John Denver’s song title makes an apt title for this Journal entry too, probably my last one until mid-August when I return, also on a jet plane - an Emirates Airbus, the giant A380. But unlike the song lyrics, my bags are not yet packed, nor am I ready to go, and with a return ticket I actually do know when I’ll be back again… er, trusting all goes according to plan.

I know I have flown on many flights, and over great distances, but flying is really not something I look forward to overly much. However, when you live down the very bottom of the planet (”bottom” according to my Northern Hemisphere friends, that is!) then, if you want to go anywhere much, there are not too many options.

I’m told that the odds of myself coming to grief are far more likely on the roads, in a car accident back home, than in any aircraft incident. Statistics are supposed to be comforting here, but two airbuses have recently crashed and nobody on board survived the experience. Oh-oh, I really should not be thinking of that, should I? And they were not the giant A380.

One of the things about flying is that you give up control concerning your life, as you do when having a general anaesthetic, to others plus technology. Sitting in an aircraft 35,000 ft above the Pacific Ocean, I have relinquished control over my life to the people and computers that make sure the sophisticated winged metal tube enclosing me is doing what it is supposed to be doing, and the materials and workmanship relating to that metal tube and all its necessary parts likewise. I have to trust that all will be well, or I’d just not go.

When it comes to trust, I am aware that trust is not just a simple blanket operation that applies to everything for everything - or it should not be in a prudent intelligent being. For instance, I trust my dentist to repair my tooth, but not necessarily to lay a spanner on my car. Likewise, I don’t trust a mechanic to fix my tooth. I do trust both to cause some pain in my wallet, though!

For a Christian there is more to the story than just trusting people and technology. If you believe that God is the creator of all, and that He is Sovereign over His creation as well, then there is sure comfort in knowing that there are no “maverick molecules” - nothing that happens outside His Will for each of us. Everything to do with each of us remains in His hands, so to speak. That does not necessarily mean that any flight I take wont end in disaster, or that He has decreed it to happen if it does (as He has decreed His moral law) except in the sense that He has determined gravity exists, a pull exerted towards Earth’s centre, and that all kinds of unpalatable consequences do occur due to the fallen nature of this world. However, it does mean that He has it all under His control even though people and technology will fail and natural harm will come of that. The only grief that I come to will be what He has allowed to happen, He whose wisdom and love is far greater than I can ever humanly estimate. I cannot even begin to fathom what good things He has in store for me eternally. If I judge His wisdom and love by my own limited human wisdom, I am simply going to come unstuck. So will you too if you say “because this awful thing happened, God did not care” or “God is not in control after all”. You will be stuck in your own limited human perspective, seeing the horizon from the beach and saying there are no ships out there, rather than standing on top of the cliff behind you and seeing the shipping way out to sea.

Because I am human, I naturally want to have a safe trip. I have a son whom I’m leaving behind for the duration, and other family and friends. I pray for a safe journey, and for their safety back home. But I am aware that the unexpected can happen, that plans don’t always work out, that things can change in less than a blink of the eye. I pray and trust that God will keep us all safe from harm, but should harm happen anyway (because that is the nature of this fallen world) then I do know that it did not happen without God being there, but within His wise and loving purpose for us all. Disbelief will give you more pain than necessary, all that is not of faith being sin, and our tiny finite minds are simply not up to the task of judging the wisdom, love and mercy of God.

Dubai and London, here we come! God bless you all, readers of Judah’s Journal, and I plan to be back posting again later in August.

Evil prevails when good people do nothing.

Brigette Gabriel, a Lebanese Christian now living in the USA, delivered an important speech at the Intelligence Summit in Washington DC, back in February, 2006.

Now Ms Gabriel has written an open letter in response to the speech recently given by President Obama in Cairo, Egypt, wherein she makes some critically important points, all of them based on objective historical evidences and sound knowledge and experience of Islam.

This is an important letter to read. You will find a copy of her letter added here on Judah’s Journal. Scroll down to the first “Newsflash” heading.

Hat tip: Mark Alexander

Back in December 1989, a tiny kitten, born no more than 6 weeks earlier, was abandoned in the bush and left to die. She was found a day or two later in a pitiful state and taken to a shelter for abandoned animals. A few weeks later a family, the parents and a 2-year-old little boy, went to that shelter to seek a kitten to add to their family. They were told about Puss, and there was “just something” about her that said she was meant to be theirs. We were that family, and we took her home where she became a greatly loved and treasured member of our family.

The most outstanding thing about Puss was her very sweet and gentle nature, and the affection she had for her three humans. She owned us; we were hers. Far from being stand-offish, as many cats are, this one was not - or rather, not with us. She would reach out with her paw to touch gently, just to say she would like our attention. The next most outstanding thing was that Puss never bit or scratched anyone. On a couple of occasions she did cuff her 2-year-old playmate with a paw when he clearly deserved it, just as though he might have been one of her own kittens had she been allowed to have babies, but never with her claws out. If he really got too much for her, she simply left the scene. How much she had to teach humans!

Puss had her hilarious moments, and she gave us much entertainment and laughter. A couple of stories can be found here.

Puss died last night. She was 19½ years old, a member of our family for a substantial length of time. On Wednesday afternoon she was fine. By late Wednesday evening we noticed her right eye was swollen, weeping, and looking rather ghastly. In fact it looked as though it was protruding and not in alignment. We took her to the vet first thing on Thursday morning and she was admitted to hospital and given IV pain relief pending a general anaesthetic for investigative procedures. The most likely diagnosis at her advanced age was a brain tumour behind the eye. On Friday a decision had to be made. Puss would not recover and she was suffering. It would be merciful to “let her go”.

How distressing it is to say these goodbyes! I cradled her in my arms as the vet gave her some sedation to make her a little groggy, telling us that she would be aware I was holding her and that we were there. When I gave the nod he injected the overdose of phenobarbitone. I felt her little body go limp, then the last little twitch, and after a minute the vet listened to her heart and told us she had gone. We are left with that awful aching emptiness now, and the intermittent waves of grief. I had not anticipated that the loss of a pet would have affected me so much, as it has for each of her three humans. Puss leaves quite a hole for all of us. She just isn’t there when you expect her to be, and I catch myself taking her into account when there is no longer the need to do so.

Some of my friends like the story of Rainbow Bridge, said to be the place where pets go after death to wait and greet their owners when their own time has come. I have wrtten about Rainbow Bridge, from a Christian perspective and in relation to revealed truth, elsewhere on Judah’s Journal. I wrote back then that I don’t know if this story is true or not. I have no way of knowing for certain. It is a kind sentiment, and it presents an image not unlike one that is commonly held of Heaven - a place where all is well. There is an assumption that such a place exists for animals, and an assumption that the animals we love will indeed go there. But I am not so sure of the level of comfort I would personally derive from a story that came from “author unknown” and must be regarded as fantasy unless we can find some truth to support its claim to be otherwise.

Right now, having just loss our beloved family pet, I can say that I am not particularly comforted by this story, but what does mean far more to me is the message from a Christian friend, DKC, the gracious host of this website. What he told me was this: One thing I know, God loves us and He is compassionate. And he loves and cares for all His creatures. Whatever the reality is, it will be better than anything we could imagine ourselves. And we can imagine some pretty good things.

“But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.”

“Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.”

Those two verses are 1 Corinthians 2:9 and Ephesians 3:20,21 respectively.

Given a story from human imagination, and revealed truth from a compassionate and loving God whose love for us is greater than we can ever imagine, I think I know which I believe more than the other, and which is therefore of real comfort and promise. Thank you, DKC, for reminding me of those verses. I do not know if Rainbow Bridge exists, but I most certainly know that those verses are worthy of leaning upon when such a loss is so keenly felt.

It seems like only yesterday! It was summer… those long hot carefree days that, in my childhood fantasy, were destined to last an eternity. We scrambled all over this large dome of rock, knowing every pothole, every safe hollow in which to place a foot and a hand. We would watch from above as the tide turned and the water rushed into the large caverns below, rush out again to regroup and come back, each time pushing in a little further, hitting the rock to throw up fountains of spray, dousing our eagerly peering faces. We would laugh at each other, taste the salt on our lips and brush tangles of wet hair out of our eyes. Summer days were meant to last forever… just as the sea and the salt and the sand and the sun would surely do so as well.

Cave Rock, Sumner Beach, Christchurch, New Zealand. This watercolour sketch was painted by artist, Peter G. Leitch. There is no copyright mentioned on the reproduction greeting cards that remind me of those days long ago. I hope if Peter should see his handiwork here that he will know it is only because I treasure it enough to draw attention to it, and similarly to the one below of Shag Rock, marking the other end of the sandy expanse where I played my eternal childhood summer days.

Shag Rock, Sumner Beach, Christchurch, New Zealand. There we waded sandal-footed in rock ponds, squatting in them getting our bottoms wet, searching for crabs and starfish, or picking out fascinating shells, the discarded little houses of various other sea creatures. The shags would perch high upon the rock and watch, no doubt hoping we would turn over and leave for them some tasty titbit for their tea.

Time moves on. Now another generation of children assume our places, engage our activities, roll over the countless endless days of the calendar as I and my brothers give them up to fond memories. The sea rolls in and out of those caverns under the dome just as before. The rock pools fill and empty, and fill up again, just as before. The shags and gulls are still perching there - or their descendants are - and waiting patiently for the offering of another snack.

Does anything last eternity? Even memories fade, presumably one day to be extinguished by that Grim Reaper who appears scythe in hand as our final heartbeat beats and in doing so has gone. Time moves on without us. And we move on into timelessness, into the realms of eternity.

Any frequent visitor here could rightly predict my own belief about what exists beyond, one that was long ago revealed to us. There is indeed an eternity and how we live our lives here really does matter, and matters greatly. No moments are truly lost, no words or thoughts or deeds. We meet with them again, and they will sift and measure us against our Creator’s yardstick. Would you seek justice? None of us will receive injustice at His hand, but think carefully if it is justice that you seek. As idyllic as those childhood memories pose themselves, even as supposedly “innocent” children playing on the sand, laughing at the surf and at the shags, we must surely know deep within us that our souls were not truly free at all, not even in entertaining our very best desires. Who wanted the best view, the best foothold, the longest turn, the most shells, the best shell, the only crab, the biggest starfish, the dry towel, the unbroken bucket, the shared spade, and not to go home just yet when we should? Those who know that they were never ever truly innocent, who know they have always had a natural inclination toward self gratification and promotion at the expense of others… they will not be so keen on justice when eventually their eternity comes face-to-face with them. No matter my own very best memories such as these of Sumner Beach, rather than justice it will be mercy that I seek, and there is only one Redeemer given us in whom that will be found.

After 4 years of the same, it was surely time for Judah’s Journal to suffer a little redecorating. Those who have visited before, and remembered anything about what they saw, may notice a new header photo, new clickable buttons, and a new appearance to many of the other pages of Judah’s Site.

The Seaward Kaikouras are the eastern aspect of the Southern Alps where they extend down to the rocky coast line in the vicinity of a little fishing village known as Kaikoura. It is very much on the tourist route, a place where folk love to dine on freshly caught crayfish and go out in boats, or up in light aircraft, for a spot of whale watching. It is a very scenic part of the country, and a favourite place of mine. I love the Southern Alps, the mountainous backbone of the South Island of New Zealand. As a South Islander, I like to claim those majestic Alps as my own. Of course they are not… but I do feel as though both they and I belong to each other in some fundamental way. The photo which forms the header for Judah’s Journal, and also for Judah’s Site and each of the website pages, is one that I took recently of those same mountains. I am no climber, but they certainly are great to admire from where I stood with my camera.

Check out the other pages here, especially Judah’s Crafts, by using the clickable buttons at the very bottom of this Judah’s Journal page. Some redecorating has already taken place, but there is still more to come yet.

I was recently involved in a discussion concerning Freemasons after visiting a museum featuring that international organization, also widely known as “The Lodge”. It was just a little museum in a small town west of Nelson, in the South Island of New Zealand. All secrets were to be revealed to those prepared to visit and see for themselves what worthy things these people were about. This museum was especially interesting to me as I had also been reading a forum discussion on this very same topic on the UK based Anglican Mainstream website, and had done a little research for myself. Check it out here if you are interested.

Yes, as the museum testified, the Freemasons did look to be admirable types, men prepared to step up and meet human need where they saw it existed, and fend for each other against all kinds of assaults on human dignity. They were the brotherhood of man, readily acknowledging each other as such through various conventions devised by their organization. A number of well known members were featured in this museum, and the good works they had done were exposed to advertise the worthiness of the cause.

A great number of Christian denominations, Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Orthodox, have all declared membership to Freemasonry as incompatible with the Christian faith. Why is that so? What are the concerns? The Anglican forum thread to which I have linked already outlines many of the reasons, and much of the debate.

One big issue is the identity of “The Great Architect of the Universe” and that this “creator being” can be anything you like, and that each member chooses who it is for himself, and all members will accept the relative validity of that choice the individual has made. But this is cultural relativity that denies Christian truth, and it is the promotion of universalism, a position that is most definitely unChristian. Freemasons propose that a generic being is the architect of the universe. Christians absolutely do not believe the architect of the universe is a generic being. No way! He has a name - YHWH. And His name is holy. There is none other, and we are absolutely not to do or say anything to suggest that there is. That is denying our own God for Who He IS. To become a member of an organizarion that does so is to bear false witness by association. We are to be holy - that is, separate - for He is holy.

Who is the Boss, do you think? Who is the Supreme Being, the one Creator God who is Sovereign of all? Christians take note of whom it is recorded in Isaiah 46…

3. “Listen to me, O house of Jacob, all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth.
4. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you.
I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.
5. “To whom will you compare me or count me equal?
To whom will you liken me that we may be compared?
6. Some pour out gold from their bags and weigh out silver on the scales;
they hire a goldsmith to make it into a god, and they bow down and worship it.
7. They lift it to their shoulders and carry it; they set it up in its place, and there it stands. From that spot it cannot move. Though one cries out to it, it does not answer; it cannot save him from his troubles.
8. “Remember this, fix it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels.
9. Remember the former things, those of long ago;
I am God, and there is no other;
I am God, and there is none like me.
10. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.
11. From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that will I bring about; what I have planned, that will I do.
12. Listen to me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are far from righteousness.
13. I am bringing my righteousness near, it is not far away; and my salvation will not be delayed. I will grant salvation to Zion, my splendour to Israel.

So, for a Christian to belong to an organization which gives the gods of other religions the right to assume the place of our Sovereign Creator God, that Christian defies the teaching of his own faith, and the teaching of God Himself. Here is a major element of incompatibility.

The conversation I had most recently also put it very well, but from a very different position. There was contempt shown for the churches who objected to the conventions of Freemasonry. These were all good people, I was told. Good by human standards, of course. These were people who did good things and got along peaceably with each other. Good things by human standards, of course. The churches deserved to lose membership if this was their stance! Such narrow-minded bigotry they exhibited! No wonder there are so few in the pews these days!

Oh oy, oy, oy! Just who are we to say which god is to sit on the Throne? Is it for us to be telling our Creator that He must share, and that the Freemasons are right to allow everyone’s god to take that place? Just who is the Sovereign Lord, and just who are we to pick and choose among the others who are not? The true church does not have membership of those who do not believe in Him, so they are not losing anyone other than those who never belonged in the first place. The “brotherhood” of Freemasonry is not that of the children of God who belong to a spiritual brotherhood all of their own, the one with God as Father, and Jesus as Lord and Saviour. We need to be very certain just who He is, the One who created all things, and Who is to be worshipped and glorified.

Isaiah 46:9 I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me.

The photo above is three photos, taken by myself early one morning this week, and merged manually in Photoshop by myself to show a panoramic view of the eastern coast of New Zealand’s South Island, at the little fishing town of Kaikoura. This is a beautiful part of my country, and a favourite place of mine. All glory to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and Who is the Creator and Sovereign of all.

Well, I would never have thought it! I’ve been keeping this up for four years now and the ink in my pen has not run dry… or not quite, not yet. Since this time last year, there have been added a further 40 posts and 72 comments. Not great in numbers by any means, but it has been estimated that there are more than 200 million former bloggers (and probably a great many more by the minute) who have ceased posting to their online diaries after the initial novelty had worn off. I’m not one of them yet.

What happens to “dead” blogs? I hear they become “dotsam” and “netsam” - that is, unwanted objects bobbing around out there in cyberspace, the cyber equivalent of flotsam and jetsam.

I recently received one of those spam comments that had glowing praise for my posts, then asked the reason for the existence of Judah’s Journal. The person (or robot?) claimed to live in Latvia (that might have been so) but his IP address was based in Amsterdam and using a network widely known in association with spamming problems. However, the reason for the existence of Judah’s Journal is clearly set out right here. Four years on and that is still the purpose to which I write.

Jesus was well and truly dead. He had been thoroughly scourged before being nailed to the cross - that is, repeatedly beaten and whipped with a 3-lash scourge that had pieces of bone or metal attached to the ends, tearing into the skeletal muscles to set the stage for circulatory shock. A crown of thorns had been pushed hard down on his head. Crude nails that were between 5 and 7 inches long and almost half an inch square had been hammered through his wrists and feet. The cross had been lifted upright such that his full weight had him hanging from it. Then after some time, when the soldiers decided he was dead, just to be certain they speared him through the ribcage, his right lung and pericardal sac and heart pierced releasing both blood and pleural fluids. Doctors tell us that just that wound in itself would have been fatal. Most unusually, his legs were not broken - but there was no need to do so as he was already undeniably dead.

Pilate required, and was given, official assurance that Jesus was dead. Any assumptions that Jesus was not dead after all that, and had only just swooned, fly right in the face of modern medical knowledge.

Later his body was embalmed in up to 100 pounds of spices and bound in bandages, these hardening as the spices and pastes dried. Even had he only swooned as some have suggested, and then woken up in the tomb, he was firmly encased. After an ordeal like that, who would have the energy to break out anyway? He was stuck!

The tomb had a huge stone weighing up to 2 tons rolled across its entrance on a carved downward track, a seal fixed across it, and a Roman guard set in place. The seal served to prevent any duplicity by the guard such that he might help in surreptitious removal of the body. Roman guards were beaten if they fell asleep on the job, even executed, and dead men for certain if they quitted their post. Everything possible was done to prevent a resurrection - Jesus coming out of the tomb - as the rumours of the prophecy (and the words of Jesus himself) had already circulated that such was going to happen.

But on the third day afterwards, the seal was found broken, the stone moved and the tomb empty except for the grave clothes. Opponents of Christ at the time have not disputed that fact. When the disciples proclaimed the resurrection, and the message of the Christians grew bolder and spread further, their oponents could have easily silenced them by producing the body - had they stolen the body. Indeed, a number of points refute the claim that the body was stolen, not least of them being the great number of witnesses to the post-resurrection appearances of Jesus, a total of over 500 people in various situations and groupings, people of integrity and where there is no evidence to undermine their testimonies, and also disbelieving hostile witnesses who were subsequently convinced it was Jesus.

Examine the evidences yourselves and try to refute them. Click here.

“What things?” asked Jesus of the two down-hearted disciples trudging the road to Emmaus. Find out here.

Easter Sunday, the day of Resurrection! Time to grab the Easter Bunny and eat all those eggs! Well, isn’t that how we celebrate? That is how a geat many folks prefer to think of Easter, rather than be faced with the real story of what this day is about. Will you dare to look at the evidence concerning the events of around 2,000 years ago and consider the absolutely massive ramifications that they have… or will you just munch on the chocolate instead?

Previous Easter posts

Greetings Charles!

If you have found my Journal and are reading this, please know that I am thinking of you.

For others who are wondering what this is about, I would like to introduce you to someone who, just a few months ago, was diagnosed with ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, better known in the USA as Lou Gehrig’s disease). This is a progressive motor neuron disease and quite debilitating. Charles is now confined to a wheel chair, doesn’t get around very much anymore, and the disease has virtually paralyzed his tongue, rendering his speech difficult to understand.

He started writing a journal - Charles & Life - to share his life and faith with others. I don’t think this is getting any easier for him, writing a blog, and I am hoping that he gets all the necessary assistance to keep it going for as long as possible. Why? Because he is a man who has much in his heart to share - the frustrations, heartaches, losses and griefs of this hugely debilitating condition in the way that can impart insights to the rest of us, but even more importantly and beyond it all, his love of God and how this helps him to overcome such circumstances regardless. Charles says he chooses to remind himself of specific biblical wisdom – as a man thinks in his heart, so is he (read Proverbs 23).

Meanwhile, there are others unprepared to submit to God’s providence and who are seeking control through voluntary euthanasia. After all, so they reckon, since we must all depart this life sooner or later, if life becomes utterly intolerable, why not depart it sooner by one’s own decision than wait it out until later with no prospect of anything better than more and worse suffering?

As Charles has written about in his journal, it certainly is a matter of choices, but of ones not always considered.

The options are closely related to worldviews. If I restrict my options to the gloomy ones above, based on the view that there is nothing ahead but worsening fortunes, increased suffering, and the infliction of that on others around me by virtue of my needs, then it probably makes some kind of sense to bring an end to matters now. However, I seriously and strenuously disagree with a worldview that is so hugely impoverished. Although it may sound callous to say so, that constricted view shares much in common with the actions of the child who throws his toys out of the sandpit when he cannot get what it is he wants. But I say that with a far deeper compassion than may be appreciated - if you can’t see any compassion there at all. I am not Charles and do not have to cope with the same struggles with which he is faced. But I do know that, as he points out, we still have choices even when damaged nerves and muscles fail, even when losses mount up, even when grief becomes overwhelming. One can (and does!) choose one’s own thoughts, what to entertain in one’s mind. That in turn impacts the “heart”, affecting one’s quality of being, in a way far beyond the circumstances of daily life.

I was touched by the account Charles gave of the help he received from the small group of boys, and the email from one of them later. Who can possibly say that his needs were merely a burden on others? They were certainly not! Those youngsters demonstrated their own growth in understanding, compassion and love for others. Who wouldn’t like friends and neighbours like them? This is a situation where love increases, not where meaninglessness and despair has a place. Charles writes about this as demonstrating the Body of Christ. And so it does. We may see only glimpses of the Big Picture, but we know without a doubt that “in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28)

Charles, whatever the particular future that faces you, and no matter the struggle, the love between yourself and our Saviour will continue to exist. It shines forth from within you, and will remain your witness to others through how you live the rest of your life. To God be the glory. You will be in the prayers of many who read of you here, and who visit your journal. As you will already know…

…in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

(Romans 8:37-39, NIV)

Early in the morning, on New Zealand’s eastern shore, the sun was barely halfway up and barely dressed before the people came with rods and bait, willing up their breakfast feast from Neptune’s salty store.

I will make you fishers of men, I heard His words once said, and remembered how He told them then that life was more than bread.

The light was shining in the east and spread across the bay, gilding touches to sea and sky with all their shades of grey. No ball of fire, no solar disc, no heat to scorch the air but just a glimpse of glory hidden out beyond the sphere.

I am the light of the world, I heard His words again, and remembered how He told them all to follow Him and then no more would darkness reign.

The people stood and faced the light, but watched their rods and lines, or clambered up the driftwood beach not looking at the signs.

If you love me, my commands obey, I heard my Master say, and watched the people pack their things and blindly drift away.

They left me standing on the beach gazing at the light, seeing only He who beckons me, a captive to His might. My line is cast, the sea is wide, the people need a prayer. And if some enigmatic breath rustles in the air then know that I am fishing… and that He is very near.

There’s a corner of my garden where I love to sit and be. It’s peaceful there and pretty; it tastes of sanctuary. The jasmine scented quiet, the little chapel roof, the paving stones, the timber… it all adds up to make this a rather special place for me.

You may join me for a coffee, or perhaps a cup of tea. Or if the afternoon is creeping on, a glass of pinot gris. We can watch the Fantails catching insects on the wing, and listen to the Tuis as they chirp and chat and sing.

Above the sky is azure blue and the sun is beating down, but here my garden bower is cooler with a hint of breeze around.

You’ll often find me sitting here when household tasks are done, and daily burdens weigh too heavy ruining my fun. I come here for the peacefulness, the loveliness I find, and breathe in the quiet beauty that soothes my anxious mind.

For around me is His glory, I can sense Him here with me. It makes this corner sacred, a very special place to be. There is nothing else so blessed than being here with He who is so holy, righteous, powerful, tender, loving, and to my humble awe is also very willing… to share this place with me.

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you,
all whose thoughts are fixed on you!

(Isaiah 26:3. NLT)

I have some clever “crafty” friends who visit here. For them in particular, the photo alongside is the now finished afghan that featured in the previous post, dumped in its unfinished heap showing only the colours and a glimpse of the pattern. It doesn’t take long to finish these items, but I still have a great deal of yarn left in my stash. Several consecutive lifetimes just might be necessary to see it used up… unless I can figure a way to churn them out in my sleep!

I have often wondered why some people gather up and collect things, unable to let them go, nor sort and dispense with them when no longer useful. Many years ago we inherited a lovely old oak writing desk. It came complete with stuffing - over 40 years of receipts for everything imaginable! It was so fully stuffed that it could not be used for that which it was made - as a writing desk. Not anymore, and it is a now a lovely and useful piece of furniture gracing our home.

For most things on this planet I find I am perfectly able to appreciate them, enjoy seeing them, but not have to own them. It is simply good that they exist in the world. I can admire but not want them myself. This is a happy way to be, especially when some things cost more than one might be able to pay. On the other hand, I am not coping with hunger nor any other deprivation of basic needs, and I am well aware that my happy disposition in relation to things might be quite different if that was not so.

Throwing out rubbish is one thing, but deciding on what is rubbish in the first place is something quite else. It is said that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. But go back a step and consider why one acquires something in the first place… and often takes more than one needs. My collection of fabrics and yarn arose from far more than project leftovers, but on a “need” to have more for future projects. Quilters liken their fabric stashes to an artist’s palette where plenty of choice is necessary for creative expression. But look in my pantry and you’ll see it is well stocked as well. Clearly I don’t like to run short. Same goes for yarn.

For me I suspect that has something to do with my past. Hospitalized as an infant at a time when down-to-earth nurses hustled mothers out of the ward saying “she’ll be just fine”, I was left for a fortnight, too young to understand, to despair and grieve the loss of my mother. The family legend has it that I refused anything to do with her when 2 weeks later she returned to take me home, and for weeks afterwards grabbed and clutched food in both hands instead, whether hungry or not. Thanks to the research of people like Bowlby and Robertson in the field of separation anxiety in young children, we now have a more enlightened approach to treating sick infants (and their mothers) such that these adverse effects are largely avoided. But perhaps that accounts for my well stocked pantry… and yarn and fabric supplies!

It is often said that we come into this world with no material possessions, and we leave the same way, unable to take anything with us. That being so, and personal history aside, I am endeavouring to be a good steward of those material possessions I have acquired in between. I have more than I need, recognizing that “want” and “need” are often two very different things. As I write, some of the worst bush fires in Australian history are raging through the state of Victoria, wiping out entire towns and communities, incinerating people, their pets, the wildlife, and leaving just cinders behind. Those that have escaped with their lives and nothing else are saying “we’re alive, and that’s the main thing” as their lost possessions are weighed up in relation to what really matters the most. It is worth giving a thought… what really does matter the most?

And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

(Matthew 6:28-34. NIV)

I cannot take any of my possession with me when it comes my time to exit this world, but I can share them wisely with others - as a good steward of that which I have been given. My eternal security is not found in grabbing such things and clutching them close to me, as I did as a devastated infant, but in giving them away wherever genuine need appears on my path through this life. And doing this with wisdom from above, I can be assured that I will not go without in those things that really do matter, ultimately, eternally, most of all.

The Cold Knees Project is a fun name for my attempt to make a dent in my stash of yarn that I have collected over many years.

Being someone who was taught to crochet and knit from the age of 4 years, and enjoying these needlecraft activities ever after, it will not be surprising to fellow “yarn-aholics” that I now have quite a hoard of brightly coloured balls of wool - well, wool and many blends of wool and various other fibres.

On a drive to downsize my material possessions, I spent a day hauling out all these packages of yarn, sorting them, deciding what to give away, and what projects I could use them up on. Much of it was re-packed into sacks to go to the “To Russia With Love” project. A number of dedicated knitters use donated yarn to make warm clothing for children in Russian orphanages. This seemed a very worthy project, and so I lessened my stash considerably by making a donation in that direction. But what of the rest? Then an idea came to me…

The City Mission had mentioned in a newsletter how they work to keep the elderly living in their own homes for as long as possible, rather than having to go into residential care, but during the winter it gets increasingly hard for these folk to keep warm when the cost of electricity makes adequate heating unaffordable. I’m all for people being able to live in their own homes for as long as possible, if that is what they want to do. Perhaps those balls of yarn could be turned into afghans which might help to keep cold knees a little warmer in winter? And so my Cold Knees Project was born.

My friend Donna, who has recently learnt to crochet, is just discovering how addicting it is to collect yarn with all kinds of projects in mind. She is just a beginner when it comes to yarn - read her confession here - although from what I have heard, her house positively bulges with collections of other craft materials!

Another friend from Sleepy Cat Hollow is crocheting scarves to donate to the Kids Kottages, protective shelters where police or social workers bring children after they have been removed from their families. Most children at Kids Kottage are there because their families are suspected of severe abuse or neglect, but some children are placed because no one else is available to care for them during parental incarceration or hospitalization. As well as the scarves, and being a quilter too, she is also planning to make and donate quilts. Hmm, quilts are on my inventory list for the Cold Knees Project too. If only there were more hours in the day… I could certainly use them!

Yet another friend from Sewing Sunsets is hopelessly attached to her sewing machine and addicted to dressmaking. As well as publishing sewing tutorials, she has found a mission for herself in churning out clothes for children of needy families, and in making gifts to cheer others and help brighten their days.

There is a wellknown saying that goes “It is more blessed to give than receive.” Value cannot always be measured in monetary terms alone. A gift that has special meaning is often treasured beyond the monetary value of the item as appraised by some objective criterion. There is treasure in the gift, plus more accrued to it by the one receiving the gift, and even more again by the blessing received by the giver. The accumulation is treasure indeed.

A friend and I both learnt exactly that when I gave her one of my quilts. Seemingly tragic events in her life had provoked her to make a serious attempt to end it. The circumstances were intensely humiliating, and she was still struggling with shame and a clinical depression when the quilt arrived “out of the blue”. I learnt some time later how much that quilt meant to her, and was humbled to know that something I enjoyed making could help that much. She pulled through, often burying herself in that quilt for consolation, and turned the corner to be living a much more rewarding life achieving goals she had once believed were totally out of reach.

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
(Matthew 6:19-21)

The Christian worldview accepts that every action and every outcome must sooner or later be measured against an ultimate norm for its ultimate value. This kind of treasure is not stored in this temporal world but is weighed for good measure in the eternal one that continues beyond. Good deeds in themselves will not secure anyone’s salvation, and so it needs to be said that salvation is itself a gift ~ from God through our faith in Christ. But wherever you invest your treasure, there indeed will your heart be also.

In my previous post I disputed the teaching of an Anglican clergyman, the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, USA. In the comments that followed I spoke again of the teaching from my own parish church, and of a critique I had posted to a published sermon on their website. That critique can be found here but the sermon, quoted faithfully in my post, no longer appears on the church website which was since upgraded.

The problem with these examples of Anglican teaching is that the clergymen concerned have subjected Biblical truth to the disbelief of liberal theology and are offering a distortion of God’s revelation that we have from the Bible.

This application of liberal theology to God’s revelation is definitely not confined to Anglicans alone, but is present in many other “mainstream Christian” denominations as well. Liberalism in Christian theology is rife. I am not criticizing those Anglicans faithful to the truth of the Gospel, nor those parts of the global Anglican Communion which do indeed uphold the Apostolic faith as handed down from the early Church Fathers. There are faithful Anglicans as well as liberal Anglicans, and discerning the truth requires that we think very carefully about what is taught us by those whom we expect to have knowledge.

But what do I mean when I denounce certain teaching as distorted by the application of liberal theology, or religious liberalism? A brief summary of the Major Theological Propositions of Liberalism by M. James Sawyer, Th.M., Ph.D., followed by his Critique of those propostions can be found here. It is the application of these theological propositions to the specific revelation (Scripture) that God has given us, and the resultant revision of the time-honoured traditional understanding of this specific revelation, that has given us a new religion which uses the terminology of Christianity while refuting its original message.

When I read that sermon from the website of my local parish church, and do so alongside the paper by Dr James Sawyer, I find the sermon illustrates well the theological propositions of liberalism that he expounds. To preach that Jesus was limited by His cultural milieu, had unthinkingly absorbed some of it and needed correction by a Gentile woman who thus enlightened Him, is simply not a description of the historical Jesus of the Gospels. That encounter aside, Scripture reports Jesus as speaking to another woman, this time at Jacob’s well at a town called Sychar, and the conversation profoundly affected her:

Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Christ?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
(John 4:28-30)

To preach that Jesus would make an error of judgment concerning His calling is a gross distortion of the truth, and a denial of who He is. That idea simply astounded me. It is not a Christian one, but an admission of unbelief on the part of the writer of that sermon.

I would hope that this example alerts others to the need to critically examine that which they are being taught in sermons in their churches, and to think it through with their Bibles in front of them. It is necessary to watch out for the influence of theological liberalism and the distortions that it causes. Liberalism is not Christianity, and if you are inclined towards believing that theological liberalism teaches the truth, then know for sure that you are not believing the Gospel of Christ.

Bibliography:

Christianity and Liberalism by J. Gresham Machen

~ This book, first published in 1923, is a classic treatment of the age old controversy between Orthodox Christianity and Liberalism. Machen contrasts the errors of liberalism with the basic foundational truths of Biblical Christianity such as: Doctrine, God and man, the Bible, Christ, Salvation, and the Church. Machen’s book is scriptural, thought-provoking, well-reasoned, and relevent today. Your faith in the Bible and its basic doctrines will be strengthened. It is worth your time to read this important book. This book, which can be read online, is in the public domain.

The Rev. Canon J. Edwin Bacon Jr. is an Episcopal priest, the rector of All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, USA. He is described as a “supporter” of gays and lesbians, and of same-sex marriage. His recent pro-gay comments on the Oprah Winfrey show stunned even Oprah who has some rather way-out New Age beliefs of her own.

“Being gay is a gift from God,” Bacon declared in an episode that aired Jan. 7.

Appearing shocked, Winfrey responded, “Well, you are the first minister I’ve ever heard say, ‘Being gay is a gift from God,’ I can tell you that.”

The Christian Post

The Rev. Bacon clarified his meaning to Oprah a few days later by saying:

I meant exactly what I said. It is so important for every human being to understand that he or she is a gift from God, and particularly people who are marginalized and victimized in our culture. Gay and lesbian people are clearly outcasts in many areas of our life and it’s so important for them to understand that when God made them, God said you are good. That is a gift, that is a blessing, that is the original blessing with which every one of us is made by God and loved by God.

Well, you might think that an Anglican clergyman would know what he is talking about, but this one seems to be making it up as he goes along. These ideas need more than just a few squirts from the can of bs repellent… or else a disclaimer that they are not to be found in the Bible as stated.

Yep, God made us, His creatures. That is not under dispute. God also declared that His creation was good. But that declaration of pleasure in His workmanship came well before everything slid downhill when mankind disobeyed his Creator. Or so the Bible teaches. Contrary to how The Rev. Bacon tells the story, the Biblical version is that mankind messed up Big Time and we are no longer “good”. We are rotten at the core. No matter how hard we try, not one of us is righteous as God had originally made us, and so had first described us (and all His creation) to be good. The Rev. Bacon has muddled his timing in that respect.

Yes, we are a gift… children are definitely a gift from God to their parents, friends to each other, and so forth. But The Rev. Bacon has added his own little spin to that, a rather subtle spin that can have us thinking we are “good” because we are good gifts from Him. Be careful not to fall for that little confusion. We are not basically good. The Bible does not teach that. Instead, it teaches that we are all flawed beings, far from perfect, far from righteous, while still being gifts from God to each other.

Being gay (homosexual) is not a gift - not according to the Bible. Homosexual practice is described as sexual immorality, a sin, a behaviour of flawed individuals and just one more falling short in our efforts to glorify God. There are lists of gifts mentioned in Scripture, but absolutely nowhere is this human flaw included as one of them. The Rev. Bacon is making it up. This is man-made stuff, not genuine Biblical Christian teaching at all. This man might be a clergyman, but he is actually a false teacher, one listening to the political agendas of the day and bending Christian truth that cannot be bent and still remain truth.

Check this out: Jesus and Homosexuality

Christians are often slandered for quoting verses from Scripture, accused of taking them out of context to throw around rather like a silly bun fight. I can find plenty of Biblical references to back up this theologically sound Christian position from which I challenge the nonsense of The Rev. Bacon. However, it does get tedious when the false teacher has his feet firmly caught in the mire of liberal theology and usually spurns Biblical authority anyway. I have already done so many times before, in many posts to Judah’s Journal. The bottom line is that we can either accept Biblical wisdom and truth, or listen instead to secular humanism that is profoundly anti-Christian at its core. It definitely is the latter that the Rev. Bacon is teaching.

It may be a little while ago now but I can still remember perfectly clearly. New life began when a sperm penetrated an ovum. This was called fertilization. It was also called conception. In terms of human reproduction, a new individual, another little person, had been conceived. All the DNA required to direct the development of this new little being was present in that fertilized ovum, and already the process of cell division was taking place. Its conception had occurred.

But my High School days were some time ago, and the most certain things in life are not just taxes and death but also the fact that things change. Language, or the use of language - the meanings of words - also undergo change.

The word conception these days has been divorced from the event of fertilization and is now used in conjunction with the event of implantation. A new life is not considered conceived until the fertilized ovum, by then a clump of cells (called a blastocyst) following its numerous cell divisions, has become successfully implanted in the uterine wall. Conception is said to occur upon implantation, not upon fertilization. This change in definition has become so commonplace that it is now reflected in standard medical reference books such as OB & GYN Terminology (E. Hughes, ed., Philadelphia: F.A. Davis, 1972):

Conception is the implantation of the blastocyst. It is not synonymous with fertilization.

This is the new meaning of the word, the way it is to be used these days - not as I was taught in High School biology.

So when does pregnancy begin? The Planned Parenthood Federation of America offers an answer:

Medical and scientific experts agree that pregnancy begins with implantation. It happens several days after fertilization when the developing pre-embryo is implanted in the wall of the uterus. Implantation begins the release of hormones that are necessary to support a pregnancy.

In short, a woman is not pregnant until the developing pre-embryo is attached to her and gets nutrients from her. For example, a fertilized egg in a petri dish does not represent a pregnancy.

(Reference: How Pregnancy Happens)

Well, we know that saying a petri dish is pregnant is rather silly. But when this event occurs within a woman, not a petri dish, then that distinction of language is hardly necessary. Or is it?

If a woman is not pregnant, then she cannot miscarry nor have an abortion. If a fertilized ovum is not a newly conceived individual, a new life, then there can be no moral implications in making certain no implantation will occur. Birth control measures that prevent implantation can be regarded as no different in this respect than those that prevent fertilization in the first place. All are bundled together under the term contraception and no distinction between them is considered necessary. If a blastocyst or “pre-embryo” (don’t these technical terms help us to de-humanize nicely?) is deliberately deprived of the requirements to continue its life and development, then contraception can euphemistically be said to have taken place. It is a far more comfortable and forgiving word than abortion.

Unique DNA is considered the determination of a specific individual. The DNA of all individuals is proven to be set at fertilization, not at implantation which is just one of many stages of human development. Choosing implantation as the stage at which conception occurs (and thus new life begins) is indeed arbitary. Why choose implantation and not some other stage? Why especially when fertilization is the point at which one’s unique DNA is set? In the past the first movements felt by the expectant mother, the quickening, have been considered the beginning of life. We count a person’s age, their length of life, from their date of birth, not that of any pre-born stage - but clearly life had begun much sooner than that. The fallacy of arguing for implantation as the beginning of life is that any stage of development can then be chosen to redefine this occurrence. It becomes a matter of personal opinion, open to any interpretation, justified however one chooses (e.g. the irrationality of a pregnant petri dish) and moral codes can be overwritten by the political agendas of various lobby groups and governments. It seems they already have!

The stark and unrelenting truth is covered up by this clever shift in language. As I know it, my son was conceived the instant that an ovum of mine was fertilized by one of my husband’s sperm. It didn’t happen in a petri dish so I am quite happy to be considered pregnant right from the time the tiny fertilized ovum he was came tumbling down my fallopian tube. He had come into being even when I was not aware that he had. There was no time between fertilization and implantation that he wasn’t alive and growing. The conditions for his survival needed modification all the time, and while implantation was an obviously essential one, it hadn’t been required during those first few days when he would have been labelled a “pre-embryo” and yet those cells were most definitely alive. Essential too was continuing placental proficiency, and protection from all kinds of potential harm.

Language can play clever tricks. Meanings of words can be changed to provide spin, to distort or mask particular ideas, but none of those changes can alter the truth - the absolute truth that is absolute reality no matter what.

Mt Egmont, reaching a height of 8,260 ft with its base at sea level, is often claimed to be one of the most symmetrical volcanoes in the world. It is usually covered with snow, but it is summer at present in the Southern Hemisphere and I took this photo just yesterday. The mountain is frequently cloaked in cloud but the winds above obligingly unwrapped its form though left in place a hazy veil of UV light. It erupted last about 350 years ago and is considered dormant rather than extinct.

The first time I was welcomed on to a marae (Maori meeting house) and permitted to speak, I was required to introduce myself by naming both the river and the mountain with which I identify. As a South Islander with a special fondness for the Southern Alps, I nominated Mt Cook as my mountain, and having been born in Christchurch, the pretty meandering Avon River as my river. That one identifies with a territory, not just a name, is interesting to me. It locates one’s origins geographically. Mt Egmont appeals to me aesthetically, but it is not my mountain in the same way that I feel towards the Southern Alps.

As a New Zealander, I belong to this country. As a human being, I belong to this world. In terms of time, I belong to this present Age. However, my real home is not of this world, nor of this Age. I have dual citizenship, that of this world where I live at the moment, and that of elsewhere in another, the one where I truly belong. Submitting to the lordship of Christ provides a dimension that radically changes perspective, that gives assurance that this earthly life is not all there is. There is far more to creation than that of which our senses appraise us. This kind of knowledge comes as a gift. It is not a consequence of being in any way deserving. And the Giver is indeed gracious beyond measure. He has said:

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29:13)
Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. (Matthew 7:7)

It is customary on many forums that members add a favourite saying, comment or quotation as part of their signatures, and these have often intrigued me. I have a favourite one that is a quote from G.K. Chesterton, namely…

The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting.
It has been found difficult; and left untried.

On one Christian forum I noticed a member, someone very new to the faith, had chosen the words of Romans 2:7. Quoting from the New International Version, these are…

To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life.

This single sentence left to stand on its own can give quite the wrong message.

These words were written by the Apostle Paul to the people of the church at Rome prior to, and probably in preparation for, his visit to them. These were people who had already received the Gospel message which is that salvation and eternal life can come only through faith in the Son of God (that faith being a gift of God’s grace) and is not a matter of good works alone. Throughout his letter Paul carefully presents the closest that we have from him of a systematic theology. He addresses the themes of sin and spiritual death, the unrighteousness of all people, and salvation by faith through God’s gift of grace. The context of the sentence quoted above is that such faith will produce good works, not that good works (deemed as such by non-believers) is any substitute for such faith.

Yes, context absolutely does matter! Without this faith in the Son of God, no “good works” are good enough for the gift of eternal life. We are quite unable to be good enough to earn such a reward. After all, it was Jesus Himself who said…

Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life,
but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.
(John 3:36 … bold emphasis mine)

I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except through me.
(John 14:6)

Being a “good person” who does “good things” is simply not enough. Paul is not contradicting Jesus. The good works that are written of by the Apostle Paul are those that God brings forth in true believers.

Good works, in the context of Paul’s letter to the church at Rome, cannot be divorced from faith in the Son of God.

And mere intellectual assent as a form of belief is not enough either. True faith will be evidenced by the fruit of the Holy Spirit. It will be a witness to the lordship of Christ in the life of the believer. Under His lordship these good works come forth.

I guess that having ended the previous year’s entries with a vivid sunset, it is appropriate to begin the New Year’s entries with a glorious sunrise. So here it is… with best wishes to all who stop and visit here, that you may be granted a New Year filled with all things good, as rich in events and insights as this sunrise shows in promise for the day that is dawning.

It was about this time last year that I posted a “Goodnight 2007” photo that showed a glorious sunset that had lit up the evening sky with the richest of golds, and now history is repeating itself once again. Yesterday was a beautifully fine, warm and sunny, summer’s day and as it drew to a close, the softest of rain began to fall. It was barely there, the faint goose-prickling touch of wetness that cooled the skin after the heat of the sun had abated. Then came the golden evening.

This year has had it ups and downs, just like most years do. There were highpoints and lowpoints, none quite as low as the previous year and the highs were definitely higher. I guess that makes for a reasonable year.

Often Christmas is not such a happy time when families are divided, conflicted, troubled, and the sentiments of the Season are all about “Peace on Earth and Goodwill towards Men” which can sound hollow and unreal. Sometimes the joy escapes, ungrasped through a barrier of difficulties. The global economy appears to be circling the drain, the Pope calling for solidarity rather than selfishness to prevent a demise down the gurgler. Fighting has broken out again between Israel and Palestine. Mugabe has trashed and squandered the foodbowl of Africa, people suffering beyond belief. Everywhere there is pain, disease and death. BBC’s Channel 4 did a dastardly thing in having the President of Iran deliver the alternative Christmas message, he not a Christian and his Islamic version of Jesus just that of the (fictitious) Prophet ‘Isa. Beams and motes come to mind with his message to the Wicked West. Our domestic violence rates have moved up to an all-time high, and relative poverty levels are sinking lower and lower. How does one grab hold of JOY when the peace and goodwill are so hard to find?

I’m not so sure that they are so hard to find. It certainly isn’t there in some places, but it depends where one looks for it.

The roads gleamed with moisture, reflecting a vivid amber-gold as the sky turned colour above, and everything glistened around me. I stood out on the road, drinking it in.

An interesting comment someone made recently left me thinking.

The very first Christmas was not perfect. Well, not for a young expectant mother who had to leave home and ride donkey when 9 months pregnant, who went from house to house and could not find a proper bed, not a room anywhere. She ended up giving birth in a barn with the farm animals. Most mothers don’t dream of such circumstances in which to have their firstborns. And yet the baby was born, and Mary brought forth her son, Jesus. It was those unenviable circumstances that made the hope and beauty of the miracle even more evident.

The psalmist wrote “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Psalm 19:1) We catch glimpses of beauty when it shouts at us like these sunsets do, but so much of that which can give joy escapes our senses, passing under the radar of normal perception. Jesus once told Nicodemus, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (John 3:3) It takes this spiritual rebirth to have one’s eyes opened to the things that are of God’s kingdom. It is when spiritual eyes are opened that these blessings become known to us… joy, the peace that passes all understanding, hope instead of despair, faith instead of doubt, and the certain knowledge that God is Sovereign in a world where there are no maverick molecules and He is our provider and sustainer, right into eternity.

No matter how 2008 was for you, my prayer is that 2009 will keep you walking close with God, partaking of all the blessings that He provides in abundance to those reborn as His adopted children, in the name of Jesus, the baby born in those circumstances far from ideal but sufficient none-the-less.

An email has just popped into my Inbox, sent from a retail business chain, and here is what it says:

Christmas is always a frantic time of year – work commitments, parties, presents, cooking, shopping, sending cards and arranging holidays. Christmas can become a chore.

But Christmas can also give you and your loved ones a precious gift every year – the gift of celebration.

At Christmas time we can stop and celebrate Christmases past, present and to come with family and friends and take some time to re-connect. At Christmas we can reflect on all those things and people around us that we can be thankful for, and ready ourselves for the year ahead.

So amidst the activity and chaos of the season, may we encourage you to celebrate the joy and treasure of living life and creating memories with those we love.

We wish you and your loved ones a joyous blessed and memorable Christmas.

But wait… what is this about? Are we talking Christmas, or is this about being thankful, or just having a family occasion? Yes, it certainly mentions Christmas, but in true postmodern style that leaves out content to focus on process, how utterly obtuse can you get to merely celebrate living life and the creation of memories? One doesn’t actually need Christmas for doing just that.

Well, what did I expect? Christianity is wrongly considered these days not to be for those who can think rationally, who value scientific discovery, and who know better than to imagine even for one silly moment that a virgin can possibly give birth to a baby, or that the baby can be God Incarnate. Whatever next! Therefore it must be right to denigrate Christianity and milk whatever can possibly be milked out of this culturally inherited occasion, sensitively avoiding any risk of giving offence to adherents of other religious and secular traditions. Any offence given to Christians by the appropriation of their celebration of the birth of Christ, and its hijacking in the name of commercialism and woolly sentiment, is nothing more than deserved. Christians are merely fools to believe the stuff they do.

On top of all that, it is easy to hate Christmas when all the perceived extra duties and expectations threaten to become overwhelming, when more shopping and partying is required, or when the aggravations of unresolved conflicts threaten to erupt over this time of supposed Peace and Goodwill. What joy is there in celebrating… er, mere celebration itself?

For Christians the celebration goes well beyond “celebrating the joy and treasure of living life and creating memories with those we love” to focus on the amazing grace of God and the love He has shown in redeeming us, restoring us to a relationship with Him that is more precious than life itself. It is foolishness to natural man, meaningful only to those in this restored relationship with Him. It is no surprise that the world has appropriated Christmas for its own less worthy purposes, and no surprise that many will consider Christians irrational and foolish for believing what Christians know to be the Truth. The world may celebrate “celebration” but without the truth content of Christmas, that celebration remains bereft of the real Joy and Peace given only by the grace of our Sovereign God.

Why should it matter whether Mary and Joseph were married or not? What difference does it make? Jesus was born anyway…

Two reasons come to mind. There may well be others.

Firstly, I think it is important that we tell the story according to how it is told in Scripture, and any paraphrasing of it must not add a bias that distorts the truth. The truth matters! It is like the game of Chinese Whispers. As the story goes around, subtle changes become less and less subtle until the message heard at the other end is something quite different from the message as it started out. Making an effort to get it right helps minimize that effect. Rather than say “His parents were unmarried” it is more truthful to say “Mary was betrothed to Joseph” or “though Joseph had taken Mary as his wife, their marriage was not yet consummated”. It may sound a little pedantic, but it is accurate. And that brings me to the second reason…

If the parents of Jesus are described as unmarried, it is an easy step to take to suppose that having a child out of wedlock is an OK situation… after all, it might be said, Mary and Joseph did it! Nope, their situation does not condone such a thing. The circumstances were utterly unique, having never happened before, and not ever again since. No amount of identification with Mary will condone a breaking of God’s moral law. Mary did not break God’s moral law, but anyone who conceives a child outside of marriage has indeed done so. The Vicar wrote that “their traditional society viewed that fact as shameful”. Yes, that is so. However, the truth in this instance is far from embarrasing or shameful. It would indeed be shameful for any other woman to be pregnant prior to marriage, especially back in those times when “society” did not sanction such a thing, but it is very important to be quite clear that the truth of Mary’s circumstances is a reason for rejoicing. Great rejoicing! And far from being caught up in shame, Mary herself rejoiced, proclaiming those lovely words known as the Magnificat…

My soul doth magnify the Lord,
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
He hath helped his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.

(Luke 1:46-55, KJV)

The local free weekly newspaper published a piece about a forthcoming Anglican Christmas Service written by the Vicar of the parish, an Archdeacon. These are his words quoted from the newspaper:

The birth of Jesus Christ, whom we remember at Christmas, was not a time of undiluted joy. Yes, a baby was born - a joy to his parents, no doubt. But the baby was born in poverty in a stable far from home. His parents were unmarried, and their traditional society viewed that fact as shameful.

But whoa there a moment! His parents were unmarried? Where does the Bible say that?

What we do know is that Mary was betrothed, or espoused, to Joseph. They had not “come together” (or “known” each other, the Biblical way of referring to sexual intercourse) but Mary was already pregnant. When Joseph learnt about this, he was quite perturbed and got to thinking how he would handle this situation. In Jewish law of the time, a woman found in such circumstances was to be brought before the civil magistrate in order to be punished according to the law which requires her to be taken out to the gate of the city and stoned to death (Deuteronomy 22:23). Or if the marriage had already taken place, and the pregnancy more advanced than the date of marriage would allow for legitimacy, then she was to be divorced and publicly shamed. But Joseph was compassionate as well as righteous, and he was loath to take either course of action, whichever was apllicable. According to his deliberations, as we are informed, it was looking like the latter (to divorce her quietly - Matthew 1:19).

The Gospel according to Matthew tells it like this:

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be with child through the Holy Spirit.

Because Joseph her husband was a righteous man and did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly. But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” - which means, “God with us.”

When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.
(Matthew 1:18-25, NIV)

From John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible comes the following commentary on this situation:

Verse 24: …and rising up from his bed or place where he was, [Joseph] immediately and without any delay, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him; firmly believing that it was a messenger of God that was sent to him, and that this matter was of the Lord. Wherefore he took unto him his wife, that is, he publicly married her, whom he had before espoused, took her to his house, or continued her there, lived with her as his wife, and owned her to be such, and henceforwards had no more thoughts of putting her away.

Verse 25: “And knew her not”…. or “but he knew her not,” that is, had carnal knowledge of her, or copulation with her, though his wife. The words are an euphemism, or a modest way of expressing the conjugal act, and is a very ancient one, and what has been used in nations and languages.

The other record of these events is to be found in Luke’s Gospel where it is briefly said of Mary that she was “pledged to be married to him [Joseph] and was expecting a child” (Luke 2:5). However, John Gill’s Exposition of the Bible has this to say:

Verse 5: To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife…. Whom also he had married, though he had not known her in a carnal way; she came along with him to be taxed and enrolled also, because she was of the same family of David, and belonged to the same city:

Betrothal was, in Jewish law, valid marriage. If Joseph was to “give Mary up” or “put her away” he would have had to take legal steps to effect the separation. (Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary)

Smith’s Bible Dictionary discusses espousal and betrothal as follows:

The selection of the bride was followed by the espousal, which was a formal proceeding undertaken by a friend or legal representative on the part of the bridegroom and by the parents on the part of the bride; it was confirmed by oaths, and accompanied with presents to the bride. The act of betrothal was celebrated by a feast, and among the more modern Jews it is the custom in some parts for the bride. groom to place a ring on the bride’s finger. The ring was regarded among the Hebrews as a token of fidelity and of adoption into a family. Between the betrothal and the marriage so interval elapsed, varying from a few days in the patriarchal age, to a full year for virgins and a month for widows in later times. During this period the bride-elect lived with her friends, and all communication between herself and her future husband was carried on through the medium of a friend deputed for the purpose, termed the “friend of the bridegroom.” She was now virtually regarded as the wife of her future husband; hence faithlessness on her part was punishable with death, the husband having, however, the option of “putting her away.” The essence of the marriage ceremony consisted in the removal of the bride from her father’s house to that of the bridegroom or his father.
(Smith’s Bible Dictionary)

So although their marriage was not consummated prior to the birth of Jesus, it looks to me that the Biblical indications are indeed that the parents of Jesus were considered married, not unmarried as this Vicar is stating outright.