EASTER 2002

When the alarm goes off to signify the beginning of a new day, it indicates the time for us to take up our normal routine. However, the alarm the friends of Jesus felt at Easter when Jesus was arrested and tried was primarily emotional.

God is the ultimate giver of surprises, and the resurrection is the biggest surprise of all, yet hard for many to accept. However, without the resurrection there would be no church and no grounds for confidence in the future. 

The horrific events of 11th September have shaken the confidence of the USA and other Western Nations. Some Christians have seen this as a sign that God is prepared to remove the blanket of protection from the wealthy nations. God is just, and is not prepared to neglect the moral requests of the poorer nations. While Islam's devotion to the Koran is strong, Western belief in the Bible is weakening. The vision that led to the setting up of the Amos Scripture Care Trust convinces us that the Twin Towers disaster should serve as a wake up call to the West. The military success against the al Qaeda training camps is not sufficient to create a secure future. The many changes in technology, that are admittedly helping our work, will not be sufficient to change the world in the way that God desires. People, not technology, are the key to the future. We are privileged in having the right people helping us in our work.

THE CHANGED LIFE

Begin with His words. Words can scarcely ever be impersonal for long. Christ Himself was a Word, a Word made flesh. Make His words flesh; do them, live them, and you must live Christ. 'He that keepeth My comrnandments, he it is that loveth Me.' Obey Him and you must love Him. Abide in Him and you must obey Him. Cultivate His Friendship. Live after Christ, in His Spirit, as in His Presence, and it is difficult to think what more you can do. Take this at least as a first lesson, as an introduction. If you cannot at once and always feel the play of His life upon yours, watch for it also indirectly. 'The whole earth is full of the character of the Lord.' Christ is the Light of the world, and much of His Light is reflected from things in the world - even from clouds. Sunlight is stored in every leaf, from leaf through coal, which comforts us when days are dark and we cannot see the sun. Christ shines through men, through books, through history, through nature, music, art. Look for Him there. `Every day one should either look at a beautiful picture, or hear beautiful music, or read a beautiful poem.' The real danger of mysticism is not making it broad enough.

Henry Drummond more