Category: Faith

The King who washes feet

washing-feetPeter looked on with horror as the person who he had recognised as the Son of the Living God, got up from a meal they were sharing, took off his clothes and wrapped a towel around himself. He poured water into a basin and did the job of the lowliest of servants as he started  to wash the feet of his disciples and dry them with his towel.

Peter was in a turmoil. How could his Lord, Master and Teacher stoop so low and be a servant? How can I let him wash my feet? I should have washed his feet when we first arrived but I thought one of the others would do it.

Continue reading “The King who washes feet”

Good news for the poor

African BoysTwenty five years ago when I was in the development phase of starting a new charity (Kingscare), the general mood among Christians was that helping people at a practical level, though fundamentally ‘a good thing’, was thought to be of secondary importance to preaching the Gospel and getting people ‘saved”. It was an ‘either/or’ thing.

The Gospel was seen as purely spiritual, and giving people ‘a ticket to heaven’ was sometimes seen as far more important than feeding the hungry or setting slaves free from people who would exploit them. But those days are ending and Christians are seeing that we need to follow the teachings of Jesus, not just see him as Saviour.

The good news of the gospel is for everyone, and for the whole person. Jesus came so that we could have life, spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. We do not have to choose between a Jesus who died for our sins, and a Jesus who “went around doing good” (Acts 10:38). It is not ‘either/or’ but ‘both/and’. Pitting the spiritual against the physical and practical is a false dichotomy. Continue reading “Good news for the poor”

Tolerance and understanding

The Best of Chris Rea
The Best of Chris Rea (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

When I was involved in local politics, people of other political parties were automatically regarded as misguided, to be pitied, despised or just plain stupid. Arrogance was common and I had to struggle not to be taken up by the prevailing attitudes and struggle to avoid that way of thinking. The fact is, that I have met some lovely people, whose political views may be offensive at times, but who really care about the community.

Learning tolerance is a process for me. It does not mean that I need to compromise my own views, but I must be ready to see other people’s point of view even if I can’t agree with them.

What is true of politics is also true of different belief systems concerning God. I was brought up to believe that other religions were evil, and people who do not believe in God at all were stupid. I now try to be more tolerant and more understanding of other people. Continue reading “Tolerance and understanding”

Defending or Demonstrating our faith

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Defending or demonstrating his power?

Do we need to defend our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Do we need to defend our moral standards? Does God need defending against those who don’t believe in him, or is God perfectly able to defend Himself?

We are called to let the Kingdom of God rule in our own lives and extend his Kingdom in the world around us until, “The earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea”. In seeking to bring more of God’s kingdom in the society in which we live we are meant to put our faith into action and lead by example rather than seek to impose our moral standards on our fellow human beings.

Continue reading “Defending or Demonstrating our faith”

Blessed are the Meek

Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth
Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth

Jesus said, “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth“. The word ‘meek’ has become devalued over time and this statement sounds as though Jesus was saying “Blessed are the weak …”. So, who are the ‘meek’, and how will they inherit the earth?

The meaning of meekness

  • Meekness in not weakness.
  • It means having strength but under control.
  • It involves speaking out against injustice when it involves our fellow-man more than when our own rights are affected. Continue reading “Blessed are the Meek”

O Holy Night

Celine Dion performing "Taking Chances&qu...
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This Christmas carol is a favourite of mine and is unsurpassed in terms of melody and lyrics.Versions have been sung by Mariah Carey, Celine Dion, Sara Groves, David Archuleta, Nat King Cole and many others (not forgetting the choir that Christine and I are a part of). Words vary a lot and verses are often omitted, but here is one version of the lyrics, along with my comments.

O holy night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of our dear Saviour’s birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining,
‘Til He appear’d and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.

Fall on your knees! O hear the angel voices!
O night divine, O night when Christ was born;
O night divine, O night, O night Divine. Continue reading “O Holy Night”

It came upon a midnight clear

Sunset in Devon by George Dowdell

When I was in my teens, several things influenced and shaped my life. This carol was one of them. The angels were announcing the beginning of a new era which would affect every man, woman and child. The world would never be the same again!

It came upon a midnight clear,
That glorious song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold:
“Peace on the earth, goodwill to men
From heaven’s all-gracious King.”
The world in solemn stillness lay,
To hear the angels sing.

The language is somewhat poetic but speaks of an event so significant that the angels just had to announce the birth of Jesus, the son of God. But the priests in the temple didn’t hear the angels. Herod in his palace didn’t hear them.  Only some simple shepherds heard the news, and heard the angels praising God that this event would have such a momentous effect which would eventually result in a peaceful world. Continue reading “It came upon a midnight clear”

Is Faith a blind leap?

 EigerTo someone who does not believe in God, or to someone who is undecided, it would seem that believing in God is like taking a leap into the unknown – “the blind leap of faith“. People require proof. Without proof it may seem foolish to stake all on something without evidence. But is that really true that faith is a blind leap?

Some Questions

  • Can we, who have put our trust in God, prove to others that we are right?
  • Can we prove to ourselves that what we believe is true?
  • Does an atheist need faith to stake all on his belief that there is no God?
  • Is there more to human existence than what we can experience through our 5 senses?
  • Continue reading “Is Faith a blind leap?”