The following is the leading article from our congregational newsheet, published this week.
'Since our last Newsheet some things might seem to have improved, but fresh challenges are also presenting themselves.
Hazel was discharged from hospital and came home for tea on Valentine’s Day. It’s wonderful to be together again but after seven months of simplified cuisine I’m having to up my game a bit! In Cairncastle we can start planning something of a church programme again but we need more helpers in all departments!
While we might celebrate the current easing of covid restrictions in this part of the world, the virus remains a pandemic worldwide, claiming more lives daily. As I write, Russia has just invaded Ukraine, sparking another global crisis. With environmental and economic pressures and profound uncertainty about everything, the problems seem to be stacking up!
It would be tempting to try and bury our heads in the sand and just not look but it’s not so easy nowadays to leave the world behind. Databases, satellites and internet have us all connected, like it or not. These days it’s not hard for the world to find us, and when it comes knocking there are no guarantees it will be friendly.
Life had its worries in the world of the first century also. For all its impressive infrastructure, the Roman Empire was built on ruthless conquest and brutal slavery. The culture was one of the rich and powerful exploiting the poor. Women and children were commonly abused. Every form of sexual immorality was rife. And there was a universal fear of death.
It might seem hardly surprising then that the Revelation given to St John in the final decade of the century features grim pictures of apocalyptic horsemen and beastlike tyrants wreaking havoc on a worldwide scale! Some find these images disturbing and avoid this last book of God’s Word, which is a pity, as it was originally given to encourage hard-pressed believers as to Who is really in control and what the final outcome will be.
Let me draw your attention to a few key points.
In the opening chapters John is given a vision of his Master Jesus, risen in glory, sharing God’s throne in heaven and reigning sovereign over human history as it unfolds. He holds the keys and unlocks the scroll. The present and future are secure in His love-scarred hands. His planned return and not some human fiasco will be the climax of the ages. A resurrection of universal harmony awaits those who keep their faith steadfast in Him. This is pictured in the final chapters as a beautifully renewed Jerusalem with an international population, healed and refreshed by the tree and river of life.
The devil by contrast is defeated at the cross, limited in power and destined for final judgement, along with those who have welcomed his lies. The proud empires we humans raise to glorify ourselves are doomed to fail every time. Christ’s is the kingdom that will last forever.
For now we live in a spiritual battle zone with two things happening at once. The enemy stirs up all kinds of opposition to Christ and His good news of redeeming love, but the Lord continues to support and equip His Church to witness prophetically to the truth, eventually bringing salvation to people from every nation, just as He promised.
Knowing these truths revealed by God’s Son helps us make sense of the present world. We are dismayed but not surprised or overcome by evil. We can trust in the Lord and continue to do good, sharing the hope we have with all who will listen. We can find patience and courage and not forget compassion in days of trouble, knowing the guiding presence of the One Who holds the future.
The Lord is our Good Shepherd. Our destiny and inheritance are secure in Him and He will provide His obedient flock with all we need for today!'
'Since our last Newsheet some things might seem to have improved, but fresh challenges are also presenting themselves.
Hazel was discharged from hospital and came home for tea on Valentine’s Day. It’s wonderful to be together again but after seven months of simplified cuisine I’m having to up my game a bit! In Cairncastle we can start planning something of a church programme again but we need more helpers in all departments!
While we might celebrate the current easing of covid restrictions in this part of the world, the virus remains a pandemic worldwide, claiming more lives daily. As I write, Russia has just invaded Ukraine, sparking another global crisis. With environmental and economic pressures and profound uncertainty about everything, the problems seem to be stacking up!
It would be tempting to try and bury our heads in the sand and just not look but it’s not so easy nowadays to leave the world behind. Databases, satellites and internet have us all connected, like it or not. These days it’s not hard for the world to find us, and when it comes knocking there are no guarantees it will be friendly.
Life had its worries in the world of the first century also. For all its impressive infrastructure, the Roman Empire was built on ruthless conquest and brutal slavery. The culture was one of the rich and powerful exploiting the poor. Women and children were commonly abused. Every form of sexual immorality was rife. And there was a universal fear of death.
It might seem hardly surprising then that the Revelation given to St John in the final decade of the century features grim pictures of apocalyptic horsemen and beastlike tyrants wreaking havoc on a worldwide scale! Some find these images disturbing and avoid this last book of God’s Word, which is a pity, as it was originally given to encourage hard-pressed believers as to Who is really in control and what the final outcome will be.
Let me draw your attention to a few key points.
In the opening chapters John is given a vision of his Master Jesus, risen in glory, sharing God’s throne in heaven and reigning sovereign over human history as it unfolds. He holds the keys and unlocks the scroll. The present and future are secure in His love-scarred hands. His planned return and not some human fiasco will be the climax of the ages. A resurrection of universal harmony awaits those who keep their faith steadfast in Him. This is pictured in the final chapters as a beautifully renewed Jerusalem with an international population, healed and refreshed by the tree and river of life.
The devil by contrast is defeated at the cross, limited in power and destined for final judgement, along with those who have welcomed his lies. The proud empires we humans raise to glorify ourselves are doomed to fail every time. Christ’s is the kingdom that will last forever.
For now we live in a spiritual battle zone with two things happening at once. The enemy stirs up all kinds of opposition to Christ and His good news of redeeming love, but the Lord continues to support and equip His Church to witness prophetically to the truth, eventually bringing salvation to people from every nation, just as He promised.
Knowing these truths revealed by God’s Son helps us make sense of the present world. We are dismayed but not surprised or overcome by evil. We can trust in the Lord and continue to do good, sharing the hope we have with all who will listen. We can find patience and courage and not forget compassion in days of trouble, knowing the guiding presence of the One Who holds the future.
The Lord is our Good Shepherd. Our destiny and inheritance are secure in Him and He will provide His obedient flock with all we need for today!'
RSS Feed