Amazing Words! Faith brings light into darkness

Amazing Words!
It must have been the darkest time of their lives.  For several days their brother's health had worsened.  There was no hospital to which he could go.  In desperation they had sent a message to their friend to get here as soon as he could.  He, they knew, had extraordinary powers and could heal the sick.  He would be sure to come when he got the message.  What they were not to know when the message was sent that it would be too late.  Their friend could never have got there in time.

Now it felt as if their hearts had been torn out.  Friends uttered kind words and offered sympathy, but nothing could chase away the darkness that had descended on their lives as they laid their brothers remains to rest in the garden tomb.  But now word had reached them that he had come. He was here, and people were saying that if only he had been here, their brother would have been alive.  It was Martha who went out to meet him, unable to rest at home with her weeping sister, and needing to see his face, to hear him speak, even to just know that he was with them in this dreadful darkness.

She found herself echoing what others were saying, and what she knew wee;  "If you had been here my brother would not have died..."  There was no recrimination in those words.  She knew that if it had been possible, he would have been there.  Then came those absolutely amazing words from her lips.  "But I know that even now, God will give you whatever you ask."

"WHATEVER"!  Did she actually believe that?  Whatever?  Could she have imagined what would take place in a few moments?  Her amazing friend spoke of life after this life but, more than that, that he was the source of eternal life.  Quietly she affirmed her faith in him, still not knowing what would follow.

In the darkest moments of our lives, it is easy to dwell on the "If only..." moments.  Her sister, in her grief, seemed to be stuck in that limited imagination.  "If only you had been here my brother would not have died".  But Martha was looking up and looking forward, refusing to allow disappointment to cloud her vision of what still could be.  "But even now" are truly amazing words.  It has always seemed a paradox that the sister who chose to sit at the feet of Jesus listening to his words, is not the woman of faith at this time.  But it is not about what we hear or read that make the difference.  It is about what we believe.

So it was that, after tears had been shed,a call rang out for the dead to rise again, and Lazarus came out from the grave in which he had lain for four days.

For many people in the world today, the darkest moments have come as their loved ones have been lost.  I too, have experienced loss as my beloved Doreen has passed into the presence of the Savior she loved and served.  45 years of marriage brought to an end by the ravages of Alzheimer's Disease.  A few years before it had become apparent that the person with whom I had fallen in love had faded as the disease took its relentless toll.  But I had determined that if the woman I had fallen in love with was no longer available, then I would deliberately learn to love the woman I still lived with.  And so I did, in the good moments and the bad.  And towards the end, the woman I fell in love with some 46 years before returned to me, as if risen from the dead.  Moments of deep affection and words of deep love repeatedly passed one from the other.

And now I have my "Even now..." moment.  For me, the passion to help other people find salvation in Christ, to know him as Saviour and friend, has been rekindled as I think of the thousands passing into eternity without the hope that burns in my heart, leaving behind grieving loved ones without that "Even now" comfort.  As millions of Christians rise to the challenge of being good neighbours to friends in need, I pray that somehow, God will help us to share something of our faith that can look through the darkest days to a better and more glorious future.  People need to hear the good news.  They need Jesus!  There is an amazing opportunity for us to be God's instrument to bring hope to replace despair.  We need wisdom and courage to find and use the appropriate words, but we must never let the opportunity slip.

And in your dark moments, may you so trust in Jesus that you can say with confidence,"Even now..."

Please join us online at 8.00 (BST) this Easter Sunday Morning when Gordon Banks and I will be leading some Easter thoughts and worship.  You need to register in advance.  TO DO THIS PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK NOW.

God bless you.  Stay safe.

Barry
Rev Barry Osborne
CEO,Rural Mission Solutions

Hope or Despair

Yesterday evening, on my way to a shop in the centre of the market town where I live, I was entertained by a chorus of bird song, blackbirds and thrushes among them, just as dusk was settling.  Despite the surrounding and increasing gloom their delightful songs filled the air.  As I left the shop I tried to draw the attention of a man waiting for his wife to the brilliant music filling the air.  He listened for a moment, shrugged his shoulders and returned to his former rather gloomy state.  I wondered if the birds knew something he did not!

My day started, as it often does, with my listening to a current affairs programme on the radio.  Item after item seemed to present a list of things we should be worried about.  Doctors who make mistakes, hospitals that are overflowing and underfunded, police who fail to provide appropriate evidence, financial uncertainties, disturbing tweets from the White House, the threat of cyber attack on our infrastructure, more stories of sexual abuse and, of course, the shadow of Brexit!  The words “concerning” and more correctly “worrying” occurred several times.

Was, I wondered, the media reflecting the gloom, or was it the consequence of the disturbing habit of producing someone ready to pour scorn and criticise anything good that is happening.  If I may employ the contrary line to a well known Christian song, “Where there is hope in life, let me bring despair!”

All of this puts me in mind of Paul’s letter to the Christians in Philippi.  At the time of writing we are informed that he is imprisoned.  He refers to his chains, but whether these are actual or a metaphor for the restrictions he was under, we cannot be sure.  I note that when referring to the opposition he faced, Paul reveals that they too are suffering.  The circumstances are far from ideal, it would seem.  Yet the tone of this letter is upbeat.  He encourages his readers to rejoice and keep rejoicing.  He tells them not to worry about the circumstances, not to be anxious about anything.

I remember hearing a conference speaker refer to people who respond to the question “How are you?” by saying, “Alright under the circumstances!”  He went on to point out that Christians should recognise that we live their lives with Jesus Christ in God.  Consequently, since we are reigning with him we cannot be UNDER the circumstances.

Of course, there is a world of difference between living in denial and living by faith.  The former is psychologically dangerous.  The facts need to be faced.  The latter is liberating as it points beyond on reality to another reality where we have a loving heavenly Father, a wonderful Saviour and the indwelling presence and power of the Holy Spirit.   Even the psalmist took himself to task saying, “Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Saviour and my God.”  (Psalm 42:5). How much more should we who have come to know Jesus Christ, be people of hope in times of despair?

Peter, also writing to Christians who had suffered for the sake of Christ, writes about being ready to give a reason for the hope that they have.  Like the birdsong breaking through the falling gloom of evening, our lives and attitudes should shine through the depressing and worrying circumstances of the world in which we live.  This also brings with it the challenge of living above whatever unfortunate circumstances may be affecting us at this time.  We cannot deny the pain, but our confidence in the character and promises of God are able to lift us up, for he will never fail us.

I commend to you the words of Anna L Waring’s hymn, ‘In heavenly love abiding’.  You could almost preach a sermon on every line of this hymn.  It assures us of the depth and constancy of God’s love which never changes.  Even in the darkest storm there is no room for dismay.  In the final verse she writes, “My hope I cannot measure, my path to life is free.  My Saviour has my treasure, and he will walk with me”.

As I have written these words I have left playing in the background a recording of bird song, like that which I enjoyed yesterday evening.  I know that the song they sang as the day ended and the darkness fell, would have been repeated this morning as the first light of day broke over the horizon.  In Psalm 92 the psalmist talks about proclaiming God’s love in the morning and his faithfulness at night.  As he says, it is good to praise the Lord and make music to his name.

Maybe some of us also know what the birds have something to sing about!  Let’s sing it as loudly and as continuously as they manage to do from dawn to dusk.

Barry – 27 January 2018.

From the Diary

The past two weeks have kept me busy, but I still have not found sufficient time to complete the two important writings: one on developing appropriate strategies for mission and the other on a safeguarding topic.  Please keep praying about time management.  Often, urgent matters are brought to my attention through phone calls and email, sometimes every day!  I stress that I am always available to anyone who might need help or advice, so I need wisdom every day.

Among various ministry activities, it was delightful to take the morning meeting at Yelvertoft (my last pastorate) last Sunday, school assemblies have been well received, and the series of Bible studies in Ephesians I am writing and leading in prison have proved exciting.  God is at work in the prison in wonderful ways.

This Sunday (28^th January) I shall take the morning meeting for Welford Congregational Church, Northants.  After this, Doreen and I will be travelling to Kent for the rest of the week.  Hopefully it will be a rest, but I will be teaching at the Salvation Army College in London on one day and undertaking some business in Hastings on another day.

One of our current concerns is to find someone who will undertake some of our activities to support and encourage children’s ministry in rural churches.  We have been exploring several possibilities, and the role is advertised on our website at www,ruralmissionsolutions.org.uk  Please pray that we will find the right person or people to share in this important ministry.