Posts Tagged ‘bible’
Choosing a Church
I have a theory about choosing a church! It’s firmly tongue-in-cheek, but with an element of truth! Yes, you need culturally relevant and uplifting spiritual worship! Yes, you need a challenging Bible message that relates the timeless truths to the reality of the world today! Yes, you need a warm welcome and true Christian fellowship! But, ultimately, it comes down to the quality of the after service refreshments!
When I visit a church and make my way to the refreshments, only to be confronted with Rich Tea biscuits and cheap coffee – my heart sinks! Digestive biscuits and decent instant coffee are a minimum requirement! Hobnobs are even better, chocolate hobnobs are a big improvement, and specialist biscuits from Marks and Spencer with real coffee is the height of church refreshments! I was pleased to share in a Sunday Eucharist at Leicester Cathedral this morning. The worship was good, the Bible message excellent, the fellowship warm, and the refreshments included chocolate digestive biscuits with fresh coffee! Well done Leicester Cathedral!
Note: Since I posted this a friend on Twitter pointed out some evidence for my theory!
The Word Became Flesh
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome (or understood) it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.
The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Christmas 2010
It’s almost impossible to say something new about Christmas, and to speak of the true meaning of Christmas is something of a cliché. So I thought I’d go down a different avenue and allow two pieces of art speak to you, I hope you will find reflecting on them helpful. One is a piece of visual art, the other is a poem (set to music in the Salvation Army Song Book). I’ve always appreciated the artwork of Banksy, and the above piece was pointed out to me by my online friend Alex, @aldakila on Twitter. The poem is by Catherine Baird:
When Jesus looked o’er Galilee,
So blue and calm and fair,
Upon her bosom, could he see
A cross reflected there?
When sunrise dyed the lovely deeps,
And sparkled in his hair,
O did the light rays seem to say:
A crown of thorns he’ll wear?
When in the hush of eventide,
Cool waters touched his feet,
Was it a hymn of Calvary’s road
He heard the waves repeat?
But when the winds triumphantly
Swept from the open plain,
The Master surely heard the song:
The Lord shall live again!
So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son. John 1:14 NLT
Have a very Happy Christmas as you celebrate the coming of Jesus as the Light of the World.
The Grand Design
It’s always such a joy to visit a library, and especially so when you find a new book that hasn’t been borrowed before! This happened to me recently with the book pictured, a book that I’d been wanting to read since it was published earlier this year. I’ve been interested in science since childhood when I looked into the wonder of the night sky and read The Observer’s Book of Astronomy by Patrick Moore, a book I still treasure and one that I read under the bed covers! I also followed the moon landings with great interest. One thing that fascinated me was the vast and unimaginable distances involved in the scale of the universe, as the Bible says: When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars you set in place, what are mere mortals that you should think about them, human beings that you should care for them? Psalm 8:3-4.
The book argues that invoking God is not necessary to explain the origins of the universe. As a Christian I don’t have a problem with this as I have always felt that religion and science address different issues, as well as attempting to answer different questions. Similarly, as a Christian with a scientific mind and a rational approach to faith (yes, that is possible), I don’t have any problem accepting that evolution is the most satisfactory explanation to life on earth, nor with an understanding that the early chapters of the Bible express the creation of the heavens and the earth in poetic form.
As I write these words I haven’t finished reading the book, but I’m over half-way through. It’s not the easiest read, but it’s well written and witty. Here are two examples. Firstly, to illustrate it’s complexity: This has the potential to solve the problem of infinities because it turns out that the infinities from closed loops of force particles are positive while the infinities from closed loops of matter particles are negative, so the infinities in the theory arising from the force particles and their partner matter particles tend to cancel out. I hope I’ve transcribed that correctly or you’ll be completely lost by now! Secondly, to illustrate its wit: Ten dimensions might sound exciting, but they would cause real problems if you forgot where you parked your car.
If you enjoy a book that makes your brain hurt, this is one for you – I can’t wait to finish it!
