This was the threat today, along with thunder and lightning and heavy rain.
Feeling a bit peaky over the past couple of days I was intending to remain indoors anyway, so I spent some time watching the weather on 'Microsoft Edge' bringing the rain across at the time I normally leave on a Sunday morn.
They said it would arrive at 10 minutes to 10, but it failed to come.
They said it would be 'light rain,' and it did arrive at 10 minutes past 10, and failed to drop any rain.
'Moderate rain,' was to follow shortly after, the clouds darkened, but no rain fell.
Innit just marvellous!
On any other Sunday I would have proceeded out, as the weather looked OK, and got drenched half way down the road. Today nothing. I will trust the BBC from now on.
So, instead of trekking out I remained indoors intent of reading one of these.
I have one I bought back in the 80s when the NIV first arrived. It is showing signs of wear, not always because of constant reading I should emphasise, and requires to be put aside on the 'retired book shelf.' It was as I glanced at the scribbles inside the front pages I found a little thing from the late 70s. I was in the hospital, and short of cash. One Sunday evening I found myself full of 'faith,' that the money I needed for the week would arrive. At that time I required £1 a day. Being paid on Thursdays meant I needed £3 for the week. I knew this would arrive.
Monday morning I arrived at work as my usual happy self, "Here's old misery," said John the cook as I entered. I ignored him, and the collection off lesser staff gathered around the front door at 7:30 in the morning.
I remained full of faith, and on my clock card, remember them? I found a cheque for £3.
This was a payment owned me by the NHS which had not been paid via my wages as it ought to be.
God moves in a mysterious way his wonders to perform.
So many times, when down on my 'uppers' the Good Lord has provided in interesting ways.
He never leaves us.
(Mind you, he does not make us rich either!)
An answer to my query has arrived.
One of my favourite, beautiful, and highly talented nieces had sent this beer to me.
She has also sent a card which has, so far, not appeared. This may be because of the incompetence of the Royal Mail management, or some 'dick' pinching it thing money was included. How wrong he would be. It may appear one day, as may others that have not arrived.
I have spent some time in these days looking in to the 'Tour.'
Not that I am really all that interested in who wins these days but I do like watching the background scenery.
Today and yesterday there was an abundance of small, tight knit villages. Usually a church and a castle or some once proud, but now broken down building from the days of long ago is glanced as we pass. These villages today were astonishing. Crammed together cheek by jowl, as they say, it indicated something of the history of the region, though all I could think was how everyone must have known everything about everyone! No secrets here.
I am also impressed at men cycling 100 miles and climbing hills at 15 mph, sometimes faster. Now, for myself I often had to climb off and push the bike, and that was going downhill! How do these men do this? Over 4 hours of cycling today, finishing up a steep, and very high hill, with a wonderful view, but a killer for the man who led so long and got beat at the last.
I think I will make sure I still have my Bus Pass.
Jeremiah: 23:1. ‘Woe to the shepherds who are destroying and scattering the sheep of my pasture!’ declares the Lord. 2 Therefore this is what the Lord, the God of Israel, says to the shepherds who tend my people: ‘Because you have scattered my flock and driven them away and have not bestowed care on them, I will bestow punishment on you for the evil you have done,’ declares the Lord. 3 ‘I myself will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them and will bring them back to their pasture, where they will be fruitful and increase in number. 4 I will place shepherds over them who will tend them, and they will no longer be afraid or terrified, nor will any be missing,’ declares the Lord.
5
‘The days are coming,’ declares the Lord,
‘when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch,
a King who will reign wisely
and do what is just and right in the land.
6
In his days Judah will be saved
and Israel will live in safety.
This is the name by which he will be called:
The Lord Our Righteous Saviour.
Today's Sunday reading according to the CoE features Jeremiah and Luke. Always one from the old and one from the new testaments.
Sometimes the speakers follow them!
Not being able to make it today, a result of rain and rusty knees, I read these passages and guess what the visiting speaker today would have said. This is difficult as I have no knowledge of him whatsoever. Indeed, as I must acknowledge, I have no knowledge whatsoever!
One thing is clear from a quick reading here, as always it is not what we do, it is what God does that matters. The leaders have failed, it is the Lord who takes action. Sin is the problem, it is the Lord who deals with it, at least for those who repent.
The Lord creates, the Lord leads, and when we follow life is indeed life abundant. This, unfortunately, does not imply it will be easy. Christians suffer the usual diseases, famines, and life problems all others have. Christians also have sin within and have to fight sin daily in themselves. No 'Holy Willies' in the Christian Church. They also walk contrary to the thinking of the world. This causes problems with governments who wish to follow the world or just be obeyed.
This passage begins with a warning to those leaders in Jerusalem around 600 BC, he could just as easily have been speaking to the CoE Bishops now under the leadership of 'Stonewall,' and influenced by the worlds outlook rather than scripture truth. I wonder if their attitude is because far too many have a middle class, well educated Oxbridge background, and have risen too fast and too far in ecclesiastical circles rather than spend time on the ground at parish level, thus being removed from the man in the pew? Mixing only with our peers limits our understanding. This leads to the flock being badly led, God will take a hand once again, in the CoE as he has done in the past.
The Jeremiah story is amazing. A very reluctant young man, forced into a position he did not want, who stood up in public and proclaimed the 'Word of the Lord' to the unwilling citizens. Jerusalem had fallen far from Yahweh. From the King down corruption reigned, God forgotten, society ruined, murder, crime, corrupt judges, and few worshipping Yahweh. He spent many years loudly abused and opposed by the majority of the townsfolk, laughed at and ridiculed, and almost killed. Yet he preached on until the end when he was proved right. They still rejected him!
Because all people agree with a course of action, this does not make it right.
The people of Jerusalem were attacked by the Babylonians. They did not change their ways, and ten years later they were completely destroyed by the same Babylonians, and many were removed to Babylon itself, never to return. The Lord had spoken.
The present Anglican church has many who seek God, however, instead of following scripture they preach 'Love,' and 'inclusion,' and avoid 'repentance. Repentance, the giving our self over to follow Jesus. The CoE will end badly.
As is the case so often, when the Lord speaks into a situation it does not confine itself to the time, the whole old testament is looking forward to the Lords dealing with the nature we all possess, the Self, the sin sick self that puts itself on the throne and ruins life for all others.
I know about that.
Gods answer, 'The Lord, our righteous saviour.'
Luke 23:33. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals – one on his right, the other on his left. 34 Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.’ And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 35 The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, ‘He saved others; let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.’ 36 The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar 37 and said, ‘If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.’ 38 There was a written notice above him, which read: this is the king of the Jews.
39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: ‘Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ 40 But the other criminal rebuked him. ‘Don’t you fear God,’ he said, ‘since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.’ 42 Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.' 43 Jesus answered him, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.’
The Lord, a righteous saviour did arrive. He came at a time when a 'Messiah' of some sort was expected. He did not however, arrive as expected. Born, probably in a cave used as a stable, round the corner from everyone else, out of sight. Raised in an obscure, unimportant village way up north, a mere jobbing builder of limited income. Uneducated according to the 'Eton' standards of the Jewish leaders of his day, and a man indistinguishable from the crowd, yet here was the saviour.
After a short period teaching and encouraging repentance and faith in himself, this man from 'up north,' was then crucified by the Jewish leaders through the unwilling Romans. Fear for their position, fear that he was the Messiah, and demonic activity saw to the death of Jesus of Nazareth.
However, a closer reading of any of the gospel reports reveals Jesus, not as a victim of oppression but as one willingly laying down his self, taking the eternal punishment for the sinful nature we all share, and yet as he did so offering forgiveness and eternal life to all around him. Few, while six in iron nails are thumped into their hands and feet would offer such forgiveness. He was no victim like the two beside him, he was a man, fully God and fully man, laying down his life, his Self, for you and me, and all who would receive him.
By this means God, Yahweh, had dealt with sin for all who come to him in repentance, that is those who change their ways and 'follow' Jesus.' This is indeed a righteous saviour, one who did no wrong, upset those who do, and paid the punishment price for those unable to endure eternity separate from God.
What a great book this is. The late F.F. Bruce published this book first in 1971, a year well before most of you were born. This edition came later and arrived at my door later still via 'World of Books,' as a second hand bargain.
The book says what it means on the cover, New Testament history, and that is what you get. While Bruce is an academic this book is very readable for the average person. It has notes and references on every page enhancing, not detracting from the subject.
Bruce refers to the years previous to our time, the gap between Malachi and Matthew, covering the Persians who ended the Old Testament, the Greeks after Alexander, and the Romans who dominate our period. We pass through the Herodians, the Roman governors, the various 'philisophical schools,' at the time. The religious outlook was varied and we explore the High Priests, Pharisees & Sadducees, and the Essenes are also covered. Bruce seeks to gve us an understanding from a wide range of contemporary available documents.
When Jesus arrives the land was filled with a Messianic hope, and a variety of messiah's were around throughout that century. We then touch on John the Baptist and his unfortunate demise, then much time is spent understanding Jesus, what did he mean and what does he represent. The cross, what was it for?
Bruce then covers the church immediately after the crucifixion, and the worldwide spread as believers moved willingly or unwillingly from Jerusalem. Time is given to cover Paul and Peter and the problems inside and outside of the young church, continuing into the following century.
I found this book helpful for understanding the world of the time as it is important to see Jesus in context or we fail to understand how he was seen by the people. If you wish to know God you must see him in action as he walked the earth. However, you must understand the world in which he moved before his death.
The book offers knowledge, it also indicates that following Jesus could end in crucifiction for you and I, he meant it when he said 'Take up your cross daily.'
The 7:40 is heading for Waterloo and as it Passes Parsons Green a man stands up and begins to read from the bible and speak to the packed commuters on the train. He mentions, so we are told repeatedly, 'homosexuality as a sin,' and 'Death is not the end.' At this the brave Londoners began to panic. A woman screamed and several began to prize open the doors and jump out onto the trackside. The driver realising the danger called in and the power on the line, all electric on this line, was turned off ensuring the passengers (sorry 'customers') were safe and the entire line brought to a halt and hours of delays ensued. As panic grew a man asked the preacher to stop and the guard arrived to speak to the man. As the train continued, some power must have been returned, into Wimbledon he was spoken to calmly by the police. No charges were brought, the guard congratulated on his approach and the many users of the railways out of the UK's busiest commuter station inconvenienced.
Well MR Khan I think you mistook the attitudes of those commuters hurtling in at 80 miles an hour yesterday morning. They have not given the impression that they are 'Not broken' but have offered a glimpse of people either naive, ignorant or plain stupid! I accept that for most the bible is not a book they have read, nor have most been forced to attend a Sunday School of some kind when young and as such the nation is clearly bible ignorant. However most understand the basics of Christian teaching, most in London have come across a 'preacher' in the streets, on a bus or train or in a large complex at one time or another, how come this lot failed to understand? The pictures on offer do not show uneducated people leaving the train, a common lot of commuters only, yet they open the doors and flee! A brief read of the good book will often force fear into people when the truth about judgement appears, many refuse to accept this and prefer the safety of the life we keep in our heads rather than allow eternity to break in however that was not happening here. This was a confusion between the bible and the Koran. These people could not understand that this man was not going to blow them up, his words spoke to them like ISIS had appeared in front of them! The ignorance displayed takes some beating in my view.
There is another reason for the panic and this can be traced back to Tony Blair and the deliberate attempt to increase awareness of Islamic terrorism. During the years of the IRA Provos and their bombing campaign many bombs were left in stations and other public places yet the government propaganda never encouraged panic, indeed the opposite was the case but not now. Blair even had 'Ferret tanks,' totally useless against terrorist attacks, placed outside Heathrow Airport just for a publicity stunt, what a waste of an army that was! Today the fear has been raised both by government offerings and screaming headlines in the 'yellow press.' Of course there is a need to be wary of individual or organised ISIS type attacks at the moment but hysteria is not an answer. This generation is not the one that either lived through a war or grew up in the years after one, no this generation has no concept of 'Getting on with it as there is no other choice' nor do they have the ability to be calm in difficult situations. I would be far from calm in a bomb situation myself but I suggest most of us would react without panic if a preacher, even one with a koran stood up and spoke. Two world wars, a couple of depressions and Margaret Thatcher yet let someone quote scripture and panic sets in. What a world.
Today I decided to return to a lifestyle from the past. I had begun to wonder what difference it made whether I listened to the world or not. That is my reading of the press, all covering the same story mostly in the same small minded manner, the radio with the questioners ignoring the answers and the interviewee lying in his or her teeth, and the TV talking about some happening on a soap opera or a Saturday night 'spectacular.' I remember that in 1978 I got rid of the TV and went without until 1986, and then mostly for the football and news only. During the time I read a lot, certainly the bible was the main source but other things also, and of course I sauntered of eagerly and daily to work. To me that is fresh air from the pap that claims us daily. So I thought let us improve my life by using only the BBC website, or short bulletins for news and spend some time working out what we are here for. We are certainly not here just to linger over the 'fear' on offer from the 'Daily Mail,' nor the dross on offer elsewhere. Listening to George Osborne the other morning was not doing my head any favours, the steam also covering the windows in condensation, and I can do without he or missing out on real life. Switching his nonsense off produced an opportunity to experience 'fresh air!' The only way we can change parliamentarians is by contacting them and expressing our views, and not expecting any change there, or by voting in an appropriate manner. Recently I contacted our Tory MP and threw in the thought that he was 'very brave voting for the 'bedroom tax' with UKIP being so strong in this area,' and letting the thought sink in. Be nice but catty I say. Will anything change? No. It lets him know how some feel however. The only other changes we can make are within the areas around us and within our competences. We cannot change 'The' world, but we can change 'the world around us.' The best way to change the world is by inner change within our selves. For me this means allowing Jesus to change me, for while I assume myself to be perfect the strong desire to strangle the woman in front of me at the supermarket this morning indicates a shortfall in the patience department, though I was right! A quick bible check indicates placing her in a trolley and sending her down the slope was the incorrect response. I believe she was recovered just outside of Chelmsford. Having proved I may require adjustment I feel the constant negativity of the media does not help. Often I see the troubles of the world and look up at the sky above, the clouds continue whatever the situation, seasons roll on, time passes and our troubles are smaller than they appear, mostly. While serious situations arise contemplating eternity, and the creator thereof appears to me to be a better option than allowing the world to crush us. He has seen it all before and knows where it is heading. He has a plan, using a shopping trolley in an inappropriate manner apparently is not part of this plan. The view is from Cramond, looking over the Forth to the distant Ochil Hills.
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This year sees the four hundredth anniversary of the publication of the translation of the bible authorised by King James VI & I. This has become known to most as the 'Authorised Version and to the Americans as the 'King James Version,' as they like the historical side to it. It is interesting to note that this programme, made by non Christians, uses the term 'King James Version.' The BBC is responsible for several programmes mostly concerned with the historic reasons for the translation and the 'poetic' language used therein. None in these programmes appear concerned with the God who breathed it at any time!
1611 saw the 'Union of the Crowns,' when James the Sixth of Scotland also became James the First of England. (Always known by the racist English as James I !) One of his problems concerned the religious strife since the reformation. Different Kings and Queens had gone from Catholic to Protestant and back again, usually without becoming 'Christian' in the process, and this caused much suffering and needless strife throughout Europe. This was amended in England by Elizabeth when she attempted a policy of 'tolerance.' However this met some opposition from Puritans (this term covered many 'types' of Puritan) and the other 'protestants' of various types. Their religion often meant less than the politics of the day and this created many difficulties for the King when he arrived. However in Scotland the highly competent James had already dealt with the Calvinist leftovers and his theological and academic knowledge was considerable. During the many discussions with the clergy concerning the nations future the idea of a new translation arose. James was not keen on the 'Geneva' bible used by many at the time as one phrase appeared to doubt the 'Divine right of Kings!' This helped encourage his desire for a new translation.
This was undertaken by the very best scholars of the day, working alone and in groups, each dedicated to a specific potion of scripture, then checked by others and rechecked and edited later by the 'top dogs' at St Paul's leading eventually to the 'Authorised' bible. When completed all previous versions were banned from use in churches throughout the land. Thus removing any wrong influence from previous versions, although this version took much from them. This was indeed a 'poetic' version of scripture with lines that were easy to read, and who's phrasing aided listening at the time. In the late 18th century the words were 'modernised' and the book was revised again in the 19th century. The words have indeed penetrated to all corners of the world, although the 'British Empire' helped here!
Many people know vaguely about a flood, Noah's ark, Jesus and Paul the apostle. Most know little else beyond this today. One reason is the media's use of the 'Authorised version' when quoting scripture which tends to give the impression the bible is for the past and not for today, most Christians of course have used more readable modern versions for thirty years or more. Society also is no longer forcibly 'nominally church going' so bible knowledge is dying. The majority of people born in the last forty years confronted with the quaint, but attractive, language of this version are put off as it is impossible for them to understand. This is a shame as the reason such books were translated was to bring the 'Word of God' to each individual, as opposed to the Roman Catholic manner of keeping it within the church of Rome. In the years following the publication the majority of the population were better educated by hearing this book than many today after ten years of schooling! Many learned to read, discovered they were important to God in spite of their place in society and as a side issue the language of the nation was altered for ever as this book represented what today we call 'Queens English.'
The BBC programme The King James Bible contains a variety of artists reading portions of this book. Like other programmes in this series there are some explanations along with each programme again concerned mostly with the poetry of the words, the 'literary style' rather than the content thereoff. Still, Jesus speaks through this book to many, as he did to me, and he has never let me down in spite of my self centred life. Maybe he will speak even yet through these readings. They can be heard for seven days although I am not sure if this can only be heard in the UK. The bible is a book, actually a collection of books, that tell us about our relationship with God himself. Actually it is about his desire and longing for his relationship with us, 'we love because he first loved us,' and while used and abused by many it still changes lives for the better!
