What is a Christian - Pt. 2

In the first post in this mini-series, I sought to give a general introduction to the question "What is a Christian?" (or, as I prefer to ask "What is a disciple of Jesus?"). In this (postponed!) post, I want to suggest that a true disciple of Jesus, a Biblical Christian (is there really any other kind?!) is someone who enjoys a Presence, and that that Presence is the Presence of Jesus Himself.  He is, says Paul “at hand” or “very near”. (Phil.4:5).  Now it may well be that the apostle is referring to the coming Rapture – that cataclysmic event that will precede the seven years of tribulation that will, themselves, herald the return of the Lord Jesus, in glory and power.  But also reminds us of very nearness of Lord which every true believer experiences.  One modern translation puts it nicely “the Lord is at your elbow.”

It makes such a difference who we have around.  During my teaching career, I used to see it in school with depressing regularity.  A child would arrive at the beginning of S1 (1st year of Secondary education in Scotland - aged 11 - 12 years), well-mannered; conscientious; enthusiastic about learning.  However, by S3, just two years later, (s)he was a different child altogether.  What was the underlying cause for this difference? It was, quite simply, the company they had started to keep.  My paternal grandmother was a woman of very little formal education, but cart-loads of homespun philosophy, and good old common-sense. One of her many favourite sayings, that I heard multiple times, was “Show me your company, and I’ll tell you your character”. How true! 

We hear a lot, today, about 'environment' - usually referring to the country, district, buildings, etc., in which people grow, and how these can affect a life for either better or worse.  There is, of course, some validity in the claims made. Yet I would suggest that the environment of people is even more important. Many years ago, I was introduced to a lady named May Nicholson. May was reared in Ferguslie Park, Paisley. Her own testimony made quite clear the sort of environment there was in that part of the town in those days! All that I will state here is that it was not the most promising of backgrounds in which a person could be raised - unless Jesus steps in! In May's case, He did, and she became the Founder of the Preshal (the Scots Gaelic word that translates as "Precious") Trust, which helps those who came from difficult situations, and who suffered from social exclusion in the Linthouse area of the city of Glasgow. This problem is manifested in poverty, alcohol and other substance abuse, low literacy and numeracy levels, depression, and low self-esteem.

The Trust, working with other agencies, provides a wide range of social, recreational and educational activities which enable these issues to be dealt with effectively, adopting an holistic approach whereby they seek to cater for the whole person, including meeting individual physical, mental and - as a Christian-rooted organisation - spiritual needs. Before moving to France, I often had the privilege of ministering at the Sunday evening Preshal Fellowship, and met many lovely people - who were now enjoying the Presence of the Lord Jesus. May Nicolson died in September, 2019, but the work continues, and she will not be forgotten by many who came to enjoy the Presence of the Lord Jesus through her.

This is why the disciple of Jesus is so blessed.  Because such a one enjoys this Friendship; this Presence; that is completely different – the Presence of Jesus.  But it is not only a Presence that is different, it is also a Presence that is constant! 

How often have you thought “I only wish that so-an-so were here”?  You find yourself in a situation in which you are out of your depth – but you know that this particular friend or relative would know exactly what to do.  This, of course, is the problem with human beings.  No matter how fine our family, friends, and colleagues are, they can’t always be with us.  There are times when we lose their company, and their influence.  Maybe that’s been your situation.  “If so-and-so had been there, I would never have done that, or said that.”   

And then along comes Jesus. And He makes this amazing, this wonderful, this mind-blowing promise: “I am with you – always!” (Matt. 28:20; emphasis added). Not just some of the time; not even most of the time; but all of the time!  And not just at a worship service, or a Bible study, but everywhere!  That’s one good reason why the true follower of Jesus is careful where he/she goes – the places we frequent.  My late mother chided me once when, as a student at the BTI in Glasgow, I went to – the cinema!  “If the Lord returned and you were sitting in a picture-house”, she asked, “How would you feel?”  To be honest, I wouldn’t have felt too bad at all – I was only watching The Sound of Music!  But, of course, I want Jesus to be comfortable to be with me wherever I am!  I want Him to enjoy my presence, even as I enjoy His.

And you?! 

50 years - and counting!

Our wedding day.

It was today, fifty years ago (and it was a Friday then, as well!) that my (then) fiancée and I stood at the front of St George's-Tron Parish Church, in the centre of Glasgow, before our minister, the late Rev George B Duncan, and heard him pronounce us "husband and wife"! I was then allowed to "kiss the bride"!

That was the beginning of a fifty-year adventure that has seen us go through "richer and poorer", "better and worse", "sickness and health"! It has seen us produce our two much-loved daughters. It has seen us move house more often than anyone has hot breakfasts in a week. It has seen our love for one another deepen. I have been blessed with a great wife, for whom I give Father God thanks on a daily basis. We have few regrets.

Sadly, it would appear that we are a "dying breed" - a couple who have stuck with one another, no matter what. I hear of so many couples of my acquaintance who are separated, divorced and, in many cases, remarried - sometimes more than once. And that doesn't include those who have never been married, in a legal sense, in the first place! Of course, when there are such marital breakdowns, those who suffer most are any children of the union. 

The point is that I am convinced that those couples who are no longer together felt, on their wedding day, exactly as my wife and I did. So what went wrong? Well, I would suggest two reasons - but do so in a positive fashion! 

Fifty years on!

First of all, too many couples rush into marriage (or even co-habitation) much too quickly. They have never heard, or forgotten, or chosen to ignore, the old adage: "Marry in haste, repent at leisure!" They haven't become well-acquainted (and being 'good in bed together' doesn't actually count!). They haven't taken time to discover if they are in agreement in the important areas of life - such as what they believe in spiritual terms; how they will raise any children that result from their union; how they will manage the family finances. If areas such as these are nor dealt with before a marriage, they have the potential to destroy that marriage when they are, eventually, considered.

My second thought concerns that unity of belief in spiritual terms. My wife and I were disciples of Jesus before we ever met. We have sought, however poorly at times, to serve Him in what we do. We raised our children in a Christian environment. 

There is something special about a relationship like that. When, in a ministerial capacity, I counselled couples who came to me to be married, I shared with them the concept of "the eternal triangle"! No, not the one that involves a man, his wife, and another woman; or a woman, her husband, and another man. The "eternal triangle" to which I referred is a husband, his wife, and Almighty God. There are two important truths about that particular relationship. 

If one imagines a triangle standing upright on its base, then the two points at the base angles are connected, and each is connected to the apex. Now, if we imagine that the two base points are the husband and the wife, and the apex is Father God, we discover that a crack in the base does not cause the triangle to collapse and given the right conditions, it may be repaired. However, a crack in either of the sides - i.e. between either partner and God - will cause the whole structure to collapse. The teaching, there, is that it is our relationship with the Lord that is the most important aspect of our marital relationship.

The other truth is that if we imagine those base points (the husband and the wife) each moving closer to God, then we will see that they are, simultaneously, moving closer to one another. Again, the important factor is our individual relationship with the Father, that is only possible through a living relationship with the Son, as we seek to live our live under the guidance, and by the power, of the Spirit.

Have my wife and I had a perfect marriage, with never a disagreement? Of course not. We are two human beings! However, after fifty years, we can testify to the keeping power of Almighty God. May more who have entered this relationship - which Paul (and I!) often uses as an illustration of the relationship between the believer and the Lord - find that some of the above helps to safeguard their own marriages. It will be for their good, and to the glory of God.

He's Alive!

It was in 1968 that a young American preacher named Arthur Blessitt started "touring" the world (or, at least, a major part of it!) carrying a wooden cross. Fifty-three years later, he is still going strong, having covered 43,326 walking miles, and visited every nation, and every major island group; some 324 countries. His purpose - to be obedient to the command of the Lord Jesus to "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole creation." ((Mark 16:15).

When he was in Glasgow, in the early days of his travels, he preached in St George's Tron parish Church (then under the ministry of Rev George B Duncan, one of the most evangelical congregations in the country) and, as one of the members of the congregation who was a Divinity student, I had the pleasure of meeting him. However, my lasting memory is of what he shared about Resurrection Day. I do not recall his words verbatim, but they went something like this:

"On that early morning, after Shabbat, there was a shaking of the earth so that the guards at the Garden Tomb fell down as if they were dead men. The stone that covered the entrance to the tomb, slowly rolled away - and the Lord Jesus walked out of that tomb, alive for evermore. And the grasses in the garden sung: "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!" The flowers and the shrubs picked up the refrain: "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!" The message was shared by the bushes and the trees: "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!" The birds of the air carried the message beyond the Garden: "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!" The hills and the mountains added their voices: "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!" The song rose on the wind, and reached the clouds: "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!" And to the very gates of heaven, the most joyous of songs poured forth: "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!"

That is the message of Resurrection Day! "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!"

We may be living, as many of us sincerely believe, in the very last days before time is brought to an end. We are surrounded by wars, and rumours of wars; by reports of earthquakes and tsunamis; by pestilence and disease. Yet this song may be sung with great joy: "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!"

May all who read this post be blessed as we celebrate that glorious resurrection. May any who do not celebrate it, be encouraged to look at the evidence - evidence that shows, beyond any shadow of doubt - that "Jesus is risen; the stone is rolled away; Glory. Hallelujah!"

It's good to be home!

This afternoon, I drove almost 100 kms (c.63 miles) to the airport at Bordeaux. It wasn't a simple drive for the pleasure of driving (that particular journey seldom is!), but because I was collecting my dear wife who was returning after two weeks in Scotland, visiting our family.

I was about twenty minutes away from the airport, and was thinking about how soon I would see my wife again. "I can barely wait", I thought to myself. "I am looking forward so much to her return".

That was when the further thought hit me! There is another, world-shattering event, when there will be another return. I refer, of course, to the return of the Lord Jesus, the Christ - not as a helpless infant, but as the King of kings and Lord of lords. 

I then had to look, honestly, at myself and wonder - am I as excited at the prospect of the Lord's return, after some 2,000 years, as I am about the prospect of my wife's return after a mere 2 weeks?

Of course, although I had spoken with her, by telephone, this morning as she waited at Glasgow airport, I had no absolute guarantee that I would see her at Bordeaux! So many things could have upset our plans. I could have been fatally injured in a road traffic accident; I might have had a heart attack; my wife might have suffered the same; the plane might have crashed. Thankfully, none of these did take place, and we are safely back in our own home. But nothing will be able to stop the return of the Lord Jesus when He comes back with His bride - the previously raptured church.

One final thought in this (unusually!) short post. As we arrived at the sign for our little village, my wife said "Ah! home at last!" When Jesus takes His bride - seven years before He returns - those who constitute that body will be able to say, as have the true saints of God down through the centuries, "Home at last!" We will share in the marriage supper of the Lamb and, when we return with Him, we will share in His millennial reign.

What a prospect for those who are the called, according to His purpose; those of whom it has been said that they "love His appearing" (see II Tim.4:8). Are you in that happy band? Are you looking forward, with great excitement and anticipation, to His return? I trust so but, if not; if you aren't assured that you will rise in the Rapture; please do something about it now! Tomorrow may be too late!

A new year - what may it hold?!

Yesterday, as I searched for a parking space in the West End of the city of Glasgow (finding the crock of gold at the end of a rainbow is marginally easier!) that I noticed the very large sign that proclaimed "The Messiah has come"! Well, as I had just celebrated the annual Christmas season, when many of us remember the incarnation of Almighty God as a helpless infant, more than 2,000 years ago, I couldn't disagree. However, what was surprising was that the sign was on a building that is used as a mosque! It also had a picture of a bearded male who, it would appear, was the "messiah" to whom reference was made.

A few days ago, a newspaper made the statement: "The Bible indicates that the Rapture could come at any time and you will not be expecting it, ..." With that statement, I had no problem at all. My difficulty is with those who claim to know the date and time of the Rapture!

At this time of year, many people make predictions about the year that is about to commence (and has already commenced in some parts of the world!). However, many predictions have been shown to be totally wrong. For example, almost 150 years ago, the Chief Engineer of the British Post Office, stated that while Americans may have need of the new-fangled telephone, the British had no such need - because there were plenty of message-boys! One wonders what that gentleman's reaction would be today when, it seems, no-one is able to go anywhere without a mobile telephone!

Another prediction from the past (the only ones that we can truly 'judge'!) was that "Television won’t be able to hold on to any market it captures, after the first six months. People will soon get tired of staring at a plywood box every night." It's hard to believe that those words were spoken by Daryl Zanuck, a film producer and co-founder of 20th Century Fox!

We are living, of course, in a time of greater change than has been experienced in, almost certainly, the recorded history of mankind. As we look around, we are made aware of great changes in the natural world - earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tsunamis. In social life, I am informed that one's birth-gender is irrelevant, as one may "choose" one's gender! The outcome of that kind of change is biological men competing in women's sports events; biological men using female changing rooms; insisting on being transferred to female prisons. I see the political élite being challenged by the "ordinary" people. I am reminded of the words of the hymn-writer: "Change and decay in all around I see" - and I wonder what Henry Francis Lyte would think in our contemporary situation!

However, there is that which is unchangeable! The author of the New Testament Letter to Hebrews disciples of Jesus noted that: “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever” (13:8). In  the Tanakh (the Old Testament), we read the words of Almighty God as given to the prophet Malachi: "I the Lord do not change." (3:6). 

The other "tradition" for many, at this time of year, is that of making "new year resolutions"! The only such resolution that I ever made, and kept for more than a few weeks, was many years ago when I resolved never to make another new year resolution!

If you are going to make a resolution for 2019, and have not yet accepted the salvation from sin, and sins, that is offered through the Lord Jesus, the Christ, may I encourage you to come to Him, in repentance and faith; receive the new life that is available through Him; and discover that His words are true: "I am with you always, to the close of the age." (Matt 28:20).

A very happy New Year to all.

Looking for a sign?

It was in Glasgow, this morning, that I was faced with the question in the heading! It was on a large billboard - and was actually advertising said billboard. However, the question set my mind off! I thought of the year that has passed, and the number of "signs" each of which was going to be, we were assured, the sign that heralded the "end of the world"! Of course, as I am here today, typing this, I must assume that all of those signs were, to put it as delicately as possible, "misread"!

People, it would appear, are always "looking for a sign". It may be the special gift that signifies "I love you". It may be the "Well done" that signifies that the boss is pleased with one's efforts. It may be the 'look across a crowded room' that signifies a romantic interest. It may be the handshake that signifies that a deal is acceptable to both sides. There are even those who claim to be experts in body language and who can tell more from the movements of my hands; the way in which I am standing; the look in my eyes; than from the words that I actually speak.

Not surprisingly, the written Word of God - the Bible - mentions signs more than once my online concordance has almost 250 references to "sign" and its associated words!). Right at the beginning we read: "And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, ..." (Gen.1:14). Later on, and after the Flood, God says to Noah: "I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth." (Gen.9:13).

Many of us recalled one of those signs just a couple of weeks ago! In Isaiah 7, we read of the word of YHWH to Ahaz, king of Judah (the southern kingdom), when the latter refused to ask for a sign from YHWH. "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call His name Imman′u-el." (v.14). Now I know that the Hebrew word "almaah" may be translated simply as "young woman"./ However, God the Holy Spirit, Who inspired the Biblical writers made the situation crystal clear for even sceptical people in the 21st century AD. When the seventy (or, possibly, seventy-two - six from each of the twelve tribes) translators of the Hebrew text into the more common Greek language in use in the 3rd century BC, came to that verse, they used the Greek word "parthenos" - and that can only mean "virgin".

However, one of the most important references, in terms of what was being claimed over the past year, is found in Paul's second letter to the believers in Thessalonica: "Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to meet Him, we beg you, brethren, not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited, either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that the day of the Lord has come. Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself against every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God. Do you not remember that when I was still with you I told you this? And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only He who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way. And then the lawless one will be revealed, and the Lord Jesus will slay him with the breath of His mouth and destroy him by His appearing and His coming. The coming of the lawless one by the activity of Satan will be with all power and with pretended signs and wonders, and with all wicked deception for those who are to perish, because they refused to love the truth and so be saved. Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false, so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness." (2:1-12; emphases added).

Whatever 2018 may hold, I will state, with Biblical authority, that the day of the Lord will not take place until the signs that have been prophesied as preceding it have taken place. I would encourage you to read all of Matthew 12, Matthew 16, and Matthew 24, (and the rest of the Bible, for that matter!!) but here are just a few verses from each of those chapters: "Then some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Him, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from You.” But He answered them, “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign; but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah." (12:38-39); "And the Pharisees and Sad′ducees came, and to test Him they asked Him to show them a sign from heaven. He answered them, “When it is evening, you say, ‘It will be fair weather; for the sky is red.’ And in the morning, ‘It will be stormy today, for the sky is red and threatening.’ You know how to interpret the appearance of the sky, but you cannot interpret the signs of the times. An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign shall be given to it except the sign of Jonah.” So He left them and departed." (16:1-4); "Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken; then will appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; and He will send out His angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other." (24:29-31).

May you know the blessing of Almighty God throughout this coming year - and may you be among those who seek "... to live sober, upright, and godly lives in this world, awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, Who gave Himself for us to redeem us from all iniquity and to purify for Himself a people of His own who are zealous for good deeds." (Titus 2:12-14).

A blessèd New Year to one and all.

The transcience of life.

In an age when we are assured that, at least in the 'developed' world, life expectancy is constantly rising, an event such as that in George Square, Glasgow this afternoon is a stark reminder that there are no guarantees as to how long the individual mortal life will last.

Just one year after the tragic failure of a helicopter over the Clutha Bar, which saw the deaths of nine people, a bin-lorry has crashed and, at the latest count, six people have died, with another eight having suffered serious injury, and an unknown number having sustained non-life-threatening injuries. 

The precise cause of the accident is still not clear, and it would be unwise of me to speculate therupon.  However, with just a couple of days to go before we celebrate the birth of the most amazing Child ever to be born, it is perhaps worth remembering that He came to die; that the Babe of Bethlehem became the Christ of Calvary, taking upon Himself the penalty for your sin, and for mine. 

Why is this important?  Simply because you, and I, and everyone else, is a sinner.  As such, we deserve nothing other than the wrath, judgement, and punishment of Almighty God.   What we need is a sinless sacrifice to be made on our behalf.   And that is the real story of Christmas - that in the persona (not a typo - read my book: Great Words of the Faith; chapter on the Trinity) of the Son, Almighty God became that sacrifice.  Indeed, He became sin, in all of its foulness, and evil, and nauseous disgust (see III Cor.5:21) so that we might be set free, and experience His forgiveness, and His eternal life.  "For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom 6:23).

Of course, just as with the gifts that most of us will receive on Christmas morning, that gift has to be received, and opened, before it is of any benefit to us.  That's where so many go wrong.   They recognise the Gift, but ignore it! 

So why raise such a subject just now?  Because the only opportunity that we have to accept the Gift is while we are alive in our mortal bodies.   Once that life has gone, our eternal destiny is sealed and settled.   The incident in Glasgow this afternoon reminds us that not one of us knows the moment when our mortal life will end!

It's a sobering thought, and one that is dealt with in God's Word.  Under the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, Paul writes: "... in Christ God was reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.  So we are ambassadors for Christ, God making His appeal through us. We beseech you, on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake He [Father God] made Him [the Lord Jesus] to be sin, Who knew no sin, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.  Working together with Him, then, we entreat you not to accept the grace of God in vain. For He says, 'At the acceptable time I have listened to you,
and helped you on the day of salvation.'  Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation." (II Cor 5:19-6:3).

If you have not yet placed your trust in Him, please do not put doing so off any longer.  You simply do not know when a vehicle might career off the road, striking you fatally.  If you wish to discuss this on a more personal basis, please use the e-mail address at the top of the page to contact me.  Alternatively, check out some of 'My favourite links'.

After the event.

It's all over, bar the shouting - and, regretfully, there appears to have been quite a bit of that! However, the result of the referendum is fixed, and no amount of conspiracy theories; alleged ballot-box, or count, fraud; or even of different questions on ballot papers in different polling stations, is going to change it.  If Mr Salmond is willing to accept the result, I fail to see why others appear to be unable to do so!

I also trust that friends, who were on opposite 'sides' of the pre-referendum debate, will discover that their friendship is real, and above politics of any sort.  A true friend is one who sticks with a person through thick and thin.  Such a friend does whatever is possible to encourage, and support, and even bless.  A true friend is neither triumphalist (as some 'No' supporters have shown themselves to be), nor sullen (as some 'Yes' supporters have shown themselves to be).  

This is even more important within families and, while I have not yet heard of any familial discord based on the result of the referendum, there were certainly families with members supporting opposite sides.

In my archives, I came across a story that may, or may not, be true.  Either way, it does make an important point.  It reads: "It was the interval between final two rounds in a boxing match.  In one corner, a severely bruised and battered fighter sat on his stool, while his helpers worked furiously at his bleeding face.  His manager leaned in.  'I think he's got you whipped.' he said.  'Yes', agreed the pugilist, gazing dizzily through nearly-closed eyes.  'I should have got him earlier, when he was by himself.' "

The manager may not have realised it, but his comment was as damaging as the physical cuts and bruises that the boxer had already suffered.  It's bad enough to have to bear the stinging blows; the buffeting; the battering; of an enemy. However, the criticism, and discouraging words of someone close can be much worse.

I trust that the good relationship that I had with many who supported the 'Yes' campaign will continue now that the decision has been made - at least for the foreseeable future.  I would contend that it is certainly the responsibility of those of us who claim to be disciples of the Jesus Who said "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God." (Matt.5:9) to do all that we can to bring about peace and reconciliation in our land. 

May all of us go forward, united in our love for our nation, and determined to see it flourish, as Glasgow's original motto states: "by the preaching of His Word, and the praising of His Name"!

What's in a name?

On Christmas Day, and on New Year's Day, I visited the Police Stations in my two Divisions that I knew would be open, and have officers on duty.  As mentioned in a previous post, I arrived bearing gifts in the form of bottles of my homemade Ginger Cordial and loads of mince pies.

Some weeks ago, I was in Glasgow on the day of a major Public Order event.  I knew that some of "my" officers would be on duty so, having completed the business on which I had gone into the big city, I decided to look them out.  The first ones I came across were three Sergeants from 'N' Division.  As we chatted, I asked if they knew the identity of this strange member of the public who was speaking with them (and who knew where they normally worked, etc.!).  They looked at me more intently.  Then one of them brightened up.  "I know who you are." he declared.  "You're the mince pie man!"  Well, it wasn't quite what I had expected - but I've been called a lot worse!!!

Yesterday, my wife asked me to purchase some ingredients for a vegetable lasagne that we are making for a delayed party, this evening, to celebrate my son-in-law having attained forty years of age (amazing, as I am still just 27 - and [quite] a few months!!!).  One of the items was passatta.  For those who don't know, that is sieved tomatoes (presumably from the Italian word for "passed" - as in "passed through a sieve").  However, as I lifted the carton down from the shelf, I wondered: "Why not just call it "tamatta"?  :-)

As I was working out at the gym, yesterday, one of the songs that was coming from my little MP3 player was the Gaither Trio singing the lovely old chorus "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there's something about that Name.  Master, Saviour, Jesus; like the fragrance after the rain.  Jesus, Jesus, Jesus; let all heaven and earth proclaim: kings, and kingdoms, will all pass away; but there's something about that Name."

It is a very special Name.  Almost 2,000 years ago, a wee Jewish lassie who, as was normal in the culture in which she lived, would have been no more than 14 years of age, was informed by a mysterious messenger that she was going to become pregnant, and give birth to a Son.  "You are to name Him Jesus," she was told, "for He will save His people from their sins."

That Child was, of course, almighty God, the Creator and Sustainer of the universe, having taken upon Himself human flesh.  We know Him as Jesus of Nazareth - the itinerant preacher Who was eventually tried unlawfully, and then crucified, and entombed.  But His death was a vicarious one.  That simply means that it was on behalf of others - you, and me, to be precise.  As He hung on that cross, He actually became sin - in all of its ugliness, and blackness, and repulsiveness; in order that we might be saved from it - its power, its penalty and, ultimately, its very presence!

And He is unique: "... for there is no other Name under heaven, given among men, by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12).

Today, I received a gift.  Well, I should maybe say that I was offered a gift.  I didn't have to take it.  But I knew that the couple who offered it had gone to some expense to provide it, and it would have been nothing less than churlish to have rejected it!  Yet that is exactly what so many do with the offer of salvation, that cost not cash, but the very lifeblood of God the Son.  I trust that you, who read these words, will not be among that number; but that you will gratefully receive that gift - that "inexpressible gift" (II Cor.9:15) - by confessing your sinfulness; repenting of your sins; and confessing that "Jesus is Lord", to the glory of God the Father.