RECTOR’S LETTER July/August
My dear friends
In the letter to the Hebrews we read that faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not. And I suppose when you stop to think about it and although we may not always realize it we show faith every day of our lives don’t we? I mean when we travel by plane or by bus or by train or even in someone else’s car we show trust in the driver, the pilot, the engineers and the manufacturers. Of course not many of us I should think would go up to those at the wheel and ask to see their licence every time that they transport us. Although I can think of one or two drivers where it wouldn’t be a bad idea! But usually we just trust. We simply trust in them and in their ability. And when you think about it we actually trust people all the time, because we trust doctors, nurses, dentists, teachers and so on - even people that we may never meet like those that supply us with our food and our power. In so many ways we place our trust in others. So the focal point of faith is not so much what is in me but rather in whom I am trusting.
And that is how it is for Christians. As Christians, the focal point of our faith is Jesus Christ: God the Son; the only Saviour; the Way, the Truth and the Life. As Christians we trust in him, we trust that he is totally reliable and that he is fully in control so he is the focal point of our faith.
But again, if you stop to think about it, when you fly somewhere on a plane, and as you travel to another city or to some other part of the world you firstly travel to the to the airport, you then check in at the desk and then when you’re told to do so you go to the appropriate departure gate, assured by what you’ve been told that it’s the right plane going to the right place. But simply believing that it’s going to the right place isn’t enough. You’ve got to actually get on to the plane and go with it.
Similarly, just believing in God and just knowing that he is there is one thing. But committing yourself to him and to the Lord Jesus Christ is another; because it’s only when we commit ourselves to Jesus that faith will really spring into life. It seems to me that the central question of the gospel is that which Jesus asked of Peter, namely: “Who do you say I am?” And it’s that question that he asks of all of us. Jesus asks each one of us as we look at him: ‘Who do you say that I am?’ And where we answer as Peter did it becomes an invitation to know him, to love him, to be loved by him and to follow him. To follow the only one who can bring meaning, understanding, hope and certainty into our lives.
And unlike so many of those in whom we place our trust every day, when it comes to Jesus we do have the chance to find out more, to ask questions and to test out his claims before we commit ourselves. I mean we can read the gospel accounts for ourselves and make up our own minds. But very often this raises questions and so maybe we give up when we just can’t find a satisfactory answer, or we just put that question to one side and carry on; but it still niggles away at us and we can’t really make a full commitment to Jesus until we find the answer. For anyone like that, or for anyone who would like to know more about Jesus and all that he said and did and taught I’m going to be leading a course entitled ‘Christianity Explored’ that will be starting in September. It is a course that introduces Jesus as he walks off the pages of Mark’s Gospel [perhaps the earliest of all the Gospel accounts] and it is a course that has proved to be a life-changing experience for the many people who have already followed it allowing them to ask their questions and then in turn to be able to answer Jesus’ question as positively as did Peter: “You are the Christ!”
I will be giving full details of when and where the course will be in September’s magazine but for now I hope that many will see it as an opportunity to enquire, to ask, to go deeper and for all then to come to true life-changing faith in Jesus. So over the summer and as you take a break from whatever is your usual routine, just pray and ask God: is he inviting you to come on this journey of faith?
Yours in His service
John
