I was Christened in an Anglican church, and my parents were married in a cathedral but after my father returned from serving in North Africa during WW 11, my parents joined an evangelical union church in which I grew up. John, my husband, then a theological student at a Baptist college, was a visiting preacher one Sunday morning. We were married 2 years later and served in two Baptist churches. When John graduated as a Doctor of Divinity and entered academia, he remained all his life on the Baptist ministerial roles. However, when he retired we worshipped in the Church of England in South Africa, and on our frequent visits to London “our” churches were all Anglican: All Souls Langham Place, Holy Trinity Brompton and St Helen’s Bishopsgate. When we could no longer travel due to John’s ill-health, we listened online to a fine preacher from a nearby Anglican church. After John went to Heaven last year, I joined this vibrant small church. The Church Calendar was new to me, and this is my first Lent, and this is what I learnt about Lent.
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lI learnt to read at nursery school when I was five, clasping Beatrix Potters little books, loving her delicate paintings of tiny animals dressed in clothes. My favourite tiny book was PETER RABBIT. It was not long before I was fascinated by Enid Blyton and read everything I could borrow from the travelling library that stopped near our house. The BOY NEXT DOOR was my favourite. When I was 12 and at high school, the English teacher read the WIND IN THE WILLOWS to us. After that I found all the romances - authors Georgette Heyer and Jeffry Farnol. I enjoyed all the Scarlett Pimpernel’s escapades and, later on, GONE WITH THE WIND. Thereafter it was mainly reading for my BA degree…
Here are 3 books I can recommend. The first is really a booklet called WHY JESUS. The illustrations are fun, and it is an ideal book for friends searching for meaning in life. Written by Nicky Gumbel, a converted Jew and well-known barrister in London, who served as Vicar of Holy Trinity Brompton from 2005-2022, and where John and I often worshipped when on holiday in London. You can download and read WHY JESUS here. THE BIBLE IN MODERN ENGLISH J.B.Phillips, 1906-1982, was an Anglican clergyman. During World War 11 in the underground bomb shelters in London with young members of his church, he realized they had difficulty in understanding the King James Version. Phillips had an honours degree in classics, so he began translating it into up-to-date English. Because it was so popular, it began being quoted, and Phillips realized he would have to retranslate it for accuracy. This long and arduous work took many years and involved him leaving his parish and buying a house in a quiet location where he could work undisturbed. THE NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN ENGLISH is a very thick volume. It is remarkably vivid. When Christ speaks, one feels the passion of what he is saying. When Paul writes, it sounds as up-to-date as a preacher in 2024. Added to this, there was the English to check. It had not changed as much as Phillips thought it could have. The “little tin gods” in 1 PETER became “the dictators” and the “plutocats” in JAMES became “men of influence”. BASIC CHRISTIANITY Basic Christianity was written by John Stott ,1921-2011. I first heard him preach when he was Rector of All Souls Langham Place in 1969. He was a renowned preacher, author, theologian, evangelist and evangelical Anglican. In 1945 he became Assistant Curate at All Souls, and in 1950 Rector. Later he was elected as Rector Emeritus. He also served as chaplain to Queen Elizabeth 11 who conferred the CBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) on him. He was a bachelor and devoted his life to serving his Lord – had he been married he could never have achieved all he did. His influence extended around the world where he travelled extensively, speaking at conferences and academic institutions. The famous Lausanne Covenant of 1974 was largely his work. In 1983 he was awarded a Lambeth doctorate. This is conferred by the Archbishop of Canterbury from his headquarters in Lambeth Palace. It is not a university degree, but an honour conferred by the archbishop. Five universities conferred honourary doctorates on him. In 2005, Time Magazine ranked him as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the World. He wrote over 50 books including commentaries on books of the Bible, and his most famous book is BASIC CHRISTIANITY published in 1958. It is a wonderful book for anyone who wants to find out what Christianity is all about and an ideal gift book for family and friends who are seeking meaning in life. God bless Merle It’s New Year’s Eve and I, and probably you, are watching all the crowds in your city as they wait for the countdown to 2024, to the jubilation, popping corks and the fateful New Year’s resolutions. Hopefully, they will last beyond a week this year…
But what will you watch this year? I intend to read politics, especially American politics, Netflix Korean series, and BBC travel, crime and documentaries – their one on the four seasons at Kew Gardens is amazing - if I can spare the time. I have a lot of work to get through and being 86 pray that the Lord spares me to do it. Having said that, I look for series that have no LANGUAGE at the top. It means there will be blasphemy in it, so I usually land up picking a series with a 13 year-old age limit. Here are two programmes I enjoyed watching and can recommend. The Pyrenees with Michael Portillo and King Charles’ Christmas message. Praying that 2024 will be a year in which God blesses, guides and uses you. Merle One of my happiest Christmas memories was of the few days we spent in Altdorf in Germany. John and I were in a charming ancient hotel with windows opening on to the main street strung with coloured lights and the nearby church. It was mid-winter, snowing and bitterly cold. We were woken by the sound of pealing bells. Dressing hurriedly, we went across to the church, went inside and listened to a glorious organ recital.
But Christmas is not a joyous occasion for everyone. After 66 years of happy Christmases spent with John, he will not be here this Christmas. May the God of all comfort, comfort those who mourn this festive season. I love the sound of church bells! Here are two you may listen to on YouTube: Cape Town Cathedral Bells, and St Paul’s Cathedral London. Here are some other cathedral bells you may care to listen to on YouTube: Zagreb Cathedral Croatia, Coventry Cathedral, England, St Martin’s-in-the-fields, London, Regensburg Cathedral, Germany and Speyer Cathedral, Germany. And then, of course, there are all the advent activities that are an integral part of Christmas. I love the carol services, held in the parks or inside churches depending on whether you live in the southern or northern hemispheres. Listen online to the Choir Carol Concert from All Souls Langham Place, London , and listen to their upcoming Carol Service on 16 December. I am hoping and praying that my Christmas play PRAISE HIM! on www.christian-life-poetry.com will be downloaded and used this year. Even if your Sunday school is very small. It may be performed if the children only sing Welcome Little Lord Jesus and adults perform the other scores. At the top of the page on the website you will find the Menu. Go to CHRISTMAS for items you might find useful. May the joy or Christmas be yours this year. Merle It is only November but shopping malls ring with Christmas Carols. “Joy to the world the Lord has come!” But what exactly is joy? Is it happiness?
Let’s google some dictionaries to see how they define joy. The Oxford Learners Dictionaries says, “a feeling of great happiness”. Cambridge Dictionary says, “great happiness”, and the Oxford English Dictionary says, “a feeling of great happiness or pleasure.” Let’s see how the same dictionaries define happiness. Oxford Learners Dictionaries says happiness is “the state of feeling or showing pleasure”. The Cambridge Dictionary says, “the feeling of being pleased or happy”. And the Oxford English Dictionary says, “the quality or condition of being happy, deep pleasure”. The difference between the two states is that joy is “great happiness” whereas happiness is “showing pleasure”, “being pleased or happy”, and “deep pleasure”. In Luke 2:10-11 we read: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour which is Christ the Lord”. And this is not only joy but great joy and it is to the world. May your Christmas be blessed with this great joy. Merle Pls see Menu at top of page for CHRISTMAS with info about how we can celebrate Christmas with music, a childrens’ play (PRAISE HIM!), poems and Cantata. Revenge, unfortunately, is a natural human reaction to when we are hurt or maligned. Our adrenalin rushes to the fore as we punch back! The mother-in-law jokes we laugh at, are in many instances true, even those about Christian mothers-in-law.
The Bible has much to say about revenge and the people who took revenge. “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called that you may inherit a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9 NIV). “Do not say, I’ll do this to them as they have done to me. I’ll pay them back for what they did.” (Prov 24:2 NIV). Our Lord Jesus said, “You have heard it was said, eye for eye and tooth for tooth. But I tell you, do not resist any evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also.” (Matthew 5:38,39 NIV). “To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps. He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When they hurled their insults at him, he did not retaliate, when he suffered, he made no threats.” (1 Peter :21-23 NIV) From the 1st century AD until in the 4th century AD, Christians in the Roman Empire were persecuted. This was purely political persecution, the act of taking revenge on their poltical opponents. Christians protested against, and did not take part in pagan beliefs such as sacrifices to the emperors who were revered as God. From this time on, evangelical Christians have been persecuted for their beliefs, some of them by Roman Catholic popes, others by political leaders. Consider Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the renowned Lutheran Christian author, pastor and activist as well as a key founding member of the Confessing Church who fled to New York, only to decide to return to Nazi Germany to face imprisonment and martyrdom as well as Hitler’s malicious vengeance shortly before Germany’s defeat. Finally, what does the Bible say of God Almighty’s opinion of revenge? “It is mine to avenge. I will repay. In due time their foot will slip, their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them.” (Deut 32:35 NIV). “Do not say I’ll pay you back for this wrong! Wait for the Lord and he will avenge you.” ( Prov 20:22 NIV). Wait, be patient, and turn the other cheek as our Lord and Saviour taught. God bless you Merle At the beginning of creation, we find 3 names: God, Adam, Eve. There were no surnames or Christian names. Soon, however, other names were added to identify individuals, for example, David, son of Obed, grandson of Boaz and Ruth and thereafter all his forbears. We have a somewhat similar way in our culture, for example, in John whose descendants became Johnson.
Have your names been troublesome? Did your parents give you an outlandish name like FOURTHSON or FULLBLOOM? My four given names were quite ordinary: the first was my mother’s name, the second Merle, the third my mother’s maiden name and then my married surname Lamprecht. The problem arose when years ago one could sign in online to get permission to visit Britain. My problem came about when I submitted my Christian names. My third name was my mother’s maiden name. Quite rightly. the response was that this was a surname. In desperation, I wrote to the embassy explaining my predicament, got a reply to give to customs when I landed at Heathrow, and clutching it fearing I might be put on the return flight home handed it over, and breathed a sigh of relief when he said, “Welcome to Britain.” Recently there has been a trend to call babies by the pet names of their Christian names, for example, Harold Smith becomes Harry Smith, Jacob Smith becomes Jake Smith, and Margaret Smith becomes Peggy Smith, and Dorothy Smith becomes Dolly Smith. Biblical names are popular among Christians and Jews. Some of the masculine names in the Old Testament are Abraham, Isaac, (Isaac Watts who wrote many of the greatest Christian hymns), Jacob (which was the most popular name in America for many years), Joseph, (the coat of many colours who saved his family who had sold him into slavery), David, (King), Jesse, (Jesse Waters one of the most watched programmes in America today), Jonathan, (David’s best friend),and Samuel, (judge). Here are some Old Testament feminine names: Eve, (the first woman in the Bible), Rebecca, (mother of Esau and Jacob), Naomi, Ruth,(wife of Boaz), Sharon, (the rose of Sharon), Deborah, (prophetess and judge), Esther, (Jewish queen who saved her people),Abigail, (David’s wife), Hannah, (Samuel’s mother), Judith, Dinah. Miriam, Jeminah, Leah, Rachel. There is often confusion about disciples and apostles. They are both people who are sent on a mission. Jesus sent his disciples on a mission. This included Judas Iscariot. He was dead when the apostles were chosen, and no Christian would ever call their son Judas. Paul heard Jesus speaking to him, and giving him instructions, as he was on his way to Damascus to persecute Christians. Paul himself claims to be an apostle. In 1 Cor 9:1 he writes, “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Are you not my workmanship in the Lord?” And in 1 Gal 1 he writes, “Paul, an apostle – not from men or through men, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.” But between them, the apostles John and Paul, wrote most of the New Testament. That is why their names are so popular. What names was Jesus called in the New Testament? He was called Christ, Lord, Master, Teacher, Word, Son of God, Son of Man, Son of David, Lamb of God, and Saviour. In Isaiah’s prophecy we read, “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given, and the government is on His shoulder. And His name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (Isa 9:6). What names did Jesus call the people in the crowds that followed him? Here are a few I can recall: Friend (Judas when he betrayed Jesus), his disciples (in John 15), hypocrites (Pharisees and teachers of the Law), ye of little faith (when he stilled the sea), children (in Luke 18:15-17), “Let the children come to me”… “Truly I tell you, anyone who does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will never enter it.” What are the names of God in the Bible that people called him, or that he called himself? The Supreme One (Gen 1:1), The Almighty (Gen 17:, 1) The Lord (with several additions, for example, The Lord will provide, The Lord our healer), The Ancient of Days (Dan 7), Abba Father (Romans 8:15), Alpha and Omega (The First and the Last, Rev 22:13). The Holy Spirit is mentioned a great many times throughout the Bible, right from the beginning to the end. In Gen 1:2, we read, “And the earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” In Acts 2:1-6, we read, ”And suddenly the was a sound from heaven as a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the house where they were sitting…and cloven tongues like fire sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. And there were dwelling in Jerusalem, devout Jews, out of every nation under heaven. Now, when this was noised abroad, the multitude came together, and were confounded because every man heard them speak in their own language.” (Acts 2:1-6). Then Peter delivered a long sermon about Jesus Christ. “Then they gladly received his word and were baptized, and the same day were added about 3 thousand souls.” (v41). The Holy Spirit is called The Comforter, (John 14:26), The Spirit of Truth, (John 16:13), The Advocate and Reminder, (John 14:26). In The Revelation the Holy Spirit is called the Spirit, and it is in the Spirit that John receives his visions. In Ex 3:14 God mentions his name for the first time in the Bible to Moses: “I AM THAT I AM”.” Jesus called himself the great I AM in John 8:58,59: “Before Abraham was I AM”. The Holy Spirit that “proceeds from the Father and Son is also I AM. (John 15:26). Three very distinct Persons form the Godhead. In every way they are equal. God bless Merle I live in a complex where I am struck by the different attitudes of people who think of gratitude. The workers who are not wealthy say, “I am grateful to God because I have a job.” The residents generally say, “Why has God done this to me?” I am very grateful for my large family, all Christians, who live nearby and visit often. However, like the 3 babies I had longer ago than I like to remember, I persist in bawling to God if he doesn’t answer in the way I wish!
God and our Lord Jesus Christ have much to say in the Bible about the poor and our treatment of them. This is a dominant theme in the Bible. Here are some examples: “Defend the weak and the fatherless; uphold the cause of the poor and the oppressed. Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.” (Ps 82:3,4 NIV). “For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me. They will answer, Lord, when did we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or needing clothes, or sick or in prison and did not help you? He will reply: Truly I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me,” (Matthew 25: 42-45 NIV). “Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man wearing filthy clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man in fine clothes and you say, here is a good seat for you, but you say to the poor man, stand here, or sit on the floor by my feet, have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?” (James 2:2-4 NIV). “If anyone has material possessions and a brother or sister in need but has no pity on them, how can the love of God be in that person? Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with action and in truth.” (1 John 3:17,18 NIV). There are so many things for which we can be grateful. I am especially grateful for the 66 years I had with my darling husband. He passed into the presence of his Lord one month ago. Here are some of the great many verses about thanksgiving and gratitude in the Bible. “Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift.” (2 Cor 9:15 NIV). “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 14:6,7 NIV). “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” (James 1:17 NIV). “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever.” (Ps 118:29 NIV). “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor 15:57 NIV). “The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.” (Ps 28:7 NIV). And I am grateful to our Lord for everyone who reads this blog. God bless you Merle One thing we all long for is peace. It may be peace in our relationships, peace from in-fighting at work, peace in the world especially if we are living in a war-torn area, and that inner peace which eludes us despite having achieved our goals. Our frenetic lifestyles can’t be blamed. The Old Testament prophet, Jeremiah, wrote of this when he said, “Peace and safety then sudden destruction.” (Jer 6:14).
Britain’s Prime Minister, Neville Chamberlain, returned triumphant after signing the Anglo-German Munich Agreement in 1938 declaring, ”Peace for our time.” Less than a year later, Hitler broke the Agreement when he invaded Poland, and started World War 2. In Matthew’s Gospel chapter 24:6-8, he records what our Lord Jesus Christ prophesied about world peace in the last days. ”And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars. See that ye be not troubled for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” Doesn’t this sound like the times in which we are living? So, what can we do about it? Can we simply say, “We can’t do anything about it. Whatever will be will be! Let’s eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die!” Or, if we are Christians, shouldn’t we turn to our Lord Jesus Christ, and see what he has to say about the beginning of sorrows in John’s Gospel? (Jn 14:1-3). Here he speaks of peace in times or tumult. “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” In the Bible, both Old and New Testaments, there are a great number of verses about peace: either those expressed by individuals or attempts at defining the word. It is interesting to consider two occasions on which Jesus discussed peace. They are found in the apostle John’s Gospel. Jesus was not speaking about world peace, but about the inner peace, peace to our souls, that only he can give – even if we find ourselves in parts of the world in which Christians face persecution or even martyrdom. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (Jn 14:27). “These things have I spoken unto you, that ye night have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” )Jn 16:33). Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift! Merle |
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