Jesus the servant

It's Good Friday today and that means time for my annual Easter post. As I am sure I've said before, I hope this is decent and interesting, but it is God who ultimately brings people to Christ, not humans.

I've been doing a lot of pouring of tea and washing-up lately in connection with a major local event I am involved in over the Easter weekend. This has been hard work, but it has been worthwhile and indeed appreciated by many.

Indeed, the thought occurred to me about how they did the washing up in Jesus' time. Apparently involving a lot of sand. Clay pots didn't last very long either and were generally thrown away once broken or used as "scrap paper" for writing on. That is why we find a lot of bits of them on archaeological digs - the landfill of today is the museum piece of tomorrow. Especially with some of our forever plastics...

Jesus would have done the washing up - and a lot of manual work other too. He'd have swept the sawdust from his father's workshop, brought in the carts of wood required for his products and probably sharpened the tools as well. I'd be curious to see what a 1st century saw looked like and I might try to find out afterwards.

Jesus' final act of service before his arrest and crucifixion would have been the washing of the feet at the Last Supper. I imagine this was a task reserved for the lowest servants and slaves in Roman society. Also, you'd have seen some pretty nasty toenails in an era where steel-capped boots weren't really a thing. Yet, Jesus not only voluntarily chose to do this task, despite being master of ceremonies, indeed he actively stopped others from doing it. This was the living God reducing himself to menial status - just before he went even further.

It's this sort of attitude we should seek to emulate in our Christian life. Volunteering to put the chairs away or remove the rubbish from people's tables after the meal. Helping people take stuff out to their car. Even if they say they don't need your help, you'll feel better that you offered. Of course, one should not do something that you are completely unsuited for or which might actually cause you harm - God wants able servants, not injured ones.

If asked to do a task, you should generally accept unless you have a good reason not to. You may well moan under your breath, but remember that you were once reliant on people taking care of you... and will likely be again at some point in your future.

I will finish this post with a song we sing a lot at church.

I wish you and your loved ones all a Happy Easter.

Easter 2025

I was thinking about Pontius Pilate when doing my nightly Bible reading a couple of days. How he was basically a morally corrupt politician, willing to murder an innocent man to maintain his popularity and prevent problems that could bring down the wrath of his superiors on him.

Unfortunately, we have plenty of Pilates in the modern world. I can think of one leader of a major state in the Western Hemisphere that I could arguably apply that label to, not to mention one in the Eastern Hemisphere. I think it will be obvious which ones I am talking about.

Jesus was crucified as it was politically convenient to remove someone who challenged the wealth and power of those at the top of society. But that was not the end of the story and he rose again to clear the way for us to go to heaven.

One day he will return and all the Pilates will be held to account. Presidents and Kings should be warned of this, because one day there will be justice for all.

Happy Easter!

Easter 2024

When someone has been a Christian for a while, it's not always easy to find something new to cover in the Easter story.

But there is still stuff to find. The Palm Sunday service last week mentioned how Jesus was putting his own twist on the traditional triumphant processions of leaders then and now; coming in on a much more humble animal to symbolise the true way of doing kingship.

Also, I recently learned how the fact the son in the Parable of the Prodigal Son having to feed the pigs was the lowest job he could get - remember pigs are unclean in Judaism.

Jesus came to free us from the heavenly consequences of our sin, although that doesn't necessarily mean getting off scot-free on earth. Not by a long chalk in some cases. We are still expected to act in a just and right way, which can mean owning up to our mistakes sometimes. Regardless of how many mistakes we make though, he still loves us. 

Happy Easter everyone.

Easter 2023

Easter has come round again, and I thought that this article was well worth sharing:

Jesus rose from the dead. Here are 3 reasons why we can be confident.

It contains some stuff that I'd not heard before - namely the other "messianic" movements that completely disappeared.

In any event, Jesus died to save sinners - and that's all of us. I know all too well that I sin at least once every single day and sometimes a good deal more. Without Jesus in my life, I'd probably be in a much worse place than I am now morally. He has been my rock and my guide since my childhood, and I wish to continue being a Christian until my dying day. 

That does not mean endorsing everything his followers do - far from it - but it does mean holding fast to the essential truth of his message, about loving one other as he has loved us.

Happy Easter!

Easter Sunday

 

He is risen indeed! Alleluia!

Good Friday

 

He died so our sins might be forgiven and that we would have eternal life.

Thank you, Jesus.

Palm Sunday

 

He knew what was coming. He could have easily avoided it or made it go away. But he did not because of his love for us.

Easter 2021

I must admit that coming up with angles on Easter is difficult; sermons and preaching are not my strong suit. The Lord has given me other talents and I am hopefully using them for his glory.

So, I will happily use someone else's work to showcase the meaning of Easter:

(This video will be removed after Easter, so watch it while you can)

This was a dramatic human story that touched the lives of not only those present, but countless billions afterwards. Jesus' death and resurrection has shaped our world, arguably for the better. I definitely feel that I am a better person because of my Christian faith and I hope my example shines through to others in the way I conduct my life.

Perhaps you want to give it a try? You won't lose anything and you may gain a great deal.

Happy Easter to you all.

The Lord of Hope - Easter 2020

Since the churches have closed, we've been having services online streamed from the home of our minister. They're somewhat shorter than usual as it is rather difficult to sign hymns in a case like this, or to take a collection (people have been advised to use Justgiving or send a cheque when we resume "normal" activity.

It's a pretty unpleasant time for everyone, although of course much worse if you are affected by Covid-19 directly or indirectly. A lot more people are likely to die around the world before this virus is dealt with.

But things will get better and not just with regards to this virus. Things will improve across this whole fallen world. The Risen Lord will come back at some point (we do not know when) and create a new world, where the righteous will live free from the chains of death, fear and sadness.

Happy Easter. Have a good time at home.

It's A Good Thing that The Good Place doesn't actually exist - Easter 2019

One of the best new comedy shows in recent years has been The Good Place, which explores ethical issues in a great way while being really rather funny and highly quotable to boot. It won a Hugo for "The Trolley Problem" and I wouldn't be surprised if "Janets" from the latest run does the same.

The key concept of the show is that whether you go to the "Good Place" i.e. heaven or the "Bad Place" is dependent on your actions in life, with good ones gaining you points and selfish or harmful actions losing you points. It becomes clear over the course of the run that it's a rather flawed system.

And it would be a flawed system in the real world too. Very few of us would be able to get into heaven on our own merits; my attempts to change some of my bad habits this Lent have been an abject failure by my own admission. The good thing is, we don't need to rely on our own merits; Jesus' death on the cross gave us so many points that he could share them around for everyone who follows him... and more. This doesn't eliminate the need to try to be good people - there is no place in heaven for the selfish or evil - but it does mean we don't have to feel bad over every failure.

Thanks, Jesus. To all my readers, Happy Easter.

The world isn't great, but it could be a good deal worse

It wasn't a particularly good Friday for Jesus or his followers and the only mercy is that he died relatively quickly - three hours as opposed to one or two days. However, the Easter story, where our Lord came back from the dead, our path to heaven secured, had a lot more positive impact.

There's a lot of bad stuff going on in the world and with climate change, the return of authoritarian rule and an increasingly uncivil discourse, it's likely to be worse before it gets better. However, without the positive impact of the loving message of Jesus (when properly applied), things might well be even worse. Martin Luther King, William Wilberforce, William Booth and others (there were women, but I've forgotten their names) were inspired by their Christian beliefs to work for positive social change. If it hadn't been for Christianity, the world might well be a less caring place, with more rules-based religion excluding or killing those who were different. Sure, we've mucked up a lot over two millennia, but I think our system of freedom through Christ's blood has been a good thing for Earth.

Have a good Easter everyone.

The danger of Jesus

So, another Easter has come round and it's worth reflecting about the reasons why a group of Jewish leaders got a bunch of Romans to execute him, while violating several legal norms in the process.

Because he endangered their way of life. He challenged their wealth, their power and the injustice they presided over. He showed up their following of 'religion' when they should have been having 'faith'.

And he's still dangerous today. Christians today are still being persecuted and even killed around the world because the freedom he brings challenges the control of tyrants, as well as extremists. His call to love one another challenges the politics of those who wish to divide us.

However, Jesus has won through his Resurrection and will continue to win until the final victory of the Second Coming.

Happy Easter.

Easter 2014

I'd like to wish all my readers a happy Easter. As a Christian, this is the most important day in our calendar and marks the resurrection of the man whose teachings I am proud to follow. Well, try to follow - we all fall short at some point.

Even if you aren't Christian, the impact of Jesus Christ on today's world cannot be underestimated.

Happy Easter!

Good Friday 2013

It's been a year of major change and challenge for the Church, with a new Archbishop of Canterbury and a new Pope, the latter who is demonstrating a great deal of refreshing humility.

Today is Good Friday, the day where Christians remember the execution of Jesus Christ, convicted of no proper crime and yet willing to go to his death for all of our wrongdoings, regardless of what they are.

Religion over the years may have been used for many ill purposes, but for me it has been a great source of comfort - knowing the power of the Risen Christ means that I can face each day knowing that there is something beyond what for many is a hard life and a hard death.

Thank you Jesus.

Happy Easter everyone!

I'm wishing all of my readers a Happy Easter!

Holy Week 2011

It's Holy Week this week. Last Easter I posted seven posts on the subject of Jesus' last week before his death. To avoid repeating myself, I'll link them here. Please take a look at them, hopefully you'll learn something.

Part One
Part Two
Part Three
Part Four
Part Five
Part Six
Part Seven

Happy Easter!

So on the third day, Jesus rose again. The apostles didn't believe it initially. Thomas needed to see proof.

A man triumphing over death is something awesome in itself. However, through this act, Jesus opened the way for us to follow. On the last day, we will be all be raised and those of us who follow Jesus will get our eternal reward. It will be frightening for those alive beforehand, but it will be worth it.

Happy Easter!

Holy Week 6: Dead and Buried

So, Jesus was dead. In fact, they stabbed him with a sword just to make sure. A Jewish leader kindly let Jesus be buried in his family tomb- I don't know where he would have been buried otherwise, but I doubt it would be pleasant.

The tomb was sealed and two soldiers were placed on guard. A fully healthy man would have had difficulty getting out, let alone a dead one.

But the stone would be removed. Clearly you're not dealing with any ordinary man.

Jesus: fully human and fully divine. Omnipotent, omniscient and now, in the Holy Spirit, omnipresent.

There's more awesome to come.

Holy Week 5: Good Friday

Good Friday's name seems like a bit of a misnomer. How can Jesus' death be good?

He was convicted of stirring up rebellion in a show trial. In fact, it wasn't even that- it was done "in camera" at night and with a bunch of bribed witnesses.

Then he was subjected to the most agonising form of execution imaginable, a humiliating barbaric punishment that often took days to kill its victims. The Roman Empire did not allow it be used on Roman citizens (a status held by a minority of Roman people, although Paul held it).

Jesus died in three hours, but those hours would be agonising to watch (especially for his mother), let alone actually experience.

However, it wasn't the action, but the result. Jesus opened the way to heaven for us sinners. Only the shedding of blood could ensure forgiveness in Jewish tradition- and God's son was the ultimate blood price.

That's why we call this Friday "Good".

Holy Week 4: A Final Meal and a Final Night

Today is Maundy Thursday, the day when we remember the Last Supper.

Jesus and his disciples were having the traditional Passover meal, remembering another awesome moment of God, the rescuing of the Israelites from Egypt long previously. Then Jesus said "Take eat, this is my body".

Jesus was symbolising the fact that he was about to become a human and divine sacrifice for the forgiveness of our sins. This was very much his last meal before the horror of the following day.

Now, I was a Doctor Who fan before it was cool. Russell T Davies may be an atheist, but he's worked a fair number of religious metaphors into his scripts.

One scene you may well remember (in fact, you almost certainly do if you watch the show) is that scene from "The End of Time". The Time Lords have vanished and Wilf is stuck in the radiation booth. The Doctor realises that the only way he is going to stop Wilf getting a lethal dose of radiation is to go in there and take it himself.

Now, the Tenth Doctor rather likes being the Tenth Doctor and doesn't want to die. He gives an anguished, angry speech, then he sacrifices himself.

The Garden of Gethsemane is basically what was recreated (it's happened more than once in this show). Jesus, a man who makes the Guardians and the Time Lords look like Paul Daniels, wasn't happy about what he was about to go through.

But he did it. For all us poor Wilfs.