Ephesus

Good morning, everybody. My name is Jenny and I'm a member at Brantsfield Evangelical Church.

Welcome to our service today. I'm going to read from Acts chapter 19.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus.

There he found some disciples and asked them,

Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?

They answered, No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.

So Paul asked, Then what baptism did you receive?

John's baptism, they replied.

Paul said, John's baptism was a baptism of repentance.

He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.

On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.

When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied.

There were about twelve men in all.

Paul entered the synagogue and spoke boldly there for three months, arguing persuasively about the kingdom of God.

But some of them became obstinate.

They refused to believe and publicly maligned the way.

So Paul left them.

He took the disciples with him and had discussions daily in the lecture hall of Tyrannus.

This went on for two years,

so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia heard the word of the Lord.

God did extraordinary miracles through Paul,

so that even handkerchiefs and aprons that had touched him were taken to those who were ill,

and their illnesses were cured, and the evil spirits left them.

Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus

over those who were demon-possessed.

They would say,

In the name of the Lord Jesus,

whom Paul preaches,

I command you to come out.

Seven sons of Siva,

a Jewish chief priest,

were doing this.

One day the evil spirit answered them,

Jesus I know,

and Paul I know about,

because who are you?

Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all.

He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house,

naked and bleeding.

When this became known to the Jews and Greeks living in Ephesus,

they were all seized with fear,

and the name of the Lord Jesus was held in high honor.

Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed what they had done.

A number who had practiced sorcery brought their scrolls together and burned them publicly.

When they calculated the value of the scrolls,

the total came to 50,000 drachmas.

In this way,

the word of the Lord spread widely and grew in power.

After all this had happened,

Paul decided to go to Jerusalem,

passing through Macedonia and Achaia.

After I have been there,

he said,

I must visit Rome also.

He sent two of his helpers,

Timothy and Erastus,

to Macedonia,

while he stayed in the province of Asia a little longer.

About that time,

there arose a great disturbance about the way.

A silversmith named Demetrius,

who made silver shrines of Artemis,

brought in a lot of business for the craftsmen there.

He called them together,

along with the workers in related trades,

and said,

You know, my friends,

that we receive a good income from this business.

And you see and hear how this fellow,

Paul,

has convinced and led a stray large numbers of people here in Ephesus,

and in practically the whole province of Asia.

He says that gods made by human hands are no gods at all.

There is danger not only that our trade will lose its good name,

but also that the temple of the great goddess Artemis will be discredited,

and the goddess herself,

who is worshipped throughout the province of Asia and the world,

will be robbed of her divine majesty.

When they heard this,

they were furious and began shouting,

Great is Artemis of Ephesians,

Soon the whole city was in an uproar.

The people seized Gaius and Arasarchus,

Paul's travelling companions from Macedonia,

and all of them rushed into the theatre together.

Paul wanted to appear before the crowd,

but the disciples would not let him.

Even some of the officials of the province,

friends of Paul,

sent him a message begging him not to venture into the theatre.

The assembly was in confusion.

Some were shouting one thing,

some another.

Most of the people did not even know why they were there.

The Jews in the crowd pushed Alexander to the front,

and they shouted instructions to him.

He motioned for silence in order to make a defence before the people.

But when they realised he was a Jew,

they all shouted in unison for about two hours,

Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.

The city clerk quieted the crowd and said,

Fellow Ephesians,

doesn't all the world know that the city of Ephesus

is the guardian of the temple of the great Artemis

and of her image,

which fell from heaven?

Therefore,

since these facts are undeniable,

you ought to calm down and not do anything rash.

You have brought these men here,

though they have neither robbed temples nor blasphemed our goddess.

If then,

Demetrius and his fellow craftsmen have a grievance against anybody,

the courts are open,

and there are pro-consuls.

They can press charges.

If there is anything further you want to bring up,

it must be settled in a legal assembly.

As it is,

we are in danger of being charged with rioting

because of what happened today.

In that case,

we would not be able to account for this commotion

since there is no reason for it.

After he had said this,

he dismissed the assembly.

Let us pray.

Lord, we thank you that we are able to meet like this

and read this passage together

and hear the message from Graham.

We ask that you'll give us receptive hearts

and will help us to listen to what you have to say to us

via the message.

We pray that as well as listening to it

and enjoying the message,

we might also meditate and think about it

and also apply it to our own lives

in the weeks ahead.

Amen.

Well, good morning, everyone.

It's wonderful to have you with us.

Please can I encourage you to grab a Bible

and come with me to Acts chapter 19.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

It's so important that we have the word of God

open in front of us

so we can hear his voice.

So get Acts chapter 19 open in front of you.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

We're going to finish this morning

a little series that we've been in

over the last few weeks

looking at what happened

when the gospel,

the message of Jesus,

what happened when it first hit Europe.

Now, to get us into this today,

let me take you back to your childhood.

I wonder if you were like me.

I wonder if you ever found yourself

playing this game called Pooh Sticks.

No one ever explained to me

why it was called that.

To this day, it's still a mystery,

but that's what we called it.

It was called Pooh Sticks.

And it wasn't the most complicated of games, really.

You found yourself a bridge.

You found yourself a mate.

You found yourself a stick.

And what happened is

you both dropped your sticks

into the river at one side

and then you legged it

to the other side of the bridge

to see whose stick was the first

to come out the other side of the bridge.

Right?

Told you it wasn't the most complicated of the games.

But here was the science behind the game.

Really simply,

your stick always went

with the flow of the river.

Right?

And we sometimes use that phrase,

don't we, to describe

how somebody is living.

We talk about somebody

who just goes with the flow.

They're happy to drift along

in the same direction

that everyone else seems to be going.

They're happy to think the same things,

to behave the same way,

to have the same dreams,

just following the flow

of the cultural river

as a cultural poo stick.

So here we are in Acts chapter 19.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

Paul has arrived in the city of Ephesus.

And let me show you the flow

of the cultural river of Ephesus.

You see, your lonely planet guide to Ephesus

is dominated by one thing.

The Ephesus tour bus stops in one place.

Right?

Edinburgh has the castle.

Paris has the Eiffel Tower.

Pisa has the leaning tower.

Ephesus, in the first century,

has the great temple of Artemis.

She is the goddess, if you like,

of life and health.

And she's said to live

in this huge pillared temple

which dominates the city's skyline.

In fact, it is one of the seven wonders

of the ancient world.

It's an incredible thing to look at.

And people flock from all over

to see the temple of Artemis,

not just because of how it looks,

but they come here

to see what the whole setup is about.

What does the whole setup represent in Ephesus?

Health, wealth, and happiness.

Happiness.

That's what the people in Ephesus,

they love.

Right?

They love those things.

Health, wealth, and happiness.

See, if ever any of those things

is in jeopardy,

boy, they will come out swinging and fighting.

So here's the song that you'll hear

on every jukebox in Ephesus.

Here's the chant that you'll hear

on the streets from the people.

We get it twice in our passage.

Look with me.

Verse 28 is the first time we get it.

Right?

Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.

And again, verse 34.

Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.

Except they go on this time for two hours.

That's an awful lot of chanting.

They love Artemis.

That's the flow of the cultural river of Ephesus.

Just worshipping Artemis.

And the thing to see is it's a city full of poo stick people.

And your boy Paul turns up in this city.

And he starts preaching about Jesus.

This God man sent to earth from a loving heavenly father

who came and lived perfectly,

who died unjustly on the cross

as a perfect substitute for the sin in our lives

that's offended our creator.

And he rose and he lives and he offers forgiveness

and he offers hope and he offers newness of life

to all those who would humble themselves,

look to him, behold him, and believe.

And this same Jesus one day will return to judge the world.

On the basis of what?

On the basis of how they have responded to him.

That's the message.

His audience?

The people going with the flow of the cultural river of Ephesus.

Paul is preaching in the synagogue.

Paul is teaching in the public lecture hall.

And he's doing it consistently over a period of time.

And all of a sudden what seems to happen by the grace of God

is that salmon start appearing in the Ephesian river.

Right?

Those who listen, who believe, who repent,

just means turn around, do a 180,

and they start swimming upstream.

Now how has that happened?

Come with me.

It has happened through the word of the Lord.

Let me just pick out two verses for you.

Come with me where Luke shows us this.

In fact, I think this is his big thing that he wants us to see

as he records this episode in Acts chapter 19.

Acts 19 · chapter mention

See what's happening here.

Verse 10.

This went on for two years,

so that all the Jews and Greeks who lived in the province of Asia

heard, heard what?

Heard the word of the Lord.

And then verse 20.

In this way, the word of the Lord spread widely,

and it grew in power.

So what's happening here is Paul is just opening the scriptures.

He's explaining Jesus,

and the Holy Spirit is moving in power

through the word of the Lord

and impacting people's lives,

penetrating people's souls,

bringing this deep conviction

of sin that I am not right with my creator God,

exposing the darkness and the darkness of the human heart,

and shining brightly on Christ,

and saying,

behold the Lamb of God.

Behold the beauty of Jesus Christ.

And that is making a seismic impact on people's lives.

Which is why, as a side note,

if ever our friends and our family members who we love

are ever to come to meet Jesus for themselves,

friends, it is going to happen through us opening

the word of the Lord

and allowing the Holy Spirit to take these words

and impact their lives.

The word of the Lord is bringing radical

and holistic change into people's lives.

This God is into the business of transformation

by his grace.

And you say,

well, in what ways have people been changed?

Let me just pick out two ways here

how people have been changed by the word of the Lord.

Firstly,

in terms of the affection of their hearts.

Because here is what we find out.

If you come with me,

here's what we find out about the people in Ephesus

in verses 11 to 20.

It appears that many of them are caught up in the occult.

We get mentioned here of witchcraft,

of magic arts,

of sorcery, right?

Today, what you're looking at,

you're looking at Ouija boards,

tarot cards,

horoscopes.

And just in case you think

we're in a far off land here,

let me just say that in our city,

one of the most popular things to do in Edinburgh

is take the walking ghost tour of the city, right?

Past our house every night,

going up to the depot,

is the ghost bus tours.

This stuff is alive and well.

And it's real and it's dangerous.

And do you see how it's got a hold

on many people in Ephesus?

They're gripped by this stuff.

But verse 11,

do you see what's going on?

God is doing extraordinary miracles

by the hands of Paul.

What's going on here is he's confirming,

God confirming to the world

this one crucial moment

that Paul and his message

are the real deal.

And so here is what people begin to realize

in Ephesus.

That God's power

is so much greater

than the powers of the occult.

Verse 17,

do you see as they respond to this,

what happens?

Luke tells us that great fear

falls on the people.

Fear being

just that rightful recognition

of who God is.

And in response to that,

who I am.

Just reorientating our lives

towards who God is.

And great fear

falls upon

these people.

And not just that,

do you see how

the name of Jesus

is being,

and what is the word here?

Extolled.

Right?

Greek word here

just means magnified,

put in lights,

lifted high.

Whereas before,

there was a love for self

in these people's hearts.

All of a sudden,

now,

there is a new affection

that's been replaced

by a love

for Jesus.

In the words of Augustine,

he was a man

from the 5th century

who

previously lived

a life of pleasure-seeking

before he came

to meet Jesus.

Here's how he puts it

in his own words.

He says this,

how sweet

all at once

it was for me

to be rid of

those fruitless joys

which I had once

feared to lose.

You, Lord,

drove them from me.

You who are

the true,

the sovereign joy.

And get this,

you drove them from me

and you took their place.

O Lord,

my God,

my light,

my wealth,

and my salvation.

Jesus has taken

the place

of the highest affection

in these people's hearts.

He's become

the great treasure

of their souls.

It's amazing

every week of the Gospels

how often you find Jesus

talking about this kind of thing.

Talking about the kingdom

of heaven is like.

It's like a pearl

of great price.

It's like a man

finding treasure

in a field

and he sells everything

that he has

so he can buy the field

and get the treasure.

That's what it's like.

When Jesus becomes

the most precious

thing

in your

life.

And you see

how some in Ephesus,

some of these people,

they clearly want

to mark

and make

that decisive

break

from their

former ways

of thinking

and living.

And so what do they do?

They take their

occultic books,

the things that used

to dominate them,

the things that they

used to look to

for guidance

and meaning

and hope

and what do they do?

They chuck them down,

they strike up a match

and hey presto

is bonfire night.

And Luke wants us

to know

that this isn't

just a couple of books

on the fire here.

This is 50,000

pieces of silver

which is some serious

dough in this day.

Some commentators

put it

at almost

six million dollars

worth of books

which shows you

there's some serious

cash kicking

about this city.

But here are people

publicly saying

that stuff

it's worthless,

it's shallow,

it's dangerous

and most importantly

it doesn't have

a hold on me anymore

because I found

something greater

and better.

Jesus

fills

and thrills

my soul.

And I love this,

I remember my friend

Paul

years ago

when he became

a Christian,

do you know

what he did?

He gave away

the clothes

in his wardrobe

because he was

into his designer gear,

right,

he spent tons

of money on it,

he wanted to look

good,

dressed to impress,

be in the right places

with the right people

and I think

it was a lifestyle

that he realized

was all too readily

calling the shots

in his life

and it was his way

of saying

that that stuff

it just doesn't

have a hold

on me anymore.

Jesus is worth

more to me

than that way

of life.

I love the old hymn

by Charles Wesley,

he puts it like this,

talking of Jesus,

he breaks

the power

of cancelled sin,

he sets

the prisoner free,

his blood

can make

the foulest

clean,

his blood

availed

for me.

Friends,

let me ask you,

as the word

of the Lord

comes to you today,

is there something

that's got a grip

on your soul

and your life?

What is it?

Things that's

dominating you,

maybe you want

to get in touch

today and I'd love

to chat

and chat this out

and meet with you

and pray with you.

Jesus breaks

the power

of cancelled

sin.

The old

has gone,

the new

has come

and the word

of the Lord

continues to

increase

and prevail

mightily.

People are being

changed in Ephesus.

The affections

of the heart

and secondly,

the direction

of the mind.

See,

as time ticks

on in Ephesus,

it seems that

more and more

people are responding

to the message

of Jesus

and as more

and more people

as they start

swimming against

the flow

of the Ephesian

river

and if they begin

to question

the way of

thinking in Ephesus

saying,

is there more

to life

than this?

Verse 23,

do you see

how tensions

reach boiling point

which tells you

this is,

there's a lot

of people

who are questioning

this way of life

here.

Reaches boiling point,

it all kicks off

because as Paul

preaches,

people in the city

are beginning

to think

and here's

how they report

it,

right?

Verse 26,

and you see

in here

how this fellow

Paul

has convinced

and led astray

large numbers

of people

here in Ephesus

and in practically

the whole province

of Asia

and here's

what he's saying,

he says

that gods

made

by human hands

are no

gods

at all.

Right,

think of it

like this,

I wonder if you

remember watching

Heartbeat on telly

back in the 90s,

right?

You remember that

art show

with Tony Hart

who was a presenter

and he'd

got this little man,

this little helper

that he'd formed

out of clay

called Morph.

I remember as a

child,

they kind of freaked

me out,

couldn't look at

Play-Doh the same

again,

but he had

a little Morph

and they used

to do stuff

together

and create

things together.

So you know

in all my times

watching Heartbeat,

here's what I

never saw.

I never saw

Tony Hart

bow down

and start

worshipping Morph.

See,

that really

simply is

essentially

Paul's logic

here.

Follow with me,

follow Paul.

How can

something made

with human hands

be a god?

If something

is man-made,

if something

can be so

easily destroyed,

if something

can come

and go

and rise

and fall

with the

ever-changing

seasons of

life,

if something

is here

one minute

and gone

the next,

then surely

that makes

for a pretty

lousy god.

Surely the

very definition

of a god

is that

it is the

creator

rather than

the created.

that it

stands unchanging

above the

things of us

and the

things of

this earth.

That would

be a better

definition of

a god.

And what's

happening is

that people

are beginning

to stop

in Ephesus

and to

think about

what Paul

is saying

and it

seems to

be making

sense in

their minds.

And as

people become

Christians,

there's a

change in

the direction

of their

mind.

Health,

wealth and

happiness,

they make

terrible things

to spend

your life

pursuing.

Why?

Because looks

will fade.

Right?

Money will

rise and

fall as

markets dip

in and

out,

rise up

and down.

Happiness

will come

and go.

Friends,

we know

what our

moods are

like.

Seems to

me we need

something far

more stable

and far

more unchanging,

something far

more secure

in which to

place our

trust.

Right?

I remember

reading a

book back

in the early

2000s just

to illustrate

this that

simply said

when he was

at the height

of his

power,

simply said,

do you know

what?

There will

come a day

when Tiger

Woods will

not win.

I remember

reading that

as a teenager

and thinking,

this guy

clearly knows

nothing about

golf.

Right?

He just

didn't have

the comprehension

to think 30,

40 years down

the line and

to think about

the fact that

that might be

true.

Looks will

fade,

talent will

go,

strength will

fall.

Paul says

gods made

by human

hands are

no gods

at all.

And do you

see this is

terrible news

for trade in

the city?

We meet

this man

called

Demetrius

who's realized

that people

have stopped

buying the

little figurines

of Artemis

that he sells,

that's how he

gets his

income.

He sells them

that people

can buy

them,

take it

home and

have a

little worship

session in

their home,

put it on

the mantelpiece

front of the

living room

and there we

go.

Right?

He's a

Jerry Maguire

kind of guy,

right?

Show me the

money.

I'm interested

in the money.

He's totally

bought into

the Ephesian

dream.

And he gets

his fellow

sellers together

and tries to

rally them to

put a stop

to this,

to do

something.

They drag

the men

who they

know are

into this

stuff.

Verse 29,

Gaius

and Aristarchus

who are

willing to

stand with

Paul in

this one,

they drag

them into

the assembly.

And here's

the thing

to know

about the

crowd that

gets swept

up in

this.

Verse 32,

and this

is fascinating.

Most of

them didn't

even know

why they

had come

together.

In other

words,

see if you're

a roaming

news correspondent

doing the

rounds in

Ephesus,

right?

There's a

bit of news

going on

here,

there's a

riot,

I'm there

covering it.

And you're

running around

with your

microphone,

and you're

asking the

crowd,

saying,

why are

you here?

What's

going on?

They

couldn't have

told you.

I don't

really know

why I'm

here,

just kind of

everyone else

was doing

it,

and I

kind of

got swept

up in

it,

and I'm

somehow

over there.

Do you

see how

their poo

sticks just

go in

with the

flow?

Let me

just ask

you when

last time

it was

that you

stopped to

think about

why you

believe what

you believe,

and stop to

think about

why you do

the things

you do

in life.

This lockdown

has provided

many of us

just with a

chance to

stop and

to think about

the things that

we're pursuing

with our

lives.

We've maybe

been a little

bit exposed,

haven't we,

as to the

things that we

perhaps have

been trusting

in our lives,

the things that

we're dreaming

of, hoping

will happen,

the things

that we

were gutted

were missing.

We often

talk about

keeping up

with the

Joneses.

These are

phrases that

we use in

our culture.

Keeping up

with the

Joneses,

we talk

about being

caught up

in the

rat race.

Phrases

like,

each to

their own,

they just

fall off

her tongue

without

really thinking

about what

it means.

And we

find ourselves

singing along

with Lady

Gaga,

don't hide

yourself in

regret,

just love

yourself and

you're set,

I'm on the

right track,

baby,

I was

born this

way.

And we

think,

why are we

singing these

things?

And all of a

sudden we

begin to see

ourselves and

the people of

this crowd who

are shouting,

who are coming

together,

who are making

a racket,

and yet they

cannot articulate

why they're

doing the

things that

they're doing.

And back in

the scene,

they drag these

Christians before

the town clerk

and they bring

the charges

against this

new teaching.

Would you

deal with it?

That's what they

ask them.

Town clerk sees

nothing in it.

says,

if you guys

want to take

it to the

courts,

you are

welcome,

and they

don't because

they realize

that if they

did that,

it would get

chucked out

because it's

baseless.

And the

irony being

that they

are actually

the ones

who are

causing the

scene and

the riot

here,

not the

Christians.

But again,

just see,

if you remember

last week,

what we saw

in the previous

chapter of Acts,

who's in

control in

Ephesus?

What was the

same person who

was in

control in

Corinth?

Jesus is in

control in

Ephesus.

He is

sovereign.

He is

good.

He is

watching over

this situation.

But as he was

happening,

as the word of

God is

penetrating this

city,

is impacting

these people,

what's happening

is that people are

becoming followers

of Jesus.

What's happening

is that there's a

change in the

affection of

people's hearts,

lives,

and there's a

change in the

direction of

people's minds.

Life's heading

one way as a

poo stick,

now all of a

sudden by the

sheer grace of

God transformed

to swim upstream

towards knowing

and savoring

and enjoying

our creator,

which is the

very reason that

we were created

in the first

place.

As people's

lives are so

radically and

holistically

changed by the

Jesus, the

risen Jesus,

the reigning

Jesus who we

meet in the

pages of

scripture.

Let me just

give you my

favorite example

of this as we

close.

As you're in

lockdown, one of

the things that

I've loved being

able to do is

just have a

little bit more

time to do

some reading.

And one of the

things that I've

been reading is a

biography of a

man called John

Newton.

Do you know,

if ever there was

a life that

testified to the

change in

somebody's life

that encountering

the forgiveness

and grace of

Jesus makes in

somebody's life

it is of this

guy's.

In his former

life he worked

on slave ships,

transporting people

back and forth

across the seas

and loved it,

didn't see anything

wrong with it,

just going along

with the flow.

And this is what

his friends said

of John Newton

aboard the ship

his fellow sailors.

Somebody said

this,

his debaucheries

make even the

other sailors

blush.

Right?

Another said

he is a ring

leader for sin.

And then John

Newton meets

Jesus.

And he sees

all of a sudden

the ugliness

of what he's

doing with his

life.

And how he's

viewing other

human beings.

And he sees the

worthlessness of

the things he used

to prize.

And all of a sudden

in the years to

come he stops

what he's doing.

He moves to be a

minister and he

also moves to

work against the

very slave trade

that he used to

love.

And he's daily

amazed that

somebody like him

could become a

Christian.

And he pens the

words to the

best known song,

to the best known

tune anywhere in

the world.

And it goes

like this.

Amazing grace.

How sweet the

sound that

saved a wretch

like me.

I once was

lost but now

I'm found.

Was blind but

now I see.

Friends, Artemis

was destroyed

just over 300

years after this

episode in Acts

Acts 19 · chapter mention

chapter 19.

But the word

of the Lord,

the very fact

that we're here

today is proof

that it continues

to increase

and mightily

prevail.

Let's pray.

So Father,

thank you that

you are in the

business of

transforming lives

by your amazing

grace.

And we pray

Father for

the affections

of our hearts

here today.

and the

direction of

our minds

here today

that you

would transform

us and help

us to treasure

Jesus above

everything else

in this life.

And in his

precious name

we pray.

Amen.

many thanks

Graham.

Now, over

the last few

weeks we've

heard from

members about

how God has

worked in

their lives.

And so just

before we have

our final song

let's hear an

inspirational story

from John.

Hello, my name

is John Cameron

and it's been

suggested that I

might spend a

few moments just

sharing the

little of my

journey with

you.

Now, although I

live in Edinburgh

and have done

for many years,

I was born and

brought up in the

Highlands.

And for the first

seven or eight

years of my life

I lived in

Doors.

Now, that's not

because I was

angriphobic,

but because Doors

is a little village

on the shores

of Loch Ness.

And that's

where I stayed.

My early years

involved regular

activities which

included attending

church most

Sundays with my

father.

Now, church

for us was the

local pre-church

of Scotland,

which was a

very small and

aged congregation.

And in reality,

I think the

second youngest

person there was

probably the

dad.

Because of that,

there was no

Sunday school or

other activities

for children.

And my parents

signed us up for

something called

the Highlands and

Islands Postal

Sunday School

Service.

This was run by

a young brethren

couple who each

month sent out

Bible stories and

activities to

children across

the Highlands.

And we completed

them in our own

time, sent them

back and received

feedback from the

following month.

One of the

highlights of the

year was the

Sunday school

camp, which

every summer for

two weeks,

children gathered

from across the

Highlands and

had the opportunity

to enjoy fun

activities and

Bible teaching.

It was at these

camps that I

experienced the

first time people

explaining the

Bible in a way

that was appropriate

to a child.

I began to

realise that this

God and this

Jesus that I

heard about most

Sundays actually

was relevant to

my life.

I learned that

Jesus came to

earth, he

lived here, died

and rose again

to provide a way

back to God for

people like me.

And so as a

child, I began to

trust and follow.

However, it

wasn't until I was

17 and went to

university that I

had the opportunity

to observe Christians

on a day-to-day

basis.

And through the

work of the

Christian Union and

church that I

attended, I

soon realised that

Christianity wasn't

just for holidays and

holidays.

It was something

that I was called

to commit to on a

day-to-day basis.

And so for the

last 40 years,

that's what I've

sought to do.

And that kind of

brings us to

lockdown.

A time of

challenge, but a

time of learning

and following.

Now just to give

you a little bit of

background, many of

you will know that

in early 2018, my

wife was diagnosed

with dementia.

And so shortly

thereafter, I took

early retirement so

that I could focus on

being at home and

supporting her.

This means that for

me, lockdown hasn't

been the huge up

people than it has

been for many

people.

However, that

doesn't mean it's

been plain sailing.

If you know

anything about

dementia, you'll

know that people

who suffer from

it require support

and routine.

Any change from

that can result in

chaos.

So for Rosemary,

overnight lockdown

meant that all

external support and

all our normal

routines were

changed.

And I expected

chaos to follow.

people.

So the reality has

been that during

lockdown, Rosemary

has experienced a

real sense of

peacefulness that

can only come from

God.

She hasn't been

agitated.

She hasn't been

worried.

She's been genuinely

peaceful.

And so for us,

lockdown has been a

time of rest and

relaxation that we

probably wouldn't

have expected.

And so for us,

another thing that

lockdown has

brought has been

an opportunity to

support and share

with others.

Through our

dementia networks,

we've got to know

quite a number of

couples living in a

similar situation

for ourselves.

And sadly, over

these past few

weeks, a number of

the people that we

know have suffered

from the virus,

either at home or

in care homes.

people.

And so I've had

the opportunity to

just journey with

people through that,

through the telephone

and emails, to be

there and to share

with people.

Now as Christians, we

often worry about what

to say or what to do

in times of distress.

But these past few

weeks have shown me

that actually there are

opportunities just to be

with people and support

people.

And thankfully, all of

the people that we

know that have had

the virus have

recovered from it.

But sharing has been

a great opportunity.

The third thing that I

would draw to your

attention that has been

brought about by

lockdown is the

opportunity for prayer.

As somebody who's

tied to the home,

attending the church

prayer meeting is not

something that's easy.

But through our Zoom

meetings on a

evening, I've had the

chance for the first

time in a couple of

years to join in

corporate prayer.

And that's been a real

joy and a blessing.

Now, if you haven't

tried the Zoom prayer

time, I'd encourage you

to do that.

Yes, initially it can

seem a bit strange.

But in reality, when you

put your eyes closed and

you're praying, you could

easily be there in the

church and the hall with

others.

The only difference,

probably, is that

actually the seeking is

more comfortable.

So, yes, lockdown has

brought challenges and it

brings difficulties.

But for me, it has also

brought opportunities.

And it's been a time to

rest, enjoy the

peacefulness and to give

thanks to God.

Now, I don't know what

the future holds, but I'm

sure there'll be plenty

more journey for us all

to enjoy.

Thanks.

Goodbye.