A well known preacher in the 19th century once said that he would beg all week just for the opportunity to preach the gospel on a Sunday morning. Do we really think like that today? Do I think that way? As I prepare for Sunday morning or Sunday evening for that matter or even for the mid week Bible study, am I praying that God will speak through me? As I pray am I really pleading with God for the people who I am addressing? Do I say to God- "Lord, give me Belfast or I die?" Do I pray "Reach out with your hand of grace to the para militaries and to the drug pushers and the people who seek to control others or to make them victims"? I think that all too often we preach a mesage which says- take it is true- if we leave the sovereignty of God out of the equasion. I need to learn how to plead with men and women on Sundays, after pleading with God during the week, as if it all depended on human choice, knowing that it is in the hands of a sovereign God- is that not true?

January is a time for resolutions- it’s the start of another year- I think this represents the desire of every man and woman to take every opportunity to try again- even though its only a date on the calendar and the numbers become increasingly irrelevant once you are over 30- yet so many people make some attempt at , at least , making resolutions- I have made none apart from a general desire to be better at- a host of things!!! Often I think along with DH Lawrence, that it would be great to rub out humanity and start again- as happened at the flood, or a sneaking desire to start life again or build the church from the ground up but I know that the fault of my human nature is that I would make the same mistakes all over again. John takes us back to basics- to the very beginning- here we have another Genesis. In the first Genesis we are told that God is the only one who existed before man measured time “In the beginning GOD created the earth” . It was “formless and empty” and shrouded in darkness. God took it and gave it both shape and light and He said it was “very good”. We know that before too long all this good work of God was damaged so badly that it looked irreparable. His prized possession was lying in shattered little pieces. But John knows all about the divine initiative which has led to the very thing which looked impossible- the repair of the whole earth to such an extent that when God is finished you will not see the join- but since God is not ALTOGETHER finished with us you can still see the join. Paul says that the whole of creation is groaning in expectancy for its redemption. So John wants to tell the world, his world all about this Good News Let’s give some thought to the world that John was living in- his world was very like our world: He was living In Ephesus-a city of about the size of Belfast It was a centre of commerce and trade- the most important city in the area It was also a very religious city ** Emperor cult ** Temples to Claudius, and Hadrian ** The temple of Diana was one of the wonders of the world ** fertility cult was also prominent There was also a fairly large colony of Jews It was a place where religious tolerance and plurality had led to syncretistism [all the religions becoming like each other And this led to problems for the Christians who rejected this – led to persecution One of our difficulties today is that with the growing pluralism there is the danger of syncreticism – the nearest we have come to this, so far, is what we call ecumenism but with the arrival of immigrants from Asia and parts of Europe and Africa it is changing- on Wednesday in Derry they held a prayer service in which they all prayed together including the Sheik leader!!???? For many years the President of the Irish Republic has invited all the religious leaders, including Jews and Muslims to her inauguration and all take part- so what do we think of that? What do we think of that- I heard no one even question it! Not even a hint of a question from those who are wont to picket the General Assembly on the opening night every year! We need to think that one through because it impinges on the whole idea of tolerance. How far do we take that? In Revelation John has some good things to say about this church in Ephesus – it has resisted evil and remained doctrinally true BUT their problem is the loss of their first love- in remaining doctrinally true and staying pure they have lost sight of something just as important- the reason for this pure doctrine- love of God- so they have become legalistic and cold and lost the power of their witness. I think we share that problem also. One of the dangers of the all embracing response to the Asian Tsunami is that we embrace the doctrine as well as the humanity of all the people and so some say- see there is no difference or we stand apart and they say- see they are more concerned with their system of belief than with basic humanity. Now the problem for John and for the contemporary Christian is the same- how do you share the good news in a time of darkness when people feel no need? In the history of the church we can see periods of greater and lesser darkness but God has never left himself without a witness. Paul says “When the time had fully come God sent His son…” In the dark days when most needed God sent His prophets and poets and evangelists to proclaim the word and in the first century he even sent his own son. Ever since there have been times of great darkness- like the Dark Ages so called and this was followed by the witness of people like Martin Luther, John Calvin, then Jonathan Edwards, John Whitefield, John and Charles Wesley etc. The societies that they lived in were not perfect but they represent moments I the history of the world when many people responded to the preaching of the world. In this New Year we need to remind ourselves that GOD MOVES MEN AND WOMEN AND HE CHOSE HIS MOMENTS – in the beginning was the WORD, was GOD. This was AN ACT OF GOD- God sent His son in this new beginning In this mixture of good and bad, light and darkness we see that it is an unfair battle- in John’s day there was the idea that there was a constant battle between good and evil and this was a battle of equals but John makes the point that this is not the case- God gives life-by his word of command and that life is the LIGHT and the darkness has NEITHER UNDERSTOOD IT NOR OVERCOME IT. I think this came out very clearly in the debates on the radio after the Tsunami- for some what happened on Boxing Day was proof that God did not exist but if God did not exist then you can’t blame him either and then the next day the goalposts were changed- now it was a case of saying that this God was some kind of sadist who didn’t care. The real problem is that there is a spiritual darkness which will have to be penetrated before any real answer can be given- unless you accept the idea of man’s fall from grace you will have no answer at all. Our problem is that if we just rely on our human thinking then our logic will fail us, since none of us are logical in our actions all the time- Paul describes the problem well in Romans 7- I know what I want to do and just can’t do it- so that instead of doing the good I want to do I do the very evil things I do not want to do. Now in the midst of all this John says that it is possible to have a new start- to start again with the clean sheet that Lawrence asked for- because this God who is accused of being a sadist has given men another chance- just as at the flood days- Jesus has come and died that we might live. In this dark world we have hope- I know this is not the complete answer but it is a starting off place and we will have all the answers when God is finished His work- without him there is no answer at all- apart from the Stephen Dawkins answer which is that you are either lucky or unlucky in the world because its all a matter of time and chance and then there is no value to human life at all- no more than for any other kind of life. When Jesus lifted the bread and said this is my body and the wine and said this is my blood he was indicating the answer to all life’s questions and the possibility of new life and life in all its possible fullness. If we want to have this life the way to have it is to walk in God’s way- CS Lewis- Happiness is a bye-product. John’s point is that the story he has to tell is God’s story but men can only understand it, it will only make sense when they have the eyes to see. This is truly an ACT OF GOD. Through the “earthquake, wind and fire” there was the “still small voice of God” This is my body, this is my word, this is the Lamb of God, this is my Son. John asks the question, the same question down through the generations- Do you believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that by believing you may have life in His name?

COMMUNITY

Today I visited a family who are about to bury their mother- they have little connection with the church apart from the fact that their mother paid into weekly envelopes. Then I went to see a lady who has been very committed to both the church and to Jesus Christ and she and her family are coming to terms with the fact that she will not recover from cancer and will die before very long. Then I heard of the terrible news that a boy of 4 was killed on one of those mini scrambler bikes. It was not a good day, from a human point of view. At the home of the family who are burying their mother tomorrow I discovered that they were closely connected wioth another family whose mother I burried a few months ago. I have been at Crumlin Road for a little less than two years but I have had many funerals. I was amazed at just how well I have been accepted in this and many other homes at such a time as this. Even though this first family have had so little contact with the church they appreciate someone praying with and for them. At the momenet I am asking myself and the congregation is also asking how we can build an indigionious congregation of believers which will really cut the ice. This community has seen and personally experienced much suffering over the last 30 years. We are sitting ina community which is an inter-face between Roman Catholics and Protestants in urban Belfast- within 100 yards from the front door of the church we have "the other side" and even though we are separated by walls and other barriers we are really evry close. This community is a community of poverty and yet there is much richness, honesty and closeness often missing from thenmore prosperous communities. yet we also have to say that within this community there is also division and mistrust and even hatred between thre two major communities and between the other sub-set communities. How will God build His church in a community which is often thought of as "God forsaken" and where so mnay of the Christians have left for the subberbs? This community is ranked number one in the top ten of the most deprived in Northern Ireland and that means- teenage pregnancies, broken marriages, unemployment, gang warfare, low educational standards. How can we empower the community or play our part in it with so little by way of human resources? In this community the para militaries will supply the community with cheap, counterfeit, goods such - cigarettes to smoke, DVDs to watch, and drugs to lift the mind of what is going on in the real world and they can even supply the odd loan at extortionate rates, of course. Jesus and the whole Judeao Christian ethic places a lot of emphasis upon freeing those under bondage and empowering the poor and down trodden. We will not make the kind of impact upon our society until we, the Chriatians, begin to live and serve as He did. HERE ARE A FEW THOUGHTS INCARNATIONAL THEOLOGY Like many other urban areas Belfast does not have the best reputation and yet there are people living in these streets who, beneath the rough, loud and straight exterior, there lies a warm-hearted people who want to love and be loved. There are people who will not be found in our churches but who are remarkably normal for people living in an abnormal situation. We need to love these people as Jesus loves them and as he loves us. For too long the Christians have fled the city- this has to stop. Are there people who will take the risk and move back into the city and into inter-face areas? Are the Christians in our churches prepared to get our hands dirty for the sake of Christ and His mission? If we are happy to stay pure we will be able to stand back and not get involved in the dirty work of associating with the publicana dn sinners but that was not the way of Jesus. Can we stand back and leave the para military war lords to rule the community? How do we show even these men and women that Christ died for them because He loved, loves, them? Why is it that the churches in the subburbs are so wealthy? Why is it so difficult for inner city churches to find ministers who are "called" to serve in them while the subburbs have little problem? In this area we have some churches which have been looking for ministers for several years and why is it that the body of christ is prepared to allow some churh bodies to pay twice as much to their minister than churches in the uraban congregations? How much are we prepared to give for mission in the city? How creative are we prepared to be in reaching out with the gospel in the city? Our congregation have begun a process whereby we will take a long look at the community in which we live and at the congregation to see if we can minister the whole gospel to the whole person but at the end of the process we will need much more resources - that translates on the ground to mean more money, more manpower, more creativity and much more patience and endurance-but with God all things are possible. The church is not a building nor is it a denomination it is a people and we must be people orientated while remaining God centred. Our prayer is that God will show us how to be a light in the darkness and how to be salt in our society- Belfast is the place where God has placed us for this time and these streets are our streets, these people are our people and we must persuade men to turn to Christ but do so in a way which is as real people- we can be very doctrinally sound and chose our words and actons very carefully butb if we do not love the people God has given us then we are in trouble and thr trouble with this is that all the people in our area are not nice people- they smoke and they drink and they swear and they fight but then so do we, if we would but be honest. We need help. I wonder if there are those out there who are ready and willing to help us for the sake of Christ?

What comes to your mind whenever you think of a Christian? Maybe that is something we should be asking those who are outside the church population! On a line with a Pharisee at one end and a publican at the other where would you place the Christian? On a scale where the Pharisee is 1 and the publican is 10 where would you place the Christian? Jesus was very often found in the company of the publicans and here he is at a family wedding responsible for the wine. We don’t know if he drank any of it Himself but he did make the stuff. Do you think it possible for a brewer to be a Christian? What is this all about? Is it just about parties? Or is it about the Christian attitude to alcohol? Or is it about prayer? I have no doubt that there are indications about each of these but what is at the very heart? John is not just telling the story, even though he is the only Gospel writer who tells this story- no he wants people like you and me to understand why he does what He does. To John and the early Christians this passage along with the cleansing of the temple and the woman at the well are the key to understanding the rest of the story and the very message of the church. Yes he is understanding towards His mother and he does not want the family to be embarrassed by running out of wine- he says to Mary- “Woman dear why are you asking me to interfere? My time has not yet come- nevertheless I will do something but I will do it quietly for I am not yet ready to launch my ministry in a very public way. So he does a quiet miracle. But this is not about signs and wonders- its not like changing stones into bread- its not about showing his power it’s about revealing His glory. In v11 he adds his editorial note saying “ This, the first of his miraculous signs Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and his disciples put their faith in Him.” As a preacher you are constantly on the look out for illustrations from events and from the things around you and here John has found an illustration for the abundant grace of God in Christ. Paul tells the Ephesian believers that “every spiritual blessing” has been given to them-there are no blessings that have been withheld. God has been generous to a fault. Just as there was in excess of 1,400 bottles of wine- more than enough so his grace, freely given is overwhelming them. This man Jesus is more than what he seems- he is more than the carpenter More than a Rabbi, more than another spiritual person- John says he is the Son of God INCARNATE- earlier on he said “He BECAME flesh and make His home among us”…we have seen His glory…” At this stage- Peter, Andrew, Philip, Nathanael and John were there and later James Matthew Thomas James son of Althaeas Simon the Zealot Judas son of James And Judas Iscariot All would also be witnesses to His life and work. Here we see Him producing some 80 gallons of wine- more than enough for the party and so God “lavishes His grace” on His people. This is the kind of thing that Paul had in mind when he wrote that letter we call Ephesians- it was addressed to Ephesus but it is applicable to all believers. They are, we are: ELECTED We know all about elections. In our democratic system we elect MPs, EMPs. MLAs, Councillors, Ministers and Elders. Pretty soon we will be electing a new government and with that members to the Assembly [whatever that is?] and then we will be voting on the European constitution While we will choose those we wish to represent us God has chosen us, from before the foundation of the world. [V4,5 4] ADOPTED V5 he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will— John says the same thing when he says in Jn 1:12 “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—“ God chose us, we did not choose Him. He is the one who took the initiative and did all the work-he died on the cross and suffered the pain and disgrace and all we can do is to respond and accept all this work. Being His children is not a natural result, not the offspring of a man and a woman but He had adopted us-made us His children. When you adopt a child you take a definite decision to make this child your own and to give them all the family privileges. He is our perfect father and mother. 3. SECURED by God Made safe by the Holy Spirit. We need not fear loosing our salvation-if it was true at the start it will remain so-God will not let go of us. All the more so is it important to live lives which bring glory to His name. Its because of the great work of Jesus that we are safe-not one hair of our head will be touched without the permission of God Himself. Its because eof this great work that we are no longer our own , we have been bought with a price-the blood of Jesus-for that reason we live for Him every day of our lives. This Holy Spirit is a down payment-whenever you buy a house the chances are you need a mortgage form the bank-the house doesn't really and completely belong to you and will not until the final repayment of the capital has been made. So it is with us-we belong to Jesus -–e have all these blessings which have already been given to us but there is more to come. We have God’s seal of ownership upon us and his seal of protection. With all of this its no wonder the hymn writer says-“All that thrills my soul is Jesus, he is more than life to me.” The point of all this? The church of Jesus Christ should live every day in the knowledge that she has every spiritual blessing IN CHRIST. Does that not encourage you? Does that not help you to withstand all the trials and troubles which have come and will come your way? The Holy Spirit is here for you and me-to guide us and to protect us. There can be no threats No danger No problems that will crush us. J.B Philips says “Every time we say, ‘I believe’ we mean that we believe that there is a living God able and willing to enter human personality and change it.” In Jesus Christ we have OUR IDENTITY WE ARE ELECTED ADOPTEDAND SECURED These are the blessings that Paul spoke of and they are examples of God’s grace in our lives- this is what John wanted us to know and understand- this is what this man Christ has done for us- his love is overflowing and that is the underlining meaning of the gallons of wine and that is the meaning of the marriage relationship. So then this is the key to what we believe and how we are to operate. Too often we settle for water Too often we change the wine into water so that those we call publicans and sinners only see: The institution Only see the rules Only see the criticism and the denunciation but miss Christ!

CHOICES

Do you know the slogan, “BBC Northern Ireland- what life’s all about?” What do You think? Let’s take a look at some of the alternatives: ITV1; ITV2; ITV3, Channel 4; Channel 5; E4; E4+1; RTE; RTE2,; Sky One; Sky Sports and about 100 others. If I can get my hands on the remote, which I can do if I am in the house alone, I could spend the whole evening flicking through the alternatives, getting tiny glimpses but really seeing nothing. In fact, by the time I have flicked through them all I need to repeat the process, as I have forgotten what came first- was it Neighbours or Home and Away? Or was it Friends or the O.C? Or maybe it as the Simpsons! Getting that very welcome cup of coffee is not easy either- it could be Cappuccino, Espresso, or Latte. It could be black or white. Will it be instant or percolated, filtered or in a caffatiere? With sugar or without? Then it could be Brazilian or Kenyan and it could be fairly traded or not. In the end I decide that it must be fairly traded- [I have a responsibility to make sure, as far as it is possible, that the profits are fairly shared] filtered decaffeinated Brazilian. Then I make the decision to watch the next episode of Friends [a repeat, of course]. Unfortunately by now the episode on E4 is over and the one on E4+1 is half way through! I console myself that decisions are difficult to make, because, we are spoilt for choice, but, in this case, choice has prevented me from seeing the very thing I wanted to see! In the Old Testament Joshua tells the people that it is time for them to choose: “…if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then chose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether gods your forefathers served beyond the river or the gods of the Amonites, in whose land you are living. But, as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Now that is an important choice. Wake up and smell the coffee.