I was thinking the other day of the time in Lynton when films were shown in the town hall. It wasn’t very satisfactory for you could hear all the noise of the projector and the picture was very badly lit. It was under these conditions that I saw the Secret Garden. This made the garden even more secret and I have often thought that I ought to get the film on DVD so that I could see it. It is a classic story of a boy who is convinced he is too ill to go out and spends all his time in his bed in a darkened room. I wondered whether the Church had become a bit like that. It thinks it is too ill to go out. It is all right being in bed when we are sick because we hopefully can regain our health and strength but to do this when we are well enfeebles us. Our limbs cease to function as they ought and it becomes ever more difficult to go out. Of course, it does not help when parts of our body are scattered abroad and not functioning together. There is so much that we could do together and thereby gain strength. It is easier to do difficult things when we have the support of fellow Christians. I know crowds can get up to mischief but we are Christians aren’t we?
We are enjoined to Go into all the world. We are not expected to cower in our churches. It is so pleasant to be with people we know and feel comfortable. People who do not challenge us and ask difficult questions – questions we should have answered ourselves long ago. We convince ourselves that we are so spiritual but often it is just case of putting aside rational thought. We think this is faith yet it becomes, as Lewis Carroll said, a case of believing so many impossible things before breakfast. Truth however, as Peter witnessed, is revealed by the Holy Spirit and this is true spirituality. This relationship with God is essential to our Christian life and witness. It is Christ within us that converts the faithless. People do not want to feel that we are attempting to brainwash them – they need to feel there is something more than mundane existence. So often we seem to be asking them to stop thinking and just believe. Belief must be built on the experience of the Holy Spirit in their lives – like Wesley, their hearts must be strangely warmed.
We must put on the whole armour of God and meet the world head on. Yes we need to be equipped. Like the Jehovah’s witnesses we need to know our stuff. What does God say? Have we prayed enough? Have we read our bibles enough? Is our own faith secure?
I am, perhaps, a bit of a coward. It may be that I always want to be in control. For this reason hospitals terrify me. It may be because I mainly remember them as places where loved ones have been taken from me. Yet should I need to feel in control for isn’t God in control? Perhaps I have been let down too often but aren’t we supposed to put our faith in God.
I remember the Reverend Philip Ringer trying to put off a young man from getting a motorbike. He expressed the view that they were too dangerous. I thought that’s a mistake. I remembered buying my motorbike because it WAS dangerous! It’s sometimes something like tombstoning – a rite of passage. I wanted to stop being a wimp so at 38 I bought a motorbike and to some extent it worked. Of course we can take silly risks but there are real and worthwhile risks in life and didn’t Jesus take a risk with us?
I suppose we all fear death. Firstly because this life is all we know but is this true – it shouldn’t be if we were truly spiritual people? Secondly because we believe we are souls that should not be snuffed out like a candle. Or perhaps like Alice in Alice Through the Looking Glass who was told she was just part of the King’s dream and that when he awoke should would disappear. This is illogical because if we are nothing then we have nothing to lose but chemicals which wont be lost anyway but if we have spirits, and we can only know this from what Jesus told us, then spirits being spirits we do not die.
If we protect the faith the faith will protect us. Consider Daniel in Daniel 6:6-10 and the three young men in Daniel 3:13-18. They would not be deterred from the worship of the one true God. Far lesser things detract us from worship and the state gives us the freedom to worship who we will and offers no punishments. We have so many valid excuses don’t we.
Some of us are less fearful and, perhaps, less spiritual in our pursuit of righteousness consider David in the well known confrontation with Goliath in 1 Samuel 17:27-37. We can perhaps think of young men like him who although perhaps testosterone charged who have put their lives on the line fighting for us or even those who might if given the chance. David did not always do the right thing but always there was this underlying faith which chastened and corrected him.
Jesus unlike David seemed to have known fear but this also meant that His courage was even greater. I’d like to read you this passage contained in Matthew 26:36-46. What makes it even harder is the thoughtlessness of the disciples. It is very important that we support those who suffer hardship on our behalf.
So what of ourselves? Thinking of others we can forget our own troubles, Consider this passage 1 John 4:17-18. I am not sure however that the unspiritual care overmuch about the final judgement these days but as we love others we must also realize God’s great love for us John 3:16. If we love and know the love of God we will have courage in ample sufficiency.