It’s New Year’s Day and I am awake; its 8:01 and I’m amazed, I normally wake between 4:00/5:00am and wonder why I didn’t today. I had watched the world fireworks until 12:10am, wished myself a happy new year and went to sleep. Australia had the best pyrotechnics, New Zealand the worst and Britain halfway between.

Will the New Year bring fireworks in the humdrum of life or not, we shall see as time unfolds,  but does one want fireworks at nearly 80, isn’t being alive just enough? Again, we shall see. If fireworks are on the agenda then I would like to see them in our church, with God’s amazing possibilities firing everywhere with a multitudinous range of colours and noises – bringing forth cries of awe and amazement over His faultless and exciting design. Catherine wheels, rockets, bangers, sparklers and pinwheels, all jumbled into a riot of colour giving glory to God in the highest. Church is exciting, life can be also.

We are not sure how life will unfold this year, but one thing is almost sure, if God does not intervene in my dear wife’s life she will soon be in heaven, and free from pain and disability. We face death daily but as Christians we know we have an assured future. Parting is never easy, but with God we can have confidence and peace at prospects ahead, and sing “Because He lives I can face tomorrow,” with certainty and hope.

We have agreed to meet at the south gate, but in reality we will probably sing and worship for the first 1,000 years before we think of joining up! Her life has been a pageant of worship and service and a miracle of longevity, in spite of a crippling muscular disease. Her indomitable spirit has taken her through to higher ground in all aspects of living. She has no time for self-pity but looks heavenward constantly from whence commeth her help; a paean and pillar of ascending incense to God.

We would do well to remember the fireworks and the dying embers of a life soon to be spent and exhausted, and pray that that life will have a more lasting impact than the million pounds spectacular witnessed on New Year’s Eve, soon to fade from memory and swept into dust. Our bodies too, fall into the soil and become dust, but our spirit walks onward to destiny leaving a legacy of witness and testimony that challenges the generations. Hopefully we are not just fizzle and pop, but more like faith and purpose; true fireworks indeed.

If we “seek first the kingdom and His righteousness,” we will indeed have a lasting heritage.  King David said “Now also when I am old and grayheaded, O God, do not forsake me, until I declare Your strength to this generation, your power to everyone who is to come.” [Ps 71:18]. It is difficult to seek first the kingdom, for too many intervening projects vie for our attention and win our interest, and rather than seeing those “things” added we find they are subtracted. Too many Christians splutter like fireworks and soon fade; a big burst of light and they are no more. It is best not to be a firework but a work of grace that fires, like Moses’ bush in the backside of the desert — it was not consumed.

Those who do seek first, will find that God reciprocates with fire that does not fail, a steady burning in their hearts, for remember the Emmaus Road where Jesus walked “did not our heart burn within us” [Luke 24:32]. Jesus is the centre of God’s Kingdom and manifests His character within its sphere and reign. Those who really seek Him will find a companionship that transfers life and transforms living. He is the epicentre of all that God desires in mankind and is the answer to the needs of all who pursue Him.  Although the scriptures state that “these things” will be “added” I believe they could be multiplied! Let’s see what happens in 2014.

It was with interest that I read this extract some time ago from an email circular letter from Dr. Mike Evans “I was stunned to read that one out of five people in Israel today cannot afford to buy enough food for themselves and their families. Even worse, one in ten is suffering physical symptoms due to malnutrition. This is tragic! At a time when most of us are trying to lose weight, there are thousands of Jewish men, women, and children going to bed hungry every night.” But, the sad story today in many western countries is that not only are people overweight, but in other aspects and realms they have too much.

A recent survey has determined that our spending power will decrease as inflation rises and, whereas in 2009 the free money after paying necessary bills in the average household was £637 per month, it was £590 in 2012 and not until 2015 will it rise to £606.  Our living standards are falling, but perhaps they were too high anyhow. Many visitors find British standards of living higher than where they came from, and would of inclination want to stay and be part of that standard; why not, it’s part of human nature to want more.  The more we have the more we want. God gave Adam and Eve all the trees in the garden but one, and Eve wanted the forbidden one, nothing has changed.

I once read an article where four sets of parents were interviewed about buying Christmas presents for their children. The respective values ranged from £750 to £50 per child.  Why spend £750 on a one-year old child; sometimes there is a suggestion of senseless spending. Giving gifts is a human attribute, and we all like to bestow on those we love a token of our affection. Unfortunately however, some people are pressured by their peers, to adopt a universal standard of generosity which they can’t afford.

The world system tells us what we should give, and designs our presents for us and encourages us to go into debt to ensure we give, in their opinion, rightfully. Perhaps this year because of lack of money many people will use common sense and restraint in giving presents! The way to instil wisdom over the use of money is to have none; it’s the best teacher in the business. I came out of a generation that often made gifts because we couldn’t afford to buy any.  We didn’t expect much and therefore were not disappointed and appreciated what little we did get.

My home is patterned by drawings and paintings by my two sons who did their best with their skill during their university time and afterwards to give us something of worth at Christmas time. These pictures take pride of place in the entrance hall so those who enter can see the value we place on them; they may not be a Rembrandt or Van Gogh, but they are to us. They gave us something out of their penury: their time was more valuable. It was

the thought that went into the gift that is supreme in our eyes. They are gifts that will become heirlooms of their youth and care.  It seems to me that the appreciation of small things has been lost in the rush for more and more. Bigger and costlier need not be better.

The greatest gifts cannot be bought and are not manufactured except in the grinding mills of life.  What we give of ourselves in thoughtful love will be retained for a lifetime.  Expensive man-made objects will be superseded, replaced, break and deteriorate, but often the small and almost insignificant personal gift of time and skill will be found in the storage chambers of life, retained, revalued, saved, guarded and kept while life lasts. IPhones, iPods and iPads will be overtaken by better designs, and previous models forgotten, but the pictures on our walls will be symbols of youthful love of the highest order.  As we age with time these tokens of generosity will remain unsullied by the years, but the wealth of speculative gifts will be soon forgotten and destined for the trash bin.

The greatest gift was Jesus, God gave of himself, and we must do likewise. He grows more precious with the years, all other gifts pale at His august presence and everlasting love with eternal forgiveness. What better gift than life – “because He lives I can face tomorrow” for now we live because he does? The bonus system has been ingrained into British culture; every month a Christmas Day, but every day with Jesus is a high day – an eternal gift of love and acceptance, what more could we possibly want?

In a recent article by Paul Krugman in the New York Times, he argues the current reality that to be an American is to be sicker than the people living in England; whereas the British are likely to over drink the Americans tend to be obese. However Britain only spends about 40 percent as much per person on health care as the United States, and its health care system is considered inferior to neighbouring countries, especially France. For example middle aged Americans are twice as likely to suffer from diabetes and hypertension as their English counterparts.

Unfortunately the article in the American Medical Association which published the study couldn’t arrive at a valid reason for this problem. They confined their study to non-Hispanic whites but did find a correlation between health and wealth – and interestingly, the poorest third of Britons were healthier than the top richest third of Americans.  However Krugman suggested that overwork was a predominant cause. Americans work 46 weeks a year and the British only 41. Their lifestyle reflects the protestant work ethic; to be a success is determined by how early you retire.

It has been argued and proven statistically that church goers are healthier and live longer than those who don’t go to church, so the Americans should lead the European world, but like many anomalous things in the States, they write more books about marriage than any other country and have the highest incidence of divorce. Writing and producing studies about a lifestyle does not necessarily improve it. That is why I don’t speak on holiness very often, because speaking about will not increase its quality in the human soul.

When I became a Christian, our leaders were keen that we jumped holiness hoops and shunned the worldly lights of entertainment. We were expected to be spiritually healthy. If we were not, would we lose our reward?  Hidden pressure was brought to bear so that we were wrapped up in man-made ideas of holiness and in those days the word was not victory but sanctification, a word missing from our vocabulary today.

Purity was decided by the absolutes of our peers or superiors.  It was almost an unconscious enforcement of a lifestyle that concentrated on externals. We were expected to behave righteously and that meant we

were to live out a physical ethic that would not give offence.  It was extreme legalism, a system of prohibitions that we wore like a straightjacket. We thought we were holy because we earned the right by behavior, rather than our heart condition.

A newspaper reported that the body of a killer executed in America had been turned into a three-dimensional computer image to become a medical teaching aid. The digital body could be

examined from any angle and “fully dissected on computer.” The killer had left his remains to science and the body was taken to the University of Colorado’s health sciences centre where it was given computer-controlled scans.  What they could not find in this human body was the mind, soul and spirit. Only God knows the human heart: “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place”(Ps.139:15).

God was doing ultrasonic scans thousands of years before they became available to pregnant women! And, anyhow, the real you and me – the secret parts of our personalities and spiritual perception, holiness and righteousness – are hidden from the gaze of man-made electronics, highly sophisticated though they may be. It is God alone who can study our motives, attitudes, desires and aspirations.

Whatever artificial strictures are placed upon us by custom and convention, our internal condition, call it holiness or sanctification if you like; can only be known by God. Cults pry into your soul and control your lifestyle; they decide what is or is not holy and acceptable. Follow their dictates and they award sanctification like badges.

The best route to holiness is the unconscious radiance of internal burning. Moses’ bush is an example. The phenomenon illustrated three things. It consumed all malignant growths, like fungus and mildew, all insects and vermin and kept wild animals at bay. That is what God’s fire or Holy Spirit does for those who believe on Him. The insidious growths of compromise are consumed, the vile vices and ticks of our tempers are burnt up and the devil’s donkeys are scared to approach.  The best formula for holiness is the Holy Spirit.

God can correct us whilst we are in transit, because He knows all things past, current and future. A threefold God in charge of history, time and eternity who knows our defects and maladies, which He can rectify in any place and at any time and does not err in His continuance, for He is good towards us. It is from this goodness that comes the mollifying comfort for every sorrow wrung from the breaking heart. It is a good father who imposes restraints to teach the child, a good husbandman who mulches and prunes to save the tree; God does no less to ensure our perfection. “Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?  For they verily for a few days chastened us after their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that we might be partakers of his holiness” [Heb 12:9-10].  Profit and holiness are conjoined, and complement and support each other.

All these “things” that came and come upon us are for our wisdom, humility, and tender-heartedness and to make us spiritually minded, against such there is no law. They are to wean us from earth and make us fit for heaven. We lose things but we don’t lose all, it could be far worse, it isn’t. We have the promises of scripture and the sympathy of friends, therefore the words “fear not” ring in the darkness and shout from Genesis to Revelation, for the Bible is replete with positive promises.  “Is anything too hard for the Lord?” [Gen 18:14]. He raises the dead and makes a way where there is no way. Joseph and David both witnesses of His almighty power, so were Daniel in the lion’s den and Elijah in the famine.

The age of miracles has not passed, and “Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today, and for ever” [Heb 13:8]. He is as near to us as he was to the patriarchs of old, and Abraham “staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;” [Rom 4:20]. We, unfortunately, may not be so fervent or believing.  And are more like the Old Testament people of God who “limited the Holy One of Israel.” [Ps 78:41].  However, in spite of wayward Israel, there were times that he called to mind the greatness of his sovereignty, “And I said, this is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High” [Ps 77:10]; faithful, forgiving and fulfilling years with God in the sanctuary, and triumphant on the battle field.

So we each with the passing years have opportunity to witness; we have that privilege.  It will convince the sceptic, encourage the languid, and convict the sinner. The weak are strengthened, the doubting transformed and the mournful enlivened. We can illustrate the principles of faith, recommend the advantages of religion and exemplify the master we serve. It says “For in him we live, and move, and have our being;” [Acts 17:28] so we ought to demonstrate that and make the scriptures as real as God himself. In our uprising and down sitting he is there, never to leave us or to forsake us.

It is said to prospective clerics that the title of a sermon should contain 80% of their preparation time, and in our lives we should often look back at the title of our lives, and remember its conviction and strategy. What are our lives actually saying to those who look on? Could we even give a title for the life so far lived or is there nothing on the book cover. What do I want people to see and read in the daily motions of my being? A young woman came to Jesus and he said “she has done what she could” [Mark 14:8] and that was worship and that was enough. Perhaps that could be the title of her new life, as she was lifted from an unsavoury lifestyle into that of a princess with God.

Thus, we can declare hope for the future and peace for the present. This is based on the fact that in weakness we are made strong.  “But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses,“ [2 Cor 12:9-10]. In the steps of the master we echo Isaiah’s prophetic cry “Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities.” [Isa 53:4-5] Here is the sevenfold suffering of the Saviour in our stead. He looked for a harvest, we likewise; the dying seed yields a fruitful field [John 12:24].

“Wherefore glorify ye the LORD in the fires,” [Isa 24:15 KVJ] and so we must for we are to manifest His glory in all aspects of our life, spiritual, natural and civil including suffering; no portion or part is to be excluded — the whole man for the whole Lord. Especially as our text infers in the fires and what fires we have; no one is exempt. Fire is a figurative biblical symbol for trials and tribulations, and so is water on occasion. “We went through fire and through water: but thou broughtest us out into a wealthy place” [Ps 66:12] and “When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you” [Isa 43:2]. There is no doubt we will pass through, but there is always the other side. The New Testament echoes similarly: “Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you;” [1 Pet 4:12]. As the ancient sage speaks: “For affliction does not come from the dust, nor does trouble spring from the ground; yet man is born to trouble, as the sparks fly upward” [Job 5:6-7].

As Christians we are guaranteed suffering: “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all” [Ps 34:19]; and why should we find this strange, is it because we expect heaven’s favourite to be the inheritor of untold and manifold blessings? It seems logical that the Father’s love would bestow upon Him all mercies, yet he suffered more than us all. “Though He was    a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things which He suffered. And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation . . .” [Heb 5:8-9]. Thus there must be conformity between the head and the members – “And He is the head of the body, the church,” [Col 1:18] as he is so are we, we cannot be partial and choose the best bits! Life in the spirit in its entirety is our blessing! God does not expect us to be more than, but like our master in all things. We cannot exceed Him but we must follow Him. He was “a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” [Ia. 53:3] and perhaps there is a lesson there?

“For whom the Lord loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives” [Heb 12:6] especially Joseph; consider therefore these divine words — “As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten” [Rev 3:19],

this is not suitable language in the modern church where any cleric would hesitate to rebuke anyone over anything lest they leave the sanctuary.  They are not in submission to delegated legal authority and are also flippant with the judge of all the earth.  They harden themselves by infidel reasoning and stoical apathy.  The only course is to cry to the one who “givsongs in the night,” [Job 35:10]. Thus, “I will look to the LORD; I will wait for the God 

of my salvation; my God will hear me.” [Micah 7:7] and exclaim further, “From the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; lead me to the rock that is higher than I” [Ps 61:2].

Thus it is our duty to “show forth Your [His] praise” [Psa. 79:13] and if we don’t the very stones would cry out [Luke 19:40]. As sheep of His pasture we are identified, branded and also inspired to be like the shepherd.  “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvellous light;” [1 Pet 2:9]. We show forth His praise by our language and life, and we exhibit this when we confirm His will that nothing comes to pass by chance.  Irrespective of what happens, whether pleasant or painful, God is in it. And he said: “The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” [Job 1:21], we are full tilt in gratitude when we acknowledge this overriding purpose of God.

We should also realise that “The LORD is righteous in all His ways, gracious in all His works.” [Ps 145:17]. Because of this divine rectitude we should be careful not to indulge our criticism of Him and ensure no blame is placed on his shoulders; that he is free from censure. As his children we have been punished far less than our sins deserve, so we can voice with David “I know, O LORD, that Your judgments are right, and that in faithfulness You have afflicted me”  [Ps 119:75]. The Lord is just in His sovereignty towards us. He shows His love by pruning us into fruitfulness; the tree he does not want he does not touch, the pruning shears and sharp spade informs us we are loved beyond measure.

A lady who had a pain in her side went to her doctor, he said that she had appendicitis and needed an operation. She decided to get a second opinion from another doctor who said she had heart problems. She said, “I’m going back to my first doctor. I’d rather have appendicitis than heart problems.” We know as we age that sometimes we don’t always get “good news” from our doctors, but we cannot change the diagnosis, only God can. That is the crux of life, we have to accept what is served us like it or not. It is how we accept the situation not the situation. That cannot be changed often times, but how we react can.

It is clear that many HICCites do not have an answer to my wife’s sickness and therefore words are inadequate, so why speak them, probably because there is compulsion to identity with suffering through Christian compassion and an urge to express sympathy. We are creatures of the heart and long to help if only we could, but we can’t and there it must stay. There is a locked-up frenzy in our inner man that cries out in anguish to know, yet knowing does not bring light, it only brings a greater burden.

Look at Job surrounded by friends, who reminisce with him and yet chide him for misunderstanding God, but they are limited by ignorance of God’s will. God’s will is often like a tennis ball that can be hit anywhere to land where we want it, but it may not be God’s will, just a tennis racket wielded skilfully but in error. Our frustrations, temptations, unhappiness and sin can lead us out of God’s will because of self determination, this cannot be God, not for me, He loves me too much, and so he does: but the night continues!

In Job 2:13 it is recorded thus – “So they sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.” Numb from the shock and dumb from the suffering. He was so afflicted he was hanging on by the skin of his teeth. He further says: “When I go to bed I think, ‘Oh, that it were morning,’ and then I toss [agitated restlessness] till dawn” [Job 7:4]. In all of us is there is the toss and tumble as we work our way to triumph. It is part and parcel of life in the multitude of vexing vicissitudes. Our bed sheets may indeed cover our body but what covers the mind for it throws off any form of wrap that brings comfort.

We can glibly quote texts that are often used like “all things work together for good” and possibly they do, but time may not reveal that, for eternity is God’s domain. Eternity is where we are heading and often confuse the substance of time for the ultimate reality when it isn’t. Mankind has become stranded in time and its procurements, which both dazzle and dim at the same time Zion’s joy and settled peace. We walk through a troubled turbulent landscape trying to find a vantage point for direction, and we spy a cross that points the way. It all hangs on Calvary and always will. The cross answers most things; it certainly explains the love of God.

So we suffer by degrees and compare ourselves to the blessed master, who suffered more than all. Suffered for the joy that was set before him, “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God” [Heb 12:2]. The joy that is set before guaranteed the sitting down. Not just anywhere but in eternity’s throne that straddles time and timeless existence. For the cross perfected Him.

In this world is variety, change and succession, it does not alter. We bathe in the light which is soon enveloped by darkness; we rejoice in the spring flush and see it wane into summer which is overtaken by the riot of autumn only to be submersed by the rains and frost of winter, the cycles come and go. Equally chequered is the variety of human life. Our circumstances change and in that diversity we see the glory of God’s providence. “Providence is God rendering natural events subservient to spiritual purposes.” [Rev William Jay]. I doubt it can be better put. God has a plan, He will bring it in.

The world will frown and smile upon us in varying degrees, and it is that juxtaposition that troubles us, like the disciples we say “It is good for us to be here” and God says” arise let us go hence.” And so we do, and find maturity in the valley. That’s the way, that’s the blessed life.

There are some nuns in Good Counsel Hill, Mankato, Minnesota who seem to have gained the edge over the rest of mankind in mental and physical health. The Convent of the School Sisters of Notre Dame is being studied with a pioneering brain-science experiment by David Snowdon of Sanders-Brown Centre on Ageing, and the University of Kentucky in Lexington.

The study is being conducted of its 75 -107 year-old residents, and is a collaboration of its 678 Catholic sisters recruited in 1991 to study mental health and ageing in general. Their miraculous longevity – they boast seven centurions and many others well on their way – is attributed to their impeccable lifestyle. “They don’t drink or smoke they live quietly in community, they are spiritual and calm and eat healthily and in moderation.”

Some of the sisters have suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, but many have avoided any kind of dementia and senility. A strange occurrence is that one sister who lived until she was 104, in a post-mortem showed no signs of excessive ageing in her brain, whereas other sisters who showed no outward signs of senility were discovered to have brains apparently ravaged by dementia!

A common denominator amongst them was they each had the right amount of the vitamin folate, early verbal ability and positive emotions which showed in essays they wrote in their twenties when they took their vows. They engaged in several activities such as crosswords, knitting and exercising holding to the adage “use it or lose it.” Their spirituality was also a contributing factor. As one nun said: “Think no evil, do not evil, hear no evil, and you will never write a best-selling novel!”

There are several recommended ways of improving your brain-power as you age. It is said that:”you are what you eat” and your brain is the greediest organ of your body, with some specific dietary requirements. The first essential is eating breakfast, for the brain is best fuelled by a steady supply of glucose. That does not mean eating sugary cereals like kids do, for they apparently perform at the level of a 70-year old, it seems that beans on toast is a far better meal, for they have proved that a high-fibre diet improves cognition. The Bible says: “Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him!” (Ps 34:8).The best diet?

It is also suggested that music may tune up your thinking, but you cannot just crank up the volume and expect to be a genius. Frances Rauscher of the University in Wisconsin has proved that for rats, at least, a Mozart piano sonata seems to stimulate activity in three genes involved in nerve-cell signalling to the brain. Researchers think that music makes you feel better, more relaxed and stimulated all at the same time. They also found that six-year old children who were taught music for two years, as opposed to drama, scored up to 3 points more in their IQ test. Keep singing the hymns! “They lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of music, and praised the LORD, saying: “For He is good, for His mercy endures forever.” (2 Chr 5:13-14).

The brain’s short-term information storage system is the workbench for the solving of mental problems. It is called the working memory (WM) and the amount of information it can hold relates to general intelligence. If this WM is trained they have found that in children their IQ can leap as much as 8 percent. It is thought therefore that memory training can unlock brain power. The Bible says “Thy word have I hidden (memorised) in my heart that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11).

Lastly, sleep on it. “If you have been awake for 21 hours straight, your abilities are equivalent to someone who is legally drunk.” Also, two or three late nights and early mornings do the same. More or adequate sleep periods enable people to concentrate better and respond to mental stimuli. “Attention is the base of a mental pyramid” says Sean Drummond from the University of San Diego. Professor Biggs of Cambridge says that no one can study (undisrupted attention) realistically for more than 20 minutes at a time. Whilst we sleep the mind goes into problem-solving mode.

There’s a thought of resting that sleep implies and the Bibles again comes to our aid: “Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret . . . ” (Ps 37:7). If we feed and simulate the brain and keep active, cut out smoking and drinking, and, who knows, by taking up knitting we could live for ever.

A farmer has fallen foul of the local authority, and has felt the full weight of government bureaucracy. An inspector from Berkshire County Council identified the lack of width on a public pathway because barley had been allowed to grow on a part of the path that crosses his land.

The inspector told the farmer to spray this area to ensure that the following year the path was the right width. The pathway has been on the farmer’s land for generations, and apparently this is the first time in 83 years he or his forefathers have been reprimanded. With local government resources stretched to breaking point, one would have thought that something more urgent would have been their priority, but 10cm is 10cm and the law is the law and you can’t buck that!

Similarly, but different, a pilot was disciplined for flying too low. Whilst he was in his Phantom jet over a Scottish town he breached the low-level flying regulations. He lost 18 months seniority for flying about 145 metres over Broughty Ferry. He was 460 metres too low – just a tad more than 10 cm!

Flt Lt Contradi, the pilot, was convicted under section 51 and 52 of the Air Force Act 1955 for illegal low flying and causing annoyance to the public. The navigator, Flt Lt Wells, was found guilty of breaching section 69 of the Act, which relates to good conduct prejudicial to good order and discipline, by failing to warn the pilot that he was flying too low.

The pilot was convicted soon after the event, the farmer’s field could have been infringing the law for years, but no one noticed. That’s the trouble with sin, (that is what breaking the law is), some sins are obvious and some unobserved. It depends on who knows the law, who catches up with the culprit and the date the law was enacted, since some laws can be challenged because they are out of date. Others are dateless, as a Mr. Massued Cohen recently found out.

Israel’s rabbinical authorities refused to marry him and his
partner because of a sin allegedly committed by the woman’s ancestors about 2500 years ago. The reason given was that the Haddad Family (woman’s name) who emigrated from Tunisia might have been descended from a Tunisian Jew expelled from the priestly cast in 580 BC for marrying a divorced woman against the religious law.

The unfortunate offender of antiquity is said to have been a priest who fled to Djerba, in Tunisia, after the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar. To this day Cohens, or members of the traditional priestly clan, are subject to much more rigorous laws of ritual purity.

The Bible says, “be sure your sin will find you out,” (Numbers 32:23) and it eventually will, if not in this life then in the hereafter. A little girl had a rag doll that was stuffed with straw, and she lost it. It fell into a ditch, was covered with soil, and that was the end of that! Next spring the straw sprouted and there, in the hedgerow, was the shape of a doll growing through the soil. Whatever we sow we reap.

The continuous TV documentary of the current Iraqi war showed a prison, where thousands of people were tortured and killed. The American soldiers were thumbing through the records, which they found, with photographs of the alleged offenders. The local inhabitants, now free from oppression, gave a running commentary of what had gone on, as they had been incarcerated themselves, and could speak from experience.

God has got his records, and He misses nothing. There is a vast difference between 10 cm and 145 metres but sin is sin, whatever the infringement, but small or large, He will, one day, rule in equity and justice. Today, as perhaps in every age, people excuse the 4 cm and highlight the 145 metres, and this is mankind’s attempt at self-justification.

Harold Macmillan when opening a lecture course in 1941, recalled the philosopher J. A. Smith thus: “Nothing that you will learn in the course of your studies will be of the slightest possible use to you in after life – save only this – that if you work hard and diligently you should be able to detect when a man is talking rot, and that, in my view, is the main, if not the sole purpose of education.” Talking rot is a British colloquial comment; it means to talk nonsense, rubbish or twaddle or to prattle on with pointless talk. Jesus never talked rot, of that be assured. He spoke eternal and immortal words that changed lives. His words were few but meant something that were and are vital to living.

I once worked for a Cambridge professor who said “Every word a jewel and every sentence a coronet!” In other words superfluity is out. Synthesize down, get rid of abundance, and keep your sentences short – clarity, simplicity and brevity are the constant watchwords underlining all you say and write; difficult to do, for we tend to over emphasise for clarity and finish clouding the issue. Apparently he wrote one of the most difficult-to-assess doctorates in the university – “The structural strength of coral reefs,” so reduced that every sentence meant something.

Listening to countless politicians we get the impression they are talking rot. Many seem divorced of intelligence and unable to cope with present day stress and pressure. Incisive action that builds confidence and resolves issues is missing. No one stands head above another in ability, and sameness pervades; they are creatures of opportunity jumping whichever way the wind blows. Strength and purpose is lacking, and the country goes from crisis to crisis in a welter of prattle or rot. ‘God help us’ is the prayer on our lips and motive in our hearts, for if He doesn’t there does not seem anybody about who can. “The AA had this motto “we know a man who can,” so do we, and His name is Jesus.

Someone said that the mark of intelligence is simplicity, Jesus exhibited that characteristic. Parables were a constant expression of His teaching. “All these things Jesus spoke to the multitude in parables; and without a parable He did not speak to them,” [Matt 13:34]. He also said: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” [Mark 13:31]. His words were simple but, at times devastating. The number of great speeches in history is very few, and we as preachers are noted by what our
congregations cannot remember! If we bundled up all the words spoken and written in this decade and then discarded them, who would notice?

Jesus told the Pharisees they were, in effect, talking rot. He didn’t use nice language. “But when he saw many Pharisees and Sadducees coming to be baptized, he denounced them. ‘You sons of snakes!’ he warned. ‘Who said that you could escape the coming wrath of God? Before being baptized, prove that you have turned from sin by doing worthy deeds” [Matt 3:7, 8]. Their testimony was twaddle. Boasting about being Jews but Jesus said God could turn inanimate stones into bread, or the countless children of Abraham!

The interesting thing about Pentecost was that 3,000 people thought that Peter, the disciple who spoke rot at the fireside, was talking with such life-changing power that a multitude were turned from death to life, and it was written into the annals of the church, never to be forgotten. The key thing about this keynote speech was the accompanying power of the Holy Spirit. He can turn simple ordinary words into barbs that pierce the strongest armour of indifference. The history of the Pentecostal Church is that artisans can be clothed with a supernatural power that changes rot into a raging fire of conviction. The gentiles begged the early disciples to preach to them [Acts 13:42].

Going back into the Old Testament it is said of Moses: “And Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and was mighty in words and deeds.” [Acts 7:22], that was before the fire burned by the wayside and a tree changed his life, and the power from on high deposited an anointing that saved two million people. Although slow of speech God presided over his words and undergirded them so that Moses’ hesitant delivery resulted in the miraculous.

We are warned thus: “Let no one deceive you with empty words. . .” [Eph 5:6]. Rotten words from people who are no better; those who postulate philosophies that deride God’s laws and taunt His kingdom. Their underlying intelligence subverts morality, and calls black white. Rot indeed!

The Psalms are not merely word melodies, but sparks from the anvil of life. Sledgehammer trials had moulded David, the author of so many, into a vessel meet for God’s treasure. A richness of personal experience emerges that answered the unspoken questions in his life.

The unsettled issues of eternity and meaningful matters of time unfold in these catalogues of praise. Should Satan depress, the flesh discourage and friends disown, then David faced them all. He had slain, conquered and ridden in triumph over his circumstances and his foes; see then how he opens up and displays his own testimony for our encouragement and peace of mind.

The godly man “does not walk, stand or sit,” but lays himself within the heartbeat of a loving God and finds this better than 10,000 laughs with wicked men. These are they who turn their worthless scorn upon the priceless law of heaven and undercost the value of a rugged cross, exchanging life’s full span of thankful praise for hollow jests that mock Golgotha’s crimson stream. This “sounding brass” from godless men is but the swelling of an empty cloud that runs before the sifting breeze of truth. The ransomed heart, in prostrate trust, discards the shallowness of earthly praise and covets not the friendship of unthankful men.

The fear of God has touched his heart with wisdom’s reverential care; has taught his seeking soul to dwell inside a fissured rock and view the scene of prattling men like slowly shifting sand. Their vain advice dissuades pursuing souls, but his faith secures, above all earthly ties, a fellowship with God that rejects the contagion of worldly-minded men, discarding pretentious speech that taunts the smitten Lord. His faith turns an upward ear to catch the whisper wrapped in a loving smile and sees the golden prospect of an earthly pilgrimage spread with divine delight as God himself steps out to tread a coupled path that leads to perfect peace.

Amid the technological turmoil and mournful mechanism of this industrial age, pure laughter is rare but the musical ring of this happy man is a symphony of praise to God, for “his delight is the law.” Even within the church, black morbidity from sanctimonious men can blight the brightest day, but who can stay the cheerful chuckl of a holy life?

To live according to the “law and the testimony” can bring some men into bondage – they try too hard! But the harpist describes this blissful man like unto a tree, and when did you last see a tree work? It quietly puts down and grows up a sturdy multiplication of strength over numerous seasons. It stands tall with towering toughness above the diverse currents of life, king of the plant realm.

Sad sinners, like brittle reeds, soon snap before the driving wind, but a tree simply shakes its emerald crown and rustles a song through the heavens. Similarly, there is nothing to compare with the rippling joy of a ransomed soul when the gusts of God are blowing through their life. By rooting deep at the water’s edge, a tree blooms with fruitful fullness, for it is not only “planted” but also fixed by “rivers of water.” If “his delight is in the law,” then his dependence must be on the Spirit.

The glowing growing shall “never wither.” The man who rests in God and rejoices in His testimony takes on conformity to the “tree of life”, whereas the rootless man will tumble like “rolling thistledown upon the mountains of the Lord” when Jesus comes with judgement. “The way of the ungodly will perish”, but the righteous will see the salvation of the Lord in the morning of eternity. All shall crash and crumble, but through the dissolution of time a new era will emerge that will outlast the confines of man’s measure. Limitless association with a God of love will be nothing less than prosperity, the central promise of the Psalm. The man who lays himself on God, laughs and lasts!