True North

Have you seen the North

That cold grey place 

Don't want its shadow anymore

On my face 

A man grows bitter 

We're a bitter race 

Some of us never get to see 

A better place.

Elton John and Bernie Taupin - The North

"And at once the Spirit drove Jesus into the wilderness"

Mark 1:12.

So, here we are, six months into this strangest of times,

when most of us are seeking to navigate ourselves towards what is clearly going to be a very hard winter with no respite in sight.

Whatever you think about the current situation, the biting truth is that for the vast majority, the manner of life we now must endeavour to navigate is one of ever-changing rules and restrictions that mean that pretty much everything once taken for granted is now almost impossible.

We have entered a crucible in respect to pretty much every aspect of human life, and there is clearly no telling as to when or if it will be over in any viable sense anytime soon.

I've spent most of the time so far being a "key worker", so my daily routine didn't change too much, but the differences really came home this past week as I found myself amongst life in the cities during a week's leave.

The telling sight in many places was the apprehension I registered in many older faces of those out in public. Younger folk tended to take it all as business as usual - the gift of youthful adaptability, no doubt, but the older faces were clearly troubled, knowing it isn't meant to be like this.

The greatest genuine worry, I suspect, is the growing discrepancy between what's being required of us and what is actually taking place in the general state of play (deaths and severe conditions continue to be low, but the "noise" about "cases" is louder than ever). Some are beginning to ask, rightly in my view, is this really going to help in any meaningful way?

So where do each of us go from here?

It appears that we also have been 'driven' into a wilderness - an uncharted territory where in practical terms, we often find ourselves facing these perilous conditions almost naked and highly uncertain in regards to where this journey leads.

Here, as Lewis once noted, we can easily face the allure of pagan 'northernness' - a realm of endless, vast expanse and chill that gnaws into us in such an overwhelming fashion so that we become fused to a far colder existence.

The intent, however, is not to acclimatise us to something 'lower' than what is truly good - but to see redemption at work even within these surroundings.

Rather than leading us to a slough of despond 

(the moribund and stagnant reflections of the soured waters of own selves) the aim is to raise our gaze upward to the shining clarity of the unspoiled surroundings and the majesty of the canopy above and beyond ourselves.

The true power, even severity, of deep beauty works upon us here to scar our souls deeply with the genuine power and authority of unmerited love and overshadowing care.

Once this works upon us and burns our souls, then we can face any and every trial with a fresh and genuine confidence that carries us even beyond death into the very embrace of matrimony to the beloved redeemer of all things.

Let us seek that manner for aid in this time - that that true bright star will guide us across these seasons in the north, and make them plentiful in the treasures they bestow.

D e f i n i t i o n

 "You are not your own. You were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body". 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

It's a popular game these days -

What if.

What if Hero X had done action Y in this scene?

What if this story had taken this turn instead of that one?

Sometimes, we play this game about history.

What if Henry VIII's son with Catherine had lived?

What if Britain and France had maintained their rule over America?

What if the assassination that triggered the first world war had failed?

I once spent an amusing afternoon pretty well re-writing the history of the modern world that way - I guess that's why games like Civilisation have often proved so popular - want to see the outcome? Go to the next level of the game.

It's easy for this to all become just idle speculation, but theologically, there are some serious issues that the 'what if' question can cause us to address.

We all know the famous story of Moses meeting the Lord in the non-destructive flames of the burning bush, but most of us rarely consider the moment when he failed to recognise that same Lord in the rock he struck rather than spoke to, as he was commanded (see Numbers 20). We're told that Moses was as fit and healthy in his old age as in his youth (Deuteronomy 34:7), but because of that one act of disobedience, Moses dies without entering the promised land (see the opening of 1 Corinthians 10 to unpack the significance as to why). I found myself wondering what would have happened at the end if that had not of been the case. I suspect that rather than secretly being buried on Mount Nebo, he would have probably had the same manner of exit as Enoch (Genesis 5:24) or even Elijah (2 Kings 2) - that would certainly have caused a scene amidst the moment of entry into Canaan!

That consideration lead me on to another. Solomon was the wisest man who lived, and yet, in spite of all his magnificence,  Solomon was cut down in his later years by his propensity to give in to his desire for female company, leading to him taking many pagan wives which spread idolatry in the land (1 Kings 11), causing his ways and resources to be divided between what was good and what was wicked.

When you read what was happening in the kingdom prior to this compromise (see chapters 6 through to 10), you find yourself asking what would have happened if Solomon hadn't of compromised in the manner he did? Just how great would the kingdom of Israel have become if he had continued to use his wisdom to guide it closer to God? It's a fascinating issue to ponder.

Most of us probably think we'll never reach anywhere near the manner of power and responsibility of such men (I tend to see myself somewhere in the region of Jacob the schemer, hoping I can work my way out of another fine mess I've put myself in!), but the comforting news for all of us is that if we trust in the rescuing God that gives us breath, we only have to have one moment fixed before us - when God makes His covenant with the father of the faithful, Abraham, in Genesis 15. Why that moment? Because there, God doesn't deal in 'what if's' of how well or badly we will do - he knows we'll mess up, so placing Abraham in a sleep, he walks through the fire and sacrifice and swears to keep the covenant for us all, and to fulfil its promises. That's why we have confidence that whatever tomorrow brings, including our failures, God is true, and has fulfilled His purposes in His beloved Son, which assures us the future is secure.

There's a "it is" to ponder on your bed tonight.

A small footnote...

Loved this piece on Mockingbird this week. As someone who often relishes the first (nudity) whilst desiring the other (sanctification), and who has enjoyed the odd spa visit, I thought this really spoke volumes about true righteousness being way above and beyond us.  

Something Good...

 Short and sweet again this week -

What makes us more than us... is not us.

What makes it all worth bothering about is Jesus.

Because He's the author and the finisher, we can actually rest easy,

from first to last, from the start to the finish,

amidst all the whirl and "clatter bash" of now,

He is what counts, and what makes it all count.

Here's a great little piece on the how.

Enjoy.

L i b e r a t i o n

"Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God"
Romans 8:21.

Several decades ago, I read F J Huegel's work The Cross of Christ - the Throne of God in which the author postulates that the wording of one of the Psalms (97?) was edited following the crucifixion of Jesus, because it originally had read "The Lord reigns from the tree". Whether that is the case or not, Pilate's placing of the placard above Jesus reading 'king of the Jews' certainly created consternation amongst those observing the moment, but according to Matthew, far more telling events were to follow - the coming of thick darkness, the tearing of the temple veil and the opening of the tombs of the dead, these returning to life (Matthew 27:45-52).

This is where we begin to see the true pivotal point of all history - the judgement of sin because of Christ becoming our substitute, the removal of access to the throne of God by the shedding of His blood and offering of His life and the total victory over death in His giving of Himself into death itself makes Jesus' cry something absolute - 'finished!'.

The ramifications are eternally vast in scale.
Paul's words in Romans on the impact of Christ's work tell us that nothing that has been made in creation is excluded from the atoning work of Jesus - even the unbelieving dead will be raised in new bodies on the final day because of what was done at the cross (John 5:19 onwards - think about that).

Christ is Lord of all not only because He made and holds all things Himself (Colossians 1:16), but also because by the 'blood of His cross', all things in heaven and earth are reconciled (1:20).

What we so readily see at present is the bondage, the futility of a world poisoned by sin and death, but in Christ we see that the purpose of God to have a world where these things are no more has come, and that is the prize that we need to continue to treasure in this 'brief' period of hardship and trouble.

Jesus Christ has made us to be those who will inherit something so much better than this present trial. He has given all to make this ours. Let us fix on that wonder in these hard days.