What On Earth Am I Doing Here? (Ecclesiastes 1.1-18)

Introduction

In January 2004 a new American reality TV show first appeared called The Apprentice and it has been hosted for the last fourteen seasons by a man named Donald Trump. You may have heard of him. The UK version is hosted by Alan (Lord) Sugar. And on this show, as many of you will know, between 14 and 18 eager contestants compete with one another, desperate to avoid being fired, as they aspire to success, fame and fortune.

But the Canadian comic actor Jim Carrey, who has already achieved success, fame and fortune once said this: “I think everybody should get rich and famous and do everything they ever dreamed of, so they can see that it's not the answer.”

So what is the answer? What are we all looking for in life? What’s the goal? To be happy? To be fulfilled? Some of us feel like we’re on one of MC Escher’s famous architectural drawings of steps that lead nowhere. Many people feel like the further they walk, the less they travel.

Background to Ecclesiastes

King Solomon was a man like this. He lived about 1,000 BC which was Israel’s golden age. Its borders have never, before or since, been as extensive as they were in Solomon’s day. Israel’s economic wealth, its cultural influence and its military strength were all at their zenith during his reign. And he was top dog.

As we’ll see next week he was an exceptionally high achiever. He was multitalented. Politically, culturally and spiritually, he left his mark - big time. But above all, he was known all over the ancient world for his unparalleled wisdom. He was an intellectual, a thinker, a sage who knew a lot about a lot and spoke a lot of sense to people. He was before the great Greek philosophers like Epimenides, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. And in fact, only Jesus Christ in the whole Bible is presented as having wisdom greater than Solomon.

But Solomon’s whole life was a restless pursuit of an answer those great questions behind all teenage angst and responsible for every midlife crisis – What is life all about? Why am I here? Who am I? How can I be happy?

Solomon is the narrator of this book Ecclesiastes (he introduces himself in 1.1 and 1.12 as is David’s son and king in Jerusalem; that’s who he was).

And, as we’ll see over the next couple of months, he talks in this book about the many things he did in his quest for happiness and his ambition for greatness. But he just keeps coming back to a point of weary dissatisfaction, if not despair. “What’s the point?” he sighs again and again.

Now I know what you’re thinking. This is all very well, but what is this strange book doing in the Word of God? This is exactly what I thought when I first read it as a new Christian. It seems to be more about fate than faith. It sounds like the confessions of a burned-out secular humanist. It jars. This isn’t how God speaks.

It’s more concerned with earthly happiness than eternal holiness. It seems to almost sneer at the whole positive thrust of the gospel as good news of great joy. Ecclesiastes is never quoted in the New Testament. It’s dark. It’s a bit heavy. It’s like it was written by Eeyore in an exceptionally wretched mood on a particularly miserable day.

But no one ever doubted or disputed that this had its place in God’s word when they put the Old Testament together. Furthermore, no one argued for its exclusion from the Bible when the New Testament was added either. This absolutely belongs in God’s inspired word, but you need to dig deep to unearth its riches - and that’s what we’re going to do together all the way up to Easter.

Two Key Words

Let’s just set the scene a bit. In v1, Solomon gives us a heading. “The words of the Teacher” he says.

That word “teacher” is our English translation of a Hebrew word “qoheleth.” I’m going to introduce you to two Hebrew words this morning, both of which have a range of meanings much wider than what we have in English - and this first one, qoheleth, is variously translated in different versions of the Bible as the Teacher, the Critic, the Professor, the Philosopher, the Preacher and the Quester…

If you look at the footnote in your pew Bibles you’ll see it says “the Leader of the Assembly.” And this is what it literally means, it’s someone who gathers people round to listen.

I think the very best translation is “the Speaker.” Like the Speaker in Parliament who introduces a motion, chairs a debate between two sides and then gives the conclusion at the end.

This is what happened this week in Westminster. Various opinions were voiced in a two-day debate over the referendum outcome and the Speaker presided over the debate, ensuring every point of view was heard, before summing up and declaring the result of the vote at the end; “the ayes have it” as he said.

When you read Ecclesiastes all the way through, you can see that this is exactly what’s going on. Solomon begins with a motion “Meaningless, everything is meaningless.” Then he debates with himself throughout the book whether there’s any purpose, whether he’s wasted his life, whether it’s all just pointless - and he explores his own thoughts for and against, before concluding in the final chapter with his verdict.

It’s really important to understand this because, just like with Job, Ecclesiastes investigates alternative views to God’s word. Job and Ecclesiastes both conclude by saying that much of what has come before in each book is not what God thinks.

It’s a bit like picking petals off a flower; “she loves me, she loves me not…” Have you ever done that? It doesn’t work if you stop half way through! You’ve got to get to the end, haven’t you, or you might get totally the wrong answer. (Actually, in my experience this is not a scientifically proven method of determining the amorous sentiments of females)…

The other Hebrew word I need to introduce you to is the word “hevel” which occurs 38 times in Ecclesiastes and is translated here as “meaningless.” Other versions translate it “useless,” “vanity,” “empty”, or “boring.” It literally means “vapour” and this word carries the thought that life is fleeting like a whisp of smoke; it’s confusing; you can see it but when you try and grab it there’s nothing there.

Last summer we had the Paris grandchildren round (I’ve only just recovered by the way) and we were blowing bubbles with them in the garden. They would run after these bubbles, big and shiny with all the colours of the rainbow – but no sooner had they captured one and held it in their hands, they found it had vanished.

That’s “hevel.” Our days between birth and death pass like the vapour of a breath on a frosty morning.

Circles

In v1-11 Solomon starts out by sighing about the way life seems to go round in circles.

When I was growing up, recorded music looked like this (a 12” vinyl record). But the records scratched and warped and you could only fit about 45 minutes’ music on it and the technology was replaced by this (cassette tapes).

You could record over what was on the tape and put an hour of music on it. But the tape sometimes got chewed up in the machine so that technology was replaced by that (CDs).

Now you could have over an hour’s music perfectly reproduced and the plastic didn’t scratch so easily or warp. But when this came along (iPod) you could put hundreds of hours of music on it and the CD is now on the way to becoming obsolete.

We do advance technologically but Solomon is more interested in whether we progress as people. The truth is, he says, that every generation goes round in the same circles as the previous one.

Teenagers often think they've nothing to learn from their parents, certainly I was like that, but then they find out the hard way.

As Geoffrey Stevenson said, “History repeats itself. It has to, because no one listens.”

There’s a story about an old time preacher on Hyde Park Corner talking about the promises of eternal life. An attractive woman in her early twenties started to interrupt him saying his ideas had had their day; what he was saying was just naff and outdated. He just looked at her and said, “Young lady, you came into this world in an old fashioned way, and you’ll leave it in an old fashioned way too.”

“There’s nothing new under the sun” Solomon says in v9, a Hebrew proverb that has been adopted into the English language. Or as the French say, “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose.” The more it changes, the more it’s the same thing. That’s been adopted into English too. Why? Because people know how true it is.

Our generation, just like our parents’ generation did, busies itself with keeping up with and overtaking the Joneses, trying to acquire ever more stuff, hoping it will deliver the happiness we crave for. The next generation will do the same.

People say, “I feel like I’m just going round in circles,” or “I’m getting nowhere fast.” People talk about life as a treadmill; relentless effort, but no sense of progress. Or “I feel like a hamster on a wheel.” The daily grind. The French call it “métro, boulot, dodo” (meaning “commute, work, bed, commute, work, bed”). What’s the prize for winning the rat race?

It’s like “chasing after the wind” Solomon says in v14. We have many ways of saying this in our day – because we experience exactly the same feelings 3,000 years later as Solomon did. And people will be saying exactly  the same things in 3,000 years’ time if the Lord has not returned beforehand.

Jack Nicolson starred in a brilliant, but quite sad, film in 2002 called About Schmidt. It’s about a man who retires as a senior manager in a life insurance company. But after getting the gold watch and a lovely send-off, he gets bored and feels a bit useless.

So he pops in to see his dynamic young successor, who is all smiles. “Great to see you Warren!” Schmidt, because he’s bored, says “If ever you need help with anything, just let me know.” And the new whiz kid says how much he appreciates it but diplomatically declines. And as Warren Schmidt leaves the office building, he sees all his old office furniture and all his files, basically the sum of his entire career, in the skip.

He becomes overwhelmed with loneliness. He starts to neglect his personal hygiene, sleeps in front of the TV, goes out with a coat over his pyjamas and eats convenience food. I won’t say any more and spoil the end if you haven’t seen it but it’s worth watching.

Solomon could have written the script of About Schmidt. He’d say “Look, when I retire and get my gold watch, I’m not stupid, I know I won't be missed after a week. Everything will be just as before. And what will I be left with one second after my death? Nothing. All I worked for, all I built, all I accumulated, all I achieved will be like that vapour, that bubble; reach out for it and it’s gone.”

We sit here today with an illusion of stability, but in fact we’re all spinning round and round on a giant spinning top rotating at over 1,000 miles an hour and hurtling round the sun at the speed of 18 miles a second. But actually we’ll be exactly where we were today on 5 February 2018 and all the way round, some people will be saying “stop the world, I want to get off.”

Life is cyclical. Someone once told me that if you live in Teesside, the tap water you drink has already been drunk and recycled five times by the nice people up river. 

As Solomon says in v4-10, the sun will keep rising and setting - the planet will keep spinning. The rain cycle will ensure the rivers will keep rolling into the sea. The lunar cycle will guarantee that the tide will ebb and flow as before. And all that will still be going on long after time has erased you and me and everything we care about from the face of the earth. Who’s going to know about me in three generations time?

This is what he says in v11: “No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.”

People often say, “Well, I hope to leave the world a little better than I found it...” But do you think there’ll be fewer wars in 100 years? There’s just as much (if not more) violence, injustice, famine and pestilence as there was 100 years ago – and now we’ve got Justin Bieber and Pot Noodle as well!

So there it is. Nothing lasts. Everything fades. Fashions becomes passé. You work for years building up an awesome cassette collection but when your machine breaks you can’t get a new one because the technology has left you behind. That’s what it says here in v3. “What does anyone gain from all their labours at which they toil under the sun?”

No wonder he says it’s all so meaningless; honestly, what significance do we have in the grand scheme of things?

Solomon, like so many others before and since, set out with high hopes in life to achieve, to change the world, to build an empire, to be a somebody – but as he looks back on it all as an older man now, he admits that it amounted to so little.

Jesus knew all about this. He asked, “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?”

Under the Sun

Nearly 30 times in this little book Solomon uses the expression “under the sun.” We’ve already come across it three times in chapter 1. He’s talking about the material world, where people never stop to think about spiritual realities. Solomon is speaking to the general public, who never see beyond the mundane and everyday, on their terms. “Under the sun” is what the New Testament calls “the world”, it’s a secular outlook that has no spiritual interest or curiosity.

He’s talking to people whose highest ambition is acquiring a suntan that others can envy. Solomon’s the type who’s done the sunbeds, and done the luxury holidays, and now looks in the mirror and sees an orange face or one with a complexion of a prune.

And as he thinks about all this, Solomon says in v15 “What is crooked cannot be straightened; what is lacking cannot be counted.” He means that the world is so crooked that nothing fits right. In the last 100 years, as the Western world has turned against God, modern art has appeared. You can't even tell which way up it is and people pay millions to own it.

Something has gone wrong, this is not how it was supposed to be. The world is all bent out of shape.

And over that same time, a new dramatic genre has emerged; the theatre of the absurd. Fluid plots that don’t make any sense. All communication breaking down. Logical construction and dialogue giving way to irrational, meaningless speech before ending in silence with everything up in the air.

Solomon says here that he world is so hollow, that nothing fills it. Life is like a 1,000 piece jigsaw of with only half the pieces, no picture and no shapes that seem to interlock.

Ending

So, as I close, Solomon chose this word “meaningless,” to sum up how life often feels without God. What words would you choose to describe your view of life?

God has built this quest for meaning and this sense of restless dissatisfaction in to us all. It’s there to point us to Him.

It’s why Romans 8.20 says, “the whole of creation was subject to futility...” (in other words meaninglessness, emptiness).

But almost every time someone gives a testimony in church about their new faith in Jesus - maybe after an Alpha course or at their baptism - you hear one familiar word; “purpose.” This is what I felt when I came to faith in Christ aged 17. Now my life has purpose. I’ve got something to live for. I’m fulfilled. This is what I was looking for. Now my life has meaning.

Let’s stand to pray…

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 5 February 2017

Finish the Race (2 Timothy 4.1-22)

Introduction

We’ve reached the final week of this series on 2 Timothy and, before we get into chapter 4, I want to do a lightning quick review and pick out a few highlights of the letter so far.

Quick Review

As we know, this was a letter written by Paul, on death row, to a young apprentice, his spiritual son, Timothy. It’s a last will and testament, a final farewell, famous last words. And he’s passing on a baton, trusting that Timothy will take hold of it, grip it tight, and run with all his might round the next lap of the track. Paul’s race is run.

In 1.5 Paul picks out one of Timothy’s great strengths; although he’s young, inexperienced, frequently ill, and a little timid, Paul says “I remember your sincere faith.” That word “sincere” literally means “without hypocrisy”. The word comes from the Greek theatres where actors wore masks with exaggerated expressions so that people right at the back could see them.

With Timothy there was no masks, no acting, no posturing, no pretence. What you saw of him in public was exactly what he was when no one was looking. That’s why, despite all Timothy’s flaws and frailties, Paul trusted him. He said in Philippians 2 “I have no one like him.”

God loves that kind of transparency and truthfulness of character. He loves it in his anointed Son, the Lord Jesus, and he is looking for it in those who follow him. God doesn’t like flashy and superficial. He looks for depth, consistency, no masks.

Than later in the chapter 1 (v6), do you remember?, Paul says “fan into flame the gift of God that is in you.” Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift. Most have several. 1 Corinthians 12.7 says “To each one (read that again; each one), the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

You have spiritual gifts. Yes, you do! God doesn’t say “Well, I’m not giving him or her a spiritual gift, there won’t be enough to go round if I give everyone gifts!” No, God gives gifts to all. There are no exceptions and no excuses! It’s your job, nobody else’s, it’s your responsibility, to find out what your gifts are and use them. Fan them into flame. Let’s get this place white hot with spiritual gift flame fanning!

Then in chapter 2 we saw how important it is stick to the script and not adlib the message. There’s one gospel and we are custodians of it. What we have to say to the world is good news. 

Paul says in v16 “avoid godless chatter.” That was written two thousand years ago but it could have been a direct reference to social media trolling. You know what I mean? Negative, offensive, proud comments because I must be right and show someone else up as wrong, and all from the safety of anonymity. It’s the kind of thing Paul says just spreads like gangrene. Walk away. “Avoid it” the Bible says. Let your words bring blessing and life, not anger and conflict.

Then last week we saw how priceless God’s word is, how it makes us – not clever, not well-read, not learned – but wise. Don’t read the Bible just for historical study; there are other history books with greater span and detail. Don’t read the Bible just out of linguistic or literary curiosity; there are better literary works. The Bible was written to “make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus.”

The Personal Remarks

And so we get to the final chapter, chapter 4.

Paul had been betrayed in Troas (which is the place that used to be called Troy) by a coppersmith called Alexander, and it seems he was arrested and led away in such haste that he didn’t even have time to gather a few personal belongings. It’s nearly winter now, so Paul asks Timothy (v13) to fetch him his heavy coat and his books as he awaits a date for sentencing.

But it’s the end of his trial; it looks like (v17) he’s been spared the usual fate for Christians which was being torn apart by wild beasts in the Coliseum. He’ll be beheaded with one blow of a Roman sword which at least is instant and relatively painless.

There are 8 different places and 17 different people mentioned by name in chapter 4, some who’ve let Paul down and have deserted him, but many are on the move, building up the church. If the Christian life is a race – well, these are the running mates.

Only Luke the medic is by his side – which, as we saw last week, can come in pretty handy. (Thanks to Lawrence and David and those who attended to that medical incident last Sunday morning. This must be the best church on earth in which to be taken ill)!

In v11, it says “Get Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful to me.” A very early source claims that Mark did indeed go to Rome, he met Peter there and scribbled down the eye-witness stories Peter told about Jesus – and that’s how we got Mark’s Gospel. It’s based on Peter’s preaching and, tellingly, it’s the one that is least flattering about Peter. It tells of how Jesus rebuked him. It is the most vivid account of his threefold denial.

There are a few interesting little footnotes in the last few verses too. Linus (v21) became the Bishop of Rome. According to tradition, Pudens (v21) gave Peter board and lodging when he came to Rome. Ancient documents record that he was married to Claudia who was probably highborn and, if it’s the same Claudia as many scholars think it is, she would be the only person of British descent in the Bible.

Ready for Anything

The two main points of chapter 4 though come in the first 8 verses and here they are: be prepared and finish well.

In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage – with great patience and careful instruction.

In the 2006 Football World Cup, Germany played Argentina in the quarter finals. It was a 1-1 draw. Extra time couldn’t separate the teams either so it went to a penalty shoot-out.

When the Argentines stepped up one by one to take their penalties, the German goalkeeper Jens Lehmann took a folded piece of paper from his sock, looked the penalty taker in the eye and read the note. It wasn’t a bluff. He had studied the Argentine penalty talkers and worked out their favoured technique. The note was eventually sold for 1.3 million euros in a charity auction.

It read: “1. Riquelme left high. 2. Crespo long run/right, short run/left. 3. Heinze left low. 4. Ayala long wait, long run, right. 5. Messi left. 6. Aimar long wait, left. 7. Rodriguez left.” Needless to say the Germans won on penalties.  If you're well prepared, you win before you even start.

Daley Thompson, the former Olympic decathlon champion was once asked what his favourite day was. He said “Christmas Day.” The interviewer said, “Ah, one day in the year you can allow yourself to eat and drink a bit more!” He said, “No. All my competitors and rivals are taking a day off. That’s why I’m out training like every other day and that gives me an advantage. That’s why it’s my favourite day.”

Verse 2 says “be prepared in season and out of season.” You might think of sports when you hear “in season and out of season.” Or gardening perhaps. But it means “when it’s convenient and when it’s not, when the wind is behind you and when it’s against you, in promising situations and unpromising ones, under favourable conditions and unfavourable.”

On morning, in a Chicago coffee shop, Willow Creek pastor Bill Hybels was sitting down reading his Bible. This is how he tells the story.

A young woman looks over and asks “why are you reading that?”

Bill looks at her and says (and this is an exact quote): “Because I don’t feel like going to hell when I die.” (He struggles to express himself assertively sometimes…)

She says, “There’s no such thing as heaven or hell.”

He says, “Oh, that’s interesting, why do you say that?”

She says, “Everybody knows that when you die, you die. Your candle goes out – and that’s it.”

He says, “You mean to tell me there’s no afterlife?”

“No” she says.

“So that means everyone can just live as they please?”

“That’s right.”

“You mean, there’s no judgement day or anything? Well, that’s fascinating to me, where did you hear that?”

She says, “I read it somewhere.”

“Wow,” he says, “can you give me the name of the book?”

“I can’t remember.”

“OK. Can you give me the name of the author of the book?”

“I forgot his name.”

“OK. Did the author write any other books?”

“I don’t know.”

“Is it possible that your author changed his mind two years after he wrote this particular book, and then wrote another one that said there is a heaven and a hell? Is that possible?”

“It’s possible,” she says, “but not likely.”

“All right, let me get this straight. You’re rolling the dice on your eternity predicated on what someone you don’t know said in a book you can’t recall the title of. Have I got that straight?”

She looks back. “That’s right.”

So Bill Hybels summarises. “You know what I think, my friend? I think you’ve created a belief that guarantees the continuation of your lifestyle. I think you made it up because it is very uncomfortable to think of heaven. It is very uncomfortable to think of hell. It is very unnerving to think of a holy God in the day of reckoning. I think you made it all up.”

Now that’s brilliant isn’t it? That’s what can happen when Christians are ready to go, in season and out of season.

And it gives a reason why Christians should be prepared in season and out of season, and to do the work of an evangelist.  It says (v3-4) that a time is coming when preaching will be unpopular. People will shut their ears to sound doctrine. They will call for a message that exactly mirrors the changing values of liberal society.

Bishop Rod Thomas said recently “A Christianity that merely recycles the norms and values of the prevailing culture renders itself irrelevant and subservient.”

Jesus was once approached by his disciples who said to him, “Do you know that people were offended by what you just said?” Jesus replied, “Every plant that my heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots.” In other words, anything not in line with the Word of God will come to nothing, forget it.”

In my own time as a preacher I have felt under pressure at times to promote preaching that is superficial rather than substantial, novel rather than biblical, frivolous rather than weighty, flattering rather than frank, cosseting rather than challenging, playing to the gallery rather than pleasing God, academic rather than understandable, fictitious rather than factual and so brief it’s of no real consequence. 

There’s a story about a very verbose, repetitive vicar from Yorkshire who would speak for an hour and say very little. He was shaking hands at the door one day and a grumpy old chap said “Your sermon was much too long – as usual.” The vicar just smiled and said, “Well, my child, we are exhorted to proclaim the milk of the word are we not?” To which the grumpy old chap replied, “Well, make it condensed milk next time!”

Racing to the End

Final point; finish the race. Verse 6:

The time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day…”

That’s your challenge and mine. Fight the fight till it’s over, run the race till it’s finished and keep the faith.

When I was at school, I was pretty average academically and usually bottom of the class at maths, but I was a pretty good cross-country runner. In fact I used to run for my school in county races and I did OK. I loved middle-distance running and my greatest ever race was a 1,500 metres, the whole class of 30 boys – 4 times round the stadium size running track.

The race started well and I was tucked in to a group of about six or seven, setting a decent pace. Then after about a lap, out of nowhere a skinny kid called John Gattrell kicked hard and opened up a sizeable lead. He accelerated away from the pack and as we took the bell, which signals the start of the last lap, he was already half way round the track and closing in on victory.

But pace setters usually burn out. And I said to myself, If you make a move now, believe you can do it and give it everything you’ve got, you’ll catch him.” He was struggling, his legs were full of lactic acid, you could see from 200m back he was spent. I started to kick into a good stride. The gap closed. I could see it was going to be close. He was so far ahead but I was travelling much faster. As I turned into the last bend I began to sprint. Gattrell was virtually at walking pace and gasping for breath. And I pipped him on the line, winning by a fraction of a second. I’ll never forget it.

The thing is, the Christian life is compared to a long-distance race. Like an Olympic 10,000m, it doesn’t really matter how well you start. But unlike an Olympic 10,000m, it doesn’t matter who crosses the line first. God not interested in winning. It only matters that you complete the course, you run to the end and cross the line. Are you still in the race? Are you going to finish well?

I remember Billy Graham was interviewed on BBC Radio once and the presenter said, “Billy Graham, you’ve travelled the globe, you’ve preached to millions, you’ve seen countless conversions to Christ, you’ve appeared on Gallup’s  "Ten Most Admired People in the World" for thirty-two consecutive years, more than any other individual in the world, you’ve spoken personally with world statesmen, you’ve led prayers at the inauguration of several American Presidents… when you finally get to those pearly gates, what do you think will be your finest achievement?” And without a moment of hesitation, Graham said, “Just to have got there, just to have made it.”

Billy is 98 now and still running the race. His wife Ruth finished hers and is now with the Lord. The epitaph on her grave says “Ruth Bell Graham 1920-2007. End of construction. Thank you for your patience.”

Ending

How did it finish for Timothy? The Bible doesn’t say but we can reconstruct from documents outside the Bible and ancient traditions. Piecing it all together it seems he did go to see Paul before he died. He stayed with him till the end, saw Paul's execution, got into trouble for being associated with him and was himself imprisoned.

But Hebrews 13 says “our brother Timothy has been released” so unlike Paul he was reprieved. He was made bishop of Ephesus. When he was 80 timid Timothy was still fanning into flame the gift and doing the work of an evangelist. He bravely preached the gospel in the streets during a pagan festival. The crowd became angry, beat him, dragged him through the streets, and stoned him to death. He was true to the end.

I love to picture the scene at heaven’s gate. Timothy arrives and asks if he can see Paul to let him know he finished the race, just like Paul charged him to do. And just as Paul’s about to arrive, pushing through the crowds, Jesus appears in all his triumphant glory. “Timothy!” he says. “You made it! You fought the good fight. You finished the race. You kept the faith. Here's your crown!” 

It’s what he’s going to say to you one day, if you keep fighting, keep running and complete the course. Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith. 

Let’s stand to pray…

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 22 January 2017

Be Strong In Grace (2 Timothy 2.1-26)

Introduction

Famous last words. Sometimes profound, sometimes poignant, sometimes pathetic.

Groucho Marx’s last words in August 1977 were: “This is no way to live!”

Convicted murderer James W. Rodgers was put in front of a firing squad in Utah in March 1960. He was asked if he had one last request. He said, “Yeah, bring me a bullet-proof vest.” They were his last words.

Louise-Marie Thérèse de Saint Maurice was Marie-Antoinette’s sister-in-law to in 18^th Century France. With family solemnly gathered round her, on her deathbed, she suddenly broke wind which quite startled her. She said, “Good! A woman who can fart is not dead.” And then she breathed her last. Maybe an oxygen mask would have helped…

We’ve called this series on 2 Timothy “Famous Last Words” because this was the last letter that Paul ever wrote. He was on death row. He’d just had the verdict of his final appeal. It was turned down and the death sentence was inevitable.

He knew he wasn’t going to be around much longer. So he sat down and wrote one final letter to hand on the torch to a young leader he trusted called Timothy. All the things he could have said… what would you want to say?

A few years ago, there was a funeral here for a vibrant Christian woman called Cath Taylor. She died in her early fifties from cancer. She knew she was dying and she wrote a letter to be read at her funeral which made a real impact on those gathered. The gist of it was “You may mourn today, but I go to my death certain of God’s goodness, trusting in his promises and confident of heaven. One day your time will come. Put your faith in Jesus and enjoy the assurance I have as the end of my time on earth draws near.”

Last week, we saw how Paul urged young Timothy to fan into flame the gifts God had put in him. What gifts have God given you? Are you using them? Are you ablaze, are on fire, and eagerly desiring spiritual gifts? Or are you too safe? Are you coasting? Is your spiritual flame flickering weakly under a bushel?

This week, we’re moving on to chapter 2 and, as usual with Paul there’s loads in here. I could easily give four or five different talks on this chapter alone.

But with the one overarching thought from v1 “be strong in the grace that us in Christ Jesus” I am going to try and condense this chapter down to three main thoughts.

(People say that’s the optimal structure for the human mind to absorb and retain. A man preaching on the Prodigal Son said, “I have three headings; his madness, his sadness, his gladness.” Then he said “under the first heading; he caviled, he travelled, he reveled. Under the second heading, he went to the dogs, he lost his togs, he ate with the hogs. And under the third heading, he got the seal, he danced the reel, he ate the veal!”) So here we go…

1. Stick to the Script

Number one, stick to the script.

I was listening to an obituary of the actress Carrie Fisher on the radio over the Christmas break and the presenter was saying she used to take George Lucas’ script for the Star Wars films and savage them with a red pen.

She was a gifted writer and in particular had a feeling for the natural rhythms of human speech. George’s scripts were wooden, stilted, artificial - they didn’t sound real, so Carrie reworked them. She took stuff out, she added stuff in, she rephrased certain words, she shortened the sentences. And she improved the film’s dialogue beyond recognition.

That’s fine with a science-fiction script. But not with the gospel. Verse 2 says, “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others.” The gospel is a baton to pass on.

And this is a recurring theme in the letter. Paul has to insist on it again and again. In chapter 1, verse 13 he said, “What you have heard from me, keep (not redefine, not rework, not edit, not update) but keep as the pattern of sound teaching…”

And the next verse adds this: “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you.” Guard it. Defend it from attack. Protect it from corruption. People hate it and are out to disfigure it.

Chapter 2, verse 14 says: “Keep reminding God’s people of these things.” Verse 15 talks about “correctly handling the word of truth.” Chapter 3, verse 14 says: “Continue in what you have learned… because you know those from whom you learned it” and he goes on to talk about the Scriptures and how vital they are.

We have no liberty to alter the gospel. The Bible says “If we, or even an angel, preaches any other gospel that the one that was preached, let them be under God’s curse!”

The gospel is not a Middle-Eastern do-it-yourself counselling technique. It’s the good news about grace offered free to anyone who will repent of sin and come to God. It not only washes the guilty clean, it grants adoption rights into God’s royal family and lavishes blessing upon blessing on everyone who accepts it.

That’s it, beautifully simple, and perfectly plain. There’s no “gospel –plus…” We talk about the prosperity gospel, the social gospel and the eco gospel but they are not the gospel. There’s one gospel, and that’s it.

Furthermore, there’s no “new, improved” Bible either. Fine, let’s translate it in modern speech and help people understand it. But it’s complete as it is. There’s nothing to add. God has said what he wants to say and has sat down.

One of the founding documents of the Church of England, written in 1563, is the Thirty-Nine Articles, and it states this: “The Holy Scriptures containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation” (Article 6).

In other words, what it’s saying is this: everything you need to know to have a relationship with God is in here. And if it’s not in here, no one can say you have to believe it. You don’t.

All the way through 2 Timothy there is this passionate appeal to stick to what God has revealed to us, never mind what anyone else says.

Someone said, “Truth is like poetry. And most people hate poetry.” People hate truth. Everywhere you look people have opinions and ideas they think are better than the truth God has revealed to us here.

Everywhere you turn people will tell you what they think about spirituality, and how they think we can live well. People hire lifestyle gurus and personal coaches and spiritual directors. In every bookshop there’s some new self-help best seller paperback.

“Never mind the latest fads and philosophies” says Paul. Hold on to what was passed down to you, and pass it down to others uncorrupted.

Einstein once wrote, “I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of individuals or who would directly sit in judgement on creatures of his own creation.” But what matters is not Einstein thinks about God, but God thinks about Einstein!

The second half of the chapter is subtitled “Dealing with False Teachers.” So he says to avoid quarrelling about words (v14), godless chatter (v16), teaching that spreads like gangrene (v17). Gangrene is life-threatening condition caused by a critically insufficient blood supply to the limbs. If it goes unchecked, they go black and drop off. Bad teaching is like a choke on your spiritual blood supply that sends you into spiritual A and E.

There’s talk of keeping away from foolish and stupid arguments (v23) that just produce squabbles and arguments. Some Christians get sucked in to spending all their life absorbed by some political issue, or who should get voted off a reality TV show, or whether Apple is better than Samsung, or some trivial theological nuance. Don’t go off on tangents and get distracted by side-issues.

Build your life on a foundation that’s going to endure. As John MacArthur says, “Satan continues his efforts to make sin less offensive, heaven less appealing, hell less horrific and the Gospel less urgent.”

In the Episcopal Church in the USA, the Bible has been undermined and attacked or ignored for decades. It has led to a whole denomination drifting completely from the apostolic faith handed down. Those who routinely dismiss the Gospels as mythical and legendary have all the positions of power.

One of their priests left his wife and children to move in with his male partner - and they made him a bishop. It’s a denomination in membership freefall. Attendances are collapsing, churches are closing. The presence of God has long gone.

By contrast, in 1949 all missionaries were ordered out of China. Christians went underground, meeting secretly, and disappeared from view. Persecution continued with varying severity.

There were no church buildings or training centres. Churches met in houses or wherever they could. They had the simple gospel and untrained local leaders. But they had the Bible and Holy Spirit. In the 60 years between 1950 and 2010, that underground church grew from 1 million to 50 million.

There is no future for a country, or a church, or an individual who substitutes human wisdom for God’s revealed word. Stick to the script!

2. Expect Hardship

Number two, expect hardship. Let me spell this out as best I can. If what you want above everything else is an easy life, following Jesus is probably not for you. Life is hard, and there are particular hardships and costs involved in following Jesus.

So chapter 2, verse 3 says “Join with me in suffering, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus.” Look back to 1.8. It says the same thing, “join me in suffering.” What an invitation!

What did Paul mean? A blacksmith called Alexander betrayed him leading to his arrest. He was in jail, just for being a Christian. People were afraid or ashamed to associate with him. Everyone had deserted him. He says in 2.9 “I am suffering, even to the point of being chained up like a criminal.” His appeal had failed. The death sentence was pronounced. He had weeks to live.

He’s saying, “Look, there’s a cost involved in following Jesus. Taking a stand will make you unpopular. It will lead to ridicule. You will be pigeonholed as old-school. Your views will be considered unacceptable.”

About a century ago, a band of brave souls became known as the one-way missionaries. They bought boat tickets to the ends of the earth and never expected to return. Instead of suitcases, they packed a few earthly belongings into coffins they took with them. They waved goodbye to everyone they loved and all they knew, knowing they’d never come home.

Mark Batterson, who spoke at New Wine last year, wrote in one of his books about a Scotsman called Peter Milne, who was one of these one-way missionaries. He went to the New Hebrides in the South Pacific, a place known today as Vanuatu, knowing that head hunters there had killed and eaten every missionary before him.

Well, maybe he didn’t look all that appetising, but he survived. After 10 years of faithful service, making their home his home, learning their language, adopting their customs – not the cannibalism bit – he didn’t have a single convert to show for his labours.

But he stuck at it. He lived there 50 years, and eventually led many to faith in Jesus Christ and planted churches. It’s said that when he died, they buried him in the middle of the village and wrote on his tombstone: “When he came there was no light. When he left there was no darkness.”

They say that life begins… at the edge of your comfort zone. Do you believe God wants you to settle in safe places, and do easy things? Or kick the gates of hell down and give the devil a hard time?

In v4-7, there are three examples of the kind of hardship we can expect as followers of Jesus. Following Jesus is like serving in the military, training hard for athletic competition and daily graft on the farm. All three demand discipline, dedication, hard work, long hours and commitment.

No one says, “I want a cushy job. I know, I’ll join the army and risk my life on a tour of Afghanistan.”

Or “I’m looking for a comfortable desk job. I’ll train hard for the triathlon and go through the pain barrier to make the Olympics in Tokyo 2020.”

Or “I’ve always wanted a stress-free career. I’ll get up at 5am every day to milk the cows, muck out the pigs, feed the chickens, shear the sheep, plough the earth, do the books, and flop down every day at 9pm.”

Look, life is hard. Following Jesus is demanding. He said it would be. He said the world will hate you because it hated him first. It will and it did. But he also said you will not be left alone like orphans, your joy will be complete, you’ll have life in abundance, you’ll have peace not like the world gives, you’ll be fruitful, you’ll be free indeed, and dozens of other promises besides.

John Piper said it really well recently: “If you live gladly to make others glad in God, your life will be hard, your risks will be high, and your joy will be full.”

Stick to the script, expect hardship and, number three, keep your eye on the prize.

3) Keep Your Eye on the Prize

The squaddie who is sent on a tough tour of duty comes home to a hero’s welcome. It’s worth it in the end.

The athlete who trains hard all through the cold, dark winter stands on a podium and fights back tears as the anthem is played. It’s worth it in the end.

Farmer Giles who works like a Trojan all year produces a bumper crop and is on the cover of Farmers Weekly. It’s worth it in the end.

“Look, I’m suffering even to the point of being chained like a criminal” Paul says in v9. Whenever life is especially hard, you can focus on the injustice, the humiliation, the disgrace.

You can nurse a grievance and go around with a chip on your shoulder. Or you can keep your eye on the prize. …”OK, I’m chained like a criminal but God’s word is not chained” he adds. It’s worth it for that.

We’re not stuck in a miserable loop of Good Friday looking at a failed Messiah strung up like butchered meat. We are Easter Sunday people. Jesus is alive! He came out on top.

Broken lives are being mended. Prisoners are getting released. People are getting saved. The gates of hell are getting battered and God is on the move.

Halfway through the battle of Waterloo, Napoleon could see he had victory in sight and, in a moment of hubris, he dispatched a messenger off to Paris. “Tell the nation that I have prevailed” he said. But it was premature. Prussian reinforcements arrived to strengthen Wellington’s beleaguered troops, the battle turned, and Napoleon snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

Well, on Good Friday the devil sent message off to Hell. “Victory is ours!” But that too was premature. Three days later, Jesus ripped up the form book, threw off the grave clothes, and strode out of the tomb laughing and triumphant.

Ending

You see, to slightly misquote Hubert van Zeller, if you live independently of God, life can disappoint you when it all goes wrong. If you live for God everything can still go wrong - but not in a way that will disappoint you.

That’s why Paul can say in v10 “I endure everything”. Betrayal, beatings, desertion, unfair trials, harsh sentences… “I can put up with that” he says. “Just a flesh wound. Because, look! I can see salvation and eternal glory.”

Let’s pray…

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 8 January 2017

The Desired of Nations (Haggai 2.6-9)

Introduction

Who would have predicted this time last year, that an impulsive businessman would be President-Elect of the United States, or that the United Kingdom would be on its way out of the EU, or that Britain would have its second woman Prime Minister? It’s been a year of political surprises.

Or who would have predicted that perenñial also-rans Leicester City would become Premier League champions, that Team GB would finish second, above China, in the Rio Olympics Medal Table and that Portugal would win the Euro Football Tournament? It’s been a year of sporting surprises too, the only constant being the England team’s pitiful early exit and customary managerial sacking.

Pollsters and pundits alike have all but invited ever more generous servings of egg on their faces. Tomorrow seems harder to foresee than ever.

Prophecy

But the Encyclopaedia of Biblical Prophecy, lists 127 separate predictions about the Messiah referencing over 3,000 verses from the Bible. The prophecies say exactly which ancestral line he will spring from, where he will be born, what he will be like, how he will die, why will die, where he will be buried, and even that he will rise from death.

It is little wonder that the earliest church in the first century commanded a huge following amongst Jews. They knew exactly what to look for in a Messiah and Jesus unerringly met all their expectations.

Of course, most Jews today still await their Messiah. They look for a military leader who will come not twice but only once.

Some years ago, the evangelist Billy Graham discussed this very matter on television with a Jewish New Testament scholar. The rabbi explained the modern mainstream Jewish view. He said, “Christians believe the Messiah has two comings: one at Christmas and one at His second coming. We Jews believe He will only come once, at a time of peace on earth just as the prophet Zechariah declared in Zechariah 12-14. Since we still experience wars, the Messiah has not yet come.”

In reply, Graham took that very passage of Scripture and answered, “It says in Zechariah 12.10 ‘They will look on me.’ Who is the one speaking here?” The rabbi replied: “The Almighty himself is speaking.”

Graham said “Thank you rabbi. It says, ‘They will look on me, the one they have pierced.’ How was the Almighty pierced?” The rabbi admitted that he didn’t know. So Graham said, “I believe he was pierced at the cross for the sins of the world.” The rabbi made no further argument.

Desired by the Nations

There were many titles given in the Old Testament to the coming Messiah. Some of them you will have heard of; the Rod of Jesse, Immanuel, wonderful Counsellor, mighty God, everlasting Father, Prince of peace and Sun of Righteousness have all found their way into our Christmas carols.

But few of us, I suspect, are quite as familiar with the title ‘Desired of Nations’, which comes in our reading from the prophet Haggai, about 520 years before Christ.

It comes in a prophecy about the temple in Jerusalem that was being rebuilt at that time and which was a bit of a disappointment. Work had begun, but then stopped - for a whole decade. People looked back nostalgically at Solomon’s original temple which had been destroyed. But God says, no. “The glory of this present house will be greater than the glory of the former house, and in this place I will grant peace.”

And here’s the important part about the Desired of Nations; “This is what the Lord Almighty says: In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land. I will shake all nations, and what is desired by all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says the Lord Almighty.”

It’s a three-for-the-price-of-one prophecy; one prediction with three meanings.

Firstly, it means that riches would come from afar, and be offered in worship. That actually did happen in a small way and the temple was finished four years later.

But secondly there was a deeper fulfilment 520 years later when the Magi came from the east with treasures and presented them to the infant Christ – the new temple, the perfect bridge between heaven and earth.

The third meaning is that the Messiah, Jesus who would one day walk about in that very temple, satisfies the deepest longings of every nation on earth.

He is desired by the simple, gentle Ethiopian young adults I met at the beginning of this month, who were born into the poorest of poor neighbourhoods, championed by a Christian child sponsorship programme, given education, healthcare, nutrition and a caring friend from overseas who wrote to them and prayed for them, and are now university graduates with a passion to change their nation for Christ.

He is desired by a large crowd of Coptic believers in Cairo who in November defiantly and joyously roared in unison the Apostles’ Creed just hours after dozens of their number were slain by a suicide bomber as they gathered for Sunday worship.

He is desired by the world’s fastest growing church; in Iran – where there are over a million new believers in Jesus since the Islamic revolution in 1979.

He is desired by the Fijian Rugby Sevens team who won their country’s first ever gold medal this year at the Rio Olympic Games. On the final whistle, having thrashed Great Britain, they gathered in a circle, dropped to their knees, pointed to the skies and sang to the glory of Christ with tears running down their cheeks.

He is desired by a woman called Ruth who was brought up in Manchester. Her parents split up when she was very young, she was physically abused by her alcoholic mother.

When she reached her early teens she became addicted to ecstasy and alcohol. Years later her addiction led to the breakdown of her own family. She lost her husband and three children. She ended up in prison for a violent offence. She was in a dark place – angry, confused and lost.

One morning the prison chaplain gave her a New Testament. She opened it Matthew 11.28 where she read the words of Jesus, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” Ruth thought, “That’s me.”

That very night she asked God to forgive her if he loved her, then she fell asleep. The next morning, she felt calm. She felt new.

She says, “I stopped swearing and smoking. My whole attitude changed. There was still a lot of hurt and fear but I learnt that I could give it all to God. I realised how much he loves me and it completely changed me. I’d been broken and now God was rebuilding me. She now has a steady job, and her family life has been completely rebuilt and restored.

Ending

Jesus is the Desired of Nations. He is the answer to every spiritual longing on every continent and in every land.

If the greatest need among the nations of the world was pleasure God would have sent us an entertainer. If it was education, he would have sent us a professor. If it was money he would have sent us an economist. If it was security, he would have sent us a military general. But our greatest need is actually forgiveness so he sent us a Saviour.

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 24 December 2016

Faith Journey (Matthew 2.1-12)

Introduction

The best present I ever got as a child was when I was about 8 years old. It was a plastic astronaut complete with space capsule. I almost wet myself and blacked out with excitement as I took it out of its wrapping. I was so fond of this toy that it went everywhere with me; in bed, on the loo, in the bath, at the table, I was inseparable from it – for all of 48 hours.

But my mum and dad took me to the amusements in Southend-on-Sea the day after Boxing Day and I left my beloved toy in a dodgem car never to see it (or anything like it) ever again. My happiness was, alas, wretchedly short-lived. (If anyone is offering counselling after the service I might take you up on it).

Christmas presents aren’t always spine-tinglingly wonderful though are they? I heard about one little girl who wrote a thank you letter to her grandparents which said, “Dear grandma and grandpa. Thank you for the gloves. They were something I wanted - but not very much!”

The tradition of Christmas presents probably goes back to the three wise men in the Nativity story who presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrhh to the new-born king, and I’ll come back to that in a moment.

The Spiritual Quest

But first of all, I want to explore a bit with you why they went to Bethlehem at all. We know they travelled from the east – but that is a bit vague really; I mean everywhere is east of somewhere isn’t it? In fact, it probably means Babylonia, or Persia, perhaps even India – several hundred miles east of Bethlehem.

What I love about this story is the way it echoes so many other journeys I know, including my own; journeys of faith.

It seems they were just going about their everyday lives when, literally out of the blue, something caught their eye and grabbed their attention and they understood that by following the star it would lead them to a unique new king. It was something that they became aware of and which started a quest in their lives.

Everybody I know who is a Christian has a different story of how their interest in Jesus first came about – and it’s fascinating to learn about that spark, that catalyst, whatever it was, that led to the beginning of another faith journey.

Here are a few examples from people who have been on our Alpha course this last term; several guests on the course noticed something change in a close relative who had been on the course the previous year and that change sparked an interest.

Another was doing the Great North Run and he noticed the t-shirt of a runner in front of him with a message saying something like “Do the Alpha Course.” And he thought, “Yes, I’ve heard of that, I think I’ll sign up.”

Another was just browsing on the Internet for information about local churches, stumbled upon our website, and followed the link to our page about Alpha. These were their “new star moments” if you like that jolted them into beginning a journey of discovery about Jesus.

Someone I know attended a funeral at our sister church in Long Newton a few years ago, and she was suddenly struck by the thought of the inevitability of her own mortality. She thought, “I’ve got to find out if there’s a God and if there’s an eternity.” It was a “new star moment” that started something in her.

David Suchet, who plays Agatha Christies’ Poirot in the TV series of the same name, was in a hotel one night, and got a bit bored of hopping through the channels, so he picked up the Gideon’s Bible in his drawer and started reading it in the bath. It was a “new star moment” that started a journey for him and that ended in him becoming a follower of Jesus.

Most Christians can point back to a “new star moment” that first launched their quest of faith. Some of you here this evening may not have started yours yet. What if tonight God taps you on the shoulder in some way that initiates the beginning of your own personal quest?

But the story of the wise men also shows what so often happens when you start out on a journey of faith. Their quest was going quite well, they were making decent progress – when all of a sudden they come across a paranoid, controlling, pathological psycho called King Herod.

He goes absolutely ballistic when he hears from them about a potential rival and it all gets very awkward. It gets messy, so the magi have to navigate through all of that and find a way to get back on track with their quest.

That’s what happens. I have known so many people on a spiritual journey and who suddenly find it all gets disrupted. A girlfriend feels she needs to call a time out on the relationship unless he shelves his new God thing that's annoying the life out of her. A colleague at work, who was previously friendly, starts avoiding you. Family members think you’ve joined the funny farm. I even heard of two parents who wrote their son out of their will when he told them he was going to become a Christian.

The quest for faith is not often straightforward. It can get complicated. There are almost always obstacles and obstructions to overcome. The wise men, what did they do? They pushed on. They persevered. They found a road blocked with no Diversion signs but they were determined to get to where they were going, and they found a way. And in the end their star led them to the little town Bethlehem where their journey ended.

Can I encourage you, if you’re on a faith journey now to not let anything that gets in your way throw you off course? Don’t let doubts stop you. Don’t let a friend deter you. Don’t let the busyness of life distract you. Don’t let a family member inhibit you. Don’t let your pride and self-sufficiency hinder you. This is the most important journey you’ll ever make in life.

As C. S. Lewis so memorably said, “Look for Christ and you will find him. And with him everything else.” The stakes are high, eternally high. It’s so worth pressing on and finishing this journey.  And I can tell you from experience that one good look at Jesus is enough to make you dissatisfied with anything else.

Well, the wise men finally got to Bethlehem when the star seemed to stop over the place where Jesus was. And there, they bowed down and worshipped, and presented gifts.

The Gifts

Why gold? We know all about gold. It’s what we value highly. When someone makes a fortune we say “he’s struck gold.” When a child is a delight to be with we say “she’s good as gold”. When someone is kind we say “She's worth her weight in gold.” When an athlete excels in his sport we award him a medal of gold.

They gave gold because Jesus is the very best God could have given us.

Why frankincense? It's a perfumed resin from the bark of a rare tree. It was lit in the temple to symbolise prayer rising to God. The wise men gave frankincense because they understood that this child was a bridge between heaven and earth; he is the key that enables us to connect with God.

Frankincense is also used medicinally in the Middle-East to treat conditions as diverse as asthma, fever, rheumatism, gastrointestinal problems, depression and sundry inflammatory conditions. Perhaps the magi knew prophetically that this child was going to bring healing to the sick, mend broken lives, and bind up broken hearts.

Why myrrh? Myrrh is another aromatic gum from a small thorny bush that was used for embalming before burial. It is the strangest gift you could offer a new born baby. Never mind a rattle or a soft toy, here's something for the funeral...

Myrrh was used at Jesus's death and burial. The gospels say they offered him a mixture of wine and myrrh before the crucifixion deaden the pain – and he refused it. Then Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea brought about 35 kilos of it to embalm Jesus' body after it was removed lifeless from the cross.

Myrrh has an aromatic, scented fragrance. Giving such a gift to Jesus was as if to say that there was going to be something sweet and fragrant about his death.

And there was. Jesus went through hell when he suffered and died so that you and I never have to. He gave his earthly life so that we can have eternal life.

Jesus chose to die – not many people do that; some do, but not many. But Jesus is utterly unique because he is the only person - ever- to have chosen to be born.

Follow the star, wherever it leads, however complicated it gets, until you find your way to the king who for all eternity has been awaiting your visit.

Sermon preached at All Saints' Preston on Tees, 18 December 2016