July 7th
stop press!
Bad guys getting into Heaven before good guys!!
Chief priests outraged, Church leaders up in arms.
New man in town turning things upside down.
It seems that those who talk a good talk might have got it wrong after all. It’s no longer ok just to say all the right things if you don’t follow them through. This totally contradicts the examples set by our governing leaders! Apparently, turning up in Church every Sunday and acting piously doesn’t cut it anymore either, if you don’t associate with this Jesus fellow.
And according to our man in the field, roving reporter John Baptist, it doesn’t seem to matter if you’ve done some wrong things in the past; that’s ok so long as you’re sorry and change your ways and do the right things in the end. The guy just lets you off and doesn’t seem to mind! Huge numbers are being attracted to this revolutionary way of living.
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Verified 7.7.24 Matthew 21.28-32
July 14th
Have you ever watched any of the TV programmes about ‘Nightmare Tenants’? If you have, you will probably have had feelings of shock and outrage at the unbelievable behaviours of some people towards other people’s property. Occasionally, it might be possible to excuse some levels of neglect, untidiness or filth, but the inexcusable acts of deliberate vandalism, intentional withholding of rental payments, illegal squatting, threatened violence towards landlords and blatant disregard of the law shock even the most hardened of viewers! Remember this is no dramatic storyline from some editor’s creative imagination, this is real life and real people.
Years ago (around 2000 years in fact) Jesus talked about a very similar set of circumstances and, although he was using figurative language, he was describing a very real situation. The property in question is God’s world, God’s Kingdom and the nightmare tenants could be described as us!
We were given this earth to enjoy living in it and to look after it and whilst we probably can’t be described as illegal squatters, it certainly could be said that we are guilty of neglect, of cluttering up the world with our rubbish, of acts of violence against one another under the guise of war, of disregard for God’s law and of withholding what rightly belongs to God - our worship.
It is sobering to realise what nightmare tenants we have been; a collective “sorry” right now would be good.
July 21st
Have you ever been invited to go to something but you just haven’t got the time? You’re busy doing so many other things and, whilst it sounds like a good gig, you don’t really know the people that well and you’ve got nothing to wear anyway! You decline the invitation and carry on with your busy life.
But supposing you were then to discover that just about everyone you know seems to be going to that party and what’s more they’re all raving about the lavish food and wine that’s being laid on - which is all free - and nobody seems to think you need to dress up fancy! But you’ve already said “No thank you.”
Well Jesus tells a similar story in the Bible about those who turned down the King’s invitation to a wedding feast. They ignored the invitation and went off - one to his field and another to his business. So the King sent out his servants to invite everyone they could find, so that the banquet hall would be full. The servants went to the street corners, the towns, the fields and the businesses and brought in everyone!
I wonder if, when they were scouring the fields and the businesses, they came across some of those who had previously said “No”? I like to think that they did and that those people changed their minds and came anyway. Because you see, God is a merciful God and he continues to extend his invitation and to hold out his hand to us, because he really wants us to come to his party. It’s the party that has been in preparation since the beginning of time and it will be the most lavish affair you could ever imagine!
Do say yes… I’m going!
July 28th
Funeral Planning is big business these days. Well over 200,000 prepaid funeral plans are now sold each year in the UK, each one costing on average around £5000.
The funds held under management for these plans are estimated to exceed £2bn!
Older people in particular are investing large sums to ensure that their own ‘send off’ is exactly what they want.
In a lot of ways, this type of forward planning is helpful, especially for family members left behind who would otherwise have to make all the arrangements at a time of grief and loss. It’s about proper preparation, a way of safeguarding the future, providing protection against the unfavourable eventuality of not being able to afford a decent burial.
Funeral Planning businesses are onto a good thing really because, if there’s one thing we can be sure of in this life, it’s that we are all going to die!
Our Bible reading for this week is about proper prior preparation, but it’s warning is not against failing to prepare for our bodily demise but rather, failing to prepare spiritually for the end of our earthly lives. A bit like the insurance marketing spiel “Plan ahead for Peace of Mind”, God wants us to know with certainty that our future is safe with Him. Don’t leave it too late to make the most important investment you’ll ever make.
Do come along on Sunday if you want to find out more - our service this week begins at the earlier time of 10:30am.