Halloween

It is interesting that today we really seem to make something of All Hallow's E'en. There were times when people would stay indoors on this day to avoid accidental contact with Old Nick who was said to roam on this day. I come from a county that has a record of celebrating Halloween in a special way. Not only do I come from Lancashire but I was brought up only a few miles from the haunts of the famous Pendle Witches. Pendleside, even today, is a beautiful place with old farms set among rolling hills and lush green fields of differing shades.

Tomorrow some churches will be celebrating All Saints Day when the coin turns over and evil is in the past and good is celebrated. These days there seems to be a belief that there is no such thing as good and evil. People no longer feel threatened as they once did. It may be that this is where they have gone wrong and that they ought to reconsider where they stand. When you see a world around you in which there are people pushing drugs to weak people who have developed an addition you again see the reality of good and eveil at work in the world.

When the gangs of yesteryear in the USA could no longer profit from supplying illegal alcohol they turned to what our cousins call narcotics. They had absolutely no conscience and today we see the results of ther work. I cannot imagine what parents of young people who have become addicted to drugs go through as they see their loved ones sink into a morrass of unhappiness. I used to work with a woman whose son had sunk to this level. He had to live elsewhere because his mum could not cope with him being in the same house. One day he was offering a very small supply of drugs to another teenager when the police arrested him for supplying. Now he had to face a prison sentence for what seemed a small crime.

Thankfully neither of my children has sunk to that level. But for a parent to see his/her child sink like this must be dreadful. The police are constantly vigilant and working to eradicate drugs. They have, by now, accepted that this will never happen. So what can be done to help our young people, so many of whom are very vulnerable to those who prey on such as them? I am no expert but I know that even they can never fall so far that they can never be lifted back up through the love of God.

Back in the Gospel days we read of Jesus being criticised for sitting with sinners. He consorted with publicans, taxgatherers and prostitutes and this was reported back to the authorities in Jerusalem. Yet he was showing that even those considered down and out by society were not thought of like this by God. He had love for all men and women. This is what Jesus came to say. So today, if Jesus had come, he would have been seen talking to drug users and even drug pushers because his message was and is that no one can fall beyond the reach of the hand of God.

Jesus came and sat with many who society looked down on. He came to give the good news to the poor and the dispossessed. He was the champion of the woman of Samaria, the Roman Centurion, the tax collector, the woman caught in adultery and others. The rich and famous could speak up for themselves but some people needed a champion and this was Jesus. he is our champion today. A young Jewish girl who was hiding from the Nazis during the war was given a bible by her friendly supporters. There was nothing to do all day but to read the book she had been given. Eventually she came to see Jesus as her hero, her champion and when she came out of hiding she became a Christian.

Jesus is the champion of the lowest of the low. Mother Theresa of Calcutta saw the need among the poor and responded to it just as Jesus would have done. One day she will become a saint. Martin Luther King saw the downtrodden status of his fellow black Americans and determined to make a difference for them. He led them to a better life and lost his own in the struggle. Jesus did just this himself. He spent much of his life with thieves and rogues and then was crucified between two of them.

Here is the evidence that there is still a constant struggle between good and evil today. But if you care to look at the Book of Revelation you will see that ultimately good will triumph over evil and the rewards will be shared by all who love Jesus. Just read the description of the holy City at the end of the book and you will see a depiction of what you can expect. Don't read it literally but accept it as truth in its portrayal of the celestial city to which we all travel. There will be no sun and moon because the light of God wilshine forever. There are open gates at all times because there are no dangers to protect the inhabitants from. There will be no temple or church because we shall see God face to face and need no altar at which to kneel.

The description is of a crystal river flowing down from the throne of God through the centre of the city. On either side are described trees of life and their leaves are for the healing of the people. In such a place there can be no need to fear and no sadness of any kind.

Coming with me?

The Life of Service

Yesterday I went for a hair cut and my friend, Richard, was talking about a university course he had started called "Exploring Faith". He was having a problem sorting out just what was meant by the "Biblical Canon". This is about how the two groups of books (66 in total) came to be accepted as The Old Testament and The New Testament. It is an interesting story and when you get right down into it you feel its challenge.

But our conversation moved on to other things and eventually we were talking about things we do for others. Richard annually organises a golf tournament to raise funds for Macmillan Cancer Support. It is always a great day, whether you play golf or not. We were looking at the reasons why he did this and whether it was wholly for the benefit of Macmillan patients. Richard wondered if he was also organising the day for his own benefit, and whether this watered down the quality of what was done for others.

I believe that very often we do things for others and get a partial thrill from doing it that boosts our egos. On Sunday I shall be leading worship at my church and preaching a sermon. Richard was asking about my motivation for this. On examination I am sure that I gave him an honest answer when I said it was to share something I had discovered with others. It also seems to happen that I get a thrill and not a little inspiration out of leading worship and sharing what I have discovered in my sermon preparation. I never know what the new discovery is going to be but it happens neverthless. But does this reduce the quality of the wish to do some good through the medium of preaching?

If you consider someone who is gifted with a wonderful singing voice like Andrea Bocelli, does he sing for the benefit of others or does he get pleasure from it too? The answer must be that he loves to sing and he gets pleasure too. There again, take the fact that I like helping other people. When I have helped another person I get a lot of personal satisfaction out of it. Does this diminish what I have done because I get a kick out of it? Take the life's work of Mother Theresa. This is always held up as an example of altruism. But did she get a kick out of what she did? The answer must be yes.

Take the question back to the work of Jesus. Do you think Jesus got a kick out of healing the sick, telling parables, preaching God's love and leading disciples. Of course he did. He talked of the joy in heaven over one penitent. Is this not God's kick out of helping people?

So we return to the question of whether we are truly altruistic in our Christian service. I leave the answer to you. But I can tell you that it all fits into a life-long belief I have had that says there is absolutely nothing wrong in enjoying being a Christian. Some preachers never include humour in their services and sermons, but I do where it is appropriate. Making people laugh or smile in church is often an excellent tool for effectively delivering the message. But it must not be for entertainment only.

Over a lifetime I have sat under a wide variety of preachers. Under some of them I have suffered and wondered why they ever took it up. Some have been simply inspirational. Most of them have just "done a good job". But in many cases the mediocre preachers have got to me and that is what counts. I remember one preacher who had a very humble and soft style to his preaching and you would not have given him top marks. But an old lady, for whom I had a great deal of respect said to him, "Mr Glenn, you irritate me." That was the best compliment he could have received from her. You see, we are there to irritate in addition to everything else. Jesus irritated the people who could not help but follow him to hear more wonderful, inspiring words. It is what he came to do.

That irritation is what starts seeds growing in the mind. It is the start of a great challenge to rethink the way you have been living. That irritation probably began as a few words from a local preacher who would get a thrill out of knowing what he/she had started in you. If that few words has begun something important it is good that the preacher (if he/she did) enjoyed leading worship that day.

I think it is a mark of the value of our words if our preaching bears fruit and we have the right to derive pleasure from this. Just on the matter of leading worship, it is a good think to enjoy doing it. If you are there to fly a kite or simply because you think it is a clever thing to do, my advice is to stop immediately and find another interest.

Finally, I can see nothing wrong is smiling to yourself when you know a sermon has gone well, or a prayer has been effectively delivered. I have no doubt that it is a sign that you are engaged in something for which you have a gift and that is important in life. It enhances life - yours and others. That is what God calls us to do. It glorifies his name, which is another of our Christian tasks.