Good morning, everybody. My name is Jenny and I'm a member at Brantsfield Evangelical Church.
Welcome to our service today. I'm going to read from Acts chapter 19.
While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.
There he found some disciples and asked them,
Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?
They answered, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.
So Paul asked, Then what baptism did you receive?
John's baptism, they replied.
Paul said, John's baptism was a baptism of repentance.
He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.
On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.
There were about twelve men in all.
Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.
But some of them became obstinate.
They refused to believe and publicly maligned the way.
So Paul left them.
He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.
This went on for two years,
so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.
God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,
so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to those who were ill,
and their illnesses were cured, and the evil spirits left them.
Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus
over those who were demon-possessed.
They would say,
In the name of the Lord Jesus,
whom Paul preaches,
I command you to come out.
Seven sons of Siva,
a Jewish chief priest,
were doing this.
One day the evil spirit answered them,
Jesus I know,
and Paul I know about,
because who are you?
Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all.
He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house,
naked and bleeding.
When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,
they were all seized with fear,
and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.
Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.
A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.
When they calculated the value of the scrolls,
the total came to 50,000 drachmas.
In this way,
the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.
After all this had happened,
Paul decided to go to Jerusalem,
passing through Macedonia and Achaia.
After I have been there,
he said,
I must visit Rome also.
He sent two of his helpers,
Timothy and Erastus,
to Macedonia,
while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.
About that time,
there arose a great disturbance about the way.
A silversmith named Demetrius,
who made silver shrines of Artemis,
brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.
He called them together,
along with the workers in related trades,
and said,
You know, my friends,
that we receive a good income from this business.
And you see and hear how this fellow,
Paul,
has convinced and led a stray large numbers of people here in Ephesus,
and in practically the whole province of Asia.
He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.
There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name,
but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited,
and the goddess herself,
who is worshipped throughout the province of Asia and the world,
will be robbed of her divine majesty.
When they heard this,
they were furious and began shouting,
Great is Artemis of Ephesians,
Soon the whole city was in an uproar.
The people seized Gaius and Arasarchus,
Paul's travelling companions from Macedonia,
and all of them rushed into the theatre together.
Paul wanted to appear before the crowd,
but the disciples would not let him.
Even some of the officials of the province,
friends of Paul,
sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theatre.
The assembly was in confusion.
Some were shouting one thing,
some another.
Most of the people did not even know why they were there.
The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front,
and they shouted instructions to him.
He motioned for silence in order to make a defence before the people.
But when they realised he was a Jew,
they all shouted in unison for about two hours,
Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.
The city clerk quieted the crowd and said,
Fellow Ephesians,
doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus
is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis
and of her image,
which fell from heaven?
Therefore,
since these facts are undeniable,
you ought to calm down and not do anything rash.
You have brought these men here,
though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.
If then,
Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody,
the courts are open,
and there are pro-consuls.
They can press charges.
If there is anything further you want to bring up,
it must be settled in a legal assembly.
As it is,
we are in danger of being charged with rioting
because of what happened today.
In that case,
we would not be able to account for this commotion
since there is no reason for it.
After he had said this,
he dismissed the assembly.
Let us pray.
Lord, we thank you that we are able to meet like this
and read this passage together
and hear the message from Graham.
We ask that you'll give us receptive hearts
and will help us to listen to what you have to say to us
via the message.
We pray that as well as listening to it
and enjoying the message,
we might also meditate and think about it
and also apply it to our own lives
in the weeks ahead.
Amen.
Well, good morning, everyone.
It's wonderful to have you with us.
Please can I encourage you to grab a Bible
and come with me to Acts chapter 19.
It's so important that we have the word of God
open in front of us
so we can hear his voice.
So get Acts chapter 19 open in front of you.
We're going to finish this morning
a little series that we've been in
over the last few weeks
looking at what happened
when the gospel,
the message of Jesus,
what happened when it first hit Europe.
Now, to get us into this today,
let me take you back to your childhood.
I wonder if you were like me.
I wonder if you ever found yourself
playing this game called Pooh Sticks.
No one ever explained to me
why it was called that.
To this day, it's still a mystery,
but that's what we called it.
It was called Pooh Sticks.
And it wasn't the most complicated of games, really.
You found yourself a bridge.
You found yourself a mate.
You found yourself a stick.
And what happened is
you both dropped your sticks
into the river at one side
and then you legged it
to the other side of the bridge
to see whose stick was the first
to come out the other side of the bridge.
Right?
Told you it wasn't the most complicated of the games.
But here was the science behind the game.
Really simply,
your stick always went
with the flow of the river.
Right?
And we sometimes use that phrase,
don't we, to describe
how somebody is living.
We talk about somebody
who just goes with the flow.
They're happy to drift along
in the same direction
that everyone else seems to be going.
They're happy to think the same things,
to behave the same way,
to have the same dreams,
just following the flow
of the cultural river
as a cultural poo stick.
So here we are in Acts chapter 19.
Paul has arrived in the city of Ephesus.
And let me show you the flow
of the cultural river of Ephesus.
You see, your lonely planet guide to Ephesus
is dominated by one thing.
The Ephesus tour bus stops in one place.
Right?
Edinburgh has the castle.
Paris has the Eiffel Tower.
Pisa has the leaning tower.
Ephesus, in the first century,
has the great temple of Artemis.
She is the goddess, if you like,
of life and health.
And she's said to live
in this huge pillared temple
which dominates the city's skyline.
In fact, it is one of the seven wonders
of the ancient world.
It's an incredible thing to look at.
And people flock from all over
to see the temple of Artemis,
not just because of how it looks,
but they come here
to see what the whole setup is about.
What does the whole setup represent in Ephesus?
Health, wealth, and happiness.
Happiness.
That's what the people in Ephesus,
they love.
Right?
They love those things.
Health, wealth, and happiness.
See, if ever any of those things
is in jeopardy,
boy, they will come out swinging and fighting.
So here's the song that you'll hear
on every jukebox in Ephesus.
Here's the chant that you'll hear
on the streets from the people.
We get it twice in our passage.
Look with me.
Verse 28 is the first time we get it.
Right?
Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.
And again, verse 34.
Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.
Except they go on this time for two hours.
That's an awful lot of chanting.
They love Artemis.
That's the flow of the cultural river of Ephesus.
Just worshipping Artemis.
And the thing to see is it's a city full of poo stick people.
And your boy Paul turns up in this city.
And he starts preaching about Jesus.
This God man sent to earth from a loving heavenly father
who came and lived perfectly,
who died unjustly on the cross
as a perfect substitute for the sin in our lives
that's offended our creator.
And he rose and he lives and he offers forgiveness
and he offers hope and he offers newness of life
to all those who would humble themselves,
look to him, behold him, and believe.
And this same Jesus one day will return to judge the world.
On the basis of what?
On the basis of how they have responded to him.
That's the message.
His audience?
The people going with the flow of the cultural river of Ephesus.
Paul is preaching in the synagogue.
Paul is teaching in the public lecture hall.
And he's doing it consistently over a period of time.
And all of a sudden what seems to happen by the grace of God
is that salmon start appearing in the Ephesian river.
Right?
Those who listen, who believe, who repent,
just means turn around, do a 180,
and they start swimming upstream.
Now how has that happened?
Come with me.
It has happened through the word of the Lord.
Let me just pick out two verses for you.
Come with me where Luke shows us this.
In fact, I think this is his big thing that he wants us to see
as he records this episode in Acts chapter 19.
See what's happening here.
Verse 10.
This went on for two years,
so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia
heard, heard what?
Heard the word of the Lord.
And then verse 20.
In this way, the word of the Lord spread widely,
and it grew in power.
So what's happening here is Paul is just opening the scriptures.
He's explaining Jesus,
and the Holy Spirit is moving in power
through the word of the Lord
and impacting people's lives,
penetrating people's souls,
bringing this deep conviction
of sin that I am not right with my creator God,
exposing the darkness and the darkness of the human heart,
and shining brightly on Christ,
and saying,
behold the Lamb of God.
Behold the beauty of Jesus Christ.
And that is making a seismic impact on people's lives.
Which is why, as a side note,
if ever our friends and our family members who we love
are ever to come to meet Jesus for themselves,
friends, it is going to happen through us opening
the word of the Lord
and allowing the Holy Spirit to take these words
and impact their lives.
The word of the Lord is bringing radical
and holistic change into people's lives.
This God is into the business of transformation
by his grace.
And you say,
well, in what ways have people been changed?
Let me just pick out two ways here
how people have been changed by the word of the Lord.
Firstly,
in terms of the affection of their hearts.
Because here is what we find out.
If you come with me,
here's what we find out about the people in Ephesus
in verses 11 to 20.
It appears that many of them are caught up in the occult.
We get mentioned here of witchcraft,
of magic arts,
of sorcery, right?
Today, what you're looking at,
you're looking at Ouija boards,
tarot cards,
horoscopes.
And just in case you think
we're in a far off land here,
let me just say that in our city,
one of the most popular things to do in Edinburgh
is take the walking ghost tour of the city, right?
Past our house every night,
going up to the depot,
is the ghost bus tours.
This stuff is alive and well.
And it's real and it's dangerous.
And do you see how it's got a hold
on many people in Ephesus?
They're gripped by this stuff.
But verse 11,
do you see what's going on?
God is doing extraordinary miracles
by the hands of Paul.
What's going on here is he's confirming,
God confirming to the world
this one crucial moment
that Paul and his message
are the real deal.
And so here is what people begin to realize
in Ephesus.
That God's power
is so much greater
than the powers of the occult.
Verse 17,
do you see as they respond to this,
what happens?
Luke tells us that great fear
falls on the people.
Fear being
just that rightful recognition
of who God is.
And in response to that,
who I am.
Just reorientating our lives
towards who God is.
And great fear
falls upon
these people.
And not just that,
do you see how
the name of Jesus
is being,
and what is the word here?
Extolled.
Right?
Greek word here
just means magnified,
put in lights,
lifted high.
Whereas before,
there was a love for self
in these people's hearts.
All of a sudden,
now,
there is a new affection
that's been replaced
by a love
for Jesus.
In the words of Augustine,
he was a man
from the 5th century
who
previously lived
a life of pleasure-seeking
before he came
to meet Jesus.
Here's how he puts it
in his own words.
He says this,
how sweet
all at once
it was for me
to be rid of
those fruitless joys
which I had once
feared to lose.
You, Lord,
drove them from me.
You who are
the true,
the sovereign joy.
And get this,
you drove them from me
and you took their place.
O Lord,
my God,
my light,
my wealth,
and my salvation.
Jesus has taken
the place
of the highest affection
in these people's hearts.
He's become
the great treasure
of their souls.
It's amazing
every week of the Gospels
how often you find Jesus
talking about this kind of thing.
Talking about the kingdom
of heaven is like.
It's like a pearl
of great price.
It's like a man
finding treasure
in a field
and he sells everything
that he has
so he can buy the field
and get the treasure.
That's what it's like.
When Jesus becomes
the most precious
thing
in your
life.
And you see
how some in Ephesus,
some of these people,
they clearly want
to mark
and make
that decisive
break
from their
former ways
of thinking
and living.
And so what do they do?
They take their
occultic books,
the things that used
to dominate them,
the things that they
used to look to
for guidance
and meaning
and hope
and what do they do?
They chuck them down,
they strike up a match
and hey presto
is bonfire night.
And Luke wants us
to know
that this isn't
just a couple of books
on the fire here.
This is 50,000
pieces of silver
which is some serious
dough in this day.
Some commentators
put it
at almost
six million dollars
worth of books
which shows you
there's some serious
cash kicking
about this city.
But here are people
publicly saying
that stuff
it's worthless,
it's shallow,
it's dangerous
and most importantly
it doesn't have
a hold on me anymore
because I found
something greater
and better.
Jesus
fills
and thrills
my soul.
And I love this,
I remember my friend
Paul
years ago
when he became
a Christian,
do you know
what he did?
He gave away
the clothes
in his wardrobe
because he was
into his designer gear,
right,
he spent tons
of money on it,
he wanted to look
good,
dressed to impress,
be in the right places
with the right people
and I think
it was a lifestyle
that he realized
was all too readily
calling the shots
in his life
and it was his way
of saying
that that stuff
it just doesn't
have a hold
on me anymore.
Jesus is worth
more to me
than that way
of life.
I love the old hymn
by Charles Wesley,
he puts it like this,
talking of Jesus,
he breaks
the power
of cancelled sin,
he sets
the prisoner free,
his blood
can make
the foulest
clean,
his blood
availed
for me.
Friends,
let me ask you,
as the word
of the Lord
comes to you today,
is there something
that's got a grip
on your soul
and your life?
What is it?
Things that's
dominating you,
maybe you want
to get in touch
today and I'd love
to chat
and chat this out
and meet with you
and pray with you.
Jesus breaks
the power
of cancelled
sin.
The old
has gone,
the new
has come
and the word
of the Lord
continues to
increase
and prevail
mightily.
People are being
changed in Ephesus.
The affections
of the heart
and secondly,
the direction
of the mind.
See,
as time ticks
on in Ephesus,
it seems that
more and more
people are responding
to the message
of Jesus
and as more
and more people
as they start
swimming against
the flow
of the Ephesian
river
and if they begin
to question
the way of
thinking in Ephesus
saying,
is there more
to life
than this?
Verse 23,
do you see
how tensions
reach boiling point
which tells you
this is,
there's a lot
of people
who are questioning
this way of life
here.
Reaches boiling point,
it all kicks off
because as Paul
preaches,
people in the city
are beginning
to think
and here's
how they report
it,
right?
Verse 26,
and you see
in here
how this fellow
Paul
has convinced
and led astray
large numbers
of people
here in Ephesus
and in practically
the whole province
of Asia
and here's
what he's saying,
he says
that gods
made
by human hands
are no
gods
at all.
Right,
think of it
like this,
I wonder if you
remember watching
Heartbeat on telly
back in the 90s,
right?
You remember that
art show
with Tony Hart
who was a presenter
and he'd
got this little man,
this little helper
that he'd formed
out of clay
called Morph.
I remember as a
child,
they kind of freaked
me out,
couldn't look at
Play-Doh the same
again,
but he had
a little Morph
and they used
to do stuff
together
and create
things together.
So you know
in all my times
watching Heartbeat,
here's what I
never saw.
I never saw
Tony Hart
bow down
and start
worshipping Morph.
See,
that really
simply is
essentially
Paul's logic
here.
Follow with me,
follow Paul.
How can
something made
with human hands
be a god?
If something
is man-made,
if something
can be so
easily destroyed,
if something
can come
and go
and rise
and fall
with the
ever-changing
seasons of
life,
if something
is here
one minute
and gone
the next,
then surely
that makes
for a pretty
lousy god.
Surely the
very definition
of a god
is that
it is the
creator
rather than
the created.
that it
stands unchanging
above the
things of us
and the
things of
this earth.
That would
be a better
definition of
a god.
And what's
happening is
that people
are beginning
to stop
in Ephesus
and to
think about
what Paul
is saying
and it
seems to
be making
sense in
their minds.
And as
people become
Christians,
there's a
change in
the direction
of their
mind.
Health,
wealth and
happiness,
they make
terrible things
to spend
your life
pursuing.
Why?
Because looks
will fade.
Right?
Money will
rise and
fall as
markets dip
in and
out,
rise up
and down.
Happiness
will come
and go.
Friends,
we know
what our
moods are
like.
Seems to
me we need
something far
more stable
and far
more unchanging,
something far
more secure
in which to
place our
trust.
Right?
I remember
reading a
book back
in the early
2000s just
to illustrate
this that
simply said
when he was
at the height
of his
power,
simply said,
do you know
what?
There will
come a day
when Tiger
Woods will
not win.
I remember
reading that
as a teenager
and thinking,
this guy
clearly knows
nothing about
golf.
Right?
He just
didn't have
the comprehension
to think 30,
40 years down
the line and
to think about
the fact that
that might be
true.
Looks will
fade,
talent will
go,
strength will
fall.
Paul says
gods made
by human
hands are
no gods
at all.
And do you
see this is
terrible news
for trade in
the city?
We meet
this man
called
Demetrius
who's realized
that people
have stopped
buying the
little figurines
of Artemis
that he sells,
that's how he
gets his
income.
He sells them
that people
can buy
them,
take it
home and
have a
little worship
session in
their home,
put it on
the mantelpiece
front of the
living room
and there we
go.
Right?
He's a
Jerry Maguire
kind of guy,
right?
Show me the
money.
I'm interested
in the money.
He's totally
bought into
the Ephesian
dream.
And he gets
his fellow
sellers together
and tries to
rally them to
put a stop
to this,
to do
something.
They drag
the men
who they
know are
into this
stuff.
Verse 29,
Gaius
and Aristarchus
who are
willing to
stand with
Paul in
this one,
they drag
them into
the assembly.
And here's
the thing
to know
about the
crowd that
gets swept
up in
this.
Verse 32,
and this
is fascinating.
Most of
them didn't
even know
why they
had come
together.
In other
words,
see if you're
a roaming
news correspondent
doing the
rounds in
Ephesus,
right?
There's a
bit of news
going on
here,
there's a
riot,
I'm there
covering it.
And you're
running around
with your
microphone,
and you're
asking the
crowd,
saying,
why are
you here?
What's
going on?
They
couldn't have
told you.
I don't
really know
why I'm
here,
just kind of
everyone else
was doing
it,
and I
kind of
got swept
up in
it,
and I'm
somehow
over there.
Do you
see how
their poo
sticks just
go in
with the
flow?
Let me
just ask
you when
last time
it was
that you
stopped to
think about
why you
believe what
you believe,
and stop to
think about
why you do
the things
you do
in life.
This lockdown
has provided
many of us
just with a
chance to
stop and
to think about
the things that
we're pursuing
with our
lives.
We've maybe
been a little
bit exposed,
haven't we,
as to the
things that we
perhaps have
been trusting
in our lives,
the things that
we're dreaming
of, hoping
will happen,
the things
that we
were gutted
were missing.
We often
talk about
keeping up
with the
Joneses.
These are
phrases that
we use in
our culture.
Keeping up
with the
Joneses,
we talk
about being
caught up
in the
rat race.
Phrases
like,
each to
their own,
they just
fall off
her tongue
without
really thinking
about what
it means.
And we
find ourselves
singing along
with Lady
Gaga,
don't hide
yourself in
regret,
just love
yourself and
you're set,
I'm on the
right track,
baby,
I was
born this
way.
And we
think,
why are we
singing these
things?
And all of a
sudden we
begin to see
ourselves and
the people of
this crowd who
are shouting,
who are coming
together,
who are making
a racket,
and yet they
cannot articulate
why they're
doing the
things that
they're doing.
And back in
the scene,
they drag these
Christians before
the town clerk
and they bring
the charges
against this
new teaching.
Would you
deal with it?
That's what they
ask them.
Town clerk sees
nothing in it.
says,
if you guys
want to take
it to the
courts,
you are
welcome,
and they
don't because
they realize
that if they
did that,
it would get
chucked out
because it's
baseless.
And the
irony being
that they
are actually
the ones
who are
causing the
scene and
the riot
here,
not the
Christians.
But again,
just see,
if you remember
last week,
what we saw
in the previous
chapter of Acts,
who's in
control in
Ephesus?
What was the
same person who
was in
control in
Corinth?
Jesus is in
control in
Ephesus.
He is
sovereign.
He is
good.
He is
watching over
this situation.
But as he was
happening,
as the word of
God is
penetrating this
city,
is impacting
these people,
what's happening
is that people are
becoming followers
of Jesus.
What's happening
is that there's a
change in the
affection of
people's hearts,
lives,
and there's a
change in the
direction of
people's minds.
Life's heading
one way as a
poo stick,
now all of a
sudden by the
sheer grace of
God transformed
to swim upstream
towards knowing
and savoring
and enjoying
our creator,
which is the
very reason that
we were created
in the first
place.
As people's
lives are so
radically and
holistically
changed by the
Jesus, the
risen Jesus,
the reigning
Jesus who we
meet in the
pages of
scripture.
Let me just
give you my
favorite example
of this as we
close.
As you're in
lockdown, one of
the things that
I've loved being
able to do is
just have a
little bit more
time to do
some reading.
And one of the
things that I've
been reading is a
biography of a
man called John
Newton.
Do you know,
if ever there was
a life that
testified to the
change in
somebody's life
that encountering
the forgiveness
and grace of
Jesus makes in
somebody's life
it is of this
guy's.
In his former
life he worked
on slave ships,
transporting people
back and forth
across the seas
and loved it,
didn't see anything
wrong with it,
just going along
with the flow.
And this is what
his friends said
of John Newton
aboard the ship
his fellow sailors.
Somebody said
this,
his debaucheries
make even the
other sailors
blush.
Right?
Another said
he is a ring
leader for sin.
And then John
Newton meets
Jesus.
And he sees
all of a sudden
the ugliness
of what he's
doing with his
life.
And how he's
viewing other
human beings.
And he sees the
worthlessness of
the things he used
to prize.
And all of a sudden
in the years to
come he stops
what he's doing.
He moves to be a
minister and he
also moves to
work against the
very slave trade
that he used to
love.
And he's daily
amazed that
somebody like him
could become a
Christian.
And he pens the
words to the
best known song,
to the best known
tune anywhere in
the world.
And it goes
like this.
Amazing grace.
How sweet the
sound that
saved a wretch
like me.
I once was
lost but now
I'm found.
Was blind but
now I see.
Friends, Artemis
was destroyed
just over 300
years after this
episode in Acts
chapter 19.
But the word
of the Lord,
the very fact
that we're here
today is proof
that it continues
to increase
and mightily
prevail.
Let's pray.
So Father,
thank you that
you are in the
business of
transforming lives
by your amazing
grace.
And we pray
Father for
the affections
of our hearts
here today.
and the
direction of
our minds
here today
that you
would transform
us and help
us to treasure
Jesus above
everything else
in this life.
And in his
precious name
we pray.
Amen.
many thanks
Graham.
Now, over
the last few
weeks we've
heard from
members about
how God has
worked in
their lives.
And so just
before we have
our final song
let's hear an
inspirational story
from John.
Hello, my name
is John Cameron
and it's been
suggested that I
might spend a
few moments just
sharing the
little of my
journey with
you.
Now, although I
live in Edinburgh
and have done
for many years,
I was born and
brought up in the
Highlands.
And for the first
seven or eight
years of my life
I lived in
Doors.
Now, that's not
because I was
angriphobic,
but because Doors
is a little village
on the shores
of Loch Ness.
And that's
where I stayed.
My early years
involved regular
activities which
included attending
church most
Sundays with my
father.
Now, church
for us was the
local pre-church
of Scotland,
which was a
very small and
aged congregation.
And in reality,
I think the
second youngest
person there was
probably the
dad.
Because of that,
there was no
Sunday school or
other activities
for children.
And my parents
signed us up for
something called
the Highlands and
Islands Postal
Sunday School
Service.
This was run by
a young brethren
couple who each
month sent out
Bible stories and
activities to
children across
the Highlands.
And we completed
them in our own
time, sent them
back and received
feedback from the
following month.
One of the
highlights of the
year was the
Sunday school
camp, which
every summer for
two weeks,
children gathered
from across the
Highlands and
had the opportunity
to enjoy fun
activities and
Bible teaching.
It was at these
camps that I
experienced the
first time people
explaining the
Bible in a way
that was appropriate
to a child.
I began to
realise that this
God and this
Jesus that I
heard about most
Sundays actually
was relevant to
my life.
I learned that
Jesus came to
earth, he
lived here, died
and rose again
to provide a way
back to God for
people like me.
And so as a
child, I began to
trust and follow.
However, it
wasn't until I was
17 and went to
university that I
had the opportunity
to observe Christians
on a day-to-day
basis.
And through the
work of the
Christian Union and
church that I
attended, I
soon realised that
Christianity wasn't
just for holidays and
holidays.
It was something
that I was called
to commit to on a
day-to-day basis.
And so for the
last 40 years,
that's what I've
sought to do.
And that kind of
brings us to
lockdown.
A time of
challenge, but a
time of learning
and following.
Now just to give
you a little bit of
background, many of
you will know that
in early 2018, my
wife was diagnosed
with dementia.
And so shortly
thereafter, I took
early retirement so
that I could focus on
being at home and
supporting her.
This means that for
me, lockdown hasn't
been the huge up
people than it has
been for many
people.
However, that
doesn't mean it's
been plain sailing.
If you know
anything about
dementia, you'll
know that people
who suffer from
it require support
and routine.
Any change from
that can result in
chaos.
So for Rosemary,
overnight lockdown
meant that all
external support and
all our normal
routines were
changed.
And I expected
chaos to follow.
people.
So the reality has
been that during
lockdown, Rosemary
has experienced a
real sense of
peacefulness that
can only come from
God.
She hasn't been
agitated.
She hasn't been
worried.
She's been genuinely
peaceful.
And so for us,
lockdown has been a
time of rest and
relaxation that we
probably wouldn't
have expected.
And so for us,
another thing that
lockdown has
brought has been
an opportunity to
support and share
with others.
Through our
dementia networks,
we've got to know
quite a number of
couples living in a
similar situation
for ourselves.
And sadly, over
these past few
weeks, a number of
the people that we
know have suffered
from the virus,
either at home or
in care homes.
people.
And so I've had
the opportunity to
just journey with
people through that,
through the telephone
and emails, to be
there and to share
with people.
Now as Christians, we
often worry about what
to say or what to do
in times of distress.
But these past few
weeks have shown me
that actually there are
opportunities just to be
with people and support
people.
And thankfully, all of
the people that we
know that have had
the virus have
recovered from it.
But sharing has been
a great opportunity.
The third thing that I
would draw to your
attention that has been
brought about by
lockdown is the
opportunity for prayer.
As somebody who's
tied to the home,
attending the church
prayer meeting is not
something that's easy.
But through our Zoom
meetings on a
evening, I've had the
chance for the first
time in a couple of
years to join in
corporate prayer.
And that's been a real
joy and a blessing.
Now, if you haven't
tried the Zoom prayer
time, I'd encourage you
to do that.
Yes, initially it can
seem a bit strange.
But in reality, when you
put your eyes closed and
you're praying, you could
easily be there in the
church and the hall with
others.
The only difference,
probably, is that
actually the seeking is
more comfortable.
So, yes, lockdown has
brought challenges and it
brings difficulties.
But for me, it has also
brought opportunities.
And it's been a time to
rest, enjoy the
peacefulness and to give
thanks to God.
Now, I don't know what
the future holds, but I'm
sure there'll be plenty
more journey for us all
to enjoy.
Thanks.
Goodbye.