eat the same food as they were eating. Afterwards he left them without going through a door or window; he disappeared in a moment from where he had been with them in the house. Paul records in his letter to the Corinthian Church that over 500 people witnessed to seeing Jesus risen from the dead.  

The Essene belief in two or three Messiah’s is contrary to the beliefs of Jesus and his disciples. Jesus taught and demonstrated that he was the Messiah fulfilling the Hebrew prophesies in his suffering and death, resurrection and ascension. He spoke of his return with the angels of God and that there were some standing listening to him say this would see the kingdom come in power. Mark 8:38 9:1.   

The Messiah’s Secret proves that the disciples fulfilled scripture in observing the requirements of Jewish law to form a community. 
The disciples and the followers of Jesus were Jews and they shared the same Hebrew Bible and it’s prophesies with the Essenes and other Jewish groups, the Pharisees, the Zealots and the Sadducees. 

The formation of a Jewish Christian community in Jerusalem has a similarity with the Essene community, but under the rules of the Mishnah in order to set up a community the number of officers required was twelve, one tenth of the whole community.  At that time there were eleven disciples, and there were one hundred and twenty gathered at the house in Jerusalem. Therefore they brought their number up to twelve to comply with the rules. More importantly, it was in response to the fulfillment of scripture, ‘His office let another take,’ Matthias became the twelfth disciple.   Acts 1: 15, 20, 23. Peakes Commentary page 778 Cf. Mishnah (Sanh.1 with a small six)
The disciples expected Jesus to return soon after Pentecost. Acts 3: 17 end. 
Jesus himself hoped to return within their life time. Mark 8 : 38. 9: 1. John 21: 21. Acts 1: 11.                                                          
The disciples were to be about their master’s until he returned. Mark 13: 32-37.  

Essenes and Christians were called sects by the Jewish authorities. The high priest and Jews at the trial of Paul before Felix referred to Paul as a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. Paul’s response, “But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers.”   Acts 24: 5, 14. 28: 22.
The Jewish Christian Community proclaimed Jesus to the members of the Jewish ruling council that Jesus was the nation’s Messiah and he that would return. Acts 3: 17 end. 4: 8-12. 5: 29-32. 
The disciples and followers broke bread in their homes whilst the temple sacrifices continued. The baptism spoken of by Peter continued and the Holy Spirit was received by thousands of people. The healing ministry of the disciples and followers continued as all still continues today.  

The delay in Jesus’ return 
The prophet Daniel prophesied that “And after sixty two weeks (of years) ‘the anointed one’ (the Messiah) would be cut off, and shall have nothing; and the people and the prince who is to come shall come and destroy the city.” Daniel 9: 26 
Jesus hoped to return soon after his ascension, but the response from Israel’s leaders after Pentecost did not allow this to happen. But Jesus also knew that only God his Father knew of the day and of the hour of his return. Mark 13: 32  

Discovered in the 3rd Century   
Origen in his writings mentioned that he used a scroll that came from a jar in a cave near Jericho. 
Ninth century a Nestrum bishop referred to such scrolls as a matter of course. This evidence of the existence of ancient scrolls was never acted upon by Archaeologists. 

Carsten Theide wrote that someday in the future some of the fragments found will be looked at again and the hundreds that had still to be analyzed will reveal their secrets.   

Answered Prayer
After the sermon/blog ‘Isaiah 53’ I asked the Lord to know more about the Essene period. On Thursday 2nd May my prayer was answered, my husband and I we visited Howarth (Bronte Sisters home town in Yorkshire) We go once every year and I like to look in the secondhand bookshops. There is one in particular that has a good Christian selection and  I was delighted when I found and bought Carsten Theides book. I humbly thank you, Lord.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             
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The Messiah’s Secret – A Stone Rolled Away

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The Messiah’s Secret – A Stone Rolled Away

Evening Lectionary   Matthew 28: 1-10, 16-20. Zephaniah 3: 14-end. Revised Standard Bible. Picture – A typical tomb with a huge stone to cover the entrance.                                                                                                          
Seeking Jesus. 
Matthew wrote that the women wanted to see the sepulchre, they were grieving and probably wanted to be near Jesus. When Mary Magdalene and Mary arrived at that tomb, an earthquake occurred and at the same time an angel rolled the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. Matthew 28: 1-10, 16-20

Stony Hearts. 
We can have a stone covering our heart, until it is removed by the operation of God.   John Wesley heard a reading of Martin Luther’s preface to the Epistle to the Romans, and penned the now famous lines “I felt my heart strangely warmed”.   His heart of stone had become a heart of flesh. John Wesley had made the connection were his head knowledge became heart knowledge.  His heart, his soul transformed by the operation of God.  Luther taught that salvation is not earned by good deeds but received only as a free gift of God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ as redeemer from sin.                                                                                  

Paul made the connection with Ezekiel’s prophecy in his letter to the Corinthians and his own experience, “And I will give them one heart and put a new spirit within them; I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh.” Ezekiel 11: 17-20.   How he must have rejoiced in realizing that this prophecy was being fulfilled when he wrote to the Corinthian church.  

“Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some do, letters of recommendation to you, or from you? You yourselves are our letter of recommendation, written on your hearts, to be known and read by all men; and you show that you are a letter from Christ delivered by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. 
2 Corinthians 3: 1-3.           
The letter contains the life in the Holy Spirit taught by Paul and each Christian evangelizing the personal knowledge of the resurrection in Christ. 

Paul knew that Ezekiel’s word was referring to a person coming out from under the law to being under grace. From being motivated by doing things by a set of rules, to the rules becoming part of us, the law written in the heart. The law encourages us to be self righteous by looking to ourselves to fulfill God’s laws, but we fail we can’t keep the law, the system breaks down and we are convicted of our sin by our conscious bearing witness of our creator’s laws.

Smith Wigglesworth in his book “Ever Increasing Faith” wrote, “There is a great difference between a pump and a spring. The law is the pump, the Baptism is the spring. The old pump gets out of order, the parts perish, and the well runs dry. But the spring is ever bubbling up and there is a ceaseless flow direct from the throne of God. There is life.”  

The cross is where Jesus changed us from working like a pump unable to keep God’s law, to being able to keep God’s law through the nature of God being at the centre of our being. 
God’s love for us payed the cost, the price for our sin in Jesus’ death, and changed us from being under law to being under grace in his resurrection. The new order of life in Jesus’ resurrection; we are constantly being filled with the spring of eternal living water straight from God’s throne.

Jesus’ Baptism of the Holy Spirit pointed to in the Hebrew Scriptures.   
 “Then Moses led Israel onwards from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur; they went three days in the wilderness and found no water. When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah, because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah. And the people murmured against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” And he cried to the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.” Exodus 15: 22-25. 

 Baptism 
The desert with its desolation of life it is like having a knowledge of God but not knowing him. The dryness that seeks to quench its thirst is like a person that is seeking Jesus.
The bitter water represents the sin that weighs us down, like a stone. 
The tree represents the cross were Jesus’  death on the cross pardons us from all our sin against God. 
The sweet water representing forgiveness and the receiving of the Holy Spirit. 

From having a distant coldness between ourselves and God, to having a loving heart for God, with his nature, his way of doing things in our hearts. The Lord’s concerns being ours, we will to do the will of God. 
The new life in the Spirit that Paul taught and from the Holy Spirit’s indwelling presence, we love to do the things that are right, pure and holy and we shudder at the things that are wrong. The devil will tempt us and we may fall, but he that is in us is greater. In falling we learn how to stand against the principalities and powers.

Faith and Grace in receiving the Good News about Jesus.
The angel was a messenger of good news telling the women that Jesus was risen from the dead. And he asked the women to tell the disciples “Go and tell the disciples that Jesus will meet them at Galilee.”  

The women became the messengers 
The disciples went to Galilee to the mountain where he had directed them. When they saw him they worshiped him, but some doubted. 

Today we are messengers of the Good News, God can change the hearts of the doubters. 

Moody’s Stories.  
“On his visit to Scotland Moody met a man who wanted the people who he employed to be reached with the Gospel, so he invited them to go and listen to Moody.  One of his employees who he invited declined, as he did not like what he had heard about Rev Moody.  

Moody wrote: “Several times this man was asked by his employer but every time he refused, until after we left town and went away up to Inverness, the employer had some business up there, and he sent this employee to attend to it, in the hope that he would attend some of our meetings. One night I was preaching on the bank of a river, I happened to take for my text the words of Naaman, I was trying to show the difference between men’s thoughts and God’s thoughts. 
This man happened to be walking along the bank of the river he saw a great crowd, and heard someone talking, and he wondered to himself what the man was talking about. He did not know who was there, so he drew up to the crowd, and listened. He heard the sermon, and became convicted and converted right there. Then he inquired who was the preacher, and he found out it was the very man, that he said he would not hear – the man he disliked. The very man he had been talking against was the very man God used to convert him.” 

Moody was trying to show through the true story about Naaman the difference between men’s thoughts and God’s thoughts. God used someone who was his enemy to be the means of his healing of his leprosy.
Israel under Assyrian occupation were enemies of Syria.      ( Syria had recently rebelled against Assyrian rule and had gained their independence.)  Naaman the Syrian Commander had captured an Israeli girl on one of his raids into Israel, and she became his servant and was one of the messengers to Naaman, from her he heard of great healing taking place at the hands of Elisha. 2 Kings 5: 1-16. 

 God acted on Naaman’s faith and by grace he would be healed through the prophet Elisha’s ministry to him.
 In faith Naaman sought permission from his King to make contact with Elisha. The Syrian King could have pointed out that they were enemies with Israel, but that stone was removed by grace. 
The King sent Naaman bearing great gifts of gold, silver and festal garments along with a letter to the King of Israel asking him to heal Naaman of his leprosy. Even though the King of Israel was affronted by this request, by grace Elisha hearing about it, stepped in, convincing his King that it would be good to let the Syrians know that there was a prophet in Israel. 
In faith Naaman went to Elisha’s home he expected to speak directly to him, but instead Elisha sent his servant to him with a message. (another messenger to Naaman.) He was instructed to go and bathe in the river Jordan seven times and his flesh would be made clean. Naaman was angry and at first and refused to do as Elisha suggested. However, he relented persuaded by a servant and he went down to the Jordan and dipped seven times. To his amazement he was healed. Naaman offered a gift to Elisha but he refused to accept it. By grace Naaman was blessed by his enemy, who wanted nothing in return.

I knew a man who had a wonderful Jesus -like gift of healing, I thought of him as a walking Bible, he used to say often to me,“The power’s in the Word Dorothy.” I used to ring him up when I wasn’t well and he would pray for me over the phone and it always worked, as I had faith in his ministry, just like the girl who told Naaman about Elisha.                               
 Mr Oldham died in the late 1990’s, then I had to look to the cross for my healing as I didn’t know anyone with the gift of healing. I take the words that Matthew recorded from Isaiah 53, “He took our infirmitives and bore our diseases”and also he bore the sin of humanity that nailed him to the cross and more importantly Jesus winning the victory over them by God raising him up from the dead. By my faith I expect, my healing through the operation of the Holy Spirit working with the Word, as God my Father loves me and wants to restores my well being. 

A month ago at our evening Communion service I brought a problem that I had to the Lord. I waited until the receiving of the tokens, the bread and the wine I visualized Jesus bearing my problem on the cross and as I handed it over I thanked the Lord for my healing through the victory in Jesus’ resurrection and it worked problem resolved.Matthew 8: 17

This reminds us of Zephaniah’s prophecy. Zephaniah 3: 14 end
“The King of Israel, the Lord, is in your midst, a warrior who gives victory; he will rejoice over you in gladness, he will renew you in his love.  . . . “At that time I will bring you home, at that time I will gather you together; yea, I will make you renowned and praised among all the peoples of the earth, when I restore your fortunes before your eyes,” says the Lord.”


Zephaniah prophesied that God would gather together the Jews under the King, the Messiah. Their king having such love for them. It was expressed in his ministry, in being mighty to save.
At the time of Jesus Jews from every nation where dwelling in Jerusalem. Those who came to faith and joined the community in Jerusalem, after the dispersion of the Christians Peter wrote to the exiled Jews of the Dispersion in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, encouraging them in their suffering as they looked forward to Jesus’ return. 
 Acts 2: 5, 8-10. 8:1.    1 Peter 1 :1.  Zephaniah 3: 14-end.  

“Go therefore and make disciples of all nations.”
Zephaniah had prophesied that their King would be praised among the nations. For the last 2,000 years the message of the good news about Jesus has been received among the Gentile nations. Every generation witnessing to the resurrection of Jesus. He is risen indeed.                                                                                                                                                                                                         

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A Christians View of Freemasonry

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A  Christians View of Freemasonry
This study is based on the study from the book “Freemasonry and Christianity Are they compatible?” The Working Group in response to the name ‘Jahbulon’ the Freemasons give to God, asked the question: How is it then, that Jahbulon is thought to be the sacred name, the name of God on whom the rituals of the Royal Architect are focused, mentioned in each Degree?  It is a syncregistic name for God made out of the name of Yahweh, Baal and Osiris the Egyptian fertility god.
Freemason’s Third Degree – Jesus raised himself from the dead.
Jesus did a complete work of redemption on the cross for all of humanity and the creation. He defeated the devil and his principalities and powers through his blood poured out as the final sacrifice for sin including hereditary idolatry on the cross, where he died. His dead body was placed in a tomb and on the third day Jesus raised himself from the dead. John recorded Jesus saying, “Therefore, my Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to to take it again. This command I have received from my Father. John 10: 17, 18. Jesus in conversation with Martha said, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me though he dies yet shall he live.” John 11: 25. Jesus’ prophecy in John 2: 19, 21. “Destroy this temple, this building with all its rituals and sacrifices, and in three days I will raise it up.” John wrote, “But he spoke of the temple of his body.”

(A contribution to discussion. Prepared by the working Group established by the Standing Committee of the General Synod of the Church of England. Published by Church House Publishing. 1985)

Freemasonry, in its concept of God the Architect, represents or be a party to, an all faiths understanding of religion and representation of God.
Freemasons meet in common respect for the Supreme Being as he remains supreme for that individual religion. Although they may be conscious of addressing their God and their Brother addressing his god in the course of the rituals.
Freemasonry may understand themselves either to be addressing the God of their own religion or to be addressing the God of different religions under one neutral home.
The supreme Degree inspires its members a reverence for Jehovah the eternal Ruler of the Universe.
The Working Group in response to the name Freemasons give to God, asked the question: How is it then, that Jahbulon is thought to be the sacred name, the name of God on whom the rituals of the Royal Architect are focused, mentioned in each Degree?  It is a syncregistic name for God made out of the name of Yahweh, Baal and Osiris the Egyptian fertility god.
Syncretistic – tending to blend opposing parties and speculative systems by minimising differences.
It is the obvious result of juggling of the Hebrew characters is to emphasise the formation of Bal. The name of the Semitic deity bitterly opposed by Elijah and the later Hebrew prophets. To associate this name in any way with that of Jehovah would have deeply shocked them.
The Working Group has concluded that Jahbulon (whether it is a name or a description), which appears in all the rituals, must be considered blasphemous: in Christian theology the name of God (Yahweh/Jehovah) must not be taken in vain, nor can it be replaced by an amalgam of the names of pagan deities.

Freemasons disclaim any practice of religion  
The Working Group in their study of the practices and rituals found that its activities are centred on Temples whose rituals contain references to ‘altars’. Each Lodge has a Chaplain albeit he need not be in Holy Orders
 
The Rituals  
The rituals themselves are allegorical dramas based on the partly factual, partly fictional history of King Solomon’s Temple. The work of Hiram Abiff its chief architect and the Master Mason in command of the construction of the Temple. 2 Chronicles 2: 13 (Huram Abi)  1 Kings 7: 13
Fiction – The story of his murder and in the Holy Royal Architect ritual, the discovery in the foundations of his ruined Temple of the ‘omnific’ word: the lost name of God. 
The candidate impersonates Hiram Abiff – he falls to the floor shams death and is buried. He is raised up by the Worshipful Master. 
 
First Degree Training Board given in Emulation Ritual (Emulation – follow in the footsteps of) 
The usage and customs among Freemasons have ever borne a near affinity to those Ancient Egyptians their philosophers unwilling to expose their mysteries to vulgar eyes,   systems of learning and polity (civil) constitution under signs and hieroglyphic figures which were communicated to their chief priests magic alone, who were bound to solemn oath to conceal them. The systems of Pythagoras founded on similar principle. 
Many are concerned by the secrecy of Freemasonry: if Freemasonry is right, why all the secrecy?’ asks Andy Arbuthnot and many others. In their evidence to the Working Group, the Untied Grand Lodge argued very strongly that the element of secrecy was much exaggerated by their detractors, making the point that Freemasonry, historically, has been exempted from legislation suppressing secret societies considered a danger to the state.  
The Working Group had no difficulty whatsoever in obtaining copies of the Emulation Ritual, one of the several ‘workings’ of Lodges under the Grand Lodge of England. Nevertheless an essential feature of the rituals of the Craft Masonry is that the candidate undertakes ‘without evasion, equivocation, or mental reservation of any kind’, never to reveal to a non-Mason any of the steps, signs and grips and words which are disclosed to a candidate in the initiation ceremonies.
Any good library will have books which contain or explain the “Secrets” of Freemasonry. Yet Craft members continue to swear a solemn oath on the Bible not to reveal secrets, which are not secrets at all. Canon Demant concluded his observations on the Obligations: ‘there is no certainty that the Christian initiate will not find afterwards that he has joined an alien cult’. 
 
Opening prayers. First Degree page 68 Incorporation of familiar Christian prayers.   
 
First Degree. Vouchsafe Thine aid, Almighty Father and supreme Governor of the Universe . . . . to the honour and glory of Thy Holy Name.  
 
Second Degree. There are references to ‘the help of God’ and ‘the blessings of Heaven’; there is an actual prayer.  
 
Third Degree. Almighty and Eternal God, Architect and Ruler of the Universe . . . to pour down on this convocation assembled in Thy Holy Name the continual dew of thy blessing.  
The opening ceremony of the Aldergate Ritual for the Royal Architect Omnipotent – God unto whom all hearts are open, all desires are known and from whom no secrets are hidden, cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit that we may perfectly love you and worthily magnify your Holy name, but words: through Jesus Christ our Lord are omitted. 
 
Freemasons firmly reject the suggestion neither that nor merely the absence, but the deletion, of the name of Christ from their rituals constitutes a denial of him. ‘As Freemasonry is not a religion or a substitute for it, there is no reason why the name of Christ should be mentioned in its rituals. (Evidence from the United Grand Lodge)  
 
Christian opponents of Freemasonry frequently assert that it could just as reasonably be argued that, this being the case, it is unwise, to say the least, to pluck phrases and prayers from undeniable and recognisable Christian liturgies. The identification one with the other is too natural, and too misleading in the light of Freemasonry’s claim that its rituals ‘do not amount to the practise of religion’. Christian belief that none come to God save through Jesus Christ our Lord; and for some, it would appear to be a denial of the divinity of Christ.  
                                   _____________________________________

A Temple made with Human Hands  
Hiram Abiff was under the Law of Moses in his work for Solomon. He was called by Solomon to build his Temple.  This Temple made by hands, by human effort, forced labour and was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and the second Temple built by Zarubbabel and Joshua extended by King Herod was also destroyed by the Romans in 70AD. 
 
A Temple made without Hands 
Jesus’ prophecy in John 2: 19, 21. “Destroy this temple, this building with all its rituals and sacrifices, and in three days I will raise it up.” John wrote, “But he spoke of the temple of his body.” After Jesus died on the cross and was taken and laid in a grave tomb, the body of Jesus having the Temple rituals and sacrifices completed in his life and death: the Passover lamb, the Scapegoat, the final sacrifice for all sin, the perpetual light of the temple, the candlestick, the manna and the shrew bread, the water contained in the laver, the altar of incense, a booth and so on. 
 
The New Jerusalem  
“And I saw no temple in the city (Jerusalem), for its temple is the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb (Jesus).” Revelation 21: 22.  
God resurrected Jesus and gave him a resurrected body. In the resurrected body of Jesus we have the temple of the eternal kingdom and when we come in faith and receive Jesus as our Saviour we enter into his kingdom our earthly bodies become the dwelling place of God’s Spirit. Paul refers to our bodies being the temple of the living God.  
 
“What agreement has the temple of God with idols?  For we are the temple of living God; as God said, “I will live in them and move among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore come out from among them, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch nothing unclean; then I will welcome you, and I will be a Father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.” 2 Corinthians 6: 16-18.                                                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                            
cloud, Dorcas, Feast of Dedication, For-get-me-not, Joppa, Judas Maccabeus, Margaret Thatcher, resurrected body, sheep, Tabitha, Winston Churchill

The Messiah’s Secret – The Resurrection of Christ

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The Messiah’s Secret – The  Resurrection  in Christ.  


Readings Acts 9: 36-43. John 10: 22-30
The picture on the right: For-get-me-nots.

Is it a weed or a plant?  
Herb Robert, Dandelion, For-get-me-nots are they in your eyes a weed or a plant?      
A weed is where it is found in the wrong place: a rose found in a vegetable patch is classed as a weed. Perhaps you don’t agree.
Last week we saw a divided opinion over Margaret Thatcher’s funeral whether it should have been put on a par with Winston Churchill. The outcome on Wednesday the funeral  was a ceremonial service with strands of a state funeral woven into  it.  Both  Margaret Thatcher and  Winston Churchill had a similar style of leadership, strong and determined, but both were in the right place at the right time.

Judas Maccabeus was one of Israel’s great leaders he defeated the occupational armies of Antiochus Epiphanes. The temple at Jerusalem was desecrated by Antiochus. Judas Maccabeus cleansed and  rededicated the temple  in 164 BC. The Feast of Dedication commemorates this event. 

In John 10: 19 we read that there was a divided opinion among the people about Jesus was he the kind of leader that the Messiah should be, so they asked Jesus, “Tell us plainly if you are the Christ.” 
Some of the Jews were perhaps looking for the Messiah to be a man like Judas Maccabeus  who would free them from the Romans. 
Jesus had a commanding presence about him, he spoke with authority on the scriptures. He spoke out when he saw their desecration of the temple: the money changers and the sellers of pigeons, sheep etc  “My house shall be a house of prayer.”   
In John’s account of this incident, he gave the Jews the sign of his resurrection. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  John wrote, “He spoke of the temple of his body.” John 2: 13-22. Luke 19: 45. 

It was unthinkable by the leaders and many of the Jews that God would change from a temple made with hands to one made without hands, to a new constitution and government in this man Jesus. They did not understand that it really was the end of Israel’s system of government with the temple rituals and the ruling body of the Sanhedrin.  God had planned a complete change to one of the ruling presence of God and Christ’s reign over it. The resurrection is to do with this new government of Christ’s kingdom.  

In the reading from the Acts of the Apostles
We see the difference, were once the eleven disciples did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, but now they do. 
The disciples at Joppa did not hesitate to send for Peter who was at the nearby town of Lydda, where he had prayed for a man who had been paralised and he was healed, they asked him to come without delay. At Joppa  a disciples named Tabitha had fallen sick and died. This lady was highly regarded by the church she was known for her good works. 
When Peter arrived he went to the room where Tabitha lay dead. The mourners wept and the widows showed him the garments that she had made. Peter asked them all to leave the room. He knelt down and prayed and turning to the body he said, “Tabitha rise,” and her eyes opened and when she saw Peter she sat up. Peter presented her alive to her friends.  
 However, this was not the resurrection into eternal life. It was a sign of the way, to find the truth and eternal life.  

Paul in his letter to the church at Corinth explained to them that flesh and blood can not inherit eternal life.  “For all flesh is not alike, but there is one kind for men, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. There are celestial bodies and there are terrestrial bodies; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory. So it is with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable.”  1 Corinthians 15: 39-42, 50. 

Three cards with textured material on them. Pass around congregation. 
Just to get the feel of what Paul was saying, I put on card some of the materials that probably Dorcas made her garments from and they differ in texture: linen, sheep’s skin, leather, silk, cotton. Dorcas had a hand in producing garments from them. Just has God has had his hand in creation.

At birth, Jesus had a natural body, in his resurrection, his natural body was raised up a spiritual body.  God had created for him a spiritual body. 
We read from the Gospel accounts, the resurrected body of Jesus had the marks where the nails and spear had pierced his flesh, he ate the same food as the disciples but he was able to walk through walls, and  his body was without blood.  Luke 24: 39-42. 

Our resurrected body will be raised up a spiritual body, a new creation, and we will have our personal identifying marks.  

Moody’s Stories “Moody wrote – A friend of mine was in Syria, and he found a shepherd that kept the old custom of naming his sheep. My friend said he wouldn’t believe that the sheep knew him when he called them by name. So he said to the shepherd, “I wish you would just call one or two.” The shepherd said, “Carl.” The sheep stopped eating and looked up. The shepherd called out, “Come here.” The sheep came, and stood looking up to his face. He called another, and another, and there they stood looking up at the shepherd. “How can you tell them apart?” “Oh, there are no two alike. See that sheep toes in a little; this sheep has a black spot on its nose.”My friend identified them by their markings.” 

So we will be able to recognise our own bodies in the resurrection, but the make up of our bodies will be like that of Jesus. 

Our lives are hidden with Christ, in life and in death. 
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me shall live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.” John 11 : 25, 26.  

At Baroness Thatcher’s funeral service the Bishop of London Richard Chartres in his sermon said: “It is almost as perplexing to identify the “real me” in life as it is in death. The atoms that make up our bodies are changing all the time, through wear and tear, eating and drinking. We are atomically distinct from what we were when young. What unites Margaret Roberts of Grantham with Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven and constitutes her identity? The complex pattern of memories, aspirations and actions which make up a character were carried for a time by the atoms of her body, but we believe are also stored up in the Cloud of God’s being.” 

The uniting of what is stored in the cloud of God’s being, will be joined together with our bodies, when the Lord calls out the church from the earth, those who have died in Christ our bodies will be raised from a grave or from where our ashes have been scattered they will be gathered together. And those who are alive “We shall all be changed in the twinkling of an eye.”  
“Lo! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at  the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. For this perishable  must put on the imperishable, and this mortal nature must put on immortality.” 1 Corinthians 15: 51-53 

“For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the archangel’s call and the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first; then we who are alive, who are left, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air; so shall we always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.” 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18.

This is our hope, that when we are changed and have the resurrected spiritual body like that of Jesus, we put on immortality, the gift of eternal life. After this takes place we go the marriage supper of the Jesus and his bride the church in heaven. 

Early Church in Acts of the Apostles and another view on the Feast of Dedication.
“And the word of God increased and the number of disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith.” Acts 6: 7.

After Jesus’ resurrection a small number of disciples  gathered at the house in Jerusalem. Later after Pentecost the word church was used which means assembly a large gathering of people.  Before the name Christian was used by the believers, several names were used: Apostles, disciples and saints. The chosen disciples of Jesus were the called Apostles the ones who had been with Jesus, the disciples were both men and women as Tabitha was called a disciple and saints was used for all believers. Saints being Godly people. It was at Antioch were the name Christian was first used. Christian meaning a Christ-like person. Acts 11: 26.)  

There were great expectations of Jesus’ return as the disciples went about their master’s business watching for his return. Mark 13: 32-37.  

In the first few chapters of  ‘The Acts of the Apostles’ Peter, John, Stephen and the six disciples and Philip are mentioned as working in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

There soon followed a dispersion of the community at Jerusalem after the stoning of Stephen. Saul  was ravaging the church by rounding up men and women and committing them to prison. After Saul’s conversion the church enjoyed a time of peace, earlier in chapter 9 we read of Saul’s encounter with Jesus on the Damascus road.  Instead of pursuing the disciples and imprisoning them, he began at Damascus preaching in the synagogues, that Jesus was the Son of God and proved that Jesus was the Christ. The Jews  plotted to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down over the wall, lowering him in a basket. 

Saul went to Jerusalem to join the disciples, but they were afraid of him, they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the Apostles  and he declared to them he had seen the Lord who had spoken to him. The Hellenists disputed with Saul and threatened to kill him. When the disciples heard, they sent him off to his home town Tarsus. 

Hellenists.“ Eyre & Spottiswoode Bible notes page 1634” 
“It was commonly understood that Hellenists were Jews who spoke Greek and/or adopted Greek customs, whilst Hebrews were more conservative Jews perhaps native of Jerusalem who spoke Hebrew (Aramaic) and abstained from Greek customs. Even in the early church a certain tension between the two groups was inevitable.”                                                                 

“So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee and Samaria had peace and was built up; and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit it was multiplied.” Acts 9: 31. 

Peter, James the Lord’s brother and John were regarded by Paul as being ‘pillars of the church’ Galatians 1: 19 Peter and James’ letters taught the faith. The church was being built up on the knowledge of Jesus fulfilling the prophesies in the Hebrew scriptures and the working of the Holy Spirit in the saints lives. 

Principal Feast Days in our Churches Calendar   
Epiphany, Easter Day, Ascension Day, Day of Pentecost, Trinity Sunday, All Saints Day and Christmas Day.  

The Feast of Dedication.  
In our Gospel reading the Feast of Dedication coincides with Christmas Day, the birth of the Saviour Jesus Christ. The Feast of Dedication commemorates the re-dedication of the temple to God’s worship. 
In 168 BC the temple at Jerusalem was desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes. Judas Maccabeus recaptured the city and had the sanctuary cleansed of the symbols of idolatry 164 BC the Feast of Dedication was celebrated  and it is revered every year in the Jewish month of Chislev. (Kislev. December) It is also called Hanukkah it begins on the 25th of Kislev and lasts for eight days. 

Jesus in his life laid down and in his resurrection  fulfilled every aspect of temple worship, he fulfilled the ‘Feast of Dedication’ when he emptied the temple court of the money changers who were desecrating the temple and he gave the Jews the sign of his resurrection. “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”  John wrote, “But he spoke of the temple of his body.” John 2: 13-22 
The significance of this feast being mentioned by John was that Jesus was the Saviour of Israel and his body, his life laid down the final cleansing of sin against God. God had prepared a new temple in Christ made without hands.    This was accomplished in the temple of Jesus’ body in being: the Passover lamb, the Scapegoat, the final sacrifice for all sin including the desecration of the temple. He is the perpetual light of the world, the bread of life, living water, the intercessor  between God and mankind, a shelter and so on. Revelation 21: 22. 2 Corinthians 5: 1.

The Jews were undecided about Jesus so they asked him, “Tell us plainly if you are the Christ.”                  
Jesus earlier had spoken about being the good shepherd, “ I am the good shepherd; I know my own and they know me, as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep,  that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will heed my voice. So there shall be one flock , one shepherd.” John 10: 14-16  

Moody’s Stories.  
“Moody wrote – A friend told me about being in an eastern country some time ago, and he saw a shepherd going down to a stream, and he wanted to get his sheep across. He went into the water and called them by name, but they came to the bank and bleated, and were too afraid to follow. At last he went back, tightened his girdle about his loins, took up two little lambs, and put them inside his tunic. Then he started into the water, and the old sheep looked up to the shepherd instead of down into the water. They wanted to see their little ones. The old sheep got them over the water, and led them into the green pastures on the other side.” 

The Jews who heard the call of their shepherd and questioned whether he was in fact their shepherd are like the older sheep who having heard the call of the shepherd, but stood bleating on the banks of the river. The two lambs represent the other sheep who are the Gentiles who God hoped would bring the Jews to recognise Jesus as their Messiah. Acts 13: 46.                                                                                                                      
ambition, disciples in prison, Evening of the Day of the Resurrection of Jesus, fall and rise, hands and feet, Humpty Dumpty, rise and fall., Road to Emmaus, seek the lowest place

The Messiah’s Secret – Fall and Rise

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The  Messiah’s  Secret  –  Fall  and  Rise
        Readings Acts 5: 27-32  John 20: 19-31.

Humpty Dumpty.
A 17th Century Rhyme. The melody commonly associated with the rhyme was first recorded by the composer and nursery rhyme collector James William Elliott in his book of National Nursery Rhymes Nursery Songs published in 1870.                                         
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the Kings horses and all the Kings men,
couldn’t put Humpty together again.
Visual Aid.     
Humpty Dumpty was happily sitting on the wall watching people scurrying by, but something caused Humpty to fall off the wall. 
Was it a gust of wind? (Ask the children to make a sound like the wind.)
Was it the rain?  (Pita, pata)
What do you think could have made Humpty fall off the wall?
Someone may have pushed him off the wall. 
(Humpty fell off the wall by pulling the peg out, parts stuck on with blue tack)

Someone may have been upset by something Humpty had said or done.
The king sent his soldiers to put Humpty back onto the wall, but they couldn’t because he was in bits. (Holding up the arms and legs of Humpty Dumpty.)

When we feel hurt and down hearted because of what someone has said or done to us, there is someone who can help us and that is Jesus. He can mend our hurts and fears when we ask him in our prayers.

Song
The *astrick I have used to indicate the parts left out of the sermon.

The rhyme speaks of the rise and fall of nations and people.  We think of the rise and fall of great Empires like: the Babylonian Empire, the Persian, Greek and Roman Empires and in more recent times the British Empire.  

Politicians Rise and Fall
People in political life rise up to prominent responsible positions: Richard Nixon rose to become the President of the United States of America only to fall when he was implicated in a scandal. The book ‘All the Presidents Men’ was made into a film, echoing the rhyme, ‘The king’s men could not put Humpty Dumpty together again.’  
The film is about the ‘Watergate Scandal’, referring to the failure of the Presidents staff to repair the damage once the scandal had leaked out. 

The Fall and Rise of the Messiah    
In the Bible Simeon prophesied concerning the Messiah it is the opposite, he would fall and rise.      
“Behold this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel.” Luke 2: 34.   
The fall is where Jesus died on the cross and was placed in a tomb. 
The rise is on the third day after his crucifixion and death, God raised Jesus from the dead. 
The prophecy also includes others in association with the Messiah like the disciples.

Later on the day of the resurrection the disciples were gathered in the house at Jerusalem, I suspect that they were broken hearted, confused, and afraid. A sign of their desperation the doors were locked, they had fallen into despair.                                                           

*The disciples were certainly sceptical of Jesus’ resurrection when earlier in the day they heard from the women who came from the tomb telling them that Jesus was raised and they didn’t believe them.   People today are slow to believe, not sure if the resurrection really happened. Taking the word of people who lived 2,000 years ago is questioned by the logical mind.  However, one experience is worth a thousand arguments, we find out that resurrection of Jesus is true when we experience it for ourselves in this life. 

*We understand why the disciples did not believe the women when we read Luke’s account of the evening of the day of Jesus’ resurrection. Two disciples left the house to go to Emmaus, as they travelled along the road, they met the stranger. In their conversation with him they told him about Jesus who had been crucified at Jerusalem and that day was the third day since these things had happened and they had hoped he was the one who would save Israel.  
From these words it would seem that they did not expect the Messiah to come and redeem them on a cross at Jerusalem. Their vision of the Messiah was typified when the crowd hailed Jesus as the Son of King David “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel.” John 12:13. Luke 24: 21. 
The two disciples invited the stranger to stay with them at the village, so he went with them and when they sat down to the evening meal, he broke the bread and they immediately recognised that the stranger was Jesus. Now they believed just like the women who had reported seeing Jesus to them earlier. They returned to Jerusalem, and as they were telling the disciples all that had happened.*
  
In their fallen state of doubts and fears, Jesus came and stood among them saying, “Peace be with you.” He showed them his hands, his feet and his side. The disciples seeing Jesus lifted them up, setting them free from the fear of falling into the hands of the Romans, and the Jews.

Jesus breathed on them the Holy Spirit. Jesus fulfilled John the Baptist prophecy, “He (the Messiah) will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” Luke 3: 16 
Similarly in our fallen state we can find that Jesus is alive and we too can receive the Holy Spirit from Jesus. We come just as we are to Jesus in prayer, reaching out in our fears, maybe confusion or in having doubts and ask the Lord to make himself known to us.

*On the same evening Jesus by the giving of the Holy Spirit opened their understanding of the scriptures concerning Jesus’ suffering and resurrection.* Luke 24: 45 

Jesus gave them his authority to forgive or retain the sins of people.

Acts Chapter 5 reveals the rise and fall of people in the world and were the Apostles were witnessing their faith in their fall and rise.  

At the beginning of the Chapter we have an example of sins retained put into practise by Peter: Ananias and his wife Sapphira. 
   
*Ananias and Sapphira. (I think of them as the Adam and Eve of the New Testament.)
Rise –They joined the community at Jerusalem having been baptised and received Jesus as their Messiah. Signs and wonders were done among the people by the Apostles. The community shared all their wealth and possessions. Along with others they sold a piece of land with the intention of giving the proceeds to the community.  
Fall – However, after they had sold it, they decided to hold on to some of the proceeds. Maybe like Thomas they had some doubts about what they believed and decided to keep some money just in case they left the community. When Peter asked what they had received they lied. He discerned what they had done and said to Ananias, “You have not lied to men but to God.” He fell down and died on the spot. Peter asked Ananias’s wife did they sell the land for so much and she said ‘Yes’ and she too fell down and died.   Even after a person is saved, the devil will sow seeds of doubt. Read the parable of ‘The Sower’. Acts 5: 1-11. Mark 4: 13-20.
*The Messiah’s Secret   
The Apostles were setting up the kingdom of God being about their master’s business until he returned. 
The ruling rod of iron of sins forgiven or retained. Psalm 2. Rev 19: 15. 
They expected Jesus to come with the angels and bring in his kingdom. Mark 9:1. 13: 32-35. John 21: 21. Acts 3: 17 end 
The disciples will judge the twelve tribes of Israel.  Matthew 19: 28.*  

Disciples arrested 
The Jewish council clearly wanted the demise, the fall of the community that had risen up in Jerusalem, so they arrested the Apostles and put them in prison.
During the night an angel open the prison doors telling the Apostles to witness about Jesus in the temple. The captain of the guard went to the prison to bring the men before the council for questioning. He found the sentries on guard and the doors were locked but there was no sign of the prisoners in the cells.

A puzzle to unravel. 
Hand out the box chained and held securely with a combination lock. Clues to the number that will open the lock. There are two numbers in the RSV Bible Gospel reading John 20: 19-31. The numbers 1& 8 other two numbers are 0. Find the combination.  

The Captain heard that they were teaching in the temple, he found them and without violence brought them before the council. They were told not to teach in the name of Jesus. But the Apostles spoke boldly to them saying, ”God exalted him (Jesus) at his right hand as Leader and Saviour, to give repentance to Israel forgiveness of sins.” and that they must obey God rather than men. 

The Lord used this situation to give the assembled high priest and members of the ruling council of the nation the opportunity to bring the nation to repentance. Jesus had given the leaders a sign he would be like Jonah three days and nights in the heart of the earth. The King of Nineveh repented when he heard Jonah’s message. The acceptance of the Messiah was a national calling. Matthew 12: 40, 41. Jonah 3. 

The council had a problem they were perplexed and were unable to stop what they had brought about by crucifying Jesus and they were clearly afraid of the people taking the side of the Apostles this could have led to their downfall. 1 Peter 2: 8. 

Rise and Fall of False Messiah’s 
A member of the council the Pharisee named Gamaliel a teacher of the law, he suggested that these men should leave the room while he had a private word with the members of the council. He reminded them of Theudas who rose up with about four hundred followers, but it came to nothing. Also Judas the Galilean arose and drew some of the people after him, but again it came to nothing they were scattered after his death. Gamaleil’s advice to the council if it is not of God it will fade away, but if it’s of God, the council may be opposing God. Acts 5: 33-39  
The council responded to Gamaleil’s words, they beat the Apostles and told them not to speak in the name of Jesus and let them go.    The Apostles left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer dishonour for the name of Jesus and they continued to teach Jesus as the Messiah.  

The rise of the community continued.  

Today’s Christian’s fall and rise.  
I had a phone call on Easter Monday afternoon from a friend she was wanted to share with me her good news. Her daughter–in-law has become a Christian. 
Her daughter-in-law had been very down at a low ebb. The family seemed to go from one problem to the next problem. Like many people today suffering as a result of our economic situation.   However, on Easter Saturday evening at a meeting at her mother-in-law’s church, that was to change. After hearing the message from the guest speaker she responded by taking a step of faith and accept Jesus as her Saviour. She fell into repentance and was raised up into the Lord’s forgiveness.
Like the disciples at low ebb, she had fallen into despair and like the disciples when Jesus came into their midst he breathed on them the Holy Spirit and their lives were changed. The Lord on Easter Saturday breathed on her his Holy Spirit. 
It is just the beginning of a journey now she will be raised above the storms of life; even in the troughs when things are at their worst she will be strengthened to overcome the situation. 

Despair is a Desperate Companion. 

Despair is a desperate companion for facing the unknown. 
Much rather the funny, dancing loving partner of my journey,
 the spirit of sparkling hope to lighten my load and wash away my tears. 
Perhaps I’m searching in the wrong place; asking the wrong questions. 
O God, midwife of my life, deliver me from anxiety, dispel my fear, calm my racing heart, bring hope to birth again. 

Kate Mcllhagga from the Book ‘Praying for the Dawn’ Ruth Burgess and Kathy Galloway. Wild Goose Publications.    

*Followers of Jesus. 
When we make a decision to accept Jesus as our Saviour, we look to his teachings in order to follow him.   
In the parable of the marriage feast Jesus taught us that we should humbly seek the lowest place and God will raise us up in order to fulfil his work in making Jesus known in the world.
By seeking the lowest place we won’t fall into ambition, were our humanity takes over the Lord’s work. Luke 14: 10 
It is so easy in all sincerity and being zealous to be doing what the Lord Jesus has called us to do, to move from being in that lowest place where we are walking closely with the Lord, in not moving to the left or the right without the guidance of the Holy Spirit. To where through being successful we become ambitious for the Lord’s work in anticipating what should happen next. This brings us under law as we find we have reverted to move forward in the power of self and start to run ahead of the Spirit.*                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

By Dorothy Newton