Chariots of Fire – Justification
Love the film. Three quotes from Liddell and Abrahams that are good for thinking about purpose, meaning and justification, they show a profound contrast…
“I believe God made me for a purpose, but he also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure.” - Liddell
“And now in one hour’s time, I will be out there again. I will raise my eyes and look down that corridor; 4 feet wide, with 10 lonely seconds to justify my existence. But will I?” - Abrahams
You, Aubrey are my most complete man. You’re brave, compassionate, kind: a content man. That is your secret, contentment; I am 24 and I’ve never known it. I’m forever in pursuit and I don’t even know what I am chasing. - Abrahams
Interesting how the self-justification of Abrahams leads to despair, while the Liddell, justified by the God who made him can rest content.
Read MoreCornhill Lunchtime Excursions (part 3)
Ok, one more week of the first Cornhill term… and 3 more sights I’ve been to, there can’t be that many left within a 20 minute walk… They’re not really sights, but I also found a Frenchman selling giant meringues and an outdoor BBQ that made really good hot dogs by Southwark Cathedral.
Sir Francis Drake's, Golden Hind
St. Helen's Bishopgate, and the Gherkin
Monument to Great Fire of London
Depth of Mercy
Have you heard of Red Mountain Music? They’re based in the States and put old hymns, often not very well known ones to new music… Here’s what they say:
The title for our cd, “Depth of Mercy” comes from one of our favorite songs. Our hope is that Christ continues to pour out His mercy over us every day of our lives. Our hope is that these songs will allow Christians to worship and experience God’s love as the truth of His gospel is continually and articulately proclaimed. We hope you love this music as much as we do.
So anyway… I bought a download version of this album, 13 tracks for $9.99… which works out about £6, and the downloads are good quality MP3s… so well worth it… there’s another 5 albums so I might get another one soon!
My two favourite hymns on here are There is a Fountain Filled with Blood (William Cowper) and Depth of Mercy (Charles Wesley)… the latter was used on the UCCF video, In view of God’s Mercy.
Read MoreCorrie Ten Boom on Forgiveness
I’ve speaking at BSMS CU on Monday, that’s the Brighton and Sussex Medical School Christian Union to you… they’re studying parables at the moment, and have been asked to speak on Matthew 18, the parable of the Unmerciful Servant.
Fortunately, I’ve already preached on this, earlier in the year, so have most of the talk ready. But I’ve been listening to some Tim Keller to help stimulate my thoughts afresh… by well of illustration he uses the story of Corrie Ten Boom, put in a concentration camp by the Nazis for sheltering Jewish refugees. She tells this story about forgiveness in her book ‘The Hiding Place‘:
Read MoreIt was at a church service in Munich that I saw him, the former S.S. man who had stood guard at the shower room door in the processing center at Ravensbruck. He was the first of our actual jailers that I had seen since that time. And suddenly it was all there – the roomful of mocking men, the heaps of clothing, Betsie’s pain-blanched face.
He came up to me as the church was emptying, beaming and bowing. “How grateful I am for your message, Fraulein.” he said. “To think that, as you say, He has washed my sins away!”
His hand was thrust out to shake mine. And I, who had preached so often to the people in Bloemendaal the need to forgive, kept my hand at my side.
Even as the angry, vengeful thoughts boiled through me, I saw the sin of them. Jesus Christ had died for this man; was I going to ask for more? Lord Jesus, I prayed, forgive me and help me to forgive him.
I tried to smile, I struggled to raise my hand. I could not. I felt nothing, not the slightest spark of warmth or charity. And so again I breathed a silent prayer. Jesus, I cannot forgive him. Give me Your forgiveness.
As I took his hand the most incredible thing happened. From my shoulder along my arm and through my hand a current seemed to pass from me to him, while into my heart sprang a love for this stranger that almost overwhelmed me.
And so I discovered that it is not on our forgiveness any more than on our goodness that the world’s healing hinges, but on His. When He tells us to love our enemies, He gives, along with the command, the love itself.
Jars of Clay
Apparently Ben Southall has “The Best Job in the World”… he’s the guy who is the caretaker of a tropical island off the coast of Australia. But the Apostle Paul would beg to differ… clearly the ministry of reconciliation, of bringing God’s New Covenant, the good news about Jesus to the world is the best job ever!
That’s the back drop for 2 Corinthians 4… where we get God shining light in people’s hearts and using weak people (clay pots) to do his work.
I spoke on this passage a couple of weeks ago, bit of a last minute .com job for Kingston CU who hadn’t got a weekend away speaker.
Talk notes here (pdf)
Read MoreCornhill Lunchtime Excursions (part 2)
Bit of a longer walk this week, made it down towards the South Bank where I found a few little tourist sites… can you believe they charge £11 to get in St. Paul’s Cathedral!!
St Paul's Cathedral
Tate Modern
Globe Theatre
David Short on the Resurrection
David Short
Last month I was at the Evangelists Conference at All Souls – you can now download the talks!
David Short was unable to make it due to Anglican rumblings in Canada, but hi5 s brother-in-law (I think), Simon Manchester shared 5 thoughts about the resurrection from David:
- The Resurrection is Central in Preaching (see Acts)
- The Resurrection is primarily about Jesus, not us
- The Resurrection is the point at which Jesus transfers his mission to the church
- The Resurrection hinges on belief in the scriptures
- The Resurrection cannot be grasped or refused without serious consequences