Celebrate, don't just commemorate the Wesleys!

Today is the Lesser Festival of John and Charles Wesley. They died in 1791 and 1788 respectively. But despite their deaths being over two hundred years ago we should not just commemorate them, but celebrate their contribution. This blog is, however, focused on Charles...

As a worship leader I am constantly struggling and highly critical of the many contemporary worship songs written and produced that are unintelligible theologically. Too many are products of the Christian Song Cliche machine...or so it seems!

That said, I have found a 'new' song recently that is as interesting, refreshing musically as it is theologically stimulating. 'I Come By The Blood' by Steve and Vicki Cook (Sovereign Grace Music) is a triumph.




When I consider the number of hymns I continue to use whose words are by Charles Wesley I am greatly indebted to him.
When I was baptised as a 14 year old on 11 July 1993 (my twentieth anniversary is approaching) the hymn I chose was ‘And Can It Be’, which I also asked for at my induction service as Chaplain at Bradford Cathedral. The words continue to move me, deeply.

Our vicar and I both share a passion for the great Advent hymn, ‘Lo! He comes with clouds descending’, a rare song about the second coming and the awful reality of its revelation for those who haven’t followed Jesus.

And there are so many more: ‘Rejoice, the Lord is King’, and ‘Jesus, the name high over all’ (I found a brilliant version of this song by Geraldine Latty on Spotify some time ago).

I often wonder if I should try to write some worship lyrics, but find myself incapable of moving beyond Wesley’s brilliant poetic theology. Good hymnody is more than a catchy tune, it is the poetry, the way theology is conveyed, and the correctness of the theology too.

Wesley also wrote one of the most powerful lines in all hymnody when he penned ‘Love Divine’, in which he writes, “Take away our love of sinning” (or “bent of sinning” depending on your version) it’s in the occasionally sung 2nd verse. I often struggle to sing it; it’s too much, and it gets to the heart of walking as a Christian – the desire to be free from sin means hating sin, not even allowing it to have root. Rend Collective Experiment have a beautiful setting of Love Divine.

And let us not forget that Charles Wesley wrote one of the most popular Christmas Carols, ‘Hark the Herald Angels Sing’, although for once, there is a suspicion of dodgy theology with his inference of Docetism (‘veiled himself’).

But beside this small matter, Wesley’s contribution seems unparalleled. He remains an inspiration to me.

And can it be that I should gain

An interest in the Savior's blood!

Died he for me, who caused his pain!

For me? who him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be

That thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Amazing love! How can it be

That thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

'Tis mystery all: th' Immortal dies!

Who can explore his strange design?

In vain the firstborn seraph tries

To sound the depths of love divine.

'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;

Let angel minds inquire no more.

'Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;

Let angel minds inquire no more.

He left his Father's throne above

So free, so infinite his grace!

Emptied himself of all but love,

And bled for Adam's helpless race.

'Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For O my God, it found out me!

'Tis mercy all, immense and free,

For O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned spirit lay,

Fast bound in sin and nature's night;

Thine eye diffused a quickening ray;

I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;

My chains fell off, my heart was free,

I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

My chains fell off, my heart was free,

I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

Still the small inward voice I hear,

That whispers all my sins forgiven;

Still the atoning blood is near,

That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.

I feel the life His wounds impart;

I feel the Savior in my heart.

I feel the life His wounds impart;

I feel the Savior in my heart.

No condemnation now I dread;

Jesus, and all in him, is mine;

Alive in him, my living Head,

And clothed in righteousness divine,

Bold I approach th' eternal throne,

And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

Bold I approach th' eternal throne,

And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

PENTECOST PRAISE

Sunday 19th May is PENTECOST SUNDAY.

And Bradford city centre will play host to an exciting festival of the Holy Spirit, seeking to bring together Christians from across the district and denominational spectrum...this will be an excellent opportunity to pray for the city, in the city, in the beautiful City Park, beside the Mirror Pool.

There will be a family fun day feel from 3pm, with activities and stalls

At 4.30pm a family picnic

Culminating in a worship service at 5pm.

I am excited to be leading the worship band at the service. We've brought together an exciting and talented bunch from across Bradford...it will be brilliant!

The world's sap has sunk...

Tomorrow is the longest night of the year…correspondingly we have to endure its shortest day. And as if to rub our noses in it, the weather has turned decidedly grim. It’s one thing to be cold, but at least crispiness and sub-zero mornings make us dream of a white Christmas. Dark mornings, gloominess, wet and windy weather all induce a deep reluctance to get up: duvet weather.

Like the animals, it’s an attractive option to hibernate through the dark of winter.

And the darkness is spiritual.

 

 

The beginning of Advent is marked by the excitement and unquenchable optimism that Christ is coming to reign…we sing ‘Lo! He comes…’

However, this year I’ve found myself (not unlike the passage of Lent) becoming steadily more gloomy spiritually as the season has progressed. Instead of the dimmer effect – steady growth from dark to light – it’s been a gradual darkening: from dark to darker! And I think it’s John Donne’s fault:

Tis the year’s midnight, and it is the day’s,

Lucy’s, who scarce seven hours herself unmasks;

The sun is spent, and now his flasks

Send forth light squibs, no constant rays;

The world’s whole sap is sunk

 

These are his opening words from ‘A nocturnal upon St Lucy’s Day’

Traditionally, St Lucy’s Day, 13 December, was regarded as the shortest day of the year – hence the idea of the “year’s midnight”…and the evocative assessment that “the world’s whole sap is sunk”.

St Lucy is a 4^th century martyr. Around Lucy certain legends have developed, not least the persistent idea that her eyes were removed before her death. However, this idea is unfounded, and absent in the many narratives and traditions, at least until the 15th century. But it’s rather poetic isn’t it. This beautiful young maiden, whose name, Lucy, is derived from the Latin for light (lux), has the one thing removed that casts light within – her eyes. She is, before death, consigned to darkness.

Liturgically, St Lucy’s day is followed by St John of the Cross Day who famously penned the poem, ‘The Dark Night of the Soul’. Happy.

Indeed, not only does St John’s poetry witness to the darkness that so often engulfs the human spirit, thrusting us into realms and periods of detachment and difficulty, seasons of isolation, even from God, when all is dark about us. But St John’s life itself witnesses to the darkness that accompanies walking with Christ. He was jailed in a monastery, where he was kept under a brutal regimen that included public lashing before the community at least weekly, and severe isolation in a tiny stifling cell measuring ten feet by six feet; not what you’d call palatial. Rarely, he was permitted an oil lamp, and he had to stand on a bench to read his prayer book by the light through a hole in the wall. He had no change of clothing and a meagre diet of water, bread and scraps of salt fish. A very real and no doubt soul-searchingly depressing period of darkness.

 

And then as if these two saints of the church were not enough, we were all confronted with the darkness of human nature in the massacre at Sandy Nook Elementary School. Sadly, the murder of 20 children only made me weep, and remember the Holy Innocents…Why, Lord? Why such darkness? How do we as Christians sing “my heart is full of admiration…” and so on, when we are confronted with evil?

On the same day I had a few hours to myself in the evening and possessed by a curious mood I decided to watch ‘Schindler’s List’ and so was plunged into more soul searching as I pondered afresh the torment and horror of the Final Solution and the death camps.

Whatever hopefulness that greets Advent, it has given way to a despair that accompanies the frank realisation of the state of the world. A spirit of evil and darkness seems to brood over the lives of man.

But in fact, maybe this is precisely the correct trajectory we take in Advent.

As I’ve remarked before, Advent is NOT about imagining we live in the Before Christ times; make-believing that we are shepherds and wise men waiting for the Messiah. No.

But something has to happen to our Advent cry. To sanctify and purify it. 

At the end of the liturgical year we reflect on the lives of the saints and the promise of eternal life in God’s presence in heaven: the last and eternal things. This naturally gives way to Advent where we begin the year eagerly expecting Christ’s coming. We are often expressly admonished to be joyful in this season. We are told – this is not a second Lent. We are reminded that the season is not penitential in nature.

Really?

I would contend that any serious engagement with the Advent readings, and much of this is in Isaiah, makes us reflect on the nature of our fallenness:

“The earth lies polluted under its inhabitants” (Isa. 24:5)

“He [man] cannot save himself” (Isa. 44:20)

The prophet points at the sins of indolence and laziness (47:8), of sorcery and astrology (47:12f.), of idolatry and pride (44:9-23; 47:7). The prophet says sin is rebelliousness “from birth” (48:8b).

In essence, we frequently and persistently turn away from God: we forget him (Isaiah 51:13).

Perhaps it is entirely fitting that this period from 13^th to 21^st December represents the dark heart of winter (and why the counterpoint of Gaudete Sunday is so refreshing. My friend Bryony preached on this on 16^th December). This week is the grim core of Advent, when we are finally worn down by the weather, the world, sin and our adversary, the Devil, who features in our readings from Thessalonians. We are afflicted on every side. Like the Psalmist, David, we might well say, “I am in the midst of lions; I am forced to dwell among ravenous beasts…”(Psa 57:4)

And then when I look inside…I realise I am one of those lions, I am one of the beasts. I am my own darkness.

 

So what do we do?

We cry that great Advent exclamation: WAKE UP, DO SOMETHING, LORD! SAVE US (Isa. 51:9)

And the beautiful truth of this season is this: the hope of a world redeemed can only be sustained when we have in our heart the truth of a promise fulfilled: a baby born. We can only trust God to be faithful, because he was faithful to his promises of old to come into the world to comfort and console us. And it gets better!

“We know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus” (2 Corinthians 4:14).

Advent is viewed through the lense of Christmas. Advent Hope is assured because of the Christmas Incarnation, and the Christmas Incarnation set into motion the life that leads to real life. Christmas is seen through the lens of Easter. Easter is the feast of feasts.

I am consoled and comforted this Advent because I am reminded once again that Jesus is coming back to judge and redeem the world. I can trust this will happen because God is faithful. His faithfulness is proven in the nativity – he fulfilled his promise – that God would come to save us. And this is THE great promise – that God would defeat the evil that came into the world – a defeat seen in the EASTER triumph.

 

So, John Donne, you may well be right. The world’s sap has sunk – and sadly we see signs of this decay day by day. But hope…hope is what drives us on. The hope of a Son: a son to save, to redeem, to judge, to comfort and console. A son who came, who died, who rose, who ascended, and who will come again.

A light. A light that has come into the darkness. And will never go out.

 

 

Pray for the House of Laity

I am personally distressed and upset for the hundreds of female clergy who have felt their vocation somehow undermined by tonight's General Synod vote. You can read about the outcome here.

It's fair to say that as I listened to the live stream of the results I was frustrated and angry at what seemed to be such a stupid decision...and I let my emotions get the better of me; I tweeted:

Failed...and it's all on laity! Personally, house of Laity...hang your bloody heads in shame! IN SHAME! #synod
— Rolf Mason (@rolf_mason) November 20, 2012

And I'm not alone. In fact, as I've followed the #synod hashtag this evening the vast majority of those commenting are disappointed, for a whole range of issues.

However, I don't want to offer any particular analysis for now. I think lots of anger has been expressed, including from me.

But one comment on Twitter did make me stop, and that was that we need to love the House of Laity more, not less right now. Very true.

As I sat to prepare myself for cell tonight, I completed the Evening Office, which at this time of the year (All Saints to Advent) is the last season and is so positioned as to be adjacent to the additional material for daily prayer, which includes PRAYERS FOR THE UNITY OF THE CHURCH.

Ouch!

But I felt compelled to pray them.

Ouch!

I think it is incredibly important the church is somehow able to remember that we are one in Christ, despite our differences, and that we must seek for all that builds our unity...to be peacemakers.

Of course, we often say that when we have mild disagreements, or the decisions we need to make are somehow notional or far off...

Tonight's decision is very present, very real, and very sad.

Which is why we must not rely on ourselves, but turn to God, asking him to help us.

Here's the opening prayer...maybe you would join me in praying it?

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
our only Saviour, the Prince of Peace:
give us grace seriously to lay to heart
the great dangers we are in by our unhappy divisions.
Take away all hatred and prejudice,
and whatever else may hinder us
from godly union and concord;
that, as there is but one body and one Spirit,
one hope of our calling,
one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
one God and Father of us all,
so we may henceforth be all of one heart and of one soul,
united in one holy bond of peace, of faith and charity,
and may with one mind and one mouth glorify you;
through Jesus Christ our Lord.

What's a priest? (Hebrews - Day 21)

Sermons are tricky beasts...they can get away from you sometimes. And with the kindest respect to our vicar, Paul, I think his sermon back in October on Hebrews 7:23-28 rather got away from him. As I've read back through my notes of the sermon, and as I re-read the passage I'm forced to conclude he tried to say too much..breaking my personal rule that a sermon should be summarisable in one sentence (see here for a rather brutal critique of a service I attended).

I think Paul was trying to summarise a number of Hebrews-related themes:
1. The High Priest
2. Sacrifice
3. Sin
4. Exaltation and Acension

Now as it happens I've already picked up the theme of ascension in Hebrews here. And I've spoken about sacrifice here, amongst other references. And sin get's an expose in other places too. (This is why it's useful to do a journey through the book - not an edited highlights approach of the lectionary)

This then leaves us with the High Priesthood to consider.

(It's certainly worth saying at this point that I have, as someone who is seriously interested in ordination, found this study of Hebrews very helpful in deepening my understanding of the priestly function of a vicar...who's other main functions might be seen as pastor and prophet...or is that chaplaincy?...)

It's worth, while we're thinking about Priests to pause and consider what Hebrews notes they do:
- They represent the people (Heb 5:1) and in a sense vicars do still do that. They are not mediators - Hebrews streses this later in the letter - Jesus is the only mediator. But priests stand alongside people, almost like a union rep, petitioning and standing up for them.
- Intercessions (Heb 7:25): we see Jesus in heaven offering prayers for us, and so priests on earth would be expected to do the same.

- Sacrifices...perhaps of praise (Hebrews 5:1; 13:15), but also the role of our priests is to preside at communion which is an enactment of Christ's sacrifice. They are recounting the passion of Christ.
- Gifts: I think priests do unlock our potential and talents, but they also practically receive and offer to God our monetary offerings (Heb 5:1)
- Pastoring (Heb 5:2) is part of being a priest - like Jesus the shepherd - where the ignorant and those going astray are cared for by the priest.
- Worship (Heb 8:1-2) is part of making God present to us. We are brought more consciously into the very throne room of God when our priests lead us in worship of God.

But Hebrews makes it very clear that Jesus is a FAR superior High Priest to those who served in the Tabernacle, or in the Temple.

In these six verses in Hebrews 7:23-28 we review six ways in which Jesus is shown as totally adequate to meet our needs:

Hebrews 7	Jesus	The High Priests
v.23	One	Many
v.24	Permanent	Temporary
v.25	Saves completely	Saves incompletely
v.26	Holy, blameless, pure, set apart, exalted	Earthly, sinful, profane
v.27	Once-for-all	Repeated
v.28	Perfect	Weak

There is only one JESUS, but he is totally sufficient.

Our response?

Come to Jesus, through God (Heb 7:25) and he WILL save you completely. That's a promise!

Three Facts of Sin (Hebrews - Day 11)

Sin...

That's the word that jumps out at me as I read today's Hebrews passage (Hebrews 5:1-4) - sin!

I think it's worth being quite plain here - after all the Bible is too - we all sin. All of us.

I quite like the way we're described - ignorant and going astray.

I watched 999 What's Your Emergency tonight. I rarely sit down to watch real-time TV, but for once I did. And like so many other people I was shocked by what I saw: drunkenness, lewd behaviour, violence, aggression, gender politics, etc. Some of the comments made by those being cared for by the servicemen and women, were astonishing.

When I read these verses I was reminded of a brilliant essay I had read some years ago about sin. I dug it out, but it was without author, but thanks to the wonder of the internet I have not only found the author, but discovered online versions to share with you.

'The Three Facts of Sin' is taken from the book, 'An Ideal Life' by Henry Drummond (1851-97).

In this essay, Drummond argues from Psalm 103 that sin has three facets: its GUILT, its STAIN, and its POWER. From these three effects we need forgiveness from the guilt, healing from the stain, and redemption from the power of sin.

By POWER OF SIN, Drummond discerns that sin is more than guilt. When Hebrews talks about sacrifices for sin (Heb 5:3) it is more than forgiveness from guilt. The power of sin is that inexorable ever present potential to see our life come to ruin as a consequence of sin. Even when we turn to Christ, this power still seeks to dominate. Therefore, when we come to God we seek redemption from the destruction of sin. It requires more grace, Drummond argues, to keep our life from sin through all the tempted years than just forgiving the lifelong sinner. Grace is bigger than guilt: it is a living grace, a restraining grace.

Have you ever thought that - that God is actively seeking to stop you sinning. Sin wants to spoil and ruin our lives. We sometimes see Satan in these terms - as a personal, implacable enemy of our soul. That is what sin is. It's out to get us.

But we are told that Jesus has us - he not only forgives our guilt, but in his role as High Priest he's asking God to grant us mercy and grace to "help us in our time of need" (Heb 4:16). Furthermore, we are sent the Holy Spirit to aid us in this Holy Living.

The STAIN OF SIN is more obvious, for sin, even when it has passed away, leaves unmistakable marks. In our lives (and in the history of teh world) there are ruins of sin been and gone. Drummond says:

"We see it in one another's lives and in our own lives. Our conscience, for instance, is not so quick as it might have been—the stains of sin are there, between us and the light. We have ignored conscience many a time when it spoke, and its voice has grown husky and indistinct. Our intellectual life is not so true as it might have been—our intellectual sins have stained it and spoilt our memory, and taken the edge off our sympathy, and filled us with suspicion and one-sided truths, and destroyed the delicate power of faith." (Emphasis mine)

Drummond suggests that sin's stain is seen in our bodies too - and he's right. Whether an STI, addictions, alcoholism, drug abuse, obesity, or the language we use, sin leaves its mark.

But even worse, the stain of sin is seen in our predisposition to sin. I know in my own life that I rarely sin in isolation. My daily struggles are marked by serious struggles in particular areas which are a consequence of habitual sinning over a period of time. Maybe you know that experience too?

Worst of all, perhaps, is the way sin's stain passes to others. As a new father I am deeply scared of the effect my sins might have on my son...my language, behaviour, the way my temper gets the better of me, my lateness...how might my sinfulness bring a stain to his life??

I must admit to finding Drummond's teaching on the stain of sin as somewhat depressing, but perhaps he has got it right when he says that "the scars of sin on body and mind and soul live with us in silent retribution upon our past, and go with us to our graves."

Drummonds concern throughout however has been to stress the seriousness of sin.

We too must never trivialise sin. Sin is evil. Sin is destructive. We must face the fact that we sin: and those sins have a power, and a stain.

Finally, we face the GUILT OF SIN. Put simply, our guilt is not about whether or not we feel sorry. We don't become guilty if we're religious, or become a Christian.

We are guilty because that is what we are in our nature.

As we reflect on our own sinfulness we recoil from the truth of our true nature. Perhaps we start to hate ourselves. God too recoils from us. Our sin is a crime. A crime against who we're made to be, breaking the moral law places in our heart by our creator, by God.

This is the heart of the Good News: God is a holy god, awesome in majesty, and in His divine nature nothing evil or impure can exist. Therefore, we, his creatures, made to exist in this state of holiness with Him, have forfeited our relationship with God. We are precisely that thing God cannot tolerate: sinful, impure and unholy.

Into this mess, God introduces the priesthood, who help us approach God, which in turn points to Jesus who comes to be our great High Priest. In this role he is both priest and sacrifice - both dealing with the guilt of sin.

So how should we respond?

Frankly - we do what Peter instructed the listeners on Pentecost: "Repent, and be baptised, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38)

Also, we need to have a full Christology, by which I mean you need to see Jesus in his entirety.

Jesus' sinless life (Hebrews 4:15) addresses the hopelessness of the STAIN of sin.
Jesus' death on the cross (Hebrews 1:3c; 8:12; 9:22; 10:18; 12:2) forgives our GUILT.
Jesus' resurrection life (Hebrews 4:14) grants the power to conquer sin's POWER

I beseech you, come to Jesus, in whom we have all we need to live lives that please God, without whom we have no pure example of holy living, and without whose sacrifice I cannot be made right with God.

Remembrance: Sin, Sacrifice and Salvation (Hebrews - Day 26)

Remembrance Day is not about glorifying war.
Remembrance Day is about an act of celebration. Celebrating the peace that came at the end of the 'war to end war' in 1918. That armistice which was commenced on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of that year.

Paul Ayers took up the text for today's reading, Hebrews 9:23-28 (although he didn't have v.23 as part of the Sunday reading), for his sermon yesterday morning, delivered to a packed Pudsey Parish Church. There were representatives from civic bodies, counsellors, and hundreds of armed and uniformed organisations, as well as members of the public who come to church on Remembrance Sunday as a mark of respect.

I think Paul argued persuasively that we must be careful that Remembrance Day does not become it was never intended to be. It was not about patriotism - which it often is now. Consider carefully the truth that petty nationalism was the root of much that flowered during 1914-18. Indeed, we confessed the sin of "evil divisions and hatred" during the service. Remembrance Day is not even a celebration of death...we reflect on the lost lives, the words spoken at the cenotaph reflect this:

"They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old, age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn"

Remembrance Day is about remembering the SACRIFICE.

A sacrifice of life - we remember the dead.

And so it is entirely appropriate to use this passage to reflect on the biggest question of all: Why are we here? What happens when we die?

²⁷ Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, ²⁸ so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

Using these verses (27 and 28), we face three facts:

1. SIN

Whether in war or in peace, all men die. Death comes to everyone. Always and inexorably.
But the Bible says we do not go to nothingness, a silent sleep for all eternity. No.
We die to face judgment.
Why judgement - and what is judged? Sin.
The Bible's testimony, and the record of our lives shows that all men sin (Romans 3:23).  I have sinned every day of my life, and this topic of sin preoccupies much of the writer of Hebrews.

But there is great hope in the fact that our sin will be judged.

If there is no judgment, then our misdeeds, and especially the gross sins of humanity - those perpetrated by individuals and nations - will not have mattered. Consider that!
If there is no judgment, then whether I sin or not, whether I live a life marked by goodness or evil...well noone actually cares; noone is going to sit me down and appraise my life.

It would be as though I were an employee of a business who fails to do anything I am paid to do, but gets away with it.

Can you sense the deep injustice in the core of your being, a sense of injustice common to all humans.

Justice. We, You, I deserve justice. And most especially God deserves justice.

Some argue that justice and recompense are to be sought in this life. This is why we hear, so often, the cry for revenge. But time and again we see life is a cruel mistress - those who deserve punishment live and die in contented happiness, while the 'righteous' suffer. Just read Psalms and Job and you face the sobering truth that this has marked mankind's existence since the beginning.

We are hard-wired for justice. And we can have hope that justice will come.

- Do you know your sinfulness?
- Do you ever stop to consider your mortality?

2. SACRIFICE

While the war to end war was a failure - we live with the fact of war today - there was a death to end death - Jesus'.

We celebrate the sacrifice of armed men and women - those who died in wartime and peacetime.

Jesus sacrificed himself for us. Earlier parts of Hebrews have explored the reasons for this sacrifice - the necessity of blood - the role of the High Priest - the once-for-all nature of his sacrifice.

But in the context of JUSTICE his sacrifice takes on an additional meaning. We are enslaved to a cruel master: sin and death. Jesus went to war with sin and death. And by his sacrificial death he won for us victory over sin and death. We are purified from sin; and released from death's power.

We ourselves cannot liberate or redeem our lives - only Jesus can do that.

And unlike the hoped for peace that was looked for after World War I - we have a sure and steadfast peace with Christ (Hebrews 6:19)

- Do you know your need of a Saviour?
- Do you ever think about the enormity of Jesus' sacrifice?

3. SALVATION

By now, "So what?" say most Christians...yes, really!

The truth of God's holiness, our sin, his judgment and salvation are taken for granted on an obscene level. Do you get blase about the truth that God has redeemed you, saved you, forgiven you?? Are you thankful? Many of us are not sufficiently preoccupied with God's great mercy, I'd contend.

But sin and sacrifice is not the whole picture for Hebrews, oh no! Indeed, irrespective of indifference we should all be stirred by the very end of this passage: He is coming back - he is returning. (I've blogged a bit on this theme: here, here, and here)

Jesus' return is not to deal with sin - that's done.

No, His return is to "bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (v.28)

This is the climax of Hebrews 9...He is coming for those who have waited for him, coming to bring salvation...the promise of life eternal with God...


And so we are forced to ask:
- Are we waiting eagerly for his return? Do you even care that he's coming back?
- Is your life marked by service to this fact?

Courtesy of Mike Wrigglesworth 2012

While stood beside the cenotaph in Pudsey yesterday, looking up at the lone soldier on the plinth, and as I held my toddler, I was moved (as I always am) that these soldiers unknown to me were prepared to lay down their lives...when I was 19 years old I was so selfish...but these men sacrificed so much.

How much more does Jesus deserve in response to his great sacrifice?

I honestly hoped (and continue to pray) that those men and women who heard Paul preach yesterday will have sensed God's call...a call to see the sin that lurks within...our desire for justice....a justice seen on the cross...and to accept Jesus as Saviour.