Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel round his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped round him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realise now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
Jesus answered, “A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” Jn 13:1-10

Whilst Peter didn’t get it straight away…

Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility towards one another, because, “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. 1 Pe 5:5-6

…he eventually understood what was going on.

You’re an Owl!

Old and wise, you have a thirst for knowledge and a reputation for making the right decision. This can be a lot of pressure sometimes, but you seem so relaxed and unruffled that it never seems to show. You always keep your eyes wide open and fixed on your next objective, or on the Harry Potter books, which you love. The only question you ever ask is “Who?”

Take the Animal Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Now the summer is drawing to a close, my violin lessons are becoming more regular now. I have a clutch of exercises to do, not very tuneful, but should improve my muscle memory and hopefully, in turn, my intonation. Getting the hang of these grade three pieces as well. This might prove a promising hobby. 🙂

Well, one of those evenings where the both the temperature and the humidity is high – which can only mean one thing – an hour running running around after an inflated leather ball with eleven other men in an indoor arena. Actually, it was strangely fun and rewarding, if not a good way to get some exercise, with the added bonus that we won. 🙂

Afterwards Ally, Dave, Nige and I headed round Sarah’s to help her in her video editing decisions. She had produced a video of our trip in Kenya with the intention of using it as a tool to raise awareness of the Kisima Project and persuade people to sponsor a child. The only problem was that it was too long, and so we’d been drafted in to help her decide which bits were unnecessary. I must admit to being very impressed with what she had produced, and it was hard deciding which bits to cut out. Anyway, we’ve left her with notes and we’ll see what she comes up with.

For the director of music. Of David. A psalm.
I waited patiently for the LORD; he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God. Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.
Ps 40:1-3

The Christian message, as presented in the bible, is quite simple really. Even children can understand it. The idea we are all sinners, deserving of punishment before a holy God isn’t particularly hard to grasp. The idea that God loves us so much, he sent Jesus Christ, God the Son, to save us from our sins. That he died in our place, he took on our sin and is able to transform us in to people who are acceptable before a holy God. As I said, quite simple really.

Spent a very pleasant warm summer evening round James’ place for a barbeque with the usual suspects and others. It was great to be able to sit around, eat charred chicken and burgers, as well as chat and chill with friends. We had a rather large game of empire, with Beth and myself being the eventual victors as no one could remember our names. James had also managed to neglect he was a whole year older, although his wife quickly dealt with that and a cake was duly produced and eaten.

Spent yesterday evening at the church for the concluding holiday club family evening. Throughout the week, children from around the area were invited to the church in the mornings to learn about Jesus Christ and have fun, sometimes at the same time. This was an opportunity for the parents of the children to come along and see what their children had been doing at the club.

Seeing as I was working during the week, I also only attended the evening meeting, so in a way I got a parents’ eye view of the evening.

From the large amounts of cheering and laughter, it would seem the children had a great week, playing games, making things, and learning how Simon Peter encountered Jesus in the bible. For some this may have been their first glimpse at a bible, for others they’d seen it all before. Yet, the gospel of Jesus Christ was for all of them, and their parents, and it was encouraging to hear them reciting well-known verses from the bible.

Who knows what seeds have been sown and where they’ve landed? May God water them abundantly.

Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.
Jesus answered, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.” Lk 13:1-5

Q: What do the scriptures principally teach?
A: The scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

(Question III from the Westminster Shorter Catechism)

A rather busy Bank Holiday Monday! Went to the church in the morning to help set up the facilities for the Holiday Bible club which is being run this week. After that task was complete, the usual suspects and myself trekked down to Osterley Park to have a picnic, kick a football around and just chill. The weather was glorious and sunny, giving us ample opportunity to enjoy the day. In the evening, we bundled into David and Tim’s house for a couple of games of Monopoly and to watch Troy on DVD. A good relaxing day.

There is so much in the Christian life which is dependent on God. From justification, through sanctification and glorification, if God is not behind the work we labour in vain. This doesn’t just apply to spiritual work, but also applies to the everyday mundane works in our lives. If anything this applies more to the everyday tasks of life than to the not so frequent spiritual tasks.

Not just in our own lives, but in the lives of others as we seek to care for those around us. Whether it is in the upbringing of young Christians, defending against the attacks of Satan and the world, or safeguarding the church in general. If God is not defending and safeguarding, our attempts are futile.

Yet, God will watch over his people. He will build them up and protect them. So we are not to fret, working as though it all depended on us. Yes, we are to work diligently as for God, but we are also the realise it is his work and he will do it and bring glory to his name.

Even the youngest child of God can be used by him for his glory. Godly children can be a great blessing, taking the spiritual battle to the enemy and stopping attacks before they surface.

Saw The Island this evening at the VUE cinema in Staines.

The story is classic sci-fi fayre, with an individual who questions his existence, questions the reality he is presented with and eventually discovers true reality and breaks free from the false reality. Actually I suppose this isn’t just confined to sci-fi, but is also the point of films like American Beauty as well as the more obvious The Matrix.

In this case, set in the not-so-distant future, the film opens with an individual who is part of a small band of survivors, who have found a safe abode after a global catastrophe leaves the rest of the earth uninhabitable. He begins to question his surroundings, indeed his whole existence. It turns out he is a genetic clone of a human being living in a perfectly habitable Los Angeles and has been bred for the sole purpose of spare parts.

This film raises all sorts of ethical questions about cloning. Would genetic clones be classed as human beings? What is it to be human? Would they have a soul?

The relevance of this fiction with the world around us today is stark, with cloning technology developing and raising these questions before anyone even thinks it through. Even more dismaying is that society justifies the killing of thousands of unborn human beings every year with the same arguments use to justify the killing of human beings in the film.

A film worth watching, with a good mix of explosions, crashes, guns and a spot of intelligent thought thrown in for good measure.

Lately, it seems, I’ve been talking with those around me about toleration. It always seems to be that most people think toleration is only possible with acceptance. The premise that, in terms of faith, everyone is right, and no one can say anyone is wrong. That all truth is relative. Therefore, their thinking concludes that Christians are right, Muslims are right, Buddhists are right, atheists are right etc. (I think you get the picture…hopefully).

Now, most people I converse with know I’m a Christian – whatever they think that word means. Some even know I’m an evangelical, even if they confuse the term with evangelistic (not that the two are mutually exclusive). What they do understand is that all Christians are commanded to love everyone, although the possible motivation for that love is a mystery to some and possibly misunderstood completely by others. So far so good they think, as this doesn’t appear to contradict with what they think about tolerance.

Imagine their surprise when I say that truth is absolute and that Jesus Christ is the only truth and that conversely, all other religions are fundamentally false. If the bible is true and Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life, nothing else can save us from our sin. Not only have I not accepted what other religions say as truth, I have emphatically stated absolute truth. This confuses many – how can I not accept the beliefs of others as truth and still love them? How is it possible for me to have friends who are atheists, Muslims, Sikhs, Buddhists etc.?

Apart from the logical absurdity of the concept of all truth being relative, why should I have to accept that what other’s believe is true, especially when what they believe directly contradicts what I believe? On the flip side, why shouldn’t I love those who disagree with me? Why do people think we should all agree before we can live in peace with each other? After all, if you really think about it, people disagree on lots of things without coming to blows. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and should be free to disagree with me and be allowed to say so. This doesn’t mean I should beat anyone who disagrees with me.

So toleration of other’s beliefs is not the same as accepting their beliefs as truth. Similarly, not accepting someone else’s belief doesn’t mean I should go out and physically attack them.

After a short chat with most people, they’ve changed their ideas on tolerance and acceptance. I do wonder why they thought like that in the first place though…

Q: What is the duty which God requireth of man?
A: The duty which God requireth of man, is obedience to his revealed will.

Q: What did God at first reveal to man for the rule of his obedience?
A: The rule which God at first revealed to man for his obedience, was the moral law.

Q: Wherein is the moral law summarily comprehended?
A: The moral law is summarily comprehended in the ten commandments.

Q: What is the sum of the ten commandments?
A: The sum of the ten commandments is, To love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our strength, and with all our mind; and our neighbour as ourselves.

(Questions XXXIX, XXXX, XXXXI and XXXXII from the Westminster Shorter Catechism)

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